I am not kidding when I say that I had relatives tell me, to my face, that I live in a "war zone". They didn't ask me how Chicago was, and none of them live even close to here. But they were SURE that I was living in a warzone worse than Afghanistan, worse than Iraq, worse than anything overrun by ISIS. They were positive of it.
Low hotel occupancy rates and a lack of international visitors complicate the mayor's full-court tourism press. [ more › ]
The internet is full of owns, people one-upping each other and delivering comeuppances and then signal-boosting the one-ups of others, a ceaseless volley of owns on top of owns. Nowhere is the owning harder than on Twitter, which has essentially transformed into a platform of sick owns. The default mode of Twitter is perched before the glowing monitor, waiting to own viciously and quickly. It’s great.
Even corporate brands are getting in on the game. Take, for example, Wendy’s, the hamburger-making giant best known as “the one that serves baked potatoes.” It started with a simple corporate tweet—a corny play on a time-honored slogan.
Maxime also shows us a section of animated reaction-diffusion patterns, where simple chemical feedback mechanisms can yield complex flowing bands of colour — these forms of system were originally thought up by Alan Turing, and were part of the early seeds of the field of systems biology, which seeks to simulate life with computers, in order to better understand the systems producing the complexity we see in the living world. They were also the starting point of my main research area many years ago before I got lost in music! (where I began with the question of what patterns could be produced via reaction-diffusion forms of system as opposed to gene-regulatory network controlled patterning).
There’s a blue brain coral pattern at the 1:30 mark and a neuron-ish pattern at 2:30 that I wish would go on forever. Headphones recommended, psychoactive drugs optional. (via colossal)
America is dying. They're strangling our country and accusing anyone who tries to stop them of being "un-American".
The president-elect on Tuesday morning questioned why House Republicans would put limits on the independent ethics office that investigates House lawmakers and staff accused of misconduct. In a tweet, Trump said GOP lawmakers should 'focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance' instead of making this bid 'their number one act and priority.'
President-elect Donald Trump won't end the onslaught of posts on Twitter that fed his unconventional campaign, even after taking on the formalized duties of the Oval Office later this month.
Making news and issuing statements on social media sites that also include Facebook and Instagram will "absolutely"...
I wonder if he feels the same way about Christian bakers making wedding cakes for gay people
The Rockettes still do not sound too keen on performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration, which meant that Madison Square Garden Company executive chairman and New York Knicks owner James Dolan felt the need to hold a meeting with the dancers. From the sound of things, he didn’t do a very convincing job of making his…
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, January 3. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Frontline(PBS, 10 p.m.): Frontline is known for providing factual, balanced, and in-depth looks at its documentary subjects, meaning that Donald Trump will probably hate the episode about him. Tonight’s installment covers “the key moments that shaped [the] President-elect.” We’re hoping this will include his birthing process, which involved his parents throwing a bag of Cheetos, one Chick-O-Stick, half a butternut squash, three pages from Hustler, and a copy of The Fountainhead into a blender, then cooking the batter in a tanning bed. After a few hours of baking, the gooey, orange mass resembled a baby and the future President Of The United States of America.
Chicago Fire(NBC, 9 p.m.): If you live in the Windy City, chances are you know a local actor who ...
I'm gonna do this. Today, put $1 in your savings. Tomorrow, $2. The next day, $3. And so on until the end of the month.
Welcome to the second annual Lifehacker Ultimate Money Challenge. After considering your feedback, we’ve decided to once again challenge you throughout the year with a new financial goal every month. This month’s? The 30-Day Savings Challenge.
Cannot wait for this idiot's Twitter to get hacked
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned whether critical computer networks can ever be protected from intruders, alarming cybersecurity experts who say his comments could upend more than a decade of national cybersecurity policy and put both government and private data at risk.
We thought Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would hold out for a few days and not try to top all of the ways he completely owned 2016, but oh man we were wrong. Never one to shy away from expressing the love and appreciation he has for his family, the former WWE champion explained exactly why this particular Christmas gift for his father was so special:
Crazy story, my dad’s dad died when he was 13yrs old. That Christmas, my dad’s mom had her new boyfriend over for Christmas dinner. Her boyfriend got drunk and pissed on the turkey. My dad went outside, got a shovel, drew a line in the snow and said if you cross that line I’ll kill you. The drunk crossed it and my dad laid him cold as a block of ice.
Cops were called. They told my dad’s mom that when her boyfriend regains consciousness, he’s gonna kill your son so one of them has got to go. In front of the entire family, my dad’s mom looked at him and said get out. He was 13yrs old and now homeless. That f*cked up true story happened in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1954. He needed the bare minimum then, just like does now.
Over the years, I’ve moved him into a big home, got him trucks to drive (which he’ll literally drive into the ground until I get him something else ;). Hell, I’ll get him anything he wants, but the SOB just won’t ask.
I don't know much about wrestling, but this is a good article, and the fact that the comments were closed before it even was published makes me sadder than hell.
WWE Network
It’s really hard to be a black wrestling fan. It really is. Between all of the racial stereotypes that have permeated the genre for my entire life and the lack of black champions, I’ve found it really difficult to justify why I tune in to WWE’s ever-growing repertoire of shows. Things have been a little better as of late with more representations of black faces and culture. This has been incredibly refreshing. I know it hasn’t been easy for these stars to represent people who look like me so I want to celebrate their efforts. And show the happiness I feel when I see them on TV.
With that said, here are 10 incredibly black moments from 2016 that make me feel warm and fuzzy in my inside place. You can revisit 2015’s blackest moments here.
Both Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins watched Ava Duvernay’s incredible documentary 13th — about the racism of America’s prison industrial complex — and got themselves woke. So they tweeted out #BlackLivesMatter. Babyface move for the ages, kids.
Booker T schools Randy Orton
Randy Orton went full All Lives Matter over Colin Kaepernick’s protests. He got on his high horse about disrespecting the military as if Kaep went AWOL or something. So Booker T had him on his podcast and really broke race relations down in a way that was admirable and well thought out. Kudos to Book.
Cedric Alexander’s Contract
If you didn’t get the sugar lump in your throat after Cedric put on a classic match, got cheered and was pretty much given a kayfabe contract on the spot, I don’t know what to tell you.
And now, the top 10.
10. WWE Are The Streets
Here’s how imagine Diddy’s relationship with WWE went down: Diddy’s artist Machine Gun Kelly performs at WrestleMania 28. Diddy looks at the check. Diddy says SWEET MERRY HOT DAMN WWE CUTS CHECKS. Kevin Owens power bombs Machine Gun Kelly to hell. Diddy takes all the gigs MGK could have had and becomes WWE’s new rap ambassador. That’s how Diddy works. And that’s how he ended up on RAW. But Diddy hosting RAW doesn’t in itself qualify for a Blackest moment. But The Lox getting a damn mention is certainly black as hell. I mean, it’s The Lox. Styles P. Sheek. Kiss. One of the greatest groups of all time. This is better than the time The Beatnuts rapped on Shotgun Saturday Night*
*The Beatnuts never rapped on Shotgun Saturday Night.
9. Wale’s Kicks
Asics
My first article ever for The Smoking Section back in 1998 was about how Ric Flair was the embodiment of Hip-Hop and its culture. The bling, attitude and swagger is embedded in rap culture in the same way it was personified in Flair’s style. Rap and wrestling are aspirational. So it makes sense that there’s always been a connection between the two genres. Nobody in the last few years has exemplified that bond in mainstream rap like Wale. He’s made wrestling as part of his image as his iconic dreds. So it was only natural that when he got to make a shoe with Asics it was designed after the old school IC belt. The shoes are fly as hell and I’m mad I don’t have a pair. Thanks, Obama.
8. New Day Rapping Juvenile
WWE Network
You wanna know why shows like Atlanta and Insecure were so popular? It’s because they gave black people situations and experiences on TV that reflect our own. It’s such a simple but effective strategy that took TV people too damn long to realize. So when I saw New Day on an episode of Ride Along on the Network recreating Juvenile’s “Ha” song and holding a conversation ending every sentence with “Ha” I felt instant gratification. It was three black guys doing something I grew up doing and it’s the type of thing that’s too rare but always appreciated. Now try to go a full day without trying to talk like Juve. You’re welcome.
7. New Day’s Raw
New Day has had an inconsistent 2016. At times they’ve been hitting on all cylinders. Other times, they have random fans in the ring to make fun of his fake name. But for one Raw, they were the central focus. They beat half of the Raw roster and had the sendoff to their title run they deserved.
6. Biggie’s Promo
When New Day hit up Brooklyn for Summerslam, they opened up their match quoting Biggie. And instead of rapping to an oblivious audience, the BK audience finished the damn promo.
5. When Ranallo Gets It Right
WWE Promotional Image
Mauro Ranallo is a self-proclaimed Hip-Hop head and when he’s dropping references at the right time, it’s a fresh infusion of a culture I love getting shine on WWE. I also wonder if Vince knows what the hell he’s saying half the time.
4. Sasha Banks
WWE Raw
Sasha Banks is just going to be on this list every year. She had the feud of the year. Won the Women’s title three times, had the best match at WrestleMania and helped elevate the Women’s division to main event level. All the while Vince McMahon reportedly doubted her ability to perform. If that isn’t the black woman experience I don’t know what is.
3. The Nakamura Entrance
I cried. I sobbed. I wept tears of pride and joy. This was maybe the best entrance in WWE history and it all started with a black guy playing the violin. Solo. Bonus for this being the closest thing to a PPV main event title match a black guy has had since, like, 2014.
2. Code Switching With Rocky
People get really weird about Rock’s blackness. He’s a black man. That should settle it. But there’s been so much debate about if he’s black enough or embraces his blackness or whatever nitpicky issue there is with him and how he carries himself. But let’s not get it twisted: Dwayne The Rock Johnson is a black man. He’s also a black man who’s had to navigate white spaces his whole life, which means he’s the master at code switching. So during a really long (too long) Raw segment, Rock walks around, guffaws with Big Show, carries on his tradition of calling attractive women sluts and chops it up with Rick Ross. Dapping him up and everything.
Then he gets to the ring. And he proceeds to get a bit too comfortable, dismissing Byron Saxton as some black guy. It’s a joke that gets laughs but when New Day comes out, they set the record straight, informing Rock that Saxton is the best in the business.
It’s just so dope to me for a few reasons: it shows the camaraderie the black superstars have developed to keep looking out for each other. Which, trust me, is needed in places like WWE. And it’s dope to see that New Day was able to pretty much carry Rocky for a 20-minute segment that was his best since he stopped wrestling full time. Can’t remember a time I ever saw that many black wrestlers on TV for that long.
Like I said, being a black wrestling fan is hard. We’ve been relegated to finding small battles to celebrate. The picture Big E posted earlier this month of Sasha Banks, New Day and Rich Homie Swann. All black. All holding belts, with the hashtag #BlackExcellence. It wasn’t only a powerful picture of how far black wrestlers have come, but it’s also an all-important acknowledgement of black pride.
For someone who lived through The Godfather, Booker T losing against Triple H at WrestleMania 19 after being called too ghetto to win the belt, Vincent K. McMahon saying the N-word and too many infuriating instances to count, this felt like a victory I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Sasha Banks has been doubted since she got to the main roster. New Day was burdened with a stereotypical preacher gimmick. And Swann has overcome obstacles that most of us would crumble against. And they’re there. I want this picture framed. I want it hanging in my kids’ rooms. In a shitty 2016, this was a light that I really needed.
Its been a real great year for Bear News. Here is your Bear of the Year.
Deadspin is pleased to announce our 2016 Bear of the Year. After a great deal of consideration and deliberation, we arrived at a clear choice: Bear Who Was Covered In Shit And Pissed.
Ronda Rousey’s return to the Octagon at UFC 207 will be a lucrative one for the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion. The reclusive fighter, who has said nary a word to the press leading up to her fight, will earn a disclosed purse of $3 million with no win bonus, according to documents from the Nevada Athletic Commission. Her opponent and current women’s 135 pound champ Amanda Nunes will make $100,000 to show and $100,000 to win.
Per NSAC, Ronda Rousey's disclosed fight purse tonight is $3 million. No win bonus. Amanda Nunes is $100k/$100k.
Certain states like Nevada make purse information public, but those numbers often don’t tell the entire story. Various extras like signing bonuses, performance bonuses, and cuts of pay-per-view profits aren’t included, meaning the numbers revealed are only a portion of a fighter’s earned income. In this case, for example, both Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes are getting points on the pay-per-view, meaning they’ll earn a few dollars per pay-per-view sold. Tonight’s UFC 207 event is expected to sell anywhere between 500,000 to a million pay-per-views, potentially pushing Ronda Rousey’s pay from the UFC above $5 million when all is said and done.
The disclosed $3 million purse for Rousey also happens to match the disclosed purse Conor McGregor received for his last fights at UFC 202 and UFC 205. With all the recent debate over who was the biggest star for the UFC, did the company sidestep the debate by simply agreeing to pay both fighters the same? Whatever the case, it’s going to be a lucrative night for Ronda Rousey.
Aw damn, she lost? Damn. I heard she got $3,000,000 to lose and the chick who won got $100,000... but damn, she got super ripped. I hope she is kinder to herself after this loss than her last one.
Like every mother and daughter on the face of the earth, Ronda and I don’t always see eye to eye. However, there is one situation where I am pretty certain. All of those who have criticized Ronda for taking a loss so to heart, for not just ‘shrugging it off’ don’t understand that what made Ronda so successful is that she cares DEEPLY about winning to an extent that I don’t believe the average person can wrap his/her head around.
Caring deeply about something and working your hardest to achieve it doesn’t mean you make the right decisions 100% of the time. Wouldn’t it be a nicer world if it did?
AnnMaria goes on to provide a lengthy list of Ronda’s accomplishments in sports and entertainment thus far, making sure to note that Ronda isn’t even 30 years old yet and far from done.
That’s just a partial list, but let me suggest that someone who has been world level athlete in two sports, written a best seller, acted in movies and made millions of dollars, all before the age of 30 has a pretty darn good track record. On top of that, Ronda has been part of the USADA drug testing since she was 16 years old, never failed a drug test, always paid her taxes, never been arrested, never been to rehab, has zero divorces, zero DUIs and zero children. While you might think that is to be expected, look how many celebrities (heck, look how many of your neighbors) can say that.
I am very proud of my daughter. As my other wonderful daughter, Maria, told her: “We love you just as much 10 minutes after every fight as we did in the 10 minutes before.”
You can read the full letter from Ronda’s mother here. Let’s hope that list of accomplishments only keeps growing. It’s almost impossible to name a legend in mixed martial arts who doesn’t have two or more losses sitting on their record. There’s no reason whatsoever to think Ronda’s quick skid needs to be the end of the road. And if she does move on to Hollywood and an acting career, we wish her the best in that as well.
Ronda Rousey has given us years of entertainment and revolutionized the sport of mixed martial arts for women. She deserves respect and admiration regardless of how her last two fights turned out. We just hope we get to see her with her arm raised in the cage again. Maybe that same fiercely competitive spirit that causes Ronda to take losses so hard will also refuse to let things end this way. We’ll let you know when she announces her plans.
You probably already got your Bean boots and are ready for whatever 2017 throws at you (weather-wise, at least). But if you need to replace a few things, say gloves or a coat, L.L.Bean is giving you up to 50% off a slew of winter styles.
In 2001, when I was about 14 years old, my male friends invented a game that went like this: one of them—and it was always the same one—would sneak behind me, slap me—and it was always me—on the ass and run away as I sputtered, angry and humiliated.
For a few years now, Netflix has been providing kid-friendly fake New Year’s Eve countdowns so you can put them to bed early and enjoy your adults-only party. They’re back again this year with a bunch of new videos.
New York has seasons. Until global warming burns that truth into oblivion, we New Yorkers get the markers of time passing via waves of fresh vibrant vegetables at the farmers markets, the bursts of autumnal rainbows in the changing of the leaves, and the first freshly fallen snow—so pure, so white, so fleeting. There's also the fact that seasons—at least summer and winter—last a really fucking long time, and what was once all charming and shit at first turns into a repetitive torture, not unlike having to listen to a Celine Dion album in entirety. During summer's long months, everything becomes so sticky and lethargic that even the jingle of Mr. Frosty can't motivate you to move away from the whirling fan. Winter becomes the abysmal frozen hell that makes all humans edgy and bitter (I might be projecting, but I still think I'm right).
And if you are anything like me, you are tired of seeing Instagram posts of abstract platings of sliced fruit with the Caribbean Sea as the backdrop from some yoga chick you know who likes to vacation in Tulum. And your ass hurts from slipping on some black ice when you were only a block away from home and it was too freezing to cry out in pain. Does this sound familiar?
L O L ing at the pic. One of those things is not like the other....
When rumors emerged last week that model Stella Maxwell is supposedly dating actress Kristen Stewart, I wondered how many beautiful lesbian entertainment industry powerhouses there are to go around in this particular circle. If the tabloids are to be believed, it seems like there’s been some overlap.
Low hotel occupancy rates and a lack of international visitors complicate the mayor's full-court tourism press. [ more › ]
And rents in River North and Greektown will set you back the most. [ more › ]
