For residents of Massachusetts, one of the main festivals they can look forward to every year is Boston Calling. Now, thanks to Cousin Stizz and friends, there’s a new festival in town and it could be around for the foreseeable future. The inaugural Commonwealth Fest was announced today by Cousin Stizz and friends and it arrived with a message from the rapper. “This MY first show back in a year too and it’s gon be one of those ones,” he wrote. “Got some homies from all over the country plus some of the best from home.. some BIG surprises comin too.”
The Commonwealth Fest, which kicks off the weekend of September 16 and 17, is headlined by Cousin Stizz himself as well as rappers Buddy and Kenny Mason. The full list of performers features names from New England that include SuperSmashBroz, Michael Christmas, Borirock, Jiles (of Van Buren Records), Alondrugs, Avenue, Kei, Clark D, Snax, Nay $peaks, Tyler Loyal, and Nino Francis. Tony Shhnnow and Jenno represent the additional performers from outside of the New England area. The Commonwealth Fest will take place at Bellforge Arts Center in Medfield, Massachusetts in a two-day showcase presented by Stay Silent, a Rhode Island-based creative platform.
You can view the festival lineup in the post above. Tickets for the Commonwealth Fest go on sale Friday, August 11 at 10 am EST through the festival’s website.
If Magic Mike’s Last Dance was, indeed, Channing Tatum’s final trip around the stripper pole, there needs to be a new Magic Mike. (In this scenario, Magic Mike is like James Bond; the actors are replaced but the character remains the same). Why not someone actually named Mike?
Jessica Chastain celebrated Michael Shannon‘s birthday by fan-casting him in Magic Mike 4ever (working title). “Happy Birthday to this guy!” she tweeted. “It’s true, Mike is a magical being and total franchise man. Come on Channing Tatum, Steven Soderbergh… let’s make his birthday wish come true.”
Chastain also uploaded a video with Shannon, who looks thrilled by the pitch. “Look at these muscles,” the Oscar winner said about her George & Tammy co-star. “He needs to do a Magic Mike movie. Mike Shannon told me that if I got him an offer for Magic Mike, one of the movies, he’d do it.” That’s legally binding.
In the clip, Shannon himself posits that he’d like to star in a project titled “Magic Mike vs. the Avengers” while “Pony” by Ginuwine plays in the background.
Happy Birthday to this guy! It’s true, Mike is a magical being and total franchise man Come on Channing Tatum, Steven Soderbergh… let’s make his birthday wish come true pic.twitter.com/D4q0zAQ17Q
Anthony Edwards found himself in trouble following the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season last year. At the conclusion of the team’s first round series against the Denver Nuggets, Edwards ran right into the team’s locker room. But before he got there, he picked up a chair and swung it, which ended up hitting a pair of women and led to him getting cited for third-degree misdemeanor assault.
It wasn’t intentional by Edwards — his lawyer called the charges “baseless” and said he was simply moving the chair out of his way — but he found himself in a difficult spot, although the charges were eventually dismissed. And on Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced that Edwards will receive a pretty hefty fine for the incident.
“NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $50,000 for recklessly swinging a chair in frustration that struck two bystanders as he exited the court at the conclusion of the Timberwolves’ playoff game against the Denver Nuggets on April 25 at Ball Arena,” the league said in a release. “In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, the league’s review of this matter was deferred until after the criminal investigation into the player’s conduct concluded with charges dismissed last month.”
Currently, Edwards is with USA Basketball ahead of its appearance at the FIBA World Cup.
Slowdive is giving fans an idea of what to expect from their next album, Everything Is Alive. The band’s latest song, “The Slab,” opens with an energetic guitar that builds anticipation before pulling listeners into a hypnotic instrumental trance.
“This is the heaviest track on the record, and as the name suggests we wanted it to feel like a big slab of music,” the band’s vocalist and guitarist Neil Halstead shared in a statement. “We wanted it to feel very dense.”
In addition to the song, fans in London, New York, and Los Angeles will have an opportunity to hear Slowdive’s album in full, through special listening parties in Dolby Atmos. Winners will be selected through free sweepstakes.
Check out Slowdive’s visualizer for “The Slab” above. Below, find their complete list of tour dates.
08/11 — Sicily, IT @ Ypsigrock Festival
08/18 — Brecon Beacon, GB @ Green Man Festival
09/23 — Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/25 — Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston
09/27 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/28 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/29 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/30 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/02 — Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy @ Mahall’s
10/03 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
10/04 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
10/06 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
10/07 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union
10/09 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
10/10 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
10/12 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/14 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
10/15 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
10/16 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/30 — Glasgow, UK @ QMU
10/31 — Manchester, UK @ Ritz
11/01 — Bristol, UK @ SWX
11/03 — London, UK @ Troxy
11/05 — Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall
11/06 — Dublin, IR @ National Stadium
11/25 – 11/26 — Buenos Aires, AR @ Primavera Sound
12/04 — Santiago, CL @ Teatro Coliseo
12/07 — Asunción, PY @ Primavera Sound
12/09 – 12/10 — Bogotá, CO @ Primavera Sound
Everything Is Alive is out 9/1 via Dead Oceans. Find more information here.
To that end, I’m conducting this blind taste test with bourbons that all clock in under $40 — the range is really closer to $18-$35. That alone makes these bourbons far more accessible. That doesn’t mean that these aren’t good or special bourbons though. There are single-barrel bourbons and bottled-in-bond whiskeys in the mix with some serious competition.
Moreover, I’ve picked bourbons that are on shelves. Whether they’re in your state exactly, I cannot say. America is a big place, folks, and whiskey distribution isn’t equal. What I can say is that these bourbons are on most shelves around the country and actually cost their MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) without markups.
Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
After blindly tasting these awesome mainstream bourbons, I’m going to rank them. This ranking is based solely on taste and depth. It’s really that easy so let’s dive right in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Nose: This nose is classic, with rich vanilla next to dry spicy tobacco leaves next to apple hand pies with sugar icing made with plenty of dark spices and butter.
Palate: The palate has a bran vibe that hints at a white Necco Wafer with a ripe white peach fresh off the tree with a hint of ginger bite to it.
Finish: The end circles back around to a vanilla wafer with nutmeg, orange zest, and a twinge of dark chocolate sauce leading to a dry and slightly molded wicker chair sitting in the sun.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a really nice bourbon with extra depth. That extra depth is very obviously from Tennessee (all the vanilla wafer) but it just works here.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This pops on the nose with rich caramel next to soft roasted peach and apricot, cinnamon bark and nutmeg with a creamy vibe, and a hint of Cream of Wheat cut with maple syrup.
Palate: Toffee drives the palate toward Nutella and honey over buttermilk biscuits with an apple/pear tobacco aura that leads to a soft orange.
Finish: The end is rich and full of stewed fruits — peach, pear, orange, raisins — and a mild sense of oaky spice and a mild graininess.
Initial Thoughts:
This is delicious. The biscuitiness and jamminess feel like a sneaky afternoon treat via a quintessential glass of Kentucky bourbon.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of old oak and almost smoldering cinnamon bark on the nose with a hint of apple/pear cider cut with orange oils and a whisper of vanilla-nougat wafers.
Palate: That apple/pear cider vibe dominated the start of the palate with a Martinelli’s cider sweetness next to clove buds and more cinnamon bark, a light sense of vanilla cake, and burnt orange.
Finish: The cinnamon really attaches to the apple/pear cider on the finish with a fleeting sense of sweet oak and old evergreen pitch and an echo of orange tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is bold on the nose and big on the palate with a deep bourbon vibe. This is good stuff.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: That orange and caramel really come through on the nose with a thin line of creamy dark chocolate and some nutmeg and cinnamon.
Palate: The palate largely adheres to that flavor profile while adding in layers of dark fruit, old leather, mild oak, and orange cookies.
Finish: The finish arrives with a sense of winter spices and dark chocolate oranges next to a twinge of cherry-kissed spicy tobacco chew and a final note of rail bourbon vibes.
Initial Thoughts:
This feels like it’s trying as hard as it can to be a big and bold bourbon. Sadly, it ends up feeling kind of cheap by the time you get to the end.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cream soda with a dash of cherry opens the nose next to dry leather tobacco pouches, salted caramel sauce, and a light touch of floral honey that’s just kissed with winter spice barks.
Palate: The palate brings forward dry and woody spices with a hint of eggnog creaminess leading toward honeyed Graham Crackers and a sweet tobacco chew.
Finish: The end turns the woody spice into Christmas nut cakes and gingerbread with more creamy vanilla, honey, and leather lingering the longest.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty goddamn tasty.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of old oak next to sweet cherries, vanilla cookies, and that Buffalo Trace leathery vibe with a hint of spiced tobacco lurking underneath.
Palate: The palate has a sharp texture before malted vanilla ice cream over a hot apple pie cut with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and walnuts next to Frosted Raisin Bran takes over.
Finish: The end adds sweet cherry to the tart apple and layers it into a light tobacco leaf with a mild sense of old musty barrel warehouses with a hint of fall leaves outside but fades super fast.
Initial Thoughts:
This was grassy and earthy with a good depth. It’s good but not “OMFG! Where’s this been all my life” good.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has classic hints of caramel and vanilla with a grassy underbelly next to soft cherry, hints of oak, and a touch of apple orchard.
Palate: That grassiness becomes vaguely floral as slightly spiced caramel apples arrive, along with a chewy mouthfeel that leads towards a soft mineral vibe — kind of like wet granite.
Finish: The end holds onto the fruit and sweetness as the oak and dried grass stay in your senses.
Initial Thoughts:
This is really good too. There’s a hint of nostalgia springing from the profile that endears this one to me.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lovely nose at play with soft taco mix spice next to creamy vanilla, caramel-dipped cherries, a hint of pear skins, and plenty of nutmeg.
Palate: The palate has a minor note of cornbread muffins next to cherry-vanilla tobacco with a dash of leather and toffee.
Finish: The end leans into some fresh gingerbread with a vanilla frosting next to hints of pear candy cut with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty good. It’s a little cheap on the finish but offers real depth.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of vanilla pods, cinnamon, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy.
Palate: The palate mixes orange and vanilla with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid palate.
Finish: That warm hug fades toward black cherry, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a nice classic bourbon. That’s it.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic Kentucky bourbon with clear dark cherry tobacco, apple cider doughnuts, plenty of cinnamon, eggnog creaminess, and a little rye grassiness (think dry sweetgrass).
Palate: The spice on the palate is squarely in the cinnamon category with creamy vanilla, more warm fruity tobacco, and a hint of orchard bark lurking in the background.
Finish: The end is warm but fades pretty quickly, leaving you with soft oak, dark spice, brown sugar, and a whisper of sweet and creamy grits.
Initial Thoughts:
This feels like classic mixing bourbon with a nice profile.
Taste 11
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and sweet apple and cherry woods greet with a good dose of sour red berries dusted with brown winter spices, especially clove and nutmeg.
Palate: The palate leans into soft and salted caramel with a hint of those berries underneath while the spices get woodier and a thin line of green sweetgrass sneaks in.
Finish: The finish is silky and boils down to blackberry jam with a good dose of winter spice, old wood, and a hint of vanilla tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is serious bourbon with real depth. I like this one a lot and want to go back for more.
Taste 12
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and buttery toffee is countered by burnt orange, old oak, and a hint of cumin and red chili pepper flakes.
Palate: The palate leans into soft vanilla pudding cups with a touch of butterscotch swirled in next to orange oils, nougat, and a hint of menthol tobacco.
Finish: The midpalate tobacco warmth gives way to a finish that’s full of woody winter spices and a whisper of Cherry Coke next to orange/clove by way of a dark chocolate bar flaked with salt.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another classic bourbon that is a little warm on the end. It’s good stuff otherwise.
This expression is from the single barrels that actually hit that prime spot/flavor profile to be bottled one at a time. This is the best of the best of the barrels earmarked for Benchmark in the Buffalo Trace warehouses. Those barrels are watered down slightly before bottling at a healthy 95-proof.
Bottom Line:
This was trying so hard not to feel cheap on the profile. That said, there’s enough going on that you can kind of forgive that stretching. In the end, this feels like a highball whiskey suited for good fizzy drinks with big garnishes.
Heaven Hill makes great whiskey, especially inexpensive bottled in bonds. This “b-i-b” is tailored for the Evan Williams flavor profile. Still, this is Heaven Hill, so we’re talking about the same mash bill, same warehouses, and same parent company as several entries on this list. This is simply built to match a higher-end Evan Williams vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is a good bourbon with a hint of cheapness in its profile. That hint really is me stretching to find something to nitpick. Overall, this is a nice bourbon that’s suitable for cocktails, highballs, and on the rocks partying.
10. Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6
This is the entry point to Weller. It’s a standard large-batched bourbon. The age of the barrels on this blend is also unknown. Overall, we know this is a classic wheated bourbon, and … that’s about it.
Bottom Line:
This was also very much in the “fine” column of this blind-tasting panel. There’s nothing wrong with it. There’s a nice earthy depth next to classic bourbon vibes. Still, it’s very clearly for mixing cocktails and highballs more than anything else.
9. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years — Taste 9
This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.
Bottom Line:
This is classic Kentucky bourbon … that’s built for mixing whiskey-forward cocktails. Use it that way.
This whiskey embraces a high-rye mash bill that’s comprised of 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malted barley. The hot juice is then rested for six years before blending, cutting down to proof, and barreling. As far as we know, this is still mostly sourced juice but will likely start including Bulleit’s own whiskey in the next year or two.
Bottom Line:
This a perfectly average bourbon with classic notes (that’s not a bad thing). Use it for cocktails.
A lot of Wild Turkey’s character comes from the hard and deep char they use on their oak barrels. 101 starts with a high-rye mash bill that leans into the wood and aging, having spent six years in the cask. A little of that soft Kentucky limestone water is added to cool it down a bit before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is where we start getting a little more depth. And heat. Overall, this feels like the perfect on the rocks sipper or cocktail base for everyday sipping.
6. Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky — Taste 7
This is Maker’s signature expression made with Red winter wheat and aged seasoned Ozark oak for six to seven years. This expression’s whiskey is sourced from only 150 barrels (making this a “small batch”). Those barrels are then blended and proofed with Kentucky limestone water before bottling and dipping in their iconic red wax.
Bottom Line:
This really stood out on this go around. There was a nostalgic vibe that just worked with a nice sweet depth countered by spice. This feels like a great Manhattan whiskey.
This whiskey is from Brown-Forman (which also makes Jack Daniels, Old Forester, King of Kentucky, and Woodford Reserve in the U.S.). The Kentucky-distilled juice is aged in special oak barrels that are chiseled before charring to create more surface space for carbon filtering and aging in the barrel. The best barrels and then batched, slightly proofed with that Kentucky limestone water, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This has some seriously good depth to it. Overall, I can see sipping this on a lazy weekday evening over a rock and being pretty happy about it.
4. George Dickel Bourbon Whisky Aged 8 Years — Taste 1
The whisky in the bottle is the same Dickel Tennessee whiskey but pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The whiskey is then cut down to a manageable 90-proof and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was complex and delicious. There was a Tennessee feel to the profile that helped it ascend beyond average. I’d use this in a simple whiskey-forward cocktail or just on a big rock.
3. Green River Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2
This new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Green River distillery is a wheated classic. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted 6-Row barley. That whiskey then spends four to six years mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was a damn fine sip of whiskey with real depth. I want to experiment with this with a ton of different cocktail combinations.
2. J.T.S. Brown 100 Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 5
This is a quality whiskey from Heaven Hill’s expansive bourbon mash bill (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That means this is the same base juice as Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, several Parker’s Heritages, and Henry McKenna. It’s a bottled-in-bond, meaning it’s from similar stocks to their iconic Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond and a few other whiskeys on this list.
Bottom Line:
This had a great profile. It was more than classic. Say it with me, folks. This is quintessential Kentucky bourbon through and through. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
1. Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 11
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a blend of four whiskeys. The blend is split evenly between the high and low-rye bourbons with a focus on “slight spice” and “rich fruit” yeasts — that means OBSK, OESK, OBSO, and OESO Four Roses recipes are in the mix. After six to seven years of aging, the whiskey is blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was the stand-out — not by far, but clearly so. This is just good goddamn bourbon that’s versatile. Drink it over some rocks. Mix it into your favorite cocktail. Or just sip it neat. You’ll be set no matter which whiskey path you take.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Mainstream Bourbons
Zach Johnston
This was an illuminating panel. I really enjoyed a lot of these whiskeys. I don’t think I’d skip any of them. And every single one of these whiskeys is relatively cheap and findable. It only proves that you don’t need to chase huge-name-allocated expensive whiskeys all the time. If you’re looking for good to great bourbon, it’s 100% on the shelf right now for an excellent price.
Those platitudes aside, I would focus on the top six or seven bourbons though. Overall, the J.T.S. Brown is a masterpiece that is still somehow under $20. (Yes, I know you can’t get it in every single state). Then there’s the Four Roses Small Batch. That whiskey is just good. You can get it everywhere from CVS to Costco to your local dive. And it’s crazily affordable for the quality of whiskey in that bottle. That’s a win-win, folks.
Sexyy Red has had a great year as one of rap’s newest breakout stars. Her hit single “Pound Town” has received much viral success, leading Nicki Minaj to hop on a remix called “Pound Town 2.” Now, in her latest video, “I’m The Sh*t,” Red is looking back on her epic summer, reflecting on her year as one of the most exciting newcomers.
The video for “I’m The Sh*t” kicks off with Redd opening up various online news headlines (including one from Uproxx), her Instagram followers growing, and a bunch of concert and festival performances (as well as a quick clip from her iconic Uproxx Sessions).
Juxtaposed with the montage is Red twerking inside her home, with stacks of cash in hand.
“He said, ‘Damn, Sexyy Red, you sure are a sight to see’ / Tell your baby daddy you ain’t comin’ home ’cause you with me / All my hoes be hella sexy and you know I stay on fleek,” she raps on the track, maintaining the confidence she’s earned as one of hip-hop’s promising newcomers.
With her remarkable feats, and her unfiltered, unapologetic lyrical craft, it’s safe to say the St. Louis rapper has a promising career ahead of her.
ESPN’s NBA coverage has gone through quite the overhaul this offseason. It’s already been announced that the Worldwide Leader got rid of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as the analysts in its top broadcast booth, and according to reports, Doris Burke will be elevated and Doc Rivers will be hired alongside Mike Breen for the network’s biggest games.
Things will look a little different before games, too, as Jalen Rose was also let go as part of the collection of layoffs that saw Van Gundy and Jackson leave the network. And while we’re waiting to figure out who will take his place, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that there will be a change in who hosts ESPN’s NBA Finals coverage, as Mike Greenberg will see his workload lightened a bit and Malika Andrews get elevated.
Andrews has a rather busy schedule with ESPN, but in recent years, she’s turned herself into one of the faces of the network’s NBA coverage. Marchand noted that she’ll continue to host the daily program NBA Today, and that she’s been the individual ESPN has trusted to host the editions of NBA Countdown that Greenberg hasn’t hosted. Now, she’ll be elevated to the main broadcast of the Finals, where she’ll be joined by Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, and as Marchand reports, a to be determined replacement for Rose.
Going to the hospital isn’t fun for anybody, especially when you know you’re going to be there for a few days. None of your stuff is there and you’re left sporting a hospital gown while your real clothes are shoved in a bag somewhere. You’re reliant on the hospital to provide everything from food to shampoo and while they can customize your food to your dietary restrictions, when it comes to hair products, you’re usually stuck with whatever they have.
But all hair isn’t the same and hair products made for straight fine hair won’t work well for curly or kinky hair. Typically people who have kinky coils have to bring products from home but a good bit of hospital stays aren’t planned, so then what?
Katherine Lane found herself in this situation recently. But when she asked for a comb to braid down her hair, she was so surprised by what was brought to her room that she recored a video and uploaded it to TikTok.
Lane turns the camera around and shows a small hospital tub full of hair care products for textured hair that the nurse brought her. There were two bonnets, leave in conditioner, shampoo, a comb to detangle, one to part hair, a pick and more. The selection was impressive to say the least.
It seemed like the patient relations department had some diversity training or maybe the hospital is partnered with a program that provides these items. Commenters were just as excited as Lane.
Like bby whettt! They lit for that! #fypシ゚viral #fyp #hospital #christiannortheast #stl #fypp
“Girl you hit the jackpot! That hospital is dope,” one person wrote.
“Talk about Diversity and Inclusion! I love this,” another said.
“That is so cool! All mine carries is a fine comb and Johnson 2-1 shampoo,” a commenter revealed.
While this video shows how much this option is needed, it’s should be noted that this is something that other hospitals are starting to implement. The University of Maryland Medical System released a statement in February 2023, explaining that they would now carry personal care products for people with kinky hair. A hospital in New York announced their own initiative called the Crown Hair Care Project and several Children’s Hospitals are following suit.
One woman has partnered with over 4,000 hospitals to provide them with proper textured hair care products to better serve their patients with kinky curly hair. Having proper personal products in the hospital can make you feel more cared for and maybe even help you stay be more pleasant. Maybe one day in the near future access to textured hair care items during a hospital stay will be so normal that its an expectation and not the exception.
Everyone needs to know basic life skills no matter what gender we tend to associate with them. Sooner or later, one has to leave the nest, and mommy or daddy won’t be around to do your laundry or fix your flat tire.
Likewise, your spouse won’t always be around to make sure you have a home-cooked meal or help you turn off the water when there’s a leaky faucet. Knowing how to fix things or handle basic domestic tasks also makes economic sense. Most people can’t afford to eat out every night, and plumbers are expensive.
A wonderful sense of freedom comes with being self-sufficient and not having to depend on anyone to get through the day.
A Reddit user named Key_Effective_2260 thought he was doing the right thing by teaching his stepdaughter how to mow the lawn, a chore typically associated with men, but was taken aback when his wife called him a “jerk” for doing so.
He took the question to the Reddit AITA subforum to determine if he was right, and the responses were all in his favor. Key_Effective_2260 is the father of four stepchildren, ages 8 to 15, and their biological father is out of the picture. So the kids now call him “dad.”
“The two oldest are guys, and I taught both of them stereotypical guy chores, fixing cars, cutting grass… etc. I started both of them when they were about 10,” he wrote. “My daughter Annie just turned 11. When she did turn ten I did start teaching her her more hands-off stuff since she was small. She is bigger now and stronger so we had our first lesson on cutting the grass and how a lawnmower works. She did really well ( little worried she would lose control of the mower since she is still short but my fears were unfounded). She did the whole yard and I’m quite proud of her.”
The dad seemed to be a good parent by teaching his stepdaughter how to mow the lawn. It’s a skill she’ll likely need if she ever owns a house, and it’s an excellent way for her to help her parents as she grows older.
“My wife had a fit though, she got in an argument about teaching her guy chores,” he said. “That she is too young ( the other two kids started before her age). I told her that she needs to stop babying her and that she needs to know how s**t works. She called me a jerk and left.”
The post received over 2,000 comments, and they unanimously supported the dad in the argument.
“Neither feminism nor misogyny will help you cook when you’re hungry, nor change a tire when you’re stranded. These are just general life skills everyone should know. I, too, wish my dad taught me ‘guy chores,'” Hellhoundsatemybaby wrote.
“Chores are chores. There aren’t guy or gal chores. Every skill is important in life,” 000-Hontaru_Tomoe responded. “You are teaching her how to manage her own household. I don’t mow these days…but I absolutely can. And that matters,” PracticalPimrose added. “Just like boys need to be taught laundry and cooking because they need the skills. Full stop.”
In the end, equality is all about ensuring everyone has the same opportunity to care for themselves and those they love in this world without being held back by prejudice and arbitrary rules. It’s comforting to see that a large group of people agree that teaching young girls to do chores, usually associated with men, is a great way to help them become independent women.
When my oldest daughter was in the deepest throes of a clinical phobia, her fear overtook everything. She practically became a hermit at 16, afraid to go anywhere. Thankfully, we found an excellent therapist who taught her how to tame her fear, to gently manage it, to approach it in such a way that allowed it to dissipate instead of continuing to dominate her every thought.
People who struggle with anxiety or fear, whether it stems from trauma or wonky brain wiring, understand how overwhelming it can be. Fear and anxiety can feel incapacitating at times, making you want to run far away or curl into the tiniest ball and disappear. But neither of those things actually helps. In fact, the first thing my daughter’s therapist told her is that avoidance always make anxiety worse.
Instead, she taught my daughter to approach that fearful voice in her head. After all, that voice was hers, and it desperately wanted to be heard and understood. Ignoring it, avoiding it, trying to distract it way simply made it yell louder. “Maybe you’re right,” she would say to that voice, even though it terrified her to do so. “Maybe you’re right, and maybe you’re wrong. Let’s just wait and see what happens”—that became her mantra to her own brain, and as counterintuitive as it seemed, it worked.
I could explain the science of the amygdala—the fight-or-flight center of the brain that acts on instinct—and why the “Maybe you’re right” approach helped retrain it not to overreact. But an artist has created a visual series that describes it in different terms that may resonate more with people who have experienced embracing fear.
Cécile Carre posted her series of paintings about fear on Facebook and they’ve been shared more than 12,000 times. As with any art, interpretations will naturally vary, but judging from the comments, people dealing with anxiety, fear, or unhealed trauma may find some truth in it.
The first image shows a girl curled in a fetal position with her back to a big, scary monster bearing down on her, with a word painted beneath it.
“Everyday…”
As the girl turns and faces the monster, it immediately looks less scary. Still big, still towering over her, but not terrifying.
“…Trying…”
As the girl walks toward the monster, she starts looking bigger. The monster transforms into a mirror image of herself, the terror of it literally melting away.
“…to watch…”
And then it becomes a child looking for comfort rushing into her arms. Even its color begins to blend with her own.
“…and embrace…”
And then a baby, purely in need of nurturing, wrapped lovingly in her arms.
“…my fear…”
And then…nothing. Just a simple, calm little diamond where the girl was.
“…until it disappears completely…”
The work of turning toward what you fear is not simple or easy, and it may take therapy, medication, or other methods to treat mental illness effectively. But this series of paintings shows what many experience when they stop avoiding and start approaching the roaring voice that tells them to be afraid. Though it’s thoroughly terrifying to make that initial turn—I saw it in my own daughter, and it took a lot of effort—seeing the beast shrink down and eventually disappear is an incredible gift.
Thank you, Cécile Carre, for illustrating that so beautifully. You can order her prints here.
This article originally appeared on 03.06.20
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Come on Channing Tatum, Steven Soderbergh… let’s make his birthday wish come true 
