Drake and 21 Savage have been busy promoting Her Loss, their joint album released Nov. 4. They've appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert(Opens in a new tab) and Saturday Night Live(Opens in a new tab), performed a COLORS show(Opens in a new tab), graced a Vogue cover(Opens in a new tab), and were interviewed by Howard Stern(Opens in a new tab).
Except none of these things actually happened.
The pair's press tour is largely fake, the rappers have forged these materials and recordings, much to the amusement of fans and the chagrin of others, including Condé Nast. What's going on?
The Vogue issue
Starting in late October, Drake and 21 Savage began to roll out their alleged press appearances and other promotional events. The Vogue issue came first, picturing the two stars on a highly realistic but fabricated cover, complete with a quote from 21 Savage. In a now deleted Instagram post(Opens in a new tab), Drake thanked the magazine's commander-in-chief Anna Wintour, writing, "Thanks @voguemagazine and Anna Wintour or the love and support on this historic moment."
They even distributed copies of the zine-like edition. Rolling Stone deputy music editor Simon Vozick-Levinson tweeted about the magazine on Oct. 31, writing that the fake magazine was "a photoshopped version of Vogue's October issue". Others also posted about being handed the fake magazine on the street.
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Condé Nast, the owner of Vogue, was unimpressed by this gimmick, and is now seeking up to $4 million(Opens in a new tab) in statutory damages. On Monday, the publisher filed a 30-page lawsuit(Opens in a new tab) against both Drake and 21 Savage, stating that the defendants went "so far as to create a counterfeit issue of Vogue magazine — distributing copies in North America's largest metropolitan cities". The suit also states that Wintour had "no involvement" in this promotion and that neither the magazine nor its editor "endorsed it in any way".
Praise for their stunts
Others who Drake and 21 Savage set out to troll or mimic, including Howard Stern and NPR, seemed to appreciate the album promotions more. The radio host praised the interview(Opens in a new tab), which uses clips and questions from Stern's other interviews and edits the pair to look like they're responding in the show's studio. "Drake did such a good job that the news outlets are reporting on it as if it’s real," he said.
SEE ALSO:
'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story' review: The parody king makes fun of musical biopics and much more
NPR, meanwhile, genuinely invited the duo to perform a Tiny Desk Concert, the broadcaster's series of intimate performance conducted against a signature backdrop of bookshelves, after their stunt. Drake and 21 Savage's team faked the artists sitting in NPR's instantly recognisable office corner, with the pair mimicking the style of the series in clips posted across social media.
An NPR spokesperson said, "If Drake and 21 Savage want to perform at the real Tiny Desk, we'd love to have them."
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Each of the stunts have been meticulously executed — and realistic to the point of belief. That includes their SNL performance(Opens in a new tab), in which actor Michael B. Jordan played host. The tone of their campaign is largely facetious, seemingly prodding at — and resisting — the lengthy promotional cycles artists undergo pre-release.
Her Loss has proved to be controversial in other ways since its release, including backlash over a supposed dig at Megan Thee Stallion(Opens in a new tab). More broadly, the album and Drake himself has been accused of displaying ingrained misogyny(Opens in a new tab).
The album is set to make waves, though. The Wall Street Journal reports(Opens in a new tab) that "the music business" is expecting to see sales soar by the end of this week. Elsewhere, Billboard sees Her Loss as a possible contender(Opens in a new tab) to Taylor Swift's record-breaking Midnights.
Website of this article：https://dointy.com/?m=home&c=View&a=index&aid=65134
White House protesters were tear gassed because Trump wanted to create photo op
Protesters peacefully exercising their First Amendment right outside the White House were tear gassed on Monday. Why? So that Donald Trump — a former reality TV star — could have a made-for-TV moment of violence as he spoke to the nation. Oh, and so he could walk across the street and hold a bible in front of a church.
The scene unfolded outside the White House shortly after 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday. What had been a peaceful protest in Lafayette Park descended into chaos as police officers turned violent and deployed tear gas and flash-bangs. A short time later Trump spoke to the nation(Opens in a new tab) from the Rose Garden, where he threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to use(Opens in a new tab) the U.S. military to stop riots and protests across the country.
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After speaking to the country — flash-bangs audible in the background — Trump and a few others, including Attorney General Bill Barr, walked across the street to take this photo in front of St. John's Church as he held the bible. A small fire was set(Opens in a new tab) at the historic church on Sunday evening amid widespread unrest in the city.
Let me repeat: police took violent action against peaceful protesters so the President could stage a photo op. It has since been reported that Barr was the one who personally ordered law enforcement officials to push the protesters back.
Demonstrators kneel in front of law enforcement during a protest in downtown Washington, DC.Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Protests have broken out in dozens of cities across the country this week following the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes in Minneapolis. While many protests have been peaceful, some have turned violent and led to looting and destruction. Thousands of people have been arrested.
While the President invoked George Floyd's name as an opportunity to visit the church, the scene that unfolded to get there was disturbing to those peacefully protesting and people watching from home.
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As the president was speaking, his son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted this now-deleted explanation for his father's bizarre decision to do all of this outside:
Donald Trump Jr. tweet bunkerCredit: Mashable screenshot
Don Jr. is referring to the fact that Trump was taken to a secure bunker(Opens in a new tab) on Friday as angry protests took place outside the White House.
So what did this hasty decision to crack down on protesters for show result in? Well the photos from outside the church seem to have had the opposite of the desired effect — making him look ghoulish and stiff.
US President Donald Trump holds up a bible in front of St John's Episcopal church after walking across Lafayette Park from the White House in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020. - US President Donald Trump was due to make a televised address to the nation on Monday after days of anti-racism protests against police brutality that have erupted into violence. The White House announced that the president would make remarks imminently after he has been criticized for not publicly addressing in the crisis in recent days. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) / ALTERNATE CROP (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)Credit: AFP via Getty Images
US President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside of St John's Episcopal church across Lafayette Park in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020. - US President Donald Trump was due to make a televised address to the nation on Monday after days of anti-racism protests against police brutality that have erupted into violence. The White House announced that the president would make remarks imminently after he has been criticized for not publicly addressing in the crisis in recent days. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)Credit: AFP via Getty Images
If you'd like to help support protesters fighting for justice for George Floyd, here is a helpful resource.
UPDATE: June 2, 2020, 4:15 p.m. EDT The Washington Post reports(Opens in a new tab) that Attorney General Bill Barr was the one who "personally ordered law enforcement officials" to push back protesters before Trump's speech on Monday.
Seth Rogen has a blunt method of tackling All Lives Matter commenters on Instagram
"If this is a remotely controversial statement to you, feel free to unfollow me."
That was the caption Seth Rogen shared to his 8.5 million Instagram followers on Monday beneath an image of the Black Lives Matter(Opens in a new tab) slogan.
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Rogen, along with major celebrities like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift, has been vocal on Twitter and Instagram following the killing of George Floyd, who died in police custody after a former officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. In the week since, as protests have swept America and parts of the globe, the actor and director has helped start a chain of donations(Opens in a new tab) to the Minnesota Freedom Fund(Opens in a new tab) — prompting celebrities(Opens in a new tab) like Steve Carell, Don Cheadle, and Ben Schwartz to match it — and has used his platform to post about racism to his 8.5 million Twitter followers.
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At the time of writing, his latest Instagram post supporting the Black Lives Matter movement has over 350,000 likes. It also has close to 50,000 comments. And while many of them are supportive, a number of people decided to take issue with the sentiment Rogen shared.
SEE ALSO:
How to demand justice for George Floyd and support Minneapolis protesters
As you can probably guess from his responses, he wasn't all that bothered.
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The widely-criticised(Opens in a new tab) phrase "All Lives Matter" has been around for years, and it's often used to belittle discussion of racial injustice, especially after high-profile acts of police brutality, in response to people saying the phrase "Black Lives Matter." (Here's why people should stop saying it, explained nine different ways(Opens in a new tab)).
Billie Eilish wasn't letting it slide last weekend, though, and now neither is Rogen.
Credit: instagram/sethrogen/mashable composite
The actor's responses have since gone viral on Twitter.
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It's a blunt way of responding, but it's an effective one at calling out those commenters.
You can get educated on what it means to be anti-racist here, and find additional ways to demand justice for George Floyd and support protests here.
Grindr has removed its controversial ethnicity filters
The killing of George Floyd by police officers has spurred not only protests across the United States, but also — often embarrassing — responses from brands.
The queer dating app Grindr offered its own statement on Twitter(Opens in a new tab) and Instagram(Opens in a new tab) on Monday, coinciding with the first day of Pride Month. They will take action including not only donating to both BLM(Opens in a new tab) and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute(Opens in a new tab), but also by removing their ethnicity filters for their next app release:
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"We will continue to fight racism on Grindr," the statement said, "both through dialogue with our community and zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech on our platform."
A Grindr spokesperson told Mashable that racism has no place in their community. "To help do our part, we have decided to remove the ethnicity filter from the Grindr app. Once the filter is removed, users will no longer be able to filter profiles by ethnicity," they said. "We thank all of those that have provided feedback. We listened and we will continue to fight racism on Grindr, both through dialogue with our community and a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech on our platform."
Grindr launched in 2009 and has long had ethnicity filters(Opens in a new tab). Ethnicity filters on Grindr and other dating apps have proven to be controversial, with some claiming they were okay(Opens in a new tab) to use and many(Opens in a new tab) saying(Opens in a new tab) they're(Opens in a new tab) not(Opens in a new tab). In 2018 the app introduced their "Kindr Grindr"(Opens in a new tab) campaign in attempts to "encourage kindness," but the filters remained.
This decision to remove the filters comes after days of protests across the nation in response to killing of George Floyd, who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
A Grindr spokesperson did not clarify why Grindr chose to remove the filters now, as opposed to in previous cases of police brutality against black people.
As of now, the app's Help Center will walk you through how to use its various filters(Opens in a new tab). While the change may be reflected in the app on Monday, users may have to update to the most current version of the app for the change to show up.
The 49ers, Kaepernicks last NFL team, criticized for Blackout Tuesday post
The San Francisco 49ers — the NFL franchise that infamously helped push Colin Kaepernick out of the league — posted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and used the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday in a tweet on Tuesday.
Folks were obviously pretty quick to point out the hypocrisy.
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Kaepernick, when he was in the NFL, started a high-profile peaceful protest against police brutality and the oppression of black people in America. He took a knee during the national anthem, which enraged certain subsets of Americans — most notably the president of the United States.
Now the nation is embroiled in massive, widespread anti-racism protests after police in Minneapolis killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Blackout Tuesday, an initiative started by the music industry, involved people posting black squares on social media. The initiative immediately led to controversy over whether it was really useful. (Mashable has a guide here on how you can make an actually help, if you choose to participate.)
SEE ALSO:
How to demand justice for George Floyd and support Minneapolis protesters
Kaepernick hasn't been signed to an NFL team since 2017 despite, by all objective(Opens in a new tab) and statistical measures(Opens in a new tab), being more than good enough to earn a job.
And while the QB technically opted out of his 49ers contract back in 2017, the organization has flatly admitted(Opens in a new tab) they made it clear to Kaepernick they intended to cut him. Since then, he hasn't been afforded any real chance at rejoining the league, leading to the widespread belief that he's been blackballed by the NFL.
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San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York has claimed the franchise(Opens in a new tab) didn't encourage other teams to steer clear of Kaepernick.
"We had no negative conversations with other teams saying, 'Don't sign Colin,'" York said on Freakonomics Radio's The Hidden Side of Sports in 2018. "We wouldn't do that with Colin. We wouldn't do that with anybody."
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Lots of folks aren't buying the 49ers' public comments, though.
Eric Reid, Kaepernick's former teammate who kneeled alongside him, wrote on Twitter(Opens in a new tab): "I think you meant Blackball Tuesday...I digress." Reid is currently a free agent.
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11 racial justice documentaries to further your education
As nationwide protests continue in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, the Black Lives Matter movement remains as important as ever and an invaluable resource to those in and outside of the Black community.
For non-Black people, this is a time to listen, learn, donate, and activate. One way to do that is by seeking out the many films and series about civil unrest and racial inequality. 2020's protests and curfews are not new; they are the latest boiling over of systemic issues that date back to this country's creation and beyond.
In order to make change, we must first understand how we got here. Here are 11 racial justice documentaries you can stream right now to learn more.
1. LA ’92(Opens in a new tab)
Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin’s 2017 documentary would be chilling enough without its 2020 context. It recounts the stories of Rodney King, who was brutally beaten by police officers, and Latasha Harlins, a teenager who was fatally shot in a convenience store. King’s attackers were found not guilty despite damning video evidence, and in the days after, fires, riots, and looting ravaged Los Angeles. The film frames the 1992 unrest with footage of the 1965 Watts riots, highlighting the disturbing parallels.
Where to watch: Netflix(Opens in a new tab)
2. 13th(Opens in a new tab)
Ava DuVernay's searing documentary traces the origins of the prison system to the institution of slavery, which remains legal in the United States as punishment for a crime. The 13th amendment led to slavery's modern manifestation, in which Black Americans are imprisoned disproportionately, often for minor offenses.
Where to watch: Netflix(Opens in a new tab) or YouTube(Opens in a new tab)
3. 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets(Opens in a new tab)
Marc Silver’s 2015 documentary recounts the 2012 death of teenager Jordan Davis, who was shot multiple times in a parking lot while listening to music with friends. His attacker was found guilty of first-degree murder, but only after a mistrial and extensive media coverage, which the film follows along with Davis’ friends, family, and trial proceedings.
Where to watch: HBO(Opens in a new tab)
4. I Am Not Your Negro(Opens in a new tab)
From the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter to representation in Hollywood, I Am Not Your Negro examines the modern Black experience in America through the last writings of James Baldwin and his correspondences with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers.
Where to watch: Amazon(Opens in a new tab)
5. Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland(Opens in a new tab)
When 28-year-old Sandra Bland was arrested for a traffic violation and subsequently found hanged in her jail cell days later, a two-year legal ordeal began. Filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner document the family’s battle with law enforcement while sharing Bland’s own video blogs and history of activism. Though her death was ruled a suicide, it remains surrounded by questions and the undeniable fact that it can’t be undone.
Where to watch: HBO(Opens in a new tab)
6. Baltimore Rising(Opens in a new tab)
The Wire’s Sonja Sohn documents protests and unrest in Baltimore after Freddie Gray died due to injuries sustained after an arrest. While the six officers who arrested Gray await a verdict, the eyes of the nation fall on Baltimore, where lines of division become clearer than ever.
Where to watch: HBO(Opens in a new tab)
7. Whose Streets?(Opens in a new tab)
Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis direct this 2017 documentary about the death of Michael Brown and subsequent uprising in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer who shot Brown was not indicted, and eventually cleared of all charges and ruled to have been acting in self defense.
Where to watch: Hulu(Opens in a new tab)
8. True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality(Opens in a new tab)
Director Peter Kunhardt spotlights Alabama attorney Bryan Stevenson (also the subject of Warner Bros.’ Just Mercy, streaming for free(Opens in a new tab) for the month of June), who has made it his life’s mission to highlight and combat racial inequality in the U.S. justice system. Stevenson regularly advocates for clients who are socially or economically disadvantaged or already unfairly affected by incarceration. In interviews, he himself outlines the United States’ history of racist legal inequality and his own efforts to challenge it.
Where to watch: HBO(Opens in a new tab)
9. Time: The Kalief Browder Story(Opens in a new tab)
This six-episode docuseries recounts how 16-year-old Kalief Browder was accused of stealing a backpack, but went on to spend three years in prison because his family couldn’t afford his bail and the system had no place for him. Browder spent two of his three years in solitary confinement on Rikers Island without ever being convicted of a crime, and died by suicide two years after his release. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the incarceration, from the system to the witness to Rikers itself to what life looked like for Browder after his release.
Where to watch: Netflix(Opens in a new tab)
10. Teach Us All(Opens in a new tab)
Decades after the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, Sonia Lowman’s documentary covers how segregation, though illegal, persists in the American school system through demographic inequality, specifically in Little Rock, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Where to watch: Netflix(Opens in a new tab)
11. (Opens in a new tab)Strong Island(Opens in a new tab)
Strong Island is director Yance Ford's examination of his own family and the murder of his brother William. William Ford was unarmed when he was shot by a white employee at an auto shop and dead before even reaching a hospital. His shooter was not indicted, and Ford's film examines the family's ongoing pain over 20 years after justice failed William.
Wyatt Cenacs police-focused Problem Areas is now streaming for free on YouTube
The first season of the HBO show Wyatt Cenac'sProblem Areas is now available to watch for free on YouTube(Opens in a new tab).
While Cenac brings a healthy dose of his comedic talents to this show, it's still a very serious series talking about very serious topics. The ten-episode season primarily tackles policing in America, from murders of people of color by law enforcement officers, to the infrastructures that facilitate these oft-repeated heartbreaking and rage-inducing instances of police brutality and abuse of power.
As people are coming together to voice their dissent against countless injustices perpetrated by police forces of the United States and police forces around the world, Problem Areas is a great source of information about the realities of what's going on.
Cenac talks to all kinds of sources across this poignant season of television, from community activists to politicians to police themselves. It gives a well-rounded look not only at specific issues like the murder of Philando Castile by a police officer in Minnesota, but also shows how these different perspectives feed into the conversations around these broader topics.
The first episode of the show is a great entry point into the conversation, beginning with conversations around the murder of Castile and how police are trained.
This is a moment in history where information and context are paramount to understanding these huge demonstrations and the systems that these demonstrators are up against. For those privileged enough to not experience these issues firsthand, or to feel like they don't need to give it their attention, this show may be a great, easily digestible starting point.
You cannot watch Problem Areas and feel like you can ignore what's going on in the world. It begins with a list of headlines about police murdering black people for absolutely no reason other than a false perception of threat. Cenac points out that these things keep happening over and over and over.
That first episode aired over two years ago. To see that we're still seeing this time and time again, that people continue to fear for their lives and lose their lives to police officers, that the streets are packed with people right now who won't let the police get away with their abuses, is to understand how these discussions about and illumination of these detrimental systems is still so important.
The cliché would be to say that Problem Areas is more relevant than ever. The sad thing is it's not. It was just as relevant at the time it first aired. Its points were relevant long before it ever aired, long before Cenac was born. It continues to be relevant and will likely continue to be relevant long after we're all dead, unless the systems in place are ripped out from their roots and replaced with something else entirely that doesn't rely on violence, oppression, and racism to impact its communities.
How to blur peoples faces in protest photos — and why you should do it
With mass protests taking place across the United States and abroad, social media safety is more important than ever.
Enormous crowds of people are gathering in cities around the country to protest racism and police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week. Photos and videos of these protests serve the very important purpose of documenting these actions as well as exposing police mistreatment of protestors. Posting them publicly, however, comes with its own risks.
For the safety of those involved, if you're going to take photos at protests, you should consider blurring or pixelating the faces of those protesting before sharing them with the world.
Thankfully, there are some easy ways to make this happen.
Why you should blur photos
In a word: Retaliation. It's no secret that the federal government likes to surveil anti-racism protests through social media. The Intercept(Opens in a new tab) and Vice(Opens in a new tab) both reported on government monitoring of protest movements through social media after the killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, respectively.
Buzzfeed News(Opens in a new tab) reported Tuesday that the DEA has been granted authority to collect intelligence on protestors during this current wave of uprisings, too. This is all to say that anyone who shows up to a protest and has their face photographed is at risk of being tracked down by authorities if they feel so inclined.
Since the entire point of these protests is to end the unjust treatment of minorities by police, and end systemic racism more generally, it stands to reason that you should do what you can to protect those you photograph. You can still demonstrate the enormity of the moment without putting people exercising their First Amendment rights in harm's way.
How to blur photos
The good news is this isn't so tough to do on your own, even if you aren't a Photoshop wizard. A cursory Google search reveals plenty of free websites that can do it automatically or give you the tools to do it manually in a hurry. Facepixelizer(Opens in a new tab) is just one I found that seems to work pretty well. Encrypted messaging app Signal is also adding a blur tool.
The fine folks over at Motherboard(Opens in a new tab) recommended Image Scrubber(Opens in a new tab), developed by Everest Pipkin, for covering up faces in protest photos. Image Scrubber is great because, aside from letting you easily and manually blur out faces on either a computer or a phone, it scrubs metadata from photos, too. Photos you take contain hidden data such as the date, time, and potentially even location in which they were snapped. It's possible(Opens in a new tab) for someone to get that information if they really want it.
Load a photo into Image Scrubber and the first thing it does is list this data in plain text form. It also gives you the option to nuke it from your scrubbed photo. To test it out, I put a photo of my family's cat Max into the tool. Here is Max staring blankly into the distance, generally unaware of the world around him, as usual.
Max, unscrubbed.Credit: barb perry
After about two seconds of painting over Max's face with Image Scrubber's Microsoft Paint-like tools, the cat can no longer be recognized. It doesn't look professional, but it doesn't have to.
Max, scrubbed.Credit: alex perry / mashable
It only takes a few seconds to rid a photo of valuable metadata and blur out a face. Given the intensity of police response to these protests after less than a week, it can't hurt to do this with any photos you plan on sharing on your social feeds.
Even if everyone at a protest is acting well within their rights, they can still face retaliation. We've seen peaceful protestors get tear gassed(Opens in a new tab) for the sake of a presidential photo op just this week. It can't hurt to go the extra mile to protect strangers you photograph.
The Iraqi man who threw his shoes at George W. Bush is a Twitter hero for todays protesters
"Hope you know you're an actual icon and we love you," wrote Twitter user @StreaamLightsup to Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi. "This video is my daily dose of serotonin."
The video was one many Americans know on sight — when al-Zaidi threw his shoes at former President Bush in 2008.
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@StreaamLightsup's tweet is just one of many praising al-Zaidi, who often issues charming responses of support. He's using the platform, where he has more than 56,000 followers, to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the protesters calling out police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's killing.
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The shoeing incident(Opens in a new tab), as it's referred to on Wikipedia, occurred at a press conference at Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's palace. The Iraq War had dragged on for five years at that point and ravaged the country. As al-Zaidi later explained in an op-ed in The Guardian(Opens in a new tab), his duties as a journalist required him to report on daily tragedies. He would enter ruined homes, hear the screams of orphans — and he pledged to seek vengeance.
When he saw his opportunity to do so that day, he took it.
"This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog," al-Zaidi yelled as he threw the first show. "This is from the widows, the orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq," he added as he threw the second.
Al-Zaidi spent nine months(Opens in a new tab) in jail for the act, where he said he was tortured. In his Guardian essay, al-Zaidi explained that he threw the shoe to defend his country. "When I threw the shoe in the face of the criminal, George Bush, I wanted to express my rejection of his lies, his occupation of my country, my rejection of his killing my people," al-Zaidi wrote.
In the piece, al-Zaidi denied being a hero — but over a decade after "the shoe," his legacy as a hero has blossomed on social media. "Dude who threw the shoe at George W. Bush has done more for the betterment of America than most of its politicians and a huge segment of its actual populace," wrote another user on Twitter, @thankfulreact69(Opens in a new tab). "Absolute king shit."
It's a sentiment many on social media share, especially after al-Zaidi publicly threw his support towards the current protests. Additionally, al-Zaidi has dedicated his freedom watch to Floyd.
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"We stand in solidarity with these protest[ers] because they are oppressed," said al-Zaidi in an interview with Mashable. He said he'd been aware of the protests since George Floyd's death, and knew they would escalate. "We in Iraq have suffered from American power and authority since the occupation of the US military in 2003 so all the support, sympathy, and solidarity with them."
Not only are police inciting violence(Opens in a new tab) on peaceful protesters, but they're also targeting journalists(Opens in a new tab). As a journalist himself, al-Zaidi said he stands in solidarity with them, and that the police are violating their rights.
He also said he knew from the beginning of Trump's presidency that he was spiteful of journalists. "Who[ever] hates journalists hates the truth," he said. "And Trump is the most untruthful person, so he is hostile to journalists because they convey the truth and he wants… the journalists to convey his lies."
SEE ALSO:
Facebook engineer resigns in protest of Zuckerberg's bankrupt morality
Al-Zaidi pointed out that when protests erupted in Iraq(Opens in a new tab) last year, it didn't get nearly the same attention as the current U.S. protests. "In Iraq seven months ago we had demonstrations and more than 700 demonstrators were martyred by the Iraqi police without the world moving," he said.
Regardless, al-Zaidi isn't hesitant to show his solidarity with demonstrators in the US and around the world. In fact, he sees his fame as a responsibility to do so. "Since people listen to your words," he said, "you must [show] solidarity with the people and the oppressed wherever they are. When there were demonstrations in America, solidarity with them [is] everywhere in the world."
Al-Zaidi's advice to young protestors and activists is to keep peaceful demonstrations. "The peaceful weapon does not belong to the arrogant, dictatorial, and oppressive states of freedom," he said. "Instead, it has weapons, prisons, police, and media."
Peaceful "weapons," al-Zaidi continued, are the best and longest-lasting weapons. "The authorities do not possess and do not want" these peaceful methods, he said, "so keep the peace as much as possible until your revolution triumphs."
K-pop fans are flooding QAnon hashtags with memes and fancams
K-pop stans are legion and cannot be stopped.
Just about a week after overwhelming a Dallas police "snitch" app with memes and fancams, K-pop fans are now flooding QAnon hashtags with fancams, videos, and memes. It's beautiful.
After the hacker group Anonymous called for spamming QAnon hashtags, K-pop stans rushed in to do their part.
If you don't know anything about K-pop — Korean pop bands — just know they have massive amounts of fans who hold the power to make literally everything go viral. The most notable band is BTS, whom you must have heard of.
But, in the wake of mass protests against racism and police brutality, those fans have channeled their power for good. They've done the nearly unthinkable: stopped tweeting about their faves to ensure Black Lives Matter hashtags rose to the top of trending. And again, they also spammed a Dallas police department app aimed at identifying protesters with such force that it took down the app.
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And if you don't know anything about QAnon. Well, bless your good fortune. But basically, it's a very (Opens in a new tab)powerful, pro-Trump(Opens in a new tab), absolutely bonkers, winding conspiracy theory — the seeds of which were planted by a Reddit user nicknamed Q — that the president is actually in control of a plan to up-end the so-called "deep state" and expose(Opens in a new tab) countless powerful pedophiles.
If you search common QAnon hashtags on Twitter, like #qanon and #WWG1WGA — which stands for "where we go one, we go all" — there is some typical conspiracy nonsense but also lots and lots of K-pop stuff.
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It just goes to show you: QAnon might be a powerful online conspiracy, but K-pop stans are a powerful online force with the ability to overwhelm conversations and change the dialogue.
Of course in the wrong hands, this sort of power can be really dangerous, considering it's the sort of tactic employed by Russian bots(Opens in a new tab) during the 2016 election cycle.
These moments from CNNs Sesame Street town hall on racism will give you hope
On Saturday morning, CNN hosted a joint town hall for kids and families with Sesame Street, called Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism(Opens in a new tab).
Racism and police brutality are difficult subjects to broach with adults, let alone children. But given the global protests, these issues are — and should be — impossible to ignore. This goes for children, who see what's going on either through media or their parents. In order to adequately explain these complex issues, it's necessary to talk about them even if it's uncomfortable.
But how do you talk to children about something as ugly as racism without ruining their innocence? Guests like Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?(Opens in a new tab), fielded questions like these from children, parents, and Sesame Street characters. Here are some of the highlights:
Children may be wondering why people are out in the streets at all. Elmo's dad Louie explained that it's an effort to end racism:
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Eight-year-old Xavier said that his nana marched in the 1960s, and asked why we still need to "do this again and again." A lot of us adults wonder the same thing. Sesame Street cast members Roscoe Orman (as Gordon Robinson) and Sonia Manzano (as Maria) discussed the importance of protesting:
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Keedron Bryant, the 12-year-old who went viral for his powerful song "I Just Want to Live,"(Opens in a new tab) visited Sesame Street to discuss the song:
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Some moments of the special were heartbreaking, like 9-year-old Saniya asking what to do when she encountered racism:
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The finale was especially touching. CNN hosts Van Jones and Erica Hill along with Sesame Street characters pledged to do better. "We can do better, we must do better, we will do better," Jones, Hill, Big Bird, and Elmo said in union:
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The town hall didn't dive deep into these issues; there's only so much that can be said in an hour. Hopefully, though, there will be more town halls like this one — and more importantly, hopefully this encourages parents to have these difficult conversations with their children.
Donald Trumps bizarre walk down a ramp is a whole thing now
Donald Trump spoke at West Point's commencement on Saturday. After the speech, he left the stage by walking down a ramp.
You'd think this would be a pretty straightforward exit, but it was not: Trump scooted down the ramp with noticeable caution, then spent the lead-up to his own birthday tweeting lies about it to defend himself. You hate to see it.
In the video, Trump does seem to struggle with his descent. He steps gingerly and looks straight down, while West Point superintendent Darryl A. Williams seems to have no trouble at all.
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It's precisely the kind of clip that elicits lots of mockery on Twitter, and it did — especially when the "there's always a tweet" crowd dug up a 2014 tweet(Opens in a new tab) in which Trump calls Obama's stair-walking style "inelegant and unpresidential." (For what it's worth, which is almost nothing, President Obama descended the now-infamous West Point ramp(Opens in a new tab) with ease, also in 2014.)
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In typical fashion, Trump didn't take the jokes well. Instead, he tweeted a largely nonsensical defense of his walk, calling the ramp "long & steep" (it was not) and "very slippery." (The weather was dry.) He also claimed that he ran the last 10 feet of the ramp, which even the most brain worm-addled viewer can see is not the case.
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Of course, the worst thing about all this is that Trump appears to find debating his weird little trot more important than acknowledging the ongoing pandemic and widespread racial justice protests still happening across the country. But it's not really surprising — Trump has a storied history of taking offense when his health, strength, or "masculinity" is challenged, and this appears to be just another instance.
Why are exclusive dating apps usually so disappointing?
When I first heard of Lox Club, a glossy, exclusive dating app for young Jewish people, I audibly gasped.
Its minimal Instagram page(Opens in a new tab) spun the tale of the real-life Lox Club, a speakeasy turned hangout for Jewish elite during the twentieth century. Now, Lox Club has been given the millennial rebrand complete with a sleek logo and New York Times (Opens in a new tab)writeup(Opens in a new tab). In 2021, Lox Club is a "private, membership-based dating app for Jews with ridiculously high standards."
I hurriedly downloaded the app and filled out an application. Days later, I received a notification letting me know I was accepted.
And then the app asked me to pay up.
While I was initially surprised, every "exclusive" dating app I've come across costs money. In the case of Lox Club, the cheapest option is $35.99 for three months. A premium subscription goes hand-in-hand with the mission of exclusivity: Not being willing or able to pay for a dating app just whittles down its clientele, making it all more elite.
So, too, does an app's waitlist. Lox Club's is currently at 20,000 people according to a spokesperson, though they did not respond to other questions about the app. In 2018, Raya's waitlist had more than 100,000 people(Opens in a new tab) on it. Raya, which didn't respond to multiple requests for comment, is a dating app known mostly for hosting celebrities.
The test is whether you either a) fit whatever criteria those who run the app deem worthy of acceptance and/or b) want to be in the app so badly you stay on the waitlist long enough.
online dating premium appsCredit: vicky leta / mashable
Cost and waitlists are at the crux of the problem with exclusive dating apps: They only attract people who both can and want to be on them, and the result is usually disappointing.
I recall getting into Raya some years ago; I used a friend pass(Opens in a new tab), or a referral. I can't tell you exactly when or what it was like or what C-lister I stumbled upon — because I barely used it. I must've sprung for the $8 they were charging for a month back then, however, because I vaguely remember its interface.
I was at once over and underwhelmed. As described in The Verge's Why'd You Push That Button? podcast(Opens in a new tab), profiles on Raya are slideshows of people's photos paired with a song of their choice. Raya doesn't allow screenshots(Opens in a new tab) (screen recordings aren't mentioned but, presumably, they're also discouraged), so I couldn't even share what I was seeing with friends. Perhaps that's good for Cara Delevingne(Opens in a new tab) — but wouldn't she want to send screenshots to friends, too?
What most turned me off Raya, however, was its pool of people. It was not only void of celebrities who'd whisk me away and pay off my student loans, but there also seemed to be a "type" pervading the app. People who went to the gym every day and explicitly wanted their partners to as well; people on step-and-repeats in contrived poses; people smizing in Expensive Suits with Big Coffees because they are Important.
What most turned me off Raya, however, was its pool of people.
There's nothing wrong with any of that on its own — but when that's the entirety of an app's user base, it gets old fast. It did, for me, as I gave up on Raya soon after getting in — and I'm not the only one(Opens in a new tab), either.
Another popular exclusive app is The League(Opens in a new tab), meant for college graduates and "professionals" — whatever that means. An anonymous would-be League user told me that in 2018, the app told them they didn't allow for same-sex connections, and that they were "building that feature out later." A representative from The League told Mashable the app does allow same-sex connections, and that users can choose their interest in the opposite sex, same sex, or both.
The confusion may speak to what's wrong with these apps in the first place: Acceptances are based on the people who work there. It results in a cherry-picked user base that you may enjoy.
Or, if you're like me, you'll suck it up and go back to Tinder or Bumble or Hinge or the many other dating apps without a waitlist.
So will these be the downfall of Lox Club? Nope, not from what I've seen — there's not a step-and-repeat in sight. So what's the problem?
The problem, as far as I can see it, with Lox Club is its cost. It didn't deter me from trying it out, but here's what may keep me from staying: There just aren't many Lox Club users who live where I do, in New York City. I blew through local profiles weeks ago, and now see people who live in Nashville and Toronto and Los Angeles. I don't want to find a long-distance love on a dating app, and that concept is even more laughable during a pandemic.
SEE ALSO:
The stock market, explained by my Tinder matches
The reality of dating apps is that, to be useful, they have to have a wide array of people who live in relatively close proximity. In the virtual speed dating that is swiping, having access to only one type of person, or only people who live across the country, or not a lot of people to begin with — it doesn't bode well.
And when you have to pay for the experience on top of it? It's no wonder that more recent Apple Store reviews of Raya(Opens in a new tab) call it "useless," "obsolete," even "a joke." The League's Apple Store reviews(Opens in a new tab) aren't much better. When app employees and the algorithm they create decide who's on a dating app, it's easy to imagine many disappointed customers. The customer has to be one of the Chosen Ones who happen to be attracted to the other Chosen Ones.
For now, however, I want to keep my Lox Club subscription. While writing this story, "Team Lox Club" texted members about partnerships with bars and delis (and, not shockingly, brands):
Credit: mashable
I'm interested to see where this'll go, especially as COVID vaccines become more available and maybe, just maybe, in-person dating becomes possible again. I'm interested if more people near me will get off the thousands-deep waitlist, if it will grow enough to use with the same ease as Tinder.
If not, it may go the way of other exclusive apps: disappointing and deleted.
UPDATE: Feb. 16, 2021, 5:05 p.m. EST This article has been updated with comment from The League.
Read more from Love App-tually:
Just a Jim looking for his Pam: Fictional couples dominate dating apps
Fine break up with me, but let me keep Instagramming your dog
Stop creating cutesy buzzwords for asshole online dating behavior
Related Video: How to go on a virtual date during the coronavirus pandemic
How to pull off a weekend BBQ when you’re busy all week
You Got This is a series that spotlights the gear you need to improve one area of your life. If you buy something from this post, we may earn an affiliate commission.
We all want to relish in sunny afternoons and warm nights any chance we get. Eating outdoors is one of the most chilled-out ways to enjoy summer. There is some prep involved, but these aren’t meals you’re laboring over for hours and they’re still good.
When you have a busy schedule, a Walmart+ membership(Opens in a new tab) can save you around 2.5 hours per week with free delivery* from your store on purchases of $35 or more (some restrictions apply). Other benefits include W+ free shipping**, member prices on fuel, and mobile scan & go in store.
Walmart+ offers fresh, high quality groceries — all the premium produce, meats, baked goods, and other items you need. With free delivery from your local store, it’s a no-brainer to make Walmart+ your go-to service for the freshest groceries. Sign up for a free trial today(Opens in a new tab), and peruse our picks for Walmart+ groceries guaranteed to make your holiday cookouts a big hit:
Take full advantage of strawberry season
There’s nothing quite like biting into a fresh strawberry on a hot day — proof that Mother Nature knows best how to create a refreshing treat. Slice up some just-picked strawberries to serve to cookout guests as bite-sized appetizers, and watch the smiles spread around the backyard.
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Fresh strawberries, 2lb ($3.34)
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It’s burger time
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: there’s a reason that hamburgers are the centerpiece of cookouts all over the country. Grill up these fresh patties for your pals, and it will be easy to see — and smell and taste — why.
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All Natural* 93% Lean/7% Fat Ground Beef Patties 4 Count, 1 lb ($6.48)
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Enjoy some effervescence
Crack open some serious refreshment with mini seltzer cans featuring graphics inspired by their flavors — Unicorn Kisses, Mermaid Songs, Pixie Lights, and Dragon Whispers. These juice- and sugar-free spritzers have natural fruit flavor for effervescent hydration or an easy mixer for drinks.
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Polar Seltzer JR Variety Pack, 8 oz, 24 Count ($12.09)
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Spice up your grill game
Add some kick to meat, seafood, and vegetables with garlic sriracha seasoning, worthy of secret sauce status. The mix has Thai chili pepper for heat, garlic, and a touch of sugar and vinegar. You’ll want to shake it on everything, from shrimp skewers to Bloody Marys, and maybe even stash a jar in your backpack.
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Weber® Garlic Sriracha Seasoning 6.2 oz. Shaker ($5.70)
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Aw, shucks
Is there a more versatile veggie than fresh corn? Grill it, boil it, roast it, steam it — there’s nothing like shucking a few ears of corn and enjoying the finished product, no matter how you cook it.
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Fresh Corn on the Cob, 4 Pack ($3.97)
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Put out the dips
Savory dips are great with chips, cut-up veggies, or pretzels. Ready-made tubs, like French onion dip with caramelized onion and ranch flavors, are easy to serve right out of the container or for a little panache, plate them in colorful bowls.
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Credit: Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley Dip French Onion, 10 oz ($2.97)
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Go big on the chips
Chips are good snacking on their own or as vehicles for all kinds of deliciousness — creamy dips, salsa, guacamole, humus — or loaded up like nachos with shredded cheese and toppings. Scoop-shaped tortilla chips(Opens in a new tab) are a crunchy mode for digging in without cracking.
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Tostitos Scoops! Tortilla Chips Party Size, 14.5 oz Bag ($3.98)
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Grilled chicken brings the party
Chicken breasts are a versatile protein, ready for virtually any kind of flavor. Fresh from your local store, this family pack will reward marinating, grilling, frying — whatever you want to bring to the table.
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Freshness Guaranteed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Portions, 1.03 - 1.56 lb ($5.97)
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Straight from the vine
A juicy tomato plucked from the vine provides the perfect finish to a burger, but if you can’t wait for the grilling to finish, just add a little salt for a ready-made snack. Your guests will thank you.
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Credit: Sunsets
Tomatoes On The Vine, Per lb ($1.48)
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Sign up for a free trial of Walmart+ today(Opens in a new tab), and enjoy these fresh grocery items and much more — delivered for free, from your local store. Time to get cooking!
*Free delivery — includes $35 order minimum. **Free shipping — Excludes freight and Marketplace items. Restrictions apply.
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate banned from Facebook and Instagram
Andrew Tate, the controversial social media influencer and self-help guru has been banned on all Meta platforms(Opens in a new tab) as of Friday as confirmed by The Guardian. At the time of his ban from Meta's platforms, Tate had amassed over 4.7 million followers on Instagram.
Bans from Facebook and Instagram mean the former kickboxer turned multimillionaire influencer is now de-platformed from the big three social media platforms. He was banned from Twitter in 2016 after stating women should "bear responsibility"(Opens in a new tab) for being sexually assaulted. Meta banned Tate for violating its policies on “dangerous organizations and individuals," The Guardian confirmed.
Tate's videos — which are cartoonishly misogynistic —amassed a large amount of attention this summer due to their controversial and over-the-top nature, and their ubiquity. Tate's questionable source of income appears to involve inducing customers at his "Hustler's University" business to create social media accounts, clipping short vignettes from Tate's podcast and interview appearances, and dispersing them to as many people as possible.
SEE ALSO:
Who is Andrew Tate? And why is the controversial figure taking over TikTok?
What appeared to have been Tate's official Tiktok account has been banned for quite some time(Opens in a new tab) now, but his various fan accounts on TikTok have hundreds of thousands of followers. The #andrewtate hashtag alone has 13.4 billion views on Tiktok. A spokesperson with Tiktok told The Guardian that the platform has been "removing violative videos and accounts for weeks and welcome[s] the news that other platforms are also taking action against this individual."
In a statement to The Guardian, Tate told the outlet that most of his videos are parody, and that "Internet sensationalism has purported the idea that I'm anti-women when nothing could be further from the truth." Tate appeared with popular Twitch streamer Adin Ross and spoke about the claims further(Opens in a new tab). He stated that everything said about him was a false narrative created by people who dislike him.
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"What they've done is found all the little clips across six years of content, a total of three or four minutes, and are trying to make it look like I'm out there trying to hate on women when I'm the one out here donating to women trying to prove that my influence has an effect and that I need to be very very careful with it," Tate said on Ross' stream. "It's a truly false narrative." Tate has so far been unapologetic about the many controversial statements (which you can read about here) that he claims are being used to construct this supposedly false narrative.
SEE ALSO:
Logan Paul, now an intellectual, says he's done with Hollywood
The UK advocacy group Hope Not Hate told the BBC that Tate is a “dangerous misogynist” and called on more social media companies to deplatform him. Joe Mulhall, director of research at the group, told the BBC that "Mr. Tate poses a genuine threat to young men, radicalizing them towards extremism misogyny, racism and homophobia."
It's summer and it is HOT out there. I don't know where you are located, but where I live, it is oppressively muggy outside. I take two steps into the outdoors and I'm pouring sweat. And it's even hotter in other places.
But you know what? You can just stay inside and read tweets all day. That's perfectly fine. You can do whatever you want.
That in mind, we collected eight of the best tweets of the week. Go ahead and enjoy them, safely inside and away from the heat.
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1. Just trying to be normal as everything collapses. Every day. We love to see it. It is such a fun way to live.
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2. She lives on a different plane of existence. And I would like to be there.
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3.You always gotta be ready for Ninja Turtle weather. It's wild stuff.
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SEE ALSO:
16 best tweets of the week, including Thicken Nugget, male fridge, and Pentagon Subway
4. An obligatory dril tweet for you.
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5. This is an absolute nightmare scenario. HR cannot resolve this. Nothing can resolve this.
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6. I'm not sure this if funny. But it is true. So there's that.
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7. OK, he did do that. He was hawlin(Opens in a new tab)' alright.
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8. And finally, this.
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Taco Bell made a huge Cheez-It and is holding it prisoner in California
Well, I guess someone had to make a giant Cheez-It eventually.
And who better to do that than the fast food restaurant that replaced taco shells with Doritos? Yes, Taco Bell(Opens in a new tab) is back at it with dark food sorcery, this time producing a Cheez-It that’s 16 times the size of a normal one for use in multiple experimental menu items at one restaurant in Irvine, California.
Meet the Big Cheez-It Tostada and the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme.
Golly.Credit: Taco Bell
The photos pretty much get the point across. But if that doesn’t work for you, allow me to explain: The Big Cheez-It Tostada is literally a humongous Cheez-It cracker with beef, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese layered on top of it. It looks astoundingly unstable and messy, and a little bit like something a guy in his 20s who never learned how to cook would make for himself.
Holy mackerel.Credit: Taco Bell
The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme is literally just a regular Crunchwrap Supreme with the big cheese cracker in place of the hard taco shell that normally comes inside one of those bad boys.
Let’s cut to the chase: It sucks that this is only happening in one restaurant in southern California.
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I’m not confident that a huge Cheez-It will actually be good (that’s a lot of artificial cheese powder) but I need to try it to feel alive. The world around us is burning, the biggest jerks on the planet have a firm grip on the steering wheel, and I can’t even try the big Cheez-It?
SEE ALSO:
The 10 best Taco Bell menu items, ranked
Please, people of Irvine, I beg you to buy a billion of these things so Taco Bell makes it available nationwide. We need this.
Airbnb freshens up home categories and adds host setup tools
Airbnb is prioritizing the vital expansion of its accommodation categories and the experience of hosts, both existing and new.
A fresh batch of features, announced today as part of the company's winter release(Opens in a new tab), include additional building types, namely Hanoks — traditional Korean homes constructed of natural materials — and new categories including "trending", "top of the world" (homes around 10,000 feet above sea level), and "play" (houses with basketball courts, game rooms, miniature golf, and water slides). These extra categories will allow hosts and their homes to be discovered more easily, while also allowing guests to "find hidden gems", as Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk puts it.
"From a business perspective, it's helping us to better utilize our inventory. It's a way to help make sure that all the homes are getting a fair share of bookings," he tells Mashable. "And from a community perspective, this can be a driver of the economy, Spreading tourism over a broader, geographic footprint and allowing more communities to benefit from from tourism."
The most significant of these updates is "adapted", a new category for homes with wheelchair access and verified step-free paths into the home, bedroom, and bathroom. Accuracy on these listings is important, and Airbnb worked with spatial data company Matterport(Opens in a new tab) for the scanning process of these homes. "It's always been very important to us to be inclusive," says Blecharczyk.
New categories in AirBnb.Credit: AirBnb.
Amongst the company's other updates is expanded AirCover for hosts and the introduction of Airbnb Setup, a new way to get people started transforming their homes into accommodation on the platform. This is especially important, Blecharczyk tells Mashable, "in this time of economic uncertainty".
"We know that hosting is really important economically to a lot of people on the platform. We also know there's a lot of other people out there who probably could benefit from the extra income," he said in a Zoom interview, saying that the company recognizes the "great deal of trust" it takes to place a home on Airbnb.
The setup feature will streamline this process, incorporating guidance from Superhosts(Opens in a new tab), Airbnb's top-rated and most-experienced hosts. First time users can chat with a designated Superhost over audio, video, or messaging. This is intended to ease any anxiety and cater to any uncertainty. There are already 1,500 Superhosts in over 80 countries signed up to the program already. Blecharczyk says they are eager to share their knowledge, noting that, "Hospitality is inherently about sharing information and welcoming people."
The new 'Hanok' category platforms global housing.Credit: AirBnb.
New hosts can also select to house experienced guests for the first stay, which would mean a guest with at least three stays and a good track record. The company has also expanded its top-to-bottom damage protection for hosts, primarily tripling it from $1 million to $3 million, while also expanding protection to include cars and boats.
First-time hosts have new options.Credit: Airbnb
"[AirCover] is something that every host qualifies for and I think it's really an example of how we continue to kind of lead the industry," Blecharczyk says. "We want to continue to innovate in terms of how we can build confidence in, people hosting."
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Airbnb will finally show you the *actual* total price in search
The new updates to AirBnb — Setup, AirCover, and its expanded categories — will begin rolling out worldwide next week.
When asked about Airbnb's growth in relation to the current economy, Blecharczyk recalls how the company grew and adapted during the pandemic, something that Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky spoke to Mashable about last year. Blecharczyk echoed Chesky's sentiments, saying this time is "actually an opportunity for Airbnb to really show our unique value propositions," citing their range of price points and additional offerings as examples.
"Whatever happens in the future from an economic standpoint, people still are going to want to travel," he says.
Yes, you can be anonymous on LinkedIn. Also, if you didn't know, other users may be able to see when you viewed their profile. Kinda creepy, right?
But going anonymous is a perfect feature for checking out other profiles who may have reached out to you. Using this feature, LinkedIn won't let them know that you viewed them. And if anyone finds your profile while you're browsing LinkedIn as anonymous, they won't be able to see your profile picture or other personal information.
SEE ALSO: The best Dyson vacuums: A guide to the latest versions of stick, ball, and handheld cleaners
However, if you browse in private mode you also won't be able to see who has viewed your profile, unless you upgrade to Premium(Opens in a new tab).
So how do you do you go full anonymous mode on LinkedIn? Follow these steps.
1. Log in to your LinkedIn profile
2. Find where it says "Me" at the very top and click the dropdown arrow
Find "Me" at the top of the pageCredit: linkedin
3. Select "Settings & Privacy" under "Account"
Select "Settings and privacy" in the dropdown menuCredit: linkedin
4. In the menu on the left, select "Visibility"
Select "Visibility" on the leftCredit: linkedin
These settings will allow you to have control over who can see your profile and personal info.
5. Select "Profile viewing options"
After clicking "Visibility" in the menu on the left, select your LinkedIn profile viewing optionsCredit: linkedin
6. At the bottom, select "Private Mode"
LinkedIn "Private Mode" settingCredit: linkedin
You'll now only be seen as an "Anonymous LinkedIn Member." View other profiles without them knowing you viewed them. Your profile, along with your contact info, won't be visible to others.
You can also select "Private Mode" in your "Story viewing options," which lets you view LinkedIn members' stories anonymously.
There are plenty of other privacy settings you can adjust to limit your LinkedIn visibility without going completely anonymous. Choose who can see your connections, who can see your last name and email address, whether approved apps and partners can display information from your profile, and more.
Obviously, visibility (and more specifically, discoverability) is a large part of being active on LinkedIn and networking with other professionals, but for those moments you want to be less visible, LinkedIn allows you to be.
Minecraft spawns a massive milestone, and YouTube is celebrating
In the 10 years(Opens in a new tab) since it exited beta, Minecraft has become one of the world's most beloved and best-selling games, with 140 million monthly unique players globally. Today, Dec. 15, it realizes a new achievement, and it’s a big one: 1 trillion views on YouTube. That’s right, Minecraft content on the platform has surpassed a whopping 1,000,000,000,000 views. That’s 12 zeros!
To commemorate the massive milestone, YouTube is celebrating with a mob of fun features. There's a Minecraft-themed takeover of the YouTube homepage(Opens in a new tab), and creators are sharing their favorite Minecraft memories using #MinecraftMuseum(Opens in a new tab) over on YouTube’s Instagram(Opens in a new tab). If you’re playing today, you can check out a free in-game "YouTube Creator" skin pack(Opens in a new tab) featuring top Minecraft creators.
YouTube has also picked up their proverbial pickaxes to mine more than a decade of data for insights into the game’s growth. On their impressive interactive site(Opens in a new tab), you can calculate your personal contribution to those 1 trillion views (mine was a pitiful 0.0000000003 percent), explore top content trends by country, and see the biggest Minecraft creator by year.
One of my favorite takeaways was that the game has racked up more than 500 billion views since 2019. That year, a natural resurgence in gameplay was burgeoned into a full-blown renaissance thanks to Keemstar's popular Minecraft Monday(Opens in a new tab) tournament, Dream's "Minecraft Manhunt" series(Opens in a new tab), Pewdiepie's renewed interest in Minecraft Let’s Plays, and interest from non-gaming creators like James Charles(Opens in a new tab) and Jack Black(Opens in a new tab).
Creative ingenuity is driving this continuous expansion of 'Minecraft' viewership.
There’s one more celebratory gem that players and fans should check out: an animated video(Opens in a new tab) featuring top creators and some of the community’s best moments. There are Easter eggs abound, so keep your eyes peeled! YouTube’s Culture and Trends Insights Lead Earnest Pettie (who showed up to our Zoom wearing a YouTube Gaming sweater, naturally) says his favorite is a reference to CaptainSparklez's music video parody "Fallen Kingdom(Opens in a new tab)." The parody, which now sits at more than 145 million views, is an example of how Minecraft’s sandbox gameplay has become an “empty canvas” for creativity on YouTube, where creators use the game for everything from scripted role plays(Opens in a new tab) to activism.
"For some YouTube creators, [Minecraft videos are] an expression of their point of view as a comedian or as a game player," explains Pettie, "and then you have people who are celebrating aspects of their identity, from Pride celebrations(Opens in a new tab) to people observing Ramadan."
SEE ALSO: My friend's 'Minecraft' realm was the community I needed while 2020 slid downward
Even after 10 years, the game retains wide universal appeal. YouTube says it considers more than 35,000 of its creators to be part of the Minecraft community, and that the game was the most-watched on YouTube in 2020. Minecraft also jump-started the careers of YouTube’s most-subscribed individual creators, Pewdiepie(Opens in a new tab) and Mr. Beast(Opens in a new tab), who still play on a regular basis.
Pettie says that Minecraft’s combo of flexibility and universality is key to its continued success. "Creative ingenuity is driving this continuous expansion of Minecraft viewership," he says. "This game is over a decade old… the thing that allows it to continue to be as popular as it has been is the creators’ ability to think up new ways to keep it fresh."
Making puns about Sisyphus is an everlasting task, set to be rolled out again and again for eternity.
Folks on Twitter have been turning to Greek mythology and epic tales of late for some truly Olympic puns, mainly about the ill-fated Sisyphus, but also featuring every other goddess, god, titan, hero, and doomed human you could think of from the legends and stories of ancient Greece.
In case you slept through the class or Stephen Fry's audiobook of Mythos (how could you!?), Sisyphus was a king of Corinth whose cunning deception of Death led to an eternal daily punishment(Opens in a new tab) of rolling a great stone up a hill in the afterlife, only to have it roll down again every time.
This classic tale and the rest of the legendary gang all get their moment in — or way too close to — the sun in this wonderfully nerdy online trend, including the likes of Prometheus (titan who created humans, then stole fire and gave it to said humans, punished for eternity by a Zeus-y eagle who pecks out his liver daily, fun!), Odysseus (king of Ithaca, hero of Homer's The Odyssey, takes ages to get home).
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The trend seems to have stemmed from an account called Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens(Opens in a new tab), which has been posting memes related to Classical Studies(Opens in a new tab) (Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt etc.) for three years.
SEE ALSO:
'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' review: a stunning, mythic adventure of Olympic proportions
The account dropped this great Orpheus and Eurydice joke in July 2020, which seems to be at the core of the recent wave of quote retweets. (For reference, in a deal with Hades, Orpheus played his lyre to pull his love Eurydice from the underworld on the condition he didn't look back at her — folks, he did the damn thing).
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For the past 24 hours, the stream of nerdy classical jokes has been as neverending as having one of your internal organs pulverised daily by a bird of prey. Too soon, Prometheus?
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Some jokes flew extremely close to the sun.
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Others took all of their strength.
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Some were too good to be true.
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And on and on it went...
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Notably, the originator of the wave, @CSMFHT, also dropped some superb new jokes of their own.
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And...this absolute show-stopper.
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