Category: Worldwide

Beyonce’s 40th birthday was this month, and both fans and celebrities paid their tributes on social media. Queen Bey in turn shared a heartfelt handwritten note on her official website. Though the lives of celebrities often seem removed from anything a “real” person would experience, her note really does offer some tear jerker insights that are completely universal.

Loving everything about this. As Virgo season ends, #Beyonce writes a personal heartfelt (and rare) note to everyon… https://t.co/wMmNPGf2NZ

— YBF CHIC (@TheYBF)
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The letter starts out with a genuine, yet expected thank-you to her fans:

“I’m so thankful for every inspiring human who took the time to send me all the beautiful messages,” she wrote in her note. “I cried tears of joy and was covered in chilly bumps. Your videos, your posts, your countdowns, your playlists and your well wishes, I will cherish forever. I’m grateful to everyone involved, especially the fans, for the time and level of detail it took to organize such beautiful tributes. I admire and respect all of you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

But here, Beyonce’s thank-you takes a more sentimental turn as she looks back on her life. Notice what’s NOT mentioned: career, fame, world tours… some of the things you might expect her to consider/ponder/contemplate. Instead she writes:

“This is the first year that I really understand what it means to be alive and to live in the moment. It’s the first time that I have an understanding of how fragile life truly is, how hard life can be at times, and therefore how important it is to stop and smell the roses during the good times. I thought I knew that at 21 or 30 . . . but I didn’t. The more mature I become, the more I understand and the deeper my joy grows. There’s a freedom and liberation knowing that I’ve made it to the other side of my sacrifice. I’m finally giving myself permission to enjoy the seeds I’ve worked so hard to plant my whole life.”

Be it through a pandemic, or growing older, or both, I think we can all relate to this discovery. Grammy wins or not, many of us are hitting a point in our lives, where everything we thought was so crucial, is not actually the source of our joy. That bliss comes from simplicity, from appreciation, and most of all, from time.

Then the real kicker comes in when she debunks the notion that happiness and self worth somehow have an expiration date, especially for women.

“Whoever tried to condition women to feel that we are supposed to feel old or unhappy when we turn 40 got it ALL THE WAY F’d UP,” she wrote. “This has absolutely been the best I’ve felt in my life.”

Beyonce signed off her note with a bumble bee daring and an “I love you deep” (with the word “deep” being written out 40 times, a clever touch).

It’s an important reminder that no matter how successful, wealthy, or prestigious anyone is perceived to be, we are all navigating through life for the first time. Sometimes we think we have it all figured out. Sometimes we fear our best days are behind us. And sometimes, as Queen Bey has eloquently put it, it might take a while- and some deep reflection- before we realize how much we’ve “GROWN GROWN.”

The “Stop the Steal” movement has been going on for nearly a year and has yet to find any substantial evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The movement was dealt an embarrassing blow on Friday when a Republican recount of Maricopa County in Arizona not only confirmed Trump’s loss but found that it was by a wider margin than the official tally.

Back in March, Arizona State Senate Republicans hired Florida-based company Cyber Ninjas to audit the election results in Maricopa County. The company has no prior experience in auditing election results and is headed by Doug Logan, a man who has promoted baseless election conspiracy theories.

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“I’m tired of hearing people say there was no fraud. It happened, it’s real, and people better get wise fast,” he tweeted on December 31.

After several months with zero bipartisan oversight, Cyber Ninjas were set to send the results of the audit to the Arizona State Senate on Friday but they were leaked to The Arizona Republic ahead of time.

The audit found that Trump lost by 45,469 votes in the county, 360 more than the previous tally. According to Cyber Ninjas, Trump received 261 fewer votes while Biden picked up an additional 99.

The Arizona “audit” coming out tomorrow didn’t just confirm Biden won. Biden actually gained votes in their recount… https://t.co/fpO7PfA1Qd

— Will Sommer (@willsommer)
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Responding to news reports on Friday, Trump said the findings were “far different than that being reported by the Fake News Media,” and that it had “uncovered significant and undeniable evidence of FRAUD!”

“Huge findings in Arizona! However, the Fake News Media is already trying to ‘call it’ again for Biden before actually looking at the facts—just like they did in November!” Trump said in a statement.

“Every time Trump and his supporters have been given a forum to prove this case, they have swung and missed,” Ben Ginsberg, a longtime Republican election attorney, said according to the Arizona Mirror.

via Chad Davis / Flickr

Trump’s insistence that he won the 2020 election appears to be doing him and his party a lot more harm than good. Ron Nehring, a former chair of the California GOP, says that his party’s constant fraud claims only work to depress Republican turnout and are a major reason that Larry Elder lost to Democrat Gavin Newsom in the California recall election.

In the days leading up to the election Elder alleged that fraud had taken place on his website.

“We can’t have an evidence-based party if we are bullshitting people in advance that this election was stolen when it was not,” Nehring said Wednesday. “One way not to have Republicans win is by telling Republican voters that their votes don’t matter…. Lying to Republicans claiming an election was stolen, before a single vote or result had been published, is grossly irresponsible.”

Unproven fraud allegations are a lose-lose proposition for the GOP. They depress voter turnout by killing people’s faith in the institution and hurt the party’s credibility when its claims go unfounded.

In a two-party system, they’re giving their opponents an unfair advantage by telling their own people that elections don’t matter.

How’s everyone doing right now? Doing okay? Struggling a little, or maybe a lot?

Honestly, I’m not sure if anyone is feeling full-throttle awesome during these days of pandemic upheaval. We can all use a little pick-me-up, right?

Thankfully, there are always things we can find to make us smile. Here are 10 just from this week.

Enjoy a little joy-scrolling:

1. New dad buys a used washer and dryer and finds an awesome surprise inside.

The $400 he paid the guy for it was tucked into the lint filter. “A gift for the new baby.” Come on! People are awesome.

2. This toddler has the most infectious giggle ever.

I don’t care who you are, farts are funny. But this little cherub’s laugh makes them even funnier.

3. Who knew a dog kissing a fish could make us feel so happy?

Why is it so delightful to see different species of animals interact with each other? That fish just can’t get enough dog lovin’.

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Free kisses.. 😊 https://t.co/Iw7WsHnbUd

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_)
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4. Modern-day superhero rescues a sheep trapped in a barbed-wire fence.

Everything about this is perfection. The expertise in handling a sheep. The figuring out how to heave it over the fence. The Steve-Irwin-meets-Thor vibe. And of course, the bleat of thanks at the end.

This dude deserves endless retweets 👍

https://t.co/PXNhaU03B2

— Kevin W. (@Brink_Thinker)
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5. High school football player stopped to stretch an opponent’s leg when it cramped.

Good sportsmanship between opponents is always uplifting. Seeing it in young people in a highly competitive sport is extra heartwarming.

6. Preschooler brings ukulele to show-and-tell and puts on a full-blown rock performance.

Kiddo is ROCKIN’. OUT. Amazing.

And to make it even better, someone added what it looked like he was hearing while he “played”:

7. This traditional folk dance from the Philippines is just pure, joyful energy.

The Tinikling is a rhythmic dance that mimics a bird found in the Philippines called the tikling. I could watch this all day.

8. Puffin and Binx, two rescued cats, can’t get enough of each other.

And we can’t get enough of them. Puffin and Binx were rescued from a hoarding situation and they are inseparable. Just look at them hugging. Cue all the endorphins.

9. These babies were accidentally switched at birth, and how the families handled it was amazing.

What do you do when you find out you’ve been raising someone else’s baby for three years? That happened to two families who found out their daughters had been switched at the hospital as newborns. After DNA tests confirmed it, they did the most extraordinary thing—the two families simply raised their kids together. Read the story here.

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10. Let this 73-year-old skateboarder roll you into the weekend.

Those knees, though. Impressive, Igor. May we all carry this much joy with us into our older years.

Hope that brought some brightness to your day! Enjoy your weekend!

Mayim Bialik wants you to know that she’s fully vaccinated despite what she may have written about vaccine skepticism in the past. The Jeopardy! guest host finished her first impromptu week on the job Friday following the Mike Richards flameout, and in a new interview she once again clarified that she’s vaccinated, including against the novel coronavirus.

Bialik had previously set the record straight about her (and her children’s) vaccine status several times in the past, including in a video she put on YouTube late last year. The long and short of it: Bialik and her family are now fully vaccinated and she supports vaccinating against coronavirus in particular.

But it’s notable because any name attached to the full-time Jeopardy! hosting job has seen at least one news cycle where past controversial comments were resurfaced. In Bialik’s case a book she wrote in 2012, Beyond The Sling, where she explained that her children were not fully vaccinated has become a lightning rod of sorts, especially in the coronavirus pandemic where vaccine skepticism is now a full-blown public health crisis.

“We made an informed decision not to vaccinate our children, but this is a very personal decision that should be made only after sufficient research, which today is within reach of every parent who seeks to learn about their child’s health regardless of their medical knowledge or educational status,” Bialik wrote at the time.

She’s obviously changed that stance in the years since, and it continues to come up as her role at Jeopardy! expands. Asked about her controversy in an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Bialik said she didn’t “regret” what she wrote but clarified that her entire family is vaccinated now.

“I don’t regret that at the time I wrote a book about parenting, my kids were young, they hadn’t received all their vaccines,” she said. “Now I’ve been very public and declared that I am a vaccinated person, we’re a vaccinated family, we’re all vaccinated for COVID.”

Bialik admitted that her public perception as an anti-vaxxer has been difficult, as many anti-vaxx sentiments from nearly a decade ago have been shared on platforms like Facebook in recent months despite her evolving viewpoints. And she also thanked those working at Jeopardy! for sticking with her despite her past comments.

“That’s part of the challenge of being a public person, and the court of public opinion is extremely significant,” she said. “I’m grateful to Sony and to ‘Jeopardy!’ for believing in me as a host right now, with the ability to do my job with all the other things aside.”

Considering just how difficult it is to combat the spread of misinformation online, especially on social media, Bialik’s stance on vaccines will continue to come up. But while Richards’ controversies were simply too many to keep him involved with the show, it’s clear that Bialik’s words haven’t impacted her chances of being selected as the show’s full-time host. Time will tell if the same can be said for fellow guest host Ken Jennings, who has his own past comments online continue to haunt him.

[via Associated Press]

Riffing on the popular dating advice book, Princess Nokia points out the differences in genders on her new single “Boys Are From Mars.” Offering her own, slightly salty advice to listeners, she asserts that not only are men and women from different planets but that it’s also up to women to set the terms of engagement in the gender war — and in love. Yung Baby Tate joins her sister-in-arms to spit her own clever verse goofing on men’s inability to deliver and telling girls to “focus on yourself” while doing helpful activities like tai chi and yoga.

“Boys Are From Mars” is Princess Nokia’s second single of the year after the J-Lo-inspired “It’s Not My Fault” which symbolized coming of age for “the average millennial woman, taking control of herself as the subject.” However, whereas “It’s Not My Fault” and Nokia’s other most recent video, “I Like Him,” took a techno-futuristic approach to their respective visual components, the lyrics video for “Boys Are From Mars” takes its inspiration from retro cinema instead — particularly the Saturday afternoon matinee double-features of the 1970s, which featured Blaxploitation and martial arts flicks as their main draws. As the lyrics flash on the screen, the two artists can be seen in silhouette, throwing flare-legged high kicks and waving curved Chinese swords.

Listen to Princess Nokia’s “Boys Are From Mars” with Yung Baby Tate above.

If there’s one thing Dave Bautista keeps teaching us through his films and his actions, it’s just how powerful found family can be. The former wrestler and actor best known for his role as Guardian of the Galaxy‘s Drax has announced the Bautista family is getting a furry new addition: a three-month-old pit bull puppy named Penny. While every rescue story is just as heartwarming as the next, Penny’s journey to the Bautista family has been a pretty high-profile and particularly emotional one that started all the way back on September 16.

On the 16th, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay shared that a dog named Sage has been brought into the shelter after someone found her living on the streets with a metal chain embedded into the skin around her neck. The story was quick to go viral, and soon caught the attention of Bautista, who offered to “personally hand $5,000” to any person who had information that would lead to the arrest of the person responsible for Sage’s injuries. According to People Magazine, Bautista explained to local news channel WHAS11 why he was so invested in the case, saying that to him, “there’s nothing more innocent and pure than a puppy. For someone who can abuse a puppy has got to be the lowest form of human being, pure evil, for someone who can abuse an animal like that. It makes me sick to my stomach.”

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay soon joined the actor’s efforts, adding $1,000 to the reward before Alvarez Injury Law chipped in another $5,000. While no one has stepped forward to claim the $11,000 reward and shed some light on who Sage’s past owners might have been, Bautista decided to personally ensure Sage would no longer have to suffer abuse or neglect from anyone else and went to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay to adopt the puppy.

Bautista took to Instagram to share the big news about the newly-named Penny joining the Bautista family, telling fans:

“The good news is, the puppy you know as Sage actually became Penny Bautista. So I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my family. Healing up, nice, and recovered. She is now a Bautista and she will never be abused again a day in her life. She is about to live her best puppy life ever … and she has her forever home.”

Penny joins Bautista’s other two pit bulls, Ollie and Maggie, who he celebrated just last month during National Dog Day. Based on the picture he shared of his two other pups, it’s safe to say Penny will be living the good life from here on out.

No stranger to being an advocate for treating people with kindness, gentleman heartthrob Harry Styles gave some straightforward dating advice mid-concert that left female fans feeling empowered.

During his Love On Tour stop in Detroit, Styles found a fan holding a sign that read, “Should I text him?” which received boos among the crowd. However, in typical Harry fashion, his reply was simply, “is he nice to you?”

You can watch the full video here:

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“should i text him?” TRASH TRASH TRASH!!
@Harry_Styles https://t.co/B2cvfzzAKW

— 𝚡𝚘𝚡𝚘, 𝚊𝚕𝚣. ♡︎ (@alliefriese)
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He concluded with, “My personal opinion is that if there’s any sort of games, trash, trash, trash, not for you,” a piece of advice that resulted in raucous applause and a flood of tweets from fans.

This is more than your run-of-the-mill fan-girling. There’s plenty of evidence out there that shows Harry Styles has been a champion for feminism in a way that few men have succeeded. And that goes far beyond his fashion choices.

Take for instance in 2014 when he joined the #HeForShe movement in supporting gender equality.

I’m supporting @UN_Women and @EmWatson in #HeForShe
As should you.. http://t.co/RYtM4SKkqN

— Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles)
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Or in 2017, when he wore T-shirt that bearing the slogan “Women are smarter.”

Or my personal favorite, in 2017 when Harry had his Rolling Stones interview, and was quick to defend his fanbase.

“Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans—they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”

It’s no wonder why some dub him the “Feminist Prince.” And with his special brand of sincerity and charm that encourages women to step into their own power…long may he reign.

Giannis Antetokounmpo finally ascended to basketball’s mountaintop earlier this year. Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to the franchise’s first championship since 1971, earning NBA Finals MVP honors for his performance on the game’s biggest stage — the Greek Freak averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, five assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 39.8 minutes per game while playing on a knee injury that he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals.

For a player who had won back-to-back NBA MVP awards, Antetokounmpo had always made clear his goal was to become a champion. Despite this, Harris Stavrou of SPORT24 in Greece highlighted a quote Antetokounmpo gave where he expressed his belief that he is not yet the best basketball player in the world. He went on to list a number of players who he believes are better than him, and gave his pick for the best player on the planet right now.

Antetokounmpo has never been the kind of guy to say he’s the best player in the world, so even if this is true (and he certainly has a case!), he’s probably never going to explicitly say it. Picking James is an interesting choice, however, if only because he’s about to enter his 19th season in the league, and it’s something else that he’s still performing at a level that leads to him being in this conversation.

Eminem is going from rapper to restauranteur with next week’s opening of Mom’s Spaghetti, a new eatery based on the pop-up concept inspired by one of his most famous lyrics. The Detroit rapper previously brought the dish based on his famous “Lose Yourself” line to his Revival promotional event, as well as a second pop-up dedicated to the hospital workers of Detroit during last year’s quarantines. He also brought the pop-up to Coachella and Firefly in 2018 when he headlined those festivals. To promote the restaurant, Eminem even shot a tongue-in-cheek commercial that is currently airing on local TV.

In addition to Mom’s Spaghetti — both with and without meatballs — the restaurant will apparently be serving something called a “s’ghetti sandwich,” which sounds like exactly the thing a stressed-out mom living on the outskirts of Detroit’s city center would serve a hyperactive pre-teen. In the commercial, which details these items, Eminem appears to upchuck a takeout container from the restaurant, paying a fitting tribute to the line that inspired the whole thing:

His palms are sweaty
Knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already: Mom’s spaghetti

You can lose yourself in the saucy, noodle-y goodness next Wednesday, September 29 in Detroit.

Azealia Banks is one person elated at the news of Elon Musk and Grimes’ breakup. Posting a screenshot of the Page Six tweet announcing the split to her Instagram, the controversial artist crowed in a caption, “Ok girl, can we finally make those darn songs now that apartheid Clyde is out of the way? We were really supposed to eat these bitches up.”

https://twitter.com/bigblackjacobin/status/1441430962928291842/

Back in 2018, when the couple first got together, Grimes invited Banks to Musk’s estate to work on music together but apparently, the weekend didn’t go as planned. Banks eventually went on a tirade against Musk, saying that he avoided her during the visit while scrambling to find investors for Tesla after tweeting about taking the company private. She said that she missed her chance to collaborate with Grimes, who was attending to the stressed-out Musk, calling the whole situation a real-life scene from Get Out. She also says Musk’s staff took her phone.

Musk, meanwhile, denied ever having met Azealia, calling her a compulsive liar (he’s not the first), while earlier this year, Grimes told fans on Discord that her song “100% Tragedy” was about “having to defeat Azealia Banks when she tried to destroy my life.” This prompted Azealia to call Grimes “weird undercover millennial racist” who “doesn’t have the musical capacity i have.”

Something tells me that Grimes isn’t going to be calling Banks to work together again anytime soon.