GoneTrending

The Denver Nuggets are up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals thanks to Jamal Murray’s 23-point fourth quarter outburst in Game 2. It appeared as though the Los Angeles Lakers were going to be able to tie the series at one game each thanks in large part to shooting struggles from Murray, who shot just 5-for-12 from the field through three quarters before displaying some remarkable shotmaking in the fourth en route to a 37-point night.

The performance was akin to his Bubble playoff run that gave him the nickname “Bubble Murray,” and the fourth quarter shooting display was so effective that 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic did not even register a shot attempt in the game’s final 12 minutes.

Murray’s performance was a reminder of just how dominant the 1-seed Nuggets can be. It has been two seasons since Murray last played in the playoffs due to an ACL injury, and Denver’s guard thinks people have forgotten the level he can reach. He sat down with Andscape’s Marc Spears to make clear that he believes he’s not given the credit he deserves for what he can do on the court, but understands there is one very easy way to remedy things.

“I don’t think I get enough respect as I should be,” Murray said. “I’m better than a lot of players in the league. Every time I see rankings of guys I think, ‘Man, that is crazy.’ Maybe it’s because I have been out for so long. But if we win the chip, it changes everything.”

Denver employs Jokic, the two-time MVP who has a great case for best player in the world, and spent the majority of the season as the 1-seed in the Western Conference. Despite that, the belief as the postseason approached was that the Western Conference was more open than ever. Murray believing that he and the Nuggets have not garnered the respect they deserve very well might be justified, but if they can secure a Finals berth by taking down LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers, maybe the league will finally see them for the contender they’ve always shown themselves to be.

The Trump family is taking its MAGA act on the road. Don Jr., the second-favorite child of former president Donald Trump, announced via Twitter that he has plans to travel to Australia this summer in order to spread the bigoted, fear-mongering philosophy that got his dad elected, then impeached … twice. The shouting nepo baby is taking his finger-quotes and big cocaine-guy energy Down Under in July with the aim of pushing Trump’s Make America Great Again message, just with an Aussie twist.

“Interestingly enough, great MAGA fan base,” Don Jr. said. “I think they saw their rights being infringed, the insanity that went on there around COVID, and they understand the existential threat to the West that’s taken root. The disease of woke identity politics and cancel culture that’s crippled so much of the U.S. has just taken root there and we need to stop it.”

Considering how well Australia handled the pandemic compared to the U.S., making COVID restrictions one of his mob-galvanizing talking points might not be the best move for this Kendall Roy wannabe. And why Australia, you might ask? Because decades ago, Don Jr. spent a month backpacking there in college and suddenly, he’s an expert on the country’s culture and its politics.

Now, who’s going to break the news that he can’t carry his emotional support firearm with him through customs?

(Via Mediaite)

This week, Disney taught Ron DeSantis a significant lesson by pulling the plug on the development of a $1 billion office complex that would’ve brought roughly 2,000 jobs to Florida. The move arrived after weeks of Disney suing DeSantis for violating the company’s first amendment rights by retaliating against the entertainment giant for opposing the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. DeSantis sought to take control of the special district where Disneyland sits, but was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Disney’s lawyers.

However, following the office complex debacle, DeSantis is now trying to to reframe his war with Disney as a missive in the fight against “corporate welfare.” Never mind that DeSantis and Florida Republicans are on the record specifically attacking Disney for being “woke” and publicly stating their intentions to use the full power of the government to punish the company for its protected speech, DeSantis is going to plow ahead and pretend that the feud isn’t an easily actionable first amendment violation.

“They want to have their own government,” DeSantis said during a campaign stop. “They’ve had their own government for 50 years. It’s massive corporate welfare. We’re not doing that. They’re going to live under the same laws as everybody else. They’re going to pay their fair share of taxes. They’re not going to govern themselves.”

There’s just one small problem with DeSantis’ argument. Disney isn’t the only corporate entity with special districts in the state. During an earnings call last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger already dismantled this talking point.

“There are 2,000 special districts in Florida to foster business and investment,” Iger said while mentioning the Daytona International Speedway. “It’s easy to say Reedy Creek benefits us, but it’s misleading not to say how it benefited the state of Florida.”

As for taxes, Iger also noted during the call that Disney paid $1.1 billion in taxes in 2022. Try again, Ron.

(Via Ron Filipkowski on Twitter)

Quentin Tarantino is working on his 10th movie, which he claims will also be his final movie as a director. He could change his mind at any moment and decide the time is right for his unrealized Iron Man project. I’m sure Marvel wouldn’t mind. But as of now, his final film is set to be The Movie Critic, which is believed to be “set in late 1970s Los Angeles with a female lead at its center.” Little else is known, other than what writer and director Paul Schrader revealed in an interview with Indiewire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast.

“Quentin [Tarantino] — this may have changed — but about a month ago he was making a film, had something to do with filmmaking in the ’70s,” the Master Gardener filmmaker said. “And part of this, he’s going to use clips from movies from the ’70s, but he’s also gonna remake movies from the ’70s. And he asked me, ‘Can I redo the ending of Rolling Thunder?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, go for it. I’d love to see you redo the ending of Rolling Thunder.’ Who knows whether he actually will or not. But it was something that was tickling his imagination in a very Tarantino-esque way.”

Two things:

1. Rolling Thunder is not only the partial name of a Bob Dylan tour, it’s also a 1977 thriller starring William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones; I don’t know how Tarantino plans to “remake” it, as well as other films from the decade, but I’m fascinated to find out.

2. The guy who wrote Taxi Driver is allowed to say “Tarantino-esque” without irony, but no one else.

(Via Indiewire)

Season two of The Bear is being served up on June 10th, and the highly anticipated series will pick up right where Carmy and the gang left off as they revamp the restaurant and get to work on “starting fresh.” The new season brings in some new guest stars, including Bob Odenkirk (!) and Molly Gordon.

Gordon has been in a number of fan-favorite projects over the years, like Booksmart and Shiva Baby. While her character details are under wraps, FX confirmed earlier this month that Gordon would be playing a “key recurring role” meaning she isn’t just a regular sandwich customer.

From the first trailer that dropped earlier this week, it seems like Gordon will play someone from Carmy’s past, perhaps a former love interest. Gordon’s character asks, “So how’s your life been?” That certainly implies that they have some sort of complex history together. The two then have a snarky debate about if he had told her the name of the new restaurant, which also alludes to the fact that they have known each other for quite some time.

You’re probably thinking: is this when we will finally see Carmy secure his own love interest? Only time will tell!

The Bear returns to Hulu on June 22nd.

Imagine retiring early and spending the rest of your life on a cruise ship visiting exotic locations, meeting interesting people and eating delectable food. It sounds fantastic, but surely it’s a billionaire’s fantasy, right?

Not according to Angelyn Burk, 53, and her husband Richard. They’re living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. “Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across and entire calendar year,” Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks have called cruise ships their home since May 2021 and have no plans to go back to their lives as landlubbers. Angelyn took her first cruise in 1992 and it changed her goals in life forever.

“Our original plan was to stay in different countries for a month at a time and eventually retire to cruise ships as we got older,” Angelyn told 7 News. But a few years back, Angelyn crunched the numbers and realized they could start much sooner than expected.

“We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” she said. They looked into deals they could find through loyalty memberships and then factored in the potential sale price of their home and realized their dream was totally affordable.

The rough math makes sense. If the couple hits their goal of spending $100 per night to live on a cruise ship, that’s $36,500 a year. Currently, the average price of a home in Tukwila, Washington—where the couple has a house—is about $607,000. Let’s say you moved there today, put down 20% and financed the rest, the mortgage would cost you around $44,000 a year.

Plus, on a cruise ship, the couple doesn’t have to pay for groceries.

The Burks are able to live their dream because they’ve spent a lifetime being responsible. “We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal,” she says. “We are not into materialistic things but experiences.”

Angelyn says that cruising takes the stress out of travel. “It is leisurely travel without the complications of booking hotels, restaurants, and transportation while staying within our budget,” she told 7 News. The couple travels lightly with just two suitcases between them and if they need anything, they just buy it on the ship or in the next port.

The one thing to consider before embarking on a never-ending cruise is COVID-19. The coronavirus is easily spread in close quarters and a cruise ship that recently docked in Seattle had 100 people on board who tested positive for the virus. The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated before going on a cruise and that immunocompromised people should consult with their physicians before traveling.

Richard told Upworthy that he believes COVID-19 safety is still very important and has had both his shots and a booster. “I would suggest wearing a mask at all times when out in public no matter whether on a ship, in a movie theater, at a restaurant or even meeting with friends inside or outside,” he said.

After leaving their jobs and the mainland behind, the Burks completed a 21-day cruise via the Panama canal. They look forward to a 50-day cruise around the Adriatic Sea, taking in the sights of Europe, as well as a 51-day cruise from Seattle to Sydney, Australia.

The Burks’ favorite destinations, no matter how they get there, are Italy, Canada, Iceland and the Bahamas, but their ultimate favorite is Singapore.

Looking to give it all up and go on a permanent vacation just like the Burks? Angelyn has some advice for those wanting to get started.

This article was updated on May 17, 2022, after a conversation with Richard Burk.

The hosts of our podcast, “Upworthy Weekly” had a pretty funny take on the story.

This article originally appeared on 05.11.22

Writer and illustrator Aubrey Hirsch jokingly asked her followers on Twitter what’s a “universal thing that most men like?” because she was writing a comic and “just realized I don’t actually know any men in real life.” The tweet inspired an avalanche of funny responses.

Hirsch is the author of “Why We Never Talk About Sugar,” a collection of short stories, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Child, American Short Fiction and Time.

The interesting thing about the responses is that they weren’t the typical stereotypes about men. She didn’t get a ton of people talking about sex, sports or toxic masculinity. Instead, there were a lot of folks that mentioned very specific male behaviors as if they were talking about a bizarre species they discovered in the wild.

There were two things that got the most comments on her post. First, men enjoy throwing heavy objects into bodies of water. Preferably, the larger the rock, the deeper the body of water and from the highest vantage point possible.

The other is watching construction sites. Evidently, the phenomenon is so popular in Italy that there is a specific word for this type of person in Italian.

Here are 19 of the best responses to the question, “What’s a universal thing that most men like?”

Whatu2019s a universal thing that most men like? Iu2019m making a comic but I just realized I donu2019t actually know any men in real life.

— Aubrey Hirsch (@Aubrey Hirsch)
1647902733

1.

It’s so common in Italy that there’s a name for ithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umarell

— James Billot (@James Billot)
1647938793

When asked why men enjoy watching construction sites so much, a poster on Reddit named justdaps had the perfect response. “I just find it really satisfying and interesting to see the process behind things being built,” he wrote.

2.

https://t.co/SpjqBiViFr

— Daniel Larkin 🌹🏴 (@larkin721) March 22, 2022

3.

Me: Thinking intently trying to come up with a good answer.nAlso me seeing this tweet: Ooh, yeah, this is a good one. A good deep sounding sploosh with a big splash. Yeah, this is a good one.nWe aren’t complicated.

— Michael Miller (@Michael Miller)
1647967400

pic.twitter.com/33W9wqOYP4

— Uhtred Ragnarson (@Iskander861) March 22, 2022

Skipping a stone an unexpected number of times on a lake

— Van Weasel (@vanweezer) March 21, 2022

4.

standing while watching tvhttps://t.co/RJBUGPyJBw

— Russ Shanahan (@russshanahan) March 23, 2022

I have seen dudes do this and I have done it plenty of times myself. I usually stand while watching TV when I want to really focus on what’s happening and do not want to be distracted. This usually happens while watching sporting events or the news. It’s also a great way to use your body language to let other people know that there is something very important happening on the television.

5.

https://t.co/mlTq6HmYBJ

— Randojoeblow (@randojoeblow) March 21, 2022

6.

My work life got a lot easier when I started saying “I don’t know enough to have an opinion on this subject”. Life changing.

— PG (@PG)
1647907387

7.

A man will buy a knife, and if there is another man, he will ask to hold and admire it for 4 seconds and then give it back and say: “Nice.”

— Nathan (Elemeno P) (@realNathanWheat) March 22, 2022

8.

https://t.co/b56zP1KrTx

— AreaMantis, Hat Guy 👒 (@AreaMantis) March 23, 2022

9.

If a guy walks under a low hanging sign he will jump up and try to tap the bottom of the sign as he passes.

Guys like being asked to open jars.

Power tools. Give a guy a new drill and he’ll wander around looking for stuff that needs holes.

— Alan Morgan (@lettersndigits) March 21, 2022

When we do this 99% of the time we’re pretending that the sign is 10 feet high and that we have the ability to dunk a basketball. There are two types of men, those that can dunk and mere mortals.

10.

Memorizing favorite lines from their favorite movies, then reciting them with their friends (or even strangers) who’ve also memorized them, doing entire scenes. Extra points for using accents. A true source of unparalleled amusement & male bonding.

— cautiously optimistic 🙏🏼✌🏻 (@BethCal84918882) March 22, 2022

As a man, this one is near and dear to my heart. I can’t tell you the number of hours I have spent with my friends just throwing lines from “The Big Lebowski” back and forth.

“Nice marmot.”

“The Dude abides.”

“Say what you want about the tenets of national socialism, Dude. At least it’s an ethos.”

A movie that’s running up the ranks of being among the most quotable is another dude buddy pic, “Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood.”

“All right, that’s too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?” … “Rick, it’s a flamethrower.”

11.

Right, no-one else has posted this yet, I know my duty: pic.twitter.com/HPwd8qwgUP

— Katie (@ZiziFothSi) March 22, 2022

12.

Talking about their athletic glory days pic.twitter.com/9LmaG2oEiD

— Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) March 21, 2022

13.

Dining tables made with resin pic.twitter.com/3WQOjEjvcK

— 🌹Robin Isomaa🐕 (@RobinIsomaa) March 22, 2022

14.

Using tie down straps to secure a load in the back of a truck, then twanging the straps and going “that’s not going anywhere”

— Gom Jabbarjaw (@SensitiveWigi) March 22, 2022

15.

When my dad had to chainsaw branches off a dead tree, neighbor men just gathered with various saws from all corners of the subdivision. It was like a siren song.

— Liz (@WarmestRegardss) March 21, 2022

16.

Posing for photos while holding fish.

— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) March 22, 2022

17.

Given a wood fire and a long branch, 100 of 100 men will find a reason to poke the fire every few minutes. Just, you know, to make sure things are burning evenly.

— Patrick Fessenbecker (@pfessenbecker) March 21, 2022

18.

explaining things to women

— ˗ˏˋ Hayley DeRoche ˎˊ˗ (@hayleyderoche) March 21, 2022

Unfortunately, this is true and men do far too much of it.

19.

When shopping at a grocery store, leaning forward with your forearms on the handle of the carriage, while you walk up and down the aisles

— Joe DellaGatta (@JoeDellaGatta) March 23, 2022

Evidently, after reading the responses, Hirsch knew what was going to happen next. No need to feel ashamed about going viral. It just means you created something that people love.

I really feel for the poor Buzzfeed intern currently searching for the perfect gifs to turn this into an article that will support 8 ad spots.

— Aubrey Hirsch (@aubreyhirsch) March 22, 2022

This story was originally published on 3.42.22.

When we think about gifted conversationalists, we’re more likely to think of great talkers—those who wow us with their insights, wit, and charm. However, communication experts believe that if you want to make a great impression on someone, knowing how to listen goes a long way.

Those of us who love being verbose may think the world loves us because of how well we can talk. But the person sitting in front of you has a lot to say, and nothing makes them feel better during a conversation than your undivided attention.

As the old saying goes, we never quite remember everything someone has said to us, but we’ll never forget how they made us feel. When you actively listen to your conversation partner, they feel that you value them and are receptive to their needs. It also eases any feelings of conflict or resentment.

After a good conversation, the person you spoke with should think, “Wow, that person really gets me,” instead of, “It was like I didn’t even exist.”

A study from 2016 on sales calls did an excellent job of quantifying the amount we should speak versus listen during a conversation. A marketing director at Gong.io analyzed 25,537 sales calls using artificial intelligence and found that the interactions where the salesperson talked 43% of the time and listened 57% of the time had the highest sales yield.

This finding has come to be known as the 43:57 rule.

Even though the study was conducted on business calls, the reason that it works should apply to social conversations as well. Paying more attention helps a salesperson identify the client’s needs and makes them feel comfortable spending money because they know it’s with someone who understands their interests.

It’s the same as a social situation where the person you speak to wants to know they are valued and you respect what they say.

This is excellent advice, but sometimes it’s hard to listen when you’re in a fun conversation and have a lot to say. Kate Murphy, author of “You’re Not Listening,” says it’s all about staying calm.

“Deep breaths are always good. They’re always good. Because it…calms down that fear response. It helps you get more centered,” Murphy told WBUR. “But also to develop your curiosity. Like I said, make it more important to be curious than to be right. And to go into every conversation with that mindset of how could I be wrong? Instead of, let me prove how I’m right.”

“That’s how you develop creative ideas. It’s how you cooperate. It’s how you find middle ground, or at least a peaceable existence,” Murphy added.

The idea that to be a great conversationalist one should master the art of listening is a bit counterintuitive. But, if you feel that you have a lot to say in conversations and can be interesting to listen to, imagine how great that’ll make others feel when you show that you enjoy listening to them as well. It’s a virtuous cycle where everyone wins.

This article originally appeared on 3.7.23

What started out as a lighthearted class presentation quickly turned into a fabulous humanities lesson for all.

A teacher under the pseudonym Larry Lexicon has 1.8 million followers on TikTok, where they tune in to catch the funny-yet-inspirational interactions Lexicon has with his students.

Recently, Lexicon had his class rolling with his meticulously crafted PowerPoint explaining what certain Gen Z words mean.

“All year long I’ve been listening to you and making a list, which I’ve compiled here for you — the Gen Z Term Dictionary,” he told the class, saying that they should speak up if anything was inaccurate.

Here’s what he came up with.

He took “bruh,” (aka the “staple of their generation”) to simply be the alternative for “bro,” except that “bruh!” can also be used as an exclamation. That was correct.

Although the word “Rizz,” was fairly new to him, he also correctly guessed that this was short for “charisma,” and thus refers to someone who has the ability to charm.

“You can use it in all kinds of ways. Like I’m the Rizzard of Oz!” he joked.

“Bussin” he took to mean that something was good, particularly food. Also correct. He even knew that “bussin’ bussin’” meant that something was really good. Clearly, Lexicon had done his homework.

@larrylexicon Let me know if there are more terms I need to add to my list! #larrylexicon #doyourbuckingvocab #genzterms #teacherlife #highschool #teachersoftiktok #school ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

However, a few people pointed out in the comments that many terms have roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). So in his third TikTok, Lexicon chose to make some revisions, and explained to the class why those revisions were important.

“I know you think you came up with a lot of these words, but you didn’t, and they’ve been around for a long time,” Lexicon said, noting how parts of AAVE language are at first “looked down upon by society as uneducated or thuggish” yet nonetheless sneak into daily vocabulary through pop culture.

“What happens is it makes its way into like, white suburbia, and you get a middle-aged dorky white dude mislabeling it just for a whole generation as a term dictionary,” he said. “And it ends up erasing the importance of it.”

@larrylexicon Food smacks, music slaps. Got it. #larrylexicon #aave #genzterms #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #school #revisions #slaps ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

Lexicon then admitted that it was a mistake made by his own ignorance, which was okay, because he was able to take feedback, learn and act on it to grow.

“Being ignorant’s OK, but being willfully ignorant and not doing anything about it — not so OK.”

Viewers who have been following Lexicon’s series applauded him for taking the time to make even a silly little powerpoint into an important conversation for everyone involved.

“I love how you’re learning it and then teaching it! This is education!” one person wrote.

“The fact that you came back and showed HOW TO LEARN and that it’s OK NOT TO KNOW but not ok to be willfully ignorant,” added another.

“This is a hell of an example for your students,” read the top comment.

In case you’re curious, here are all the words gathered so far for the newly re-titled “AAVE-inspired Gen Z term dictionary.”

• “Delulu”— delusional.
• “Eepy”— really sleepy.
• “Be so for real”— “Are you serious?”
• “Witerawy”— “Literally,” but with emphasis.
• “Baddie” — “A pretty girl, typically very curvy and independent.” But can also be a guy.
• “Gyatt” — A substitute for “gosh darn!” typically used in response to seeing a baddie.
• “Getting sturdy” — A dance usually used when winning, kind of like a touchdown dance.
• “Bet” — Another way of saying “OK” or “alright.” Likely a shortened version of “you bet.”
• “Slaps” — a verb for when a song is really good. Or food. Maybe? Debate’s still out on that one
• “Cap” — A lie.
• “No cap” — The truth.
• “On god”— undeniable truth.

Lexicon plans to add new words each week throughout the remaining weeks of school. If you’d like to follow along, he can be found on TikTok.

It’s common for kids to have crushes on their teachers and Megan Rotar, a psychologist with the Mental Fitness Center in Rochester, New York, says that is entirely developmentally appropriate. “Crushes can be healthy and positive. Students might find someone who would be a good role model for them, spark an interest in learning and help (them) figure out their newly developing romantic feelings,” she told Metro Parent.

Adorable footage from a 1965 “Candid Camera” episode shows that being hot for teacher isn’t new. “Candid Camera” was a hidden camera show that first aired in 1948 where people were secretly filmed for their reactions to uncomfortable situations.

In this episode, a group of students who appear to be about 13 years old are introduced to a “new” teacher who the show refers to as “gorgeous.”

In the first clip, two girls are clearly taken by a male teacher with movie-star good looks. After he leaves the room, the girls murmur to each other with giddy excitement and fuss with their hair. “His eyes are …,” one girl said before bursting into laughter. “He’s young too. He must be at least 24,” she said.

The hidden camera crew also played the same trick on three groups of boys by introducing them to a new social studies teacher. The teacher was played by Miss Sweden 1961 Gunilla Knutsson.

When she leaves the room, one of the boys appears to belt out a curse word,” Oh sh**.” In the second group, one laughs so hard that he falls out of his chair. The boys in the final group can’t believe their luck, exclaiming, “Oh wow! And “Holy mackerel.”