The first half of Friday’s game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the San Diego State Aztecs in the Sweet 16 could be kindly described as a defensive battle. Alabama’s potent offense featuring projected top-5 pick Brandon Miller only shot 27 percent from the field and 1-for-11 on threes. San Diego State did its best to out-shoot its opponent by going 32 percent from the field in the first half. Both teams played a very physical brand of basketball, but sometimes the pressures of a single-elimination tournament can morph physicality into the absurd.
Here is an example of that. With five minutes remaining in the half, Alabama’s Jahvon Quinerly went to box out San Diego State’s Nathan Mensah and got a little more than he bargained for.
It’s not often you see a player boxing out called for a flagrant, but apparently, grabbing someone under the butt like you’re trying to give them a piggyback ride is not a basketball play. Then again, you could argue that a piggyback ride should be a common foul and not a flagrant — the contact was not excessive and Quinerly was simply trying to hold his San Diego State opponent in the air so that he would land softly. With Alabama facing elimination and on pace to score a season-low 46 points, it’s hard to blame Quinerly for trying to maximize their possessions.
It looks like the Hailey Bieber vs. Selena Gomez saga could finally be coming to an end. Over the past few weeks, fans of both the influencer and the pop singer have been engaged in social media fan wars, after the respective entertainers posted cryptic videos and photos seemingly taking shots at each other. This morning (March 24), Gomez took to her Instagram stories to urge her fans and followers to stop sending hate to Bieber.
“This isn’t what I stand for,” said Gomez. “No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
Later in the day, Bieber wrote on her own Instagram stories, thanking Gomez for her directive to her fans.
“Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they were intended,” said Bieber. “We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself.”
Does this mean their alleged feud is all over? Let’s hope so. We don’t need any inspiration for the second season of Swarm.
You can see Bieber’s full message below.
Via Instagram
“I want to thank Selena for speaking out, as her and I have been discussing the past few weeks how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I.
The last few weeks have been very hard for everyone involved and millions of people are seeing so much hate around this which is extremely harmful. While social media is an incredible way to connect and build community, moments like this only create extreme division instead of bringing people together.
Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they were intended. We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself. In the end, I believe love will always be bigger than hate and negativity, and there is always an opportunity to meet each other with more empathy and compassion.”
Flavored whiskey is a divisive sector of the spirits world. Flavored bourbons, favored gins, and flavored spirits in general always feel like they’re hiding something sinister (crappy booze, usually). After all, do we really need a “chocolate whiskey” when we have plenty of well-made whiskeys (from all categories) that can coax those flavors from the yeast, grain, and oak naturally without additives?
Moreover, the sweetness of a lot of flavored whiskeys can be an assault on your taste buds — muting pretty much everything else.
On the other hand, flavored whiskeys can be fun and inspired. If the flavored whiskey in question delivers on what’s promised on the label with more nuance than just a sugar bomb, then it can actually shine. And as someone who judges this stuff at international spirits competitions, I can assure you that there is some good flavored whiskey out there (alongside a fair bit of absolute dog shit).
All of this is to say that it’s time for another flavored whiskey blind taste test. I grabbed 12 bottles of new and classic flavored whiskey from my shelf for this tasting. That makes our lineup today the following bottles:
TX Texas Flavor Series Blended Whiskey with Natural Coffee Flavor
Stillhouse Apple Crisp Whiskey
Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple
When it comes to ranking these bottles, it’s all about taste. Does the whiskey immediately deliver the flavor profile it’s going for? How real does that flavor feel? And do I know I’m drinking whiskey? These are all important points, sure. But whether it tastes good and is well-balanced is really the most important factor. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Palate: That massive sweet cherry candy dominates the palate with a hint of woody bourbon underneath.
Finish: Cherry syrup to the point that this feels like the cherry syrup add-in for Coke.
Initial Thoughts:
This is cherry through and through and so freaking sweet that it hurts my teeth.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh and juicy pineapple pops on the nose with a hint of lemon juice, orange rinds, and grapefruit pith.
Palate: A hint of malted caramel underpins a rush of fresh pineapple juice, pineapple skins, and a pineapple woody core next to malty whisky with a hint of vanilla and winter spice.
Finish: The end feels like a rummy whisky tropical cocktail with plenty of fresh orange, lime, and pineapple and a nice pinch of brown spice.
Initial Thoughts:
This is … delicious. The pineapple is super fresh and vibrant and the whisky is clearly there.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Butterscotch and peanut butter mingle with milk chocolate and a hint of vanilla.
Palate: The taste is all about that chocolate with fresh marshmallows and a touch of butterscotch.
Finish: Chocolate and marshmallow dominate the sweet finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This was a bit muddled — too much cheap butterscotch — but stuck the landing with a clear sense of chocolate and marshmallow.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a mild sense of green rye whiskey with apple skins, mild sour cherry, and bitter spice barks.
Palate: Those spice barks keep the taste bitter with a sense of herbal rye whiskey — dill and pine resin heavy — next to more sour cherry.
Finish: The end really leans into the rye whiskey of it all with a sweet sense of sour cherry and brown sugar.
Initial Thoughts:
This was the most whiskey-forward pour so far. It needs ice to calm down that bitterness though.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is clearly salted caramel on the nose with a mild sweetness and a hint of vanilla and spice.
Palate: The palate is buttery and, well, full of salted caramel.
Finish: The end is very sweet but that sweetness stays attached to that caramel all the way.
Initial Thoughts:
This is salted caramel and nothing else. I like it, but I don’t know if I’m drinking whiskey at all.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clear whiskey notes mingle with woody cherry on the nose.
Palate: That woody cherry gets bitter and sour on the palate with a mild green whiskey vibe.
Finish: The end is cherry but filtered through tartness and bitterness.
Initial Thoughts:
At least it wasn’t overly sweet.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cinnamon bomb that’s countered by fresh — almost wet — fir and pine needles on the nose.
Palate: The taste is like taking in a whole, fresh Christmas wreath decorated with holly berries, cinnamon sticks, and winter botanical bunches.
Finish: Bold cinnamon and fresh fir trees dominate the end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is Christmas in a glass.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cinnamon bomb on the nose.
Palate: The palate is like Red Hots or Hot Tamales turned into a drink.
Finish: Very sweet and very sharp cinnamon candies drive the finish home.
Initial Thoughts:
Again, this is Red Hots in a glass. It tastes exactly like those candies with nary a sense of whisky anywhere.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Thick chili-spiced drip coffee dominates the nose with a hint of sour cherry and maybe some stewed apple.
Palate: That heavy chili-infused coffee drives the palate toward a mild sense of sour cherries dipped in dark chocolate.
Finish: The dark chocolate bitterness melds with the dry red chili on the finish with a slight sense of tart coffee.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a glass of spicy, sour, and bitter coffee.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Stewed apples, soft caramel, and corn-fueled moonshine pop on the nose.
Palate: Fresh apple cider and uncut oats drive the palate with a hint of caramel and a touch of nuttiness.
Finish: The end feels like good apple cider cut with good ol’ corn-based ‘shine.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty good and clearly flavored without too much sweetness.
Taste 11
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fake peanuts and grain alcohol dominate the nose.
Palate: Plasticky vanilla extract and more fake peanuts arrive on the palate.
Finish: The end is kind of peanutty with an ethanol feel.
Initial Thoughts:
This is hot garbage.
Taste 12
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has sweet apple cider on the nose, almost Red Delicious, with a sense of the wood apple press.
Palate: The taste continues the apple cider vibe — not the bubbly kind but those little stubby Martinelli’s Apple Cider bottles.
Finish: The end is smooth and leads toward an apple cider oak barrel with a touch of spice.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty okay overall. It wasn’t too sweet and there was a sense of whiskey thanks to the woodiness.
This Texas-based flavored whiskey is all about Fort Worth coffee flavors. That’s accomplished by combining TX whiskey with coffee from Avoca Coffee Roasters.
Bottom Line:
This tasted weird. The flavors just didn’t come together. I didn’t know if I was tasting a chili-flavored whiskey with bitter coffee/chocolate notes or vice versa. And there was no whiskey flavor at all. Skip.
The base whiskey is made from 60% organic rye and 40% organic wheat up in Michigan. The whiskey is then aged with Michigan Montmorency cherries before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This tastes like chewing on a piece of cherry bark. I’d skip.
This starts with a blend of 100% corn whiskeys with a couple of two-year-old bourbons. That juice is mixed with “natural flavors” of salted caramel to create the final product. Amazingly, they’ve made a sweet-flavored whiskey that holds to 1 gram of sugar per serving as well.
Bottom Line:
This tastes exactly like a good salted caramel candy. It doesn’t taste anything like whiskey though. If you’re looking for a great salted caramel syrup with booze in it, then get this.
This new flavored whiskey from Stillhouse (released March 2023) is made with Stillhouse’s corn-based whiskey. The whiskey is flavored with peanut butter, bitter chocolate, and roasted marshmallow via “all-natural flavors.”
Bottom Line:
This was fine. I got way more chocolate and marshmallow than peanut butter, making it kind of muddled in the end.
This ready-to-drink (kind of — you’ll have to do the diluting) whiskey is a blend of three American ryes and two Irish whiskeys. That’s flavored with cherry and aromatic bitters to give it a Manhattan vibe.
Bottom Line:
This was fine too. It needed dilution and rock for sure. I don’t know if it’s worth the price though when there are so many great whiskeys at $50 to make Manhattans with.
Jack Daniel’s starts by making their own apple liqueur before adding in a dose of their Old No. 7 to remind you that you’re drinking the good stuff.
Bottom Line:
This felt pretty legit with a nice apple cider vibe and a touch of whiskey underneath. Overall, this is clearly for mixing but isn’t overly sweet by any stretch.
This is Stillhouse’s famed 100% clear corn whiskey blended with their apple crisp liqueur.
Bottom Line:
This was edging toward deliciousness. It was so clearly apple with a freshly-pressed feel to it. There was nice depth and a clear — very moonshine-y — whiskey vibe. I can see this mixing with ginger beer and lime juice for a great refreshing spring/summer highball easily.
This is probably the most famous flavored whiskey in the world. The whiskey in the bottle starts off with Sazerac’s Canadian whisky that’s blended with a bespoke cinnamon liqueur.
Bottom Line:
This delivers. It’s a sharp, spicy, and sweet cinnamon that’s exactly like a Hot Tamale or Red Hot candy. I didn’t get any whisky in the mix really, but the cinnamon flavor was so good that I can forgive that. If you want the ultimate cinnamon shot/experience, this is the obvious choice.
2. American Beach Whiskey Co. Bonfire Cinnamon — Taste 7
This claims to have one-third the sugar as America’s “leading cinnamon whiskey” (see right above). The clear whiskey is made with a bespoke cinnamon liqueur.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is Christmas in a glass. There’s actual nuance to this one that goes beyond a cinnamon candy bomb. If you want a little more from your cinnamon candy whiskey, then grab this (though maybe wait until the holidays?).
This new release from Buchanan’s Blended Scotch Whisky is a flavored scotch that’s technically a “Spirit Drink.” Semantics aside, this is a mix of iconic Buchanan’s Blended Scotch with pineapple, citrus, and “natural flavors.”
Bottom Line:
This is just delicious. If you’re looking for a great, summery mixing Scotch whisky (or whiskey in general) for mixing bright fruity summery drinks, then this is the play. It also tastes pretty damn nice over some rocks.
Part 3: Final Thoughts on the Flavored Whiskey
Zach Johnston
Brasstacks, the top five flavored whiskeys on this list are the only ones you really need to care about. You can easily skip the rest.
Amongst that top five, Stillhouse Apple Crisp is a great standout for a nice highball. Fireball is annoyingly good if you’re looking for a cinnamon candy bomb. But it’s the Buchanan’s Pineapple that really shines. It feels real. That means everything with flavored whiskeys like this.
The Negroni variation is a fantastic take on the classic cocktail. The earthiness and smoky nature of a good mezcal play very well with the botanical bitterness of the Campari and the floral sweetness of the vermouth. Add in a little orange oil and you’re in for a real treat that’s bright, refreshing, and very quaffable.
The best part?
This drink is so easy to make. As with any Negroni, you can build it in a glass, stir, and drop an orange wedge in if you want. That’s a good way to go, especially if you’re already on spring break and on the beach. But taking a little bit more time by stirring this one adds a nice velvety texture that helps it pop that little bit more. Sound good? Let’s get stirring then!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
I like using Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej. It has a great depth to it for a joven (unaged) mezcal. There’s an earthiness that’s slightly sweet with a mild smokiness that never overpowers, even when poured neat. The next essential is the Campari. You really can’t skip this one.
Add the mezcal, Campari, and vermouth to a mixing glass. Add a handful of ice and stir until the glass is ice-cold to touch.
Fetch the glass from the freezer, add a large cube of fresh ice, and then strain the cocktail into the glass.
Express the oils from the orange peel over the cocktail and rub it around the rim and bowl of the glass and then discard. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Oh, yes, this is tasty. I’m hooked. The roasted agave comes through with a hint of sweetness next to deep and earthy smoke that’s muted by the Campari’s bitterness and botanicals. The sweet vermouth just works with the mezcal and they both pop. The texture is soft and lush.
The orange oils help brighten the whole drink up to the point that it almost feels sunny, kind of like sitting under a big shady tree on a sunny day in a crumbling brick courtyard with this drink in your hand. It’s a nice feeling and screams al fresco dining, which is what we should all be doing as spring warms up.
When Jimmy Kimmel takes to the street, you know you’re in for a good laugh at just how little we actually know about, well, seemingly anything. That goes for anatomy too. In this case, female anatomy.
In a segment called “What Do You Know About The Female Body?” men try—and hilariously fail—to answer even the most basic questions, like “does a female have one uterus, or two?” much to the amazement of some of their female partners.
Here are some of the very best bits of nonwisdom:
Woman have LOTS of fallopian tubes and ovaries, apparently.
When asked, “how many fallopian tubes does the average lady have?” one man prefaced with “I know I’m gonna be way off,” before answering “four.”
He was right about being way off, indeed. Women usually have one fallopian tube on either side of the uterus, making that two fallopian tubes.
Another guy guessed that a woman has not one, not two, but six ovaries. Which, in case you didn’t know, is three times more than the correct answer (two ovaries, one on either side of the uterus). Where would a woman keep four extra ovaries? Her purse?
A mammogram examines the stomach.
The interviewer also asked: “What part of the body does the mammogram examine?”
“The lower half…” replied one man. Yikes.
And when asked to demonstrate where exactly the “lower half” is, he gestured toward the uppermost part of his belly, seemingly avoiding the actual area a mammogram covers entirely.
PMS is all in the mind, but only annually.
The next question up was “What does PMS stand for?”
And it definitely happens more than “once a year.”
An IUD is a “mammogram device.”
Oh, and a NuvaRing is a “pap schmear,” and a speculum is the actual “IUD.” Holy moly, if you thought IUDs were uncomfortable before…
Things really took a turn once the graphics came out.
And men were asked to point to where the cervix is. Plenty of things were pointed at—like the uterus. But sadly, no cervix findings.
Changing gears, the interview instructed the men to “point at something you know.”
To which one man replied (inaccurately) “uh…that’s a baby?”
Unless the woman is giving birth to a colon, that was incorrect.
Later in the video, a man is asked “where does the baby go?”
“In there,” the man answers after pointing to the ovaries. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t go there. A fetus grows in the uterus, which this man thought was the cervix.)
His wife, a gynecologist no less, chuckled “I’m mortified…I’m apparently not a very good educator at home for my husband.”
Though this is just for pure fun, it is food for thought.
A woman’s autonomy over her own body has been the subject of much controversial discussion lately. And I can’t help but wonder how certain politicians/leaders would fare if given the same questions. Perhaps it is unwise to try to govern that which is not fully understood, just saying.
The world would be a much better place if humans weren’t so … human. We all fall short of perfection. Common sense is, sadly, not too common. And there’s one guy out there who always manages to screw things up when things start getting good.
Call it Murphy’s law. Call it the great “reason we can’t have nice things.” Call it entropy. It feels like a whole lot of pain could be avoided if we all had just a little bit more sense.
But what if there was one rule that we all agreed to follow to make everyone’s life better? What would this magical rule be?
A Reddit user who goes by the name P4insplatter came to this realization and asked the AskReddit subforum, “What simple rule would fix the world if everyone actually followed it?” They received dozens of simple rules that if everyone got behind would make the world drastically better.
It’s no shock that most of them felt like a variation of the Golden Rule. It’s funny that a lot of folks believe the world would seriously improve if we could just abide by a simple saying that we all learned in kindergarten.
Also known as the “ethics of reciprocity,” the Golden Rule is so innate to humans that versions of it have been found in religions and cultures throughout the world.
Here are 17 of the best responses to P4insplatter’s simple, but world-altering question.
1. Let go
“Let go or be dragged” an old zen proverb I heard at a meditation class. Really changed the way I let myself worry about things.” — civagigi
2. Simple, but true
“Don’t be a dick.” — WuTangLAN93
3. The Golden Rule
“Treat others how you want to be treated.” — AlbanyGuy1973
4. It starts with you
“I read somewhere that if you want to change the world, you have to change the community, to change the community change your relationships, and to change your relationships change yourself.” — cagibaxii
5. Simple Earth math
“Don’t use more resources than what the Earth is capable of renewing.” — DaethSpiral321
6. Bill and Ted’s rule
“Be excellent to each other.” — pnotar
7. The law of Lebowski
“Fuck it, Dude. Let’s go bowling.” — Bonhomme7h
8. Signal
“Use your turn signal(s) properly.” — futilelord
9. The principle of non-agression
“Simple, the non-aggression principle. You don’t do, initiate or threat any harm unto others, unless acting in true self defense.” — ufrag
10. It works for everything
“Leave it better than you found it.” — Narcoid
11. Generosity and humility
“Be generous and humble. Being generous and kind encourages us to perceive others in a more positive light and fosters a sense of community. Humility teaches you to improve and make a positive impact on the world.” — SuvenPan
12. STFU
“If you are not educated on the subject, sit down and stfu. Let the experts with years of education and experience talk.” — Ch3m1cal420
13. Fairness first
“Everyone gets a chance at one [thing] before anyone gets seconds.” — ehsteve23
14. Permanent daylight
“Obviously making daylight savings permanent.” — ObviousINstruction18
15. Two ears, one mouth
“Listen more, talk less.” — TryToHelpPeople
16. Turn off the lights
“All empty buildings should not have any lights/ac/heating on at night or after business hours depending on the nature of the work. their ac/heating and lights if necessary should only be turned on before the start of the day. This will not only help with energy costs but also with light pollution.” — hadrainsgate
17. Don’t tread on anyone
“You cannot do ANYTHING without consent.” — DeepCompote
What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.
Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.
The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
“I got an email a few days ago from my 9-year-old son’s teacher that he had done a ‘prank’ to a fellow classmate and it ended up embarrassing the classmate and hurt his feelings,” the video begins.
At this point, Forseth doesn’t split hairs. “I don’t care who you are, that’s bullying,” he said. “If you do something to somebody that you know has the potential end result of them being embarrassed in front of a class or hurt—you’re bullying.”
So, Forseth and Lincoln sat down for a long talk (a talk, not a lecture) about appropriate punishment and how it would have felt to be on the receiving end of such a prank.
From there, Forseth told his son that he would decide how to make things right, making it a masterclass in taking true accountability.
“I demanded nothing out of him. I demanded no apology, I demanded no apology to the teacher,” he continued, adding, “I told him that we have the opportunity to go back and make things right. We can’t take things back, but we can try to correct things and look for forgiveness.”
So what did Lincoln do? He went back to his school and actually talked to the other boy he pranked. After learning that they shared a love of Pokémon, he then went home to retrieve two of his favorite Pokémon cards as a peace offering, complete with a freshly cleaned case.
Lincoln would end up sharing with his dad that the other boy was so moved by the gesture that he would end up hugging him.
“I just want to encourage all parents to talk to your kids,” Forseth concluded. “Let’s try to avoid just the swat on the butt [and] send them to their room. Doesn’t teach them anything.”
In Forseth’s opinion, kids get far more insight by figuring out how to resolve a problem themselves. “That’s what they’re actually going to face in the real world once they move out of our nests.”
He certainly has a point. A slap on the wrist followed by being marched down somewhere to say, “I’m sorry,” only further humiliates kids most of the time. With this gentler approach, kids are taught the intrinsic value of making amends after wrongdoing, not to mention the power of their own autonomy. Imagine that—blips in judgment can end up being major character-building moments.
Kudos to this dad and his very smart parenting strategy.
If you ask most teachers why they went into education, they’ll share that it had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with their passion for teaching. Even with rapid changes in curriculum and policies, teachers who remain in the classroom are lovers of education and are doing their best to help kids learn.
Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Florida’s Tallahassee Classical School, was one of those teachers who simply enjoyed teaching. As the principal, Carrasquilla was required to teach two classes. During her sixth grade lesson about Renaissance art, which is also a requirement of the school, Carrasquilla showed a picture of Michelangelo’s “David” statue.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, three parents complained about their children being shown the picture. Two of those parents were mostly upset that there wasn’t sufficient notice given before the photo of the sculpture was shown. The third parent reportedly complained that the statue of the Biblical figure was pornographic.
Michelangelo’s sculpture wasn’t the only source of the complaint. It was essentially the entire lesson, which also included “The Creation of Adam,” another Michelangelo piece, and Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” These are classic works of art that are easily recognizable by just about any layman, even if they can’t name the artist.
Carrasquilla admitted that there was a bit of a kerfuffle with notifying parents of the lesson, which is a new policy implemented just two months ago. The policy requires that parents receive written notification two weeks prior to teaching potentially controversial content, according to The Independent.
Shortly after her lesson, Carrasquilla was called into an emergency school board meeting where she was forced to choose between resignation or being fired. She chose to resign, leaving the school less than a year after starting her tenure there.
While three parents were upset over the lesson, others were blindsided by the termination of the school principal. Carrie Boyd, who has a third and a seventh-grader at the school, told the Tallahassee Democrat that the principal’s abrupt resignation was shocking to her and other parents. Boyd also voiced concerns over the “non-secular” direction the school appeared to be taking.
Tallahassee Classical School is a private charter school that has only been open for three years and is affiliated with Hillsdale College, a private conservative college located in Michigan, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Barney Bishop, the school board chair, told HuffPost, “Parental rights trump everything else.”
But it seems Carrasquilla is gaining support across the internet. Comments range from frustration to people comparing it to a “Simpson’s” episode about censorship that remarkably also depicted the statue of “David.”
“Heavens to Betsy, a body part depicted in one of the most famous pieces of art in all of history! What next?!?,” David Weiss wrote.
The greatest confusion seemed to stem from classical artwork being considered controversial enough to require parental notification when the school markets itself as a “classical school” and Renaissance art is a requirement. Renaissance art isn’t exactly known for its elaborate depiction of clothing; it’s quite the opposite.
Surely, the ousted principal will find other employment, but for now, she and the rest of the internet are left feeling a bit flabbergasted by the seemingly drastic response to classical works of art.
One of the oldest frauds in the book is the “your loved one is in trouble” scam. Scammers call posing as a grandchild or loved one in distress who claims they’ve been kidnapped or are in jail. The scammer may also impersonate a nurse, police officer, lawyer or other authority figure representing the loved one.
The scammer claims that the loved one needs money wired to the fraudster immediately to bring them to safety.
The scam is effective because the victim is under pressure to get them money quickly, so they don’t have time to consider the fact that it may be a scam. All the while, they imagine the torment the loved one is going through. The urgency of the scam makes it much more likely that the victim will hand over the money.
The FTC is warning people that scammers have given this scam a new technological twist by faking the voice of the loved one by using voice cloning powered by artificial intelligence.
None
— (@)
“Artificial intelligence is no longer a far-fetched idea out of a sci-fi movie,” the FTCs warning reads. “We’re living with it, here and now. A scammer could use AI to clone the voice of your loved one. All he needs is a short audio clip of your family member’s voice—which he could get from content posted online—and a voice-cloning program. When the scammer calls you, he’ll sound just like your loved one.”
All fraudsters need to clone someone’s voice realistically is a 30-second clip of audio that they can easily rip from Facebook, TikTok, podcasts, commercials or Instagram. The voice-generating software synthesizes what makes a person’s voice sound unique and then finds similar voices by searching vast databases. This allows them to replicate someone’s voice in real-time to create a phone call that sounds authentic.
It’s terribly difficult to detect the scam because voice-cloning software has become increasingly accurate. As AI technology improves, avoiding being fooled by the scam will become harder.
“It’s terrifying,” Hany Farid, a professor of digital forensics at University of California, Berkeley, told The Washington Post. “It’s sort of the perfect storm … [with] all the ingredients you need to create chaos.”
FTC officials say that in 2022 Americans lost $8.8 billion to fraud, with imposter scams being the most common, and there’s usually no way to get the money back. Scammers usually demand payment through cryptocurrency, money wires, or gift cards, so tracing it is impossible.
The FTC wants people to think twice if they receive a phone call from a loved one in distress or someone claiming to be their representative, especially if they ask for money.
“Don’t trust the voice,” the FTC warning reads. “Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs. If you can’t reach your loved one, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends.”
If you are targeted by one of these voice clone scams, report it to the FTC immediately. You could prevent the next person from being scammed.
Joseph Foreman, better known to music fans as rapper Afroman, had his Ohio home raided by Adams County Sheriff’s deputies last August. The deputies were acting on a warrant claiming probable cause that drugs, drug paraphernalia, and evidence of drug trafficking and kidnapping would be found on his property.
Afroman wasn’t home at the time of the raid, but his wife captured footage of it on her phone.
The deputies found nothing, confiscated over $5,000 worth of Afroman’s hard-earned money, bashed in his front door, broke his front gate and destroyed his home security camera system. No charges were filed after the raid. The money was later returned to the “Because I Got High” rapper.
“They come up here with AR-15, traumatize my kids, destroyed my property, kick in my door, rip up and destroy my camera system,” he said in August, according to Fox 19.
Afroman got hilarious revenge on the sheriff’s deputies by turning the security camera footage into music videos for two new songs, “Will You Help Me Repair My Door” and “Lemon Pound Cake.” The videos have nearly 4 million views on YouTube combined.
“Will You Help Me Repair My Door” tells the story of the raid using security footage.
“Lemon Pound Cake” is a song about the officer who eyed the delicious confection in Afroman’s kitchen with his pistol drawn.
Afroman also created merchandise featuring images of the deputies involved in the raid.
The deputies have now filed a lawsuit against Afroman, claiming that he used their personas for commercial purposes without permission. The deputies claim the attention caused them to suffer “embarrassment, ridicule, emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of reputation.”
The complaint adds that Afroman “created dozens of videos and images of Plaintiffs’ personas and posted them on various social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Snap Chat, TikTok and Instagram.”
The deputies believe they are entitled to all the profits from using their personas, including concert ticket sales, music videos, and all products associated with the Afroman brand, including beer, marijuana and clothing.
So Afroman got his house trashed, his kids traumatized, and his money taken, and now the officers involved want to sue him for appearing in the video recorded on his property? The rapper believes that the deputies’ activities were criminal.
“The warrant put the Adams county sheriff in a position to attempt to kill me,” he wrote on Instagram. “After the Adams County Sheriff. Burglarized vandalized and destroyed my property. They became thieves and stole my money. After they stole my money they became criminals. After they became criminals they lost their right of privacy. My house is my property, my video camera films, everything on my property as they begin, stealing my money, disconnecting plus destroying my video camera system, they became my property!”
Afroman’s attorney has released a statement claiming he will countersue.
The attorney statement shared by Afroman shared on Instagram says that they are waiting on public records requests from Adams County. “We are planning to counter-sue for the unlawful raid, money being stolen, and for the undeniable damage this had on my client’s family, career and property,” it adds.
Afroman is right to feel that he’s the victim in this story. He was wrongly accused of multiple crimes and took retribution by making a video of the raid, which was conducted by public officials. In Ohio, it is legal to film police interactions, and it’s an important right that holds law enforcement accountable.
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