Category: News

Have you ever noticed that there are two different bread sections in the grocery store? There’s the aisle where you get loaves of sliced bread next to the hamburger buns and there’s the bakery section where you get traditional crusty bread.

So why are both types of bread separated?

Adam Ragusea answers the question in a compelling video that has more than 2.2 million views on YouTube. Ragusea is a popular YouTuber who makes videos about recipes, food science and culinary culture. His channel has nearly 2 million subscribers

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In the video, he breaks down the five things that distinguish these two types of bread. One of the main reasons they are made differently is because sandwich bread has to last a lot longer than the traditional bread you find in the bakery aisle.

Here are the five ways they are very different.

1. Added sugar and fat

Sandwich bread has additional butter and fat so that it doesn’t mold as quickly.

2. Bread yeast

Sandwich bread manufacturers want to make the product quickly, so it has yeast accelerators to speed up the fermentation process.

3. Hard mix

Sandwich bread is made in aggressive mixers that allow more oxygen to enter the dough, which makes it rise faster. However, this reduces the amount of flavor in the bread so it’s not as tasty as traditional bread.

4. Dough helpers

Sandwich bread contains dough conditioners and improvers, a broad category of ingredients that inhibit mold, soften the bread and preserve it so it’s edible for at least a week.

5. The bake

Sandwich bread is baked in a pan at a lower temperature than a traditional loaf, giving it a cakey texture.

Sometimes, all it takes is one story of kindness to make the world seem like a less cold, uncaring place. At Upworthy, we know that now more than ever, it’s vital to highlight the goodness of humanity so that we are reminded of what’s possible. That’s why when we heard about an artist in Buffalo, New York, who used creativity to shift perspectives in a unique and thought-provoking way, we knew we had to share.

Local news outlet WKBW TV first reported the work of social practice artist Saira Siddiqui, who returned to her home city of Buffalo in 2019 to create the Peace Dots Project. The campaign encourages people to submit stories of “random acts of kindness, peace offerings, conflict resolution, or any action that creates hope and makes a positive impact, whether it be an act personally experienced or one witnessed from afar.” These stories get collected and become “peace dots” that go up on a map of the city, replacing the dots that typically only track crime scenes.

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“It allows people to think about positive framing, rather than thinking about the traditional negative framing. That’s so prevalent right now,” Siddiqui told WKBW.

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Many refer to Buffalo as the “City of Good Neighbors.” This was a nickname earned because of Buffalo’s history of welcoming immigrant and migrant communities and their diverse array of cultures. However, the noble label has come into question in recent years, especially because some neighborhoods aren’t so good for all their neighbors. White homeownership is more than double that of Blacks and Hispanics, according to a study in 2018. That same study showed that, on average, white households also had around double the annual income of Black and Latino ones. In 2021, an article by professors Timothy F. Murphy and Henry Louis Taylor Jr. revealed that Black Buffalonians are far more likely to have serious, chronic (yet preventable) diseases than whites who lived in the area.

It’s staggering statistics like this that inspired Siddiqui to imagine a different narrative. She told WKBW, “We are always mapping data. We are taking hard data about crime, health and wealth disparities. One day, I thought, ‘why are we mapping these disparities? Where are all the peace dots at?'”

Though the project started in the Buffalo area, submissions are accepted from around the globe. And on the Peace Dots Project’s website, you’ll see a map filled with peace dots from many different areas. Stories are being collected through 2022.

Submitting your own story is pretty simple. The only information that’s mandatory is the random act of kindness or peace offering. Everything else—name, location, date—is completely optional. There’s even a spot where folks can get a bit creative and reflect on what color and emotion comes to mind when thinking about the memory.

Here are a few examples from the project’s Instagram page:

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Capturing these day-to-day moments helps communities come together to actively change negative narratives. The stories we share are important—they help shape our identity. Through art and interaction, Siddiqui has found an inspiring way to remind people of the power they have, simply by focusing on positivity.

As the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft wore on, I steadily drew more and more perplexed. “Why isn’t Jabari Walker getting picked,” resonated throughout my brain constantly as the night wound down and the Colorado standout remained on the board. Walker eventually got selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 57th overall pick.

After an impressive showing throughout his time at Summer League, Walker signed a three-year contract with the club, with a partial guarantee on the second year per Michael Scotto.

Walker is averaging 13 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, shooting a remarkably efficient 68.2 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from deep on just shy of three attempts per game, according to NBA tracking data. He enamored at the University of Colorado with his freneticism as a defender and herky jerky drive game off the bounce. At 6’8 with a lengthy frame, often punching above his weight with his functional strength, Walker brought a ton of intrigue as he shot well from deep as his sophomore season unfolded, including positive shooting indicators at the free throw line, as he found himself there incredibly often in Boulder.

His offense has translated well immediately in the desert, excelling as a cutter, making himself available in pockets of the defense, shooting off the catch, and attacking closeouts. While figuring out playmaking off the dribble and finishing counters will be an adventure, the outline is there for a productive player.

Defensively, Walker has shown out. His help and ability as a low-man has flashed upside and intrigue.

While he still has a ways to go in terms of figuring out timing and playing in space, the flashes are exciting, especially for someone his size. What Walker showed as his best attribute as a defender in college has continued in the pros as well. He switches aggressively and with nimble feet, engulfing drivers and stifling actions on the perimeter. For a team that ranked dead last in defense last season, there’s room for Walker to potentially make an impact as an early contributor with his size, instincts, and aptitude.

It’s awesome to see Jabari get a long-term and partially guaranteed deal, something I expected him to get during the draft, but unsurprisingly earned after playing well against pro-level competition. After players in similar situations like Trendon Watford and Greg Brown III found relative success as overlooked rookies last season, I wouldn’t be shocked if Jabari Walker parlayed his new found job security into pro success.

Elon Musk’s quest to buy-and-not-buy Twitter (in a $44 million deal) has turned into a real cluster. The Tesla CEO appears to have decided — on a whim or maybe while stoned — that it would be cool to own a big-time social media platform. He then decided to abandon ship (while pretending that he never knew bot accounts were a problem) and started a ragingly public war about it, on Twitter no less, and everything has gone to court while Twitter determines to force the deal into existence.

That’s a sure sign that things won’t go well for this deal no matter whether it goes through, but somewhere along the way, Elon (who ‘snow the bio dad to more kids than Nick Cannon’s got) decided to respond to a lengthy thread from Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal with a poop emoji. Not the most mature approach, and now, that poop tweet is now part of the court proceedings.

As the New York Post details, Twitter cited the poop tweet as an example of how Musk “disparaged Twitter and the deal,” which has affected the platform’s share price.

Twitter’s legal team had presented the tweet and others as evidence that Musk had “violated his obligations” under the original merger deal in which he agreed to buy the social media company.

“Since signing the merger agreement, Musk has repeatedly disparaged Twitter and the deal, creating business risk for Twitter and downward pressure on its share price,” Twitter’s attorneys argue in the complaint filed on Tuesday.

And in response to a tweet that relayed this court-related news, Musk’s explanation is that he was accusing Agrawal’s bot-explanation as pure “bs.” And yep, another poop emoji did happen.

There’s no telling how this will all shake out in court, but it can’t be promising for Musk, but he’s all kinds of distracted with all of his love children, and the same goes for his dad, Errol Musk. Family!

There are certain things in the movie industry that you can count on during these uncertain times: one is that every single actor will eventually become involved in the Marvel universe, it’s just destined to happen. Another certainty is that Disney is going to keep making Pixar sequels movies even though the nostalgia train has left the station. Finally, any horror movie takes on a classic children’s tale will undoubtedly be both the best and worst thing to ever happen. And that current take is Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey.

When the first look at the movie hit the internet, many asked “why?” and “who is this for?” and “does this even have a budget?” While those questions will never be answered, we do have the first official poster for the highly-anticipated movie, which ultimately just creates more questions, like “is he supposed to look like that?” and “why does he have human hands?”

The poster features the tagline “this ain’t no bedtime story” which is honestly a great addition to the creepy Winnie head and bloody ax.

As previously reported by Variety, the plot follows Pooh and Piglet as they go on a rampage after being abandoned by their beloved owner, Christopher Robin. The first movie stills went viral, prompting the director to explain his motivation behind making the movie, as the Pooh story recently entered the public domain.

“Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral,” director Rhys Waterfield explained. “So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.” But… they are human …right?

The movie has, unfortunately, not announced a release date… yet. But Halloween is right around the corner, and there is some amazing Spiring Halloween inspiration here!

Constance Wu has returned to social media after a three-year break. In a statement posted on social media Thursday, July 14, the actor said that she attempted suicide following the backlash to several tweets she posted in reaction to her ABC series Fresh Off the Boat getting renewed for another season in 2019.

Wu’s negative reaction to the series renewal received a visceral negative reaction of their own. Wu, who starred in 2019’s critically acclaimed film Hustlers opposite Jennifer Lopez, disappeared from social media after posting the tweets. In the statement, Wu shared that the negative reaction to her tweets made her suicidal.

“3 years ago, when I made careless tweets about the renewal of my TV show, it ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe,” Wu wrote. “I started feeling like I didn’t even deserve to live anymore. That I was a disgrace to AsAms [Asian Americans], and they’d be better off without me. Looking back, it’s surreal that a few DMs convinced me to end my own life, but that’s what happened.” She continued, “Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER.”

Wu, who received critical acclaim for her performance in the 2018 box office hit Crazy Rich Asians, shared that for the past few years, she has put her career in Hollywood aside to focus on her mental health, which she writes is not talked about enough within the Asian-American community. Wu was a delight on Fresh Off the Boast, Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers, so hopefully, we’ll be seeing more of her soon. In the meantime, you can catch her on the Amazon Prime series The Terminal List opposite Chris Pratt.

Amid the flurry of NBA offseason moves, we have seen and heard very little of Stephen A. Smith, which is a rarity for a man who has a near ubiquitous presence on ESPN’s airwaves throughout the sports calendar.

The last time Smith was on television was in a remote hit on July 1, when Kevin Durant made his trade request from the Brooklyn Nets. As many noticed, Smith appeared to have a sling on his shoulder and wasn’t in studio, which indicated he was calling in from home and was dealing with an injury of some kind. After two weeks without Smith on air, ESPN’s biggest name let fans know what was going on, as he explained he was rehabbing from shoulder surgery due to a variety of ailments, including a partially torn rotator cuff and bicep.

Smith says he’ll be back next month, but one can bet that if anything major happens, like Durant getting actually traded, Smith will call in to offer his thoughts on the matter, because he is not one to let any big moment go by without getting his two cents in. The way Smith does TV, with over the top gestures to really emphasize his points, it’s for the best that he takes some time off so as not to aggravate that shoulder during what is mostly a down time in the sports calendar. Hopefully Smith can make a speedy recovery and we can all appreciate him playing hurt on the start of free agency by calling in despite having his shoulder in a sling, and we’ll look forward to him being back in full by the start of the NFL season. There’s no word as to whether ESPN will look to get him some rehab starts on smaller shows before returning to First Take to work his way back into TV shape.

Deadline reported in 2015 that Disney had “set its sights” on Chris Pratt playing Indiana Jones in an attempt to revive the franchise. This was around the time that Parks and Recreation went off the air and Pratt appeared in The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy, and before he was the near-universal choice for Worst Chris. There has been no official confirmation on the Pratt as Indy rumors since, but the Jurassic World star was recently asked about them while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

In response to host Josh Horowitz asking if he’s ever had a conversation with anyone, including director Steven Spielberg, about playing Indiana Jones, Pratt joked, “I don’t even know who Steven Spielberg is. Who? Steven Who?” He went on, “No, aren’t they doing Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford? All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford and I don’t even know if it was really him but it was enough to scare me, that was like, ‘When I die, Indiana Jones dies.’ And I’m like, am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play… ?”

The exact quote is: “Don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy.” Harrison Ford is not someone I would want to f*ck with even from beyond the grave (as a regular ghost or a Force ghost, not that Ford knows what those are), but Pratt doesn’t deny the rumors. As noted by Horowitz, “I’m no body language expert but watch this video and tell me Chris Pratt did not talk to Steven Spielberg about taking over Indiana Jones in some capacity.”

There probably were discussions until Ford agreed to play Indy for one final (?) time in Indiana Jones 5, which comes out June 30, 2023. Let’s stash the Pratt-as-Indiana Jones rumors where they belong: not a museum, but in the same warehouse as the Ark of the Covenant.

Unlike The Infinity Saga, Marvel’s Phase 4 movies and streaming shows have yet to build towards an overarching event like the two-part throwdown with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness offered the first major clue of where the MCU might be heading: Secret Wars.

During the film’s end-credits scene, Charlize Theron’s Thea arrives and demands Doctor Strange help her stop an “Incursion” caused by his meddling with the Darkholm. As Marvel Comics fans know, Incursions are the colliding and destruction of alternate Earths that the Illuminati were unable to stop in the New Avengers books. Sensing no other alternative, Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom created a new Marvel Universe where Doom served as God Emperor in the epic Secret Wars comic event.

With both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the mix, the MCU now has the components to make Secret Wars its next epic event, and it’s heavily rumored to be the project that brings Joe and Anthony Russo back into the fold. Over the years, the filmmaking brothers have not been shy about wanting to adapt the sprawling comic storyline for Marvel, and they were at it again during this week’s premiere of their new movie The Gray Man.

Here’s what they told Deadline when asked why Secret Wars is their dream project:

“Our love for Marvel is based on the books that we read as kids, the books that we fell in love with,” Joe told Deadline. “The one series that we adored growing up was Secret Wars. It’s incredibly ambitious. It would be bigger than Infinity War and Endgame. But it’s a massive undertaking. Those two movies were very hard to make. So trying to imagine making another two movies even bigger than those two? We’re going to have to sleep on that.”

Despite Secret Wars being a top contender, Marvel has yet to confirm what its next Endgame-style event will be. Kevin Feige recently promised that it will become clear in the months ahead. Well, at least more than it is now.

“We’ll be a little more direct about that in the coming months, to set a plan, so audiences who want to see the bigger picture can see a tiny, tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap,” Feige told Total Film last month.

(Via Deadline)

To be crowned as the Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrity by PETA, you have to be nothing short of an exemplary vegan. Merely being a vegetarian will pretty much eliminate you from contention of this high honor (just ask Drake.) Today, Lenny Kravitz and Anitta were bestowed with PETA’s Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities of 2022 award, which Billboard reports the criteria as, “Saves the lives of nearly 200 animals a year; reduces their risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; and dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint.”

Kravitz, who grows his own vegetables at his home in the Bahamas, is primarily a raw vegan. For Anitta, simply being a Brazilian vegan should be enough to qualify her. Eating meat is a way of life in Brazil and your family will not understand your choice the first time you explain it to them (my cousin went vegan and our Brazilian family was in an uproar.) But Anitta is the spokesperson for Future Farm, a Brazilian company that works with primarily non-GMO pea and soybean protein (Brazil is the largest soybean exporter in the world by the way. See, you learned something!)

“With more than 65 million followers between them, Kravitz and Anitta are global superstars who are inspiring millions of people to go their way and let love rule by keeping animals off their plates,” PETA’s senior VP Lisa Lange told Billboard in a statement. “PETA’s Most Beautiful Vegans of 2022 are showing the world what it means to thrive on planet-protecting, plant-powered meals.”

So there it is. Lenny Kravitz and Anitta are PETA’s 2022 Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities.