Back in October, Cardi B unveiled the Club C Cardi shoe, a collaboration with Reebok that would go on sale on November 13. As a part of its rollout, she did a cover shoot for Footwear News, but the resulting image received a large amount of criticism after it appeared to emulate the Hindu culture, which many found disrespectful.
Cardi b did not pay “homage” to the Hindu goddess Durga by holding a shoe in her hand, this is plain disrespect and in no way cultural appreciation. she can’t getaway with this without addressing and apologizing for mocking our culture pic.twitter.com/ZLVcz0mBlB
you’re fucking kidding this is so disrespectful to hindu culture?? how do celebrities not understand that using other people’s culture to promote their brand is wrong on so many levels!? On top of that they’re comparing CARDI B to a hindu goddess… worms for brains. pic.twitter.com/Oz7g79VMqn
One person labeled it as “plain disrespect,” saying that the cover is “in no way cultural appreciation,” while another asked, “how do celebrities not understand that using other people’s culture to promote their brand is wrong on so many levels!?” In response to the backlash, Cardi apologized for offending people with the photoshoot.
Cardi Addressing The Hindu Situation In Apologizing Pt 1 Via: Instagram stories pic.twitter.com/YRo2XKXK9s
“When I did the Reebok shoot, the creatives told me I was going to represent a Goddess; that she represents strength, femininity, and liberation, and that’s something I love and I’m all about,” she said. “And though it was dope, if people think I’m offending their culture or their religion I want to say I’m sorry. That was not my intent. I do not like disrespecting nobody’s religion. I wouldn’t like people to offend my religion.” She added, “I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful; maybe I should have done my research, I’m sorry, I can’t change the past, but I will do more research for the future.”
Footwear News also shared a statement on the issue with People. “Yesterday we posted content from our exclusive Cardi B cover shoot. One of the images was intended to pay homage to Hindu goddess Durga, and our intent was to show a powerful woman,” the magazine said. “However, we realize we were not considerate of certain cultural and religious perspectives and how this could be perceived as deeply offensive.” They added, “Today, we’re releasing another cover from the shoot that was a subscriber exclusive.”
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In the early days of the pandemic, the majority of the sports-watching world had our eyes glued to ESPN each Sunday for a new installment of the cultural phenomenon that was The Last Dance. Not only did we get to relive the NBA’s golden age in the 1990s, we learned all sorts of new tidbits about the dynamics between some its central characters.
It confirmed many of our long-held assumptions about Michael Jordan’s tyrannical reign over the Bulls and deepened the mythology surrounding him as a myopic and maniacal competitor. And because of that competitive nature, it left no shortage of casualties along the way.
Perhaps his biggest beef — which we learned remains to this day — was with the Bad Boy Pistons and specifically Isiah Thomas, who Jordan famously ensured was left off of the 1992 Dream Team that took the world by storm in Barcelona. By his own admission, Jordan has never forgiven Thomas for leaving the court early and refusing to shake hands after the Bulls finally defeated them in the playoffs in 1991.
According to Thomas, he was surprised while watching the documentary to learn Jordan still harbored such hard feelings toward him.
.@IsiahThomas says he watched ‘The Last Dance’ with “great fascination and disappointment”
“It seems like it was only one person that had a problem [with me on the Dream Team], and that was Jordan. Until I watched ‘The Last Dance,’ I didn’t realize MJ felt that way about me.” pic.twitter.com/IDIFS09WcF
Thomas, of course, also appeared in the 10-part series, and in the episode dedicated to their rivalry, he tried to downplay that infamous moment during the playoffs, which resulted in arguably the greatest viral moment of 2020 as we watched Jordan’s response to that scene and the endless memes that followed it.
Even if this beef remains primarily one-sided on Jordan’s part, it’s not likely to go away anytime soon, as His Airness is notorious for holding onto lifelong grudges. Still, it’s nice to see that it apparently doesn’t bother Thomas all that much.
Russell Westbrook wants out of Houston, putting to rest any notion that this condensed and bizarre NBA offseason in November would be quiet. The former MVP has apparently had enough of the Rockets after one season and wants to move on to a team that can afford him more of the starring role he was accustomed to in Oklahoma City, rather than what he was asked to do as a secondary ball-handler next to James Harden.
It wasn’t hard to see this as a possibility when the two stars paired back up last summer, and the Rockets postseason struggles shined a light on the problems they had coexisting even in a system that tried its best to give them the space to work. Trading Westbrook will be quite the challenge for new Rockets GM Rafael Stone, who has to both find a team that wants to bring Westbrook (and his contract) in and has the players and salaries to send back to make a trade work. Beyond that, Stone and new coach Stephen Silas will now have to determine what they want the identity of the team to be going forward.
That was always going to be a challenge for Stone and Silas, but the Westbrook request further pressures them to make a decision regarding their current small-ball roster. What they can get back for Westbrook is determined by his trade value, and that’s incredibly difficult to gauge. He’s still clearly an immense talent, but he’s 32 and is owed more than $131 million over the next three years. Houston won’t be able to demand a huge asking price — they might not even get close to what OKC fetched for Westbrook from Houston a year ago — but they’ll have to decide if they want to try and find another high-priced star to swap him for or simply seek salary cap relief and, hopefully, some contributors.
Here are three possible destinations for Westbrook, keeping in mind that unknown that is his actual value on the market.
New York Knicks
Knicks get: Russell Westbrook Rockets get: Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, and Taj Gibson
Let’s start with the team that everyone will tie to Russ because he said he wants to run the show and the Knicks are desperate to add a star, even if that star might be heading into the backend of his career while on a huge contract. New York gets a lead guard to take over ball-handling duties and, for all his faults, they’d finally have a bonafide star who would bring tremendous energy to the Garden. His fit next to R.J. Barrett probably isn’t ideal from a spacing standpoint, as Russ is a dreadful three-point shooter and Barrett was wildly inefficient himself as a rookie, but at this point, I think the Knicks are in talent acquisition mode and, while maybe not a perfect fit with the young pieces around him, it would be a starting point, particularly if they think they’re not likely to get someone better than Westbrook in free agency next year.
As for Houston, this is a deal that’s all about cleaning up their cap sheet for the future. Randle brings offensive punch but not necessarily in the manner that the Rockets typically are looking for, while Payton brings some defensive acumen on the perimeter. Gibson and Payton are both expirings, while Randle’s deal has just two years left, so there’s some very real cap flexibility this would afford the Rockets, and you know that would bring a smile to ownership’s face. Maybe the Rockets can swipe a second-rounder out of this as well to try and build up some kind of draft capital, but it’s hard to see Westbrook fetching a first-rounder at this moment.
Detroit Pistons
Pistons get: Russell Westbrook Rockets get: Blake Griffin
I think Houston would try to get whatever paperwork is needed for this filed as fast as possible so Detroit couldn’t recant after further thought, but there’s a chance another star swap could be on the books for Houston. The plus here for the Rockets is obvious, as the potential of a Harden-Griffin pairing is pretty tremendous. For Detroit, they would have to effectively feel like the Griffin situation has run its course and they need to inject new energy into the team, and believe that, in a return to a lead ball-handling role, Westbrook can return to superstar form. That’s possible, and the Pistons really, really want to have a star player. Griffin hasn’t worked out thus far due to injuries and, as such, they might just be ready to move on. Griffin’s deal is $5 million per year less than Westbrook’s, so Houston saves a touch of money while taking a gamble on him being healthy and able to help them stay at a highly competitive level as a team in the West.
New Orleans Pelicans
Pelicans get: Russell Westbrook
Rockets get: Jrue Holiday, Darius Miller
I love the Jrue fit next to Harden, but I’ll be honest, I can’t imagine this being the best offer the Pelicans can get or it being the one that fits their timeline the way they’d like. That said, I am oddly intrigued by the idea of pairing Westbrook with Zion Williamson and, likely, Brandon Ingram coming back in free agency. Zion and Westbrook running the floor would be a joy, and it’d give Stan Van Gundy a lot of talent to deal with, even if making it all work would be a challenge to say the least.
The first two deals make more sense for where those teams are compared to just about anyone else in the league, and really what we have to wait to see is whether there’s a team that still think Russell Westbrook can be a central piece on a really good team, because as you’ll notice, none of my ideas include contenders. I just don’t see many teams with a point guard need and a fit that would work, unless the Clippers are ready to pull the plug on Paul George after one year and do something really wild by flipping the former teammates for one another. I’m not sure what the answer is here, and I don’t envy Rafael Stone’s job in trying to get the most possible value out of an unfortunate situation, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens and where Russ ends up.
If you’re new to scotch whisky, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that there are five (and by some counts six) distinct regions where it’s produced. They’re the isle of Islay, Campeltown, Speyside, Lowland, and Highland. The sixth region is the islands, but some of those distilleries get lumped in with the Highland region.
The Highland region, as might reasonably be expected, is mostly located in the northern portion of Scotland (with a small area removed for the whisky-rich region of Speyside). That’s where we turn our attention today. It includes well-known distilleries like Oban, Aberfeldy, Dalmore, Glenmorangie, and Tullibardine.
While you can’t go wrong with a whisky from any of the five scotch-producing regions, Highland malts are known for a diversity of flavors due to its wide range of topographic and geographic features.
“While I’m typically partial to the Speyside single malts, I do appreciate the diversity of flavor profiles from each region in Scotland,” says Anna Mains, brand ambassador to Monkey Shoulder. “The Highland whiskies are so interesting because their single malts have such a huge range of flavor notes.”
Thanks to its vastness, you can find highland single malts that are smoky, peaty, briny, sweet, or even floral in nature. It’s truly a unique area that’s ripe to be explored through your whiskey glass.
Since you’re not likely to travel to the Scottish Highlands anytime soon, we figured that the easiest way to enjoy this region was to grab a bottle or two from some well-known distilleries. To help us pick the right offerings, we asked a handful of our favorite bartenders to tell us their go-to Highland malts.
Oban Distillers Edition. The Distiller’s Edition goes through a second maturation of Montilla Fino sherry casks which leads to a rich toffee, caramel, almost Werther’s Original taste on the palate, with a medium smoky finish.
It may not appeal to all, but it definitely does to me.
I don’t drink a lot of Highland malts, but whenever I go to a Scotch tasting and they have The Dalmore Cigar Malt, I definitely hang out around that table. Actually, I really enjoy everything I have tried from The Dalmore.
You can’t go wrong with The Dalmore 12. It’s a perfect gateway into the world of Scotch.
I’m a huge sherry fan, particularly Oloroso sherries. Scotches ages really well in ex-sherry casks. The GlenDronach 15 Year Revival is aged in ex-Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels. The dark fruit and nutty characteristics I love so much in Oloroso really shine in this whisky and make for one hell of a dram.
Highland Park 12 Viking Honour
Blake Jakes, director of beverage for The Kennedy Bar in Pensacola, Florida
Highland Park 12 Viking Honour. It’s an easy choice. It works so well on its own, with a little water, or in a nice cocktail with some citrus. It’s bright, spicy and just the right amount of peat. Truly an exceptional whisky and it’s not going to break the bank.
Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake
Lee Noble, head bartender for Art in the Age in Philadelphia
Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake was a game changer from Dr. Bill Lumsden. I really enjoyed the ingenuity behind that concept. It’s sweet, rich, and pairs perfectly with a piece of cake or as a slow sipper on its own.
Oban 14
Josh Curtis, bar director at Carbon Beach Club in Malibu, California
Oban 14 is easy drinking with a large cube of ice because of its counterbalance of honey and oak. It’s smooth, sweet, subtly smoky, with just a hint of ocean brine and seaweed that can be attributed to the distillery’s proximity to the ocean.
Aberfeldy 12
Patricia Verdesoto, head bartender Jams in New York City
Aberfeldy 12 year is my favorite single malt Scotch to have behind the bar, not to mention one of my personal favorites in general. It is beyond versatile, which is so important to me. Aside from Aberfeldy being absolutely delicious on its own, it works in so many cocktails throughout the seasons. While the initial smokiness of a quality Scotch may be a deterrent to many first-time drinkers, Aberfeldy has managed to find that sweet spot between smoothness and peat.
On the nose, you get a nice caramel, espresso aroma with a hint of smokiness that experienced most Scotch drinkers are expecting. As the weather changes, Aberfeldy is the perfect addition to your favorite hot toddy recipe. For me, I pour it in some chamomile tea with a touch of local honey and it never fails to warm me up.
Craigellachie 13
Ben Potts, owner, and bartender at The Sylvester in Miami
I generally reach for a nice, honeyed Scotch like Craigellachie due to its versatility and flavor profile. If I had to pick one of its expressions, I would go with Craigellachie 13 because of its almond and vanilla flavors tempered with a subtle hint of smoke.
Glenmorangie La Quinta Ruban is my flavor of the day. It changes regularly, but I was gifted a bottle for my birthday a couple of years ago and I just got back into it. Such great classic Highland grain and spice, with the delicious fruits from the port cask.
Talisker Distillery is on the Isle of Skye, which — according to many designations — makes it a Highland Scotch. Talisker Storm is one of my go-to scotch. Bold, smoky notes with pepper and oak shining through and supported by a refreshing salinity. It is also reasonably priced for scotch, making it a great bottle to share.
Outgoing commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump has a long history of sketchy behavior, from his scammy Trump University to his habit of stiffing contractors to, one could argue, much of his presidency. And though he regularly sings the praises of his many supporters, that didn’t stop him from his latest grift. As per Reuters, those donating to his “Official Election Defense Fund” — to help him combat claims of voter fraud that, so far, have lacked any hard evidence — would have to spend a lot of money before it actually went to defend the election.
Indeed, anyone donating less than $8,000 would see their cash go not towards recounts and lawsuits but to a Trump PAC, or Political Action Committee, and to the RNC. And they can do with that money whatever they want.
This shouldn’t be news; after all, it was in the fine print. Essentially, the first $8,000 of any donation would be split 60-40 between “Save America,” the aforementioned Trump PAC, and the RNC. Only after those coffers have been lined will the money go to legal fees and any other matters that may have spurred the donation in the first place. In other words, if you’re a Trump supporter who doesn’t have over $8,000 lying around — if you’re someone who decided to throw him 25 bucks — none of it would go to actually defending the election.
It sounds sleazy, doesn’t it? But there has been at least one defense of the move. Reuters spoke to Darrell Scott, a pastor who was a member of Trump’s transition team in 2016, who claims it will all come out in the wash. “I see this as two pockets on the same pair of pants. It doesn’t matter if it goes into the left or the right pocket,” he told Reuters. “In the end, the money will be used for a legitimate purpose that his supporters will get behind.” Of course, trying telling “Trust Trump” to the contractors he stiffed.
It’s been a rough couple of months for the Houston Rockets. The Lakers bounced them out of the second round in Orlando in five games, during a series in which they never really looked competitive, and the fallout started almost immediately. Mike D’Antoni parted ways with the organization, and not long after, Daryl Morey left for a new challenge in Philly.
Trade rumors started amping up after that, involving both Russell Westbrook and James Harden, with whispers about the Sixers possibly trying to make a move for the former MVP and scoring champ, although Houston’s front office was quick to call it a “non-starter.”
This week, those rumors started to gain traction once again, with the latest being that Russell Westbrook reportedly wants out of Houston. With things seemingly unraveling around them, it would follow that the organization might start seriously entertaining offers for Harden, although Shams Charania of The Athletic says Harden remains “locked in” with his incumbent team for the coming season.
Houston’s James Harden remains committed to the Rockets and is “locked in” for the season, sources tell @KellyIkoNBA and me.
Of course, things can obviously change quickly, especially with free agency looming and teams looking to retrofit their rosters for the coming season. Depending on what the Rockets can get back in a potential Westbrook trade, they’ll face some difficult decisions about how to move forward. Harden has three years left on his contract, with a player option for the final year.
Right now, the goal is to gauge Westbrook’s trade value and figure out what the ripple effects might be from there. Harden’s future with the franchise just might hang in the balance.
The Los Angeles barely had time to celebrate their 2020 championship before it was time to turn their attention to what remains an uncertain future. After much jockeying back and forth between the league, the owners, and players’ union, they’ve agreed to start the 2020-2021 season on Dec. 22, which will make this offseason one of the shortest on record.
Ideally, the league wanted to wait to resume next season until they could have a plan in place to get fans safely back into arenas, but the financial implications ultimately won out, which still leaves plenty of logistical questions about what the games will look like when they return to the court.
Although there’s been talk about allowing small numbers into stadiums and instituting temperature checks and social distancing requirements, some teams aren’t taking any chances. The Laker, for instance, announced on Wednesday that they will not be allowing fans into Staples Center when the new season tips off next month. Here’s more from the team release:
As of now, the Lakers have no plans to allow fans in Staples Center for the start of the 2020-21 season, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/nSmWCP3QGh
Of course, that’s not to say fans won’t be permitted at some point as the season progresses. The news comes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country. Vaccine trials from Pfizer have shown promising results, although it still could be a while before one goes through the process of being approved and brought into wider circulation. For now, it seems clear other teams will take similar precautionary measure until it is safe to do otherwise.
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, a report indicated that both James Harden and Russell Westbrook had approached the Houston Rockets with some concerns about the direction of the franchise. Less than one day later and a member of that dynamic duo reportedly would like to leave the franchise altogether.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Westbrook would like for his tenure with the team — which has lasted one season following his trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer — to come to an end.
Charania wrote that “Westbrook has informed team officials that he has been uneasy about the team’s accountability and culture, and has a desire to return to his prior, floor-general role in Oklahoma City.”
Westbrook and the Thunder parted ways last offseason following 11 seasons. After the team opted to trade Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, Westbrook was sent to Houston to compete for a ring alongside his old pal, Harden. The deal meant Chris Paul and a collection of draft picks went to Oklahoma City in return.
Westbrook had his ups and down last season. He really struggled to get used to his new digs, but following the Rockets’ decision to embrace center-less basketball, he thrived, attacking the rim with aplomb and looking like the best version of himself. While he struggled during the NBA’s Orlando Bubble following a bout with COVID-19, Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, seven assists, and 1.6 steals in 35.9 minutes per game. It is unclear where he would like to go, but whatever team acquires him will have to take on his monstrous contract — Westbrook is owed about $41 million next year $43.8 million in 2021-22, and has a player option worth $46.7 million in 2022-23.
Tame Impala began the year with his impressive album The Slow Rush — his first release in five years. Since then, the musician, real name Kevin Parker has delivered a number of covers and remixes, among them new versions of “Borderline” with Blood Orange, “Guilty Conscience” with 070 Shake, and more. He’s also covered Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Illusion,” which he helped-co-write, and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” Now he’s added another cover to the list, jumping on BBC Radio 1 to show off his twist on Nelly Furtado’s 2006 hit “Say It Right.”
Parker takes the upbeat, Grammy-nominated track and strips it down, resulting in a delicate and breezy cover. He performed the track, alongside two keyboard players, from the trio’s hometown of Perth, Australia. He also performed “Is It True” and “Breathe Deeper” from his The Slow Rush album during their BBC Radio 1.
Last month, Parker took over an empty Perth stadium to perform “Is It True” and “Elephant” in partnership with FIFA 21, with the former appearing on the video game’s soundtrack. He also shared the tentative dates for a 2021 tour supporting The Slow Rush, with the hope that he will be able to perform in person next year, just like things used to be.
Lucille Bridges was the mother of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to go to school in the newly integrated school system in Louisiana in 1960. At six years old, little Ruby Bridges had to be accompanied by a team of U.S. marshals and walk through crowds of angry white adults screaming racist hate at her just to go to school. She learned in a classroom with a kind teacher who was kind, but with zero other students because none of the white parents of the white kids would allow them to go to class with her.
The more you read of Ruby Bridges’ story, the more mind-blowingly awful it becomes. The viciousness of people’s hatred was palpable. The videos of the rabid mobs of outright racists yelling at a first grader are heartbreaking. The fact Ruby Bridges says the only time she felt scared was when a woman showed her a black baby doll in a coffin is both disturbing and at testament to Ruby’s innate courage.
I grew up hearing Ruby Bridges’ story and looking at the experience through her eyes. It’s hard to imagine how resilient she had to be. Seeing racist hatred through the eyes of a first grader is awful enough.
But seeing Ruby Bridges’ experience through Lucille Bridges’ eyes makes it so much worse.
Until you’re a parent, you don’t truly understand how much pain you experience on your children’s behalf. As a parent, you feel what your children feel. Their joy is your joy. Their pain is your pain. When my own kids are suffering, I suffer right along with them. It just comes with the territory.
But you also have an instinct to protect your children from harm. You know they have to go through difficulties to grow, but you still try to protect the from genuine danger.
So to imagine what it must have been like for Lucille Bridges to walk her little girl through the screaming racists hoards is unfathomable. The fear and frustration she must have felt for her child, as well as for herself. The anger she must have swallowed. The pride and dignity she had to pull forth and put on display. The sheer, unrelenting exhaustion of it all.
Then add to that wondering if she and her husband were doing right by Ruby. We all worry about the decisions we make for our children. In hindsight it’s easy to see the Bridges’ courage and conviction as vital threads in the now iconic civil rights movement, but in the moment it had to have been a grueling decision. Ruby’s father had reservations about it—it was Lucille who insisted that Ruby get the opportunity for equal education—and not just for her, but for all Black children. She knew the importance of what they were doing. And not only was she willing to do it, but she was able to instill into Ruby the character qualities she needed to be able to withstand it all.
My Story: Mrs. Lucille Bridges (The Power of Children)
Ruby Bridges shared a short tribute to her mother in her announcement of her passing on Instagram. She wrote, “Today our country lost a hero. Brave, progressive, a champion for change. She helped alter the course of so many lives by setting me out on my path as a six year old little girl. Our nation lost a Mother of the Civil Rights Movement today. And I lost my mom. I love you and am grateful for you. May you Rest In Peace.”
Rest in peace and power, Mrs. Bridges. Thank you for your leonine heart that pushed us forward as a nation and served as an example of strength and bravery to us all.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
(@MissAmericHANA) November 11, 2020
