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The fact that beavers build dams is one of nature’s coolest features. Gathering and stacking tree branches, rocks, grass and mud across a river so they can build their homes underwater is a unique instinct among the animals—and a strong one.

Apparently, it’s so strong that beavers will build dams anywhere, including inside a human’s house using whatever items they can find.

A video shared by Dr. Holley Muraco, director of research at the Mississippi Aquarium, shows a female beaver named Sawyer busily gathering stuffed animals, blankets, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and more to build a dam in a hallway, and it’s seriously the most delightful thing ever.

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Sawyer pauses once in a while to assess her work, which is adorable. And her ongoing struggle with SpongeBob SquarePants’ legs is a must-see.

If you’re concerned about seeing natural animal behavior like this in an unnatural habitat, don’t worry. Muraco explains that Sawyer spends most of her time outdoors with other beavers, but also likes to come in the house occasionally. More on Sawyer’s life story below, but first, behold her adorableness at work:

Sawyer is one of three orphaned beavers Muraco is rehabbing at her home with the help of Woodside Wildlife Rescue.

“Sawyer is one of a kind,” Muraco tells Upworthy. “Very opinionated and, as crazy as it sounds, intelligent. I raised Sawyer on a bottle in our home and then introduced her to Huck and Finn who are a bit older. All three were orphaned separately when their parents were killed. The three were sent to Woodside Wildlife to be raised as siblings.”

Sawyer, Huck and Finn. Perfection.

Muraco says Sawyer started building dams in her kennel as a tiny baby and then moved on to building bigger dams in the hallway. She lives outside with Huck and Finn, but she walks to Muraco’s back door when she wants to go inside to check on things and build a new dam.

Muraco says beavers are very social creatures and do better living in a group, but are also one of the most difficult animals to rehab. They have to spend up to two years with rehabbers, which is how long they would spend with their parents in the wild, and caring for them is challenging due to their complex and sensitive digestive needs. They are also prone to illness and there’s a lot that’s still unknown about vet care for them. Muraco says beavers are also considered a nuisance animal, especially in Mississippi, so it can be hard to find a safe place to release them.

In Muraco’s care, Sawyer, Huck and Finn get ample opportunities to practice instinctive behaviors, which is a vital element of rehabilitation. The ultimate goal is for them to return to the wild once they meet key milestones.

Raising beavers is a lot of work, but Muraco is dedicated to preparing these young ‘uns for life after rehab, both for their own good and for the environment. “Beavers are a keystone species and are often critical for healthy wetlands,” she explains. They are misunderstood creatures and are sometimes killed by people who simply see them as pests, which is one reason Muraco publicly shares her adventures with Sawyer, Huck and Finn.

“We are so excited that people are enjoying watching the beavers and falling in love with this unusual, quirky rodent,” she says.

If anyone wants to support these beaver rescue efforts, Muraco invites people to donate to Woodside Wildlife Rescue.

This article originally appeared on 01.13.23

Beef is a permanent dish on hip-hop’s menu; anyone can be served a heaping helping. While time can sometimes aid in relationship mending, that’s not always the cause for rappers. Benzino and Eminem’s longstanding feud is a prime example of this. In the past few weeks alone, they’ve each dropped disses toward the other. So, during Benzino’s recent appearance on Drink Champs, the host couldn’t help but ask about it.

Throughout the episode uploaded on February 17, Benzino took several jabs at Eminem. At one point, he even implied that Eminem’s rise to fame in rap was due to him being white. However, near the end of the sit down (the 2-hour 34-minute mark), Benzino, overwhelmed with emotion and alcohol, reflected on how his issue with Eminem has impacted his daughter Uproxx cover star Coi Leray.

“I don’t have nothing against Eminem,” he said. “He can rap, but I care about us more. I don’t want to talk about it no more,” he said. “My daughter came to industry figuring ‘I gotta be cool with Eminem because everybody is against my dad. I don’t hate Eminem. I don’t know him to hate him. I don’t hate white people tired of this sh*t, man. It’s just too much. I don’t want to be the bad guy.”

Leray previously spoke about how Benzino’s past mix-ups could have derailed her career, including her guest verse from Nicki Minaj on “Blick Blick.”

Watch Benzino’s full interview on the Drink Champs podcast above.

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

Acting isn’t hard work the way, say, coal-mining is, but it ain’t easy. Among the most difficult aspects is learning one’s lines. One doesn’t want to screw up a take or, if they’re on stage, suffer a crippling brain fart in front of a paying audience. Each thespian has their own method for memorizing dialogue, some more out-there than most. For instance, the way Pedro Pascal is, by his own admission, absolutely deranged.

Per Deadline, the Mandalorian actor took part in a SAG-AFTRA Foundation roundtable with his fellow Outstanding Performance by Male Actor in a Drama Series nominees. At one point he told participants Billy Crudup, Matthew Macfadyen, and Kieran Culkin that he betted he could “show you a psychotic physical example of what I now have to do to learn my lines.”

And indeed he did, busting out a paper that looked straight-up like a cipher made by the Zodiac killer, with letters divided into rows. “This is like a psycho first letter of every word,” he said. “You see the letters, right? Basically, I’m the Unabomber.”

Pascal then attempted to further explain how it works:

“You use the first letter of each in these towers or columns, I guess, and it’s this very, very tedious way of making yourself learn the line so that you’re not making choices. It’s not even sort of artistic, it’s just this really technical way I’ve had to acquire because of that terrible experience of forgetting my lines.”

What did his fellow actors think of it? “Gibberish,” concluded Culkin, agreeing that he’s the Unabomber.

But hey, whatever works for Pascal, who said he learned to use this the hard way, after a “horrible experience” doing Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare in the Park in 2014, when he blanked on one of his lines. You keep doing you!

You can watch the full chat in the video below. The weird line reading business begins around the 20-minute mark.

(Via Deadline)

No matter which side you lean toward in University Music Group and TikTok’s ongoing debate, you can’t deny the social media network’s impact on the industry. Sophie Ellis-Bextor can attest to this. After the singer’s 2001 song, “Murder On The Dancefloor,” was featured in the conclusion of Saltburn, users on the app quickly began using it in their posts.

As the fictional character Oliver Quick (played by Barry Keoghan) showed off his happy feet, folks feverishly tried to recreate the footloose scene, including Ellis-Bextor herself. Today (February 18), Ellis-Bextor brought her best moves to the 2024 BAFTAs (British Academy Film Awards) with a groovy performance of the record.

Although the film’s stars didn’t come out for a shocking moment, on stage, Ellis-Bextor and her army of dancers held it down, showing why the over twenty-year track will never get old.

During an interview with Brisbane Times, Ellis-Bextor shared her feelings about the track’s rise in popularity due to its feature in the film and the scene’s virality on TikTok. “You get very clever people like Emerald Fennell to sort of tap into the cyclical nature of things,” she said. “In the 1990s, we reminisced about the 1970s, the music came back, the fashion came back, and now it feels like people are repeating that with the 2000s. Either way, it’s very fun for me and Natasha [Bedingfield].”

Watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s full performance courtesy of the BAFTA Awards below.

The incredible @SophieEB gets the party started with a fabulous performance of Murder On The Dancefloor 🪩 #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/wkHMEfQBDI

— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 18, 2024

INDIANAPOLIS — Jayson Tatum has steadily established himself as one of the NBA’s elite players over his seven seasons with the Celtics. On Sunday night he will play in his fifth consecutive All-Star Game, his fourth as a starter, and is coming off of a 55-point performance a year ago that earned him All-Star MVP honors.

All that is to say, Tatum has become a staple of All-Star Weekend and becoming the leading star on a franchise like the Boston Celtics comes with ample attention and responsibility. On Saturday afternoon, Tatum stopped by Ruffles’ activation at Nap or Nothing in Indy to interact with fans and give them a chance to see him up close, and as he explained when we sat down prior, that’s one of the most important parts of All-Star Weekend.

“I think it goes hand-in-hand,” Tatum said. “Like part of being an All-Star is the fans voting and wanting you to be here and I think being in some ways accessible and being able to come to things like this so they can see you and see your participation and see you actually are organic with the brands that you partner with. You know fans are smart, they remember things like that. Obviously I’m excited to be here with Ruffles and part of this Ridgeline experience, and any time you get to be interactive with the fans and give them a chance to be a part of All-Star Weekend and get a chance to unlock gifts and things like that. I think it’s just better for everybody.”

It’s all part of being in a leadership role with a team like the Celtics, which Tatum admits has taken some time for him to get comfortable with. As a naturally quiet guy, the star forward has had to grow into being a more vocal leader alongside the more natural “lead by example” tendencies to his work.

“Just doing it at your own pace, right. Everybody leads differently,” Tatum says. “I’m not the loudest guy in the room, but, you know, understand that your voice matters and people respect you by the work that you put in — show up every day, do your job, and when you have the right intentions. So just growing into your own skin, you know, through your experience in the league, people see that.”

On the floor, Tatum has gone from a helpful piece of a playoff team to the top star. While it’s one thing to make a leap into the All-Star conversation, it’s another to become a true superstar, the kind of guy that can be the best player on a championship team. That’s what Tatum is looking to prove this season, and when asked what it takes to make that leap, he quickly highlights one aspect of the game that’s crucial.

“Consistency,” Tatum explains. “Everybody can be special on one night or have a good month. But you know, can you do it for 82 games? Can you do it year after year after year? You know defenses are meant to stop you and you’re the main focus every night. Can you be efficient? Can you make other people better? Can you impact winning? When you’re doing all those things every single night, game after game after game, you’re doing something right.”

Since coming into the league, Tatum has known nothing but success at the NBA level. His Celtics teams have made the playoffs each season and have reached at least the Conference Finals four times in six years. However, with all of that success comes a lot of pressure now to not only get in the mix for a title, but to actually win a championship.

At 43-12, the Celtics have the best record in the NBA by a wide margin — four games ahead of Minnesota and six games ahead of Cleveland in the East. Regular season success isn’t new to Boston, but they do seem to be firing on all cylinders at the moment. It’s the second year with Joe Mazzulla at the helm, who like Tatum has been finding his way after suddenly being thrust into the lead role in Boston shortly before last season started. This year Tatum feels Mazzulla has been more comfortable in that position after having a full offseason to prepare and build out his staff, and that’s one of the reasons the Celtics have been able to be as good as they are.

“Getting that year under his belt, I think it was big,” Tatum says of his coach. “He got a whole offseason to prepare, he got the coaching staff and hired some guys that best fit him and the style he wanted to coach. And I think you’ve just seen him relax a lot more and he’s a lot more sure of himself and a lot more comfortable in his position as the head coach, and he’s taking responsibility.”

This year’s Celtics roster also looks different after a big offseason of moves, headlined by adding Kristaps Porzingis in a trade for Marcus Smart. That was a gamble by Brad Stevens and the organization to take away a player that was considered the heart of Boston’s locker room, their vocal leader, and perimeter defensive ace. They were banking on Derrick White thriving in that point guard role, Tatum and Jaylen Brown to embrace their leadership positions to keep things on track, and Porzingis to bring them a more dynamic offensive attack. To this point, that’s all worked out, with White having a terrific season, Tatum and Brown further adding to their roles as leaders, and Porzingis making them more dangerous.

Adding Jrue Holiday via trade only bolstered the overall attack more, and gave them another proven leader on both sides of the ball.

As Tatum explains, with their current group there’s no longer an easy decision for defenses. They can create more pressure points for the defense and to eliminate one of those, you have to give something up — and now that’s to a player well-equipped to take advantage.

“It’s tough. I mean, I feel like guarding us, you got to give up something. You can’t stop everything,” Tatum says. “And I think that’s what we were trying to build. Get the right guys in place in our system that you might have to give up something and you have to give it up to a really good player.”

Tatum and the Celtics know regular season success is no longer the bar they will be measured by — and even making it to the NBA’s final four isn’t enough. They are now a team that will be judged by championships. Tatum believes they are equipped to do that, noting they’re not just a talented group but one that enjoys playing with each other. In a few months they’ll get their chance to prove they’ve made the right moves as team to win and Tatum will get his chance to cement his status as one of the NBA’s premier players.

There was a massive jump in credit card fraud in America in 2021 due to the pandemic. According to CNET, fraud involving credit cards jumped 69% from 2020 to 2021, affecting 13 million Americans and costing $9 billion.

In a world where online transactions are part of everyday life, it’s hard to completely protect your information. But, by staying vigilant and monitoring your accounts you can report fraud before it gets out of hand.

A TikTok user by the name of Lauren (@absolutelylauren) from San Diego, California, got a notification that there was a $135 charge on her card at Olaplex’s online store that she hadn’t made. Olaplex sells products that repair excessively damaged hair. Before reporting the charge to her credit card company she asked her family members if they used her card by mistake.

“I don’t wanna shut my card down if it’s just my mom ordering some shampoo,” Lauren said in the video. “Definitely not my two younger brothers, they’ve got good hair but they don’t color it.”

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After realizing the charge was fraudulent, most people would have called their credit card company and had their card canceled. But Lauren was curious and wanted to know who stole her information and used it to buy hair care products. So she concocted a plan to get their information. She called Olaplex’s customer service line asking for the name and address of the purchaser to see if it was made by a family member.

“Hey, can you help me with something?” Lauren asked Tanya, the Olaplex customer service agent. “If I can give you the time and date, purchase amount and card number and whatever could you let me know who placed an order?”

Tanya had no problem helping Lauren with her request.

@absolutelylauren

olaplex customer service is top tier 😤 #creditcardscam

“At this point, I’m willingly giving Tanya enough info to steal my card as well — she could have very well taken advantage of me in that moment but she didn’t,” Lauren said. “She comes back — tell me why she gave me the little scammer their full government name and address.”

Tanya revealed that a guy named Jason in a modest suburb in Texas used her card to buy a gift for his wife. “They also did it on Black Friday so at least they got a deal I guess, it was the gift set,” Lauren continued.

Lauren then called her credit card company and shared the information she had on the fraudster. The card company is currently investigating the situation.

One commenter thought that Olaplex wasn’t supposed to share that information with Lauren. “For some reason, I don’t think olaplex was supposed to give that info,” Arae270 said.

“I definitely gave them the option, but I explained that it was an unauthorized purchase, and if the name did not match anyone that I knew that I would just tell them to cancel the order and refund me, I told the girl that they would probably save everyone, a headache!” Lauren replied.

People should use utmost caution before deciding to track down a credit card thief. But kudos to Lauren for being clever enough to track down the person who stole her card information to help the authorities with their investigation. She didn’t put herself in harm’s way and if someone follows up on the tip, maybe they can prevent the same thing from happening to someone else.

This article originally appeared on 1.11.23

Donald Trump clearly adores Vladimir Putin, as he does all the world’s despots. But is the feeling mutual? Perhaps not. Last week the Russian president dragged MAGA star Tucker Carlson over the painfully boring interview he did during his dumb trip to Moscow. Now Russian State TV is tearing Trump’s super fans a new one.

Per Newsweek, a clip from Friday’s edition of Meeting Point spread over social media, with subtitles. In it, Maxim Yusin, a Russian journalist and political commentator, went off on MAGAland.

“The majority of people who vote for Trump are not very smart primitive people with whom you need to talk like this, with cliches and dumb slogans,” said Yusin.

The remark prompted laughter from the fellow commentators, one of whom called Trump stans “rednecks,” comparing them to villagers who cry out for money.

Yet another commentator turned his derision towards Trump himself. “He shuffles around the same 10 words, such a bullsh*t that’s all,” he said. “This man is planning to be president again.”

Why is Russian State TV so down on Trump? He’s all but egging them on, promising he’ll allow the nation to invade NATO countries he doesn’t like. Meanwhile his lackeys in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Mike Johnson, are trying to block further aid to Ukraine. While they may appreciate the help, it seems clear they don’t respect them. Wonder why.

(Via Newsweek)

“Sun/Son” singer Jhené Aiko has made promoting peace, caring, and positivity a part of her artistic ethos. Unfortunately, in the court of law, one person is attempting to paint Jhené in a different light.

According to The Blast, Jhené Aiko is being sued for her alleged involvement in a 2022 car accident. In the filing obtained by the outlet on Friday, February 16, plaintiff Genelle Ligot accused Aiko of being reckless behind the wheel. Ligot suggested that Aiko’s negligence led to their July 2022 crash in Encino, California.

While at a traffic light, Ligot claims that Aiko struck her vehicle from behind, which reportedly resulted in bodily injury and, consequently, loss of wages. “Due to the negligent actions of [Aiko] while operating the motor vehicle, [Ligot] was injured in health, strength, and activity,” reads the legal documents.

Outside of the wage loss, Ligot listed that she also suffered: ‘Loss of use of property and loss of earning capacity.” Although Ligot’s financial demand amount was not included in the paperwork, she clarified that she is seeking compensation for hospital and medical expenses, general damage, property damage, and the loss of wages.

Ligot has requested a jury should the case go to trial.

Jhené Aiko has not issued a statement regarding the incident.

Adele has built a rather illustrious career as a chart-topping, award-winning, and beloved vocalist. However, should the “Easy On Me” singer wish to try something else—comedy is calling her name. During each of her Weekends With Adele residency shows, Adele’s delightful humor and silly demeanor serve as the cherry on top.

But even when she isn’t trying, fans find themselves cackling at Adele, as seen in the plethora of viral memes starring the entertainer. Yesterday (February 17), during her latest performance, Adele explained the origins of the viral meme of her courtside at the 2022 NBA All-Star festivities. In short, the still taken from a clip during the broadcast was due to her extreme discomfort.

Read Adele’s full explanation below.

Do you remember that viral meme of me looking like I don’t give a flying f*ck. I’d like to give some context to that meme. I know it sounds crazy, but I really don’t like being famous, right? So obviously, I know I’m sitting courtside at a basketball game, whatever. But Rich [Paul] was working the room and, you know, talking to other players and people. I was fine. I didn’t mind. I was just there on my own, looking for Michael Jordan, to be honest with you.

So, the people with the camera came over and asked me twice. They were like, ‘Do you mind if we film you? Can we put you on the screen?’ I said, ‘Please don’t. I just canceled [my] Las Vegas [residency]. I really don’t wanna be [on camera]. They came back and they filmed me. So, the reason my lips look like I had filler, because I have naturally big lips…I don’t need filler. The reason I looked like a different person was because I was sulking. Because I was like, ‘These motherf*ckers have come back and are filming me against my will.’

I didn’t know they were airing it on TV. I thought it was just in the room, you know. But anyway, I just wanted to give some context. Because I was ignoring looking everywhere but in the camera. I was very annoyed because I asked not to be filmed. Also my face is very memeable. I can’t help it.

On Saturday bad Valentine’s Day gifter Donald Trump reached a weird new low in self-parody: He hawked gold sneakers. The former president crashed Philadelphia’s Sneaker Con, where, amidst a sea of cheers and boos, he showed the crowd a new line of expensive Trump-brand kicks, including a pair that runs $400. The move earned instant mockery, including from the current president’s team.

Per Mediaite, shortly after Trump unveiled his gold shoes, the Biden-Harris campaign’s communications director, Michael Tyler, fired off a meme dragging his latest stunt, writing, “Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life.”

Trump’s pricey sneakers — which come in three kinds, the most expensive bearing the color gold, just like his toilets — happened to be unveiled the day after he was ordered to pay nearly $355 million (plus interest) after being found liable for fraud. What’s more, he’s banned from doing business in his home state of New York for three years.

Alas, these expensive gold sneakers won’t likely make a dent in that sum. The sneaker aren’t Trump products but rather the result of a licensing deal with a joint called 45Sneakers, which also put out a line of Trump fragrances. The gold shoes sold out quickly, though MAGA die hards can still pre-order $199 “T-Red Wave sneakers,” plus white “Potus 45” version. And don’t forget about “Trump Victory 47” cologne.

(Via Mediaite)