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Billie Eilish has already reached so many milestones in her young life and this weekend brought another major one: On December 18, she turned 21 years old. To mark to occasion, she threw herself a big birthday bash and the stars were out in full force.

British Vogue notes that attending the celebration, hosted at The Edition in Hollywood, were Eilish’s boyfriend Jesse Rutherford, Lil Nas X, Dove Cameron, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Euphoria‘s Barbie Ferreira, and Judas And The Black Messiah‘s Dominique Fishback. Per social media evidence, also present were Doja Cat, Eric Andre, Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Khalid, Lauren Jauregui, Noah Cyrus, Raveena, Skylar Astin, Hailee Steinfeld, MLMA, Njomza, and Phem.

Furthermore, Eilish is also selling an exclusive bit of birthday merch for just 24 hours: a simple t-shirt that reads, “been a good girl for 21 years.”

Elsewhere, Eilish’s mother Maggie Baird also shared a touching message, writing on Instagram, “Happy Birthday darling Billie!! In so many ways you have lived more in twenty one years than most of us could imagine in a lifetime. You have worked incredibly hard, sacrificed so much and missed some of the milestones others get to experience easily. Through all of it you have stayed kind and thoughtful and so funny and hilarious. You have used your gifts, platform and money to make the world a better place and have given so much joy to your family and all who love you and I couldn’t love you more or be more in awe of the person you are. Happiest of birthdays to you and thank you for being such a shining light!!”

Find more photos and videos from the party below.

Drake has been quite busy this year — from releasing two albums and racking up a slew of nominations to eclipsing other commercial juggernauts like Eminem and breaking the Beatles’ record for most top-five singles. The Canadian hitmaker has cemented his cultural footprint with a career that spans nearly a decade.

By collaborating with the hottest artists out right now, like Jack Harlow and Tems, the rapper consistently finds ways to stay relevant and atop the Billboard charts. Drake always finds himself at the center of cultural conversations, whether it’s a new hair change or sparking debates about misogyny in rap. Here are some of the biggest moments from Drake in 2022.

Drake Releases Honestly, Nevermind

With his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind, Drake transports fans into an electronic dance fever dream. With cascading beats and the rapper’s notoriously emo lines, the album will have you pumping your fist in the air in one moment and crying in the next. The album also caused a significant debate about the roots of house music, where fans claimed that Drake was “reclaiming” the Black art form.

The album represents a full-circle moment for the pop star, who has slowly been edging toward more dance-themed hits like 2016’s “One Dance.”

Drake Eclipses Beatles For The Most Top-Five Singles Of All Time

The hitmaker has been racking up record-breaking awards all year, but this might be the biggest. The rapper has now eclipsed the Beatles for the most top-five singles ever. “Staying Alive” by DJ Khaled and featuring both Drake and Lil Baby helped the “Sticky” rapper claim his 30th top-five song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

But it doesn’t stop there: The rapper has also become the highest-selling artist in RIAA history, surpassing Eminem.

Drake Releases Her Loss With 21 Savage

After releasing a collaborative project with Future in 2016, What A Time to Be Alive, fans were eager to know when the rapper would do another collab and, more importantly, with who. Following the release of Honestly, Nevermind this past summer, the rapper teamed up with 21 Savage for his next project, Her Loss.

Along with topping the charts, the album caused quite a bit of controversy. Drake found himself in hot water with Megan Thee Stallion fans after allegedly dissing her on one of the album’s tracks, “Circo Loco.” Vogue also sued the rapper and 21 Savage for using a fake cover during the rollout of their album.

The Patriots and Raiders appeared destined for overtime, as New England handed the ball off on the final play of regulation to Rhamondre Stevenson from their own 44 yard line.

What transpired from there is one of the craziest (and dumbest) plays of the season as Stevenson pitched the ball back to Jakobi Meyers, who then ran backwards and launched the ball back to Mac Jones. The problem was, Chandler Jones was waiting there, caught the errant backwards pass, and then stiff armed Mac Jones through the ground before running to the end zone for a walk off touchdown. If you have not seen the play, please enjoy.

One of the best things in sports is checking in on local radio calls of big plays after they happen, because the emotion of the home radio broadcast always brings a little something extra — either elation or disappointment — to the play. The Patriots broadcast absolutely brought it on this play, as brief excitement turns to confusion and ultimately pure disgust.

The color commentator really steals the show here, because the first “oh my god” as Meyers throws the ball up to Jones is such a pure moment of realization that disaster is on its way. From there, he lets loose some pent up frustration with watching this Patriots team each week with a “this might be one of the dumbest teams I’ve ever seen,” and honestly, I can’t blame him because this was impossibly stupid.

This article originally appeared on 12.08.17.

Centenarians — people 100 years or older — are a rarity. Their lives are often scrutinized as holding the key to aging.

Czech photographer Jan Langer‘s portrait series “Faces of Century” shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time.

In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven’t changed over time. That is the key to the series.

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These are the rare faces of people who have lived through two world wars, a cavalcade of regimes, and the rush of advancements in modern life. These photos, and the stories of the lives lived by the people in them, show not only the beauty of aging, but how even as we age, we still remain essentially ourselves.

1. Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101

Vejdělek is a former metallurgical engineer who will never forget the taste of warm fresh goat’s milk.

2. Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103

Originally born in Merano, Italy, Köhlerová wishes to visit Italy one more time.

3. Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102

Chybík is a former postal carrier and says he will never forget the route he worked every day.

4. Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105

Jetelina spent eight years in prison after World War II. Now, he just wants to live the rest of his life in peace.

5. Marie Fejfarová, at age 101

Fejfarová burned all her material memories, including old photographs, when she decided to move to a long-term care facility. She lived a dramatic life, hiding from the Nazis and then the Russians, but eventually she was able to travel the world with her husband. Her experiences show there’s no such thing as too late in life to start a new chapter.

6. Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102

Kovář is a former musician whose daughter comes to visit him every day. He wishes to play the clarinet once more.

7. Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102

Vašinová will always remember the day her husband was taken away by the Nazis. She wishes to be reunited with him after death.

8. Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102

Spáčil was an electrical engineer throughout his life and thinks that it’s too early in his life to think about the past.

9. Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100

Pochobradská was a farmer. She now lives a quiet life and is thankful that her daughter visits her every weekend.

10. Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101

Baldrman was a clerk early in life and keeps up with current events by reading the newspaper.

11. Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101

Burešová loves talking to her family and wishes to have them all together again.

12. Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101

Čížková cooked in the dining room at the airport in the small village of Vodochody. She’ll never forget reciting her own poetry at wedding ceremonies.

13. Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101

Vysloužilová stays active every day by chopping wood, shoveling snow, and doing work around her house.

The photographer Langer was initially inspired to document the lives of elderly people because of what he saw as the media’s lack of coverage of them. He decided to focus on people over the age of 100 — a very rare demographic indeed. The 2010 U.S. Census reported only 53,364 centenarians, which is only 0.19% of the population of people 70 years or older.

“One should live every single moment according to their best knowledge and conscience because one day we will see clearly what has a real value,” Langer says of what he learned from his subjects while photographing them.

The series was originally part of a story that Langer did for the Czech news outlet aktuálně.cz. You can see more photos from the portrait sessions by following the link.

The Patriots and Raiders spent Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas trying to one-up each other in ways to lose a football game. The Raiders went first blew a 14-point lead halftime lead on a pick-six and some truly awful offensive effort for much of the second half, needing a touchdown from Derek Carr in the final minute to tie the game and force overtime.

Bill Belichick and the Pats couldn’t abide by another 10 minute of football though, as they had dinner reservations to get to on the Strip, so they decided to make the dumbest play of the season (and one of the dumbest of all-time) trying to lateral the ball around the field in a tie game, with Jakobi Meyers chucking the ball up at midfield trying to go back to Mac Jones but falling into the arms of Chandler Jones, who stiff armed Mac directly to hell before running it back for the game-winning touchdown.

It is truly baffling why Meyers decided to chuck the ball 25 yards backwards and across the field, because, again, this wasn’t a desperation play not to win. The game was tied, after the first pitch failed to yield a path to the end zone, just go down and you still can win the game. Instead, you do the only thing you can’t in that situation and heave one to Chandler Jones while your poor QB has to try and tackle a defensive end.

This article originally appeared on 08.23.17

In 1997, ecologists Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs approached an orange juice company in Costa Rica with an off-the-wall idea.

In exchange for donating a portion of unspoiled, forested land to the Área de Conservación Guanacaste — a nature preserve in the country’s northwest — the park would allow the company to dump its discarded orange peels and pulp, free of charge, in a heavily grazed, largely deforested area nearby.

One year later, one thousand trucks poured into the national park, offloading over 12,000 metric tons of sticky, mealy, orange compost onto the worn-out plot.

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The site was left untouched and largely unexamined for over a decade. A sign was placed to ensure future researchers could locate and study it.

16 years later, Janzen dispatched graduate student Timothy Treuer to look for the site where the food waste was dumped.

Treuer initially set out to locate the large placard that marked the plot — and failed.

“It’s a huge sign, bright yellow lettering. We should have been able to see it,” Treuer says. After wandering around for half an hour with no luck, he consulted Janzen, who gave him more detailed instructions on how to find the plot.

When he returned a week later and confirmed he was in the right place, Treuer was floored. Compared to the adjacent barren former pastureland, the site of the food waste deposit was “like night and day.”

“It was just hard to believe that the only difference between the two areas was a bunch of orange peels. They look like completely different ecosystems,” he explains.

The area was so thick with vegetation he still could not find the sign.

Treuer and a team of researchers from Princeton University studied the site over the course of the following three years.

The results, published in the journal “Restoration Ecology,” highlight just how completely the discarded fruit parts assisted the area’s turnaround.

The ecologists measured various qualities of the site against an area of former pastureland immediately across the access road used to dump the orange peels two decades prior. Compared to the adjacent plot, which was dominated by a single species of tree, the site of the orange peel deposit featured two dozen species of vegetation, most thriving.

In addition to greater biodiversity, richer soil, and a better-developed canopy, researchers discovered a tayra (a dog-sized weasel) and a giant fig tree three feet in diameter, on the plot.

“You could have had 20 people climbing in that tree at once and it would have supported the weight no problem,” says Jon Choi, co-author of the paper, who conducted much of the soil analysis. “That thing was massive.”

Recent evidence suggests that secondary tropical forests — those that grow after the original inhabitants are torn down — are essential to helping slow climate change.

In a 2016 study published in Nature, researchers found that such forests absorb and store atmospheric carbon at roughly 11 times the rate of old-growth forests.

Treuer believes better management of discarded produce — like orange peels — could be key to helping these forests regrow.

In many parts of the world, rates of deforestation are increasing dramatically, sapping local soil of much-needed nutrients and, with them, the ability of ecosystems to restore themselves.

Meanwhile, much of the world is awash in nutrient-rich food waste. In the United States, up to half of all produce in the United States is discarded. Most currently ends up in landfills.

“We don’t want companies to go out there will-nilly just dumping their waste all over the place, but if it’s scientifically driven and restorationists are involved in addition to companies, this is something I think has really high potential,” Treuer says.

The next step, he believes, is to examine whether other ecosystems — dry forests, cloud forests, tropical savannas — react the same way to similar deposits.

Two years after his initial survey, Treuer returned to once again try to locate the sign marking the site.

Since his first scouting mission in 2013, Treuer had visited the plot more than 15 times. Choi had visited more than 50. Neither had spotted the original sign.

In 2015, when Treuer, with the help of the paper’s senior author, David Wilcove, and Princeton Professor Rob Pringle, finally found it under a thicket of vines, the scope of the area’s transformation became truly clear.

“It’s a big honking sign,” Choi emphasizes.

19 years of waiting with crossed fingers had buried it, thanks to two scientists, a flash of inspiration, and the rind of an unassuming fruit.

This article originally appeared on 06.29.18

Many years before I got together with my boyfriend, I had a sex thing with this guy that I thought was relationship material.

He not only had an amazing body but a great personality as well. I was honest when I met him that I was looking for something more than just sex, and he led me to believe that was what he wanted, too.

Between mind-blowing sex sessions, we ordered in, played video games, and watched movies — couple things but without the label. But when I tried to get him to go to a show or out to dinner with me, he refused. My frustration grew as the months went on, and one day I confronted him.

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“Why don’t we ever go anywhere?”

“We have everything we need here,” he answered while simultaneously distracting me by caressing my shoulder blades.

“We actually don’t,” I said. “I’m hungry, let’s check out that new Indian place around the corner.”

“No! We might run into one of my buddies,” he said, moving his body further away from me. The underlining meaning was clear — he couldn’t take the chance that someone he knew would see him with me.

He needed to keep our relationship on the DL so that no one would ever suspect that he enjoyed spending time with me — a fat woman.

He was super fit, so obviously that’s the kind of woman he wanted to be associated with, the kind he could be seen with at the Indian place.

When I realized he was ashamed of being seen with me, I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach — a place where much of my pain already resided.

To him, I was fuckable but not dateable. He dumped me soon after that conversation.

He did me a favor by not continuing to lead me on. Otherwise, I might still be trying to prove to him that I was worth any shit he might have gotten from other people. If I was still his secret shame, I might not have met my next boyfriend, so thanks, athletic asshole.

I had hoped that, in this age of body positivity, men would no longer need to hide their desires when it comes to fat women.

But I was wrong.

It’s just a sad fact: Many men who are sexually attracted to fat women are ashamed of it.

They’re OK with banging a fat girl, but they don’t want to hang out with her — someone might judge them for it.

It’s one thing if you’re not into fat women — everyone has their preferences, and not every body type appeals to everyone. But if you find larger women hot and you want to have sex with them without being associated in public with them, that’s emotionally abusive.

Everyone should have the freedom to express their desires openly (as long as there’s consent from both parties). If you modify your behavior and wants to what you think will protect you from criticism and/or ridicule, then you need help because that kind of self-loathing will only grow until it has destroyed you.

Don’t act like we’re in a relationship if all you really want is to experience what sex with a fat woman is like.

I’ll tell you what it’s like: It’s as amazing and fun as having sex with anyone who’s into having sex with you. We don’t have magic vaginas, and our breasts don’t do any special tricks — well besides the usual, like feed or comfort people.

Fat women are just as hot and sexually gifted as women of other shapes, sizes, and abilities. Being fat doesn’t mean we’re so hungry for attention that we’ll put our own needs aside and do whatever we can to rock your world.

If you’re with someone who doesn’t make you feel beautiful or who isn’t proud to have you on their arm, you need to dump their ass.

Being alone is far better than compromising on what you deserve or being made to feel as if you’re someone’s big dirty secret.

You’re not only dateable, you’re lovable and worthy of being treated with respect and love.

I regret not standing up for myself when I discovered the athletic guy was only using me for sex. But at least I learned, as we all should learn, that I’m responsible for being my biggest advocate and to never accepting anything less than what I need.

This article originally appeared on 01.20.16

Privilege can be a hard thing to talk about.

Oftentimes, when it’s implied or stated that someone is “privileged,” they can feel defensive or upset. They may have worked very hard for what they have accomplished and they may have overcome many obstacles to accomplish it. And the word “privilege” can make a person feel as though that work is being diminished.

The key point about privilege, though, is that it doesn’t mean that a person was raised by wealthy parents, had everything handed to them, and didn’t have to do much other than show up.

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Privilege means that some of us have advantages over others for any number of reasons we don’t control — like who we are, where we come from, the color of our skin, or certain things that have happened in our lives.

Even when things haven’t come easy for some people, they can still have privileges that others don’t have.

Illustrator Toby Morris did some thinking about the concept of inequality and privilege, and he found one major problem.

He did a lot of research to learn about it, but as he started to really understand privilege, he found that a lot of the information about privilege felt very academic and technical. He felt it was important to “talk about this heavy stuff in a really simple and clear way,” Morris explained to me in an email interview.

That’s what led him to create and illustrate this incredible comic on privilege for the The Wireless.

He did an amazing job. Check it out:

This comic is property of The Wireless, where it originally appeared. It’s shared here with permission.

This is a great way to explain privilege to someone who’s having a hard time understanding — or someone who doesn’t want to recognize it.

“Comics are very human and accessible — they’re non-threatening and quite inviting to a reader,” Morris said. “It’s a lot less daunting than picking up a giant book or trying to decipher a really long or really dense article.”

True story.

Make no mistake: Morris isn’t taking away from hard work in his comic.

“I’m not trying to say I’m against that idea that if we work hard, we succeed,” he said. “I would like to think that is true, for the most part, but I just think people often forget or don’t realise that our starting points, or our paths to success, aren’t all even. Some people have to overcome more obstacles in the path to succeeding than others.“

He was also quick to point out that this isn’t about anyone needing to feel bad or guilty for the privileges that they have, but rather it’s about honesty and understanding — because maybe that’s what could lead us to a better place.

“Acknowledging the issue is one step towards addressing it hopefully,” he said.

Ultimately, success — or lack thereof — can be about hard work and other factors, some of which are beyond our control.

A lot of people have been able to relate to this comic — both sides of it — and have reached out to Morris to share.

“Personally, I’ve grown up somewhere in the middle,” he said. Because his dad was in the army, Morris moved around a lot as a kid. “I experienced a lot of different neighbourhoods and schools and friendship groups — some well off, some not so much — and that experience lead me to this belief that ultimately people are all pretty similar wherever you go, we just don’t all have the same chances in life.”

The Tennessee Titans entered Sunday needing a win to stay two games up on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South after the Jags pulled off a wild comeback win over the Cowboys in overtime on a pick-six to close things out.

Tennessee’s job was equally as difficult on the road against the Chargers as a three-point underdog, made even harder after Ryan Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter that took some mobility away. That shifted further pressure on the defense to make plays and they did just that at the end of the half to preserve a 7-7 tie with one of the most impressive interceptions of the season as Roger McCreary caught a ball leaping out of bounds and was able to toss it back to Joshua Kalu in the end zone for a turnover.

It’s unbelievable awareness and body control from McCreary to high point the ball, realize he was drifting out of bounds, spot Kalu, and pitch him the ball before coming down.

That play helped keep Tennessee tied at 7-7 going into the half as they look to keep Jacksonville at arm’s length in the division, which figures to be the only path to the playoffs for AFC South teams this year.

One of the biggest blockbusters of the summer were the Jan. 6 hearings, where a House select committee made public numerous jaw-dropping revelations about Donald Trump’s antics before, during, and after the storming of the Capitol. What’s next? That remains to be seen. On Monday, the committee will hold its final meeting, during which they’ll issue any criminal referrals they see fit. At least one of their members is all for going for the big guy himself.

Adam Schiff, the Democratic California congressman and of Trump’s most relentless critics, appeared on CNN Sunday. He told host Jake Tapper that he “can’t comment” on specifics of what’s in store. But he could tell him what he thought should happen.

“I think that the evidence is there that Trump committed criminal offenses in connection with his efforts to overturn the election,” said Schiff, the committee’s chair. “And viewing it as a former prosecutor, I think there’s sufficient evidence to charge the [former] president.”

The committee can’t itself bring about any convictions. But they can pass on their recommendations to those who can.

“Well, I don’t know what the justice department has. I do know what’s in the public record. The evidence seems pretty plain to me, but I would want to see the full body of evidence, if I were in the prosecutor’s shoes, to make a decision,” Schiff explained. “But this is someone, who in multiple ways, tried to pressure state officials to find votes that didn’t exist. This is someone who tried to interfere with a joint session, even inciting a mob to attack the Capitol.

“If that’s not criminal, then – then I don’t know what it is.”

If Trump is the subject of a criminal referral, it will only add to his Scooby Doo-sized sandwich of woes. The former president’s third presidential campaign has gotten off to a rocky start, plagued by scandals over his dinner guests, his legal woes, not to mention his, well, many other legal woes. But at least he made a couple bucks off some crappy ass NFTs that even his die-hards think are lame.

(Via The Guardian)