Feeling the holiday crunch? Get more done with a Costco membership.
2023-03-19 06:18:23author：dointy.com
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Feeling the holiday crunch? Get more done with a Costco membership.
If it feels like you have more on your plate than you can handle this season, you’re not alone. We’re all looking for ways to save time and money to find a few precious moments for self-care. One way to simplify your life is a Costco membership(Opens in a new tab). While you know Costco’s got you covered on everyday items, they also have some surprising finds, from nicely priced gaming laptops to vacation packages. Right now, when you join as a new Executive Member(Opens in a new tab) and enroll in auto renewal of your Costco membership with promo code CJOFFERS, you’ll receive a $30 Digital Costco Shop Card.*
Credit: Costco
Here are some additional ways to start taking full advantage of a membership.
A one-stop shop
Credit: Costco
At Costco, you can cover a lot of bases when you shop in-warehouse or online (they’ve even got Same-Day delivery(Opens in a new tab) in many areas). You can shop for your weekly grocery supply, browse for a new computer(Opens in a new tab) and buy holiday gifts at the same time. Save time with Costco’s prepared meal selection or choose from an array of big and small appliances(Opens in a new tab) for your ideal kitchen. Plus, Executive Members earn an annual 2% Reward (up to $1,000)** on eligible and qualified Costco purchases.
Find quality products for quality time
Along with smart gadgets(Opens in a new tab) for making your home more functional, such as thermostats(Opens in a new tab), robot vacuums(Opens in a new tab), and carbon monoxide monitors(Opens in a new tab), Costco has items for leveling up your downtime, from wireless speakers(Opens in a new tab) and sleek TVs(Opens in a new tab) to comfy couches(Opens in a new tab) for the ultimate streaming zone. Costco even has items to help foster a new stress-busting hobby such as learning to play the piano or the guitar(Opens in a new tab).
Get more rewards with Costco Travel
Credit: Costco
If it’s been a while since your last vacation, Costco Travel makes getting away easy, whether you have no time to plan or you want to build your own package. If a rainforest picnic sounds amazing, start by choosing from all-inclusive packages to dreamy places like the Namale Resort & Spa(Opens in a new tab) in Fiji. It gets better, Executive Members earn an annual 2% Reward (up to $1,000)(Opens in a new tab)** on qualified Costco Travel purchases.
*To receive a Digital Costco Shop Card, you must provide a valid email address and set up auto renewal of your Costco membership on a Visa® card at the time of sign-up. If you elect not to provide a valid email address and sign up for auto renewal, a Digital Costco Shop Card will not be emailed. Valid only for nonmembers for their first year of membership. Not valid for renewal or upgrade of an existing membership. To qualify as a new member, an existing Costco membership must be expired at least 18 months or more. Limit one promotion per household. Promotion is nontransferable and may not be combined with any other promotion. Digital Costco Shop Card is not redeemable for cash, except as required by law. Digital Costco Shop Card will be emailed to the email address provided by the Primary Member at time of sign-up within 2 weeks after successful sign-up and enrollment in auto renewal. Costco is not liable for incentives not received due to entry of an invalid address during sign-up. Digital Costco Shop Cards are not accepted at Gas Stations, Car Wash, Food Court Kiosk or Self-Checkout. Use the provided single-use promo code when entering your payment information. Note: You will see a $0.01 deduction on your membership cost after the promo code is entered. This indicates that your promo code has been successfully processed so your incentive will be emailed. A Costco membership is $60 a year. An Executive Membership is an additional $60 upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes one free Household Card. May be subject to sales tax. Costco accepts all Visa cards, as well as cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT and Costco Shop Cards. Departments and product selection may vary.
**Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. See the membership counter or Costco.com(Opens in a new tab) for details.
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Costco Executive Membership
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Join now and you’ll get a $30 Digital Costco Shop Card
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A guide to getting off to your own sexual fantasies and imagination
They say the mind is the biggest, most powerful sex organ in the body. But, uh, don't try visualizing that mental image too vividly or literally, unless you're into that sorta thing?
Instead, imagine your favorite fictional crush pressing you up against a wall, or think back to the hottest sex you ever had in your life. Now stop imagining, because this magical place where all your desires are possible and acceptable exists. And literally anyone can tap into it.
While sexual fantasies are by definition not "real," their effects on your sex life (especially when explored during masturbation) are — shall we say — palpably physical.
"Engaging your imagination rather than relying on visual porn for example helps to build, enhance and strengthen your erotic mind," said Dr. Britney Blair, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of the sexual wellness Lover(Opens in a new tab) app. "You can bring that imagination to life when you want to prime the pump on your desire or push yourself over the edge to climax while solo or with a partner."
"It's incredibly liberating, recognizing our own power to design the scenes and situations that turn us on."
To be clear, there's nothing wrong with porn or other forms of erotica. But there's something especially powerful in orgasming to smut that couldn't be more personally tailored to what you like.
"In our minds we're not confined to our studio apartments or our current sexual partners. There are no rules or judgments. Not even the laws of physics apply," said Gina Gutierrez, co-founder of the popular audio erotica app Dipsea(Opens in a new tab). "It’s incredibly liberating, recognizing our own power to design the scenes and situations that turn us on and to scrap the ones that don’t work for us."
Don't take our word for it, though. There's science to show exactly how real the effects of a healthy erotic imagination are.
In a landmark 2016 study(Opens in a new tab), Dr. Nan Wise — neuroscientist, sex therapist, and author of Understanding the Neuroscience of Pleasure for a Smarter, Happier, and More Purpose-Filled Life(Opens in a new tab) — mapped the brain's response when subjects merely imagined pleasurable stimulation on their genitals. Just by thinking about it, the pleasure centers in their brains "lit up like a Christmas tree," Wise said.
"The mind is really the recipient of all the body's sensations. So there's this empirical evidence of a huge connection between the mind and pleasure," she said.
While everyone can benefit from using their imagination as a sexual aid, it's an especially potent practice for women and others who society has conditioned to feel ashamed about their sexuality.
"We have to do more work to lay down the connections, the neural pathways, between the genitals and the brain's sensory reward regions," said Wise. "Using your imagination to masturbate not only gives us the information about what stimulation we need, but also actually strengthens the connections between our genitals and the brain."
SEE ALSO:
Why some people masturbate about people they hate
Beyond that, getting off to our own sexual fantasies tackles another negative effect that patriarchy can have on women's sexuality.
"We're socialized to think of ourselves as the objects of other people's desires, like we need to borrow someone else's idea of pleasure" said Wise. That's why learning how to be the subject of our own desires, to embody the pleasure we conjure up in our own mind, can be so empowering.
Everyone with a brain, genitals, and desire is already equipped to masturbate to their own sexual fantasies. And while the practice does come more naturally to some, it only takes little guidance and patience to unlock the endless possibilities tucked inside your erotic mind.
Set the right environment
Set that phone to night mode, but make it sexy.Credit: bob al-greene / mashable
A major key in setting your mind up for erotic success is to ensure your environment allows your brain to feel fully relaxed, safe, and free from distraction.
Pick a time and place where you'll have full privacy without needing to worry about any interruption, whether from roommates or notifications. For most people, that place will naturally be the bedroom. But put some effort into also making it a true fortress of sensual solitude, like by locking the door, setting your phone to airplane mode, putting on an eye mask, or maybe even using some essential oils and putting on your favorite sexy playlist.
Blair even recommends purposefully scheduling these more exploratory kind of session and making them habitual. So maybe it can be something you add to your nightly ritual before bed: Brush your teeth, do the skincare routine, put on some pajamas, then let your mind wander as you touch yourself.
Create a safe space in your mind
Of course, priming yourself with the right mindset is vital to unlocking your brain's full fantasy potential.
One of the biggest hurdles to exploring our erotic imaginations is actually the engrained social shame many of us have picked up (even subconsciously) through sexism, homophobia, social stigmas, religion, etc.
"It’s important to know if that is coming up for you, you’re not alone. But there is no such thing as a wrong or right fantasy." said Blair.
SEE ALSO:
Am I the only one who's horny for podcasts?
Treat your imagination as a judgement-free zone. To be fair, clearing or redirecting your mind away from feelings of shame is easier said than done. But certain exercises can help (which we'll get into more in the mind-body connection section below).
Blair suggests that, while exploring sexual fantasies in your mind, try to distinguish between when you're having a reaction versus a judgment to a certain scenario. Judgments often come from values imposed on you by something or someone else, while visceral reactions can be an indication that your mind wants to explore it further — especially if it's something your never thought you'd be into.
It's easy to get scared off by an intense response to a fantasy, and write that off as being too weird or outside the norm for your taste. But if you give yourself a second to assess where that response is coming from, you might actually find that the intensity comes from a part of you that you've never tried tapping into before.
"Everything is okay in the world of fantasy. No fantasy is a crime."
Or maybe not, and that's fine too. The point is, if you feel safe doing it, just try leaning into parts of your erotic mind that feel challenging and see where it goes.
"Everything is okay in the world of fantasy. No fantasy is a crime," said Blair. "Whatever turns you on in your mind is totally healthy. Your fantasy doesn’t say anything about you except that you are lucky to have a rich imagination that you can use to have an exciting and enduring erotic life."
That's another major benefit of sexual fantasies versus traditional porn, too. You don't have to worry about any ethical concerns, because your imagination can't hurt you or anyone else. You're in total control.
"You imagination is a completely safe space," said Dipsea's Gutierrez. "We can play out fantasies that are risky or illicit that we would never actually want to happen in real life. In our minds we’re free to experiment without consequences."
Familiarize yourself with (but don't feel limited by) common sexual fantasies
While the whole point is to tap into the unique potential of your own mind, a good jumping off point is to explore whether the most common sexual fantasies(Opens in a new tab) spark your interest. Researchers have labeled them into different categories, though there's a world of possibilities within those labels as well.
Dr. Blair described these categories as multi-partner sex like group sex or threesomes; power, control, or rough sex; novelty, adventure, and variety; taboo and forbidden sex; partner sharing and non-monogamous relationships; passion and romance; and erotic flexibilitylikehomoeroticism or gender-bending.
Jess O'Reilly is a sex educator, author of The New Sex Bible(Opens in a new tab), and Astroglide's resident sexologist. She explained that through each of these fantasy categories you can help identify the specific core erotic feelings that get you into a heightened state of arousal.
"Oftentimes, they relate to fantasy, escapism or subverting otherwise 'negative' emotions. You might find that sex is really hot when you feel powerful, submissive, challenged, mindful, or playful," she said. "You may also find yourself aroused by feelings that you don’t naturally associate with pleasure, like jealousy, inadequacy, fear, and even humiliation can be exciting."
What our brains often gravitate to most is pure novelty. What gets you off in a fantasy can actually be the total opposite of your real-life sexual orientation or even completely removed from you, as an abstract scenario happening to someone else entirely.
Let your spank bank be a place where your freak flag flies.Credit: vicky leta / mashable
So don't be weirded out if you learn that you're as horny for that fish-god monster from The Shape of Water as the Academy Awards were in 2018. Or maybe you're one of the many women who enjoys a rape fantasy — which, as Dr. Wise points out, in a fantasy context is the opposite of a real-life rape since, "you're choosing to have the fantasy and who's overpowering you. You're in complete control."
One other general rule of thumb Wise found is that while men tend toward more visually-oriented fantasies centered around preferred body parts, women tend to focus on overall scenarios. However, it's impossible to distill the endless possibilities of human sexuality into neat categories. Which is why you also shouldn't get discouraged or ashamed if none of these common fantasies do it for you.
"Our capacity for imagination is limitless," said Wise. Don't feel pressure to confine yours to a specific label.
Related Video: I built my own vibrator at CES
Start building your erotic imagination through fiction, porn, memories... anything!
The truth is that, while other obstacles might make it hard initially to give yourself permission to explore sexual fantasies, using your imagination is a very natural and innate part of being human. Who doesn't fantasizing about getting up from their desk in the middle of a hard work day and quitting, or spend time daydreaming about how they'd furnish their dream apartment?
"We make Pinterest boards and save Instagram photos, collect and catalog all these things that we like. I recommend starting to do that for your sex life," said Gutierrez. "Become more mindful observing what attracts you to someone. The moments where you feel sexiest. What you want to say out loud during sex but hesitate to. Then the next time you want to use your fantasy for pleasure, you know exactly where to draw from."
Everything in your life can become part of your horny mood board.
Everything in your life can become part of your horny mood board.
We all have that one fictional character or public figure — whether from books, tv, movies, video games, or even politics and the internet — that just does it for us. Begin there, expanding into a specific sexy scene that got you going or whatever comes to mind when you think of that person. Heck, maybe you're like me and realize that a silky, authoritative voice is actually your kink, leading a bunch of non-erotic popular podcasts to become your go-to spank bank material.
Audio erotica can be a great place to start if you don't want to take the training wheels off yet to explore sexual fantasies of your own making. Unlike visual porn, audio erotica still exercises the muscles of your erotic imagination, asking you to fill in the details and paint the full picture. While we always recommend Dipsea, there's also plenty of free ways to try audio erotica like r/gonewildaudio(Opens in a new tab) and Girl on the Net(Opens in a new tab).
Once you're ready to bring yourself more to the forefront of the fantasy, begin with a memory of the hottest, most visceral sex you've ever had. Really ground yourself back in that moment by recalling your senses: What position were you in? What did the person's lust feel like? Were you sweating? How exactly did they touch you?
Touch yourself while pulling from all the erotic mental material you've curated, and don't be afraid to really get your whole body involved in mimicking the sensations you're creating through your mind. Maybe that means masturbating while you're on all fours, or matching the tempo of the fantasy, or even dry-humping a pillow. Don't put any pressure on yourself to orgasm throughout any of this, though, and instead just zero in on embodying the experience of your imagination.
"It's about giving yourself full permission to explore all our internal pleasure places, and how we experience them in both our minds and bodies at the same time," said Wise.
It's like writing fanfiction, but in real-timeCredit: vicky leta / mashable
Try these exercises to strengthen your mind-body connection
Through her research and other studies in the field, Wise has ultimately found that, "This distinction we make between the mind and body is really a very arbitrary one."
One of the best ways to embrace this in a way that engages your erotic fantasy life in is through something called mindful sex.
This increasingly popular branch of sex therapy describes a bunch of different practices and exercises that add a layer of sexuality to mindfulness, to help you stay present in your body while experiencing pleasure, train your mind to focus on whatever arouses you, and engage in a non-judgmental curious sexual mindset. Try out basic exercises like pleasure mapping (which Dipsea has a guide for), mindful masturbation (which you can read about here), and sensate focus (which you can read about here).
Wise also suggests a very simple exercise for getting your imagination more connected with your genitals on a neurological level: Just start by tapping or pleasurably touching your genitals, then stop, then think back on the sensations you felt while touching them. Try to recall and summon them back in your body: What did it feel like in your body when the stimulation was building, then dissipating?
At first, it might not feel like much at all and the pleasure may be pretty mild compared to what you're used to while using more immediate erotic visual aids like porn.
“But you’ll slowly start to develop a better connection to that pleasure sensation channel in your brain,” she said.
Use your imagination during partnered sex
While sexual fantasies are a great way to enhance self-love, learning how to engage with them during partnered sex can also do wonders to get people over the edge and into orgasm.
At this point though, you might be wondering: Is it even OK to fantasize about other situations — or maybe even other people — while having sex with a partner?
“It doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you'd come home to eat.”
“Yes, it’s an unequivocal yes! Because thinking about stuff is not the same as doing it,” said Wise. As the famous saying goes, “It doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you'd come home to eat.”
It’s totally normal for your mind to desire novelty, especially if you're not in a new relationship anymore. In fact, Wise found that one of the best ways to ensure a couples’ longevity is precisely this kind of openness and understanding that people need to fuel their erotic imagination with new stuff.
“If we can get over these kind of hang ups, get past this fear of our partners having a fantasy about somebody else while they’re with us, and instead use it as an opportunity talk about: What would you like? What haven't we tried? What are you afraid to tell me? Because that's hot. That's really hot,” said Wise.
Or maybe instead of thinking about someone else, you'd simply rather use your imagination during partnered sex to transport you both to a setting or scenario that heightens your arousal even more.
In the end, what you do with your erotic imagination is up to you. You can share it if you'd like — or keep it all to yourself. That’s what’s so great about sexual fantasies you cut from your own cloth: They’re all yours, and no one else's.
Childish Gambino warned us in 2018. This is America, right?
It's been a brutal week for anyone who doesn't live with their eyes closed. The proof is right there on Twitter and other social platforms. It used to be that we relied on police bodycams to hold officers accountable for their actions. But in this difficult moment, citizen journalism is carrying that bucket instead.
Something snapped in the United States as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against George Floyd's neck until he died on May 25. Floyd was black and Chauvin is white. It was a sadly familiar scene of what looks to rational observers like a clear case of police brutality.
But this time, we hit a breaking point. The gruesome reality of Chauvin's actions as captured on camera is certainly part of it. He held his position on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, until after the restrained man died. The camera captures it all in vivid, horrifying detail. Add to that the ongoing pandemic, and historic levels of unemployment. People's nerves are frayed and the callous inhumanity of Floyd's death was a last straw.
So cities exploded over the weekend with widespread protests and grim scenes of violence. Even as much of the country outside of major cities continues to hunker down behind stay-at-home orders, social media has brought all of us to the front lines through citizen journalism and shared news reports.
These ongoing protests are about stopping racial violence and police brutality, and they're hundreds of years in the making. I think the images and videos, and the actions of the people portrayed therein, tell the whole story. Thank you to all of the protesters and members of the press who are out there doing your part to make sure the realities of this moment won't soon be forgotten.
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It hasn't all been as completely terrible as the above visuals suggest. Protesters are out in force and many of them are skipping the violence in favor of working to send a message, lift up the people in their community, and generally just keep the peace. Many others are just doing the best they can to peacefully work through the days, weeks, months, decades of pent-up anger they've been carrying.
They've even been joined in a few cases by police officers and departments that have managed to maintain a level of trust with their local communities.
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SEE ALSO:
How to demand justice for George Floyd and support Minneapolis protesters
I don't know what else to say. Take care of yourselves, folks. And please, keep on documenting this moment in any way that you can.
Police scanner app catapults to the top of the App Store
Protesters just made a police scanner the most popular paid iOS app in the country.
On Monday, 5-0 Radio Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab), which costs $5, was the number one paid app in the App Store. A pared-down version with ads was the number two paid app, surpassing TikTok and second only to the suddenly popular Zynn app. Vice first reported(Opens in a new tab) on the app's rise.
Protesters clashed with police in Minneapolis, Louisville, Los Angeles, Philadelphia(Opens in a new tab), and other U.S. cities over the weekend. They are demanding an end to police brutality after George Floyd was killed by a police officer.
A look at the top paid apps.Credit: screenshot / mashable
Also popular as a free app.Credit: Screenshot / mashable
Scanner apps let protesters listen to live police radio feeds. App analytics firm Apptopia found the top five police scanner apps, such as 5-0 Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab) and Police Scanner(Opens in a new tab), were downloaded 213,000 times over the weekend. That's a 125 percent increase from the weekend before — a record for police scanner apps. 5-0 Police Scanner was downloaded 40,000 times between Friday and Sunday in the United States.
Other related apps saw download surges as well, like the encrypted messaging app Signal. It was downloaded 37,000 times this weekend, a record for the app. Same for community alert app Citizen, which was downloaded 49,000 times during the same period, according to Apptopia(Opens in a new tab).
Elizabeth Warren and her very good dog Bailey joined the Washington D.C. protests
Less than half an hour before the official curfew started in Washington D.C., thousands of protesters were still walking peacefully in the streets of the capital. Among them were Sen. Elizabeth Warren, her husband Bruce Mann, and their dog Bailey.
Dressed in sensible beige shorts, sneakers, and a basic blue face mask, the last female candidate to suspend her campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination was quickly spotted by her fellow protesters as she joined the throng in Lafayette Square. Many were clearly thrilled to see her, cheering as she told reporters President Donald Trump had been "wrong" to deploy the National Guard in the city.
"He is imposing violence on our people," she told one reporter(Opens in a new tab). "People are here to protest peacefully.
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Warren also called for Attorney General Bill Barr to resign after reports that he had ordered the violent removal of protesters near the White House, and tweeted her support for her colleague Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's bill to criminalise the use of chokeholds by police. Gillibrand was also in the presidential race until last August.
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Widespread protests have emerged in cities across the U.S. in a furious response to the death of George Floyd — who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes — as well as other recent police killings, including Louisville woman Breonna Taylor and Florida man Tony McDade. These names are only the latest to be added to a shamefully long list of black Americans killed by police.f
Trump's response to the protests, in particular the order to disperse peaceful demonstrators near the White House using tear gas and rubber bullets for a Trump photo op, has drawn criticism from members of both parties(Opens in a new tab).
Other politicians who have appeared at protests include Reps. Ayanna Pressley(Opens in a new tab), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(Opens in a new tab), and Joyce Beatty, who was pepper sprayed by police at the Columbus, Ohio event(Opens in a new tab), as well as Sen. Kamala Harris (Opens in a new tab)
Every police department should have to hear our rage via Zoom call
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Commission held a Zoom call with citizens — of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, as well as some former residents — and watched with blank faces as citizens berated them mercilessly for eight hours.
The call came not only after several nights of protests in Los Angeles, but also after LAPD chief Michael Moore blamed the death of George Floyd(Opens in a new tab) on the city's protestors and looters. (Moore walked back on the comments(Opens in a new tab) after backlash.)
But that's just the tip of the iceberg: LAPD has a long history of violence against black people — next year will be 30 years since LA officers beat Rodney King(Opens in a new tab).
After many people were initially left out of the call(Opens in a new tab) because it capped at 500 people — and after the boomers on the commission figured out how to work Zoom — the commission said their statements.
Then, the real show started. The public unleashed their fury on the LAPD for hours on end. They demanded Moore's resignation or firing, as well as to defund the LAPD and support the people's budget(Opens in a new tab). Some spewed incredible insults(Opens in a new tab), while others broke down in tears. Several impassioned callers, like this one, went viral:
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After watching this call, I'm convinced that every police department needs to have a Zoom call like this one.
While the LAPD is notorious for its racism, so are many other departments across the country — including the Minneapolis police(Opens in a new tab), who are responsible for the killing of George Floyd. He died after three police officers pinned him down, one kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Police departments across the nation should be subjected to people's rage. In many cities, they're beating up peaceful protestors who they are sworn to protect, all while we — the taxpayers — pay their salaries. Police commissions are supposed to be working for us, the civilians, and we should be able to scream and cry and drag our cops just like the residents of LA did yesterday. (And then I think we should defund the police(Opens in a new tab), but that's a different story.)
Public meetings with police departments aren't new. As some activists mentioned on the call, they've been raising the same concerns about the police for years. But now thanks to technology not afforded previous generations, these meetings can be online (and the current pandemic pretty much mandates that, anyway). Virtual meetings can not only be more accessible to people who can't make them in-person, but allows these meetings to go viral and be seen by thousands, both in the department's jurisdiction and beyond.
The total impact of the LAPD call has yet to be seen. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didn't make any promises about changing the budget(Opens in a new tab), and as of publication the LAPD chief has not resigned.
But that doesn't mean this call didn't have an impact. Hundreds of people were able to express anger that has possibly been pent up for years. People around the country — like me, in New York — stayed tuned for hours and are now inspired to tell our police departments our similar demands (and probably insults). Like protesting, donating money, and calling our reps, being able to rip into our respective police departments can be just another action to elicit change, and it's a cathartic one at that.
Police commissions and departments have a duty to their citizens to let their voices be heard. We are all owed a more modern-day public forum. Americans everywhere should be able to call out their police chief's racist eyebrows.
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Mashable has reached out to LAPD for comment and will update if received.
Even Piers Morgan thinks Rudy Giuliani sounds completely barking mad
Listen, let's not give Piers Morgan — a British TV presenter who's dabbled in racist tropes(Opens in a new tab) and transphobia(Opens in a new tab) — a gold star. But even he has realized Rudy Giuliani seems a little off.
Giuliani, the former NYC mayor and current personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, appeared on Thursday on ITV's Good Morning Britain, which Morgan co-hosts. The appearance, which took place in the middle of the night in the U.S., turned into a shouting match between two old white guys about who was more discredited.
The fight began when Morgan criticized Trump's tweet about "when the looting starts the shooting starts" in regards to the protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd. But the argument soon devolved into a barrage of personal attacks.
"You sound completely barking mad, do you know that?" Morgan said.
Giuliani fired back, "No, I don't. You sound like a big liar."
But Morgan kept going after the former mayor, firing off wonderfully British insults.
"You've lost the plot. And it's sad to see," the host said.
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Taking a page from his boss's playbook, Giuliani stumbled through a few insults about Morgan's failed CNN show and its poor ratings. At some point, Giuliani either tells Morgan he "sucked up" or "fucked up" — it's tough to tell because Giuliani's words are a bit slurred — but either way Morgan apologizes for the language before twisting the knife further into his guest.
"When I used to interview you, you were an intelligent, reasonable man and you've gone completely mad," he said. "And you sound deranged. You're abusive. And it's really sad to see what's happened to you."
A viral clip from the interview goes on in a similar fashion for a few more minutes. It does represent a shift from Morgan — a former winner on Celebrity Apprentice who had a largely friendly (if bonkers)(Opens in a new tab) interview with Trump this time last year.
But definitely watch the entire clip from Thursday, if only to see co-host Susanna Reid deliver an absolutely perfect, "OK," to end the wild segment.
Fox News host says John Lennon — who was killed in New York — wouldnt be safe in the city right now
Days after an NYPD car floored it into a group of protesters(Opens in a new tab) — just one of many instances of police violence in the city(Opens in a new tab) — New York City mayor Bill de Blasio responded with...John Lennon lyrics.
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"I don't mean to make light of this but I'm reminded of the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon," said de Blasio, according to journalist Jack Mirkinson. He went on to say that defunding the police, a rallying cry of the George Floyd protests, was "not the way forward."
De Blasio was subsequently roasted by social media(Opens in a new tab) and traditional(Opens in a new tab) media(Opens in a new tab) outlets(Opens in a new tab), and then Fox News got ahold of the quote. On Fox & Friends Thursday morning,Brian Kilmeade thought he was delivering a brilliant zinger about the mayor:
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"John Lennon wouldn't be safe in this city right now," said Kilmeade. "He'd be hiding in his apartment."
For those who are unaware (like Kilmeade, apparently), John Lennon was murdered in New York(Opens in a new tab) in 1980. His killer, Mark David Chapman, shot him four times outside his luxury Manhattan apartment. He's still in prison and his eleventh parole hearing is scheduled for this August(Opens in a new tab).
Maybe Kilmeade should do some fact-checking. Imagine that?
Singer performs Bunker Boy, a catchy tune about Trumps time in the bunker
There's a new song inspired by Donald Trump's recent and somewhat confusing trip to the White House bunker, and honestly? It's catchy as hell.
On Monday, days after it was reported that Secret Service rushed the president to the White House bunker(Opens in a new tab) amidst D.C. protests, singer Courtney Jaye (@TropicalJaye(Opens in a new tab)) penned and performed the tune, titled, "Bunker Boy."
Jaye shared a video of herself performing the song to social media, and on top of her gorgeous guitar playing and sweet-sounding vocals, the lyrics are truly something.
"Bunker Boy, don't lie. You got scared and hid in the basement in the middle of the night," Jaye sings. "You're not so tough, no. It's a sorry sight. So take your bible, shove it up your ass, and turn on the fucking lights."
Jaye ends the song with the lyrics, "Bunker Boy, Bunker Boy, November's coming and we hope you're terrified, Bunker boy," before taking a big exhale and letting out an exhausted eye roll. A real mood.
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SEE ALSO:
Stephen Colbert slams Trump's hypocritical Bible photo op
For those who haven't been closely following Trump's bunker saga, let's recap.
On Friday night, hundreds of people gathered outside the White House gates to protest racism, police brutality, and the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on May 25, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Reports stated that when protests escalated Friday night, Secret Service ushered Trump — along with Melania and their son Barron — to the underground presidential bunker, where they allegedly remained for nearly an hour(Opens in a new tab).
After Trump received some backlash for retreating to the bunker amidst a national state of unrest, he said that he didn't go to the bunker to get away from the protests, rather he was merely inspecting the bunker.
"I was there for a tiny, short little period of time," Trump told Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio. He then stated his bunker visit was "more for an inspection," and that he'd been been to the bunker previously. He said he's gone "two and a half times," whatever that means.
Trump's bunker comments sounded a bit absurd to many people, including Jaye, which is why she decided to use the gift of song to hilariously call the president out on his suspicious story.
Jaye tweeted her video and made sure to tag Trump's Twitter handle — and the song has been quite a hit since. At the time of writing this piece, Jaye's tweet had more than 60,000 likes, and celebrities like Sophia Bush have even praised the blunt and catchy tune.
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Jaye is no stranger to writing songs about President Trump. On June 1, she also shared another potential hit, called "fuck this fucking president," which has been viewed 174,000 times.
In it, Jaye shares her true feelings about the president, and urges people to get out and vote for the November election.
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I only wish Jaye had been cranking out these political hits back in 2018, when former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was hiding in (or among) bushes. I bet "Bushes Boy" would have been a real banger.
Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, resigns to make room for a black board member
The co-founder of Reddit just put the rest of the tech world on notice.
Alexis Ohanian announced Friday(Opens in a new tab) that he was resigning his Reddit board seat, and "urged" the rest of the board to fill his spot with a new black board member. He will also be donating all future gains on his Reddit stock to "serve the black community," and is immediately giving $1 million to Colin Kaepernick's racial justice charity.
Yes, take that in. Ohanian just set the bar for using power and privilege for racial equity by transferring not only resources, but also power to people of color.
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The tech world has been looking for ways to support racial equality amid Black Lives Matter protests across the world. The leaders in efforts to promote diversity in tech say that one of the best ways tech leaders in particular can help is by investing in black businesses and venture funds, hiring black employees, and putting black people in positions of power within the tech world.
"Tech companies should be hiring [people of color] at all levels, from the board room to the boiler room," Rodney Sampson, a leader in tech diversity and founder of the accelerator OHUB(Opens in a new tab), said. "If you’re a venture-backed tech company, you should be looking to put someone black on your board of advisors."
Ohanian called his move "long overdue." He explained that he had made his decision so that he could answer his black daughter (Ohanian's wife is Serena Williams) when she asked: "What did you do?"
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Williams expressed support for her husband in a tweet that may have made this reporter choke up.
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In the background of Ohanian's actions are the stark realities of Reddit, which Ohanian said he founded "to help people find community and a sense of belonging." Anyone who has spent even a passing moment on Reddit knows that it can be a quagmire of divisive vitriol. Amid the protests, some Reddit communities protested what they see as Reddit's failure to take stronger action against hate speech on the platform by making their communities private. Ellen Pao, a former VC, and one-time interim CEO of Reddit who now runs a tech diversity organization, called out Reddit's hypocrisy on Twitter:
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There is, of course, no guarantee that Reddit leadership will take Ohanian up on his request to fill his seat with a black board member. But this is an opportunity to set an example for the rest of the tech and business world. Currently, around 11 percent of Fortune 100 board members are African American, according to a recent study(Opens in a new tab) by the Alliance for Board Diversity.
Mashable has reached out to Reddit to learn whether it intends to follow through with Ohanian's call to action, and Reddit said it would be responding "later today."
Trump lies about elderly protester injured by police, hits another new Twitter low
Every time you think Donald Trump has hit a new moral low, he manages to outdo himself.
On Tuesday morning, Twitter users saw yet another exceptionally distressing and unpresidential display from Trump. The president tweeted outlandish lies about Martin Gugino, the injured protester who was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police officers last week. Even for someone prone to spreading false conspiracy theories, this was a shocking thing to say.
After video of the Buffalo police officers pushing the 75-year-old man to the ground went viral, public outrage led to the suspension of two officers directly involved and the resignation of the 57 other officers(Opens in a new tab) from Buffalo New York's emergency response team. Those officers who resigned from the team remain on the force.
As Gugino — whose head could be seen smacking the pavement in the video and then was bleeding from his ears — remains in serious but stable condition, Trump suggested to nearly 82 million Twitter followers that the 75-year-old man was "an ANTIFA provocateur" who was trying to tamper with police equipment and exaggerated the severity of his fall.
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?" Trump tweeted.
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SEE ALSO:
Protesters turned Donald Trump's #BabyGate fence into something beautiful
The tweet not only publicly targets a citizen, but also attempts to destroy his reputation as a peaceful activist(Opens in a new tab). And though Trump continually flings insults and spreads misinformation on Twitter, many people were genuinely taken aback by the harmful nature of this conspiracy theory.
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Trump seems to have gotten this conspiracy theory in his head from One America News, the conservative, far-right news network that previously claimed Dr. Fauci had ties to the Deep State, George Soros, Bill Gates, and the Clintons(Opens in a new tab).
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Trump has proven time and again that he's not above lying to rile up his base and change the conversation. So it's imperative now more than ever that you research whatever he says before you even consider believing it.
Harry Styles is going to read us a bedtime story and its exactly what we need right now
There's something very soothing about Harry Styles' mellifluous voice. So soothing, in fact, that you'll soon be able to hear him read you a bedtime story.
The One Direction star has voiced a sleep-encouraging story for meditation app Calm and you'll be able to listen to it from July 8.
If you've ever had any trouble nodding off to sleep, you might already be familiar with Calm's Sleep Stories(opens in a new tab), which launched back in 2016 and have a range of star-studded narrators, including Nick Offerman, Lucy Liu, Stephen Fry, and Matthew McConaughey. And, if you haven't heard of the magical wonders of sleepcasts and sleep stories before, here's a great article with much more useful information.
SEE ALSO:
How sleepcasts helped me tackle insomnia
There's even a hashtag to accompany the dropping of this....bedtime story: #DreamWithHarry.
To give you a taste of how that Sleep Story might sound, listen to the below video right until this end.
CARD ID: 503417
Even that one sentence — "Hello, I'm Harry Styles" — is enough to make me drop off to the land of nod.
The collaboration isn't such a stretch, as fervent Harry Styles fans know: Not only has he been open about the importance of mental health(Opens in a new tab), but he also invested in Calm in 2018(Opens in a new tab) during their Series A round.
"Sleep and meditation are a huge part of my routine, whether I'm at home, in the studio, or out on the road," Styles said in Calm's press release. "I'm so happy to be collaborating with Calm at a time when the world needs all the healing it can get. Treat people with kindness."
Michael Acton Smith, Calm co-founder and co-CEO, said in their press release that Styles' Sleep Story(Opens in a new tab) will help millions sleep every night. "His mellifluous voice is the perfect tonic to calm a racing mind," said Smith.
"Rest and recovery is as important as doing the work," said Styles. "Finding a balance has been endlessly beneficial to both my physical and mental health. It’s changed my life."
The Ergatta rower gamifies rowing (and looks beautiful in any space)
I enjoy rowing. It's a wonderful cardio and strength workout, and I especially like it in small doses paired with other exercises. In the pre-pandemic days, I'd workout often at OrangeTheory Fitness, which incorporates rowing in every workout.
Still, I don't like rowing nearly enough to fork over the hefty sticker price of an Ergatta rower: $2,199.
If you're not familiar with the Ergatta(Opens in a new tab), think of it as a Peloton for rowing. It's luxurious, internet-connected, and frankly the only piece of exercise equipment I'd maybe call beautiful.
Besides its looks, a major selling point for the Ergatta is that it's not focused on class-based exercise. Instead, its focus is on gamify-ing exercise. That means you can race other rowers, to complete tasks, or against your past performance. It's a piece of luxe exercise equipment for folks who aren't into the idea of having an instructor motivate them with platitudes (as they all kind of do).
It's not a bad piece of equipment, but I think to justify buying it you'd have to be a serious rower who perhaps used it as your main form of cardio.
Ergatta is a solid workout with plenty of variety
For background purposes, during nice weather, I run a minimum of 3 miles per day, and when it's nasty out, I'll spin. I have experience rowing, albeit typically in bursts as a supplement to other cardio, but rowing for 10 minutes straight on the Ergatta killed me. Like had me gasping. I couldn't even fathom doing some of the longer rows.
The Ergatta has courses where you'll row a number of different distances against real users that are selected because they have a similar skill level to you. I'd keep up with the opponents on the first few legs but by the end, they were destroying me. While it might not pack the caloric burn of running, rowing on the Ergatta wiped me the hell out.
Here are a few ways to get a workout in with the Ergatta.
Push programs, which basically create a workout regiment for you.
Interval workouts, which are pretty self-explanatory but focus on high-intensity and endurance.
Races, which pit you against other users in a regatta of sorts.
Open and scenic rows, which let you pick a distance, time, or no goal at all as you row about. You can either use a traditional screen to track your progress or a scenic path along a number of bodies of water.
A quick snap of some of the scenic workouts.Credit: Tim Marcin / mashable
One of Ergatta's biggest selling points is that it calibrates the experience to your fitness level. And, for the most part, I found that to hold true. It takes a few rows to learn your basic abilities, then acts accordingly. In general, when I raced, I was middle of the pack. That felt great. I didn't feel defeated (most of the time) and I was continually challenged to beat other racers or my previous times. If you're a competitive person, the gamification of the experience works — it makes you want to move your ass.
It's luxurious, internet-connected, and frankly the only piece of exercise equipment I'd maybe call beautiful.
Perhaps my favorite mode was a form of interval training where you row to collect points as you go. Think of basically jumping to get coins in a videogame, but you're going harder or slower on a rower. I liked the aspect of competing against myself and I enjoyed that the course (or level, whatever you want to call it) kept me honest. It had breaks built-in but remained quite challenging throughout.
I also specifically enjoyed the scenic rows. I'd often pair them with a run or biking workout and it was lovely to row and see the (digital) scenes.
It's designed to look beautiful in your space — and stow away nicely
If you want a piece of equipment that looks luxurious, Ergatta is your best bet. It's sharp. The frame is composed of cherry wood with black accents. It features a 17-inch screen for the display and, in theory, folds up to take up a space about two feet deep. That's good because the rower itself is about two inches over seven feet long.
I was not able to actually fold the rower up, however, because the only space for it in my home was a basement level with exactly 7-foot ceilings. I don't really begrudge the Ergatta that, however, since the room where I put it has exceptionally low heights. I'm not sure most normal folks wouldn't want to fold it up after every use, but you definitely could. Or you could just stow it when you have company.
What the Ergatta rower looks like standing up.Credit: ergatta
I also don't think it would look too awful in a room where people hang out. Nobody would really want, say, a treadmill in their living room. But I've never seen a treadmill look this good. If you're a fanatical rower with disposable income and you live in a city with cramped spaces, I think the Ergatta would be perfect.
SEE ALSO:
Hail Hydrow! Why the 'Peloton of rowing' is a surprise hit
And the actual rower itself, in short, is top of the line. It's made by Water Rower(Opens in a new tab) and has a fantastic feel. The water tank gives great physical feedback as you pull strokes, and the seat glides effortlessly along its track as you push and pull.
The Ergatta glides perfectly when you pull strokes.Credit: Ergatta
Technical difficulties weren't dealbreakers, but still disappointing
While the rower is beautiful and feels great, some of the more technical aspects gave me issues during the weeks I tested the Ergatta in my home.
First, you'll need a decent internet connection. At first, my Ergatta really struggled to connect and function. Granted this was on a basement level, but then again, lots of folks use a basement for workouts. I had just moved when the rower was delivered and didn't realize my basement would likely need a mesh network. For context, the connection — prior to me making an upgrade — was good enough to ride a Peloton or stream Netflix but not good enough to download an update on my Xbox One. Eventually, I installed a mesh network and the Ergatta worked fine.
The other technical issue I experienced was more frustrating. At one point, my rower just...stopped...registering I was rowing. I thought it was just a one-time glitch but after several restarts and retries, nope, it didn't pick up any of my stats. Eventually, I looked around Ergatta's website and found a troubleshooting page(Opens in a new tab) for my issue. I reconnected all the cords. No dice. Eventually fiddling with a sensor disc got me my stats back. It wasn't the end of the world and I'm sure Ergatta would help customers fix any issues, but it's not necessarily something you want to deal with from a luxury item.
Add to cart?
The short answer is, I probably wouldn't buy the Ergatta(Opens in a new tab) but frankly, a rower would have to be pretty miraculous to get me to spend $2,199. Keep in mind, I'm a journalist on a journalist's salary and perhaps some of you out there don't mind forking that cash over. It has a 30-day warranty so if for any reason, you aren't a fan, Ergatta will send a technician to pick it up. They also have financing available through Klarna, starting at $61.08 per month.
However, it's a good machine. It's a pretty machine. It provides a solid, low-impact, full-body workout. But I'm not a rowing enthusiast. I like rowing, sure, but not as my only form of exercise. My partner and I have a Peloton, but that's because it's her primary form of exercise and something I use quite often. I think if I wanted to row as my cardio every day, I'd consider the Ergatta. But that just isn't me. And I wouldn't recommend anyone spend that much money unless they know rowing is for them. Still, the damn thing looks pretty and I'll miss having it as a fun addition to my workouts.
UPDATE: July 16, 2021, 3:20 p.m. EDT This article was updated for clarity.
A Roblox fan with questions posed as a White House reporter. Why was deception necessary?
Over the past few weeks, an intrepid reporter by the name of Kacey "Lego" Montagu has been able to ask White House press secretary Jen Psaki a number of questions without even being present.
White House reporters have been fielding questions from press who cannot physically be in the room due to coronavirus protocols. Through this, Montagu has been able to ask questions passed on by other reporters regarding ambassadorships, COVID-19 travel bans, and Biden's response to a hack at Microsoft.
One interesting note, however: Montagu isn't a reporter. In fact, it's likely "Kacey Montagu" doesn't exist at all. The revelation that a fake persona posing as a White House reporter has been passing questions to the Biden administration was uncovered in a new report from Politico(Opens in a new tab). It's unclear who is behind "Montagu."
What is known about the mysterious fake reporter is that they're active in the online game Roblox, which is where the nickname "Lego" likely comes from: Players refer to each other as "Legos" in the game.
Politico reviewed conversations between Montagu and U.S. officials and journalists where Montagu refers to themself as an "18-year-old law student from the United Kingdom" and claimed "they were studying political science."
One interesting thing about the individual posing as Montagu is that their questions were all relevant and appeared to be asked in good faith. This isn't trolling to attack a politician or party for political reasons. It's not (apparently) "for the lulz" pranking either.
On Twitter, Montagu's account(Opens in a new tab) has become a little silly, basically sharing out all the things they've been called by various media outlets reporting on the story. But they also ran two Twitter accounts that shared real information: @WHschedule and @WHpoolreport, which posted the daily schedules released by the White House and journalists' pool reports. (Pool reports are basically daily real-time reports about what the President, First Lady, and Vice President are doing).
So, while this is certainly an interesting story...is what Montagu did so bad?
"I love journalism, and I think the Press Corps is doing a pretty bad job at the moment," said Montagu in a statement to Politico. "So, I decided I would ensure some transparency and ask some questions me and some friends wanted the answer to."
SEE ALSO:
What Biden's budget means for NASA and its mission to the moon
At a time when people's faith in America's institutions(Opens in a new tab) are at all-time lows, why shouldn't regular ordinary citizens have some sort of access to ask questions that matter to them? What is the point of the daily press briefings from the White House if journalists are going to ask questions that simply don't matter to the majority of the public?
Sure, obviously we can't let just anyone physically walk into a White House press briefing for various security reasons, especially if they'd like to remain anonymous. But why are White House reporters only fielding outsiders' questions due to COVID-19? And why are they only taking them from other journalists? In this day and age, the media and our government should be way more accessible to the people.
For all its issues, online platforms have shown people that they have power to make change. One doesn't need a legacy media organization behind them to research topics or investigate issues. Smartphones, social media, the internet, so many tools are in everyone's hands that anyone can be a citizen journalist.
Even a Lego from Roblox.
Related Video: How to know if you violated the First Amendment
Small business spotlight: 4 spots worth checking out this month
You've probably heard that shopping small is better than a weekly Amazon haul or Walmart run, but choosing to shop from small businesses is easier said than done. When convenience is key, shoppers tend to go for big-box retailers that offer fast shipping and cheap products.
Even though inflation is top of mind right now and many shoppers are tightening their purse strings(Opens in a new tab), we'd like to make the case for shopping from small businesses (when possible). Small businesses help to create jobs, support local economies, and often give back to their communities, among tons of other benefits that big-box stores lack. Plus, having a cute candle, bag, or piece of clothing that no one has seen before is way cooler than buying whatever the algorithm bumps to the top of your search.
SEE ALSO:
Want to shop from more small businesses? Here's how to do it.
As a little push to shop smaller, we've rounded up four of our favorite small businesses to shop from this month, and we made sure to pick a variety of BIPOC-owned, woman-owned, and immigrant-owned businesses for you to diversify your shopping cart. Read more about our faves below:
Cuzen Matcha(Opens in a new tab)
Cuzen Matcha is a brand for true tea connoisseurs, selling single-origin tea, carefully curated matcha blends, and a killer luxury matcha maker (which Mashable reviewed and loved). Founded by Eijiro Tsukada and Oki Hatta, the Cuzen Matcha maker serves freshly-ground matcha, pulling inspiration from the "early era" of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The resulting tea is more flavorful, more fragrant, and more sustainable(Opens in a new tab) than powdered matcha blends. Mashable reviewer RJ Andersen said that the Cuzen Matcha Maker "brings an ounce of luxury to [...] daily life," and highly recommends it to other matcha lovers.
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Shop specialty teas, matcha makers, and more
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Bonita Fierce Candles(Opens in a new tab)
Inspired by Latinx culture, Bonita Fierce has candles with scents ranging from Puerto Rican coquito to cafecito con leche — all hand-poured with coconut soy wax and finished with earth-friendly packaging. Founded by Melissa Gallardo in 2020 during the pandemic, Bonita Fierce Candles aims to bring Latino heritage into the home through comforting, cultural fragrances. "We're revolutionizing the candle space for Latinx communities by bringing scents that feel familiar — times with la familia, warm feelings of home that are whole and welcoming, and feel like you belong," Gallardo told Mashable. "We're thoughtfully creating curated home fragrances for your cultura, your experiences, and the cultural crossroads of being Latinx and American, and the cafecitos that kept you going."
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Shop Latin-inspired candles, including coquito, azúcar, and more
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Andean Blue(Opens in a new tab)
Andean Blue will convince you to ditch your plain hiking pack for one adorned with intricate, Andean fabrics. A self-proclaimed one-man business owner, founder Christian Vinces told Mashable that while "growing up in Peru, it was common to see people adding Andean textiles to their clothing and accessories." He started Andean Blue to bring the rich history of Peru's textiles to the U.S. — all while promoting a sense of adventure and supporting Andean culture by donating a portion of profits to an organization that protects the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest and the Andes. "This operation brings my past into my present, the culture I grew up in, and the culture I’m in now, " said Vinces.
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Daisy by Shelby(Opens in a new tab)
If you consider yourself a maximalist and want your dog to be one too, Daisy by Shelby is the small business to shop from. From faux fur-lined collars to gen-z-inspired printed bandanas, Daisy will basically outfit your dog to be the next stylish dog influencer (dogfluencer?). "Our canine companions are an extension of ourselves," founder Shelby Eastman told Mashable. "Daisy was created to visually represent that connection by taking a modern, design-first approach to pet accessories inspired by current (human) fashion trends."
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Hosting Thanksgiving this year? Nail your table setup with these decorating tips.
Gather your friends and mash the potatoes because Thanksgiving get-togethers are back in full force this year. If the hosting baton has been passed to you, however, you might be feeling as anxious as you do stoked. The food is just the beginning, right? There’s also décor and table settings and loads of dirty dishes afterwards to deal with.
Whether you’re hosting a big family Thanksgiving for the first time or you want to have your buds over for Friendsgiving, these holiday essentials from Walmart(Opens in a new tab) will help you throw a celebration that’s as tasteful as it is tasty.
Smells like holiday spirit
What better addition to your holiday feast than candles that smell good enough to eat? These vanilla-scented ones come in fancy glass jars that hold their own on your table. Arrange a few pine cones around them for an instant centerpiece, on the cheap.
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Mainstays Vanilla Scented Large Glass Jar Candle, 2 Pack
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$12.66
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DJ baste that turkey
Holiday tunes, anyone? This stylish little guy packs more sound and base than its predecessor and will set the vibes for your feast. With Google Assistant, you can just tell it to play whatever songs or genre you want from your apps, a perk if you’re up to your elbows in gravy-making.
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Google Nest Mini 2nd Generation
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$49
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Make grandma proud
You’ve worked hard to whip up grandma’s famous cranberries, give them the table presentation they deserve. This large serving bowl holds enough to feed your hungry bunch. It’s also microwave-friendly and goes into the dishwasher, a bonus for cleanup.
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Sofia Home Embossed Stoneware Serve Bowl
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$17.98
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Raise a pretty glass
If there’s ever been a time to give thanks, it’s now. These wine glasses will do every table toast a solid with their elegant shape and the price can’t be beat. They also hold 17 ounces, which is more vino than most other glasses. Bottoms up.
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Better Homes & Gardens Flared Red Wine Glass, 4 Pack
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$9.96
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Bring the outdoors in
Spruce up your place with this autumnal eye candy. You get two separate pieces and almost 12 feet total of orange, yellow, and red artificial maple leaves to wind around your bookcase or mantel. Try hanging them from the ceiling like twinkly lights for a crafty DIY vibe.
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Coolmade Holiday Artificial Hanging Vine Garlands
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Now $14.99, originally $17.99
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Level up your dish setup
You don’t sit at the kid’s table anymore so don’t set your table like a kid. This 12-piece dish set will impress your in-laws and pickiest of friends. The embossed plates have gold trim (so fancy!) and there’s one for a side salad, main dish, and pie for four people.
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Credit: Sofia Home
Sofia Home 12-Piece Embossed Stoneware Dinnerware Set
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$58
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The best seat at the table
Take the guesswork out of who sits where with these cute pumpkin-shaped placecards. Not only are they a stylish touch for your table, you can sit your favorite singles next to each other and watch the sparks fly.
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Credit: Way to Celebrate
Way to Celebrate Thanksgiving Placecards, 12 Count
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$2.68
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Store it in style
Prepare your fridge for an onslaught of leftovers with these vintage-inspired storage containers. Snap-shut plastic lids keep your turkey slices and pumpkin pie fresh for days. They nest together for easy storage and double as pretty serving bowls, to boot.
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Credit: The Pioneer Woman
The Pioneer Woman Ceramic Nesting Bowls, 6 Pieces
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The window to e-file is now open. Save 25% on H&R Block’s online tax solutions.
Surely, we won’t go as far as to say doing your own taxes is fun, but we will quietly suggest it’s not nearly as scary or panic attack-y as you think. If you have a pretty straightforward tax situation, like being a student or a W-2 employee, H&R Block’s free version may be all you need.
However, if you have a few more things going on, such as side hustles, investments, or kiddos, H&R Block’s online tax solutions are fast, easy, and accurate. You can use these tax-filing tools on your own or with the help of their deduction-savvy experts.
Keep in mind though, this year you’ll be needing to get your return done by April 18 in most states (those bittersweet days of the IRS playing it a bit loose with deadlines are now over) and e-filing started on January 24.
On the bright side, H&R Block is offering an exclusive 25% off discount(Opens in a new tab) until April 18. For tax season 2022, here are some scenarios which may apply to you and how to handle them.
Get the largest child tax credit in U.S. history
A couple studying their finances with children.Credit: kate_sept2004 / Getty Images
If you’re a parent, you may have started automatically receiving monthly payments for eligible children last July. It was the first time in U.S. history, child tax credits were paid upfront —usually, you have to wait until you file your taxes. Since you’ll claim the rest on your return, and every family is unique, H&R Block Deluxe Online(Opens in a new tab) simplifies child care expenses and itemized deductions.
Report your crypto earnings
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Have an app on your phone for buying and selling cryptocurrency? Those crypto winnings are taxable. For anyone with new-school or old-school investments, H&R Block Premium Online(Opens in a new tab) has you covered for reporting capital gains and stock sales correctly. You’ll also have access to a tax pro for on-demand chats and video, screen sharing, and support on any device.
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It can be tricky determining what you can and can’t deduct when you’re self-employed or own a small business. H&R Block Self-Employed Online(Opens in a new tab) offers personalized guidance to maximize your refund guaranteed. They’ll help you accurately report profits and losses and in the off chance you do get audited or there’s an error, they’ll stick around for free until it’s sorted out.
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H&R Block online solutions to help you file your taxes
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Rudy Giuliani (almost definitely) farted while flailing to overturn Michigan election results
A simple truth: Farts are funny. Try as you might, no one — no person with a shred of humanity — is immune to laughing at a toot.
And Rudy Giuliani — President Donald Trump's grease-dripping(Opens in a new tab) lawyer and loyal sycophant — ripping ass during a hearing? That's just plain hilarious.
OK, so we can't fully prove it was definitely Giuliani that let one loose, but it sure as hell seems like it. First, all credit must be given to the good folks over at Gizmodo(Opens in a new tab), who first heard the flatulence and clipped video from a long hearing in Michigan about the 2020 election that Trump lost.
But if you go to the 4:11:41 mark in this video(Opens in a new tab), I mean...there is definitely a squeaker. It's so...farty...it almost sounds fake.
Funnily enough, and apparently still gaseous, just before the 4:13:00 mark, there is another comically loud fart sound in the video. Again, it's not definite that Giuliani passed gas — we weren't in the room to smelt who dealt — but it sure seems like it.
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Giuliani's co-counsel, Jenna Ellis, even seems to give her counterpart a grossed-out "dude, you beefed" look.
One moment Giuliani is asking Michigan Representative Darrin Camilleri "be disciplined for" bringing up reports that Giuliani(Opens in a new tab) wants Trump to gift him a pre-emptive pardon, the next moment there's audible gas.
This is took place in front of the Michigan House Oversight Committee, to whom Giuliani slung his normal crap about election fraud that even Attorney General Bill Barr admits has no(Opens in a new tab) basis in reality. The fact that Giuliani (likely) added some farts to that overall farce, well, it's kind of perfect.
Related Video: Stacey Abrams on how American democracy hinges on the right to vote
Yelp adds COVID vaccine requirements on business listings
To enter my local yoga studio, I need to present proof of vaccination. I use my California COVID-19 vaccine digital record(Opens in a new tab), but as a sandwich board outside the studio explains, any proof will work, like the CDC paper card, or even a photo of the card.
Starting Thursday, the sandwich board will be slightly less necessary, because the studio can post this and other vaccine-related information to a prominent section of its Yelp listing, and in its info section. The review app will start including vaccine requirement labels alongside other vital information on business pages.
A claimed business can mark fields for "Proof of vaccination required" and "All staff fully vaccinated." Only the Yelp account of the business itself can add the labels to its official listing. So even if I know my yoga studio requires vaccination proof, I can't edit it myself — Wikipedia this is not.
The new feature also allows users to search for businesses that have marked that their employees are vaccinated or require proof of inoculation. Those options will come up under "Filters" on the app or website, as seen below.
Find a vaccinated business.Credit: Yelp
In an effort to quell backlash against businesses going all-in on vaccination proof, Yelp is announcing an additional change: It is now monitoring for vaccine-related comments in reviews and performing content moderation. Reviews based only on a business' health and safety practices and its stance on vaccinations will be flagged and those pages will be marked with an "Unusual Activity" alert(Opens in a new tab). Already, over 100 of these alerts have gone up on Yelp pages and nearly 4,500 reviews have been pulled for violating Yelp policy.
SEE ALSO:
How NYC confused everyone over its not-an-app vaccination 'pass'
Another big online business directory, Google Maps, has a "health & safety" section on business listings too, but no mention of vaccination policies as of yet. It lays out all measures the restaurant, shop, grocery store, or bar is taking. For example a local produce shop near me lists on its Google Maps page: "mask required," "staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits," and "safety dividers at checkout."
Google doesn't have plans yet to add vaccination information on Maps business profiles, but it'll continue offering information about masks, outdoor dining, and other COVID safety measures.
My partner tested positive for an STI, but Im negative. Why?
Attending sexual health screenings can be a nail-biting experience. But, what happens when you test positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and your partner doesn’t?
You may automatically assume that this is because of cheating, that your partner may have slept with another person or had sexual contact outside of your knowledge, prior to testing. This might be true, but it's also not the only possibility. You should know that you can still test positive and negative as a couple when cheating didn’t take place.
Historically, this has been known as a discordant STI result, and it refers to a situation where a sexually active couple receives different negative and positive diagnoses after taking an STI test. The term is often used referencing long-term, harder-to-treat STIs, such as HIV, but can also be applied to other STIs like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts, and more.
Now, with efforts to try and destigmatise STIs, new language is arising. Katie Nambiar, medical director of HIV and sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust(Opens in a new tab), tells Mashable that "discord" implies a conflict or clash. Instead, medical professionals are trying to move towards the term "sero-different." "The two are interchangeable, but we're just trying to move towards kinder language," she says.
How can one person get an STI and the other not?
Everyone's body is different. The same goes for our immune system. Some people’s network of cells, tissues, and organs are better than others at fighting infection and disease. This can be one reason why you might obtain a sero-different or discordant result. Simply put, your body has already fought off the virus before it’s had a chance to settle in.
Another reason can be that it is lying dormant. While most people experience symptoms from STIs almost instantly, others can remain symptomless for years. This is known as a latency period.
Dr. Melanie Bone, an OBGYN and member of menstrual wellness company Daye's(Opens in a new tab) medical board, tells Mashable that some STIs like syphilis and genital herpes can go unnoticed for several years. "Once you have caught it," she says, "you may never get a flare of herpes ever, may get one episode, or get recurrent episodes. You may even get your first flare ten years after catching it."
This is why regular testing is important, but also why cheating isn’t the only possibility when it comes to understanding why you may have sero-different results.
What if you (or your partner) receive sero-different HIV results?
Bone explains that if you or your partner receive a sero-different STI result, the first and most important thing is to get tested again in four weeks, and then in eight weeks. This is partly because of the time it can take for symptoms to rear their head, but also because you can still catch an untreated STI from your partner.
"Having received one discordant STI result doesn't mean that you are forever immune to catching your partner's STI," Bone explains. "If you are in possession of such results, it is more important than ever to practice safe sex. Do keep in mind that condom-protected sex cannot protect from every STI — monkeypox, syphilis, and genital warts can still be passed on during protected sex."
SEE ALSO:
Can you take an STI test when you have your period?
Safe sex can mean multiple things, too. Like having no genital or fluid contact, using dental dams, mutual masturbation and much more. It can also mean taking medication to prevent infection. In instances where HIV is found in sero-different results, couples will be given a full rundown on how to move forward and live with the condition.
"In the case of HIV, if follow-on screens come back positive, both partners will be asked to take antiviral medication (such as PEP or post-exposure prophylaxis)," Bone says. "The couple will also be instructed on how to practice protected sex going forward, and they might receive counselling on their fertility options going forward if they are in a long-term, committed relationship."
Either way, couples can live, full, happy and long lives together (filled with all kinds of amazing sex), as long as they’re both taking antiviral drugs and using protection.
"HIV is a treatable, manageable condition," Nambiar explains. She says that early detection and knowing your status is crucial if you’re to manage the virus successfully. "If you pick it up and treat it early, then the impact to your life is actually very, very minimal," she says.
Can sero-different couples have biological children?
For people in a sero-different relationship, fertility can feel like a minefield. While some couples (or throuples) might feel like having children isn’t the right thing for them, others may face fertility struggles from medical conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or a low sperm count. That doesn’t mean, however, that natural conception is impossible, even with a positive HIV diagnosis.
"It is possible that couples conceive through the use of 'sperm washing' — a method whereby individual sperms are separated from the semen, allowing for conception to take place without infection," Bone tells Mashable.
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Whether you are male or female with HIV, you can still conceive naturally, but it is important that antiretroviral therapy (ART) is used to lower the chances of passing on HIV to your child. This is because, without medical intervention like antivirals, passing on HIV can happen quite easily at any point throughout pregnancy or through breastfeeding.
However, sero-different parents may find that their child is born HIV-negative, but regular checks and consistently taking prescribed antivirals are enthusiastically recommended by doctors. "Be reassured if you're on treatment, then you can’t pass it on, there’s zero risk," Nambiar says.
What should I do if I'm HIV positive?
"First off, do not panic," says Bone. "Modern medicine has advanced to a point where you and your partner's relationship can largely continue undisturbed."
"Second, make sure you receive detailed guidance on re-testing, PEP, and antiviral drugs, as well as fertility," she advises. "If you feel that any of your questions are not being adequately answered, seek a second opinion."
"We are moving to eradicate HIV transmission, something we couldn't have dreamed of not that long ago. Times are changing for the better."
If you or your partner are affected by HIV, or are looking for support as a discordant or sero-different couple, there are some fantastic resources that can be found at the National Aids Trust(Opens in a new tab).
"People believe the myth that people that have HIV/AIDS are in a bad way. That it is a terrible condition that leads to a shortened lifespan, or to having to take oral medications with horrible side effects. But we've moved past that," Nambiar explains. "Now, we are moving to eradicate transmission, something we couldn't have dreamed of not that long ago. Times are changing for the better."
Nambiar reiterates that for people living with HIV, the only and easiest way to live with it is to know early on that you have contracted it. Don’t suffer in silence, because there is so much that can be done to help you live a happy, good life.
Pornhub bans downloads and unverified uploads following backlash
Last week, the New York Times published an op-ed titled "The Children of Pornhub,"(Opens in a new tab) detailing how the site turned a blind eye to videos of rape, both of children and adults, and other abuses. The article exploded on social media and on Tuesday, Pornhub issued a response(Opens in a new tab) about its "commitment to trust and safety."
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Effective immediately, Pornhub will only allow content partners and those within the Model Program to upload videos. Further, they're banning downloads (with the exception of paid downloads from their Model Program) and expanding content moderation. The site has also partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) this year to build a report of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases.
The New York Times piece is a devastating read, and unfortunately far from the first.
In the statement, Pornhub claims that "nothing is more important than the safety of our community," yet it took them months to remove videos(Opens in a new tab) from the site GirlsDoPorn, which tricked women into having sex on video then subsequently harassed them(Opens in a new tab) when they sued GirlsDoPorn.
The same happened two years ago with deepfake videos — Pornhub promised to remove them, but only did so when it received media attention.
SEE ALSO:
The disturbing underbelly of the 'step' porn trend
"The Children of Pornhub" didn't suddenly wake the site up to the disgusting, illegal videos available in seconds with the right search term. There are numerous cases from this year alone(Opens in a new tab) where teen girls had to fight with Pornhub to get videos of themselves removed.
"Traffickinghub," a campaign(Opens in a new tab) to shut down Pornhub, had a million signatures as of June(Opens in a new tab); now they have more than double that. It's worth noting that Exodus Cry, which is behind the Traffickinghub campaign(Opens in a new tab), is ultra conservative — but nonconsensual deepfakes, GirlsDoPorn, and "The Children of Pornhub" are real incidences of exploitation that Pornhub knew about and did nothing about until they received widespread coverage.
The new protocols released Tuesday aren't the first time that Pornhub has implemented new moderation features to curb illegal and nonconsensual videos. They claimed that victims could easily remove these videos by "fingerprinting," but VICE found that it didn't even work(Opens in a new tab).
VICE titled the article "Pornhub Doesn't Care" — and it's difficult to believe they do now. It's yet to be seen whether these new rules will actually have an impact. Early next year, the site and NCMEC will release the total number of CSAM reports. Whatever that number is, it'll be appalling — and a result of Pornhub's negligence.
If you have had intimate images shared without your consent, call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s 24/7 hotline at 844-878-2274 for free, confidential support. The CCRI website also includes helpful information(Opens in a new tab) as well as a list of international resources(Opens in a new tab).
