Category: News

When schools closed early in the spring, the entire country was thrown for a loop. Parents had to figure out what to do with their kids. Teachers had to figure out how to teach students at home. Kids had to figure out how to navigate a totally new routine that was being created and altered in real time.

For many families, it was a big honking mess—one that many really don’t want to repeat in the fall.

But at the same time, the U.S. hasn’t gotten a handle on the coronavirus pandemic. As states have begun reopening—several of them too early, according to public health officials—COVID-19 cases have risen to the point where we now have more cases per day than we did during the height of the outbreak in the spring. And yet President Trump is making a huge push to get schools to reopen fully in the fall, even threatening to possibly remove funding if they don’t.

It’s worth pointing out that Denmark and Norway had 10 and 11 new cases yesterday. Sweden and Germany had around 300 each. The U.S. had 55,000. (And no, that’s not because we’re testing thousands of times more people than those countries are.)

The president of the country’s largest teacher’s union had something to say about Trump’s push to reopen schools. Lily Eskelsen Garcia says that schools do need to reopen, but they need to be able to reopen safely—with measures that will help keep both students and teachers from spreading the virus and making the pandemic worse. (Trump has also criticized the CDCs “very tough & expensive guidelines” for reopening schools.)

Garcia indicated that she doubted Trump would be willing to do what he’s asking teachers to do. “I double dog dare Donald Trump to sit in a class of 39 sixth graders and breath that air without any preparation for how we’re going to bring our kids back safely,” she told CNN’s New Day.

Indeed, safety is the watchword of the day. Most people want to be able to send their kids back to school, but they also want to not feel terrified to do so.

There are also myriad questions that have been raised about schools reopening, which no one seems to have good answers for:

– What if a student tests positive? Do all the other students and their teachers have to then isolate for 14 days?

– If a teacher has to stay home for 14 days, do they have to use sick days for that?

– What if a teacher tests positive? Do all of their students have to isolate? If not, who will teach the class, knowing that the students have been exposed?

– What about teachers in middle schools or high schools who teach 150 different kids throughout the day. Do all of those kids have to quarantine if they find out the teacher’s positive and they’ve been exposed?

– What about teachers who are married to other teachers? If one has to quarantine, won’t the other one as well, thereby removing two teachers from the system?

The logistics of setting up a classroom and/or online learning to accommodate public health guidelines is trick enough. But the questions about what happens if someone actually gets the virus in an in-person school situation is enough to make your head spin.

It’s hard. We can’t just toss up our hands and say, “Welp, no school for the foreseeable future,” but we also can’t toss up our hands and say, “Pandemic? Oh well, back to normal!” There simply aren’t any good answers, which is immensely frustrating on all fronts.

Actually, there is a good answer, but we’d have to go back in time and have entirely different leadership at the beginning of the pandemic in order to get to it. And unfortunately, we’re stuck where we are, with rising cases, a willy-nilly approach to slowing it down, and no solid plan for safely sending kids and teachers back to school. Let’s at least make sure we’re being as smart as possible and listening to health experts as we try to navigate our way through this totally uncertain season.

Who do you want to be in ten years? Do you want to be someone who’s more compassionate? More wealthy? Physically fit? Married? Less of a push-over? A better golfer? More spiritual?

Some of us who sincerely ask ourselves this question will be able to become the person they imagine while others will not. Why? According to scientific research, the difference between failure and success is the ability to create a clear vision of our future selves.

Those who achieve this vision are more likely to behave in ways that are conducive to reaching their goals.

To put it bluntly, if you have a strong mental visualization of a future you that is in shape, you will be less likely to eat a bag of donuts and smoke a pack of cigarettes today.

A major reason why people fail to visualize a future self is they don’t believe they will change significantly. Psychologist Dan Gilbert explained this cognitive trap perfectly in his 2014 Ted Talk.

“Most of us can remember who we were 10 years ago, but we find it hard to imagine who we’re going to be, and then we mistakenly think that because it’s hard to imagine, it’s not likely to happen,” Gilbert said.

“Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished,” Gilbert continues. “The person you are right now is as transient, as fleeting and as temporary as all the people you’ve ever been. The one constant in our life is change.”

via Ted

The good news is that you are going to change over the next ten years. So the best thing to do is have a target to reach or else you will most likely be walking around in circles and changing in ways which you cannot control.

According to psychologist Hal Hershfield, the most important thing is to create a future self that you can relate to and see as yourself. If you visualize a future self that is completely different than your current self or one that isn’t clearly articulated, you will fail to reach your goals.

“Seeing the future self as another person, albeit one who feels close to us now, may allow for more patient, long-term decision-making,” Hershfield wrote. “Seeing the distant future self as an emotional stranger, however, may result in decisions that prioritize today over tomorrow.”

Hershfeld and his colleagues were able to witness this disconnect between our current and future selves using fMRI technology. Participants who had a closer connection to the future self they visualized were more likely to make thoughtful financial decisions.

Those who thought their future self looked like another person, were more likely to think of their future self as a stranger. So they made financial decisions that were more reckless.

Benjamin Hardy, PhD says that the best way to become the future selves we desire is to harness the power of your identity.

“Identity is crucial for driving present behavior,” Hardy wrote in Fast Company. “A core tenet in psychology is that the best way to predict a person’s future behavior is by looking at their past behavior. However, when you’ve clarified your future self, and are actively chasing it … then your future — not your past — can be what is predicting your behavior.

Our personal identities are the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and are so powerful they are nearly impervious. Identities are the reason why people with dogmatic political beliefs can be shown facts that contradict their opinions and still refuse to change.

via Unsplash

“The brain’s primary responsibility is to take care of the body, to protect the body,” Jonas Kaplan, a psychologist at the University of Southern California, told Vox. “The psychological self is the brain’s extension of that. When our self feels attacked, our [brain is] going to bring to bear the same defenses that it has for protecting the body.”

So imagine if you took the most stubborn part of yourself and programmed it to become the person you wish to be?

One way to get started is by writing a letter to your future self.

Make the future you in 5, 10 or 20 years your pen pal. Frequently write to them explaining who you are today and the person you hope to become. This will create a kinship with your future self and make it more likely for you to know what that person will want and desire.

Hardy also has a checklist of how to “define and become your future self.”

Imagine who your future self is.

Hold your current identity more “loosely,” knowing that who you are right now is temporary, not permanent.

Have the courage to admit what you truly want (tell people about your future self).

Use your new narrative, focused on your goals, to drive your daily decisions and behavior.

Measure your progress (deliberate practice).

Invest in your future self (escalation of commitment)

Never be defined by who you are right now.

Who is your future self?

Where will you be in 10 years?

Who are you “chasing”?

Research shows that you will definitely change over the next ten years. So now’s the time to decide, will it be self-directed or the result of day-in and day-out behaviors done with no clear goal?

While Henry Cavill‘s transformation into Geralt of Rivia for Netflix’s The Witcher clearly involved the actor sculpting his body into prime physical shape, he also pushed himself to extreme limits when it came to the costume department.

In a lengthy interview with Vanity Fair, Cavill opened up about his dedication to not only crafting a version of Geralt that satisfied fans of both the book and video game series, but one that also let the actor put his own unique stamp on the character. Part of that dedication involved finding just the right look for Geralt’s almost cat-like eyes, which Cavill wanted to be simultaneously “terrifying” and “enthralling.”

“He’s a mutant who goes around killing monsters, and there’s stories of him killing bunches of the people in villages,” Cavill told Vanity Fair‘s Joanna Robinson. “I wanted him to have that fear factor as well as that ‘but I can’t look away’ factor.”

However, Cavill’s obsession with making Geralt’s eyes a dichotomous focal point almost caused the actor to lose his vision. During one particular day of shooting in the Canary Islands, Cavill noticed his eyes were getting more and more sore as the day went on, but instead of saying something, he just convinced himself he needed to toughen up. Fortunately, the on-set eye technician noticed there was a problem when Cavill kept retreating to the shade, but the actor refused to remove the contacts without a fight:

“No I can’t look different off-camera or when the other actors are looking at me. It’s going to be more difficult for them. They’re accustomed [to] this look, and it’s all part of the design of the character so they have something to react to.” She said, “I don’t care. I’m taking the contacts out because you’re going to damage your eyes. I’m doing it. Otherwise I’m stopping shooting.” I was like, “Okay, okay, okay.” Took the contacts out. When we went back to Budapest, she took me in to have my eyes checked. It turned out that whatever the dust was, volcanic, it ended up scratching my eye, because it got behind the contacts and was just rubbing there for however long.

Luckily, the actor’s eyes healed over just shy of a month. You’d think he’d be more cautious after nearly going blind from volcanic ash, but nope, the contacts went right back in once he got the all clear. Henry Cavill loves those mutant eyes.

(Via Vanity Fair)

In a 5-4 decision issued today, the Supreme Court ruled that much of the eastern half of Oklahoma — which is home to 1.8 million residents, including the city of Tulsa — shall be recognized as American Indian reservation land for certain purposes. The decision, which was authored by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was joined in votes by the four liberal justices on the court, means that only federal authorities can lodge charges against Indigenous Americans who have allegedly committed crimes on that land, taking the power away from state prosecutors, according to CNBC.

According to USA Today, the case in question dealt with an appeal from a Muscogee Creek man named Jimmy McGirt, who had claimed that his state rape conviction from 1997 should be overturned due to Oklahoma lacking jurisdiction over what should be considered a reservation, according to a treaty agreement between the federal government and the Muscogee Creek Nation. CNBC reports that McGirt was serving a life sentence after being convicted of raping a 4-year-old child in 1997, and his appeal claim was supported by the Muscogee Creek Nation who noted that while the tribe had “no role in the genesis of this litigation,” found the legitimacy of their reservation under attack as a result.

The case is a huge deal, because the resulting ruling has potentially profound effects in regards to Indian affairs in the state of Oklahoma — from zoning and taxation law to family, environmental, and criminal law. It could even potentially require the release of hundreds of inmates currently serving jail time.

In the decision, Justice Gorsuch highlighted Congress’ promise to the Creek Nation of a reservation for walking the Trail of Tears, writing “Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word… In seeking to defend the state court judgment below, Oklahoma has put aside whatever procedural defenses it might have and asked us to confirm that the land once given to the Creeks is no longer a reservation today. Under our Constitution, States have no authority to reduce federal reservations lying within their borders. Just imagine if they did…” adding that a decision in favor of Oklahoma would put tribal rights in the hands of neighbors who could potentially be the least inclined to respect them.

Today was a good day for Ramy Youssef.

Ramy, his excellent Hulu comedy that we named one of our favorite shows of the year so far, was renewed for a much-deserved third season. I would have been disappointed if the show didn’t come back, considering where it ended (sadness); also, I need to know how much of that birthday sheet cake Uncle Naseem finished. This is important.

Youssef was also nominated for a TCA (Television Critics Association) Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, along with Pamela Adlon for Better Things, Christina Applegate for Dead to Me, Elle Fanning for The Great (she should win, IMO), Catherine O’Hara for Schitt’s Creek, and Issa Rae for Insecure. This year’s TCAs, which are voted on by more than 200 television critics and journalists from the United States and Canada, also included nominations for Watchmen, Better Call Saul, Normal People, Mrs. America, Never Have I Ever, The Mandalorian, Euphoria, Succession, and What We Do in the Shadows. Basically all of your favorite programs, and also The Morning Show.

Here’s the full list of nominees.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America” – FX on Hulu
Kaitlyn Dever, “Unbelievable” – Netflix
Regina King, “Watchmen” – HBO
Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True” – HBO
Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul” – AMC
Jeremy Strong, “Succession” – HBO
Merrit Wever, “Unbelievable” – Netflix

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Pamela Adlon, “Better Things” – FX
Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me” – Netflix
Elle Fanning, “The Great” – Hulu
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek” – Pop TV
Issa Rae, “Insecure” – HBO
Ramy Youssef, “Ramy” – Hulu

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION
“60 Minutes” – CBS (2012 Winner in Category)
“Frontline” – PBS (Eight-time Winner in Category)
“Hillary” – Hulu
“The Last Dance” – ESPN
“McMillions” – HBO
“The Rachel Maddow Show” – MSNBC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY
“Cheer” – Netflix
“Encore!” – Disney+
“Holey Moley” – ABC
“Making It” – NBC
“Top Chef All-Stars L.A.” – Bravo
“We’re Here!” – HBO

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING

“Carmen Sandiego” – Netflix
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” – PBS Kids (2016 Winner in Category)
“Molly of Denali” – PBS Kids
“Odd Squad” – PBS Kids
“Wild Kratts” – PBS Kids
“Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” – PBS Kids

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SKETCH/VARIETY SHOWS
“A Black Lady Sketch Show” – HBO
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” – Comedy Central
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” –TBS
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” – HBO (2019 and 2018 Winner in Category)
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” – NBC
“Saturday Night Live” – NBC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIE OR MINISERIES
“Little Fires Everywhere” – Hulu
“Mrs. America” – FX on Hulu
“Normal People” – Hulu
“The Plot Against America” – HBO
“Unbelievable” – Netflix
“Watchmen” – HBO

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM
“The Great” – Hulu
“The Mandalorian” – Disney+
“The Morning Show” – AppleTV+
“Never Have I Ever” – Netflix
“Watchmen” – HBO
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” – NBC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
“Better Call Saul” – AMC (2019 Winner in Category)
“The Crown” – Netflix
“Euphoria” – HBO
“The Good Fight” – CBS All Access
“Pose” – FX
“Succession” – HBO

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
“Better Things” – FX
“Dead to Me” – Netflix
“The Good Place” – NBC (2018 Winner in Category)
“Insecure” – HBO
“Schitt’s Creek” – Pop TV
“What We Do in the Shadows” – FX

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“Better Call Saul” – AMC
“Mrs. America” – FX on Hulu
“Schitt’s Creek” – Pop TV
“Succession” – HBO
“Unbelievable” – Netflix
“Watchmen” – HBO

According to the latest report from the ongoing LAPD investigation into Pop Smoke’s murder, police have confirmed the previous suspicion that the men who allegedly shot and killed the Brooklyn rapper during a home invasion did, in fact, get his address from a photo he posted earlier on Instagram. According to Los Angeles Times crime reporter Richard Winton, Winton’s LAPD contact, Captain Jon Tippet, confirmed the information this afternoon. Apparently, the alleged killers did not know Pop Smoke, and LAPD believes after interviewing them that they did get the address from his social media.

Earlier today, the police arrested five men in connection with the case after issuing several search warrants. The case was stalled by COVID-19 prevention precautions, but police did report shortly after Pop Smoke’s murder that they had video of several men breaking into the house Pop was renting at the time of his death. In the wake of Pop Smoke’s death, the theory arose that he had been targeted for a hit, while some of his peers commented on the dangerous nature of sharing personal information — even inadvertently — as a famous rapper.

The arrests had some coincidental timing; just one week ago, Pop Smoke’s debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, was released via Republic Records.

As the precautionary nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus dragged on, more and more people — artists and “civilians” alike — turned to alternative sources of income. One of those sources was the content subscription site OnlyFans, which is known primary for sex-related content and even received a shout-out from none other than Beyonce on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” remix. While both artists were invited by the platform to create accounts, they have since declined, but now one of their fellow recording artists is showing how to make hay from OnlyFans’ business model without showing off the goods.

New Orleans rapper 3D Na’Tee may not be a household name or have any Billboard charting songs, but she’s built an extensive career independently releasing music and finding innovative ways to directly market it to fans. Like many independent artists, she saw her performance money slow up in the wake of COVID precautions and so took to OnlyFans as a way to supplement her income from other revenue sources like real estate and merchandise sales. Now, her account rests in the top 10 percent of OnlyFans accounts — and she has yet to create any sexual content.

Instead, Na’Tee provides business and financial advice for fans, including advice on investing and working independently in the recording industry, access to new music, including a new album executive produced by local pop-and-R&B star PJ Morton (of Maroon 5 fame), and early glimpses at her Monday Morning Exercises freestyles, which she’s been doing for a few years taking beat suggestions from fans as a way of staying sharp lyrically.

The rapper explained how her business model led to the success of her account in a video posted to her Instagram thanking her subscribers and previewing her content. “I got a slew of emails thanking me for the information I dropped on there,” she wrote. “The first video I walked y’all through how to apply for a business line of credit and a $1000 grant (you don’t have to pay grants back). Several people applied and got the money.”

See above for the videos and subscribe to Na’Tee’s account here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rob McElhenney is known for his brutal sense of humor as one of the stars and creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but when it comes to his latest show, Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, the actor/writer actually wanted to make game developers “proud” more than he wanted to dunk on their entire industry.

While talking to Variety, McElhenney opened up about how a trip to a gaming studio informed his decision for where to take his main character in Mythic Quest:

McElhenney admits that he was unsure at first about making a show set in this world, but visiting producer Ubisoft’s Montreal facility allowed him to witness the “very strong-willed, passionate people” who have “equal amounts of power” but “different ideas on how to achieve their goals” when working on a game. The “inherent conflict” that comes from such an environment intrigued him, as did the fact that “because they truly are building a world, there are so many egomaniacs because they are essentially gods.”

While the setup of an egomaniacal gaming exec is rife with comedy, McElhenney and his creative team made it a point to work with actual game industry employees to not only capture the authenticity of life at a gaming studio, but to make them feel proud of their work building vast, expansive worlds that captivate millions of players.

“I wanted them to watch it and say, ‘Yes we’re proud of it. This feels like a show for us and celebrating us, instead of satirizing us,’” McElhenney told Variety.

Recently, Mythic Quest showed it clearly learned a thing or two about adapting to technological changes when the show delivered a quarantine special filmed entirely on iPhones. The Apple TV special was a hit, and its on the fly production was a technical marvel that would’ve been right at home at any gaming studio.

(Via Variety)

The dominos keep falling for college football. A day after the Ivy League decided to postpone or cancel its entire fall sports calendar, a report from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic indicates the Big Ten will erase all non-conference games from its football schedule in an effort to solidify and delay the calendar.

Auerbach’s initial report was soon confirmed by ESPN, which noted that this does not just apply for football — all fall sports will move to conference-only schedules.

Much like the NFL canceling two preseason games, this can be seen as one baby step toward a more significant restructuring of the football season and the NCAA’s fall sports calendar more broadly. It makes sense as a logical starting point: Playing only in-conference means less travel, which means less regional overlap and cross-contamination as well as fewer games overall. And logistically, one commissioner overseeing the whole schedule means changes are easier to account for and require less consensus.

However, unless a wholesale upheaval of the schedule soon follows, the NCAA will lose out on what could have been some awesome matchups — football especially hurts due to the conference’s standing as one of the premier leagues in the sport, meaning we’re losing games like Michigan at Washington on Sept. 5 or Ohio State at Oregon and Iowa State at Iowa on Sept. 12.

Per ESPN: “Some Big Ten schools preferred playing only conference foes with one additional non-league game, which would preserve some of its marquee non-Big Ten matchups, but there is overwhelming support for a 10-game conference-only schedule, the sources said.”

This is clearly a big dent in the NCAA’s hopes to hold sports this fall, but perhaps there remains time to etch out a plan that is financially viable for all, with the possibility remaining for a push back to the spring.

Long Beach R&B crooner Giveon just released his debut major-label EP Take Time at the end of March, which he described as “a dream come true.” While he’s not yet able to tour behind the effort, Giveon continues to captivate fans with a handful of videos. Following the release of videos accompanying “Like I Want You” and “Heartbreak Anniversary,” Giveon returns with a slice of life visual to his EP closer “Vanish.”

Directed by fellow Long Beach native Goldby7, Giveon’s “Vanish” video shows the singer smoothing things over with his partner. The singer arrives at a local pizza shop and finds a cozy booth to have a heartfelt conversation with his lover. “I say, ‘I hate you, too, and I wish you would vanish’ / But, babe, I love you and I think you understand it,” he swoons.

While Giveon just released his debut EP, the singer has spent many years honing his baritone delivery. Ahead of the project’s debut, Giveon made headlines through taking part in one of Drake’s surprise releases. The rapper tapped Giveon to croon the melodic hook on his single “Chicago Freestyle.” Drake’s cosign gave Giveon’s career a boost and helped him garner a wide audience prior to his Take Time debut.

Watch Giveon’s “Vanish” video above.

Take Time is out now via Epic. Get it here.