Trae Young has been one of the figureheads for the NBA’s changes to how referees call fouls on unorthodox movement by offensive players designed to draw fouls, but on Friday he drew a fine from the league for a different reason: making contact with an official during a 122-111 loss to Washington.
The $15,000 fine created yet another layer to the discourse around Young’s playing style and frustration with referees, but the chatter seemed to cross a line for him Friday evening when he took to Twitter to explain himself.
Young has only attempted 22 free throws through the first five games of his season compared with the start of 2021-22 when he put up 64 free throws in the first five contests. The All-Star guard has a career free-throw rate of 41.4 percent but so far this season, he is taking just 22 free throws for every 100 field-goal attempts. While it might add some stress into his approach to the game, Young is still scoring 25.5 points per 36 minutes and the Hawks have opened the season 3-2.
With all that said, it’s easy to see why Young wanted to calm things down a little bit as the narrative started to get out of control that he was somehow feuding with the officials.
As debates over vaccine mandates raged this summer, United Airlines took the decisive step to require all employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees who applied and were approved for a medical or religious exemption would be placed on medical leave and risk losing income. Those who refused the vaccine and did not receive an exemption would be terminated.
The not-messing-around approach worked smashingly. Prior to the deadline, only a fraction of a percent of United’s staff—320 out of 67,000 employees—ended up choosing termination. That left United Airlines with an astounding 99.5% vaccination rate.
United took a risk and it paid off. Not only did the company retain the vast majority of its workforce, but applicants started clamoring to work for the airline. According to The New York Times, the airline received 20,000 applications for approximately 2,000 flight attendant positions after the vaccine mandate was announced.
“Job applicants said they were excited to join a company that took employee safety seriously. United has received 2… https://t.co/Dl4W9Ww287
United kicked off a trend. Other airlines followed suit, and we saw more and more companies requiring employees to be vaccinated.
Vaccine mandates have proven successful, but not without controversy. Within an already understaffed health care industry, the risk of losing employees who refuse to be vaccinated is real. So is the risk of unvaccinated health care workers treating patients.
In California, mandates for health care workers resulted in a huge uptick in vaccinations. The same thing happened in Texas. Despite predictions of a mass exodus of New York and New Jersey health care workers, only a small number chose to quit when mandates took effect. In fact, many of those who chose to stay on and take the alternative weekly testing option decided to get vaccinated after just a few weeks of being swabbed.
Mandates clearly work—but it’s maddening that we have had to resort to them. Some success stories have proven that mandates aren’t always necessary to reach a high vaccination rate. After being the only team in the NFL to have zero COVID-19 cases during last season, the Seattle Seahawks made a strong push to get their staff and players vaccinated. The NFL asked for teams to try for an 85% vaccination rate; with just one player declining, the Seahawks hit a whopping 99% vaccination rate weeks before the football season even began. By the time the season officially started, the NFL reported that 93% of players across the league had been vaccinated—a far higher percentage than the general population.
Perhaps that’s due to the stringent protocols players who aren’t vaccinated have to go through. Perhaps it’s the sense of competition within the league and the knowledge that COVID-19 outbreaks can derail a team’s chances of a winning season. Perhaps it’s because NFL players are supportive of science and common sense than the average American. Whatever it is, the NFL has proven it’s possible to create a culture that results in a high vaccination rate without mandates.
If only we could figure out how to create that culture in this country as a whole.
There are legitimate debates to be had about the government mandating vaccines (despite public schools having mandated vaccinations for more than a century), but it’s harder to argue against private businesses and organizations requiring them as a condition of employment or participation. People sure do try, though. Anti-vaxxers and “freedom fighters” who disagree with all manner of mandates in the name of personal liberty are loud and proud in their stance. But that doesn’t mean they’re right.
According to Gallup, the majority of Americans support COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Other polls, including one from Fox News, have found the same thing. If mandates are going to help us stop losing tens of thousands of Americans every month, bring them on.
In a global pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 700,000 Americans in a year and a half, vaccines that lower the risk of infection and transmission and greatly lower the risk of hospitalization and death are a gift. Mandate or no mandate, getting vaccinated is objectively the right thing to do. It would be fabulous if we could get to a high vaccination rate without creating requirements, but with few exceptions (like the NFL), that ideal has proven to be unrealistic.
If it weren’t for the massive misinformation machine derailing reality for millions, far fewer people would refuse the vaccine. We’re battling a crisis of viral conspiracy theories in addition to the actual viral pandemic, and something has to give.
If I thought I was alone in this opinion, I might be a little embarrassed. But countless conversations with other moms in my two decades of parenting tell me I’m not.
Target is magical. It just is. Target is like the Disneyland of big box stores. The Happiest Retail Store on Earth.
It’s not that the stuff it sells is remarkably better than any other retail outlet. It’s not that the prices are amazing or that the store feels particularly luxurious. It’s just … satisfying. Especially when you’re a parent constantly trying to keep your house organized while children follow you around undoing everything you’ve done.
Target has everything you need, more than enough of it and has it all perfectly displayed in neat rows. That’s true of a lot of stores, of course, but Target somehow does it better. Maybe it’s the lighting? Maybe it’s how forward-thinking the company is? Who knows. All I know is that a trip to Target alone is a legitimate form of self-care.
To illustrate, check out these toddler twins on their first trip to Target. They are all of us, squealing with delight at the magic that is Target.
Those Gremlin-like giggles of unbridled joy? That’s what I hear on the inside when I walk through the aisles of Target. Every time.
TikTok user @savyjane shared the video, calling the boys Thing 1 and Thing 2 (a shout out to Dr. Seuss) and writing, “POV: You and your twin are immunocompromised former micropreemies and you experience the happiest place on earth for the first time…ever.”
The commenters loved it. Target even responded, saying, “My Target heart just grew three sizes.” Awww.
“If this isn’t the next Target commercial, I don’t want it…this is pure joy,” wrote one commenter.
“This is how I feel whenever I go to Target too,” wrote another. (See? Not just me.)
And another: “Girl, this is how Target makes ME feel, too.” (Seriously, it’s a thing.)
“Me at Target every single time. Too precious.” (Yup.)
Some of the comments pointed to the fact that the boys were immunocompromised, urging people to take COVID mitigation measures.
“I wear my mask for sweet babies like them,” wrote one person.
“THIS is who we get vaccinated for,” wrote another. “So happy they’re getting to experience new things!”
The pandemic has been hard on all of us, but for parents of kids who are at higher risk and who haven’t been able to get vaccinated, it’s been particularly stressful. Most kids fare okay if they get COVID-19, but there are lots of children with health conditions that make the virus something to avoid at all costs.
Imagining these sweet babies ill is just too much. Not when there’s this much joy to be had with them and from them.
Can you picture these two at actual Disneyland? They’re giddy over the diaper shelves at Target, for goodness sake. Please, @savyjane, pleeeeeaase take these cherubs to an amusement park and mic them up so we can live vicariously through their delight. Do it for the good of humanity. Our weary world needs this ASAP.
It’s nearly impossible to keep a clean house for more than an hour when you have kids, and the more you’ve got, the worse it gets. Unless you have perfectly trained children, you’re always having to nag them to clean up after themselves.
Jessica McGinty, who posts as Mishmash Moments on her Facebook blog, found a solution to picking up after her kids and it stirred up some passionate debate. McGinty has a blended family and is raising five kids all under the age of nine. So you can imagine how impossible it must be to keep everything tidy.
McGinty came up with the ingenious idea of the “fucket bucket.” She has a bucket for each child in the living room and when she sees something lying around, she drops it in the bucket. If the kids haven’t put the contents of their buckets away by the time they go to bed, it gets thrown away.
“If they leave it laying around, it goes in their bucket. If it’s still there at bedtime it goes in the bin because fucket if I’m cleaning it up,” McGinty wrote on Facebook.
Like anything parenting-related, the post stirred up a bit of controversy. Michelle thought the idea was solid but that McGinty should probably have a name for the bucket that is a bit more kid-friendly.
“The idea is great but perhaps the name isn’t appropriate … what about renaming them ‘chuck-it’ buckets instead,” Michelle wrote.
McGinty cleared things up by telling her that she doesn’t use the F-word around her kids.
Amy thought it was a good idea to use for her husband, too.
“I have given my husband one of those boxes, minus the part about throwing it out,” she wrote. “He is always accusing me of moving his stuff. If it’s laying around, it goes in the box.”
Another commenter thought it was a bad idea.
“Makes zero sense, if you’ve made the effort to move it into the bucket, surely it could have been moved into a toy box,” Belinda wrote. “Just throwing your own money away.”
The idea made another mother irate.
“I couldn’t care less how messy my children were, I’d never disrespect them like this,” Claire wrote. “Shocked people seem to think throwing away other people’s belongings without their consent is a good thing. Great job setting an example of how to treat other people!”
Regardless of what other people think, McGinty says the buckets have been a game-changer in her home. “We’re a blended family of five, nine and under–nine, seven, seven, six, and two. It’s working well so far. I can wander around and pick up any missed things and drop them in the buckets and the kids love them, knowing exactly where things they’ve missed are,” she told Scary Mommy.
People can disagree all they want about the tactics parents use to raise their kids. But in the end, it’s all about the results. McGinty may have gone to extremes to get her kids to be responsible and clean up, but her home and her sanity will be all the better for it.
Multiple news stories of people being stranded in the wilderness have circulated recently, from the tragic story of a family that died of heat exhaustion and dehydration in the California mountains to the odd story of a lost hiker who refused to answer phone calls from rescuers for 24 hours because they didn’t recognize the phone number. And along with those stories has come a wave of viral posts sharing some wise-sounding advice for if you’re ever stuck somewhere without cell service and a low battery.
The problem is, the advice isn’t wise after all.
The viral post suggests changing your outgoing voicemail message to include your location. One version reads:
“If ever lost while hiking, stranded with a broken-down vehicle or other emergency situation, if your cell phone battery is low here is a tip that can very well save your life. Change your outgoing voicemail on your phone to a message that gives your approximate location, the time, the date, your situation; lost, out of gas, car broken down, injured, etc… plus any special instructions such as; ‘You are staying with the car’, ‘You are walking towards a town’ If your cell phone dies, stops working or loses signal your voicemail will still be working. Anyone calling your phone will hear your emergency instructions. They will know you need help and know where to find you or where to send help.“
Sounds smart, but a Colorado rescue team has explained why it’s not:
The Alpine Rescue Team posted its response to the viral post on Facebook, writing:
“1. Without a signal (connection to the cell system) YOU CAN’T CHANGE YOUR VOICEMAIL. The voicemail system resides with your cell provider. To change your outgoing message, you have to CALL into your voicemail and then navigate the menus, record a new greeting, confirm the new greeting, etc. YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH NO SIGNAL.
2. If your battery is low do not waste its power by calling your voice mail—or a friend or relative. Call 9-1-1 for help.
3. If you have no signal, text for help to 9-1-1. Many, if not most, 9-1-1 centers can receive a text.
4. Text takes much less power, is far more likely to get through, will automatically retry many times if you have spotty service, leaves record others can see and can give you an indication that it got thru. BTW, because of the automatic retries, you can compose and hit send on a text and then get your phone as high as possible to improve the chances of getting the message out.
5. Stay put. Okay, if you’re lost or broken down and you’ve called for help (assuming you have signal and battery) please stay in one location—UNLESS YOU MUST MOVE FOR SAFETY REASONS. Changing your location makes our job more difficult. Trying to reach someone whose GPS location we have (within a circle, of course) is faster for us than trying to nail down a moving target. STAY PUT.
6. Maximize battery life. In order to make the battery last longer, turn off everything you do not need. Close all apps. Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth. Don’t use your cell phone as a GPS/map device and especially do not use the compass if your phone has one — the compass feature in some phones is a serious battery drain. Pull out your map and compass and/or use a dedicated GPS unit. You may be instructed, by text, to turn your phone off and text back at a specific time. Also, keep your phone just a little warm with some body heat or a handwarmer.”
Many people probably think of their voicemail greeting as a recording saved on their phone, but it’s not. A fact-check by USA Today, which consulted the top three carriers (Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile), confirmed that cell service or a data connection is needed to change an outgoing voicemail message. You can do it over wi-fi, but that’s not helpful if you’re stranded on a mountain somewhere. You could change your voicemail greeting before you leave, letting people know where you’re going to be adventuring if you feel comfortable with that, but once you’re stuck without cell service, there’s no changing it.
As always, look for what the actual experts say before passing along a viral social media post, even if the advice it contains sounds smart.
You know what they say, feel the fear and do it anyway. Even if that means doing a double backflip. As one kid showed us, the feeling you get afterwards is worth every bit of discomfort.
The 10-year-old scooter champion Tyler Hainey, aka @tylerhainey, encourages us to follow his “insane flipping journey” on Instagram, where we can regularly catch him learning new tricks. His skills are pretty insane.
Recently, Tyler posted that he “smashed the wall of fear down and smashed it to pieces!!!” along with a video of him effortlessly flying through the air in two perfect circles before sticking a landing at the top of the skate ramp.
As the the youngest person to land a single backflip at a mere age 7, you’d think this scooter prodigy would view this feat as a piece of cake. However, the tiny athlete wrote that the flip had been “haunting” him since a fall on his head. Clearly the accomplishment meant something important to him, evidenced by his near immediate reaction once he reached the top of the ramp.
Mouth agape, panting and in pure, delighted shock, Tyler yells “how did I just do that?!” A similar reaction I have when I complete my taxes early, though this is far more entertaining.
The Daily Mail reported that Tyler received a split chin needing five stitches while attempting to learn the impressive trick. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams and honing his skills.
If there’s something you’ve been wanting to do that takes you out of your comfort zone, just remember Tyler’s ecstatic expression could be yours on the other side of those fears.
No neighborhood would be complete without that one neighbor who complains about the pettiest things. The big problem comes when you live in a shared building or have a homeowner’s association where that nosey neighbor has the power to make your life miserable.
Ashley Woodfolk, a young adult fiction writer in Brooklyn, couldn’t believe that someone in her co-op complained about her toddler writing in sidewalk chalk in the courtyard of her building.
For those who live outside of New York City, a co-op is a type of housing where each resident is a shareholder in a corporation and pays for their living area based on its size. Co-ops usually have a committee or board that meets to handle issues that arise in the building.
It’s incredible to believe that someone would be so shallow that they’d complain about a toddler drawing in sidewalk chalk. All it takes is a hose or a light rain and the chalk will disappear forever.
Furthermore, who would complain about a child drawing with sidewalk chalk during a pandemic when parents are rightfully afraid of their kids being exposed to the coronavirus?
Woodfolk was incensed that someone would make such a complaint. So she decided to apologize to the woman by writing a massive letter in the courtyard using sidewalk chalk.
GOOD EVENING TO EVERYONE EXCEPT the woman at my co-op who complained to the board about me and my toddler using sid… https://t.co/XTcvckU79I
“This will be my last time using sidewalk chalk in the courtyard since it seems to be such a problem for you (and only for you). I’m sorry harmless fun that brought my toddler joy (and has actually helped him learned all of his letters and most of his numbers –– his favorites are E and 8) causes you so much distress that you had to complain to the board and waste everyone’s time when our building has much bigger real problems.
“I think you’re aware that we’re in a pandemic and while I’d love to take my kid to museums and the movies I don’t feel safe doing that, and sometimes even local parks are more crowded than I’m comfortable with. The courtyard was a safe space but now there are limits on that too. There only a few weeks of nice weather left, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the use of the sidewalk-chalk free courtyard for the remainder of the fall. And I hope that every time it rains, rain that would have washed away any colorful ABCs I wrote on the ground, you think of me.”
All my love, Ashley.”
To make sure she got her message across, she also left a letter for the woman in the lobby of the building.
The woman got the message.
@StaggAndrea Don’t worry. Her nosy ass already saw it. 😂
Woodfolk doesn’t blame the board for having to hear about the complaint. She assumes they heard about it multiple times and had to give her the news because they didn’t want to be harassed.
@roxymigs @Trasherati The board ignored it for as long as possible and even when they called me they were super apo… https://t.co/MTKSfkn3NX
Let’s hope that Woodfolk’s dramatic reaction teaches the woman, and anyone else who wants to make petty complaints, that they should think twice before reporting someone to the board. They just might get a taste of their own pettiness in a glorious way.
Leaves are changing, the temperatures are dipping, it can only mean one thing — it’s time for a new grocery store snack roundup! Every few weeks, your favorite food brands will drop a grip of new products designed to fill you with anxiety when you’re doing your weekend grocery shopping. You probably know the moment well, you think you’re picking up a fresh pack of Oreos when all of a sudden they drop a new flavor on your dome.
In a perfect world, sure, there can never be too many snacks, so you might as well get both flavors. But in the real world? As much as we want to, we’re not about to fill up a whole shopping cart up with Oreos. Or any other snack, for that matter.
That means choosing between the new flavor of the week or standing by the old standards. So let us take those risks for you. Once a month we’re rounding up all our favorite new (and occasionally just “new to us”) market snacks that our team believes are grabbing the next time you find yourself scanning the aisles.
Let’s dive into the new grocery products you need to snack on this weekend!
If you had to choose a single cookie to eat for the rest of your life, you’re probably going chocolate chip. It’s a near-perfect cookie, and while you can never go wrong picking up a pack of your favorite brand, Famous Amos has given us an excuse to mix things up a little bit with their Wonders From The World collection.
The three cookie collection features Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies in three different styles: Belgian Chocolate, which has a sweeter and more pronounced chocolate flavor than their original, Mediterranean Hazelnut, which features chunks of Mediterranean grown hazelnuts embedded into the cookie, and the biggest departure, Philippine Coconut, which features flakes of sweetened coconut alongside chunks of white chocolate.
All three are pretty good, but if you really want to walk on the wild side scoop up that Philippine Coconut. It’s a little more intensely sweet than your average chocolate chip cookie, but it offers an experience that few grocery store cookies give you, while tasting reminiscent enough of the OG choc chip that you won’t miss your old standard cookie choice.
The Bottom Line:
In order from least essential to most: Belgian Chocolate, Meditteranean Hazelnut, and Philippine Coconut. But just order all three and you’ll be able to take a journey of global flavors, making this the cheapest vacation you’ll experience all year.
With the Extra Toasty collection, Cheez-It has fixed the biggest issue with the brand’s crackers. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cheez-Its, but I can eat at most 5-10 before the sharp cheesiness becomes too intense. That sharpness is balanced here with a subtle burnt toast flavor that helps to make each cracker all the more addicting, whether you’re grabbing the traditional Extra Toasty flavor, or exploring the more interesting flavors like Cheddar Jack or Spicy.
If giving up the intense cheesiness is something you’re not willing to take a risk on, start with the Extra Cheesy version, which gives you the best of both worlds.
The Bottom Line:
I know Spicy feels like the most worthwhile departure, and while they’re good, they aren’t spicy enough to win the hearts of those addicted to spicy snacks. So we’re going to strongly suggest you opt for the Cheddar Jack which has a sweeter and rounder character to it than the Cheez-It stock flavor and pairs perfectly with that extra toasted flavor.
Good Good Belgian Choco Hazel With Stevia (Dane Rivera)
Good Good
If you’re a big fan of Nutella, you’re no doubt aware that the reason the chocolate hazelnut spread is so addicting and delicious is that it’s packed to the brim with sugar. It’s the sort of indulgence you can only enjoy in small servings. Luckily, we have the masters of sugar-free pantry staples, Good Good, looking for a solution to that problem and they’ve found it, with their unappetizingly named Belgian Choco Hazel With Stevia.
When you open a jar of this hazelnut spread prepare yourself because by sight alone you won’t be convinced. It looks watery and like it could use a good mix. Give it one and be ready to be surprised — because a spoonful of this almost tastes exactly like Nutella. If you eat Nutella daily, you’re going to notice a difference (mostly in the texture), but if you’re occasionally spreading chocolate hazelnut on a homemade dessert crepe, or as a topping for your ice cream, this more than gets the job done.
The Bottom Line:
Sweetened with hazelnut, cocoa powder, and natural sweeteners like Stevia and Maltitol, Good Good’s Choco Hazel with Stevia is the best hazelnut spread you’ll find with a fraction of the sugar content of the original.
Ice cream and weather go hand-in-hand. We know the prime season for ice cream is the summer, but it would be impossible for us, true ice cream aficionados, to ignore Salt & Straw’s spooky-themed Ice Scream series. Featuring five flavors including The Great Candycopia, which attempts to mash all of your favorite Halloween candies (Kit Kats, Reeses, Snickers) into a single tastebud tingling butterscotch-based ice cream, Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread, Black Cat Licorice, and Lavender, the vegan-friendly bubble gum flavored Double Bubble Toil & Trouble, and finally, the most stomach-turning flavor of all, Don Bugito’s Creepy Crawly Critters, which feature mealworms and chocolate crickets embedded in a grassy matcha ice cream base.
You could write off that bug-infused flavor as simple stunt food, but if you can get past the sight of mealworms in your ice cream, it’s actually really delicious and rich. I can handle at most a spoonful, then for me, it’s on to the Black Cat Licorice and Lavender, which delivers a lot of flavorful herbal character delivered via a soothing and refreshing lavender base.
The Bottom Line:
In order of most delicious: Black Cat Licorice and Lavender, The Great Candycopia, Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread, Don Bugito’s Creepy Crawly Critters, and Double Bubble Toil and Trouble. Sorry, vegans.
Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce/Hot And Spicy Japanese Barbecue Sauce (Dane Rivera)
Bachan
Average Retail Price:$23.99 (two pack) $13.99 (single bottle)
Ever since trying a bottle of Bachan’s BBQ sauce, this has become my go-to. Whether used as a grilling marinade, a heavy sauce, or something to dip home fries in, Bachan’s BBQ is remarkably versatile, with a flavor that recalls savory teriyaki sauce much more than the heavily sweetened molasses-based Texas BBQ that has become the sauce’s standard.
That probably has to do with sharing some of the same key ingredients as teriyaki, including fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce and Mirin, which are combined with tomato paste to make that BBQ base. To take things to a spicier level, definitely give Bachan’s Hot and Spicy version a try which adds a considerable amount of pureed Jalapeño into the mix, giving the sauce a lingering spicy flavor that tickles the tongue.
The Bottom Line:
Not as heavy and thick as your average BBQ sauce, but this little bottle is packed with flavor and perfect for slathering on any meat you’re grilling up.
Ahh, the infamous Pokemon Oreos. What the heck are these things? Why was everyone obsessed with them a few weeks back? And what should you do if you come across a pack chilling on the shelves of your local grocery store?
We’re sorry to say that the Pokemon Oreos are just Double Stuffed Oreos with little Pokemon portraits on the surface of the cracker, so consider this a public service announcement!
They are in no way special, and they certainly aren’t something you should fill your cart up thinking you just struck gold. Despite their collectible quality, the Pokemon Oreo packs aren’t actually worth that much money, unless of course, you open a pack and find a cookie featuring the Pokemon Mew. Cookies of Mew are being sold on eBay for hugely inflated prices, so if you’re lucky enough to buy a pack and find Mew, list it on eBay and then figure out how the hell you’re going to safely ship a cookie to a very serious collector willing to spend double digits on a stale Oreo.
Or you can just eat it and enjoy your life.
The Bottom Line:
They’re just Double Stuffed Oreos but they’re delicious and deliciously nostalgic. If you grew up on Pokemon that’s reason enough for grabbing a pack if you see them in the wild. But don’t hold on to them hoping they rise in value, they’re still just Oreos and best enjoyed if you eat them.
Soon Foods — Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Sweet Tahini (Steve Bramucci)
Two chocolate spreads in one roundup? Dare we? Indeed, we dare.
I really only buy tahini — sesame seed spread — when I make hummus from scratch. Also, I’ve tried chocolate hummus and not liked it. So I was… curious-bordering-on-concerned with this one.
And then… Oh my, I like this miles better than Nutella, which is actually a cultural product from my home nation. It’s got a better, creamier mouthfeel, it features a lovely salty layer, and the nutty-sesame note is *just* noticeable as the backbone. Truly a gem and one I’ll be buying often.
Pro Tip: Once the jar was half empty, I mixed it with peanut butter and cinnamon to make a combo spread to put in my coffee smoothies. It lasted only a few days, but wow — that was a special few days for my tastebuds. The Bottom Line:
I like this better than Nutella. And I have one hell of a palate if I do say so myself.
Should this company probably rebrand? I mean… I don’t run the company. But calling yourself psychedelic and then not being psychedelic seems to invite a whole lot of commentary like mine, rather than just people excited about the fact that…
Wait for it…
This is actually a very solid, really enjoyable product. The key herbal ingredients are kava, green tea, and damiana extracts (none. of. which. are. psychedelic. plants), blended together to give a potential buzz and some soothing. Do they have that effect?
I’m not sure. I felt chill but it was evening and I’m a pretty chill dude. I felt a little vitamin high, perhaps. I was mostly just impressed with the flavor, especially the Blackberry + Yuzu. It tasted great and there wasn’t a ton of sugar. The flavor was spot on (heavier on the palate than La Croix but far lighter than soda) and the drink was bright and effervescent. I added a little vodka to a few cans the next night and enjoyed that immensely.
After previously kicking off their 25th anniversary tour, The Fugees have now opted to postpone the reunion until early 2022. The reasoning, they said in an Instagram post, is to reach as many fans as possible. “Dates for our upcoming Fugees 25th Anniversary Tour are moving to early 2022 to ensure the best chance that all cities on the tour are fully open so we can perform for as many fans as possible,” said a post on the band’s Instagram page. “With so much excitement around the reunion tour, we are also happy to announce that we will be adding more cities and dates! Full details coming soon along with some SPECIAL announcements!”
It’s quite a common situation at this point in time, where artists excitedly booked tours in the beginning of 2021, assuming that vaccines would put an end to the ongoing spread of Covid-19. But due to the many, many Americans who still refuse to wear masks to help stop the spread, and also those who adamantly oppose vaccinating themselves against a deadly disease that’s killed hundreds of thousands of people, the pandemic has continued well into this fall. It’s unclear how 2022 might be better for these planned tours, but that seems to be the hope for artists who are extending dates.
Indie folk virtuoso Kyle Field has been doing what he does best, quietly creating small batches of heartfelt, homemade art. Following up the release of his last formal record, 2019’s People, Field has now teamed with Greg Olin of Graves to release a multimedia project called Mushroom. Ultimately a book, every edition of Mushroom includes a 12” hardcover book with a colored vinyl LP housing the accompanying soundtrack, which features “Field and Olin taking turns reading the poems over original music and atmospheric sounds.” 45-day limited pre-sale for the book began last week, on 10/22, and will end in early December, 12/05, after which it will no longer be available for purchase. So far, about a third of the 500 units have been claimed, so there’s plenty of time to get a wholly unique gift for loved ones.
“<em>Mushroom</em> introduces a cast of unforgettable oddballs. Inside you will meet Little Tammy Moppins, stumble across sleeping Gilda Mibbs, find out about poor Edward Shandy Huppin-Cuffs, and of course learn about Ponce de Leon. Try some “Hermit Soup” or “Liver Tea.” Discover a mysterious artifact from long ago called “The Gong Show.” Alongside each poem is full-color original artwork by Kyle Field, who brings out the vivid daydream of every rhyme. These vibrant compositions recall the work of celebrated children’s book artist Brian Wildsmith, pushing the reader down the rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world of their own creation. The book emerges from Olin’s desire to recreate this classic childhood reading experience for his own daughter, and this collaboration with Field is a charming detour into the life of small things. “
If you’ve ever had the utmost pleasure of seeing or receiving a bit of original artwork from Field, you know he takes the same tender care with his drawings as he does Little Wings songs. This project is true a labor of love from two local musicians — check out the audio recordings, pre-order a copy or a deluxe package right here. Check out a preview video for the project up top.
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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
