On Sunday, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, only further solidifying his case the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Even more impressive is how he did it, at the age of 43 with his new team in Tampa Bay after spending the first 20 years of his career with the Patriots.
That type of longevity and championship hardware makes his case as the GOAT nearly unimpeachable. But it isn’t just the sheer number of championships alone. In the NBA’s GOAT debate — the one pitting Michael Jordan against LeBron and whoever else — the number of championships has become something of a sticking point.
Fans often point to a player like Robert Horry as emblematic of the championship fallacy, arguing that if we use number of titles as a central metric, then Horry (a really solid player but not exactly a franchise cornerstone) would have a case in the GOAT debate. None of this is particularly new or insightful, and Horry, for his part, has quite frankly tired of being brought up in the debate in a negative way.
“A part of you gets mad because I don’t think people outside the NBA family — and when I say ‘NBA’ I’m saying coaches and players — they don’t really respect what I did and they don’t really understand what I did and what I was able to accomplish,” Horry told FOX Sports. “It’s always, ‘Oh he was a part. Oh, he was a part.’ Yeah, I was a part, but I was a significant part.
“You can’t have Kool-Aid without sugar, and I was the sugar to most of that stuff.”
“More than half the time, I feel slighted because I don’t think people really appreciate what I did,” Horry said. “Even [Monday], with me tweeting [about Brady], there’s always people going, ‘Oh, this, this, and this.’ I don’t pay any attention because if it was one of my teammates that would’ve said it, then it would’ve had some meaning.”
Horry was referring to a tweet he sent congratulating Brady on joining the “7 Chip Club,” which prompted a few petty fans to try and diminish his incredible accomplishments. Horry won titles with the Rockets, Lakers, and Spurs during his 16-year career, along the way earning the nickname “Big Shot Bob” for knocking down several game-winning shots in huge playoff moments.
Court proceedings are supposed to be serious, solemn, and dignified. Silliness and shenanigans are not generally tolerated in a courtroom—a fact that judges, lawyers, and anyone who’s ever been to court knows.
So when a lawyer shows up to a court hearing on Zoom with his face turned into an adorable kitten, what is the appropriate response? When the judge then points out that the lawyer has a cat filter on and the lawyer says—with his kitten face—he can’t figure out how to turn it off, are the people present allowed to laugh out loud?
Because that scenario is universally hilarious. It also just happened for real in the 394th Judicial District Court of Texas.
“I’m here live, I’m not a cat,” says lawyer after Zoom filter mishap
“I can see that,” responds judge https://t.co/HclKlAUwbM
According to the Houston Chronicle, lawyer Rod Ponton arrived at a hearing over Zoom with a kitten face filter activated on his computer. The filter, superimposed over Ponton’s real face, reflects his speech and facial movements in the kitten’s face, making it appear that the kitten is speaking.
District Judge Roy Ferguson immediately pointed out Ponton’s problem, and the poor lawyer explained that he and his assistant were trying to change it. Ponton-as-kitten legitimately looks panicked, which is hilariously cute. It only gets funnier when the judge reiterates, “I think it’s a filter,” as if there was some possibility that the lawyer may, in fact, be a cat.
Then Ponton, with his kitten face, tells Judge Ferguson that he’s prepared to go forward. “I’m here, live,” he says. “I’m not a cat.”
THE LAWYER ACTUALLY TOLD THE JUDGE HE WASN’T A CAT Y’ALL. You cannot write this stuff. This is forever funny 2021 gold, right here.
@MikaelThalen I like “I *think* it’s a filter,” like he’s leaving open the possibility the lawyer is in fact a cat
The kitten mishap was apparently short-lived, as they figured out how to turn it off shortly after this clip. But still, so dang funny.
Judge Ferguson apparently agreed that it was hilarious, since he shared the clip on YouTube along with this note on Twitter:
“IMPORTANT ZOOM TIP: If a child used your computer, before you join a virtual hearing check the Zoom Video Options to be sure filters are off. This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th (sound on). #lawtwitter#OhNo
These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession’s dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace. True professionalism all around!”
These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession’s dedication to ensuring that the justice system continu… https://t.co/kEn81wtiXD
— Judge Roy Ferguson (@Judge Roy Ferguson)1612898509.0
While legal proceedings are indeed serious business—and while it’s impressive that those present managed to maintain their professionalism—it’s nice to see Judge Ferguson share the fun of the moment. The absurdity of these times leads to absurdity at times, and being able to laugh together over such silliness is healthy comic relief.
If only Judge Ferguson had called for “claw and order,” we’d have a perfect story on our hands. But this will definitely do for today.
People who enjoy witnessing bizarre lawyers must be having a fantastic day. Not only did we get to witness the sheer joy of filters go wrong when Lawyer Cat came to town, but Trump’s second impeachment trial is currently going down, and hoo boy, did he hire a gem of an attorney. Actually, Trump hired several attorneys (including South Carolina’s Butch Bowers, who shares his name with a Stephen King antagonist), all of which fled their gigs before trial time, and who could blame them? Being a Trump attorney is bad for one’s career and freedom. Just ask Michael Cohen, the former fixer who’s still serving the rest of his house arrest sentence. Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell are both fending off billion-dollar lawsuits after the Elite Strike Force debacle. Most attorneys will realize that representing him could do one of two things: (1) Torch their careers with disbarment and/or irreparable damage to professional reputation; (2) Land them behind bars after they commit some sort of felony at the behest of a tantrum thrower.
So yeah. Trump hired David Schoen and Bruce Castor, the latter of whom decided not to prosecute Bill Cosby after declaring that his accusers weren’t credible enough. Following opening arguments from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Castor created quite a stir with nonsensical remarks on the Senate floor. He’s well, a performer?
so, uh, Trump’s impeachment trial strategy appears to be to just have folks go out there and wing it like it’s an open mic night or something pic.twitter.com/FkF1xI6pHo
Well, Castor drew a lot of attention, including from Ice-T, who is live-tweeting a freaking impeachment trial because 2021 is better than 2020. “He musta got this Lawyer off Craig’s List…” and “He shoulda used a Public Defender….” are spot-on reactions.
Henry Winkler’s definitely watching what’s happening. “WHOOPS Mr, Castor JUST admitted T****. lost,” tweeted the former Fonz. “Omg the former pres most be pissed.”
WHOOPS Mr, Castor JUST admitted T****. lost .. omg the former pres most be pissed
On Newsmax, Alan Dershowitz, who served on Trump’s impeachment team last year, says this of Bruce Castor: “I have no idea what he’s doing. Maybe he’ll bring it home, but right now, it does not appear to me to be effective advocacy.”
Surprising since Bruce Castor received a law degree from the prestigious University of Four Seasons Total Landscaping School of Law. https://t.co/mLFphmPtMt
Still, some people prefer Lawyer Cat Twitter! To each their own.
I know the impeachment trial is important. But I’m sorry, I can let it distract me from a lawyer telling a judge he wasn’t a cat and that he would like to proceed with the case AS IF THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG.
Y’all can move on if you want, but I’m staying on lawyer cat Twitter.
Back in December, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced new revisions to its Air Carrier Access Act, indicating that it would no longer consider emotional support animals to be service animals. The move started a domino effect, resulting in just about every major US airline changing their policies regarding the transportation of what they now consider to be nothing more than standard pets. This is bad news for anyone who suffers mild flight anxiety — who wouldn’t rather fly in a plane with their buddy?! — but great news for anyone who doesn’t want to hear a dog barking on a seven-hour flight.
All jokes aside, this is a tricky matter to parse. People with real anxieties and in need of genuine emotional support deserve to be accommodated. But passengers have long been (blatantly!) abusing the emotional support animal loophole to get their untrained furry friends a free trip in the cabin. With the new policies in place, it’ll be easier for airlines to continue to accommodate legitimate service animals — which the DOT defines as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability” — while weeding out the pretenders.
It’s worth noting that airlines are required to treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals. So people with genuine mental health needs won’t be left in the cold.
Each airline’s individual policy is slightly different, so we’ll run through each of the major carriers below. Keep in mind that due to Covid-19 safety requirements, many airlines aren’t transporting caged pets right now at all. If an airline isn’t featured here, just assume they haven’t made an announcement (yet).
Alaska Airlines now only offers permits for, “service dogs trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability.” Emotional support animals will no longer be accepted after February 28th, 2021.
All service animals must be seated on the floor space below a guest’s seat, or seated in the guest’s lap, if needed.
All travelers must submit a current DOT Service Animal Air Transportation form at least 48 hours prior to travel. Service animals in training will still be able to travel free of charge.
Fully-trained service dogs may fly in the cabin at no charge. American Airlines defines a service animal explicitly as a dog that’s trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including those with visual impairments, deafness, seizures, mobility impairments, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Service animals in training, emotional support animals, and comfort animals must now travel as pets and meet American Airlines’ pet storage qualifications and fees.
Please note that due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, American’s Checked Pet Service is currently suspended.
Since January 11th, Delta no longer recognizes emotional support animals as service animals, and will only allow trained dogs to operate as service animals, though there aren’t any restrictions on the breed of the dog. All travelers flying with a service animal must complete a DOT form 48 hours before their travels.
For travel booked less than 48 hours prior to departure, customers must present a DOT form at the check-in counter or departure gate.
As of February 1, 2021, Frontier no longer accepts emotional support animals onboard. All non-certified service animals must fly as pets for a one-way fee of $99. Pets may not be checked as baggage and must fit in a container with the dimensions 18” length x 14” width x 8’ height. Trained service dogs are still allowed in the cabin uncaged.
Jet Blue permits trained service dogs only, with the required DOT documentation submitted 48 hours prior to flight. Service animals in training will not be accepted for travel. Passengers may bring two service animals, but both animals must fit within the footprint of the seats you have purchased.
Animals must remain on the floor unless they are small enough to fit fully on the traveler’s lap without touching the seat, tray table, or nearby traveler.
Beginning on March 1st, Southwest will ban all emotional support animals and begin to only permit trained and certified service dogs. Passengers may still bring small dogs and cats on flights for a $95 one way fee, but the pets must be vaccinated and stay in a carrier for the entire duration of the flight.
Emotional support animals must now fly on Spirit under the airline’s Pets Policy. Dogs, cats, household birds, and rabbits are the only pets allowed to fly on Spirit, and they must stay in pet containers for the duration of the flight.
Documented service dogs are permitted to fly for free.
United now requires completed DOT forms for each service animal traveling with passengers. United defines a service animal as a dog — regardless of breed or type — over the age of 4 months individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified disabled individual.
Qualified passengers are permitted to travel with a maximum of two service animals. Service animals must sit on the floor in front of the customer’s assigned seat. United will lift their previous ban on pit bull breeds.
All non-service animals — which includes emotional support animals — may fly in a kennel for a service charge of $125 one way.
The Buccaneers dominated Super Bowl LV, cruising to a 31-9 victory over the Chiefs thanks to an offensive explosion in the first half and an all-time great defensive effort against the league’s most dangerous offense.
The Bucs brought immense pressure on Patrick Mahomes and were able to move him off his spot and make him attempt some crazy passes, and Chiefs receivers simply couldn’t make plays on the other end of those throws. However, it wasn’t for a lack of effort from Mahomes, who was running for his life on most plays, scrambling for nearly 500 yards before his throws or sacks (of which there were only two) on the night. Some of those plays were so incredible that it didn’t matter that they weren’t completed, he had everyone in awe of his ability just to give his guys a chance — most notably his diving 4th and 9 throw.
Among those stunned watching Mahomes go to work were the Bucs receiving corps, as NFL Films captured Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Scotty Miller all marveling at Mahomes’ magic act on the sideline during the game.
It is a tremendous video as it shows the sheer amazement of the Bucs receivers watching Mahomes twirl around while being grabbed at by one of the best defensive lines in football and still get passes off that almost ended up being completed. These are pros at the very top of the game and even they are like kids on the sideline reenacting and and going over what Mahomes just did on the field.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, 8:00pm) — The Jane Levy-starring, offbeat musical series isn’t shying away from the tough issues, and tonight, the show explores racial bias in the tech industry as Simon grapples with his own future at SPRQ Point. It promises to be an unflinching look at the issue from a series that’s best known for lighthearted dives into, say, couples communication with the help of Frank Sinata and Boyz II Men tunes.
Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr. (PBS, 8:00pm) — Tony Shalhoub and Christopher Meloni get down with their own respective immigrant roots, probably with a few surprises.
Mixed-Ish (ABC, 9:30pm) — One of Paul’s students might soon be living with his family, and Rainbow’s got a crush that could turn into trouble.
Black-Ish (ABC, 9:00pm) — Bow struggles to mentor others after becoming the first Black woman partner at her hospital.
Prodigal Son (FOX, 9:00pm) — The “Debutante Slayings” have Malcolm and Ainsley racing against time, and Malcolm is starting to wonder about Ainsley’s true motive.
Two Sentence Horror Stories (CW, 8:00pm) — A young girl hangs out with mom at her workplace, which just happens to be a morgue, so say hello to ghosts.
Trickster (CW, 9:00pm) — Jared can barely cope with the knowledge that he’s a Trickster, which carries grievous implications for the future.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Wanda Sykes, Lucas Hedges, Waxahatchee
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — John Oliver, Ingrid Andress
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Priyanka Chopra Jonas, LaKeith Stanfield, Joy Oladokun
The Late Late Show With James Corden — Elle Fanning, Sabrina Carpenter
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Casey Affleck, Anthony Atamanuik
In case you missed these recent picks:
The New York Times Presents: “Framing Britney Spears”: New Episode (FX on Hulu) — The seemingly unending saga of mega pop star Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship is only one focus of this docuseries that aims to do a deep-dive, retrospective view on how Spears’ life and career has also been shaped by public perception and the press. It’s been a long twelve years for Britney under her father’s financial thumb, and that followed a few years of public chaos, which I’m sure you will never forget. Her fans rally in this series for her “freedom,” given that Britney has vowed not to work again until she can make her own decisions again.
Fake Famous (HBO Documentary, 9:00pm) — Veteran journalist Nick Bilton’s a first time director here while journeying into the bizarre world of Los Angeles-based social media influencers who are jacking up their own followings in illicit ways, including armies of bots and purchases of fake followers. Look out for the costs of this immersive lifestyle to come roaring in from the sidelines.
Pedro Pascal has been a vocal supporter of trans right on social media, so of course, The Mandalorian star is being nothing short of a loving brother as he shares the news that his sister Lux has come out as a trans woman. In a new Instagram post, Pascal shared the latest cover of Ya, a Spanish-language magazine, that features his sister Lux sharing her coming out story with the world. In the caption, Pascal wrote, “Mi hermana, mi corazón, nuestra Lux,” which translates to “my sister, my heart, our Lux.” In the cover interview, Lux reveals that her family has been nothing but supportive, and she credits Pascal with helping her find her identity. Via People:
“My transition has been something that’s very natural for everyone in my family,” Lux said in the feature, translated from her native Spanish. “It’s almost something that they expected to happen.”
As for her famous brother, Lux said Pascal “has been an important part of this. He’s also an artist and has served as a guide for me. He was one of the first people to gift me the tools that started shaping my identity.”
You can see Pascal’s Instagram post below:
The news of Pascal’s sister coming out as trans adds some interesting context to the controversy surrounding Gina Carano that started back in September 2020. Carano found herself in hot water after making transphobic remarks about people putting pronouns in their Twitter handles. During the dust-up, Carano revealed that Pascal personally reached out to her and explained why the pronouns are a supportive gesture to the trans community, which Carano seemed to acknowledge and respect until she doubled down and added “beep/bop/boop” to her handle.
So, Gina Carano spoke to Pedro Pascal who explained pronouns and why people have them in their names and Gina decided to mock that. She really is trash. pic.twitter.com/giQ9agx8Oq
After that incident led to calls for Lucasfilm to fire her from The Mandalorian, Carano claimed that she was simply mocking the mob mentality and not being transphobic.
Beep/bop/boop has zero to do with mocking trans people & to do with exposing the bullying mentality of the mob that has taken over the voices of many genuine causes.
While the Cara Dune actress steered clear of the pronoun issue, she would later ignite another controversy with a series of anti-mask tweets and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Not everyone can be as pure as Pedro.
Last week, Maria Bakalova received a well deserved Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Borat’s daughter Tutar in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. That’s on top of her Critics’ Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, making her a genuine Oscar contender. Remember: the original Borat, which is a fun collection of words, was up for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Sacha Baron Cohen won the Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. But even if Bakalova is unfairly snubbed (the Academy Awards track record with comedies is not great), at least her career is thriving: the actress has been cast in Judd Apatow’s new comedy for Netflix.
The Bubble “follows a group of actors and actresses stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempting to complete a film,” according to Deadline. The comedy will also star Karen Gillian, Iris Apatow, Fred Armisen, David Duchovny, Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Mann, Pedro Pascal, and Peter Serafinowicz. Apatow, who will write and direct, must have yelled “want to be in my new movie?” from the living room to get Mann to sign up.
Once Netflix boarded the project, it quickly was fast-tracked with a plan to start shooting at the top of 2021. The plan also always has been to deliver a cast that rivals previous A-list ensembles like those for The Disaster Artist and Knives Out, and Apatow looks to have delivered that here.
Bakalova. Gillan. Pascal. It’s a great cast, no doubt, but there’s someone missing…
Our journey to find the best bourbon whiskey at every price point has landed us squarely in “the good stuff” zone. The bourbons in the $50 to $60 range tend to be unique across the board, while also still feeling like accessible expressions — in both price and shelf availability. We’re not getting into ridiculous age statements or hard-core craft bourbons just yet.
The ten bottles of bourbon whiskey below span solid blends, barrels from dead distilleries, craft gems, and higher end expressions from some big names. It’s a wide net we’re casting here in the $50-$60 range.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to find most of these bottles at our quoted prices. Still, some of these bourbons will be markedly more expensive, especially the craft stuff, depending on how far you happen to be from the source. Others might be a little cheaper if you live near where they’re made. It really all depends on state taxes and liquor store markups.
Smooth Ambler is a great example of how smaller craft operations get up and running. This expression is a blend of sourced high-rye bourbon that’s aged for nine years with their own-make, a wheated bourbon that’s aged for two years. The sourced bourbon is MGP of Indiana, giving the blenders a quality foundation to build their bourbon off of.
Tasting Notes:
Classic notes of bourbon vanilla and oak mingle with spicy stewed cherries beckoning you in on the nose. The palate holds onto that sweet fruit and spice, as notes of worn leather and soft cedar arrive with a hint of grain. The end is long-ish with the spice, oak, and cherry lasting the longest.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bottle to dispel the myth that “sourced” whiskey is somehow inherently a bad thing. Try this one with a little water to let it open up. Then experiment with it in a few bourbon cocktails.
This grain-to-glass craft whiskey from outside of Chicago is quickly becoming a craft classic. The grains in the high-rye mash bill are all sourced within 100 miles of the distillery. The juice is then aged for just under four years in small format Minnesota oak before it’s small-batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a richness that’s welcoming — with oily vanilla, rich caramel, Christmas spices, and a hint of cherry. Those spices really amp up and get chewy on the palate, as buttery toffee with a hint of almond arrives with oak. The end is medium-length and brings more oak and spice with a hint of those local grains popping in.
Bottom Line:
This is a solid workhorse craft whiskey. While it’s perfectly sippable on the rocks, it really shines brightest as a cocktail or highball base.
This Texas whiskey is planning on being fully-and-truly from Texas ASAP. For now, the juice is primarily sourced from MGP of Indiana. Oak & Eden ships those barrels down to Texas where they blend their whiskey and then add the oak spire to recreate a sort of double-barrel finish in the bottle.
The result is one of the more unique bottles on the shelf today.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a Red Hots cinnamon-sweet opening, with plenty of oak, hints of caramel, and a slight touch of vanilla. The oak creates a dry mouthfeel with a continued spicy/sweet edge that’s welcoming. The end is fairly short, dry, oaky, and resurfaces the Red Hots note.
Bottom Line:
This is an interesting dram. There are no rough edges, thanks to the well-blended nature of the juice. Is the oak spire in the bottle really adding anything besides a conversation point? We’re not sure (logically, it makes sense) but we’re more than happy to keep trying this one out to find out.
Woodinville Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Casks
This award-winning bourbon from Seattle is hard not to love. The craft bourbon focuses on local grain-to-glass modes to create the whiskey. That juice spends around five years aging before it’s transferred to port wine casks for a final six to 12 months of maturation.
Tasting Notes:
Bourbon vanilla draws you in with a sense of candied nuts and dried fruit that sneaks towards Christmas cake. The palate indulges fully in that cake, with plenty of dark Christmas spices next to orange oils and stewed plums with a slight tobacco chew.
The end is slow, ultra-svelte, and full of all those plummy and Christmas cake notes.
Bottom Line:
This was our favorite bourbon of 2020. It’s a great sipper with a little water or a great cocktail base.
This is a classic bourbon from a classic distillery. Rare Breed is comprised of hand-selected barrels that hit just the right marks, according to master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell. The barrels are then married and bottled as is, allowing the beauty of the barrel to shine through in every sip.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a deeply nuanced nose, with hints of crème brûlée spiked with Christmas spices next to mild tobacco, orange zest, and a touch of fresh mint. The palate holds onto all of that while adding a pine resin dankness that softens to cedar. The end is long, warming, and holds onto the spice and cedar while creating a well-rounded mouthfeel — pure silk.
Bottom Line:
This might just be the best expression of Wild Turkey on the shelf right now. It’s amazingly deeply flavored while remaining smooth. It’s also a workhorse and shines as brightly in a cocktail as it does neat or on the rocks.
This is a fascinating and unique bottle from Diageo. The core of this whiskey is orphan barrels from Diageo’s Stitzel-Weller distillery (which is brewing up Bulleit now). Those last barrels from the iconic distillery — that once made Pappy — are blended with sourced whiskeys from unnamed distilleries. The blend is then proofed and bottled with no age statement.
Tasting Notes:
This is a nuanced bourbon with hints of dried apricot, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, and a slight whisper of banana pulling you in. The palate veers more towards the dried stone fruits and raisins, as a counterpoint of juicy pear lead towards hints of soft oak next to touches of grain. The end leans into the warming spices with a Christmas edge, with the oak and fruits fading out slowly.
Bottom Line:
This is a very easy drinking bourbon that feels like a classic from the first sip. Add it to some rocks to let it open up or use it in your favorite bourbon cocktails.
This small-batch whiskey is blended at Limestone Branch Distillery (formerly owned by Luxco but now by MGP of Indiana) by the Beam brothers. The juice is a blend of four and seven-year-old bourbons, which means it’s still sourced juice (for now) while the distillery ages their own-make.
Tasting Notes:
A soft rye spice comes through on the nose with a dose of cherries (very Beam) and a hint of worn leather next to a tobacco note. The palate leans into the chewier mouthfeel while adding a salted caramel sweetness with a hint of smoked cherries as a counterpoint. The end embraces the caramel, oak, and cherry while adding a touch of bitterness to the slow fade, ending at another wisp of smoke.
Bottom Line:
This really is a subtle yet tasty dram that stands out (that smoky nature cannot be denied). It’s a nice sipper with water for sure but really works well in a cocktail, too.
This expression amps up the already masterfully-crafted Woodford Reserve bourbon. The juice is triple distilled and aged for six to seven years in deeply charred oak. Then the bourbon goes into a second barrel that has been double toasted but only slightly charred.
After nine months of finishing, the bourbon is proofed and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
This is an interesting one — hints of marzipan and rose water hit the nose next to dark berries and honey-toffee with just a bit of dry firewood. The palate draws those flavors out as the berries dry out, the marzipan becomes nuttier and less sweet, the woodiness becomes more like a soft and almost like wet cedar. There’s a touch of apple and caramel with a slightly spiced edge near the end with a rich honeyed tobacco chew next to a whisper of vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic whiskey to have on hand. It’s a great sipper with a little water or a rock. It also works as a killer base for a Manhattan.
This is a solid example of a distillery that used to source all their juice and has now switched over to using their own-make from their Colorado distillery. The whiskey in this case is a three-year-old bourbon that’s small batched and finished in port wine casks for four to six months.
Finally, the whiskey is proofed with mountain spring water from the Rockies and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Dried fruits, cellar must, and hints of vanilla greet you. The palate has a matrix of spicy stewed dried fruits next to touches of butterscotch and vanilla. There’s a plummy vinous note as the fade starts walking back through the spice and dried fruits, leaving you with more of that cellar mustiness.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the biggest outlier on the list when it comes to taste. Add a little water to really let it open up.
This is an interesting dram from Bulleit. The juice is the same as the standard bourbon that’s aged for around six years before blending and proofing at Stitzel-Weller in Louisville. This expression skips that last step, however. Instead, the master blenders at Bulleit go through all their barrels to find the ones that’ll shine the brightest without the proofing.
Tasting Notes:
The high-rye nature of Bulleit really comes through with a nose of black pepper sharpness next to a softened vanilla bean. The taste allows the peppery nature to mellow to a Christmas spice vibe while notes of peach and oak step up. The finish is predictably long — with hints of that oak, spice, peach, and vanilla dominating next to subtler hints of tobacco, caramel corn, and cedar.
Bottom Line:
This is a really big dram when it comes to spice and ABVs. While it’s perfectly suited to sipping on the rocks, it really stuns in a cocktail.
At 1:30 am on Monday morning an AMBER Alert went out in southern Louisiana about a missing 10-year-old girl from New Iberia. It was believed she had been kidnapped and driven away in a 2012 silver Nissan Altima.
A few hours later at 7 am, Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, sanitation workers for Pelican Waste, were on their daily route when they noticed a vehicle that fit the description in the alert.
The sanitation workers thought it was suspicious that a silver sedan was parked alone in a field in St. Martin Parish.
“Something told me, like just look, I said what is that car doing in that field like that? What the car doing? Guess what, that’s the dude with the little girl,” Merrick said in a Facebook Live video. “That’s God.”
The video has been seen over 1.5 million times since it was posted on Monday morning.
To prevent the possible kidnapper from escaping, they parked the large sanitation truck the wrong way on the highway to “Make sure they couldn’t get out,” Merrick said. Then, they called 911.
When police arrived they arrested Michael R. Sereal, the man whose car was mentioned in the AMBER Alert. The police were also able to safely recover the girl who appeared unharmed. She was later taken to the hospital to be evaluated by medical personnel.
The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department’s online sex offender registry has a Michael Roy Sereal but authorities wouldn’t confirm it’s the same man.
The young girls’ family got in touch with the two men who saved her and have shown amazing gratitude. “I’m just so happy and blessed that I have actually seen the car and we actually responded like we were supposed to respond,” Merrick told KHOU.
Merrick hopes that his actions will inspire others to be proactive as well. “Don’t be scared if you see something. If you know something is wrong, report it,” Merrick said. “Call authorities because it could save someone’s life.”
via Office of the Louisiana Attorney general
The two men were applauded by the St. John Parish’s Sheriff, who offered to buy them lunch.
“I was just doing my job man. I was just doing my job and actually came across somebody who needed help,” Merrick said. “Got me tearing up.”
The AMBER Alert system was created in 1996 after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered while riding her bike in Texas. Since its inception, nearly seven in 10 AMBER alert cases have resulted in children being successfully reunited with their parents.
In 17% of the cases, the child’s recovery is a direct result of the alert.
As of December 2020, 1,029 children rescued specifically because of the system.
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to do with exposing the bullying mentality of the mob that has taken over the voices of many genuine causes. 
(@ginacarano) 
via Office of the Louisiana Attorney general