Kevin McCarthy may have the worst job in America. Imagine getting your dream gig — he’s Speaker of the House! — just in time for MAGA extremists who hate your guts to take over your party. Luckily there’s a good chance you don’t have to imagine what it’s like to be Kevin McCarthy, though surely you’d come up with a better excuse for the party’s presumptive kingpin storing classified governments in his freakin’ bathroom.
Last week Donald Trump was gifted with his second indictment. After that, photos were made public showing boxes of documents had been piled up in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom (below a chandelier, natch), While speaking to reporters Monday, McCarthy — who has to be tired of fielding questions about an ex-president’s creatively wacky antics — was asked if it was “a good look for the former president to have boxes in a bathroom.”
Q: “Was that a good look for the former president to have boxes in a bathroom?”
Kevin McCarthy: “I don’t know. Is it a good picture to have boxes in a garage that opens up all the time? A bathroom door locks.” pic.twitter.com/aEmOfz77kX
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) June 12, 2023
“I don’t know, is it a good picture to have boxes in a garage that opens up all the time?” McCarthy shot back, referencing boxes Joe Biden had stored in another questionable location. He added, “A bathroom door locks.”
Yeahhhhhhhh, but so does a garage? That’s not the only gap in McCarthy’s logic. As it happened, Democratic representative Jamie Raskin was on CNN when they aired that clip, and he poked another hole in McCarthy’s curious reponses.
“Well, it’s the first I’ve seen that particular defense, but is he suggesting that these boxes of classified documents got up and locked the door after people left the bathroom?” Raskin pointed out. “I’m not quite sure I follow the logic of it.”
Raskin also demolished Republicans’ attempts to pull some what-about-ism between Biden retaining government documents — then immediately returning them when that was pointed out — and Trump returning some while holding onto others.
“Look, the documents were unlawfully in Donald Trump’s possession, which was bad enough, which is a violation of the law, but even when given the opportunity to return them to the [National] Archives, to turn them back over to the government, Trump refused to do so, repeatedly,” Raskin explained. “That’s what he’s being charged with — that obstruction of justice and playing that game of cat and mouse with the government.”
Quick, name a stone-cold burger pro. There are a few — I like to think I’m among their ranks — but two very solid answers are George Motz and Alvin Cailan. Through their respective shows, Burger Scholar and The Burger Show, the duo has taught us more about the art of a great burger than just about anyone alive. Together, Motz and Cailan make an interesting combo — Motz, the historian keeps us informed about the legacy of burgers, where they come from, and how they differ from region to region; Cailan represents where burgers are going and the future of burger craft.
That’s why it made perfect sense for the pals to team up last month for First We Feast’s new road show — Burger Bucket List.
While Burger Bucket List was a short-lived affair — only three episodes long, airing during this year’s “Burger Month” — the run included Motz and Cailan chopping it up with Sean Evans, enjoying burger omakase with Elizebeth Olsen, delving into burger science with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and hunting down Oklahoma’s greatest fried onion burger. Each episode delivers 20 minutes of the greatest cheeseburger content we’ve been served up all year! Can you blame us for wanting more?
To satiate our appetite for good burger content, we linked up with Motz and Cailan to talk all things burgers — including why stepping away from the coast is a pilgrimage all burger lovers must experience. The pair also breaks down their favorite fast food cheeseburgers, including each’s ultimate Five Guys build. Let’s dive in!
First We Feast
What have you guys enjoyed most about doing Burger Bucket List?
George Motz: I mean, personally me, all of it. It’s all good. I mean, the great thing about the show is that we designed it ourselves, so we could do what we want to do. I was talking to an unnamed big Hollywood director and I said, “Well, why does this scene take place in Paris?” She said, “Because we wanted to go to Paris.”
Why do we go to Oklahoma? Because why not? We wanted to go to Oklahoma. We also wanted to show people just how great the place is. Everyone sees it as a flyover state. They don’t see it as a place to go on vacation or stop. People always say, “Why’d you go there?” And so I think Alvin and I, our goal is to try to excite people to get out there and travel and eat at the same time, and where better than Oklahoma?
Alvin Cailan: I think that we could kind of live in a world where we forget where and why we love burgers so much. The goal of the show is to spread the knowledge of why we love burgers so much in this country, where it comes from, and the good people behind it. I think Oklahoma was definitely the one destination that really tugged at the heartstrings because, man, that was an experience to see and to taste.
Even with the New York “Burger by Budget “episode, I think it was really cool to show the spectrum of burgers that you can get from $5 to $30 in New York City. I think our viewers love that stuff. They made us make a list of what we wanted to do and they gave us what we wanted. That’s why it was called the “Bucket List.”
It looks like you guys are having a lot of fun. I don’t think that’s something you can really fake.
I did want to talk about Oklahoma and that episode specifically. So far, you’ve already looked at New York City, you’ve already looked at Los Angeles. Those are two obvious burger places. You touched on this a little bit in terms of people thinking of it as a flyover state, but why is it so important to share other places that are great burger cities? What are some of the other great burger cities that might not be on the top of people’s minds?
George Motz: We don’t think of it so much as by city, but by region. A perfect example would be the state of Wisconsin. We’ve got a lot of room to move, I mean, if we could keep going, you’d have season after season because the entire area of say, Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there’s so much going on there alone. You could do four episodes right there. A lot of travel right there. That’s just one spot. That’s important for people to see that there’s not just bi-coastal… Even Miami, which is not really… It’s a destination, Miami, Just like in New York or LA, but you go there and there’s a lot to do there. There are a lot of burgers to eat there. It’s incredible.
Alvin Cailan: There’s kind of this weird secret handshake amongst burger lovers. Right? If you go to Northern California, there’s a group of people who all came from the same restaurant and have their own restaurants. And that’s how the regionality starts. That’s what I feel is the backbone of our show. So to answer your question, favorite city or cities that we love, George is right, it’s all regional really. New Mexico is one of my favorites and Texas as a whole. Driving down to 10, just the burger restaurants along the 10 freeway, it’s completely different and no one ever talks about them. So it’s definitely cool to show people that side of burgers on the show.
George Motz: Yeah. Also, Alvin pointed out in the first episode that we did together, it was the second episode of The Burger Show, our goal really for the entire show, whether we were doing something separately — I was doing Burger Scholar sessions or we did the burger stuff on the road — was to show that it has regionality like barbecue. And he pointed out wisely the first time we worked together that hamburgers really can have regionality in the same way. And regional difference is the same way that barbecue does in America.
So I think that’s also important to point out, that the show has a place because of that.
I want to bring up something that you said, George, in that episode. You called Oklahoma one of your favorite places to eat burgers because it’s a place unaffected by times and trends. I was wondering if you could break that down a little bit more to kind of tantalize people going into the episode.
George Motz: Sure. I mean, if you think about what’s happened to the American hamburger in the last 120 years, it’s become diluted. It’s changed. It’s become personal. I’d like to say that the hamburger came from the Midwest. We know that there are probably eight to 10, seven to nine claims that somehow stretched along what I also call the burger belt, which goes from Texas, all the way up to Wisconsin, all through the middle center of the Midwest.
There are a lot of claims to the birthplace of the hamburger. So if you imagine the burger starting there, and then going out from there, and then becoming diluted and time goes by, you imagine that also the original burgers, we know what they should be. And we know for a fact that in the Midwest, they haven’t changed at all. The burgers that exist on the East Coast and the West Coast are really just facsimiles or copies of what happened in the Midwest.
That’s really what I was trying to say that you do find these places that have been around and are unaffected by time and trends because there’s no reason for them to change. If they change, they go out of business because people are like, “What happened? What’d you do? That was the burger my grandfather ate, and my great-grandfather ate. Why’d you change that?” And the burger that we had looked at, the very last burger we had on the show, the El Reno Oklahoma onion burger, the fried onion burger, that last year, celebrated a hundred years. I mean, it’s a 100-year-old burger. And honestly, not much has changed about that burger apparently.
Right. Yeah. I mean, when something’s good, why change it?
George Motz: Exactly. Why take that risk?
In the episode, you mentioned the burger belt. That’s not something I’ve ever heard of before, is that real?
George Motz: Well, I made it up. If I look at my own Google Maps, I’m looking at one actually right now on my computer, I make maps. I know where I need to go and know where I’ve been. And I look at my burger maps and there’s a very, very pronounced high volume of hamburger spots that go from Texas, kind of going northeast towards Wisconsin if you draw a line. I’d like to say also, you saw in the show that the buckle of that belt really could be somewhere between Oklahoma, Kansas area right there. That really is the buckle. It’s basically in the center of the country.
That’s worth traveling for!
Alvin Cailan: Oh, yeah. I highly recommend it. Burgers in California and in Los Angeles especially, you eat in your car. When I went to Oklahoma, people were eating burgers and hanging out. It was like, they stop and smell the roses. That’s to me, so different. It was like everyone knew each other. It was definitely an experience that if you’re not used to, it was definitely something I was just so impressed by.
What’s special about that experience? How does that kind of enhance the burger-eating experience for you?
Alvin Cailan: Right now, I’m literally in my kitchen cooking burgers. It kind of shows the lineage that I’m continuing. And to see like-minded people who appreciate the craft of being a burger guy, and even the customers who love it is different, because in LA and New York… It’s a very fast five-minute interaction with your customer. You may or may not ever see them again because there’s a burger restaurant opening every 10 minutes. Right? And over there, it’s like the same restaurant that’s been there for the last 70 years. And you don’t see that much anymore, especially if you’re living on the coast.
George Motz: That’s true.
Who makes your favorite fast food or fast casual burger? What makes it the best? What are you looking for when you’re looking for that type of burger?
Alvin Cailan: Okay. So this is a conversation that I’ve had quite a bit and I’ve done an extensive amount of research in my life — Body by burger, clothing by burger, but if I’m going to answer the question, I’m a big fan… We’re talking about chains and global chains, right? I want to talk about Five Guys.
I think Five Guys is the most underrated, almost-hated-on burger, but it’s honestly up to you. You hold the power of whether or not that burger is great because you can choose the toppings and you can choose 17 toppings on a burger. Right? And I think, I feel like people overdo it, but I’ve had a great experience with Five Guys. Whether it be in Dubai or whether it be in any other country, and then locally, I’ve had a great experience with them. And they keep it pure. It’s one of those places where you can tell why they’re around and why they’re still growing. You know what I mean?
George Motz: I would say without a doubt, Steak ‘N Shake, another Midwestern chain that started in 1936 or 37, somewhere in there. Nothing’s changed. I mean, they opened up new locations. It looks like you’re sitting at the counter in front of the griddles right there. You talk to the guy behind the griddle, the women, or whatever, and it’s all the same. I don’t think anything’s changed in many, many years.
The only thing they took out was they used to grind beef in the middle of the restaurant with a corral. So everyone could see its fresh beef, which obviously, that became weird and probably illegal.
But without a doubt, Steak ‘N Shake, it’s one of those places that just has not really changed in almost a hundred years. And it’s important because again, when you go through the Midwest, you look at that burger belt, there’s one section of the burger belt that runs the entire length of Illinois. And you draw a line from St. Louis, all the way up almost to Chicago. It has its own burger belt. It’s actually what we called the Lacy Edge burger belt. There must be 30 or 40 different places along that route, Chicago from St. Louis, which are all just the Lacy Edge thin, smashed burgers, which were created obviously with the invention of the flatiron grill. This flat steel could then drain grease off, because you couldn’t do it any other way back then.
And of course, as you know, Steak ‘N Shake is from that same region, born I think, in Indiana and Normal… Sorry, Normal, Illinois, right in the middle of the state.
Both are amazing choices, I think.
George Motz: I’m also a fan of Five Guys.
I feel like what Alvin said was kind of right though. Five Guys does get an unusual amount of hate, I’ve noticed. Why do you think that is? Do you think that’s the price point? Do you think that’s just because the customizable aspect makes it that so many things can go wrong? Because I see people do this with Chipotle as well. They’ll make a burrito that has —
Alvin Cailan: Yes, I was going to say that!
They’ll make a burrito that has everything in it, and then wonder why it’s not working. And it’s like, “You’re why it’s not working.”
George Motz: Yeah. That’s why people ask us. I’m sure people ask Alvin all the time, “What’s your order from Five Guys?” People ask me all the time, and they want to know because there’s nothing worse than walking there and going like, “Give me everything or give me this and that. I’m sorry, give me that.” Because really, honestly, as a chef who knows over there as Alvin knows for sure, is that come on guys, really, it’s the chef that knows what you want to eat, not yourself. That’s why they’re chefs.
Alvin Cailan: Right. And also, decision-making, it’s very important. And I feel like a lot of people, they see all of these things and they see no cost extra on the menu, and they’re just like, “Man, I could put all this stuff in my burger and it won’t cost anything.”
George Motz: They’re also hungry.
Alvin Cailan: They’re like, “Where’s the burger? I hate this burger. Where’s the burger?” It’s like, “Dude, you put 17 things in there and you shouldn’t have. That bun can’t even hold it.” I read the Yelp reviews all the time and I’m like, “Dude, I don’t know if that option shoots them in the foot or it keeps people coming because it’s just crazy.”
George Motz: What is your order? Alvin, do you have one single order you do?
Alvin Cailan: Yeah. So they have two different patties. They have two patties. They have a smaller patty and a bigger patty. I like to get a double of the smaller patty, double cheese, raw onions, pickles, mustard, and mayo. That’s it.
George Motz: Oh yeah, that’s perfect. There you go.
Alvin Cailan: Yeah. Simple burger. Because at the end of the day, in its purest form there, it’s the best, I think. And I’ve traveled. They have a really great trading system because it’s not far off. The only time I hate Five Guys is when you have it delivered to your house because something happens when it gets delivered, but I don’t know if it’s the delivery time or the bag they stuff the burger in, but it’s way better at the restaurant.
Interviewer: Definitely. Definitely.
George Motz: My Five Guy order: Double cheeseburger, pickles, raw onion, mayonnaise, and barbecue sauce.
What do you think… And I don’t know if this might be a mean question, but we’ll word it in a way that’s not mean — whose fast food burger do you think needs the most work? What could they do to make it better? Because there’s a lot of them out there and I’ll just go ahead and say it. I think Burger King’s really dropping the ball lately.
Alvin Cailan: Oh hell, yes.
George Motz: Personally, it’s a short answer for me. Let me answer quickly first is that I haven’t really been to any of the top three to judge. That’s the problem. I mean, spent so much time consumed with old-school burgers that are between 20 and a hundred years old. And I mean, small mom and pops and I have avoided fast food, most of the fast food guys, the big three, at least for a year. So I couldn’t judge.
Alvin Cailan: They have this whole thing right now where there’s talk about McDonald’s changing their bun and their method of process. None of that makes me want to run to a McDonald’s and buy a McDonald’s burger. But I think generally speaking, my biggest pet peeve when it comes to fast food chains is when people go, “Oh you have to go to the one in East LA. It’s better there.” It’s like when I go to New York and I want to get Shake Shack, I go to the one at Madison Square Park because I always love that one, but I hate going to… the one in Battery Park, I hate it. You know what I mean? So that’s the taste that I have left in my mouth.
And when you said Burger King, I agree with that as well because the last time I had a Burger King experience was at the Honolulu Air —
An airport! Everyone has Burger King at an airport for some reason.
Alvin Cailan: Yeah. It was the worst thing I put in my mouth. And the same thing with Shake Shack, I love Shake Shack. Mark Rosati, is a friend of mine, but the fact that there are so many of them now and some of them are hit or miss when it comes to a burger. The problem that I have with that, is that it’s not cheap. So if I’m all in at 40, 50 bucks with two burgers, two fries, a milkshake, and a drink, and it’s awful — it hurts more than if I spent $20 at McDonald’s. You know what I mean? So that’s kind of where I stand.
George Motz: Well, I’ll be totally honest. I did actually go to McDonald’s recently, but it wasn’t for a burger. I was in LA and it was the end of the McRib. Remember the McRib?
I loved the McRib when I was a kid so much. I ate too many of them, but I sent my girlfriend in, so I could get one. I was hiding in the driver’s seat and she went in to get the McRib. If someone saw me in the parking lot, they’d be like, “What the…” And so I sent her in. She came out with the McRib. I felt the same way. I went, “Oh wow, I can’t believe I’m having this.” I sit back and went, “What happened?” I grew up. It just tasted like pure soap. It was like hot soap in my mouth. I don’t know. It was so bad. It was such a letdown. It was such a total letdown. And really, shame on McDonald’s for taking something that was so iconic and basically destroying it.
Alvin Cailan: I know, it’s so tragic.
I wanted to ask you guys a little bit about meat sourcing when it comes to burger blends. What, in your opinion, is the ideal burger blend? What should people who are maybe looking into making their own at home, what should they ask the butcher to be mixing?
George Motz: Ask the butcher. I mean, I can answer that too, but that’s the butcher first.
Alvin Cailan: Nowadays, if you live in a mega grocery store area, you can’t even ask them to do that for you anymore. Right? But I’m a big short rib or rib meat, chuck, and brisket guy. That’s the trinity for me. Some people like the sirloin aspect, as opposed to chuck with the same other two, brisket and short rib. But I’m more of a chuck guy because I feel like it has enough chew to it.
At the end of the day, straight-up chuck from the chuck roll, the ground is actually pretty phenomenal because of the muscle structure of the chuck.
You have the short rib piece in the Denver cut that’s connected to the short rib, and then you have the chuck eye, which is connected to the rib eye. So it has a lot of amazing cuts in itself within the chuck roll. So if you have a butcher that butchers straight up from the chuck, getting a chuck roll blend is the way to go. And it’s very affordable.
George Motz: Historically speaking, chuck and the chuck roll is what people would get from a butcher to grind or ask the butcher to grind because it was the easiest and it was the most consistent. They all knew that they got the chuck roll, or parts of the chuck, they would basically make the same burger every single time. It was also years ago, it was one of the most inexpensive cuts. Not anymore. It used to be very inexpensive.
I mean, bang for buck, it still is the greatest way to ensure that you’re going to make great burgers by just taking chuck and throwing it in your grinder, whether you’re commercially or at home, and making a great burger as a result.
Fat is king, obviously. So I always tell people that if you’re going to do anything, don’t go below 75%. Or don’t go above 75% lean, 25% fat. It’s probably a pretty good start. And people say, “Oh, I can’t find that at my store.” Well, there’s science behind it and there are actually some retailers now who will, I’ll shout out my friends at Schweid. I know Alvin loves Schweid, but they do sell pre-formed patties. And they’re basically hand-pattied balls of beef that are at 75, 25. And you can buy them at any store in America right now. It’s great.
When it comes to cheeseburgers, American or cheddar?
It feels safe to say that many, if not most people hail Drew Barrymore as the “Queen of Candid.” She can seemingly talk to absolutely anyone about anything in a way that’s consistently warm and authentic.
That even goes for when she experiences her first hot flash in front of a live television audience, apparently.
While speaking with guests Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler on her talk show, Barrymore abruptly appears flustered, fanning herself and removing her jacket.
Without missing a beat, she says, “I am so hot, I think I’m having my first perimenopause hot flashes.”
“Oh, I feel so honored!” Jennifer Aniston quips as she fixes Barrymore’s mic, which is a sweet moment in and of itself.
“I’m so sorry!” Barrymore continues, laughing through it all. “Do you feel this?!” she says, placing Aniston’s hand just below her neck. “Or maybe I’m just excited!”
Sandler, then reaching for Barrymore’s palm, assures her, “Yeah you got a hot hand.”
“Well, I’m so glad I have this moment documented!” Barrymore exclaims.
One viewer on TikTok gushed, “I don’t know that I have ever heard a celebrity talk about a hot flash in the moment. Thank you for being so real.”
Another echoed, “Drew, we have a whole generation (X) entering the change. Let’s normalize it. Just wait until you’re soaked with sweat, then cold lol.”
One person commented on the exchange between Aniston and Barrymore, noting how refreshing it was to see two “beautiful, authentic, powerful women my own age to look up to.”
Only a week prior, Barrymore had again been an unofficial spokeswoman for perimenopause when she sat down with Gayle King of “CBS Mornings” to share more of her personal experiences, including having a period “every two weeks.”
“One doctor also just told me this could last, in the worst-case scenario, 10 years. And I was like, ‘I will never make it 10 years like this!’” she told King.
Considering that every woman who lives past their 40s will probably go through at least some version of this—even earlier, for some—one would think that there should be more conversations about this pivotal life chapter. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so daunting.
Or at the very least, there might be less stigma around it. As Barrymore eloquently put it in her interview, “The way menopause has been branded is, ‘You’re old, you’re done.’ That’s not it.” Instead, she feels that in reality, “more women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are looking so attractive, feeling so vibrant, living their best lives.”
The films follow a young teen, Miles Morales, as he discovers his superpowers and learns to wield them. But it has now been revealed that, behind the scenes of the new film, another young superhero was being discovered—a real kid with genuinely impressive 3D animation powers that even wowed some of the world’s best animators.
At just 14 years old, Preston Mutanga recreated the trailer for “Across the Spiderverse” using Legos and shared his creation on social media in January of 2023. He tagged the producers of the film and wrote, “I recreated the entire Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer in LEGO!”
Sounds downright adorable, right? Kid with his Lego hobby making little home movies?
Yeah, watch this:
His trailer caught the attention of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, producers of both “The Lego Movie” and “Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse.” Both men were floored when they discovered it was created by a kid.
“We found out that it was a 14-year-old kid who made it and we were like, ‘This looks incredibly sophisticated for a nonadult, nonprofessional to have made,'” Miller told The New York Times. “It blew us all away, including some of the best animators in the world.”
Lord responded to the trailer with a compliment and a quip: “Well done!!! Where were you in 2014 oh wait you were 6.”
u201c@FG_Artist @chrizmillr @terry12539 @LEGO_Group @SpiderVerse Well done!!! Where were you in 2014 oh wait you were 6u201d
Preston replied that he was “closely observing the movie” at that time, and clearly, he was. And he was learning a lot.
In fact, his animating skills were so impressive the filmmakers invited him to help create a scene for the new “Spider-verse” movie—an homage to “The Lego Movie” that Lord and Miller wanted to include in the film.
Preston’s parents were naturally skeptical at first. This certainly wasn’t what Preston’s dad anticipated when he got him the 3D animation software, Blender, or when Preston used YouTube tutorials to teach himself animation techniques. And what parents would believe that two of the biggest names in the animated film world would enlist the help of their 14-year-old for a major film?
But the offer was real. According to The Times, Preston got a new computer and high-end graphics software and worked on the scene from his home in Toronto. The filmmakers explained to Rotten Tomatoes that Preston animated the shots during his spring break and made revisions after he finished his homework.
Undoubtedly, this experience taught him more than any school homework ever could about his passion.
“One new thing I learned was definitely the feedback aspect of it, like how much stuff actually gets changed from the beginning to the final product,” Preston told The Times. “Getting to work with the people who actually made this masterpiece was honestly like a dream,” he added.
Apparently, it was pretty dreamlike for the animation crew to work with him as well. Animation lead for “Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse” Chelsea Gordon-Ratzlaff shared on Twitter that they and the whole team were consistently “blown away” by Preston’s shots.
u201c@FG_Artist you nailed it!! all of us on the anim crew were blown away by your shots whenever we saw them, great work ud83dudc4fu201d
How wonderful that this young person has not only worked hard on polishing his craft but had his talents recognized by some of the best in the business. Kudos to his parents for their encouragement and kudos to the filmmakers for giving a kid this huge opportunity and mentoring him through it. We can’t wait to see where in the multiverse Preston Mutanga goes next.
Here’s a side-by-side of the original trailer and Preston’s Lego remake so you can see how spot-on it was:
u201cDid you know 14-year-old animator, Preston Mutanga (@FG_Artist), known for this viral LEGO Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse trailer also animated the LEGO scenes in the film? ud83dudc4fu201d
Dogs have best friends just like people do, and it’s not a good idea to keep two besties separated for too long. Especially when they’re dogs and can smell each other right next door. At least that’s what one animal shelter is finding out with their two pit bull rescues who were found wandering the streets together as strays.
Linda and Brenda were brought in together to Minneapolis Animal Care and Control and were placed in kennels side by side, separated by a half wall. But Brenda couldn’t take it any longer and decided that she was going to see Linda, even if it meant figuring out how to fly. Well, flying probably wasn’t on her mind, but she certainly went full “Mission Impossible” and found a way to the other side where her friend was being held.
The staff at the shelter knew the two pitties were brought in as a pair, but they didn’t realize that they were so bonded until one morning the staff was greeted by the two besties instead of one.
They couldn’t figure out how Brenda got into Linda’s kennel, so they rolled back the security cameras, and there it was. Brenda, with her own super spy theme music playing in her head, climbing the wall between her and Linda so they could be together.
“Me and another employee were walking through the kennels and we walked by and we had to do a triple take, like, ‘what’s going on,’ cause two pitties came to the front of the kennel to greet us,” an employee told CBS Philadelphia.
It was then they realized they had to do what they could to make sure Linda and Brenda were adopted together, but until that day comes, the pair are still at the shelter. Learn all about the best buds and the daring feat below.
The Eric Andre Show recently began Season 6 with a chaotic bang. The host referred to Jon Hamm as “the white Idris Elba,” which seems like a logical progression in a season where Diplo gets kicked in the nuts. In other words, expect mayhem and nothing else, but how much of this particular brand will we receive this season?
Eight full episodes. That’s not nearly enough for Eric Andre devotees, but it’s better than nothing, obviously, and rest assured that there’s plenty of pranking packed into those episodes. Andre recently told Rolling Stone that this season resulted in a record number of Jersey cops being summoned than any other season of the show:
“The very first prank we shot in New York/New Jersey we had more New Jersey cops called on us than [at any point in] the entire history of the show. We informed the police department and worked with them beforehand, but this department was so unorganized and corrupt that I almost got shot. It was a bit where I was beating the shit out of a fake cop that looked real. Well, maybe not beating the shit out of him, but he was passed out and I was shoving donuts in his mouth. They almost shut down the whole production.”
From there, Andre still had another 40 pranks left to shoot for the season, which did not bode well, but somehow, he got it all done. This season will feature the befuddled faces of many celebrities including Natasha Lyonne, Blac Chyna, Raven-Symoné, Diplo, and Cypress Hill. Let the outrage begin.
Learning to swim can be a very scary experience for kids. They’re being asked to quite literally dive into the unknown, after all. And the pool is not without its inherent dangers, so it’s perfectly understandable that the fear can be overwhelming.
Tyler Reed, the owner of Triton Aquatic Training in Tampa, Florida, recently went viral after teaching the mermaid mantra to a toddler student who was clearly having a hard time.
It goes like this: “I’m big. I’m brave. I’m beautiful.”
Reed encourages the little girl to repeat the mantra, and through sobs, we hear the most adorable little voice in the whole world utter, “I’m beeg. I’m bave. I’m boobooball.”
Seriously, that boobooball is pure utter sweetness.
Reed’s video quickly went viral online, with folks quick to commend the little one on her bravery.
“It’s so scary as a little person to learn these kinds of things but I’m sure she’s doing great,” one person wrote.
Others were instantly emotional. “I’m boobooful is literally where I lost it. Someone get me the tissue,” wrote another.
Clearly Reed’s approach works, because in a subsequent video he and the same student are back in the water, with her swimming and loving every minute of it. Now she recites the mermaid mantra as a song of victory!
For Reed, the mantra is about instilling power and autonomy back into his students.
“I think a lot of people look at 2-year-olds and babies as children that are incapable of being able to swim or save themselves and I’m trying to kind of erase that psyche from them, that they can they really can do this,” he told Good Morning America.
Not teaching kids to trust themselves, he added, leads to an over-reliance on swim floaties, which develop a “false sense of their ability to swim.” That’s why he believes engaging in swim lessons at an early age is so important.
This kind of wisdom is pretty universal when it comes to raising confident kids. Teaching young ones how to empower themselves through a variety of situations, rather than constantly trying to shield them from discomfort, develops a skill that can last a lifetime. But this can still be done in a loving, gentle way, as Reed so beautifully demonstrated. Sometimes it’s simply allowing kids to experiment and make mistakes. Other times, it might be affirmations that connect kids to their inner sea creatures.
Reed said it best: “When we say our motivational mermaid mantras out loud, we can do anything!”
Learning to swim can be a very scary experience for kids. They’re being asked to quite literally dive into the unknown, after all. And the pool is not without its inherent dangers, so it’s perfectly understandable that the fear can be overwhelming.
Tyler Reed, the owner of Triton Aquatic Training in Tampa, Florida, recently went viral after teaching the mermaid mantra to a toddler student who was clearly having a hard time.
It goes like this: “I’m big. I’m brave. I’m beautiful.”
Reed encourages the little girl to repeat the mantra, and through sobs, we hear the most adorable little voice in the whole world utter, “I’m beeg. I’m bave. I’m boobooball.”
Seriously, that boobooball is pure utter sweetness.
Reed’s video quickly went viral online, with folks quick to commend the little one on her bravery.
“It’s so scary as a little person to learn these kinds of things but I’m sure she’s doing great,” one person wrote.
Others were instantly emotional. “I’m boobooful is literally where I lost it. Someone get me the tissue,” wrote another.
Clearly Reed’s approach works, because in a subsequent video he and the same student are back in the water, with her swimming and loving every minute of it. Now she recites the mermaid mantra as a song of victory!
For Reed, the mantra is about instilling power and autonomy back into his students.
“I think a lot of people look at 2-year-olds and babies as children that are incapable of being able to swim or save themselves and I’m trying to kind of erase that psyche from them, that they can they really can do this,” he told Good Morning America.
Not teaching kids to trust themselves, he added, leads to an over-reliance on swim floaties, which develop a “false sense of their ability to swim.” That’s why he believes engaging in swim lessons at an early age is so important.
This kind of wisdom is pretty universal when it comes to raising confident kids. Teaching young ones how to empower themselves through a variety of situations, rather than constantly trying to shield them from discomfort, develops a skill that can last a lifetime. But this can still be done in a loving, gentle way, as Reed so beautifully demonstrated. Sometimes it’s simply allowing kids to experiment and make mistakes. Other times, it might be affirmations that connect kids to their inner sea creatures.
Reed said it best: “When we say our motivational mermaid mantras out loud, we can do anything!”
When the NBA Draft begins on June 22, there’s no drama around the first name that will be taken off the board, as the San Antonio Spurs will gleefully select Victor Wembanyama.
Beyond that, there’s still some debate as to who will go No. 2 and No. 3 between Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller, as well as what teams will be picking in those spots. The Charlotte Hornets have the second pick and many expect them to take Miller, but the Blazers’ desire to trade the third overall pick is well known, as Damian Lillard wants them to build a contender for now. The problem to this point has been figuring out what team would be willing to trade up to the top of the draft and part ways with the veteran talent Portland desires.
On Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic brought word of the first team publicly being tied to a potential trade up scenario, as the New Orleans Pelicans apparently have their eye on Henderson.
Western Conference playoff contender seriously pursuing a top 2-3 pick in this month’s NBA Draft, with eyes on point guard Scoot Henderson: pic.twitter.com/UFCs9VEU7Q
The Pelicans have the ammunition to make a deal that would be enticing to either team picking second and third, as they have established star caliber players the Blazers could be interested in, while also having a treasure chest full of future first round picks and swaps, courtesy the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday deals that could provide a more future-facing package to Charlotte.
If they can trade up to No. 2, they wouldn’t need to worry about whether Henderson is still on the board and could guarantee themselves the highly touted guard prospect. The question, of course, is whether Charlotte is willing to pass on Miller and Henderson to move down to the 14th pick in this year’s draft to acquire future picks (or accept a deal centered around a current player). Portland would probably love to land Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson (or, even funnier, bring back CJ McCollum), but that is dependent on exactly how much the Pelicans value Henderson and whether they want to part with one of their All-Stars to get him — and whether he’s still there when the Blazers are on the clock.
Still, this is the first significant report of a team with interest in trading up to the top of the draft, and we’ll see if anything ultimately comes of New Orleans’ interest in landing Henderson.
Pour one out for Marjorie Taylor Greene after the 1:40:40 mark in the above video. She probably hasn’t even recovered from learning about porn websites and posting a video of someone flipping her the bird before noticing (and then it was way too late) such disrespect.
Now, it’s Pride Month, and Greene cannot handle the gay joy. The noted “drag queen story time” opponent relayed to Charlie Kirk (at the aforementioned video mark) about how society is going to hell in a tightly-woven handbasket because she spied a woman who had the audacity to go pantless during this past weekend’s D.C. Pride festival.
Greene’s D.C. serenity was so disturbed by this, dang it, that she is calling it “modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah” to have driven towards her condo on Sunday night, and “all I heard was the crowd all around, all over the streets having the Pride festival continuing on.” From there, she was absolutely appalled to see some partial nudity:
“I even saw one woman that had no pants on…. You’ve seen the videos. They’re all over Twitter, and how disgusting this is. This has nothing to do with equal rights.”
Greene also rambled upon how the gay community should be outraged to see their movement be “hijacked” by those who advocate for trans rights for those under 18. The congresswoman from Georgia cannot cope with all of this debauchery, and she shared a similar sentiment on Twitter, too.
These were my thoughts this morning after hearing the DC Pride events rage late into the night.
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