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It’s impossible to deny that travel has a massive ecological impact on the planet. From emissions to single-use products to entire accessory industries built around cheap plastic (looking at you, the luggage industry), the effect is massive and needs to change. It’s time to start taking the idea of making changes seriously and for all of us to start doing our part to forge greener solutions.

A small place to start would be by making smarter purchases for your own travel needs. It’s not going to fix everything, but it is a step in the right direction towards a greener life. And that’s where the eco-leaders below come in.

We’ve compiled a list of forward-thinkers working in the travel space who want to offer you a chance to green your gear when you travel. This covers everything from who your money supports when you book a hotel to the shoes on your feet. Hopefully, the four entries below will help you on your own journey to making more environmentally solid choices when you travel.

Jessica Blotter and Sean Krejci — Kind Traveler

Kind Traveler is the first socially conscious Give + Get hotel booking platform that allows travelers to impact the communities they visit positively. Co-Founded by Jessica Blotter and Sean Krejci, the pair designed Kind Traveler to help people unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks in exchange for a $10 nightly donation to a highlighted local charity. 100 percent of the proceeds from the donations are given to charities.

Kind Traveler is growing a global movement that helps travelers give back to locals while also supporting hotels, allowing these businesses to make a comeback after long setbacks. To help better support the return of travel and local charities even more broadly, Blotter and Krejci launch Kind Traveler 2.0. They’re expanding destinations, hotels, and charities with even more opportunities for positive impact.

Mark Tsigounis — The Hibear All Day Adventure Flask

Bringing consciousness and sustainability to the adventure community was an essential goal for Mark Tsigounis. After traveling around the world, Mark learned the value of doing more than just talking about the environment. He wanted to contribute something, so he developed The Hibear All Day Adventure Flask.

The flask was explicitly designed to provide travelers with a better and more sustainable bottle for everyday adventures. This award-winning all-day adventure flask has a stylish design and is often referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of bottles. The 32-oz. vacuum insulated bottle has a built-in pour-over feature that works for everything from coffee and tea to margaritas to hearty clam chowder.

Indré Rockefeller and Andy Krantz — Paravel

From luggage to bags to organizers, co-founders Indré Rockefeller and Andy Krantz started Paravel in 2016 to create travel goods that feature a timeless aesthetic, exceptional functionality, and forward-thinking sustainability. These two spent years comparing travel hacks and notes on luggage but could never find a brand that checked all the boxes. So, they decided to make the products they couldn’t find themselves.

Recently awarded the 2021 Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award, they constructed luggage goods sustainably with EcoCraft Canvas made from upcycled water bottles, recycled vegan leather, recycled zippers, and recycled polycarbonate. Paravel has upcycled over two million plastic water bottles to date, offset 8,150 tons of Co2 through their carbon-neutral shipping program, and planted over 35,000 trees with their Eden Reforestation Projects. So next time you are packing up to go anywhere, invest in luggage that supports better choices for your journeys ahead.

Monxi Garza — SUAVS

SUAVS Founder Monxi Garza couldn’t find the travel shoe she wanted, so she made one. Garza designed a sustainable travel shoe built to withstand the all-day wear that comes with walking the streets of a new city. They are also designed to help keep your feet dry and prevent blisters, which is crucial for any globetrotting traveler out there.

All of Garza’s shoes are made with one hundred percent recycled knit derived from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. An average of eight bottles go into each pair of shoes instead of into a landfill. Garza also sources 100 percent vegan materials, packages her shoes in dual-purpose boxes, and donates all extra footwear to organizations like Soles4Souls.

What do you think of when you imagine a beer? Whatever you see in your mind’s eye is probably your favorite beer. If you love Pilsner Urquell, you likely imagine a pint of that crisp, refreshing, classic beer. If you prefer barrel-aged stouts, maybe you envision a tulip glass with Founders KBS or Fremont Barrel Aged Dark Star. But what if we told you that you could only pick one beer for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

In the past, we’ve asked craft beer experts to tell us their favorite stouts, porters, and fall beers. Asking about IPAs, stouts, and other specific styles leads you to a pretty direct path to some well-known favorites. Even asking for fall beer picks leads to Oktoberfest beers, wet-hopped IPAs, and other fall favorites. Today, we decided to get wild with it. Instead of asking for a specific season or style, we asked some craft beer experts to tell us their all-time favorite beers.

And when we say all-time favorite beers, we’re literally talking about any beer style they imbibe any time of year. Their answers definitely didn’t disappoint. They gave us a mix of American and European beers, pilsner, lagers, rauchbiers, and even trappist ales. Keep scrolling to see their selections. Comment at the end and tell us your all-time favorite beers.

Spezial Rauchbier

Jack Hendler, co-owner/brewer of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts

ABV: 4.9%

Average Price: $7 for a 500ml bottle

Why This Beer?

It’s not the smokiest of the Bamberg beers but they still smoke all their own malts in the brewery themselves. It’s sort of a coppery-ambery style beer. It’s an awesome beer year-round. This beer reminds me of being in Bamberg. I loved smoked beers. People get scared off by these beers because of the smoke flavor. It’s really unfortunate because they are really missing out. It’s not one of the over-the-top smokey beers, so it’s still mainly malty with more traditional lager flavors.

Coors Banquet Beer

Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder and brewmaster at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $6 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

For me, when choosing a beer that I’ll drink forever, it needs to have high drinkability. It should be pleasant, approachable, and accessible for all occasions. Coors Banquet is that beer for me (bring on the hate mail beer people!) with its refreshing sweet notes, light malt aroma, and zippy carbonation.

Duchesse de Bourgogne

David “Zambo” Szamborski, brewmaster at Paperback Brewing in Glendale, California

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $14 for a 750ml bottle

Why This Beer?

I wish I could brew Flemish beers without tainting my whole brewery. Rodenbach and Duchesse de Bourgogne are both favorites. The sour cherry notes are balanced by rich malt flavors.

Leffe Blonde

Jerry Siotte, co-owner and director of brewhouse operations at Lone Tree Brewing in Lone Tree, Colorado

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Leffe Blonde is my go-to beer. It’s strong, malty, and has a spicy yeast character. It drinks like a meal and that’s not a bad thing.

Hofbräu München Original

Mike Kasian, brewer at Bootstrap Brewing in Longmont, Colorado

ABV: 5.1%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Munich Helles is crisp and clean with a little malt backbone to it. Just a quintessential German-style that never disappoints. It’s hard to beat Hofbräu München Original. It’s classic, crisp, and perfect any time of year.

Orval Trappist Ale

Isaiah Mangold, innovation supervisor at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California

ABV: 6.9%

Average Price: $6 for a 12-ounce bottle

Why This Beer?

This authentic Trappist ale is truly one of a kind. This beer truly is alive with flavors and when properly cellared evolves beautifully. Slight fruity notes of apricot, tropical fruit with mild spicy notes from both the fermentation, and dry hopping blend with a pronounced bitterness that invites drinkability. Add in the twist of conditioning with a touch of wild yeast and this beer’s flavor will continue to evolve over time. Amazing.

Poperings Hommel Bier

Matthew Barry, director of operations at Fieldwork Brewing Company in Berkeley, California

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $19 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

Poperings Hommel Bier is a hopped-up Belgian brew that defies easy categorization. Belgian IPA? Hoppy Belgian Strong? I first seriously dove into the beer world while working at a wine shop where we had two coolers of bottled beer, one for German beer and one for Belgian beer. This beer has very floral Belgian esters, grassy hop character, plus orange blossom and grapefruit pith. I still need to make the trip out to Poperings’ hop festival.

North Coast Puck Saison

Chris McManus, head brewer at Phantom Canyon Brewing Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado

ABV: 4%

Average Price: $8 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

Puck Saison from North Coast brewing is my all-time favorite. Something about this light, crisp, and effervescent petite Saison just makes me happy.

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

Adam Lawrence, head brewer at Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Colorado

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is a classic. When I am overwhelmed with over-the-top beers, I seek this out. This beer is flavorful and rich, which is achieved through a great balance among only malt, hops, and yeast. The banana aroma is perfect.

Pinthouse Pizza Electric Jellyfish IPA

Alex Paine, sales manager at WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, Colorado

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

Pinthouse Pizza Electric Jellyfish is a great beer for any setting. It is an easily-approachable IPA for any beer drinker. Big notes of mango and citrus, while maintaining a great balance of piney bitterness.

Carlsberg Pilsner

Mark Youngquist, founder of Dolores River Brewery in Dolores, Colorado

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $15 for a twelve-pack

Why This Beer?

Carlsberg’s insatiable curiosity gave us the pH scale, pure yeast cultures, and one fine pilsner. It’s round and soft with pleasingly understated carbonation and finishes crisp and clean. Far different than its Bavarian and Czech cousins, Carlsberg is less about hop forward bitter, and more about crisp balance. It approaches beer-drinking Nirvana.

Fonta Flora Errday Saison

Patrick Ware, co-founder & head of brewing ops at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, Arizona

ABV: 3.8%

Average Price: $39 for a 1.5 liter bottle

Why This Beer?

This has beautiful farmhouse ale-level acidity with a funky aroma at a crushable ABV. Beers like this make so much sense to my palate. My mind thinks of putting in a hard day’s work in the sun, then rewarding yourself with something refreshing. This is that beer.

It goes without saying, but Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Taylor Swift have had a famously contentious relationship since the infamous stage-crashing incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Now, Ye has revealed that the situation really impacted him, so much so that during the aftermath, he fled to Japan.

The second part of Ye’s recent Drink Champs interview is out now, and in it, he revealed (as Pitchfork notes) that after the VMAs, he “did a personal exile” with Virgil Abloh in Japan because “all of America hated” him. He also said, “Everyone was like, ‘You wrong for this one, you won’t win this,’ by telling me, ‘You shouldn’t have ran on stage, you were rude,’ God forbid.”

He also addressed the VMAs in the previously released first part of the interview, saying, “I was actually talked in to going to the awards show. At that time, it was [my manager] Don C.’s job to talk me into stuff. They find new people whose job would be to talk me into doing something that I don’t want to do — influencers, people around you. So that night, I said, ‘Man, I’m not going to this awards show. I’m not sitting through this no more.’ And the very first award, they sit me in the front row. You got [Beyoncé’s] ‘Single Ladies’ video… this is one of the best videos in history. So it’s not that it’s just for her when the artist does something that’s that compelling and incredible. We got to respect it.”

Watch the new Drink Champs episode below.

Rebecca Hall, well-known British actress and daughter of mixed-race American opera singer Maria Ewing, makes her directorial debut with Passing, out on Netflix this week. Adapted by Hall from Nella Larson’s novel of the same name, Passing tells the story of Reeny and Clare (Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga), two high school friends, the latter of whom is now “passing” as white and married to a racist white man in 1920s Harlem.

Hall’s pedigree, as a theater actress at Cambridge and daughter of the founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, shows in a film that feels very much like a stage play or a Masterpiece Theatre production; tasteful, erudite, meticulously staged and impeccably acted. Which is to say, it feels more like a film I know I should like than one I actually do. It’s so painfully mannered that it doesn’t have much room to breathe, where the characters talk more like people probably wrote in letters than they actually spoke in daily life. Where the lead character says things like “Clare? Why, I haven’t seen her in an unmentionable time.”

Passing sets up its premise early on when Thompson’s painfully proper Irene “Reeny” bumps into her old friend Clare (Negga), a modern cosmopolitan type who Reeny soon realizes has been “passing” as white. Complete with a husband, played by Alexander Skarsgard, who has “affectionally” nicknamed her “Nig” and who, when pressed on his racial views, specifies that he doesn’t just dislike “Negroes,” he hates them. Of course, he doesn’t realize that his own wife is African-American herself, and the situation has trapped Reeny in a kind of non-consensual passing, forced to keep up the ruse out of fidelity to Clare and fear for both their safety.

It’s an interesting, provocative situation on the face of it, but the movie basically treads water from there, basically maintaining a kind of narrative stasis until a grandly symbolic deus ex machina ending. Symbolic of what I’m not quite sure, but it seems to be going more for symbolism than realism. The flapper clothes and art deco stylings are all rendered in gauzy black and white photography, which, again, feels like a gesture of conspicuous symbolism. It invites us to ponder the artistic gesture of it all while keeping us at arm’s length from the actual feelings of its characters, who are trying to make their way in a multi-hued yet painfully colorist world. It feels less driven by the characters than by its creator making a choice.

The great André Holland, again playing a doctor in early 20th century New York just like he did in The Knick, shows up as Reeny’s husband, Brian, who seems intent on exposing his children to the horrors of race relations in America. Reeny, meanwhile, chairwoman of the Negro Welfare League, would prefer to shield them from all the gory details of the latest lynchings. This kind of thing takes up most of the movie, two characters taking opposite sides of various racial debates. Clare wants to “pass,” Reeny claims she’s happy just the way she is. Brian wants to move the family abroad, Reeny doesn’t. Issues are discussed! If you’ve seen a play before, you’ve seen these kinds of dialogues.

Reeny seems determined to avoid Clare, and Clare is equally determined to butt into her life, to experience the Harlem Renaissance she’s been missing while cloistered amongst the whites. Brian seems to have a thing for overtly sexual Clare, who represents something different than his white-gloved wife. Glances are exchanged. Words become terse. That’s about it.

These characters all seem so locked into “types,” so studiously crafted to represent issues in debates, that they don’t have much space to evolve or banter or simply exist as believable human beings. There’s one scene, a party at the Negro League where we meet Bill Camp’s louche intellectual, Hugh, in which the film finally feels like a living breathing thing rather than just a machine for setting up premises. It’s the lone scene where the characters seem like they just get to hang out and interact with one another rather than be stand-ins and debate props for various societal issues.

Passing seems so intent on being Symbolic and Dramatic and Meaningful that it forgets to just be, to try to live in the characters just a little before forcing them into various provocative dichotomies. When the Big Ending comes, it does so, predictably, feeling like a forced attempt at having something Very Dramatic Happen, rather than as a natural culmination of believable characters interacting. It’s certainly pregnant with meaning, though it would’ve been nice if it had been pregnant with being interesting.

‘Passing’ is available now in theaters and on Netflix. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can check out his film review archive here.

Showtime’s Yellowjackets is a piece of slow-burn splatter art that hits the canvas in intense, albeit imperfect form. It’s a glorious mess that includes the somehow-never-before-attempted chemistry combination of Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci. Filling out the lead (adult) quartet would be Tawney Cypress and Melanie Lynskey, the latter of whom managed to score the juiciest role out of a show filled with juicy parts. These four ladies portray the f*cked up adult versions of 1990s teen female athletes whose plane crashed in the Canadian wilderness. Mind you, there were many more survivors of the initial crash in this group, and some of them didn’t stay alive long enough to be rescued, 19 months later. Those who did survive were (surprise, surprise) more than a little bit traumatized by their experiences.

Whatever happened in those woods did not stay behind in those woods, and the show spends a great deal of time bouncing back and forth between 1996 and the present day, a quarter-century later. Mind you, this is a show (and I’ve viewed six out of the ten episodes that shall fill this season) that is chock full of characters and developments, and it’s worth pointing out that the two casts (the young and older versions of the main characters, plus all the outliers) flow almost too well together. The show also manages to feel entirely fresh and original despite bearing very obvious resemblance to some infamous influences (Lord of the Flies, Lost) and a subtler resemblance to recent entries in the teen-drama realm (The Wilds, Cruel Summer, even a little bit of Outer Banks). Let’s talk about the reasons why this series (which hails from creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, producers of Narcos and Dispatches from Elsewhere) is worth watching:

(1) The very name of the series, Yellowjackets, refers to the girls’ soccer team but means to recall Lord of the Flies, and we’re finally getting the riot grrrl version that the template deserves. Yes, it’s different for girls; and they’re plenty tough, but there’s something different about how the way they maneuver, and how they work together, and how they might turn against each other, and how a plot point makes it necessary to mention that they’ve synched up periods. Mind you, they’re not merely operating on the social hierarchy, as has been the case for social satires or like Mean Girls or Heathers. Rather, this show stresses how survival does not end with a rescue. There’s also the lasting trauma that one must endure, along with the societal expectations for how survivors should behave. They must also deal with unwanted notoriety, along with reintegrating into a society that sure would like to know what these girls did in the woods. Inevitably, the four leads find themselves propelled toward each other in adulthood, even though at least three of them would rather not relive the past.

That’s the case even though they’re already reliving the past every day, as we see with what Melanie Lynskey’s Shauna does while cooking dinner one night. Lynskey crushes this role, which is filled to the brim with nuance. One would think that Shauna’s got the most “mainstream” life (as a housewife) that allows for enough distraction to wipe away any living nightmares, but nope. The way that she deftly navigates every obstacle that she encounters is fascinating. She acquired enough skills in the wilderness to work through any difficult “human” issue by pinpointing her opponents’ weaknesses, and it gives her an edge when confronted with any threat to the equilibrium that she’s constructed. She’s the character who I’d most like to see in a spinoff, hands down.

(2) What a slow burn of a story. That’s the best way to describe what happens here, but it’s also more like this: an adrenaline-pumping scene, then the slow teasing of anticipation until you can’t bear it, then boom, it’s time to be rewarded for the wait, and repeat. For the most part, the show does not disappoint with that type of pacing (this drives home the girls’ slow realization that they won’t be rescued within days, and maybe a lecture about not eating all the Corn Nuts on the first day will turn out to be a sad waste of energy). The show inevitably churns out more disturbing developments (including cannibalism) as these characters cannot shake their collective ordeal for decades to come. The show’s at once a survival tale, a psychological thriller, and an incredibly disturbing coming-of-age story, along with an examination of how humans turn out to be bigger monsters than the ones that might be hiding in the woods.

(3) Speaking of monsters, there’s one part of Yellowjackets that doesn’t flow too well for me — the suggestions of supernatural stuff. Granted, that’s tied to the story of how the four lead survivor characters come back together in adulthood, but the execution of exactly what the supernatural aspects mean, well, that’s not clicking yet. It’s the weakest link in the entire show, and I’m not convinced that it couldn’t have been left out altogether with some rewrites pulling the past and present together in a more effective way. Like I said, it’s possible enough for humans to do terrible things without otherworldly influence, and for hallucinations to be explained through drug use, PTSD, and so on. This isn’t enough to derail Yellowjackets, and maybe things come together more in the final portion of the season. I’d enjoy being proven wrong on this note.

(4) The casting directors did the thing. It’s truly worth noting that this show goes an extra 100 miles when it comes to matching up actresses to play the younger and older versions of these survivors. That’s particularly the case when it comes to casting the younger version of Juliette Lewis’ stoner character, Natalie, who’s also portrayed by Sophie Thatcher as a punky blonde whose coping skills were already honed during a horrible home life; and the Christina Ricci’s straight-up warped Misty, who’s forged out of eager resourcefulness gone terribly wrong by Samantha Hanratty. If not for the younger actresses’ performances, we’d never be able to believe how the adult versions came to be, especially when it comes to Misty. Trust me, you don’t want to see this nurse coming your way, ever.

And she’s only one of the reasons why Yellowjackets will stick with you, although the ’90s soundtrack (including Hole, Salt-N-Pepa, Liz Phair, the and PJ Harvey’s “Down By The Water”) is quite a contender, too. The show’s a nightmare, alright, but it’s one you’ll likely be eager to keep watching.

Showtime’s ‘Yellowjackets’ debuts on Sunday, November 14.

If it sometimes feels as if we’re all living inside a dystopian movie we cannot escape from, that’s because we sometimes are. Case in point: At this very second, elected officials and school board members in Virginia are very seriously discussing the possibility of an organized book-burning session in order to rid their community of books that someone, somewhere, has deemed inappropriate for the area’s younger readers.

As Insider reports, it all began when Virginia’s Spotsylvania County School Board demanded that any and all “sexually-explicit” books be removed from library shelves in the county starting immediately. But since deeming what might be too explicit can be a matter of personal taste, there are also a series of books that are up for review by the school board; if they fail the board’s smut sniff test, into the burn pile they’ll go.

As John Haltiwanger wrote for Insider:

The directive to remove “sexually explicit” books was seemingly prompted by a school board meeting on Monday during which parents expressed concerns about literature students can access via the Riverbend High School’s digital library app.

One parent was apparently alarmed by the availability of “LGBTQIA” fiction, the Lance-Star said, and found a book called 33 Snowfish by Adam Rapp especially troubling. The American Library Association named the book a Best Book for Young Adults in 2004. According to a Publishers Weekly review, the book is “dark tale about three runaways who understand hatred and violence better than love.”

Feeding this fire is the promise of newly-minted Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin, who promised during his campaign that banning the teaching of “critical race theory” in the classroom was something he would address on day one of his tenure.

While this particular incident is relegated to Virginia, it seems to be a microcosm of conversations taking place at school board meetings across the country. In an analysis of the book-burning chatter being heard across the country, Philip Bump wrote a piece for The Washington Post in which he noted:

One might justifiably dismiss this incident as an exception, one member of one small school board making one comment about destroying books. The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake, though, points out the broader context. Republican officials (like those in Virginia) have repeatedly called for the removal of books from school and public libraries in recent weeks, or have called for material to be reviewed as a first step to that end.

What’s useful to keep in mind about these efforts is how they contrast with the efforts to which they’ve been compared, the burning of books in Nazi Germany. As the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum points out in this video, the impetus for removing books from university libraries in the 1930s was largely to eliminate anti-German rhetoric and thought. Though it eventually became a tool of the state, many initial efforts stemmed from enthusiastic university students who sought a sort of ideological purification of their schools.

If by “useful” Bump means “terrifying,” then he’s absolutely right.

(Via Insider)

This week’s episode of Indiecast is dedicated to two of the greatest indie rock success stories over the last decade. First up is Idles, whose new album Crawler follows up 2020’s Ultra Mono and continues down a musical path toward what Steve recently called “the mix of political righteousness and musical bluntness that once caused people to call The Clash ‘the only band that matters.’” Does Idles actually pull of the tightrope walk on Crawler?

Next on the review list is Courtney Barnett, whose new album Things Take Time, Take Time is her first in a little more than three years. While Barnett isn’t necessarily as consistently discussed on music publications and music writer Twitter as a band like Idles, her albums are always well-received and her touring business is consistently growing and lucrative, making for an ideal situation for indie rock stardom. Things Take Time, Take Time is surely to continue Barnett’s trajectory and build her fervent fan base.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging the latest release from SeeYouSpaceCowboy, and Steve is enjoying A Way Forward, the second album in two years from Brooklyn trio Nation Of Language.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 65 on Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

Dave Chappelle has been a long time supporter of his alma mater, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown, and has often credited the school with saving his life. Along with other notable alumni like Bradley Cooper and Chris Tucker, Chappelle regularly visits the campus and holds master classes. But following the backlash from his Netflix special, The Closer, the student body at Ellington have made it clear to administrators that Chappelle is not welcomed with open arms on the campus.

The stand-up comedian was scheduled to be honored during a fundraiser (to raise money for a theater named after him) on November 23, but the event was “quietly canceled” as a student revolt began to build behind the scenes. Via Politico:

Two students tell Playbook that their peers got into a heated debate with faculty after being told that they were expected to help assemble an exhibition to honor Chappelle on the same day as the fundraiser. With many of their classmates identifying as LGBTQ+, the students were uncomfortable supporting the comic, and some even talked about staging a walkout if the tribute went forward. Ellington ended up canceling the fundraiser, even though an invite had already been sent to multiple patrons.

While Chappelle has repeatedly embraced his new “canceled” status and boasted numerous times that he “loves” it, he notably took the time during one of his Netflix specials to visit Ellington because his experience at the school means that much to him. It will be interesting to see if being canceled by Ellington sparks a more open-minded response from the comedian, or if he’ll continue going down the J.K. Rowling path.

(Via Politico)

Handicapping NFL games can be a challenge, and occasionally it can even be hilarious. In Week 9, we enjoyed success with a 4-1 performance that featured a pair of large underdogs winning outright. The funny part, though, is that the pick with the most closing-line value of the week was the single losing selection. In fact, the 49ers were routed by a Cardinals team without Kyler Murray and others, and that is a spot in which you just have to chuckle.

Alas, Week 10 is another opportunity to find value, and we’ll try to do just that. Before we do, here’s a glance at the season-long progress in this space.

• Last Week: 4-1
• 2021 Season: 26-18-1

Come get these winners.

Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots UNDER 45 points

The Browns are rounding into form defensively as the team’s health improves. Cleveland has allowed 15 points per game in the last three contests and the early-season struggles stemmed more from personnel absences than anything else. Meanwhile, the Patriots are a top-four scoring defense in the league, and it isn’t as if the Browns are *terribly* explosive on offense, particularly if Nick Chubb doesn’t play. Give me the under.

New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans UNDER 21.5 points in the first half

The full game under is also interesting here, but the Saints and Titans are very conservative. New Orleans has been leaning heavily on the ground in the first half of games, and Tennessee’s offense is still finding itself. On top of that, the Titans are playing surprisingly well defensively and the Saints have been undervalued on that side of the ball all season.

Atlanta Falcons (+9.5) over Dallas Cowboys

Dallas is better than Atlanta, but this line is a touch high. Yes, the Falcons can be maddening, but they’ve shown some rumblings in recent weeks as things get comfortable under Arthur Smith. Matt Ryan played very, very well a week ago, and the narrative will be toward a “bounce-back” for Dallas after a bad loss.

Detroit Lions (+8.5) over Pittsburgh Steelers

I don’t believe in the Steelers offense. That’s the majority of what this is, but the Lions are also a team that has shown the willingness to push hard until the final whistle. With the backdoor potentially open, Detroit should be live here.

Minnesota Vikings (+3) over Los Angeles Chargers

This may be a last stand for the Vikings. They’ve lost two in a row to fall to 3-5 and things won’t get too much easier. Minnesota has the firepower to make this interesting but, as we’ve stated in this space many times, the Chargers don’t have homefield advantage. Should the Chargers be a full field goal favorite on a neutral over the Vikings? I don’t think so.

Today marks the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), and during the week leading up to now, Taylor Swift has noticed that she’s having a much better time this time around than she did before releasing the original Red album.

On Late Night yesterday, Swift told Seth Meyers:

“One thing that I noticed about just this week in general is that I think back to the release week of Red, which is the album that is, you know… just in case anybody missed it. It came out originally about a decade ago, and I was 22 and that release week was so stressful because nobody’s heard any of the music, there are like 14 different genres on this album. It’s a real patchwork quilt of genres, really experimenting. […] But I think that I was so focused on, ‘Is anyone going to like it,’ and I was also like at the time, honestly, really said, because I had actually gone through the stuff that I had sung about! But this time, I’ve got sunglasses on and a mojito and just like… it’s chill this time. It’s really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad and not be taking breaks in between interviews to cry. I’m telling you, it’s much better this way. Much better.”

Watch the interview clip above.

Red (Taylor’s Version) is out now via Republic. Get it here.