GoneTrending

You can often tell a lot about a person’s life by how the world responds to their death. Over the weekend, when I started seeing a flood of social media messages from healthcare professionals that included words like “devastated” and “gutted,” it was clear that someone of influence in the medical world had passed. I’m not in healthcare, but even I recognized Dr. Paul Farmer’s name, largely from this quote of his:

“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong in the world.”

After spending decades working and living in various countries around the world, making sure people in underdeveloped nations had access to quality healthcare, Dr. Farmer passed away from an acute cardiac event in his sleep in Rwanda at age 62. His death was like a seismic event in the field of global health, launching a tsunami of grief and remembrance felt around the world, from heads of state who met with him to fellow physicians who worked with him to individuals whose lives he saved.

“It is hard to find the words to express the sad news of the passing of Paul Farmer—the person, the Doctor, the philanthropist. He combined many things hard to find in one person,” wrote Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda.

The weight of his loss is in many ways personal, to the country of Rwanda (which he loved and to which he contributed so much during its reconstruction), to my family and to myself. I know there are many who feel this way in Africa and beyond.

— Paul Kagame (@Paul Kagame)
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Farmer was physician, a professor, an anthropologist and a fierce advocate for the world’s poor. In 1987, he cofounded Partners in Health, one of the world’s leading global health and social justice organizations dedicated to bringing high-quality healthcare to those who need it most. Farmer’s philosophy was straightforward: The fact that poor people die of illness we have effective treatments for is unacceptable. Farmer’s life’s work was a testament to his belief that where you live and how much money you have should not determine your right to healthcare.

But Farmer’s advocacy work was also much more personal than that. He didn’t preach about global equity from atop an ivory tower; he worked on the ground, at the grassroots level, doing hands-on medical care in some of the poorest parts of the world.

When I worked in rural Burundi 12 years ago, I complained a patient was u201cnon compliant.u201d He responded sternly that the onus was on me and the structural violence of the system, not the patient. It was a lesson he continued this past week @ughe_org

— Sriram Shamasunder (@Sriram Shamasunder)
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Much of Farmer’s work involved getting effective AIDS treatments to patients in Haiti and Rwanda in the face of pushback from those who felt it was too expensive or that cultural differences would get in the way. Farmer refused to accept inequity and did everything he could to alleviate it.

“Human rights violations are not accidents; they are not random in distribution or effect,” he wrote in “Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights and the New War on the Poor.” “Rights violations are, rather, symptoms of deeper pathologies of power and are linked intimately to the social conditions that so often determine who will suffer abuse and who will be shielded from harm.”

Paul Farmer made a difference. His life saved many lives. Many Black lives. May he rest in wisdom and peace.pic.twitter.com/FZwU0qzGaf

— Ava DuVernay (@Ava DuVernay)
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He was uncompromising in his belief that every human being, regardless of circumstances, should have access to the best healthcare humanity has to offer. Being born into or living in poverty does not give anyone less of a right to health, and if we have effective treatments for illness and disease, everyone should have access to them.

He touched countless lives—those he treated and those he accompanied in the field of service. Often it was people in the medical field he trained with, but he even inspired people outside of healthcare to use their privilege and know-how to better the lives of others.

Paul Farmer was a hero to all of us who try to dedicate our skills to the service of others. From the early days of the Haiti earthquake, Paul provided many lessons that helped me make @WCKitchen who we are today. His brilliance was only matched by his empathy. I miss him alreadyhttps://twitter.com/pih/status/1495806101769670658u00a0u2026

— Josu00e9 Andru00e9s (@Josu00e9 Andru00e9s)
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When you pass away and everyone who met you has only the most glowing things to say about you, you know you’ve lived a good life. The world has lost not only a great doctor, but a champion of global health equity who serves as an example to us all.

“His vision for the world will live on through Partners in Health,” Sheila Davis, Partners in Health CEO, wrote in a statement. “Paul taught all those around him the power of accompaniment, love for one another, and solidarity. Our deepest sympathies are with his family.”

Watch PBS News Hour’s remembrance of Dr. Farmer below, and for more details of his extraordinary work, I highly recommend Tracy Kidder’s profile of him in The New Yorker. The man was truly a legend of a human being in all the best ways possible.

Rest in peace, Dr. Farmer. Thanks for showing us how it’s done.

Jeopardy! winningest woman Amy Schneider’s having a ball after ending her winning streak (following 40 wins) that made her a (pre-tax) millionaire. She subsequently quit her day job and began writing a book. She’s also bought a fancy bathtub (because obviously), but something very special happened: Amy got engaged.

“I have an announcement,” Schneider tweeted on Thursday. “Genevieve is no longer my girlfriend… she’s my fiancée!!! I couldn’t be happier or more proud to spend my life with the very best person in the entire world.”

Congrats are in order all around. According to HuffPost, Genevieve Davis, a nanny, has lived with Amy in Oakland, California, which is a heck of a lot warmer than a lot of the U.S. right now, so hopefully, they can get their celebration on without freezing. In related news, Amy spoke as part of a Teen Vogue panel this week to discuss how she felt it was important to balance how she prioritized trans representation while on Jeopardy!:

“I think I felt a certain responsibility to be my best self and represent the trans community well. But I was also worried about that in the sense that I don’t want to present a ‘too perfect’ image of myself because I want everyone to be able to see that whether or not you are good at trivia, whether or not you have a lot of followers on social media, any of those things, you still deserve and can find the same acceptance, the same affirmation and freedom to accept who you are.”

Watch the full panel discussion below.

Oscar nominee Elliot Page recently stepped up to fight an anti-trans law in Arkansas, and The Umbrella Academy star isn’t stopping there. Rather, Page is now speaking out against Texas officials after state Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that gender-affirming health care (including hormone therapy) is a form of child abuse. Page came out as transgender in December 2020 and has subsequently expressed gratitude for receiving necessary medical care in the aftermath.

Page also declared that the physical procedures had nothing but a positive impact on his emotional and mental health as well “because the constant discomfort and pain around that aspect of my body was gone.” After Paxton also took to Twitter to declare gender-affirming health care as both “monstrous and tragic,” and after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott cosigned these views, Page did not hold back in a statement to Variety:

“I am horrified by the inhumane and downright dangerous declarations by the Texas Governor and Attorney General. Trans youth deserve gender-affirming care and to be able to live their true, authentic selves without fear and oppression. I stand with trans youth and their families.”

Previously, Page stood up against Arkansas’ first-of-its-kind law to limit healthcare for trans youth, who were faced with their doctors being banned from providing or even recommending care that happens to be gender-affirming in nature. As the Washington Post notes, Texas’ law goes even further by encouraging doctors and teachers to report parents who seek gender-affirming care for their children, and those complaints could lead to trans youth being removed from their parents’ custody. This presents a dire situation, and Page isn’t alone in speaking out on Twitter.

(Via Variety & Washington Post)

There are few smoking experiences that rival the pleasure of smoking a properly rolled blunt. A good hand-rolled cigar burns slow, steady, fills the air with the aromatic tones of tobacco and dark chocolate, and produces a smooth and flavorful smoke. Done right, a blunt makes your toking experience as much about savoring the taste of the cigar paper as it does about getting high.

Having said that, rolling a proper blunt is a straight-up pain in the ass. Huge hassle all the way around.

When it comes to rolling blunts, you’re dealing with a lot of potential issues — sourcing quality tobacco leaves, grinding a bunch of weed, and getting it all rolled up without dropping product all over the floor. Worse still is having to deal with disassembling a corner store Swisher Sweet (or Phillies Blunt or Backwoods cigar) and filling it up with your weed. Sure, this works in a pinch but it’s wasteful and can muddle the quality of your top-shelf herb with chemical-tasting artificial fruit flavors or dusty dry leaf notes.

Happily for us, we’re living in an age where stoners are spoiled with choices and tools geared toward making the blunt rolling experience easier. And one of our favorite options is Jas Prince’s Slapwoods (a tongue-in-cheek reference to OG cigar brand Backwoods, perhaps?). Prince is an entrepreneur, mogul, and the founder of the Young Empire Music Group. More importantly for today’s purposes, he’s a stoner — which is probably why his Sapwood’s products feel tailor-made for a better smoking experience.

Let’s break it down:

Slapwood’s Cigar Cones/ Cigar Wraps

If you hate the hassle of rolling blunts, Slapwood’s Cigar Cones makes life waaaaay easier. The cones are packaged three to a pack and feature thick aromatic wraps pre-assembled in a tall conical shape with a corn husk tip filter. The packs have everything you need for the perfect blunt — each cone is loaded with a Slapwoods insert that helps the virgin cigar cone retain its shape and serves as a funnel for your bud, which can be better-packed thanks to the wooden pick that comes supplied in each pouch.

The leaf itself is pretty sturdy, without being dry, and can handle a dense pack with a lot of handling. Nothing is worse than ruining a wrap because you have rough hands. When I tried Slapwoods, it was able to stand up to some considerable abuse.

Be warned though, you’re going to need a lot of weed to fill one of these things, and I mean a lot.

I double ground 1.5 grams of fresh herb and still had more room than I’d like to spare, but each cone can be easily cut or folded in to make up for any gaps. This makes the wrap perfect for sharing with a circle of friends, a loved one, or for a sustained smoking session for those Snoop-level stars who like a long session.

When I finally lit up, soothing coffee-like tones filled my immediate vicinity (important to consider if you have smoke-hating neighbors, this stuff is powerful) and the Russian Cream flavored cone helped add some smooth vanilla and earthy tobacco and chocolate notes to my bud, supplying a smooth drag with a savor-worthy flavor. The quality of the tobacco leaf is great, it’s hand-rolled in the Dominican Republic, burns evenly, and never comes across as harsh or dirty tasting, like more low-quality leaves.

The Cigar Cones are definitely worth picking up if you love smoking blunts but hate rolling them, but let us make the case for Slapwoods Cigar Wraps as an even better option.

I know I just spent paragraphs applauding Slapwoods for making the act of hand-rolling rolling cannabis in tobacco leaves more convenient, but the wraps are where it is truly at. They slap. Coming five to a pack in an easily resealable pouch, these are made to retain freshness. You still get that same smooth luxurious Russian Cream flavor, with leaves that are a noticeable step up in quality. They’re remarkably supple, soft to the touch, and incredibly natural. They feel like… well, exactly like a dried leaf, and if all you’ve ever had is a Swisher wrap, this is a whole other world.

It’s like comparing well-level Jack Daniels to a Lagavulin 16. If you’re smoking high-quality bud that is truly worthy and wanting of a premium delivery method, you have to make it Slapwoods Cigar Wraps.

The Bottom Line:

If you value convenience, grab the Slapwoods Cigar Cones. If you’re all about a supreme and luxurious experience, you have to go with the Cigar Wraps. Either way, at the end of the day Slapwoods levels up your smoking game like few brands can.

Shop Slapwoods products at the official Slapwoods site.

It’s Megan Thee Stallion’s world, the rest of us are just trying to twerk our way through it with half the grace and talent she has. Even if she’s been facing down serious demons of late, like all the drama with Tory Lanez who won’t take responsibility for the violence he enacted against her, or even more of a struggle to get free from the label deal that has caused her so much trouble during her rise to fame.

So, instead of focusing on those negative things, why not focus on what it must be like to spend a day in the life as Megan Thee Stallion? Being successful, beautiful and talented is a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it, and a new artist spotlight from Youtube gives fans a chance to peek inside Meg’s brain. Who else is up there? Suga, Tina Snow, and Hot Girl Meg, of course, all three of these brain divas round out the cast of characters in this ten-minute short. In the clip, Megan goes about her day assessing potential suitors, remembering old flames, and plenty more shenanigans that only Megan Thee Stallion would be involved in. Check out the carefree clip above.

The upcoming HBO series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, appears to be a fascinating look at one of the most interesting teams in NBA history, the Showtime Lakers — with the name of the show being changed from Showtime to avoid confusion with their premium cable rival, but didn’t account that one of ESPN’s best 30 for 30s was called Winning Time about Reggie Miller and the Knicks so some of us still are confused.

It stars John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss and the trailer for the series looked like exactly what you would hope for an HBO series about the Showtime Lakers to be, blurring the lines of reality and fiction, while embracing the wild off-court lifestyle of that Lakers team. Making a TV show about any sport is fraught with issues, namely that actors aren’t often great athletes (and great athletes aren’t often great actors), which makes it difficult to get great acting off the court and great action scenes on it. The early reviews suggest Winning Time will manage to get both, with The Hollywood Reporter doing a deep dive on the show, including how they went about casting their leading stars to play Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as well as the intense basketball training they went through so they could nail the on-court action.

In that piece, there are a number of fascinating tidbits, including Reilly doing his best to skirt around the role the show had in Adam McKay and Will Ferrell’s split as creative partners, but one thing at the very end caught the eye of NBA fans. After a quote from HBO’s head of programming Casey Bloys about exploring other stories from other eras, it notes that HBO has optioned Jeff Pearlman’s other book on the Lakers, Three-Ring Circus, that is about the Kobe and Shaq era.

“If the stories are there and the different eras are there, why not keep exploring it?” says Bloys, whose network has quietly optioned Pearlman’s follow-up, which takes readers through the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal era of the Lakers.

Now, as the story notes early on, a book getting optioned is far from a guarantee that it becomes a show, but with writers already digging in on a second season of Winning Time before its officially greenlit and the apparent excitement from HBO in this series, it seems well within the realm of possibility that if Winning Time becomes a hit, they may move forward with a Kobe-Shaq era show. That would be interesting for a variety of reasons, if nothing else than how they’d go about the casting conundrum that is Shaq. It’s one thing to find a near 7-footer who could play a svelte Kareem, but it’s a whole other to find someone that could play the larger than life Shaq. There are plenty of stories to tell from that time in Lakers history, and if the response to Winning Time is strong enough, we may very well see them on the small screen in years to come.

The IPA — and its various iterations — is one of the most popular styles in craft brewing. If you’re a fan of this hoppy, sometimes overly dank beer, this is good news (if you’re not a fan, well… sorry). There are more than 9,000 breweries in the U.S. at last count, and there’s a solid chance that every one of them currently brews at least one IPA, if not several. That’s an awful lot of bitter brews to sort through!

While it might seem daunting trying to figure out the best IPAs on the market, there are plenty of people eager to help you wade through them all (like us!). One of the most popular beer-endemic sites is BeerAdvocate — where you can easily find a top ten user-ranked IPAs. But while I’ll agree that basing a top 10 list on tens of thousands of palates is an interesting way to do things, I trust my evolved, professionally practiced palate more — so I decided to blindly taste all 10 myself and then re-rank them based on my own palate.

Today’s Lineup (which again, comes from BeerAdvocate):

• Susan Hill Farmstead Brewery
• Nelson Alpine Beer Company
• Axeman Surly Brewing Company
• Yellow Rose The Lone Pint Brewery
• Project Dank La Cumbre Brewing Co.
• The Pupil Societe Brewing Co.
• Sculpin Ballast Point Brewing Co.
• Lunch Maine Beer Company
• Triple Play Lawson’s Finest Liquids
• Tropicália Creature Comforts

Now then, let’s get our highly-ranked drink on!

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, I find aromas of ripe berries, dank pine needles, toffee-like malts, and some floral hops. The palate is loaded with juicy pineapple, tart grapefruit, more berries, caramel malts, and a nice, gentle level of hop bitterness at the finish.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This beer’s nose is heavy on fruit. I noticed hints of ripe pineapple, orange zest, lime peels, earthy resinous pine, and a sweet malty backbone. This massive flavor profile continues along the palate with notes of mango, passion fruit, tangerine, juicy grapefruit, toffee, and more dank, resinous, subtly bitter hops. It’s juicy, sweet, and has just the right amount of bitterness.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This beer smells like a forest of pine trees. There’s a slight citrus odor and maybe some malts, but really not much else. The resinous dank pine kind of knocks you down. The palate is much more over-the-top sticky pine. I taste some lemon zest, grapefruit, and slight floral flavors, but it’s all dominated by aggressively bitter pine.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Dank pine, ripe oranges, juicy berries, and a little bit of spice are prevalent on this beer’s nose. Sipping it reveals a wallop of grapefruit juice, tangerine, mango, and a very low piney resinous bitterness. In fact, this might be a little light in the bitterness department for some IPA fans.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Wet grass, fresh hay, grapefruit, orange peels, fur tips, and caramel malts — this beer has a truly multi-dimensional nose. The palate swirls with lemon zest, grapefruit, crisp melon, biscuit-like malt, fruit esters, and a healthy kick of piney, resinous, and super dank hops. It ends with a nice mixture of bitter hops and ripe citrus fruits.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

A lot going on with this beer’s nose. There are notes of ripe grapefruit, caramel malts, orange zest, and a healthy dose of dank pine. It’s very inviting, to say the least. Taking a sip, I find hints of biscuit-like malts, lemon candy, orange peels, floral hops, and a nice mix of bitterness and tropical sweetness on the finish.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

This beer has a ton of citrus on the nose. There are notes of lemon zest, orange juice, and some fruit ester, but not much else. The citrus really dominates. The palate has more tangerine orange flavor as well as some mango and guava, but its overall bitterness is a little too aggressive for me. I’d prefer a little more balance.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

This is the kind of beer that requires a longer nosing. First, I notice aromas of sweet honey and baked bread followed by orange peel, lemon zest, an earthy herbal aroma, and just a hint of floral hops. The palate is juicy and citrus-centric with notes of grapefruit, sweet Clementine, cracked black pepper, and guava with slightly bitter and piney dank hops at the end.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

The nose is loaded with both dank pine and juicy tropical fruit. It makes me want to dive right in. It definitely doesn’t disappoint with flavors like grapefruit juice, lemon zest, mango, biscuity malts, honey sweetness, and a nice kick of slightly bitter, yet pleasingly resinous pine to tie everything together.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

There’s a real herbal/earthy quality to this beer’s nose that demands further exploration. On top of that, I’m greeted by strong scents of grapefruit, orange, lemon zest, and dank pine needles. The palate continues the fruity/tart trend with notes of blood orange, juicy grapefruit, pineapple, mango, light malts, and spruce tips. The finish is a mix of sweetness and bitterness that’s extremely pleasing.

Part 2: The Ranking

10) Alpine Beer Nelson — Taste 7

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This seven percent ABV year-round offering gets its name from Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. It’s well known for its hazy, piney, and fruity flavor and gets added spice from the addition of European rye.

Bottom Line:

Nelson Sauvin is the name of the game with this beer. If you enjoy these specific hops and you can handle a ton of bitterness on the back end, you’ll enjoy Nelson. Otherwise, a different beer on this list is probably your best bet.

Beer Advocate’s Ranking: #2

9) Creature Comforts Tropicália — Taste 4

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: $13 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Sometimes brewers choose silly, gimmicky names to get people to notice their IPAs. Other times, the name perfectly describes the liquid inside, as is the case with Creature Comforts Tropicália. This 6.6 percent ABV IPA is known for its mix of ripe tropical fruits and low bitterness.

Bottom Line:

It’s loaded with ripe tropical flavors, juicy citrus, and some malts. I’d expect nothing less from a beer called Tropicália. It just lacks the bitterness level I crave in an IPA.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #10

8) Ballast Point Sculpin — Taste 3

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Ballast Point Sculpin is like the Duke men’s basketball team of beers — always at the top of the rankings if not in the top spot. This award-winning IPA is known for its mix of fruity sweetness and the bite from the bitter hop from which it gets its name.

Bottom Line:

Ballast Point Sculpin is a beer for drinkers who enjoy slight citrus and malts that are completely overshadowed by almost harsh levels of bitter and dank hops.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #7

7) La Cumbre Project Dank — Taste 6

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $14 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

La Cumbre Project Dank is a bit of a mystery on this list. Unlike every other beer in the ranking, Project Dank will be a slightly different beer, depending on when you grab a four-pack. That’s because this is a special release from the New Mexico brewery’s “hop laboratory.” Each batch released utilizes different hops and hopping techniques.

Bottom Line:

This version of La Cumbre Project Dank had a nice mix of tropical and citrus sweetness, caramel-like malts, and nice bitterness. It was almost a little too busy though for my palate.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #5

6) Surly Brewing Axeman — Taste 9

ABV: 7.2%

Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This beer’s name conjures up a ton of images. I imagine a scowling, bearded lumberjack chugging a frosty hoppy brew. Originally brewed in collaboration with Danish brewery Amager, it’s double dry-hopped with Citra and Mosiac hops to give it an explosion of flavor.

Bottom Line:

With a name like Surly Axeman, you almost assume this beer would be dominated by one or more flavors. But it was really complex and well-balanced between fruits, malts, and bitter hops. Still, there was better complexity and balance on this list.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #3

5) The Lone Pint Yellow Rose — Taste 1

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $12 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This 6.8 percent IPA from Magnolia, Texas’ Lone Pint Yellow Rose gets its name from a famous Lone Star heroine. The beer has a ton of malt and is “massively dry-hopped” with Mosaic hops. The result is a well-balanced, noteworthy beer that consistently ranks with the top IPAs in the country.

Bottom Line:

This isn’t the easiest beer to find, but if you get a chance to try it, you won’t be disappointed, especially if you’re a fan of Mosaic hops. The fact that it only finished in the middle of my rankings is a testament to how great the beers on the rest of this list are.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #4

4) Maine Beer Lunch — Taste 2

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $8 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

The Beer:

It might be called “lunch” but I feel like I could drink this IPA any time of the day. Named for a well-known whale that spends its time along the Maine coast since 1982, this IPA gets its hop profile from the addition of Amarillo, Centennial, and Simcoe hops.

Bottom Line:

There’s a reason Lunch from Maine Beer is one of the most beloved American IPAs ever made. It’s juicy, hazy, and well-hopped. I’m actually surprised it was beaten out by any other beer on this list.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #8

3) Lawson’s Finest Triple Play — Taste 8

ABV: 7%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Continuing the trend of big names on the top IPA list, Lawson’s Finest Liquids out of Vermont is the type of brewery that makes nothing but bangers. Its best beer just might be its Triple Play, which gets its name from the three hops with which it’s brewed: Citra, Simcoe, and Amarillo.

Bottom Line:

This spring seasonal definitely lives up to the hype. It’s juicy, hazy, and filled with tropical fruit flavors. But it also has a nice herbal and malty backbone that gives it more depth and ranks it higher for me.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #9

2) Hill Farmstead Susan — Taste 10

ABV: 6%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Hill Farmstead is a well-known name in the craft beer world. While you can’t go wrong with any of its brews, there’s no disputing the appeal of Susan (named for the brewer’s grandfather’s sister). Brewed with Yakima Valley hops as well as Riwaka hops from New Zealand, it’s a highly complex and beloved beer.

Beer Advocate Line:

When it comes to complexity, it’s hard to top this special beer from Hill Farmstead. It’s perfectly balanced between sweetness and bitterness. It came close to being my number and I can see how it’s in that spot for a lot of beer drinkers out there.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #1

1) Societe Brewing The Pupil — Taste 5

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

San Diego is one of the best beer cities in the country. You could fill an entire beer store just with San Diego IPAs with no complaints from IPA lovers. One of this Southern California city’s best beers is The Pupil, from Societe Brewing. It’s a fresh, refreshing, hoppy gem.

Bottom Line:

Considering how many talented brewers live in San Diego, I’m not surprised an SD brewery took home the top spot. I just assumed it would be Ballast Point. This was definitely a pleasant surprise and well deserved, due to its complex, flavorful, and well-balanced flavor profile.

Beer Advocate Ranking: #6

The series finale of beloved children’s show Arthur aired this week, and the internet went into full-blown nostalgia mode, sharing their favorite aardvark memories from the last 25 years of the show.

The show ended in a touching full-circle moment, with Arthur becoming what he always wanted to be: an author. His first story? How he got his glasses, which just so happened to be the first episode of Arthur way back in 1996. That is the definition of wholesome content.

Obviously, millennials were inspired by the aardvark’s various adventures over the last two decades. We were all there when he got his first library card, and when DW was being the most annoying little sister on the planet. As the Arthur generation grew up, his likeness became the face of many memes and jokes. Arthur has been there for us through it all! It’s sad to see a monumental show end, but a finale like this also created an opportunity for some really good tweets.

We were able to see Arthur & his pals grow up, and the original voice actor came back to portray 28-year-old Arthur for the finale. Though some people were a little…critical of his late-twenties look.

He also met his maker, literally, when the creator of the show Marc Brown, had a cameo on the finale.

As Arthur publishes his graphic novel, it’s revealed that the whole series was actually written by the aardvark himself. Now that’s a beautiful ending.

The show was also known for its inclusivity, featuring a gay wedding in its later seasons, which was rare for a children’s show. Fans pointed out that they hinted at even more in the finale.

The official Arthur Twitter account assured the internet that our friend isn’t going away forever, and his legacy will live on, with digital shorts and online content. Although we could do without DW becoming a cop. She already did enough tattle-tailing as a kid.

Look, there is absolutely nothing good about the tragedy that happened at Astroworld last November. More than ten people died, crushed in a frenzied crowd as Travis Scott performed a headlining set at his own festival. If there has been one silver lining to this horrific event, it’s that other artists have made it a point to stop their concerts when they notice if a fan in attendance could be having a medical emergency.

There’s footage of Billie Eilish stopping her Atlanta show mid-set earlier this month when it came to her attention that a fan was having trouble breathing. And now post-metal legends Tool, were captured stopping their Fear Inoculum Tour show at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena two nights ago when a fan near the front row had collapsed.

Just as a song is about to begin, the band cuts the music. Singer Maynard Keenan recognized that something was happening with a fan close to the front of the crowd. People were surrounding the person along the barricade with their cell phone lights on pointing downwards to care for someone who had collapsed. “Hang on we got a little situation down here,” Keenan said to the patient crowd. “We’re gonna make sure this person is OK before we continue.”

As medics made their way to the person, Keenan calmly bantered a bit with the fans who were immediately respectful of what was happening and cleared the path. “Make way for the EMTs please,” Keenan said. A minute or two passed at which he asked “We’re good?,” got a thumbs up and the crowd roared.

This situation showed again, how possible it is to be aware of the crowd from the stage. Losing yourself in the music is understandable, but there’s a greater community to consider as well. Bravo Maynard. Bravo Tool.

It’s been almost two months since Bob Saget’s unexpected death left the world mourning America’s Dad. The comedian’s sudden death was recently determined to be due to head trauma, as there was no evidence of drugs or foul play. Now, some members of the cast who worked alongside Saget in his most famous role, single father Danny Tanner on Full House, will be reuniting in a few weeks at ’90s Con in Hartford, CT.

Fellow comedian and friend Dave Coulier confirmed that some of the core cast will make an appearance at the convention, marking the first time the crew will be seen together since Saget’s death. Coulier, Candace Cameron Bure, Andrea Barber, and Scott Weinger are all slated to appear at the convention, which takes place March 11-13th.

“We’re so close, that whenever and wherever we get together it’s like a family reunion,” Coulier told E! News. “This may sound kind of sappy, but we really do love each other. We’ve been through everything together—births, deaths, marriages, divorces, our shows being picked up and canceled. We’re a real family on and off-camera.”

Saget played the single father of three girls, the eldest played by Bure, who had his brother-in-law Jesse, played by long-time pal John Stamos, and best friend Joey, played by Coulier, move in to help raise the girls. Much of the cast returned for the 2016 Netflix revival series Fuller House. The cast frequently reunited and interacted on social media, making it seem like they were a real-life family.

Last month, the cast each paid their own tributes to their fellow co-star.