Omar Apollo dropped “Ice Slippin” last week and explained the vulnerable meaning behind the single, which will be housed on his forthcoming Live For Me EP due out on October 6.
“‘Ice Slippin’ is about reliving the thoughts I had passing through my mind the winter I came out to my family,” the Ivory artist said in a statement. “Receiving cold judgment as opposed to the acceptance I felt I deserved. This song is a reflection and reaction of all the emotions I had to face before and after I decided to leave the icy streets of Indiana.”
The “Ice Slippin” video premiered on Thursday morning, August 31, and viscerally illustrates precisely what Apollo felt.
The Rubberband-directed video starts with the message, “SORROW YOU’VE TAKEN THE FORM OF MY SKIN CAN I LEAVE MY BODY BEHIND?” It cuts to Apollo, examining his body and skin in its barest forms, including a sonogram and X-ray images of the brain. He sings while naked in an ice water, “If I’m being honest / If I said what I said, would you hate me? / Would you hate me?”
Spliced throughout are throwback photos and videos from Apollo’s adolescence — a time before he had to worry about whether his purest self would be accepted.
Around the release of “Ice Slippin,” Apollo announced Live For Me by posting the cover art on Instagram with the caption, “4 songs that I hold very close to me. Portrait painted by [Doron Langberg].”
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of August below.
Black Sabbath — Hand Of Doom 1970 – 1978
Rhino
The ’70s was the defining decade for Black Sabbath, and now that era has been compiled into one killer box set. The albums look gorgeous here, too, with the cover art printed on the vinyl’s Side A. This pressing is limited to just 4,000 copies, so it’s one to pounce on if you’re interested.
Talking Heads — Stop Making Sense (Deluxe Edition)
Rhino
A fresh 4K remaster of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense is hitting theaters soon, and the soundtrack album is also being taken care of. A limited-edition 2LP set is out now and it has a bunch of goodies, including two unreleased performances of “Cities” and “Big Business/I Zimbra,” as well as new liner notes from all four band members.
Jaimie Branch — Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die ((World War))
International Anthem Recording Co
Branch, a favorite in the modern jazz scene, tragically died at 39 years old last August. Now her last album with her quartet is here and it comes in a number of pressings, including the striking green one pictured above.
Before Bon Iver, Justin Vernon was a member of a group called DeYarmond Edison. The group is a major part of the Vernon story, and now a new box set tells that story through 5 LPs, 4 CDs, and a 120-page biography by journalist and executive producer (and Uproxx contributor) Grayson Haver Currin.
R.E.M.’s late period might be severely underrated, but what do you expect when your early period launched you as one of the most important indie bands of all time and your middle period saw you level up as a major label juggernaut. Two long out-of-print releases are seeing vinyl reissues to remind people of the strength of R.E.M.’s concluding years, with Reveal and Accelerate getting much-needed pressings from Craft Recordings. Both were pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Records Pressing, with Accelerate being available now, while Reveal is due out on September 8th.
Aesop Rock — Skelethon (10-Year Anniversary Edition) and None Shall Pass
Rhymesayers
Skelethon was a significant album for Aesop Rock, as it was his first one to crack the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart. The project turned a decade old last year, and Aesop is celebrating now with an anniversary deluxe edition that comes with four bonus tracks. Also worth noting is that if you happen to already have Skelethon in your collection or you just want more Aesop, None Shall Pass is one of Vinyl Me, Please’s Records Of The Month for September.
In 2011, Sonic Youth took to Brooklyn and gave their final live performance. It was an epic, career-spanning night, and now they’ve issued it as a live album. The vinyl edition is a terrific way to experience this major moment and it’s available in a number of limited edition color variants.
Crashin’ From Passion is a project Betty Davis fans know, as it’s previously been released as a bootleg consisting of tracks from her final recording sessions. The album is now getting its first-ever vinyl release, and of interest are the liner notes by writer and Davis’ friend Danielle Maggio: The writing integrates interview quotes from Davis, making it her final-ever interview.
So much of Marvin Gaye’s output is iconic, but Let’s Get It On is definitely one of the first albums that comes to mind. The 1973 album is now half a century old, and the new reissue of it is one for completionists, featuring 33 bonus tracks, 18 of which were previously unreleased.
It’s been hard to find Lush on vinyl, since the group’s three albums haven’t received new pressings since the ’90s (save for one box set in 2016). Now, though, all three of them are available again, remastered from the original half-inch production tapes, even.
Disclosure just released a new album recently, and if that put you in a Disclosure mood, then this new 10th-anniversary edition of Settle dropped just in time. Aside from the original album, the 2LP orange vinyl edition comes with five bonus tracks.
When it comes to “toasted barrel finished” bourbon or rye whiskey, one name dominates the conversation — Michter’s. Michter’s spearheaded the movement nearly 10 years ago with the release of their Toasted Barrel Bourbon. Fast-forward to 2023 and every major and minor distiller and bottler has a toasted barrel whiskey of some kind. Meanwhile, Michter’s pushed the trend fourth by releasing toasted barrel versions of their acclaimed Sour Mash and Rye whiskeys in limited edition versions over the years, including a brand-new Toasted Barrel Rye that just dropped (it’s on the panel, don’t worry).
Before we get into the blind tasting, let’s get on solid ground when it comes to defining these whiskeys. The average whiskey barrel is generally made from lumber (slats) that have been air-dried and then toasted and charred once assembled. The air-drying seasons the wood with the elements in our air, weather, and local biome. The toasting is a low-heat activation of the sugars in the wood. The charring adds a layer of carbon on the inside of the barrel that filters the whiskey as it processes through the wood during aging.
With me so far? When the industry labels a whiskey as a “toasted barrel finish” or “toasted rye” or “toasted” in some way, they’re talking about a finishing barrel or secondary maturation. The whiskey (bourbon and rye in today’s case) was still aged in new charred oak for several years like all American bourbons and ryes. Select barrels are then batched and then that whiskey goes into a new barrel that’s only been toasted but not charred. Since the barrel doesn’t have that layer of charcoal on the inside, the wood sugars that are imbued into the whiskey are bold. There’s no carbon for filtration so the whiskey is getting the full brunt of those wood sugars. Because of this, a toasted barrel finish is a very quick process — sometimes only days, mostly only weeks, rarely is it months.
The process of finishing in a toasted barrel adds sweet wood notes, dry wood notes, and extra spice, and often accents tobacco and chili/fruit flavors with deep, you guessed it, woody tannic notes. These whiskeys are for the oak heads out there.
For the ranking, I’m looking at two factors: Overall taste and depth and how the toasted oak comes through and balances the overall profile. After all, if you’re reaching for a whiskey that says “toasted barrel finished,” it had better use that extra woodiness well. Sound good? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Part 1 — The Toasted Barrel Finish Whiskey Blind Tasting
Zach Johnston
Taste 1
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Oak comes through with moments of firewood, cedar, and woody winter spice accented by vanilla pods and honey Graham Crackers.
Palate: That oak stays bright and toasted on the palate as woody apples and grainy malts lead to woody braids of cedar, tobacco, and sweetgrass are accented by soft vanilla and caramel sauce.
Finish: That cedar, tobacco, and sweetgrass braid starts to smolder on the finish as the toasted oak takes on a cellar earthiness late on the finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This is clearly toasted wood finished with a bold tannic woodiness that is barely in balance, leaning toward the wood over the whiskey’s overall profile.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a pecan pie vibe that’s nutty, dry, and full of dark Caro syrup sweetness with a hint of candied orange peels with a touch of cinnamon and dry cedar bark.
Palate: The palate holds onto the sweetness as it leans towards a campfire roasted marshmallow, a touch of saffron and clove-stewed pears, a pile of sappy firewood, and creamy nuances of vanilla pudding all meander through your senses.
Finish: The end has a light savory nature that leads back to the pear, vanilla, and marshmallow on a very slow fade toward a pile of fresh firewood piled high on soft black soil.
Initial Thoughts:
This is balanced. The wood is there for sure but adds layers to an already solid whiskey.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Crème brûlée pops on the nose with a vanilla oiliness next to salted caramel with a hint of malted chocolate and dry pear/apple cider that’s just kissed with winter spice, cedar, and candied dry red fruits.
Palate: Those fruits take on a sweet and almost tart vibrance on the palate as moist marzipan cut with pear brandy leads to more spice barks dipped in mulled wine, apple cider, and cream soda with a hint of tobacco spiciness lurking in the background.
Finish: That tobacco ascends on the finish with a cedar woodiness as the spices refine toward powdery cinnamon and allspice with a hint of eggnog nutmeg and walnut loaf cut with dried cranberries and cherries.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty well balanced as a clearly creamy and darkly fruity bourbon. There are hints of woodiness but they’re far in the background. Tasting this blind, I don’t even think it is a toasted finish, just a really good bourbon.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and creamy toffee mingles with candied apple and ginger hot cider with a sense of warming winter spice barks, applewood bark, and a hint of old oak.
Palate: There’s a salted caramel vibe to the taste that leads to walnut shells, winter spice cakes, vanilla pods, orchards full of fall leaves, and old leather tobacco pouches with a whisper of smudging sage.
Finish: The end takes on toasted oakiness with a dry cedar vibe next to buttery eggnog pudding, mulled wine, and dark fruit leather tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty good overall. There’s a bold woodiness throughout and it’s balanced.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a leathery sense of old winter spice barks, rich caramel, and vanilla pudding cut with butterscotch and orange rinds.
Palate: There’s a sense of singed marshmallows and dark orange zest on the palate that leans into hints of minty tobacco and cedar bark.
Finish: A hint of salted caramel and dark chocolate oranges drive the finish toward a soft old oakiness and a touch of smudging sage.
Initial Thoughts:
This is good but a tad thin all around. Still, the wood and whiskey are balanced and clear-cut.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a spicy and sweet nose that’s just like a buttery, candied and dried fruit, and nut-filled holiday cake that’s been drenched in good whiskey and left to sit for a month to really amp up those flavors while a flutter of dry cedar kindling dipped in dark chocolate sneaks in.
Palate: The taste has a clear sense of black-tea-soaked dates, creamed vanilla honey, black walnuts, wet brown sugar, and a touch of salted dark chocolate with a whisper of bitterness that feels like vanilla pods still on the branch and old smoking hickory just kissed with brisket fat.
Finish: The mid-palate dries out towards that pitchy yet dry woodpile with an echo of dirt from the bottom of that woodpile on the finish before the roasting herbs and soft dark berries arrive with a whisper of dark chocolate tobacco and leather.
Initial Thoughts:
This has everything. It’s deeply hewn with beautiful Kentucky rye flavors (dark fruit, herbal, creamy) that are perfectly accented with fresh wood. This is the pour to beat!
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with bold graininess — think sweet grits cut with honey and butter — next to vanilla beans, apple cider with a lot of cinnamon, and applewood barks that are just kissed with heat.
Palate: The palate leans into caramel apple stewed with winter spice barks and berries before veering into that sweet grit porridge again.
Finish: The finish lingers with good warmth, more sweet grits, and a good dose of spiced apple cider with a touch of caramel candy cutting into that porridge vibe.
Initial Thoughts:
This tastes like a really good apple-forward craft whiskey. I don’t know that I’d call it out as a toasted finish though.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of chili pepper-infused dark chocolate pudding next to a hint of toasted coconut, dry ginger next to root beer, and an echo of pineapple stems that lead to palm bark and fall orchard leaves.
Palate: The palate is full of orchard wood and espresso cream next to a hint of lush eggnog with plenty of nutmeg and a dash of some green, herbal, and savory — kind of like tarragon.
Finish: The end lets the spice amp up toward red peppercorns as plum cake counters with a soft and sweet finish that revels in toasted oakiness, cedar bark, and old dry tobacco with a leathery edge.
Initial Thoughts:
This is wonderfully balanced with just the right amount of woodiness to accent the deep flavor of the whiskey.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a straight-up classic with a sense of cherry and cinnamon tied to fresh and chewy tobacco with a sense of old cedar bark braided with dry sweetgrass and smudging sage with a light sense of pear candy and cream soda.
Palate: The taste leans into spiced cherry tobacco and stewed pear with a hint of marmalade and peach cobbler next to a hint of black-tea-soaked dates, salted whiskey-laced toffee, and clotted cream before a red chili pepper spiciness kicks in with a sense of cinnamon and cherry bark.
Finish: The woodies of the orchard fruit and spice drive the warm finish — but never hot — toward a luxurious and creamy end full of sharp yet sweet tobacco, a whisper of dank resin, and echoes of old fruit orchards.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty good stuff overall.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft sense of a pile of firewood cut from an old fruit orchard next to dark chocolate oranges with a flake of salt and a drop of honey with a hint of vanilla cake frosted with apple-cinnamon butter frosting.
Palate: The palate has a lightly smoked cherry vibe next to clove and allspice with a sense of lush and creamy eggnog and vanilla-cherry tobacco stuffed in a slightly pitchy pine box.
Finish: The end really leans into the cherry tobacco with a layer of mild chili spice and more of that soft and sweet orchard firewood.
Initial Thoughts:
This is damn good too. I have a feeling there’s going to be a middle section of this ranking with a lot of “look, this is really good but didn’t wow” reactions.
Taste 11
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of soft apricot leather next to dark fruit layered with dry spice barks and berries, toasted oakiness, and fluttering moments of woody tobacco imbued with red chili pepper spice.
Palate: There’s a clear dry cedar kindling vibe that leads to creamy eggnog, plenty of moist winter spice cakes, and black tea cut with creamed honey on the palate.
Finish: The dark fruit darkens on the finish as dry kindling, sweet oak, and rich chewing tobacco dance with dates, figs, and plums with a distinct almond shell nutty/woody feel that ends on a warm hug of a fireplace on a cold fall day next to a fallow orchard.
Initial Thoughts:
This is delicious, balanced, and transports you to a warm and comforting memory. This is a winner.
Taste 12
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a classic bourbon nose with dark cherry and maple syrup countered by Almond Joy, salted apple chips, and a hint of old oak staves in a musty old rickhouse.
Palate: The palate has a sense of pecan waffles and cinnamon toast next to Honey Nut Cheerios, vanilla cream, and burnt orange.
Finish: The end has a peach pie vibe with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg next to dark cherry tobacco dipped in buttery dark chocolate tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
Hey, this is pretty good too. It’s not a “wow,” but it’s nice.
Part 2 — The Toasted Barrel Finish Whiskey Ranking
Zach Johnston
12. Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Ryder Cup Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in European Toasted Oak Barrels — Taste 3
This whiskey was created to commemorate the “greatest team contest in golf” happening this year in Rome, Italy. The actual whiskey in the bottle is classic Elijah Craig Kentucky bourbon made with a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. After around four to six years, some of that bourbon was batched and re-barreled into toasted new European oak barrels from the wine-growing region around Rome, the state of Lazio. Once just right, those barrels were batched and left to rest before proofing and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is good bourbon. I didn’t feel the toasted finish that much though and that’s what dinged it today. Overall, this feels like a great cocktail base.
This whiskey starts with Woodinville’s award-winning five-year-old bourbon barrels. Once those barrels are batched, the whiskey is re-barreled into standard barrels and toasted applewood staves are added to the barrel for a final rest. Those barrels are then batched, proofed, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was good too, but didn’t pop as a toasted barrel finish. It did feel very apple-forward though, which really worked well for the crafty (grainy) bourbon. Still, this feels more like a one-off than a new standard.
This is made with 100% Indiana rye whiskey. The whiskey was then re-barreled into fresh heavily toasted barrels (with a tiny bit of char) before batching and bottling with a touch of proofing water.
Bottom Line:
This was nice enough but pretty thin on the finish. I think this will work perfectly well in cocktails or on some ice for someone who’s looking for a hint more oak in their whiskey but nothing more.
This Kentucky whiskey is aged through a few years before it’s vatted and re-barreled into new toasted oak barrels. After 21 days, those barrels are blended and the juice is just kissed with water before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is very similar to the above. It’s perfectly fine whiskey with a hint more of oak. That’s it. Use it cocktails.
This rye is sourced from expertly picked barrels for a very small batch offering. The mash is a classic 95/5 rye/malted barley bill. The barrels were close to seven years old before a handful came together to create this barrel-strength bottling of only 620 bottles.
Bottom Line:
So this is where we get into the good stuff. This is a nicely balanced rye with a clear toasted finish. It needs a little ice to let it really bloom though.
This release takes Michter’s signature Kentucky Sour Mash — which doesn’t have enough corn or rye to be either bourbon or rye whiskey — and finishes it in toasted barrels. In this case, those barrels are first air-dried for 18 months and then lightly toasted barrel before the whiskey is filled in. Finally, the booze is batched and bottled with a good dose of that Kentucky water.
Bottom Line:
This is tasty whiskey with a nice dose of woodiness. Overall, I can see this shining in cocktails or over ice.
This limited release just dropped in spring 2023 with only 2,000 bottles. The whiskey in the bottle is a four-year-old Kentucky bourbon that’s finished in new toasted oak barrels for a spell before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is nice bourbon. It’s a good solid standard sipper with a nice hint of extra oakiness.
5. Jefferson’s Reserve Very Rare Twin Oak Custom Barrel Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 1
This special single barrel from ReserveBar and Jefferson’s takes their classic bourbon and re-barrels it in a custom-designed “wave barrel” for a final maturation run. The “wave barrel” is toasted and then heavily grooved with wavy grooves to create more surface space for the whiskey to interact with the wood.
Bottom Line:
This is getting into the truly well-rounded toasted oak finish vibe. Overall, this one might lean a little too heavily toward the oak but is a nice sipper overall. Plus, you can calm down that tannic woodiness with an ice cube if you need to.
4. Barrell Vantage A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Mizunara, French, and Toasted American Oak — Taste 8
This new release from Barrell Craft Spirits really leans into unique and rare finishings. The blend is a mix of Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky bourbons finished in three different oaks separately before blending. In this case, that’s Japanese Mizunara casks, French, and American oak. Different toast and char levels were used for the barrels to achieve a unique palate that builds on the heritage of Barrell’s other triple cask-finished whiskeys (Dovetail, Seagrass, and Armida).
Bottom Line:
This is some deep whiskey. Again, I feel like this needed a little water or ice to truly appreciate everything that’s going on.
Michter’s originally dropped this back in 2014; it has since become a mainstay of their release schedule. The whiskey is standard bourbon that’s then finished in a toasted barrel from the famed Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville. They build these barrels by hand from 18-month air-dried white oak and then lightly toast the inside before the aged whiskey goes in.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent bourbon with a damn-near-perfect woody finish. I do think this plays better over ice, and that’s the only reason it’s third instead of first.
2. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey Toasted Series — Taste 11
This starts off with Starlight’s high-corn bourbons that are four to six years old. Once batched, the whiskey is refilled into new toasted oak from France for an additional six to eight months.
Bottom Line:
This was as close as you can get to perfect with a great balance of classic bourbon notes and bold woodiness. This drank excellently as a neat pour and beckoned me back for more. Still, I’d argue by the end, the sweet bourbon vibe took over from the toasted oakiness. So if you’re looking for a great sweet bourbon balanced with bold toasted oakiness, then this is going to be the bottle for you.
This whiskey is Michter’s standard rye that’s finished in a second, toasted barrel. In this case, those barrels are air-dried for 24 long months before being lightly toasted and loaded with the rye. The whiskey then goes into the bottle at barrel strength.
Bottom Line:
This is it. It’s perfectly balanced between funky and fresh rye and a bold oakiness that has layers and depth. This was a perfect neat pour that made me excited to try this whiskey in a ton of new and fun ways.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Toasted Barrel Finish Whiskeys
Zach Johnston
If you’re looking for a good toasted oak finished whiskey, any of the top 10 will do. Yes… I know that’s vague.
Brasstacks, The Starlight Bourbon and Michter’s Rye (numbers two and one respectively) are the winners. Those are the whiskeys that you want to chase down from this list. They’re both perfect in their own ways. If you have more of a sweet tooth, then go for the Starlight Bourbon. Though to be fair, the Michter’s Toasted Barrel Bourbon was basically tied for number two — it’s excellent too.
If you like the grassy, funky, and bold ryes, then the Michter’s Toasted Barrel Rye is a must-have.
Christie and Wesley Werts have taken the idea of a blended family to the next level. When the couple fell in love five years ago and married, they brought together her children, Megan and Vance, and his children, Austin and Dakota.
As of January, the Ohio family has five children after adopting young Levi, 2. Levi is the son of Wesley’s ex-wife, who passed away four days after the child was born. The ex-wife had the boy prematurely, at 33 weeks, and died soon after from drug addiction and complications of COVID-19.
When Levi was born, he was a ward of the state with no first name or birth certificate.
“When I heard about Levi, without hesitation, I said we should take him,” Christie said, according to The Daily Mail, and her reason went far beyond the fact that the child was the half-brother to two of her recently adopted children. “I myself was a foster kid and, although for the most part, I had a great experience, I did not want him going to foster care,” Christie said.
Replying to @Journey♥️ Yes, they will always know of her and ill be there for every emotion good or bad. But im also mom, ive been to every game, every doctors appt, sat with them if they needed an ear loved unconditional . I am mom also. #adoption #srorytime #siblings #foryou #loveislove
Before the family knew of Levi’s birth, Christie had a recurring dream about a blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy.
“Before Levi, we had wanted to try to have a child of our own,” she told Newsweek. “I’m in my forties, so we knew that we would probably need fertility treatment, so I thought let’s just think about it and what will be will be.”
The problem was that Levi was in Texas, so the family sold their house and moved to the Lone Star State to go through the arduous adoption process. The situation was further complicated because Levi’s biological father had parental rights even though he had substance abuse problems. The family couldn’t move out of Texas until his rights were legally terminated.
But after a 16-month process, in January 2023, Levi became a legal family member. Christie understands that adopting her husband’s ex-wife’s baby may seem unusual to some people. “It’s a lot to process for a lot of people, but honestly, it seems a lot crazier than it was. At the time, it just made sense,” she said.
Our adoption is official !!! after 17 months!!! #adoption #son #loveyou #ourstory#foryou #fyp
Even though Christie knew in her heart that she must adopt Levi, she wasn’t without reservations. “’If I said I did not [have concerns beforehand], that would not be honest,” she told The Daily Mail. “This was different—I was going to walk into a child I never met and was worried the circumstances would hinder this instant love. But […] he stole my heart. I also felt this intense need to protect him.”
These days, Levi fits right in with the family, and the rest of the kids are happy to be back to living an everyday life without any caseworkers or inspections.
“He’s great, he is the king of the house! We are all very close. He won’t understand the journey right now, but someday, I will let him know we fought for him!” Christie said.
Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.
Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you’re Alice in Wonderland yet?
Just wait. Things get even more fascinating. Especially because this optical illusion is over 40 years in the making.
Below you’ll find the Adele photo in question. Go ahead. Take a look at it. Then turn the image upside down.
Crazy right? And just a little terrifying?
As the Facebook post explains, this mind-boggling image highlights a phenomenon known as the Thatcher Effect. Our brains, so much more used to recognizing faces that are right-side up, have difficulty detecting specific changes once a face is upside down.
Seeing that everything is more or less where it should be, our brains don’t notice anything out of the ordinary in Adele’s face until we turn her face back to a normal position.
The Thatcher Effect got its name from British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, on whose photograph it was first demonstrated back in 1980 by Peter Thompson, Professor of Psychology at York University.
This demonstration was one of the first to explore just how facial recognition works, and certainly the first to suggest that humans (and monkeys, it turns out) process faces on a more holistic level, rather than by individual components like lips and eyes. Since its publication, there has been a wealth of research exploring how our brain takes in both subtle and striking facial configurations.
Funny enough, it was once believed that this illusion only worked on the Prime Minister’s face. But as Adele has proven, anyone can be Thatcherized.
Seaside Heights is a town on the Jersey Shore: a place synonymous with Snookie, The Situation, and a heaping helping of fist-pumping.
So you probably wouldn’t be judged for thinking it’s not a place of overwhelming inclusivity. In this case, though, you’d be wrong.
Let’s set the scene: It’s a spring night during prom season and deliriously happy high schoolers are sauntering down the boardwalk on their way home from a night they’ll never forget.
As couple after couple passes by one particular rooftop bar, some bros overlooking the scene are screaming at couples to kiss. And then there’s a pause.
Walking down the street is a gay couple in matching tuxedos (adorable). They’re holding hands (adorable).
But here’s the thing — as openly gay “Good Morning America” producer Mike Del Moro noted on Twitter (where he live-tweeted this occurrence), they’re doing it in a town “where — not so long ago — young men would shout the word ‘f****t’ out their car window as we’d stroll along the boardwalk.”
Del Moro, who was on the boardwalk with his mother and boyfriend, was instinctively nervous for the couple.
That makes total sense. Even in an ultra-liberal center like San Francisco, I’ve been harassed for holding hands with my husband. So in a place like Seaside Heights, Del Moro definitely had cause for concern.
What happened next, though, was a heartwarming step in the direction of progress.
Let’s let Del Moro’s tweets do the talking:
u201cLast night, while out for Motheru2019s Day with our families (read: getting some late-night ice cream because treat yourself!) we noticed a group of rowdy bros gathered on a rooftop bar obnoxiously yelling u201cKISS HER!u201d in unison at every apparent couple that passed by.u201d
u201cItu2019s prom season here, so at that time of night youu2019ll see high schoolers in their formal attire. As we walked by the rooftop bros, an adorable teenage gay couple passed us in perfectly fitting midnight bue tuxes, matching pink ties, holding hands.u201d
u201cI looked at Alec (my boyfriend), my mom, my sister, and stopped to make sure the couple was okay as they walked by… worried that something might happen. The rooftop crew quickly switched from u201cKISS HER!u201d To u201cKISS HIM!u201du201d
u201cAfter some hesitation, the young men kissed… and let me tell you: both the rooftop crew and everyone else on the boardwalk just went absolutely wild for them and we all breathed a sigh of relief.u201d
Del Moro makes it clear this occurrence doesn’t mean that “everything’s fine.”
It’s just one instance. But it is movement. And, as Del Moro notes, “it’s an encouraging moment for young LGBTQ folks out there.”
For the teens at the center of the story, the moment was worth every second.
You know how the internet works, so it won’t surprise you that the happy couple was immediately found, identified, and lauded for being out in a place where being authentically yourself can become dangerous.
They’re Theodore Vidal and Colin Beyers, boyfriends who couldn’t be more happy that things are changing in their town.
Speaking to BuzzFeed, Vidal, who revealed that he had been bullied after he first came out, said their encounter with the strangers on the rooftop was completely unexpected. “It was so surprising that these guys were supporting us,” Vidal said. “Especially after what I’ve gone through.””It’s an area where you normally would get discriminated against and the fact that those guys cheered us on was shocking,” Beyers told BuzzFeed. “It’s one of those small victories that makes the hard times worth it.”Speaking with me over direct messages, Vidal said that all the positive attention had made him and his boyfriend feel “welcome in the world,” which is not always the case for LGBTQ youth. “It’s made such an impact on me.”This is a reminder that things are getting better in small ways every day. Admittedly, the story — however heartwarming — is still pretty problematic. Quick PSA to all dudes on roofs: Please stop screaming at people to kiss each other. Catcalling is a bad idea regardless of why you’re doing it, and there’s no reason to put undue pressure on young people of any gender to kiss each other in public. And while this moment turned out great, it could have definitely been awkward or even upsetting. That said, we shouldn’t let those imperfections take away from the fact that this story proves LGBTQ acceptance is making real strides against toxic masculinity and bigotry.Personally, I’m looking forward to the day when gay couples can walk around without being jeered at or celebrated. In the meantime, though, this feels like a step in the right direction.”It’s moments like what happened at Seaside that give me hope and make all the hardships worth it,” Beyers told me. “It’s funny, because we really didn’t do anything; all we did was be ourselves in front of some drunk people.” Hey, that kind of bravery is often more than enough.This article originally appeared on 05.14.18.
Many studies on the state of women in the workplace seem to reinforce the doom and gloom of modern women’s experience. They tell us something we already know – that you’re going to have to speak ten times louder to be heard half as often, and there’s no amount of leaning in or wearing shoulder pads that can fix that.
A report conducted in 2019 by Babson College and Bank of America found that female business owners don’t feel like they’re being taken seriously, which is pretty much old news at this point. But the report also explored the specific barriers women business owners feel like they’re facing so we can jump over those barriers, no shoulder pads needed.
Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 30 women who own businesses that make more than $5 million in annual revenues, and the discussions were very revealing. “[W]omen who have built successful companies had to navigate significant gender-based obstacles. In doing so, these women created alternate paths to success for themselves, and for other similarly unstoppable female entrepreneurs,” Bank of America said in a release. The study found that there were three main misconceptions: market misperceptions, network exclusions, and managing expectations while underfunded.
Many women felt that they “had their leadership position questioned due to their gender.” Raegan Moya-Jones, co-founder of baby products manufacturer Aden & Anais, said the fact that she was a mother was a positive in the eyes of the consumer, however she found that business people weren’t taking her seriously because of it.
Other female business owners found that some people had misconceptions as to why the woman founded her business in the first place. “When a woman starts a business, some potential backers may assume that she is running the business out of her home, for fun, or just to supplement her family’s income,” the report said. “Backers may then fail to see the business as growth-oriented and worthy of investment.”
More importantly, the report laid out how women can bust through the barriers to success. The report recommended we “capitalize on personal insights and experiences,” because the female experience is actually an advantage. “Women entrepreneurs have an opportunity to leverage their personal experiences and serve the emerging needs and trends for female consumers,” the report said. “Because they understand the market, they are well suited to communicate their value proposition and reach their target clients.” In other words, being a woman isn’t something that has to hold you back — it can propel you forward.
Every generation and culture has its own ever-evolving sense of modesty. Since the ‘60s, hemlines have come up and down and waistlines on women’s pants have ebbed and flowed as well, from a low in the early ‘70s to a high in the mid-2010s.
There’s a new fad amongst Gen Zers (ages 9 to 24); they are very modest about exposing their feet and toes. To older generations, this should seem like the height of modesty. However, they have a compelling reason for keeping their “dogs” covered.
(For those over the age of 25, dogs refer to feet.)
Educator Andrea, a popular TikTok teacher, broke the news about the latest trend in modesty in a post that received over 40,000 views. In the video, Andrea makes the case that younger kids are cautious about showing off their feet because they fear being fetishized.
#greenscreen I’ll still wear sandals but probs not to work 😅 #fyp #teachertok #teacherlife
“These kids have had mostly unfettered access to the internet, where foot fetishes have been explored,” she explained. With access to “sites like [FeetFinder] and being propositioned on the internet for pictures of their feet, they have trouble separating other people’s fetishes from the sight of feet.”
Andrea even pinpointed the crux of the generational trauma: iCarly’s creator, Dan Schneider, who was ousted from Nickelodeon in 2018 amid accusations of abuse. Schneider has faced allegations of having a foot fetish and having the young stars in his shows participate in scenes involving feet.
Schneider has called the allegations “ridiculous.”
Oh Dan, you can’t hide your obsession here #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #icarlyaffirmation #icarly #feet #greenscreen
The other side of the feet discussion are those in the #NoFreeFeet movement, who believe they shouldn’t give away the goods without receiving compensation. “Because we’ve grown up on the internet and understand how depraved people are in private. I’m all for kinks but there’s entire websites dedicated to cropping close-ups of stranger’s feet and sh*t. If you want it, you gotta buy it,” a Reddit user wrote in a discussion on the topic.
I can literally feel my pulse in my thighs #nofreefeet
It may seem to some that a generation’s decision to cover their feet to avoid being unnecessarily sexualized seems a bit extreme. However, Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, says that feet are one of the more popular body parts to be sexualized.
“In the case of feet, it’s more about the visual aspect for some, but for others it may be about sniffing, licking, or otherwise touching feet, including using them during sexual penetration,” he told Men’s Health. “People may be interested in any combination of these activities, or any other activity in which feet are involved, including being stepped on or helping a partner take footwear on and off.”
According to Lehmiller, the people who had fantasized about feet before can be broken down into different groups:
5% of heterosexual women
18% of heterosexual men
11% of lesbian and bisexual women
21% of gay and bisexual men.
The intense feelings that Gen Z has about showing their feet may seem funny on the surface. But it’s the symptom of a specific type of anxiety about showing up in public spaces where they may be leered at or exploited without knowing.
“I have encountered clients from Gen Z who have expressed concerns about their appearance and privacy in the online space,” LeMeita Smith, a Ph.D., told Huffington Post. “Young people today are acutely aware of the potential for exploitation and objectification. The fear of having their feet fetishized, and the subsequent reluctance to show their bare feet, could be attributed to their desire to protect their personal boundaries and maintain a sense of control over how they are perceived.”
Did you know that in addition to being a beloved author of children’s books, Dr. Seuss wrote more than 400 political cartoons during World War II?
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, gifted the world with stories like “The Cat in the Hat,” “The Lorax,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” and dozens of other childhood classics until his death in 1991.
In recent years, however, it’s some of his lesser known works from the 1940s that have gained attention.
As World War II was slowly moving toward a reality, Seuss began penning cartoons for PM, a liberal publication, frequently pushing back against the “America First” mentality of U.S. isolationists opposed to U.S. involvement in the war.
Like this one, which depicts a mother reading a book titled “Adolf the Wolf” to children while wearing an “America First” shirt, explaining that because the wolf’s victims were foreign children, it didn’t really matter that the wolf ate them — a clear parallel to the conflicting approaches to our modern refugee crisis.
“And the Wolf chewed up the children and spit out their bones … but those were Foreign Children and it really didn’t matter.”
“A. Hitler taxidermist”
“We Clams Can’t Be Too Careful.”
“The old Family bath tub is plenty safe for me!”
Suess’s other comics took aim at overarching issues like anti-Semitism, racial inequality, and political obstructionism — all issues still relevant today.
To be sure, the comics were far from perfect and reflected some ugly stereotypes of their own. For instance, many of his cartoons amplified some pretty awful impressions of Japanese citizens and Japanese-Americans. And while it’s easy to chalk that up as being simply an element of the time, that type of anti-Japanese sentiment helped fuel the racism and paranoia that eventually led to Japanese internment.
“Only God can make a tree to furnish sport for you and me!”
“Stop all U.S. progress.”
“The Guy Who Makes a Mock of Democracy.”
“Relax, Sam, I assure you the express turns off right here!”
If the world of Dr. Seuss can teach us anything, it’s that history is our best defense against modern tyranny.
Well, that, and the fact that Americans will always love goofyhats:
Have you ever seen anyone put an avocado pit in water to grow an avocado tree? I’ve seen lots of people try, but only a few succeed. My mom has a tiny avocado tree growing in her living room that she managed to grow from the pit of a Hass avocado she ate. It’s small but thriving, and I’ve often wondered if it will ever grow actual avocados.
As it turns out, it could—but they won’t be Hass avocados.
Wait, huh?
In a wow-that’s-an-interesting-factoid-I-never-knew-before video, an avocado tree grower explains in this YouTube video why a Hass avocado seed doesn’t grow into a Hass avocado tree. Avocados, apparently, are not “true to seed” plants, meaning if you plant the seed, you’ll end up with a different variety of the fruit the seed came from. Apples are the same—if you plant a Fuji apple seed, you will not get a Fuji apple tree. In fact, chances are really, really high that you’ll get an avocado or an apple that tastes terrible if you try to grow it from a seed of an existing fruit.
The guy from Sleepy Lizard Avocado Farm explains how it all works using an analogy with candy flavors. This is the genetics lesson we all needed in school when we were trying to figure out Punnett squares, and he explains it all so clearly.
Incredible how nature works, and so amazing what human beings have been able to figure out over millennia of agricultural advancements.
So how do you get a Hass avocado tree if you can’t plant a Hass avocado seed to grow it? As he explains in the video, you can plant the pit and start to grow the tree, but if you want Hass avocados you have to graft a branch of a Hass avocado tree onto the stem of the tree you’re growing.
Or, you can just buy a baby Hass avocado tree that’s already been grafted, which is probably a heck of a lot easier than figuring out how to graft one yourself.
So go ahead and sprout that seed in water and grow yourself a pretty avocado plant if you’d like. Just don’t expect any yummy avocados from it, since your chances are about 1 in 10,000 that it’ll happen.
Thanks for the fascinating lesson, avocado guy!
This article originally appeared on 07.06.21
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Speaking to BuzzFeed, Vidal, who revealed that he had been bullied after he first came out, said their encounter with the strangers on the rooftop was completely unexpected. “It was so surprising that these guys were supporting us,” Vidal said. “Especially after what I’ve gone through.””It’s an area where you normally would get discriminated against and the fact that those guys cheered us on was shocking,” Beyers told BuzzFeed. “It’s one of those small victories that makes the hard times worth it.”Speaking with me over direct messages, Vidal said that all the positive attention had made him and his boyfriend feel “welcome in the world,” which is not always the case for LGBTQ youth. “It’s made such an impact on me.”This is a reminder that things are getting better in small ways every day. Admittedly, the story — however heartwarming — is still pretty problematic. Quick PSA to all dudes on roofs: Please stop screaming at people to kiss each other. Catcalling is a bad idea regardless of why you’re doing it, and there’s no reason to put undue pressure on young people of any gender to kiss each other in public. And while this moment turned out great, it could have definitely been awkward or even upsetting. That said, we shouldn’t let those imperfections take away from the fact that this story proves LGBTQ acceptance is making real strides against toxic masculinity and bigotry.Personally, I’m looking forward to the day when gay couples can walk around without being jeered at or celebrated. In the meantime, though, this feels like a step in the right direction.”It’s moments like what happened at Seaside that give me hope and make all the hardships worth it,” Beyers told me. “It’s funny, because we really didn’t do anything; all we did was be ourselves in front of some drunk people.” Hey, that kind of bravery is often more than enough.This article originally appeared on 05.14.18.
