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One of the pretty common complaints about the NBA’s All-Star weekend in recent years is that the main event on Saturday night has lost a bit of its luster. While Mac McClung has impressed in recent years, the Dunk Contest hasn’t been the spectacle that make people want it to be.

A big complaint is the lack of star power. Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics participated this year, but that was the first time since 2017 that an All-Star competed in the event. Getting big names who can really throw down is the ideal for the league, and while plenty of guys fit that bill, few guys are more revered for their ability to do that than New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson, who has been one of the best dunkers on earth since he was in high school.

And in the aftermath of the team’s 139-98 drubbing of the Toronto Raptors, Williamson opened the door to doing the event. But there’s a catch: He has to make the All-Star Game to agree to participate.

You never quite know how a good in-game dunker would translate to a competition, but Williamson’s mix of power and athleticism would certainly make him an interesting addition to a future Dunk Contest. And seeing as how he’s already been voted to two All-Star Games in his young career, it’s certainly not outlandish to think that we’ll see him pulling double duty in San Francisco next February.

Donald Trump had a great Super Tuesday. Or did he? Though he scooped up all but one of the 15 states holding primaries (Vermont, we’re looking at you), even in some of those he won there were significant votes for his last GOP rival, Nikki Haley. A lot of Haley fans hate Trump almost as much as any Democrat. So that means they’ll vote Biden, right? Right??

In his latest Daily Show video, Jordan Klepper descended upon a “modest” Haley rally in North Carolina. There he found two things. On one hand, Haley stans look at Trump, a cash-strapped legal woe magnet, as an “existential threat” to global security. He’s “chaos,” “out of control,” someone who “would sell his own grandmother, if he could, for a profit,” as one put it.

So what would they do if Haley dropped out and Trump clinched the nomination, which is what’s almost certainly going to happen?

“First I’m going to have a cry, then I’m going to have a beer, and then I’m going to have to pray,” another Haley person replied.

What she didn’t say is what she’d do after praying. In fact, none of the people Klepper spoke to said they’d vote for Biden. Some even admitted they’d hold their nose and vote Trump, despite admitting he’d let Vladimir Putin have his way with Ukraine (and/or NATO countries) and throw the globe into further chaos.

One gentleman who called Trump a “global security risk” was adamantly against voting Biden, who he said was “nothing.”

“Global security risk or nothing: I’m not saying those are great options,” Klepper told him. “But I’m also saying: that’s not a hard decision.”

Klepper then tried to talk some sense into him using an analogy: “You could feel nothing—which, OK, it would be nice to feel something inside — or you could feel getting punched in the nuts. If you had to choose feeling nothing or punched in the nuts? It feels like a no-brainer.”

“At least if you get punched in the nuts you can fight back,” he shot back.

In other words, it’s going to be an even rockier 2024 than we’d already imagined.

You can watch Klepper’s latest “Fingers the Pulse” in the video above.

Despite record unemployment, a booming stock market and easing inflation, Americans are still feeling squeezed at the cash register. We knew the pandemic was going to cause economic woes, and to be fair, things could be a lot worse, but that doesn’t ease the shock of seeing the total on a receipt that’s far more than we used to pay.

A user on Reddit asked, “What’s gotten so expensive that you no longer purchase it?” and it opened floodgate of financial experiences and feelings. Life in general seems like it’s becoming unaffordable for many of us.

“I feel like I can’t walk out of my front door without automatically spending $20,” shared one person.

“For me, that was over ten years ago. These days leaving the house is a minimum $50,” quipped another.

Certain purchases and activities are putting a much bigger dent in our pocketbook than they used to, so if you’ve been feeling it, take solace in the fact that you’re not alone. Here are the things people said they simply can’t afford anymore because the prices have gotten too high, along with some savings tips for making some of your favorite things more affordable:

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Restaurants

“Me and the wife would have Friday as a more relaxing evening. We have 3 kids. We would always vary and order take away. Take away has gone from $30ish to $50, $60, $70 for the same stuff plus increased delivery charges. Not worth it anymore.” – Ok-Stuff-8803

Family of 4, I feel your pain. We didn’t go out (or order in) weekly, but it was a fairly common occurrence. Now it’s a rarity, and its usually tied to a special occasion. It’s frustrating because I feel like my family’s standard of living is declining, even though I am progressing in my career and making more money. – Robbie-R

“GF and I used to eat out at a sit down restaurant once a week, now it’s more like once a month if that. It’s gotten crazy expensive.” – largecontainer

Yep, fast food, too

“I was at a party the other night and a friend of mine randomly came in with a bucket of chicken from KFC. I was SHOCKED at how expensive it was. Pretty sure it was damn near 40 bucks.” – Touch_My_Nips

“McDonalds. Not that I can’t afford it, but I am not paying the current prices for cheap, processed food for on the go. They are trying to be fancier, they should accept who they are and stick to be being cheap and convenient, it has always worked for them.” – TrixieLurker

“Two and a half years ago they still had the 2 for $2 menu and any size soft drink was a dollar. Now it’s the 2 for $3.99 and a medium soda is $1.19.” – king-of-the-sea

Even the food trucks

“Food from food trucks. I’m not spending $15 for a grilled cheese that I have to wait in the rain for.” – just_hating

“Food truck the other day was charging $20 for a basic chicken sandwich. No sides just meat and bread. I’m officially baffled by the world.” – No-Statement9809

“I remember when food trucks used to represent simple finger food that was a cheaper alternative to restaurants (especially taco trucks; used to be like 3 for $8! Now, these f**king places are charging $15-$25 for a smaller sized plate than a sit-down restaurant. I have written them off entirely.” – Fated47

Mobile apps

“Mobile apps. I’m absolutely infuriatingly tired of subscription services. The worst is that they let you download the app so they can claim it as a download, only to get stonewalled by a subscription page. Let’s go back to a one time fee please.” – SmallRocks

“Most of them don’t even have a free trial. They’re free-to-download for marketing purposes, then immediately make you pay to use. Sh*t should be illegal.” – ItsMeCyrie

“Add in app updates that removed features and put them behind a paywall 😢” – Mamasgoldenmilk

Concert tickets

“I bought two sets of tickets this year for bands I’ve wanted to see for over 20 years. One concert cost me $600 for two tickets and the other was $300 for two. The ridiculous part of it all is that the fees alone cost more than one ticket. I can stomach $100-$150 for good seats to a band I like, I can’t stomach another $150 in fees.” – Syikho

“As someone who spends a lot of money on music $300 for a ticket to see a single band, maybe 2 or 3 with openers, for one night is ridiculous. Last few years I’ve been doing a music festival cruise and feel like I get the most bang for my buck. 6 days of music with 30+ bands mixed in with a tropical vacation for under 2k.” – Newone1255

“Yeah, I grew up relatively poor and still got to see countless shows. Luckily a lot of my favorite bands were small-time and I could see them in tiny, cheap venues, but still several times a year I was seeing world-famous bands.

“It is literally prohibitively expensive to the average person to see concerts regularly anymore. And I don’t even f**k with arena shows.” – robotatomica

Chips, cereal and soda

“Dude, $7 for Doritos is NUTS. Even store brand chips are getting pricey.” – trafficrush

“Ditto with cereal! The boxes have gotten so small and they’re like $7!” – thenisaidbitch

“Soda. Used to enjoy a sprite occasionally. I’m just not paying 3 or 4 dollars at this point for sugar water that kills my insides.” – SmokeLawn

“No snack food. Pretty much just buying staples/meat/dairy/fruit/veg and making everything from scratch. Ultra processed food is terrible for you anyway.” – _manicpixie

SAVINGS TIP: Shop Aldi

“Aldi is the only place I will buy cereal anymore. $2.15 a box vs $6.” – Moronmagnet72

“My uber picky kid LOVES Aldi brand cereal. Thank god.” – peachy_sam

Streaming services

“Netflix is about to be that way. They’re gonna do another price hike later this year and that’s just laughable to me. Blows my mind that they can cancel damn near every show that they produce in three seasons or less and then have the audacity to keep wanting people to pay more. Like, I’m not even exaggerating when I say that I’ve probably watched more than fifty Netflix original series over the past several years and that less than a dozen of them made it past three seasons or gotten proper endings.” – IDoBelieveInGarys

“I cancelled Netflix back when they stopped allowing password sharing (I share it with family) and just cancelled Disney+ and Hulu for the same reason. HBO Max and Paramount get my money until they do something stupid too.” – TrilobiteBoi

“I canceled all of my subscriptions except one and will be canceling the last one in the next month or so. They’re too expensive- Hulu, prime, Netflix- it’s just cable all over again.” – Dementedstapler

SAVINGS TIP: Streaming service cycling

“Years ago I decided that the best thing to do is just cycle through streaming subscriptions one at a time. Right now I’ve got Disney+/Hulu. If I find that I’ve watched everything on there and I’m bored of it and there’s nothing else coming soon that I want I’ll cancel it and move on to HBO or Netflix or whatever and catch up on all the stuff that’s come out since the last time I had that service. I don’t really care that I’m not able to watch every show that’s great right when it comes out.” – tenehemia

“We need to normalize regularly cancelling memberships. No one’s giving you a discount the longer you stay and resubscribing doesn’t cost anything extra. I’ll gladly wait until Netflix / Hulu / Whoever releases a few shows I want to watch, pay for a month to watch them, then cancel again.” – Fine_on_the_outside·

Manicures and pedicures

“I don’t visit nail salons at all anymore.” – mondaysareturds

“i was coming to say this. i used to do mani/pedi twice a month before covid. but now it’s $50 before tip for REGULAR not gel not acrylic and that’s just insane to me. i’m from nyc when i was a kid (im 25) mani/pedi was $15.” – Neat-Lawfulness9586

“Same here, I used to go once a month to treat myself now I can’t even afford just to go once a year.” – UnicornTurtle_

SAVINGS TIP: Beauty school salons

“If you can find a beauty school, go there. Great prices, the students are watched by teachers and they do a great job. And the beauty school where I go has coupons, and discount days for different things. It’s really worth looking into.

That’s where I get my hair colored/cut too. I’ve got long hair (middle of the back) and I can get something that would cost $300+ at a salon, for like $100 +tip. And if you don’t like what you got, they will go out of their way to fix it.” – Ihavefluffycats

Pet care

“Having a pet 🙁 I’ve had pets my whole life, but lost my last cat a few years ago. I miss having a companion but I know I cannot afford beyond basic care right now or an emergency if it were to arise.” – No-Ambassador-6984

“Our 12 year -old cat had bladder stones and needed surgery a couple of years ago. The bill came to like $7500 🫠” – Noisycarlos

“I feel your pain. I worked as a veterinary technician. My last job gave us 40% off. I couldn’t afford bloodwork for my diabetic cat. When I quit that job for something that paid better and wasn’t going to break my body, I realized I had 4 pets and no discounts! I almost kept my license so I could moonlight for some savings. I’m on pins and needles if anyone sneezes in the house.” – wisemonkey101

“This is true. Vet bills are insane. Boarding is so expensive I look for pet friendly AirBNBs when going on vacation because the pet fee is tiny by comparison.” – Got_Cabin_Fever

SAVINGS TIP: Foster animals instead of adopting

“Have you considered fostering? You give them all the love and they (shelter/rescue organization) pay the bills!” – conflictmuffin

“My nearby shelter just put a plea out for fosters because they are way over capacity. I’ve fostered a lot, and sometimes it can be hard to say good bye but it a truly good kind of pain.” – imadoggomom

“Lots of my military friends do this and they are genuinely so happy with the arrangement! Good luck.” – savannigray

The 96th Academy Awards, better known as The Oscars, will be taking place in less than a week. Meaning some films will be recognized forever as the best of the best for 2024.

…But how many of us have sat down to watch an award winning, cult classic, incredibly popular movie, only to think…is everyone else watching what I’m watching? I don’t get the hype!

You’re not alone. Art, as we know, is subjective, and just because a movie is liked by many, it doesn’t mean it will be liked by everyone.

When Reddit user u/imnachos asked: “What is a film you didn’t really enjoy that everyone seemed to like?” their question got thousands of comments from less-than-enthused moviegoers. Some choices were to be expected, such as classics that maybe don’t hold up so well with a modern lens. But then a few films that seem completely harmless and universally loved made the list.

Check out the titles below:

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The Notebook

“I first watched this movie when I was like 15 and of course at that age you think it’s romantic and the most beautiful love story ever. As an adult that has now experienced young love and mature adult love…. If my high school boyfriend had ever shown up out of nowhere while I was with my fiancé/now husband he would have no hold over me lol. Like I get the premise is that their love is so strong and eternal and that they’re soulmates blah blah blah but they didn’t even give her a bad fiancé. The guy she was engaged to was handsome and super kind and successful lol but sure, go back to your grouchy hermit ex you haven’t spoken to in yearssss.”

A Quiet Place

“‘S’on, we can talk as loud as we want next to this waterfall. Now let’s go home to our creaky home with wood floors where we have to tiptoe and use sign language….’ My guy… just move next to the waterfall!”

Avatar

“Unobtainium?? That’s the best name they could come up with?”

“You could argue that it’s a story about how humans gathering natural resources are blind to the devastating effects of their greed… But no, that’s just a literal description of the plot. Avatar takes the nuance and context and human characters out of real-world conflict and replaces everything with a one-dimensional min-max placeholder.”

The Princess Bride

“Sorry folks, but ‘The Princess Bride’ blows. The only interesting thing about the movie was actually in the Andre the Giant documentary, detailing the pain Andre was in throughout the filming.”

Everything Everywhere All at Once

One person lamented, “I had to take breaks to watch it because it was just too much going on.”

To which someone quipped, “The title does warn you.”

Saltburn

“I watched it last night and did not get the hype, just the ick.”

Fast & Furious

“I find them all to be ridiculously stupid. Just awful.”

The MCU

” I like comics but I despise the cinematic universe.”

Barbie

“It was fine. I get it’s standing as a cultural phenomenon…But it’s not as great as what people were celebrating it as. But if people found enjoyment in it then that’s good for them.”

The Godfather

“I think you would have had to see it when it came out. It paved the way for the modern mafia movies. Before it, there was nothing like it, and it was probably amazing at the time.”

Oppenheimer

One person referenced a review of “Oppenheimer” by writer Sam Kriss, who called it:

“…bafflingly pointlessly soulless…Less an actual film than a three-hour-long trailer: just snapshots, stitched together, each scene lasting a few minutes at most, until you start to get something like motion sickness…You get the sense that Nolan isn’t really interested in much. Not nuclear physics, not the terrible responsibilities of the atomic age, or the romance of Communism, or the cruel machinery of the US government; in fact, he doesn’t even seem to care at all about J Robert Oppenheimer, as a man or a totem. What he cares about are the following: firstly, shoving as many scientists and politicians in front of our faces as possible, so we all appreciate how thoroughly he’s done his homework, and secondly, employing a Mirror-wannabe non-linear storytelling technique for no apparent reason whatsoever. It sucks.”

Elf

“I hate ‘Elf’. I can’t stand Will Ferrell. He’s not funny; he’s just loud.”

Wonder Woman

“It was cool for a woman-led superhero film. But the plot was pretty mid.”

You know what they say—everyone’s a critic! But that’s all the more reason why we need a variety of films, focusing on different perspectives, cultures, genres, you name it, so that there can be something for everyone.

There are a lot of reasons for people to get discouraged these days. The cost of living is through the roof. We’ve entered the early phases of an election year that Americans of all political stripes are dreading and an increasing number of people are dealing with mental health issues.

That’s why we’re sharing a simple piece of advice from Mel Robbins that can hopefully uplift those feeling down by providing them with a simple tool to help when they feel hopeless.

Mel Robbins is a popular podcast host, author, motivational speaker and former lawyer who caught the public’s attention with her 2011 Ted Talk, “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over.”

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“If you’re feeling really discouraged right now or just in survival mode, I have some counterintuitive advice to give you and it’s based on research. I didn’t believe it when I first heard it, but it actually makes a lot of sense,” Robbins starts her video.

Feeling discouraged? Here is my counterintuitive advice. 

@melrobbins

Feeling discouraged? Here is my counterintuitive advice. #melrobbins #dailyinspiration #mindsetmotivation #negativethinking #overwhelm #positivechanges #findyourhappy #spotlighteffect

“See, when things in life feel very hard, our brain tends to focus on what’s not working,” she continued. “It magnifies the negative in your life and so it’s all you see. And when all you see is the negative, it impacts your energy, and you feel tired, drained, and exhausted by the negative in your life.”

Her solution? Add “one thing” to your life that you love that’s positive. Many people are struggling with money these days, but there are a lot of positive experiences people can enjoy that cost very little or are free.

“Go paint this weekend. Go to an Art Museum. Go hang out with a friend. Sign up for a class. Start running again,” Robbins says.

According to Robbins, adding one positive thing will help divert your attention from your problems and focus them on the things that make life worth living. “You have something to look for, and the positive energy starts to wash away all of the negative things,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense, but boy, oh boy, does it work.”

Psychological rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry agrees with Robbins in a piece she wrote for Verywell Mind. “When you find yourself ruminating on things, look for an uplifting activity to pull yourself out of this negative mindset,” she wrote. “For example, if you find yourself mentally reviewing some unpleasant event or outcome, consciously try to redirect your attention elsewhere and engage in an activity that brings you joy.”

One of the commenters on the video agreed with the importance of adding a little positivity to one’s life because they ahd experienced the benefits first-hand. “My boss had us journal 3 positive things that happened each day. Did it for 3 weeks and it changed my life for years. Need to start it again,” Kiki wrote.

“That’s amazing! Your boss was definitely on to something!” Robbins responded.

“Adding 1 positive thing instead of forcing everything to seem ok is great advice,” Eleni added. “You cannot ignore the reality, instead add positive moments.”

Reneé Rapp is postponing two U.K. shows. The news arrives as she has been dealing with illness, and lost her voice. Rapp made the announcement today (March 5) via Twitter, that she will be taking some time to recover.

“Guys, I’m sure you could tell but my voice was gone after last nights show,” Rapp said. “I’ve been sick for the majority of the European leg of this tour, and without any recovery time, I can’t seem to shake it. I’m being told that I need to rest my voice and not sing through for risk of long-term injury.”

To ensure that fans receive the highest performance quality, Rapp is postponing the final two Southampton out-stores. She plans to offer the new shows when she is back in town for Reading and Leeds festivals. Rapp said she is currently ironing out details for the make-up shows and will share the new dates before the end of the week.

“This tour is everything to me but holy sh*t am I burnt and I have to prioritize my health in this moment,” Rapp said.

Rapp isn’t the only artist whose had to reschedule shows due to illness. Recently, Adele announced that she was ordered by her doctor to take a break from performing as she has also been sick. As a result, all of her March shows have been postponed.

You can read Rapp’s full message above.

Playing H-O-R-S-E against Nikola Jokic really does seem like it would be a miserable experience. Jokic is incredibly good at a whole lot of stuff on the basketball court, and the case could be made that he is the league’s best tough shot maker, as he’s incredible at getting squared up and shooting the ball with the perfect amount of touch.

At the end of the first quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Jokic showed off his tough shot making ability by beating the buzzer at the end of the first quarter. The two-time NBA MVP got the ball at the top of the key with just a hair under three seconds remaining, and immediately, Eric Gordon hounded him. Instead of panicking, Jokic simply spun into a Sombor Shuffle — his signature shot where he shoots a fadeaway off of his right leg — and did not even hit the rim.

As Brian Anderson of TNT mentioned, Jokic just does this kind of stuff all the time, which is completely insane, because this is not something that anyone should be able to do this effortlessly.

Seriously, they should bring back H-O-R-S-E at the All-Star Game and let Jokic make people look silly. At the very least, watching him and Luka Doncic go shot-for-shot would be fun.

“I don’t worry about money,” Donald Trump told Fox News on Tuesday when asked about having to pay over $455 million thanks to his New York fraud trial. But maybe he does? The former president has yet to fork over the scratch (for that, and for the latest E. Jean Carroll suit), which is rapidly accruing interest. What’s more, it looks like he’s going to clinch his third presidential nomination, which means he needs money. Perhaps some generous soul, someone far richer than he is, will bail him out. Perhaps that generous soul is the second richest person in the world.

Per The New York Times, on Sunday Trump reportedly met with Elon Musk — who just surrendered the title of richest person in the world to Jeff Bezos — plus a few wealthy Republican donors. It’s not known what they discussed, but Trump is on the hunt for additional major donors to take on the moneyed Joe Biden campaign.

Will Musk give Trump what he wants? Possibly. The sloppy Tesla/Space X/Twitter/X honcho, who has donated to both parties over the years, has been drifting rightward of late, enraged by what he calls “the work mind virus.” He’s even told his 100 million followers on his social media service that they should vote for a Republican Congress. Musk could very well singlehandedly wipe out the huge financial advantage Trump’s presidential successor has over him.

Though Trump has crushed polls and primaries alike — Super Tuesday predictably appears to be strongly in his favor — there are signs that he shouldn’t be so cocky. His last GOP rival standing, Nikki Haley, has not only refused to leave the race but has suggested she won’t back him if/when he does. Her supporters don’t seem to like him much, including one who called him a “lunatic” and implied that she won’t vote for either Biden or him come November.

And so congrats to Trump-voting Republicans: Your boy could very well be relying on the kindness of wealthy strangers.

(Via NYT)

Sea.Hear.Now Festival returns to the beaches of Asbury Park, NJ this fall. Over the course of two days (September 14 & 15), fans can enjoy performances from Noah Kahan, Norah Jones, The Gaslight Anthem, Action Bronson, Kool & The Gang, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, and many more.

In addition to the opportunity to see more than 25 different artists perform on three stages, ticketholders can also look forward to a professional surf contest and art installations throughout the beach grounds. As the festivities look promising, fans can’t wait to get their hands on tickets, and can begin purchasing passes as early as this week.

When do Sea.Hear.Now Festival 2024 tickets go on sale?

Fans can purchase tickets beginning Thursday, March 7 at 10 a.m. EST. One-day and two-day tickets will be available for purchase via the festival’s official website, where fans can register for a presale code starting now.

According to a press release, the pre-sale will be the most optimal way to purchase two-day general admission, GA+, VIP, platinum, or ultimate experience tickets. A general on-sale will begin at 11 a.m. EST if there are any tickets left.

You can see the full Sea.Hear.Now lineup below.

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

Back in December of 2023, Adele told The Hollywood Reporter that she wasn’t fond of other people covering her songs since they cannot relate to them on the same level.

“I don’t mind it when they do, but I’m just saying they’re never going to be able to emote it,” she said.

But had she heard Asher HaVon’s rendition of her power ballad “Set Fire To Rain,” she might be singing a different tune.

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The Alabama-based singer, minus a high-profile gig involving Barack Obama, was more accustomed to performing at church than on a massive stage.

Still, HaVon wowed judges on “The Voice” during his blind audition—beginning with rich, earthy tones that effortlessly soared to goosebump-inducing high notes.

“Asher, what an incredible voice you have,” Reba McEntire said afterwards. “Your range, your power, I couldn’t wait to turn around and see what you look like.”

John Legend, though he didn’t turn his chair for HaVon, seconded McEntire’s opinion, saying “it went in so many different places and your voice has so many different pockets that are very cool.”

Take a listen below:

Feeling chills? You’re not alone. Check out what other viewers had to say:

“Right out of the gate Asher sounded amazing and he just got better and better. Crazy vocal, range,and runs.”

“He took that steadying breath and out came this legit sound, deep and sonorous. It was a little surprising. I thought he’d be a high tenor. He showed the low but also got some squall, falsetto, and grit in there. Well done, man!”

“After the Intro I didn’t expect such a huge range. Asher nailed it!!! Great Performance.”

“This had me smiling from start to finish. This is probably the best rendition I have heard of this song and his voice is astronomical.”

“Absolutely gorgeous version of the song. Asher totally made that song his own!”

“This man is vocally exceptional. His voice was soulful and powerful. And the song choice further supported his voice.”

It might be true that no one can relate to a song the exact same way the creator of the song does. But we can infuse our own emotions and interpretations into those works, creating something fresh and new. It’s definitely one of the more magical aspects of the human condition.