Imagine you’re out enjoying a nice float on a boat nowhere near the Arctic, when you spot a ginormous Arctic walrus hoisting himself out of the water and onto a boat nearby.
What do you do, besides pull out your camera and take a video?
That’s Wally the walrus, as he’s come to be known, and that boat is somewhere along the coast of the United Kingdom. The juvenile Arctic walrus was first spotted in March and has been seen along the coast of Western Europe as far south as Spain, according to the BBC, but appears to be making his way back north, hopefully to his home habitat. He’s doing alright, but there’s one problem: He’s been making himself at home on people’s boats along the way and, unsurprisingly considering his size, sinking some of them.
Walruses live much of their life swimming around in the water, but they need surfaces to rest on. Up in the Arctic, they’ll lounge on floating pieces of ice, but down in the sea waters surrounding the British Isles, Wally keeps trying to park his massive self on sea vessels that don’t belong to him.
I have been fortunate over the years to have enjoyed many memorable wildlife scenes….
But,
a #Walrus – climbing… https://t.co/eFeK7OQxn4
According to the Irish Examiner, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) in the UK provided a floating pontoon for Wally during the six weeks he spent in the Isles of Scilly this summer. Now that he’s hanging off the coast of Ireland, Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) has secured an unused pontoon for Wally’s use and scented it using towels from a boat that he’d recently utilized (and sunk).
SRI is working with other wildlife groups to try to help keep Wally safe as he makes his way back to wherever he came from.
“We have never done this before so there are lots of learnings as we go,” SRI executive director Melanie Croce told the Irish Examiner.
“We would like to be able to let him to continue his natural behaviors but when word gets out about his location, a situation arises where we have to intervene.
“We only step in when human interactions with him threaten to disturb him. Our priority is the animal’s welfare.”
Boaters are asked to stay 100-500m away from Wally and not to publicly announce sighting locations until the designated floating vessel can be deployed for him.
Wally the walrus climbs on our boat in the isles of scilly
Too many people congregating to see him could interfere with Wally’s ability to go where he needs to go in addition to causing him unnecessary distress.
Wally has wandered thousands of miles and still has a long way to go if he’s going to make it home. Poor Wally doesn’t mean to be a nuisance—he just gets tuckered out and needs somewhere to lay his weary head.
Good for the wildlife protectors for figuring out a way to give the big guy a resting spot and for advising everyone to let Wally find his way without human interference.
Wally the Walrus tour of Europe continues (8) (Isles of Scilly) – ITV News – 6th July 2021
At the moment, Soulja Boy is not pleased with Kanye West. Soulja apparently recorded a verse for West’s new album Donda, but was ultimately not included on the release. That left him pretty upset, and since then, his Twitter has been a regular feed of anti-West posts. As part of that feed, Soulja has found himself in Swiftie territory.
This afternoon, Soulja insisted that West apologize to Swift, presumably for their infamous microphone-snatching moment at the 2009 VMAs. He tweeted, “U P*ssy. U really wore that trump hat too. You did a-lot of corny sh*t in ur career and got a pass. B*tch ass n**** apologize to Taylor swift @kanyewest.” He quickly followed up by noting that had West tried to take a microphone from him, the outcome of that situation would have been violent: “If u would have ran on stage and snatched a mic from my hand I would have knocked yo ass out live on MTV @kanyewest.”
U Pussy. U really wore that trump hat too. You did a-lot of corny shit in ur career and got a pass. Bitch ass nigga apologize to Taylor swift @kanyewest
Meanwhile, it seems West has actually tried to mend fences with Swift, or at least brought up the possibility. Back in September 2020, West tweeted that he wanted to help Swift regain control over her masters, saying, “I’M GOING TO PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT GETS HER MASTERS BACK. SCOOTER [Braun] IS A CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND.”
George Dickel Tennessee Whisky has gone through a lot during its nearly 60-year history. It’s been the top of the heap when it comes to American whisky and it’s been a breath away from death, just a few decades back. Now, the brand — reinvigorated by Diageo — is on the right track again and making big moves that the industry has taken note of. They’ve done so by honoring the legacy and learnings of classic Tennessee whisky while blazing a new path that will keep the brand relevant for years to come.
A big part of Dickel’s resurgence comes courtesy of Master Distiller Nicole Austin, who was brought aboard to lead the brand back into mainstream relevance and has done exactly that. Among other ideas and innovations, Austin has been carefully digging through Dickel’s vast warehouses to find the best barrels to deliver the iconic brand’s classic labels while also offering new expressions. It’s been pretty exciting to witness and resulted in one very solid new expression.
With Dickel rolling, we decided it was high time to rank the core line of whiskies from Tulahomma’s famed Cascade Hollow Distilling. The nine bottles below are the brand’s main releases, with the newly minted Eight-Year Bourbon just added this year. We left off limited releases to focus on the bottles you should be able to find at your local liquor store right now. If any of these interest you, click on the prices to try them yourself.
This is where any George Dickel journey begins. The mash bill is the same as the rest of the line (except for the rye) with 84 percent corn, eight percent rye, and eight percent malted barley. The juice is then filtered through the iconic Lincoln County Process of sugar maple charcoal filtering before resting and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
It’d be easy to call this “warm” but it’s more nuanced than that from the nose to the finish. The warmth is tied to a sweetness thanks to all that corn leading towards a dark berry note on the nose. The palate hints at citrus zest, more berries, and plenty of sweet cornbread with a touch of salty butter. A light note of vanilla comes through on the end with that sweet warmth lingering on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This is very easy-drinking for a “white dog” or “moonshine,” but really functions best as a vodka replacement in cocktails.
8. George Dickel Classic No. 8 Tennessee Sour Mash Whisky
While White Corn feels like the entry point to Dickel, this is the real intro bottle. The mash bill is the same as is the filtration, but this is aged in Dickel’s warehouses for four to six years. Those barrels are married into this final product and cut down to a very drinkable 80 proof.
Tasting Notes:
The sweetcorn notes remain on the nose next to hints of orchard fruits, leading towards apple pie spice, flaky crust, and a maple sugar sweetness. The palate holds onto the apples, corn, and spice and adds a touch of peach, dry cedar, and vanilla tobacco. The finish is short and sweet with a honeyed spice mix next to that orchard fruit.
Bottom Line:
This is always nice but more of a mixer for cocktails and highballs. It’s cheap, widely available, and very drinkable.
This is an interesting whisky. Although Cascade Hollow makes a ton of different juice, this is sourced from MGP Indiana. It’s their classic 95 percent rye. Dickel brings the whisky down to Tullahoma where it runs it through their filtration process and then ages the mellowed juice in their signature barrels.
Tasting Notes:
This has a nose of peach, cedar, vanilla, and a bit of graininess. The palate balances cotton candy with spicy vanilla Coke vibes next to a creamy nature. The finish gets a little leathery with a hint of the cola spice driving back towards that creamy vanilla, a hint of dry cedar, and a dash of white pepper warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is a great workhorse whisky that works really well in a cocktail, highball, or on the rocks. It’s a little warm as a sipper but shines with a few rocks. The only reason it’s this low is that the rest of the line is so damn good.
This whisky was a special release from Nicole Austin and a new direction for the brand. The whisky is the same Dickel simply pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The juice is then cut down to a manageable 90 proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with classic bourbon notes of vanilla, caramel, dry wood, and a touch of apple crisp with brown sugar, spice, and butter. The taste holds onto the Dickel corn vibe as the sweetness leans into caramel and toffee with a buttery backbone, more eggnog spice, and a pear/apple vibe with a dusting of orange oils. The finish isn’t overly long but has a nice dose of creamy vanilla next to an apple tobacco chewiness.
Bottom Line:
This is just easy drinking all around. It’s very mixable but also works as a nice on the rocks pour in a pinch. For a $30 bourbon, this is a winner.
This is Dickel’s main “small batch” whisky. The standard juice is aged for nine to 12 years and built from around 12 or fewer barrels. Those hand-selected barrels are vatted and then this is cut with that soft Tennessee water to a very approachable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
You get soft notes of corn next to butterscotch, oily vanilla, fresh leather, a touch of orange rind, and maybe a little cherry on the nose. The palate delivers a mix of eggnog spices with hints of vanilla, creamed corn, dry cedar bark, and a slight savory note that leans towards fresh green herbs. The end lingers on the spices as the vanilla and cedar leave you with a dry feeling on the back of your palate.
Bottom Line:
This is where things start to get very interesting and sippable. While I like this for Sazeracs or Manhattans, it’s very sippable on a rock or two.
4. George Dickel Superior No. 12 Tennessee Sour Mash Whisky
This is Dickel’s touchstone whisky. The corn-heavy juice is aged for at least five years before it goes into the bottle at 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a matrix of maple syrup, salted butter, cream soda, and spicy cherry on the nose with maybe a touch of buttermilk pancake tying it all together. The palate has a note of dry cedar next to apple tobacco that leads toward a chalky cherry vibe that’s shockingly close to a Flinstone Vitamin from your childhood. That all comes together on the back end as the creamy vanilla soda, cherry, and spice all linger the longest and leave you with dry warmth.
Bottom Line:
This just … works. It’s also a workhorse whisky that shines as brightly in a cocktail as it does on the rocks. It’s distinct, approachable, and very affordable.
This is a very old whiskey, all things considered. The juice is from single barrels, aged 15 years or more, and the proof varies accordingly (sometimes it’s cut with water, too). The whiskey showcases Dickel’s vast warehouses and the gems they have hidden deep on those ricks.
Tasting Notes:
This is all about the cherry pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream next to a slight apple-tobacco vibe. It’s also light on the nose and on the palate with red berries leading towards a cherry-choco soda pop, more vanilla cream, and a light touch of bourbon-soaked oakiness. That woodiness leans into a musty corner of a cellar as a spicy cherry tobacco finish leaves you with a dry yet sweet mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
This was very nearly in the number one spot. Come on, a 15-year-old whisky for about 70 bucks is worth that spot alone. Still, this feels a little old on the palate… meaning that the eye-catching age statement actually may not help this expression as much as you’d think.
This is Dickel’s signature whisky, aged for nine years. Single barrels are hand-selected by Austin that fit Dickel’s flavor profile but with a little nuance from release to release, making this a fun single barrel offering to track down yearly.
Tasting Notes:
The higher ABVs add depth to the cherry cola notes on the nose as the sweet syrup lurks in the background next to eggnog spice, salted peanuts, a touch of dry wood. The palate delivers on those notes while leaning into the cherry and vanilla while the spices kick up and notes of soft leather, dry reeds, and maybe a touch of wicker arrive late. The end is slightly fruity but leans more into cherry tobacco with a dry and woody end.
Bottom Line:
This sort of feels like the sweet spot. It’s not overly woody or old while still holding onto the quintessential Dickel vibe. It’s also a nearly ten-year-old whisky for about $50. That makes it a great candidate for both mixing and sipping as you see fit without feeling like you’re going to break the bank.
Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This year’s release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. Eleven years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the law) and sent out to the wide world where it received much adoration.
Tasting Notes:
This bottle exudes a flaky-crusted pecan pie jacked up on maple syrup, sprinkled with dried apple, and flush with rich vanilla. The taste delivers on those promises with a subtle maple syrup sweetness balanced with roasted nuts, more vanilla, and another dose of that earthy/spicy dried fruit — think dried cherry dipped in dark cocoa powder. The end is slow and pointed with spicy apple pies, brown butter richness, and another shot of that vanilla leading towards a hint of charred oak.
Bottom Line:
This is the highwater mark of Dickel (right now anyway). This is just really sippable neat but especially on the rocks. It’s also a killer cocktail or highball base at a price point that most whisky drinkers can afford. You just can’t beat this whisky.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
It’s seemed like a foregone conclusion for the duration of the 2021 NBA offseason that Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers are headed towards a split. But after weeks of reporting that indicates the Sixers have yet to find a suitable deal for the All-Star guard/forward, a new rumor indicates that Simmons has taken a step towards expediting his exit from the only city in which he’s called home during his NBA career.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Simmons met with the Sixers’ brass in Los Angeles last week. The group — made up of Josh Harris, Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and Doc Rivers — were informed that Simmons does not want to return to the team. To take things a step further, Simmons reportedly said that he does not plan on reporting to training camp when that begins at the end of September.
The line that has been trotted out all summer is that the Sixers are very much willing to move Simmons, but the team needs to get a suitable offer in return, with reports being that they want a package of picks and young players that rival the haul that the Houston Rockets wanted in exchange for James Harden. Whether or not that is feasible given Simmons’ postseason struggles, which were on display as the team fell in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks, is unclear. What is clear, though, is that Simmons has appeared to things regarding his departure for the first time since the season ended, and now, the ball is in Philly’s court.
Dear Evan Hansen has become one of the most beloved musicals of the last decade, so much so that the 2015 production has a film adaptation coming out next month. Part of that is the soundtrack album, and aside from the cast, the OST features some big-name artists.
Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) includes covers of some of the musical’s songs. Sam Smith and Summer Walker will take on “You Will Be Found,” SZA has “The Anonymous Ones,” Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay performed “Only Us,” Finneas sang “A Little Closer,” and Tori Kelly covered “Waving Through A Window.” The album is set for release on September 24, the same date the movie hits theaters.
Check out the Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) tracklist below.
1. Ben Platt and Dear Evan Hansen Choir — “Waving Through A Window”
2. Ben Platt — “For Forever”
3. Colton Ryan, Ben Platt, and Nik Dodani — “Sincerely Me”
4. Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Pino, and Amy Adams — “Requiem”
5. Ben Platt and Kaitlyn Dever — “If I Could Tell Her”
6. Amandla Stenberg — “The Anonymous Ones”
7. Ben Platt, Amandla Stenberg, Liz Kate, DeMarius Copes, Isaac Powell, Hadiya Eshe, and Dear Evan Hansen Choir — “You Will Be Found”
8. Kaitlyn Dever and Ben Platt — “Only Us”
9. Ben Platt — “Words Fail”
10. Julianne Moore — “So Big / So Small”
11. Colton Ryan — “A Little Closer”
12. Sam Smith — “You Will Be Found” Feat. Summer Walker
13. SZA — “The Anonymous Ones”
14. Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay — “Only Us”
15. Finneas — “A Little Closer”
16. Tori Kelly — “Waving Through A Window”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The football world has been consumed by one of the strangest stories of the sports year after IMG Academy crushed Bishop Sycamore on national television and sparked numerous investigations into how this apparently sketchy prep school managed to con their way onto ESPN’s airwaves.
Getting a national television audience to introduce their fledgling program to seems to have been the worst decision Bishop Sycamore could’ve made, as it has resulted in the unearthing of a number of very shady details about the “school,” from the lack of a real facility or school building to the team playing twice in one weekend with an undermanned roster of under 40 kids. A former player detailed his experience at the predecessor to Bishop Sycamore, COF Academy, where he says they stayed in a hotel they paid for with bounced checks, had to steal food because there was no money to eat, and they never actually did anything related to school (leading to him having to make up all his classes just to transfer back to a regular high school).
All of it is bad and made plenty wonder what they were thinking attracting the scrutiny and attention that comes along with being on a national showcase game. On Tuesday, the fallout continued as coach Ron Johnson was fired by the school.
BREAKING: Roy Johnson is out as head coach at Bishop Sycamore, the school that played two games in three days and ESPN announcers panned on Sunday.
Quick story from about an hour’s worth of interviews with the school director. More to come. https://t.co/3KO97LUBie
The surprising part of the move for many was the assumption that he was running the program, and as Bishop Sycamore has become the premier example of a prep school grift, plenty of people had ideas for who should be their next head coach.
“Bishop Sycamore is a top, top program and frankly it’s an honor to just be in the mix.” pic.twitter.com/4h1JOZBfSc
After almost an entire year of radio silence, the gritty Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot has officially recast the role of Will Smith, and who better to deliver that news than the actual Will Smith.
In a Zoom call recorded for Peacock’s YouTube channel, Smith dialed up young actor Jabari Banks to surprise him with the news that he landed the coveted role in the upcoming reboot series known simply as Bel-Air. Needless to say, Banks was blown away, yet still managed to crack up the original Will Smith with his story of how he went for the role. According to Banks, his dad sent him an article about the reboot and just said, “You should do this,” and Banks had to explain to him that “Dad, it doesn’t work like that.” But thanks to his dad’s urging, Banks pursued the role, and bam, here he is talking to Will Smith about becoming Will Smith. (It probably didn’t hurt that Banks is also from West Philadelphia, born and raised.) Via THR:
Set in modern-day, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour “dramatic analogue” of Fresh Prince that follows “Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show.”
Considering the role of Will was just locked down today, it will probably be a bit until Bel-Air starts filming, so fans are gonna have to hold tight for a little while longer. In the meantime, would it kill someone to reveal how they’re going to pull off a gritty re-imagining of the Carlton dance? It’s only the greatest question to be asked in the history of modern movement.
A friend recently asked me to name a conspiracy theory that I 100 percent believe in. I struggled to give an answer at the time (I think I mumbled something about Arby’s standing for roast beef), but I know what I would say now: Roy Kent is a CGI character.
As spotted by Twitter user @guymrdth, the Ted Lasso subreddit includes a thread started last July with the headline, “Ok just started the show and… CGI??” The post reads, “I just started watching the pilot, and i’m up to the scene where roy is called into teds office. Am i crazy or does he look like a complete cgi character?”
Ted Lasso uses a lot of visual effects, more than you might realize (it helps that the show is bankrolled by a multi-billion dollar technology company), but I don’t think Roy Kent is one of them. Or so I thought before Reddit opened my eyes. Now I don’t know what to believe. If Apple can stealthily reveal its new iPhone in an episode, what’s to stop them from digitally inserting “Brett Goldstein” into the show? Maybe he’s not real, either!
Others on Reddit are already convinced (this does not seem like a bit).
“he 100% is CGI, i swear he glows off the screen and looks like a halo character in movement and speech”
“Omg I had the same thought”
“Echoing all of the previous comments. Thank you for confirming my sanity!”
“Here for the same reason. Thought it was my Apple TV settings”
“So glad this thread exists. Just started watching and I’m convinced Roy is CGI”
“Thank god for this thread. My husband doesn’t see it…I felt like I was going crazy. Every episode consists of me analyzing Roy and I can’t pay attention to anything else. His slow eye movements, blinks, and odd body movements have to be CGI! How are we the only ones seeing this?”
“My wife thought I was crazy until she googled it and found this thread. Roy is CGI AF”
I am now a Roy Kent CGI truther. It’s the only possible explanation for someone so handsome, funny, and talented.
There is a mental health crisis among America’s youth. Major depression in adolescents is up 47% for boys and 65% for girls since 2013 and suicide has increased a staggering 56% from 2007 to 2017 according to the National Federation of State High Schools.
Experts have yet to pin down the specific causes of this crisis but it’s believed that increased pressure to succeed, unrealistic expectations caused by social media, and technology’s effect on how humans connect may be contributing factors.
“Most experts would agree with me that there is more stress today than in previous generations. Stress triggers depression and mood disorders, so those who are predisposed to it by their creative wiring or genes are pretty much guaranteed some symptoms of depression at the confusing and difficult time of adolescence,” Therese J. Borchard, author of “Beyond Blue,” says.
“I think modern lifestyles — lack of community and family support, less exercise, no casual and unstructured technology-free play, less sunshine and more computer — factors into the equation,” Borchard continues.
On top of the societal factors that have led to a decade-plus decline in mental health, the COVID-19 pandemic has also been hard on American youth.
Pritzker with President Biden earlier this year
To help children and teens better cope with the increased stress in their lives, the state of Illinois is now allowing students to take up to five mental health days per year without a doctor’s note. The new law was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week.
The bill passed the Illinois House and Senate unanimously.
Illinois now joins Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Virginia on the growing list of states that have passed similar bills.
The new law is a big step towards removing the stigma surrounding mental health by making it as important as students’ physical well-being.
“It’s critical that schools are offering support to students who struggle with their mental health,” state Representative Barbara Henandez said in a statement. “Just as we would allow a student with a cold or fever to stay home from school, students should be able to have the same treatment for days where they need a break for their mental health.”
Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, medical director of the Child Mind Institute, says we should use mental health days as a way to allow children to celebrate big achievements in school such as completing a big project.
However, if the child is suffering from anxiety or depression, Koplewicz believes that parents and faculty should refer to them as sick days instead of mental health days to remove the sigma.
“Sick days are sick days, whether it’s physical or mental,” he said.
via Pixabay
In addition to giving kids the mental breaks they desperately need, mental health days are a way to normalize self-care. When schools promote routines that prioritize mental health, they normalize these behaviors and teach children that their mental health is just as important as their physical.
It’s great that multiple states are now putting the mental health of their students front and center, but the most important focus should be on fixing the societal problems that have led to the mental health decline in the first place.
Let’s see what happens when we start giving kids technology-free days where they look at the world around them through their eyes, instead of a screen, and see how things begin to change.
According to a recent report from TMZ, the rapper has held meetings with nine HIV/AIDS non-profit organizations. A few of the organizations in attendance included Black AIDS Institute, GLAAD, Positive Women’s Network, and Transinclusive Group. GLAAD had previously issued a statement following DaBaby’s comments, calling them inaccurate, “hurtful, and harmful to the LGBTQ community and the estimated 1.2 million Americans living with HIV.”
During the meetings, DaBaby allegedly had the chance to hear from people whose lives are impacted by the condition and how they are able to live with the virus. Apparently, several of the organizations had reached out to DaBaby directly following his rant, attempting to “call him in instead of calling him out” by having a thoughtful conversation.
Per TMZ’s report, several of the organizations noted DaBaby was “genuinely engaged” during their meetings and open to learning more about HIV/AIDS. He reportedly apologized for his inaccurate and hurtful comments, allegedly acknowledging how it impacted Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
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