Month: June 2024

The Boston Celtics drew first blood in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Thanks to the most convincing first quarter that has ever occurred in a Finals game, the Celtics were able to defend their home court against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night en route to a 107-89 win.

Things were back-and-forth during the early portion of the first quarter. It was less like the two teams were trying to feel one another out, and more like they looked as though they had plenty of time to rest up and were just playing good basketball for the opening stretch of the game.

And then, Kristaps Porzingis checked in. Boston held a 12-11 lead at the time that he checked into the game, and while Dallas was briefly able to take a 1-point lead after that, Porzingis keyed an absolutely ferocious end to the first quarter. The Celtics ended the frame on a 23-5 run, powered largely by the 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting and three blocks that Porzingis gave them in seven minutes of work.

As such, the Mavs found themselves dealing with an avalanche, as Boston played with the rhythm that led to them being a 64-win team in the regular season. And with TD Garden absolutely on fire, the Celtics made their way to the bench at the end of the period with a 37-20 lead, the largest lead any team has had at the end of the first quarter in NBA Finals history.

Boston continued to take it to Dallas second, with their lead getting up to as many as 29 points — in fact, after a Jayson Tatum three with 4:11 to go before the half, the Celtics found themselves doubling up the Mavs with a 58-29 lead.

From that point on, Dallas was able to settle down a bit and closed the half with a 13-5 run. But even though the score was a little more respectable going into the locker room, Boston was still comfortably ahead with a 63-42 lead. Porzingis got up to 18 first half points off the bench, while Jaylen Brown gave them 13. As a team, the Celtics shot 11-for-17 from behind the three-point line, while the Mavs were only 3-for-13 from deep. And while Luka Doncic scored 17 points in the first half, no other Dallas player reached double-figure scoring, which included six points from Kyrie Irving on 3-for-9 shooting.

In the third quarter, the Mavs started to come to life. Slowly but surely, the once insurmountable Celtics lead got smaller and smaller, as Doncic continued to look like one of the best players in the world and Irving began heating up, all while Boston — as it is prone to do — looked sluggish.

The lead eventually got down to single-digits, as Doncic drilled a three with under four and a half minutes to go in the third to get it eight.

But Boston was able to settle down on both ends of the floor, and just as it looked like the game was hanging in the balance, they were able to rip off an 14-0 run that put themselves back firmly in control. And while Daniel Gafford broke up that run by hitting a pair of free throws to close the quarter, the Celtics sat pretty with a 86-66 lead after three.

The run that Dallas needed early on in the fourth just never came, as Boston was able to cut off any attempt at building up a head of steam before it started — the Mavs never got within 17 points in the final 12 minutes. And with just under five minutes remaining, Jason Kidd decided that there was no path to a win, as he got his starters on the floor and emptied out his bench.

Every member of Boston’s starting five, along with Porzingis, hit double-figure scoring on the night, with Brown’s 22 points, six rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and two assists leading the way. Porzingis gave them 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks off the bench, while Tatum gave them a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The story of the game, however, was the Celtic defense, which got Dallas to shoot 41.7 percent from the field, 25.9 percent from three, and forced 11 turnovers while only allowing nine assists — Doncic, arguably the best passer in the NBA, only had one assist on the evening, marking the first time he was held to one assist in a playoff game. While he was otherwise very good, going for 30 points and 10 rebounds, Boston was able to limit Irving to 12 points, while P.J. Washington had 14 points without making a single attempt from three. Jaden Hardy was able to give them 13 points off the bench.

Game 2 between the Celtics and the Mavs will take place on Sunday night in Boston, and is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Rihanna has certainly been busy. Though it’s been over eight years since she released her last studio album, Anti, she definitely hasn’t been laying low. Outside of music, she has been killing the make-up game with her Fenty Beauty collection, laying down the laws of the bedroom with her Savage X Fenty intimates, and most recently, giving a spin at hair care with her newly announced Fenty Hair.

Additionally, she has been on mommy duty with her sons, RZA and Riot. All of these things considered, it’s a miracle if she’s had anytime to work on new music.

Still, fans are itching for a new album from Rihanna, and while a performance at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show seemed to indicate that she hasn’t completely said goodbye to music. But since then, we’ve heard very little from Rihanna in regards to her long-awaited ninth studio album.

Earlier today (June 6), Rihanna was photographed in New York City wearing a shirt that read “I’m retired.” There was some text at the bottom which read “This is as dressed up as I get,” which was obscured by a bag she was carrying.

Nevertheless, fans have taken this as an indicator that we may never get new music from her.

“It’s giving expect no album,” said one Twitter user.

Though some fans believe she may be trolling. “She knowes just how to pmo,” said another Twitter user.

Another fan decided to accept our fate, saying “She is focused on building her business.”

At this point, only time can tell if we’ll ever get another Rihanna album.

ESPN has long struggled to figure out its studio show setup, as they’ve lagged behind the incomparable Inside the NBA in that space. However, for all the hand-wringing about who they put on their NBA studio show desk, which has been a revolving door for years, the biggest issue is the way they structure their shows.

Where TNT has excelled by creating as much space for the Inside guys to have conversations and actually get into it — whether that’s basketball conversation or whatever tangent Chuck or Shaq lead them down — ESPN has gone the opposite direction. Their show is far more rigid in going from topic to topic, creating a stiffness that stands in stark contrast to the TNT production.

Their halftime show is the worst offender in this space, especially in the Finals, as ESPN and ABC seem determined to fit as many commercials and sponsored segments into a 15-minute space as humanly possible. It has long followed the same structure (I wrote this two years ago) that provides the talent with approximately three actual minutes of halftime show to try and vomit out their first half takes as quickly as possible.

During Game 1 of the 2024 Finals, with Boston blowing the Mavs out by 21 at the half, ESPN seemingly went for a new record as they went from one commercial break to another in 22 seconds, with Malika Andrews and guest analyst Josh Hart looking at the “Kia Halftime Highlights,” which was one (1) slow-motion replay of Kristaps Porzingis block before throwing it right back to commercial break.

I fully understand the NBA Finals are big for business, and ESPN is about to shell out $2.5 billion per year to keep them. However, at some point this has to change. Again, this isn’t a talent issue, or even a production issue at the level of the people in the truck. This is at the very top where they’re making the decision that they are not going to allot any time for a halftime show to actually have space to talk about the game, which is a shame in the biggest games the sport has to offer.

If nothing else, it’d be more honest to not even bother and just run commercials for 15 minutes straight.

At long last, Tems‘ debut album is finally here. Tonight (June 7), the Nigerian R&B hitmaker has shared Born In The Wild, her long-awaited full-length project. With her years of features, EPs, and viral tracks, Tems delivered on her promise of pure quality. On Born In The Wild is “Free Fall,” a collaboration with J. Cole.

Neither Tems or Cole avoid facing difficult emotions, but on “Free Fall,” the two find themselves confused as to how to move forward with a love that is draining them of their energies.

“Hopeless, in the moment / I free fall straight into you / I don’t know if I can fight what you do in my mind / Or and more can collide with you,” sings Tems on the song’s intro.

Cole hops in, noting that he cam empathize, however, he feels frustrated at the woman’s inability to open up to him.

“Toxic, who would’vе thought whats comin’ was a plot twist / Soon as you let me in, you start hunting for the locksmith / Now thе key I once had to your heart does not fit / I got three choices, bad on your door or lock-pick / Or walk away confused at your logic,” raps Cole on his verse.

Though Cole’s hot streak of verses has recently been called into question, recently with his verse of Cash Cobain’s “Grippy” and his removal of the Kendrick Lamar diss track “7 Minute Drill” from streaming platforms. But with “Free Fall,” he bounces back, and makes a return to melodic, rhythmic form.

And ultimately, Tems’ debut album proves to be worth the wait, and only the beginning of a long, promising career.

You can listen to “Free Fall” above.

Born In The Wild is out now via RCA. Find more information here.

As a participant in the Amazon Associates affiliate program, Upworthy may earn proceeds from items purchased that are linked to this article, at no additional cost to you.

Cosmologist and science educator Carl Sagan made a name for himself in popular culture as the host of the TV show “Cosmos” and the author of more than a dozen books bridging the gap between the scientific complexities of the world and the people who live in it. Intelligent and eloquent, he had a way of making science palatable for the average person, always advocating healthy scepticism and the scientific method to seek answers to questions about our world.

But Sagan also possessed a keen understanding of the broad array of human experience, which was part of what made him such a beloved communicator. He wrote about peace and justice and kindness in addition to science. He did not shun spirituality, as some sceptics do, but said he found science to be “a profound source of spirituality.” He acknowledged that there’s so much we don’t know but was adamant about defending what we do.

Now, a quote from Sagan’s 1995 book, “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark,” has people talking about his uncanny ability to peek into the future. His predictions didn’t come through supernatural means, of course, but rather through his powers of observation and his understanding of human nature. Still pretty spooky, though.

---

He wrote:

“I have a foreboding of America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time–when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all of the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; with our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.

And when the dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites now down to 10 seconds or less, lowest-common-denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.”

— (@)

His words seem downright prophetic in an era where the least qualified people rise to the highest levels of power more and more often, people glom onto outlier voices that contradict broad scientific consensus on everything from climate change to public health, and social media sound bites fuel more and more extreme views devoid of nuance and complexity.

And the most frustrating part is that the people who get wrapped up in quacky conspiracy theories or take on radical stances based on illogical rhetoric don’t see their own ignorance. They’re told they’re the ones thinking critically, they’re the ones who are knowledgeable simply because they’re questioning authority (as opposed to the “ability to…knowledgeably question those in authority” Sagan refers to, which is not the same thing).

“When we are self-indulgent and uncritical, when we confuse hopes and facts, we slide into pseudoscience and superstition,” Sagan wrote. We watched this play out in the U.S. during the pandemic. We see it daily in our politics at either end of the spectrum. We witness it in social discourse, especially online. One thing Sagan didn’t foresee was how ignorance, pseudoscience and superstition would be rewarded in today’s world by algorithms that determine what we see in our social media feeds, creating a vicious cycle that can feel impossible to reverse sometimes.

However, Sagan also offered a hopeful reminder that people who fall prey to peddlers who push “alternative facts” for their own gain are simply human, with the same desire to understand our world that we all share. He warned against being critical without also being kind, to remember that being human doesn’t come with an instruction manual or an innate understanding of how everything works.

“In the way that scepticism is sometimes applied to issues of public concern, there is a tendency to belittle, to condescend, to ignore the fact that, deluded or not, supporters of superstition and pseudoscience are human beings with real feelings, who, like the sceptics, are trying to figure out how the world works and what our role in it might be,” he wrote. “Their motives are in many cases consonant with science. If their culture has not given them all the tools they need to pursue this great quest, let us temper our criticism with kindness. None of us comes fully equipped.”

Discerning truth from falsehood, fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience isn’t always simple, and neither is the challenge of educating a populace to hone that ability. Taking a cue from Sagan, we can approach education with rigorous scientific standards but also with curiosity and wonder as well as kindness and humility. If he was right about the direction the U.S. was heading 30 years ago, perhaps he was right about the need for understanding what led to that direction and the tools needed to right the ship.

You can find much more in Sagan’s “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” here.

Stay-at-home moms work round the clock performing myriad duties, both physically and emotionally demanding, all for zero compensation. But even more dismaying than the lack of monetary gain is the lack of recognition these full-time moms get for what they accomplish day in and day out.

That’s where Donald Schaefer comes in.

Schaefer, a man who seems to be upwards of 80 and living in Florida, is a bit of an unexpected influencer in the mom corner of social media. But nonetheless, his Instagram and TikTok are full of videos meant to offer financial tips, recipe ideas and emotional support specifically for this demographic.

One video in particular is making stay-at-home moms, aka SAHMs, feel so seen.

---

In his “special message to stay-at-home moms,” Schaefer offers SAHMS the rare gift of being told what an “incredible job” they’re doing, saying that their “dedication, hard work and love are the cornerstones of your family’s well being.”

Watching his daughters and granddaughters with kids, Schaefer says that he’s “amazed” at what accomplished every day, and because of that, he was inspired to remind all SAHMS that “what you’re doing matters immensely.”

“Sometimes in the midst of the chaos of daily routines and endless chores it’s easy to forget how important your role is, but every meal cooked, every scraped knee kissed, every bedtime story read, it all adds up to shaping the future generation,” he said.

@magicman1942 Special message for the stay at home moms. #stayathomemom #personalgrowth #inspiration #stayathomemomstruggle #workingmom #personal ♬ original sound – Don

Schaefer went on to say that it’s “perfectly normal” to get overwhelmed or exhausted with all the responsibilities and isolation that come with the job. That’s what makes self care so necessary.

“Whether it’s stealing a few moments for yourself during nap time, indulging in a hobby you love, or simply just taking a relaxing bath at the end of the day if you can find the time. Prioritize your well being,” he urged.

He then encouraged SAHMs to carve out moments to celebrate the small victories and appreciate the joys of motherhood, whether that looks like “a successful day of homeschooling” or “simply seeing your little one smile.”

Finally, Schaefer brought it all home by reiterating that even if it doesn’t always feel like it, a SAHM’s value is “immeasurable.”

“Trust me. You are the heart and soul of your family and your efforts create a warm and nurturing environment where everyone can thrive. Keep shining your light and know that you are appreciated, loved and admired more than you’ll ever know. You’re doing an amazing job, and the world is a better place because of you,” he concluded.

Understandably, viewers were moved.

“Made me tear up!! What man takes the time to encourage moms? None I’ve known. Thank you,” one person wrote.

“This definitely made me cry,” another echoed. “Thank you for such kind words and taking the time to make this video. It touched my heart so much.”

One commented, “I’m not even a SAHM, and I still felt this! ALL moms can relate I think…thank you sir!”

And still, another simply wrote, “Needed this.”

For every SAHM (or any stay-at-home parent, for that matter) may these kind words help bolster your spirit, and remind you that what you do is important indeed. You deserve that, and so much more.

For more of Schaefer’s content, find him on Instagram and TikTok.

When you try to pick a fight on Twitter it’s probably best to know who you’re dealing with.

A conservative blogger learned this lesson the hard way after trying to troll a woman who’s far from his intellectual equal.

---

On Monday, Twitter user Katie Mack tweeted her concern about climate change.

Just like every other time she has tweeted about climate change, the trolls came out of the woodwork. This time it was Gary P. Jackson, editor and publisher of a blog dedicated to Ronald Reagan’s brand of conservatism.

And Mack’s response was perfect.

What Jackson didn’t know is that Dr. Katherine J. Mack received a PhD in astrophysics at Princeton University and an undergraduate degree in physics at Caltech. So she does know a little bit about science. In fact, probably more than a guy who has a blog dedicated to the man who ripped the solar panels off the White House and famously said, “Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do.”

This burn-heard-’round the world even attracted the attention of Harry Potter creator, J.K. Rowling.

This article originally appeared on 10.30.17

Have you listened to the miscellaneous voices of your miscellaneous items on the floor lately?

Oh yours don’t speak? Well these do.

---

And they have something to admit.

THEY ARE MURDERERS!

Conveniently enough, they offer four easy steps to make them not murderers.

ONE:

TWO:

THREE:

FOUR:

*phew*

And now for some follow-ups…

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO…

Less murderous miscellaneous items, safer babies, better world.

This article originally appeared on 1.14.15

It’s not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids’ homework.

Sometimes, it’s just been too long since they’ve done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

And other times, kids bring home something truly inexplicable.

---

Trameka Brown-Berry was looking over her 4th-grade son Jerome’s homework when her jaw hit the floor.

“Give 3 ‘good’ reasons for slavery and 3 bad reasons,” the prompt began.

You read that right. Good reasons … FOR SLAVERY.

Lest anyone think there’s no way a school would actually give an assignment like this, Brown-Berry posted photo proof to Facebook.

In the section reserved for “good reasons,” (again, for slavery), Jerome wrote, “I feel there is no good reason for slavery thats why I did not write.”

Yep. That about covers it.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn’t that part of the problem?

The assignment was real. In the year 2018. Unbelievable.

The shockingly offensive assignment deserved to be thrown in the trash. But young Jerome dutifully filled it out anyway.

His response was pretty much perfect.

We’re a country founded on freedom of speech and debating ideas, which often leads us into situations where “both sides” are represented. But it can only go so far.

There’s no meaningful dialogue to be had about the perceived merits of stripping human beings of their basic living rights. No one is required to make an effort to “understand the other side,” when the other side is bigoted and hateful.

In a follow-up post, Brown-Berry writes that the school has since apologized for the assignment and committed to offering better diversity and sensitivity training for its teachers.

But what’s done is done, and the incident illuminates the remarkable racial inequalities that still exist in our country. After all, Brown-Berry told the Chicago Tribune, “You wouldn’t ask someone to list three good reasons for rape or three good reasons for the Holocaust.”

At the very end of the assignment, Jerome brought it home with a bang: “I am proud to be black because we are strong and brave … “

Good for Jerome for shutting down the thoughtless assignment with strength and amazing eloquence.

This article originally appeared on 01.12.18

In a world where social media has given everyone a public platform to share their hot takes and opinions, a Substack piece by David Pinsof is a breath of fresh air. He believes that opinions are B.S. The article isn’t just a critique of the current state of opinion-sharing but a deep dive into the psychological and sociological reasons behind it.

David Pinsof is an evolutionary social scientist at UCLA, co-creator of Cards Against Humanity and author of “Everything is Bullsh*t” on Substack.

You can read the entire piece on Substack, but here’s his basic theory:

Pinsof says opinions are different than preferences (“I like Taylor Swift’) or facts (Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii). “They’re preferences, combined with a set of positive judgments about the type of people who hold those preferences (e.g., they’re smart and cool) and/or a set of negative judgments about the people who lack those preferences (e.g., they’re dumb and cringe),” Pinsof writes.

---

He suggests that everyone who shares an opinion is unwittingly part of the “opinion game,” which is “an attempt to make the people who share our preferences look superior to the people who don’t, while concealing the fact that we’re trying to do that.”

Attempting to win the opinion game is “identical to wanting status—it’s an attempt to get other people to think we’re better than them (i.e., we have superior preferences).” Now, this poses a problem because we don’t want people to know we’re trying to elevate ourselves, or else we will look “smug and douchey and worse than them.”

So, the game is carried out in secret.

For example, if I say The Beatles are the “best band of all time,” that’s an opinion and it implies that if you disagree with me, “you’re missing something,” or you’re “not smart or deep or sophisticated enough.” He believes that opinions have covert insults built into them: “If you don’t share my preference, there must be something wrong with you.”

Upworthy spoke with Pinsof about his piece and he said it’s impossible to exit the opinion game.

“Attempting to opt out of the game is just another move in the game,” he told Upworthy. “To renounce your desire for status (and your desire to cover it up with high-minded values) is to renounce your humanity. It would be like opting out of the desire to eat or breathe.”

If opinions are all about status, does that make “know-it-alls” desperate status-chasers?

“‘Know-it-alls’ are desperate to elevate themselves socially, but so are the people who accuse the ‘know-it-alls’ of being ‘know-it-alls.’ The competition for status—for virtue, esteem, approval, and admiration—is a part of human nature, and it’s behind almost everything we do,” Pinsof told Upworthy. “No one can escape it, and if you think you’re the exception—that you don’t care what others think—then, well, you want other people to think that, don’t you?”

Pinsof started thinking deeply about opinions when he realized he wasn’t entirely sure what they were.

“No scholar really had a good theory of what these strange things were. I’m a psychologist studying political opinions, so I realized that I was in a good position to develop such a theory,” he told Upworthy. “I didn’t set out to prove that opinions were bulls**t; I just wanted to understand what the heck they were. After coming up with a good theory (or so I’d like to think), I realized that opinions were bulls**t, like pretty much everything else.”

There is no real way out of the opinion game. Either we’re the person trying to elevate ourselves by having strong opinions or trying to one-up them by having none. But, in the end, maybe we shouldn’t get too hung up on the opinion game in the first place because, as Pinsoff points out, it’s all B.S. anyway.