Category: News

Vladimir Putin has been suffering humiliation after humiliation lately. After Ukrainian President Zelensky accused him of being a Green Screen Wonder, he had to prove that he’s still alive with a public appearance. The Kremlin has also had to clean up after former British PM Boris Johnson’s missile-threat accusations, and rascally Russian saboteurs are blowing up bridges to hamper Putin’s ongoing Ukraine invasion.

Then there’s The Internet. It seems that Putin is very upset about search results from Russians, and mysteriously, the nation’s most predominant search engine (Yonder) has shut down any results that refer to the president as a “bald f*cker.” This news arrives via Daily Beast from the independent Meduza news site. Here are some other key terms that suddenly got scrubbed in reference to Putin:

The site also had mechanisms in place to stop images of Putin appearing in the results for specific, unflattering phrases too. They reportedly include “bunker grandfather,” “master thief,” and “dick in a spacesuit.” The results for queries including “what do pedophiles look like,” “when he dies” and “strange creature waving” were also said to have been filtered to ensure pictures of Putin wouldn’t show up.

“Dick in a spacesuit” is one that I wouldn’t have guessed, and I’m kind-of wondering why “shirtless dick on horseback” isn’t on the list. After all, the most recent G7 summit produced mockery from world leaders (including Boris Johnson and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau) regarding Putin’s “toxic masculinity” and “bare-chested horseback riding display.” Yep, Putin’s getting little respect on the Internet, either, but that’s probably to be expected after invading Ukraine (and keeping the bloodshed going for almost a year) for the heck of it.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Drake’s love for sports is well-documented. The Canadian musician has even formed close-knit friendships with some players. The rap superstar is often photographed courtside at some of his favorite basketball teams’ games. He’s given commentary during showdowns or even been the center of the commentary due to his fashion choices. He’s even found himself in a couple of social media spats while defending his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors.

When the entertainer isn’t on the road or working, he runs his own league, Sanctuary Basketball League (SBL). In contrast to rapper J. Cole, the OVO Sound boss’ likelihood of playing at the professional level is highly unlikely due in part to recurring ankle injuries. However, professional basketball player Fred VanVleet believes Drake could never make it in the league because of his lack of skill.

During the shooting guard’s appearance in a video segment from Canadian sports network Sportsnet, when asked about his opinion on rappers with a passion for the game, VanVleet replied, “[J. Cole] can play a little bit. You know what I mean? Not professionally, obviously. Drake is just old-man YMCA game. He just doesn’t move like a basketball player.”

Ironically, as much public support Drake shows the Toronto Raptors, it much hurt to hear their star guard doesn’t have faith in your game.

Usually, the self-proclaimed 6 God is quick to clap back. However, the rapper is still running off a high after celebrating his son Adonis’ 5th birthday.

Meanwhile, other players chimed in, too, like Scottie Barnes, who said of Cole, “He’s actually one of the artists that really knows how to play basketball.”

Wheel of Fortune contestants aren’t in the habit of disagreeing with Pat Sajak. But not Ben from California. Ben from California made it all the way to the bonus round of the game show, where the category was “Fun and Games.” After getting the requisite letters “RSTLNE” and adding three consonants (MHC) and a vowel (A), Ben was left with:

T A _ _ N _ A _ _ _ C _ _ _ _

Ben was stumped. “Taunt A Chuck Guy,” he guessed, whatever that means. “Taunt A Wacky Guy” made a little more sense, but it still wasn’t right. “Oh, that was so… unclose,” Sajak taunted before revealing the correct answer: Taking A Quick Jog. “You just didn’t have the letters.” That’s not the reason Ben didn’t get it, however. “I just don’t consider jogging fun and games,” he joked before giving a thumbs up to the camera. “Oh, well, there you go,” Sajak replied before going off script to admit, “That wasn’t bad.”

Wheel of Fortune viewers were on Ben’s side. “Finally! A contestant finally speaks out about the answers not matching the category! The kid was great!” one fan wrote on Instagram, while another added, “Nobody considers that fun and games that’s fitness, come on.” It’s certainly not as fun as… taunting a chuck guy?

Even Wheel’s social media team admitted that Ben had a point.

Country-pop icon Shania Twain is 57 years old now, and on a recent episode of the Making Space With Hoda Kotb podcast (as New York Post notes), Twain said she’s decided to skip plastic surgery and instead “forget the sag” and try to change her perception about her body.

She explained:

“I’ve come to a point where, no, I’m not gonna do it. Maybe that was probably part of what pushed me to go, ‘OK, it’s time to start loving yourself in your own skin,’ because sure, I’ve got lots of friends that have had very successful surgeries, but I’ve also seen others that aren’t so successful. And then I think, ‘Well, what if I’m one of those that doesn’t heal very well?’ Then I’m gonna hate that about myself. Then I’m gonna regret doing it. And then, maybe I’m going to fall and cut myself, and I’m gonna need stitches for real.”

She added, “I want to be more relaxed and comfortable in my own skin. It is what it is, and I can’t change it unless I go under the knife or something. I mean, you don’t really know what you’re gonna get anyway, right? One thing pulled here, and another one pulled there… I don’t know, I may never be happy. So, it’s my perception of things that has to change… instead of changing who I am and what I look like.”

Of posing nude for her “Waking Up Dreaming” cover art, she noted:

“It was so empowering. I’m so glad I did it. I was petrified, but once I flipped that switch and dove into it, I’m like, ‘I’m all in!’ I committed 100 percent. I don’t really love my body. I don’t love looking at myself in the mirror with the lights on or looking in the mirror at all at my body. It’s so essential, more than ever, because as we age […] our skin starts to melt and all kinds of things happen to us. I realize that, wow, I was shy about wearing a bikini at the beach when I was younger, and I’m thinking, ‘That was ridiculous. I gotta stop this nonsense and start wearing a bikini to the beach now, even though I’m not my 20-year-old self.’ You know, I just gotta get over that stuff.”

Listen to the full Making Space With Hoda Kotb episode below.

One of the topics that we like to highlight on Upworthy is people who are redefining what it means to be in a relationship. Recently, we’ve shared the stories of platonic life partners, moms who work together as part of a “mommune” and a polyamorous family with four equally-committed parents.

A growing number of people are reevaluating traditional relationships and entering lifestyles that work for them instead of trying to fit into preexisting roles. It makes sense because the more lifestyle options that are available, the greater chance we have to be happy.

A recent trend in unconventional relationships is married couples “living apart together,” or LATs as they are known among mental health professionals.

Actress Helena Bonham Carter and director Tim Burton, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and producer Brad Falchuk, and photographer Annie Leibovitz and activist Susan Sontag are all high-profile couples who’ve embraced the LAT lifestyle.

“I think it certainly helps with preserving mystery and also preserving the idea that this person has their own life,” Paltrow said, according to the New York Post.

The lifestyle appears to have become more mainstream in America as the number of couples living apart rose by more than 25% between 2000 and 2019.

According to The New York Times, there were 3.89 million Americans who live apart from their spouses in 2022, just under 3% of all married couples. The statistics do not include couples intending to divorce but do include those who are forced to live separately due to military duties.

Couples Therapy, Inc. says that LAT couples enjoy the lifestyle because it allows for “independence without sacrificing emotional support,” more time for hobbies and interests, fewer conflicts, and prevents “exploitation along gender roles.”

The disadvantages that LAT couples experience include maintaining emotional connection, occasional loneliness and dealing with the expectations of adult and minor children.

u201cMore Canadian couples are choosing commitment, but not to share it under the same roof. Itu2019s called Living Apart Together.nnFor #GlobalNewReality, @MDimainGlobal speaks with couples and researchers about this growing trend.nnRead more: https://t.co/uOEQg4n1v8u201d

— Globalnews.ca (@Globalnews.ca)
1647108002

Although there isn’t a wealth of research on LATs, Bella DePaulo Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today that people who prefer to live apart from their spouse are looking for “independence and privacy.” They also tend to be in their 40s and older and are less likely to need a live-in spouse to help with child-rearing duties.

Sharon Hyman told Today that living apart from her husband, David, puts their relationship in the proper context.

“Living separately allows me to have my needs met by others in addition to David, including friends and family. I feel that expecting one person to be your everything is setting yourself up for disappointment,” Hyman wrote. “It’s also unrealistic and puts tremendous pressure on a relationship. There are so many other people who enrich our lives. I’m a big believer in community. People in the past lived in villages or extended family groups, and I feel that a primary relationship should ideally exist within that framework.”

Sana Akhand, 33, told The New York Times that living apart from her husband helped relieve her from the burdens of being a woman in a traditional marriage. “Being a wife is subconsciously really draining, because you’re just thinking about this other person, their well-being,” Akhand said.

Married couples who live apart from one another all appear to have taken the time to consciously consider their relationships and position them based on their needs, instead of the demands of the culture at large. It makes a lot of sense. Just because a lifestyle works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you or your partner.

Blindness touches people’s lives around the world and YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, more popularly known as MrBeast, is trying to do something about it. Donaldson made it his mission to help 1,000 people regain their eyesight with the help of Dr. Jeff Levenson, an ophthalmologist and surgeon in Jacksonville, Florida.

Levenson has been operating a program called “Gift of Sight” for over 20 years. The program provides free cataract surgery to uninsured people who are legally blind for free, so long as they meet certain criteria. Levenson had never heard of Donaldson, and he almost hung up on him when the YouTube star called to ask about a partnership.

“I had never heard of MrBeast so I almost hung up. But gratefully did not hang up,” Levenson told CNN.

After figuring out that Donaldson was indeed a real person who wanted to help others, the duo called around the Jacksonville area to determine the people who needed help the most. They got their list of clients from free clinics and homeless shelters, which covered the United States portion of the surgeries.

Donaldson and Levenson were able to provide surgery to 40 people in Florida, and if you know anything about MrBeast, you know that some of those folks left with more than just their eyesight. Several of the patients, who were just thrilled to have their eyesight back, were gifted with thousands of dollars. In the video, one woman fell to the floor when Donaldson told her that he was also giving her $10,000, and another family burst into tears when he handed over a $50,000 check for college tuition. One teen was given his first car, a Tesla.

The enormous act of kindness didn’t stop with Florida. Levenson is also the chief medical officer of SEE International, an organization that provides free eye care internationally. It was through this nonprofit that Donaldson was able to help other patients in need in several countries including Mexico, Jamaica, Vietnam and Brazil, among others.

Not all blindness is curable, but in the video, Levenson tells Donaldson, “Half of all blindness in the world is people who need a 10-minute surgery.”

This means that those who don’t have the means to afford this surgery may simply have to resign themselves to being blind, even though there’s a quick cure. And Levenson knows firsthand what it feels like to lose your vision due to cataracts because he also had to have the surgery years ago, which sparked his passion for helping others see again.

Donaldson is known for his generosity and has amassed over 130 million subscribers on his YouTube page, so it’s not a surprise that he would try to team up with Levenson to do more good. After all the surgeries were complete, Donaldson had achieved his goal of curing 1,000 people of blindness, but he had one more gift in store.

At the end of the video, MrBeast was back in Florida with Levenson when he dropped unsuspected news on the doctor. Donaldson had donated $100,000 to Levenson’s organization.

“It’ll bring sight to thousands of people,” Levenson replied with his hand over his chest.

Watch the moving video below:

A parenting influencer who goes by the name @ellethevirgo on TikTok has shared a brilliant hack that can turn a simple box of Cheerios into a fun sensory sand experience. The great part is that the sand is edible, so you don’t have to worry if your child puts some in their mouth, which they will inevitably do.

The recipe for Cheerios sensory sand is pretty simple:

1. Grab a box of Cheerios (avoid honey nut flavor unless you want your kid to have a sticky sensory experience).
2. Grind the cereal by dumping it into a blender or food processor. You can also get a rockier texture by putting it in a sealable bag and grinding it with a rolling pin.
3. Pour the sand into a bin and add some scoops and containers for the full sensory experience.

Now, here’s where we’ll include our mandatory disclaimer: Children should only play with the sensory sand under adult supervision. Always make sure the bin is clean and the sand is replaced before every use.

Parents on TikTok couldn’t believe they hadn’t heard of the hack before.

“Yess!! So if she accidentally eats the sand it’s ok bc it’s freaking Cheerios,” Nelly Gomez wrote.

“Wait, what? Holy hell this is genius,” Momma Cusses added.

@ellethevirgo

🌞🐠🌴 #fyp #sensoryplay #upcycling

A few commenters were concerned that the sensory sand may encourage small children to eat real sand. This is a legitimate criticism because, according to doctors, sand can be a choking hazard. “Isn’t she going to be trained that all sand will taste like Cheerio dust now?” Eric asked.

Tennis isn’t always the most entertaining sport to watch, especially if you’re not particularly interested in seeing a ball get slapped across a net at 1,000,000 mph approximately 17,000 times. You could probably get whiplash or eye strain if you focused too hard on it. While some people love the sport, others need a little more than grunts and sneaker sounds to capture their attention.

If you’re in the group of people who need to be entertained, look no further than Gaël Monfils, a professional French tennis player that has earned the nickname, “The Entertainer.” Monfils turned pro in 2004 and has multiple championship matches under his belt, and yet he still takes the time to be…extra while playing.

In a compilation video uploaded to TikTok, we see the 36-year-old tennis player dancing after hitting the ball across the net just out of his opponent’s reach. But of course, he also doesn’t hit the ball like your average player, either. In one part of the video, Monfils jumps up extremely high and bicycle kicks as he hits the ball with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Nearly every hit he makes is either over or under-exaggerated—there doesn’t seem to be an in-between—and the showboating after scoring a point seems to make the crowd go wild. In a different video, even the announcers sound entertained by his shenanigans. If nothing else, it’s clear that Monfils is having a great time on the court, delighting himself and others.

His impromptu dances are especially interesting because there’s no music on the court, but that doesn’t stop The Entertainer from busting a move. If you’re one of those people that just isn’t into tennis, he may make you want to watch a match or two.

Check out the compilation below:

@tennis.legend

The Entertainer @Gaël Monfils ! ❤ 🎥 @ATP Tour | @Tennis TV #tennis #tennislegend #tennistiktok #tennisplayer #tenis #tennistv #atptour #atp #atpworldtour #gaelmonfils #monfils #tennispro #tennismatch #tennispoint #tennisfans #tenis

D Smoke may hail from a musical family, but that hasn’t stopped him from diving head-first into establishing an acting career. For many fans, seeing the Inglewood, California native on their television screens is nothing new, thanks to his appearance on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow. However, the “Say Go” rapper is trading in his reality competition roots for original scripted programming.

Appearing on season two, episode three of Paramount+’s series Mayor Of Kingstown, D Smoke is all in. In the role of Raphael, an intimate, the entertainer plays a vital part in the thriller show’s plot. Led by actor Jeremy Renner (in the role of Mike McLusky), D Smoke shared the screen with series regular Tobi Bamtefa (in the role of Bunny).

The episode is described as follows, “Mike, Bunny, and Raphael, along with Executive Producer Stephen Kay discuss Bunny’s attempts to restore balance in the prison camp even while putting himself in danger. Additionally, they elaborate on the waning trust Bunny has in Mike. Finally, Iris (played by Emma Laird) gives insight into Iris’s emotional return to Milo and how it may be what pushes Mike over the edge.”

Watch the full exclusive clip featuring D Smoke as Raphael below.

New Mayor Of Kingstown episodes are uploaded exclusively to the Paramount+ platform every Saturday. To watch the series, click here.

When JID isn’t being a comedian using throwaway bars to poke fun at his peers, he’s actually quite the skilled rapper. The Dreamville Records representative is showcasing his lyrical skills on the road alongside Smino as part of the Luv Is 4ever Tour.

The Atlanta, Georgia native’s third studio album, The Forever Story, is a culmination of his introspective work over the years perfecting his craft to which his live sets have directly benefited. With his journey on the road just getting started, thanks to an unofficial fan page, those looking to snag a ticket to a stop on the tour can sneak a look at the musician’s rumored set list.

Setlist.FM has listed the confirmed setlist from his set. Take a look below, where you will also find the remaining tour dates, below.

1. “2007”
2. “NEVER”
3. “Off da Zoinkys”
4. “Raydar”
5. “Dance Now”
6. “Crack Sandwich”
7. “Bruddanem”
8. “Sistanem”
9. “Kody Blu 31”
10. “Workin Out”
11. “Stars”
12. “Just in Time”
13. “Off Deez”
14. “Down Bad” (Dreamville cover)
15. “Surround Sound”
16. “151 Rum”
17. “Stick” (Dreamville cover)

01/31/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
02/02/2023 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA San Diego
02/03/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
02/08/2023 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
02/10/2023 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
02/13/2023 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
02/14/2023 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
02/15/2023 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
02/16/2023 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
02/18/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
02/21/2023 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
02/22/2023 — Miami, FL @ Oasis Wynwood
02/24/2023 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
02/26/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
03/01/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
03/03/2023 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
03/07/2023 — Wallingford, CT @ Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
03/09/2023 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues Boston
03/12/2023 — Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
03/15/2023 — Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
03/17/2023 — Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
03/18/2023 — Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
03/21/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
03/23/2023 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
03/24/2023 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis
03/25/2023 — Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
03/28/2023 — Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
03/29/2023 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works