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House Republicans have a lot on their minds right now, what with doing everything they can to avoid any further investigations into the Capitol insurrection of January 6th and what part some of their own members might have played in egging on protestors. So it makes sense that, in their desperate bid to beg petition the world’s biggest tech companies to not share any of the private communications of the particular individuals the House select committee has requested be turned over, they didn’t have time to confirm the best people to contact about these matters. Case in point: The September 3rd letter a group of 11 House Republicans sent to Marissa Mayer, the president and CEO of Yahoo!… who hasn’t been president and/or CEO of Yahoo! since June 2017, when she left the company.

As Mediaite reports, the letter states that:

The 11 Republicans – Jim Banks, (IN), Andy Biggs (AZ), Lauren Boebert (CO), Mo Brooks (AL), Madison Cawthorn (NC), Matt Gaetz (FL), Louie Gohmert (TX), Paul Gosar (AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Jody Hice (GA), Scott Perry (PA) – are seeking to prevent companies from cooperating with records requests and subpoenas as part of the select committee’s investigation.

“You are receiving this letter because news reports indicate that your company received a request to turn over your clients’ private and confidential data to Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives,” the letter begins.

How many people read this letter before it was sent? And not one of them recalled the big deal that was made four years ago when Mayer left her role?

One person whose signature was noticeably absent was that of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose communications are among those being sought by the committee. While he didn’t sound off here with his fellow GOPers, he has otherwise been a very vocal opponent of this committee and all it stands for… or all it stands to learn.

According to the letter, obtained by Mediate, the Three Gormless Gs (Gaetz, Gohmert, and Greene) and their equally deluded cohorts claim that “Congress has no general power to inquire into private affairs and to compel disclosure in order to expose for the sake of exposure,” and threatens that they “will pursue all legal remedies” if private information is turned over to the government body investigating an outright coup on the Capitol building.

So, surely they have nothing to hide, right?

(Via Mediaite)

Janet Jackson is getting ready to give her fans a behind-the-scenes look at her storied career and rise to fame. Her upcoming documentary Janet is set to feature archival and unseen personal footage, home videos, and exclusive celebrity interviews, which she has previewed in a teaser of the film’s new trailer.

Jackson debuted a one-minute teaser of her Ben Hirsh-directed documentary this week. Along with telling Jackson’s story, the film features some talking head commentary by friends and collaborators like Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, and more.

“This is my story, told by me, not through someone else’s eyes,” Jackson says in the trailer. “This is the truth — take it or leave it. Love it or hate it. This is me.”

Janet is set to be released live on A&E and Lifetime in January 2022. The full documentary will be a two-part event, with the entire four-hour film premiering across two nights.

After sharing the trailer, fans showed an outpouring of support for the singer. That included Missy Elliott, who praised Jackson’s talent. “You are the BluePrint of what a SuperStar is,” she replied. “40 years in the game & still counting! You are UNBREAKABLE! I Love you Jj you already know.”

Watch the full Janet teaser above.

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

After reaching a plea deal last week, it seemed like the story of Jacob Chansley (a.k.a. The QAnon Shaman) had come to an end. His attorney had effectively argued that Chansley has denounced his QAnon ways and reached a deal with federal prosecutors that would lessen his charges for storming the U.S. Capitol building in a Chewbacca bikini. However, new details have emerged, and it appears that Chansley, who no longer wishes to be called the QAnon Shaman, had a much deeper connection to Donald Trump than anyone knew. Although, committing outright insurrection and howling for hours inside a government building in service to the former president should’ve been a clue, Chansley’s feelings for Trump are reportedly much, much deeper.

During Chansley’s plea deal hearing on Friday, his attorney Al Watkins essentially argued that the former QAnon devotee was in “love” with Trump, and CNN’s Jim Acosta couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Via Mediaite:

“Take a listen to what [Chansley’s] lawyer says about his client’s view of Donald Trump,” Acosta said. “I think it’s pretty telling.”

“He had a fondness for Trump that was not unlike the first love a man may have for a girl, or a girl for a man, or man for a man,” Watkins says in the video clip. “The first love always, always maintains a tender and soft spot in the heart of the lover.”

“We can’t blame all of this on love, can we?” Acosta asked [Wisconsin Congresswoman Barbara] Comstock. “What a bizarre comment.”

It probably didn’t help that Chansley’s family are also deeply ensconced in all things Trump. According to CNN’s Marshall Cohen, the Shaman’s family “were urging him not to plead guilty today because they believe Trump is going to be reinstated and then will grant him a pardon.”

The belief that the former president will somehow be reinstated has continued to run rampant in the QAnon world and the rantings of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has incorrectly predicted Trump’s return several times. He now claims Trump will be back in the Oval Office by the end of the year, so you can go ahead and count on that not happening.

(Via Mediaite)

Paul Pierce is getting set to go into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this Saturday — the second such ceremony of the year after the 2020 induction was moved to earlier this spring. That will mark the next time we see Pierce on television, but what his future is in terms of being a public figure in the basketball world remains to be seen after his departure from ESPN earlier this year.

Pierce was let go by ESPN in April after a wild Instagram Live video went viral of Pierce at a party with dancers, smoking weed, and talking to the camera (taking away any excuse of an accidental post). The Truth apparently was unaware that IG Live videos could be recorded and reposted, thinking when he deleted the video after going Live, all was well. That wasn’t the case and ESPN took that opportunity to let Pierce go early, although the two appeared headed for a breakup soon anyways.

According to Pierce, who recently spoke with SI’s Chris Mannix ahead of his Hall of Fame induction, he and ESPN weren’t a good fit for a number of reasons, among them the constant coverage of a certain former rival.

“I was done with them, anyway,” says Pierce between pulls of lemon mint. “It wasn’t a great fit. There’s a lot of stuff over there that you can’t say. And you have to talk about LeBron all the time.”

Pierce’s lack of fondness for LeBron James is pretty well known. After struggling to get by Boston in his first stint in Cleveland, James would eventually beat up on the Celtics and successfully recruited Ray Allen to leave Boston for Miami, ultimately destroying the core of that 2008 title team. He would then go on to spoil Pierce’s jersey retirement night, as he lit up the Celtics in his second stint with the Cavs, as Pierce sat courtside. It is rather funny that Pierce was so frustrated by having to talk about James constantly that he was fine tanking his own career at ESPN, because at least it means he doesn’t have to have LeBron debates on air anymore.

This article first appeared on 9.15.17.

Via YouTube

Via YouTube

Cavemen must have been perpetually late, given that humans didn’t get around to inventing the sundial until 1500 BCE. The first attempts at measuring time via sun movement were shadow clocks created by the Egyptians and Babylonians. These led to the sundial, an instrument that tells time by measuring shadows cast by the sun on a dial plate. Sundials were our preferred method of timekeeping until the mechanical clock was invented in 14th-century Europe.

Photo via (cc) Flickr user Sara Bogush

In 1972, Hamilton introduced the world’s first digital watch. Its $2,000 price tag was hefty, but by the ’80s, digital watches became affordable for the average person. Now, both technologies have merged in a cool invention, the digital sundial. Created by French Etsy seller Mojoptix, this outdoor clock uses the patterns on a suspended wand to mold natural shadows into a digital-looking time readout. The digital sundial has two major drawbacks: It only reports the time in 20-minute intervals, and it’s not very effective after sundown. But it sure does look cool.

Here’s the digital sundial in action!

Timelapse: Digital Sundial

www.youtube.com

This article originally appeared on 08.16.18

Lately, art history majors have become something of a pop culture punching bag. Not only has the phrase become short-hand for “unemployable in today’s economy,” they’ve also been ridiculed by President Barack Obama on national television. But will the gentle art of aesthetic study finally get the last laugh?

Middle Earth Organics is known for their organic pasta sauces, each label featuring a famous Italian painting. While this would normally be an NBD, the painting they chose for their tomato and porcini mushroom sauce has been stirring up controversy online.

The woman in the painting above is not staring with intense concentration at a pot of delicious, simmering sugo.

assets.rebelmouse.io

The image is “Judith Beheading Holofernes,” a painting by Caravaggio. Judith, seen above, is not making an al dente delight. Judith is cutting off some dude’s head.

As 11points.com noted, “That unfortunate painting selection could’ve been avoided if they’d just hired an art history major.” You heard it here folks. Pasta sauce companies: the future of global arts employment.

This article originally appeared on 10.30.17

When you try to pick a fight on Twitter it’s probably best to know who you’re dealing with. A conservative blogger learned this lesson the hard way after trying to troll a woman who’s far from his intellectual equal.

On Monday, Twitter user Katie Mack tweeted her concern about climate change.

Just like every other time she has tweeted about climate change, the trolls came out of the woodwork. This time it was Gary P. Jackson, editor and publisher of a blog dedicated to Ronald Reagan’s brand of conservatism.

And Mack’s response was perfect.

What Jackson didn’t know is that Dr. Katherine J. Mack received a PhD in astrophysics at Princeton University and an undergraduate degree in physics at Caltech. So she does know a little bit about science. In fact, probably more than a guy who has a blog dedicated to the man who ripped the solar panels off the White House and famously said, “Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do.”

This burn-heard-’round the world even attracted the attention of Harry Potter creator, J.K. Rowling.

This article originally appeared on 09.19.17

There’s an arms race happening at your local wing joint. According to QSR, it’s because Americans have strayed from eating traditional fare and are embracing spicier ethnic foods such as Mexican and Asian cuisine.

A 2013 Consumer Flavor Trend Report found that a majority of Americans (54 percent) prefer hot or spicy foods, including sauces, condiments, and dips, compared with 48 percent in 2011 and 46 percent in 2009. Now, a new report out of China shows that this new trend in American eating habits could prolong our life spans.

Researchers discovered the connection between spicy food and longevity after studying the results of a survey of 500,000 Chinese people taken from 2004 to 2008. The survey asked people about their dietary habits, including the amount of chili they consumed on a weekly basis. When researchers checked back in with respondents seven years later, those who consumed spicy foods once a week had a 10 percent lesser chance of death. And those who ate spicy foods three to seven times a week had a 14 percent lesser chance of death.

“We know something about the beneficial effects of spicy foods basically from animal studies and very small-sized human studies,” Lu Qi, associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, told Time. Studies have shown that that capsaicin, the active ingredient in spicy foods, is linked to a lower risk of cancer as well as heart and respiratory diseases. It also has a positive effect on metabolism, weight, and gut bacteria.

“It appears that increasing your intake moderately, just to one to two or three to five times a week, shows a very similar protective effect,” Qi said. “Just increase moderately. That’s maybe enough.” So, if you want an extra dab of Tabasco on your tacos, go for it. But you might not want to eat a dozen fried, greasy buffalo wings every night—that will probably cancel out the positive effects of the chili.

This article originally appeared on 08.18.19

When Molly Galbraith posted on Facebook a photo of herself on a beach in a bikini, her caption wasn’t your usual “look at me” selfie.

“This not a before picture. This is not an after picture,” she writes.

Based in Lexington, Kentucky, Galbraith is the owner and co-founder of Girls Gone Strong, a company that seeks to provide fitness solutions and community not influenced by the juggernaut, multi-billion dollar weight loss industry, and in her caption for the Facebook post, she creating a litany of what her body has experienced and withstood. “This is a body that loves protein and vegetables and queso and ice cream. This is a body that loves bent presses and pull-ups and deadlifts and sleep. This is a body that has been abused with fast food and late nights and stress. This body has been publicly evaluated, judged, and criticized.”

Galbraith’s list goes on, and, so far, the image and caption have spread like wildfire across Facebook, inspiring many others.

“This is the first year in as long as I can remember that I have made NO resolutions to change the way my body looks,” writes Galbraith. “Today this is a body that is loved, adored, and cherished by the only person whose opinion matters — ME.”

via molly galbraith

As often, a lot of the conversation in the NBA world has revolved around the Pacific Division during the 2021 offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the league’s flagship franchises, the Golden State Warriors are always an intriguing topic, the Los Angeles Clippers bring uncertainty with the injury to Kawhi Leonard, and the Phoenix Suns are the reigning Western Conference champions. Even the Sacramento Kings have various angles to think about and, with only a few weeks until training camps open across the league, invested NBA observers are looking to plant their flags through the lens of season win totals.

Picking the over or under for each NBA win total is basically a national pastime, and it is time to formally weigh in on the five teams in the Pacific. For the sake of clarity and transparency, each line below comes from the folks at DraftKings and they will arrive in alphabetical order.

Golden State Warriors – Over 48.5

I have to make a pick on each team. Otherwise, I would run screaming from the Warriors. Golden State is clearly in “win now” mode with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, but they won at only a 44-win pace a year ago. Some of that stemmed from uneven supporting talent and the absence of Thompson, but it is impossible to know what Thompson will be in 2021-22. Golden State did make strong additions in Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica, but they add a pair of rookies in Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. To be clear, I liked both picks, but the two youngsters, plus James Wiseman, probably don’t help the win total this year, and I’m simply leaning Over out of respect to the vets.

Los Angeles Clippers – Under 45.5

The Clippers actually had a good offseason, retaining Nic Batum and Reggie Jackson while adding reclamation projects in Eric Bledsoe and Justise Winslow. The big factor, though, is the absence of Kawhi Leonard, and given the uncertainty, I am going to assume he doesn’t play much, if at all. Los Angeles should be quite competitive without him, in part because Paul George is awesome, but this is a highly competitive Western Conference landscape. The roster just doesn’t stand out as much without a top-five guy in the mix.

Los Angeles Lakers – Under 52.5

For years, sharp NBA observers almost blindly took the Under on the Lakers, especially in Las Vegas. Casino shops artificially inflated the price on Los Angeles as arguably the most “public” team in the league, and it was almost like getting two or three free wins. With nationwide sports betting coming into view, that isn’t happening as much these days, and it is now almost popular to doubt the 2021-22 Lakers. Frankly, I was shocked that the total was only 52.5 wins, and that foiled plans to just say “Under” with conviction and move on. I’m still going to take the Under when forced to choose, but the skepticism I have about Russell Westbrook and a bizarrely constructed roster doesn’t push me far enough to fully advocate against LeBron, AD and company. Proceed with caution.

Phoenix Suns – Over 51.5

The Suns finished the 2020-21 season on a 58-win pace over 82 games. Even if you went off their point differential, Phoenix was a 56-win club. Factor in some built-in skepticism of a return to that same form, and there is still some cushion if you assume that the Suns are at least similar to last year’s bunch with almost every player on the roster is on the upswing, rather than the downside of their career arcs. Now, Chris Paul is decidedly on the opposite side of that aging curve, and the Suns were quite healthy last year, but they do bolster their backup center spot with JaVale McGee, and internal growth should offset any other questions. This is a fair number, but I’d lean to a repeat effort.

Sacramento Kings – Under 36.5

In going through a similar exercise to that of Phoenix, the Kings were a 35-win club (on an 82-game pace) a season ago by their record, but they actually outperformed their point differential. That means you have to think Sacramento is going to improve by more than a win or two in terms of real performance to take this Over, and I can’t project that. De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are quality young players, and the Kings do have solid vets in Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes. On the flip side, the Kings inexplicably flipped Delon Wright into Tristan Thompson and, while Davion Mitchell projects as a better-than-average rookie given his age and defensive aptitude, he isn’t likely to change the team’s fortunes as a backup to Sacramento’s top two pieces. The Kings are at least capable of going Over if everything breaks well, but projecting that is something different.