It's the end of the school year, and pretty much everyone has checked out: parents are over the entire routine, to say nothing of kids who are counting down the days until the routine of waking up early and rushing out the door is over for a few blissful months. Even teachers are at about the end of what they can take, and with testing all but over around the country, it isn't uncommon for everyone to take it easy and try to inject a little fun into the last few days or weeks of school.
One teacher in Mobile, Alabama, however, seems to have confused "fun" with "wildly inappropriate ancient racist internet memes," because they gave a group of 6th graders a joke math test long past its expiration date and peppered with inappropriate questions about gangs and prostitution. A test with questions like:
"Ramón has an AK-47 with an 80-round clip. If he misses 6 out of 10 shots and shoots 13 times at each drive-by shooting, how many drive-by shootings can Ramón attempt before he has to steal enough ammunition and reload?"
Other questions on the "math test," which was given to 6th grade students during a language arts class included asking how many hos does one have to pimp in order to support a crack habit, as well as a real gem of a question about cutting cocaine.
One of the students snapped a picture of the test and texted it to his mother, who went to school to find out how such an obvious poor judgement call could have been made in the first place:
The test might be jarring if you've never seen it before, but chances are very high that you have. It's long been a favorite on casually racist internet message boards since the early days of the internet, with versions of it being changed and passed around since the 1990s online. Snopes, which has a similar version of the "LA Math Test," points out that it's been floating around since even before that, namely since the '80s.
Besides being a gross piece of racist garbage masquerading as humor (or satire, if you're feeling generous, which we're not), this isn't even the first time a teacher has gotten in trouble for distributing it to kids. It certainly makes sense, because if you've got the sort of underdeveloped sense of humor that leads you to believe that finding the percentage of how many girls in Tyrone's gang have been knocked up by Tyrone himself, you would clearly want to share that with your juvenile peers.
People have certainly been doing it for long enough. This Burns Middle School teacher, who has been placed on administrative leave, will join the sacred annals of other casually racist jerkholes in states like New Mexico, Texas and California, who were also fired or suspended for distributing it since as far back as 1993.
Maybe the idea that someone who thinks jokes about pimping and drive-by shootings (perpetrated by people with Hispanic and African-American names, because its funnier that way) are great subject matter for pre-teens isn't disturbing enough for you. So, how about the idea of someone with judgement so poor that they couldn't even do a little of their own homework to find out exactly how much trouble they'd be in for doing something that has proven over and over again to be dumb and worthy of discipline?
However you do the math, this little stunt was beyond sucky, and we hope that the consequences might just be enough to stop the next idiot who passes around old racist internet memes to kids for fun.
Last we saw Teen Mom's Amber Portwood, she was celebrating her birthday with a whole new look. Turns out, Portwood's makeover wasn't just a one-day deal. She's now cut her hair and is transforming herself in honor of her new year. America's Next Top Model, here she comes?
Portwood shared the new, chic cut on Instagram with the caption, “It was time for a new change..love my new hair.”
amber portwood selfie
amber portwood selfie
I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't point out that her brows also look fantastic, her skin is glowing and she's wearing almost no makeup. Whatever beauty regimen Portwood is using, it's working for her.
Portwood has also been open about discussions of her struggles with weight. As Us Weekly points out, she's lost 30 pounds since last summer. Portwood shared her healthy eating regimen on Twitter, writing that her diet consisted of a plan to “cut out bad carbs like sugar and cut down on pasta to start … also try to not eat trans fats."
Her fans are loving the cut in the comments section — although they will take any opportunity to leave shade over her fiancé Matt Baier. One writes, "Wow Amber !! Your looking great stay heathy proud of you." Another adds, "You might wanna get a real man!"
Soap fans are having a hard time keeping up with the revolving door of actors these days. The latest news from Daytime Confidential that Jen Lilley is reportedly leaving Days of Our Lives makes us stop and ponder what is happening to our beloved NBC show.
While we know DOOL isn’t going anywhere soon since the show’s contract was renewed for a 51st season, I’m thinking about the show’s status beyond that. In the past two years, fans have seen the exit of some major legacy characters, including Sami Brady, Eric Brady, Stefano DiMera, Will Horton and Bo Brady.
The departures have been for a variety of reasons, from storyline deaths to the firing of cast members to actors not renewing their contracts. All of these events add up to a big hole in DOOL’s core and supporting characters. The departure list is extraordinarily long for one daytime show.
Lilley has not made an official announcement regarding her contract status, but viewers are waiting on impending doom as Kate Mansi’s last airdate looms. The show has been actively auditioning for a replacement to play Abigail, so there is some relief in knowing the one DOOL persona will continue on.
Jen Lilley Interview
Jen Lilley Interview
Even if they replace Theresa Donovan with another actress, there is no doubt that Lilley has made a huge impact on the daytime series. Her calculating, devious and downright sarcastic portrayal has added a lot of spice and sass to the show.
It’s hard to even predict how this will play out since DOOL also follows an unusual timeline by writing and shooting their episodes six months ahead of time. Is this completely the end of Theresa, or could we see a new actress add her spin to the character?
Either way, I would like the producers and writers to chill out and go back to the heart of the show. Let’s not see a constant flux of characters coming and going from Salem; a little tradition and stability is a good thing.
How do you feel about Jen Lilley’s reported departure from Days of Our Lives?
“Can I have your full name and date of birth? Thank you. And are you on any medications right now, or do you have any medical conditions we should know about? Any allergies? And you are getting IV sedation today, is that correct? And who’s taking you home today? Great.”
I lay my left hand, encased in a latex glove, over hers so that she can squeeze it if she needs to, and put my right hand on her arm above the blood pressure cuff. For the next five minutes or so, she will be my entire world.
I make small talk with her. Does she know what she’s going to eat when she leaves? She hasn’t been allowed to eat today in preparation for the abortion, so she’s got her cheeseburger all planned out. Does she have children? What are their names? They’ll be so excited to see her when she gets home. They’d better not touch her cheeseburger, though. She moans; I tell her to send deep breaths down to where it hurts. She mentions the protesters outside, who wave signs with blown-up pictures of fetuses and yell at the women entering Planned Parenthood. I feel anger burn behind my eyes but calmly reassure her that she is brave and right for making the choice she knows is best for her and for her family.
Until I trained as an abortion doula, I thought abortions were a much bigger deal than they are. That is, even though I was deeply pro-choice, I had never thought about what I would do if I got pregnant. I knew very little about the abortion procedure itself and I at least partially bought into the message that abortion is always emotionally damaging. I first learned about abortion as a political issue; I remember discussing it in Social Studies class, but never in Health. To my memory, my progressive parents never discussed it with me when I was growing up and becoming sexually active.
Doula is an ancient Greek word for a serving woman; today it usually refers to someone who provides emotional, physical, and informational support to a person before, during, and/or after they give birth. In 2007, The Doula Project expanded the word’s meaning when they began to offer similar support to people choosing abortion and adoption. I was trained as an abortion doula in the fall of 2013, by Doula Project leaders who came to my college campus to conduct a group training. I spent the next three semesters going into clinic to volunteer as a doula, and participating in the caring community of the Wesleyan Doula Project.
Learning about and witnessing abortion not only made me a better pro-choice advocate and educator, but also brought up powerful questions and conversations in my life. I recognized the reality that if I got pregnant at this point in my life, I would definitely choose abortion. I asked my parents how they would react if that were to happen, though I was lucky to already feel sure they would support me. My mom, whose sex life and reproductive choices prior to our family are not topics I know a great deal about, told me that she once knew she would abort an unwanted pregnancy. I had meaningful discussions with friends and peers about what this type of choice means for us and for those less privileged than us. Best of all, I participated in a manual aspiration abortion workshop that my older sister brought to her medical school through a pro-choice medical students’ group. (I aborted the seeds from a papaya. It was awesome.)
Through learning empathy, I unlearned stereotypes. I came to understand that this moment, though a fascinating and intense one to be present for, was not significant for everybody – though of course the patterns I witnessed did not necessarily reflect universal trends. Even so, for every patient who needed me to wipe tears from their face or hold them for an extra moment before helping them down from the procedure table, there were many more who needed me only for physical support or small talk. Each person astounded me with the power of their choice, whether or not that choice weighed on them.
We should all be talking about the right to choose. But we’re only having half of the conversation when we do not also acknowledge the realities of what an abortion is and the (not always traumatic, often mundane) ways it affects us as individuals. So this is a request, even a plea: talk about and think about abortion, reflect on it deeply in relation to your life and the lives of those close to you. For parents: if you think it’s important to talk to your children about contraception, consider this in a similar vein (and even loop it into the same conversations).
We don’t each need to stand in the procedure room in order to recognize the value of actively living our pro-choice politics. And my experience, of being pro-choice but not thinking actively about abortion, is easily reversed: Many people know abortion may be the right choice for them, or know that people close to them have had abortions, but do not necessarily engage politically. Both experiences, and the many that fall in between them, are valid. Being an abortion doula simply taught me the power of wedding my convictions to my reality.
There's nothing worse than finding out your partner has cheated on you... with the TV show you two had sworn you'd always watch together. If you've ever been in a relationship for longer than a few weeks (aka long enough to get hooked on that new, awesome Netflix series), you know what I'm talking about.
One of you gets home early from work and remembers there's a new episode of The Americans you both missed the other day just waiting in your Amazon queue. The temptation is palpable, and the opportunity is there. You say to yourself, "there's no harm in watching the first ten minutes to get a sense of the episode, right? I'll just act like I've never seen it when we watch it together." Cut to an hour later when you're at the episode's last five minutes, and you hear your beau's key in the door. You panic, and try to get rid of the evidence, but it's too late. Soon you're in a blow-out fight because you violated the most sacred commandment of your relationship: thou shalt not watch new episodes of shows without the other present.
But what if there was a way to prevent such betrayal from happening? Well, thanks to the brilliant minds over at the British ice cream brand Cornetto (weird, right?), there soon will be. Cornetto is developing commitment rings, which are designed to protect the most sacred of couple time activities — binge watching. They look like fitness tracker bands, but are designed to communicate wirelessly with streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. You program them by designating which shows you want to be sure you only watch together by using an app on your cellphone. Once you choose your shows, they will only be accessible when both commitment bands are together, so no one will be in danger of letting their need to know what happens next get the better of them.
While this is certainly a great idea considering how often binge watching infidelity happens in your average relationship, the first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem. I am Ally Hirschlag, and I'm a binge-watching cheater. I have cheated on my fiancé with a shockingly large number of amazing TV shows including Game of Thrones, The Americans, Mad Men, Jessica Jones, Penny Dreadful, and Orange is the New Black. I have no excuse except my weak morals and susceptibility to enticing trailers. However, recently, I hit my bottom and have since done everything I can to fight against the temptation.
Several months ago, my fiancé and I started watching an amazing show on Netflix called The Man in the High Tower (if you haven't checked it out yet, you must). However, after only two episodes in, he booked a job that made it difficult for us to find any down time together. After weeks of this, I began to feel the burning temptation to watch the rest of the season. The unwatched episodes just sat there, taunting me, begging me to press 'play.' One fateful Saturday, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had nothing to do, and he was supposed to be on a job all day into the late evening, so I gave in to the temptation and watched not one, but two entire seasons of the show. It felt so wrong but so right all at the same time.
Once I realized what I had done, I frantically went back and started the very beginning of each episode again, so it would look like I hadn't watch them. However, while I was in the middle of this cover-up, my man came home, exhausted but eager to embark on some late night watching with me. He walked in right in the middle of the "clean up." I was mortified and immediately launched into a flood of excuses. At the end of it all, he said nothing, but his face said everything. I had disappointed him, and what's worse is I knew he'd never dream of doing the same thing to me.
So, that was it. I had no choice but to get on the road to recovery. Now, if I feel that familiar new show temptation, I go for a walk, read a book or watch a show about which I know he could care less. Commitment rings would definitely help keep me in line, and once they come out we may end up going that route. However, for now, I'm trying to quit naturally, and my fiancé is trying to believe me when I say, "I didn't watch that episode — my parents sometimes use our account, so it must've been them."
If recent country music is any indicator, revenge sex is on trend. Take Blake Shelton’s single “Came Here to Forget” about two people who get it on to get back at their exes. Ring any bells? Then there’s the Luke Bryan/Karen Fairchild duet “Home Alone Tonight” about boozing up and getting down with a stranger to forget an ex. “Let’s go shot for shot for shot/Til we forgot/What we came here to forget,” Bryan sings in the chorus. Then there’s Dierks Bentley's revenge sex anthem “Somewhere On A Beach,” where he brags, “I got a new girl, she’s got it going on... She got a body, and she’s naughty.”
It’s OK to feel wronged and it’s even tempting to cry into your beer, but experts agree, revenge sex is generally not a good idea.
“The point of sex is for you to enjoy yourself — it is not for you to be thinking about your ex, and doing something to hurt him,” says Laurel House, a dating coach on E!'s Famously Single. “It's not fair to you, and it's definitely not fair to the person who you are having sex with.” Fairness aside, the biggest con (aside from the fact that it might awaken your ex’s inner psycho) is that it keeps you emotionally hooked to your ex, cites writer and cultural sexologist Dr. Carol Queen.
House points out that the guy who you’re using might say, “That's OK, as long as I'm getting pleasured, I don't care who you're thinking about.” But that's not the point. The desire to get revenge is keeping poison in your body and it’s toxic. “If you are carrying around that emotion, you clearly are not over your ex,” says House. “It is time for you to get out from under it, over it, and move on from that relationship. And you are not going to do it by getting on top of, or underneath someone else. That is unhealthy. Period.”
So, is it ever OK to have revenge sex?
Queen admits that it can be hot. “Emotions besides love can definitely add something to sex,” she says. If you’re trying to upset your ex, post-breakup sex could do the trick. It could also backfire and leave you feeling cold, empty or lonely — particularly if casual sex isn’t your thing, she points out. On the flip side, she says, “Rebound sex can also remind you that there are other fish in the sea (even if anger at your ex got you there, you wind up in a different bed),” says Queen. Or it can put you in bed with someone you find really sexy. “Because if you’re going to make your ex jealous, you might as well reach for the stars,” she says.
But let's say it does convince your ex that you are too good to let go. Queen notes that anything that was wrong with your relationship before will probably still be wrong and your ex will throw it [the revenge sex] in your face later on. “So that’s not a pro.”
At that point, you have to ask what you hope the revenge sex will accomplish and "closure" is a common answer to that question. House says you should seek closure but closure has nothing to do with revenge. “Closure is all about you making the decision to move on,” she says. “And you don't need someone else to be part of your closure. You don't need to have a conversation with your ex, you don't need to have it out with your ex, and you don't need to get in bed with someone else who is not your ex.”
She suggests coming to the realization that the relationship is over, that you are grateful for what it taught you, and now it's done. Easier said than done, I know.
Johnny Depp isn't even pretending to play coy about his divorce from Amber Heard. If you had even a shred of sympathy left for Depp, please let this latest development be the nail in the coffin. Shortly after it was announced that he won't face prosecution for his alleged assault on Heard, Depp spent the night partying at a hotel in Sweden, according to the Daily Mail.
He's currently on a European tour with his band the Hollywood Vampires, and as you'd expect of someone going through a bitter, public divorce, Depp has allegedly spent much of his time offstage in his hotel room. Last night, the band requested that the hotel reopen the bar — after hours — and Depp drank cocktails and partied with a “mystery brunette.”
The band's drummer Matt Sorum is acting as though everything is totally normal as well. He told the Daily Mail, “We had a great night here in Stockholm. Everyone enjoyed themselves — Johnny is doing fine as well.”
For her part, Heard released a statement describing “relentless attacks” and “lies” perpetrated by Depp and his publicity team. When you consider the balance of power between the two, it's hard not to believe her story. The powerful statement continued, "Amber is simply a victim of domestic violence, and none of her actions are motivated by money. Amber is a brave and financially independent woman who is showing the courage of her convictions by doing the right thing against Johnny's relentless army of lawyers and surrogates. The Family Law Court is not going to be influenced by misinformation placed in the social media based on anonymous sources. Amber is the victim. Amber is a hero.”
Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow is embroiled in a huge lawsuit for some major dough, and her emails in the case prove at least part of the show is set up.
Heather and her husband Terry (who stars on another reality show, Botched) are suing former friend Steven Czik after an investment gone wrong — they said they loaned him $1.7 million for a lifestyle management company that they never saw again, and he refused to pay them back even after they won a $2 million judgement against him in court.
Now Czik is suing the couple back, claiming extortion, harassment, libel and slander, and has entered several extremely angry emails from the pair into evidence — including one talking about storylines for RHOC.
"BTW don't even consider offering me a paltry settlement amount. I will absolutely have you fucking disbarred. If you don't pay me what you owe me you will end up disbarred, publically [sic] shamed and in every living room across the world known for what you did to me," Terry wrote in one email, according to Radar Online.
"I am ending you [sic] pathetic career," he wrote in another. "Prepare for big time television exposure… Once we expose you, you will in the short term lose INSTANTLY all your clients. That's assuming you have any."
In a later email, Terry revealed that the storylines on RHOC are all preapproved. Would that be considered semi-reality?
"Lo and behold my wife and I's major approved storyline is…wait for it…yes you guessed it, the personal guarantee scam from my accountant and none other than — you," Terry wrote in December. However, no mention of the lawsuit has yet to air.
Czik was demanding $5 million in damages; however, Terry wrote on Twitter that his suit was dropped within a day of filing it.
Terry Dubrow lawsuit tweet
Terry Dubrow lawsuit tweet
Frankly, if someone was holding $2 million of my money hostage, I'd send some nasty emails, too.
If you're looking at a mushy mess instead of the fluffy grains of rice you hoped for, not to worry — you're in good company. Overcooking rice might be a rookie mistake, but it happens to the best of us, much more often than we'd like to admit. Fortunately there are several ways to rework overdone rice that can save you from throwing it out and starting all over again.
Believe it or not, some recipes actually call for overcooked rice. We're here to share those with you, plus provide some tips on how to prevent your rice from overcooking in the first place.
A super-delicious way to use up your overcooked rice is to make rice pancakes (think potato pancakes made out of rice). Sauté your favorite vegetables in a little bit of olive oil, and add them to the rice. Toss in a few handfuls of shredded cheese, and mix well. Shape the rice mixture into round patties, and sauté until crispy.
Soup
Rice in soup is always overcooked since you reheat the soup (and cook the rice further) every time you go to eat it. The soups that work the best for adding overcooked rice include chicken and rice, hot-and-sour soup, minestrone and vegetable beef.
Hosting a party? Mix a few cups of overcooked rice into your meat to form meatballs. The rice acts as a filler so you'll get more meatballs for your money without sacrificing flavor.
Baby food
Have little ones running around? Overcooked rice is great for them since it's significantly easier to chew than regular rice is. Serve it to them as is, or mix with puréed vegetables or fruits.
Fried rice
Frying foods will naturally make them crispier. Put your overcooked rice in a saucepan with some olive oil, and cook over medium heat. Add in your favorite vegetables, an egg and soy sauce.
Rice pudding
If you're in the mood for something sweet, turn your overcooked rice into rice pudding by adding milk, cinnamon, sugar, raisins and vanilla extract. Mix well, and serve warm.
Sometimes we can't help overcooking our food. Whether we get an unexpected phone call, the baby starts crying, or we simply forget to set the timer, it can't always be avoided. To lessen your chances at overcooking your rice, though, use the following tips:
Don't cook when you have a million other things going on. In other words, if the kids are screaming and the phone won't stop ringing, it's not the best time to start dinner. Give the kids a snack, wait until your co-parent gets home, hide your phone... whatever you need to focus on the task at hand.
Set the timer early. This is our favorite trick. Whether you're cooking rice, a casserole or brownies, always set the timer a few minutes earlier than the directions say. If the timer goes off when you're in the middle of changing a diaper, you know you have time to complete the task without burning the food.
Delegate. Finally, when cooking rice or any type of meal, delegate tasks to family members. Older kids can set the table or be in charge of preparing side dishes. Younger kids can do small tasks with you so they feel involved too. By making dinner a family event, you'll give the kids something to look forward to plus prevent food from burning or overcooking.
What could Amy Duggar, Dillon King and Renee Graziano have in common? The answer is obvious: a reality show. The Kings and Graziano seem to have gotten very friendly lately, according to Design & Trend.
Duggar and King may have filmed a season of VH1's Couple's Therapy if their Instagram hints are to be believed. It's clear that they were in Los Angles, but we'd be surprised to find out that they appeared on a reality show about couples in strife. Their marriage has always been portrayed as rock-solid, and they do everything they can do appear as a united front — even when King speaks out against his wife's family.
Eagle-eyed Duggar-watchers noticed that Graziano commented on the photo of the Duggars leaving LA. She wrote, "Save flight lovers xoxoxo." King even responded, "Hope you got to New York ok. Stay in touch."
So what are these unlikely friends working on together? As Design & Trend points out, Graziano met a new boyfriend at (yes) Big Ang's funeral, so last we heard, she would at least have someone to bring to the Couple's Therapy couches. But we'd love to see some sort of cooking show or amazing race-style adventures featuring the antics of Graziano, Duggar and King.
Kristen Bell is more than just the latest Hollywood star to open up about mental illness. She's quickly joining the likes of Lena Dunham and Hayden Panettiere as one of the celebrities who really could make a difference to the millions of people facing the same struggles.
"I didn’t speak publicly about my struggles with mental health for the first 15 years of my career," wrote Bell. "But now I’m at a point where I don’t believe anything should be taboo. So here I am, talking to you about what I’ve experienced."
I only recently began to speak (and write) openly about my own mental illness. Until a couple of years ago, a mere handful of close friends and family knew what I was living with. The burden was enormous. I've had mental health issues (anxiety and depression; mostly a combination of both) for almost 20 years. That's over half of my life. But for most of that time, I carried it inside me like a deep, dark secret. I was terrified of anyone finding out. Of how that knowledge would affect their opinion of me. Of people calling me crazy.
I can see now, older and wiser that I am, that the only thing crazy about me was my determination to hide my illness from the world. Can you imagine trying to hide cancer or heart disease or any other serious physical illness from everyone around you? Impossible, right? The thing about mental illness: that is very possible. No matter how ill you are, without visible symptoms, anyone looking in may still think that all is perfectly fine. How often do we hear of people who lose loved ones to suicide expressing complete disbelief? "I had no idea she was ill," "I wish she'd told me she needed help," "She seemed fine the last time we spoke."
When I did finally speak openly about my depression, I was prepared for a range of responses. Many, many people who now know (and I know they know, because social media) have never reached out to me. This doesn't bother me — and I've never relished sympathy in any case — but it's sad that the reason it doesn't bother me isn't that I don't want them to care, it's that I don't expect them to. For starters, I'm so used to dealing with my illness on my own that having other people's input still seems kind of alien. Also, I know that many people still don't know how to react to mental illness in others, so silence is their fallback position. It's better to say nothing than say the wrong thing, right? Well… that's debatable.
Other people have expressed concern that I'm letting my depression "define me." The irony here is that it's taken me almost two decades to realize that it doesn't define me. Yes, I have depression. But I'm also a dozen other things, all of which are completely unrelated to my illness and are far more present in my every day life. By sharing my own experience, I'm simply lending my voice to a cause that has been silenced for far too long. Of that I am proud, and I will continue to talk and write about mental health because if there's one thing that breeds stigma and fosters denial, it's silence.
For me, saying nothing was simply no longer an option. It wasn't even really a conscious decision, as I came to understand (and truly believe, which is crucial) that speaking up would be a positive step. After 18-odd years of keeping schtum, I couldn't bear the weight of secrecy around my shoulders. I do think this has a lot to do with age and life experience. Like Bell, who didn't have the confidence to talk about her depression early in her career, it took surviving my 20s and the first half of my 30s, becoming a mother and establishing some wonderful, supportive, non-judgemental, inspirational friendships with incredible women to feel like I was in the right place to hold my hands up and say those three not-so-difficult words: "I am depressed."
"Depression is a problem that actually has so many solutions," wrote Bell. "Let’s work together to find those solutions for each other and cast some light on a dark situation." Amen to that.
Jennifer Garner was dickmatized by Ben Affleck in Europe and now she's considering taking the alleged nanny-schtupper back.
Almost a year ago, Garner and Affleck announced their surprising split amid rumors he had a fling with the couple's nanny. Now, instead of signing divorce papers, Garner is reportedly mulling over a reconciliation.
Garner joined Affleck in London with the couple's three children while he films The Justice League: Part One, and they have been spotted on several mini-breaks around Europe, including one to Italy and another in Paris. Trés romantique!
A friend of the couple told Us Weekly's print edition that the couple is trying to let bygones be bygones and get past their marital woes.
"A lot of damage has been mended. They are really in a good place," the insider said.
Another pal said Garner is totally ready to forget all about Affleck's alleged infidelities, sexism and gambling addiction issues just to put her family back together.
"Jen would definitely get back together with him," the source told the mag.
But not so fast! Affleck may not be down with this reunion — at least, if he is he hasn't told the other most important person in his life, his PR rep.
"They're coparenting while he's filming. That's all it is," one said.
Poor girl, getting her heart broken all over again.
In Garner's February 2016 interview with Vanity Fair, she described Affleck as "the love of my life."
"What am I going to do about that? He's the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous. He's just a complicated guy. I always say, ‘When his sun shines on you, you feel it.' But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it's cold. He can cast quite a shadow."
Remember that last part before making any major decisions, girlfriend.
Calvin Harris must have had a major come-to-Jesus with himself after his car accident last week and decided to make some major changes in his life — starting with dumping Taylor Swift.
After 15 months together, Harris gave Swift the boot after deciding the romance just wasn't there anymore.
"Taylor and Adam had no big blowout fight, but the romance just was not there anymore for them. Adam is the one that ended it. It was all done in a very mature fashion. Taylor is pretty upset but they are still in communication. Taylor was there for Adam with his accident and supportive."
Harris was in a gnarly car accident on May 20 when a teenager crossed the center line and hit his car. He suffered a laceration to his face and refused to stay in the hospital after being told he could not have a private room. One of the passengers in the car that hit him was ejected and suffered a broken pelvis.
In case anyone feels like making a tired joke about Swift releasing a new album based on the breakup, it's already been done.
You read as many books, magazines, blogs and feeds about beer as you can. You rail at the philistines in beer forums. You’re filled with righteous indignation that Budweiser renamed its beer “America” — and you damn well let them know on Twitter. You maintain a carefully curated collection of craft brew that would make Ken Grossman weep with pride. You know who Ken Grossman is. You… are obsessed with beer. And you’ve decided to put your money where your mouth is. Welcome to the world of homebrewing.
Brewers and manufacturers have vastly simplified the brewing process for newcomers, so if you can follow a recipe and boil water, you should be able to craft a respectable pint. With the proper preparation, the right tools and a lot of patience, you’ll be capping off your own self-labeled brew in no time.
Excited to get brewing? The basic equipment you’ll need to begin your first brew varies in quality and price, but most of them will do an admirable job. You can buy piecemeal or pick up a kit like the one from Home Brew Supply Company. Start simple. You can upgrade later as you learn what you like and need. And maybe one day, the Grainfather will make you an offer you can’t refuse.
6.5-gallon bucket for fermenting, with a drilled and grommeted lid
6.5-gallon bottling bucket with a bottling spigot
5-gallon stainless steel brew kettle with lid
3-piece airlock (one-way carbon dioxide release) and, if called for, a bung
24-inch stainless steel spoon
Fine mesh straining bag
Auto-siphon/racking cane with tubing and clamp
Bottle filler
Hydrometer and test jar
Floating and adhesive thermometer
Bottle brush
Bottle capper (with bottles and caps)
Unscented cleanser
Sanitizer
Ready to brew some beer?
First, go crack open a beer. I know you're craving one by now. It's OK. I'll wait…
Ready? The exact steps you follow will vary based on your recipe. I recommend an extract beer kit to start with. You won't be playing mad brewmaster with your own crazy ingredients yet, but when you start out, it's about getting the process down. You can learn to make your own mash after you get the rest of the process down.
Remember: This is just a basic guide so you understand the underlying process. They've been making beer for seven millennia, so you can imagine the potential variations.
Read the recipe.
Now read it again.
Now again. Got it?
Assemble all your equipment, and clean it with an unscented cleanser. You'll take this step each time, even if you cleaned and sanitized it after using it the last time. The fermenting process is very susceptible to outside influences.
If they aren't premeasured, measure out your ingredients. If called for, you'll also need to activate the yeast according to the package directions at this time.
Heat the water according to the recipe (usually a boil), add the malt extract, dissolving it completely to prevent it from collecting on the bottom and scorching, and proceed according to the directions.
If you're using the unhopped extract, you'll add the hops during the long boil. Note that there may be more than one time that you add hops, and the recipe will tell you at what point in the boil you add each addition. After the boil is complete, you've made a hopped wort, which will eventually become beer. Remove it from the heat, and chill it until it's the right temperature according to your recipe. An ice bath is a great method. It will probably ask you to get it down to around 70 degrees F. No matter what, if you're using a glass fermenter, it should never be over 100 degrees F when you pour it in, or it will shatter.
Meanwhile, sanitize all the equipment you're about to use. Yes, you just cleaned it, but it's vital it be sanitized just before it's used, as anything that comes into contact with the wort can alter your beer (and not necessarily for the better). I recommend a no-rinse sanitizer because it's easiest.
Pour the chilled wort into the fermenter, and add the yeast. This is called "pitching" the yeast. Seal the fermenter with a sanitized airlock.
Shake, shake, shake. Keep shaking. It needs a good, vigorous shake for 90 seconds or so to build up that oxygen for the yeast. Make sure you do it well. This is your only chance to get that vital oxygen built up. Once you move on, you actually want to prevent it from splashing around. It's kinda like how bread can be deflated if you don't handle it carefully during the rise.
Put your fermenter in a safe, out-of-the-way place that's dark and a suitable temperature for the type of yeast you're using (the recipe or packet of yeast will tell you), and forget about it for a few weeks (whatever the recipes says) to ferment. Scientifically, the yeast is eating the fermentable sugar in the wort and converting it into CO2 and ethyl alcohol. Nonscientifically, this is when all the magic is happening. Pretend it has a sock on its doorknob, and leave it alone. You'll know if it's working, because within a day or two (sometimes three), you'll see bubbling in the airlock (until fermentation is over). You also might see some foam, called "kraeusen." Use a hydrometer (see the package and recipe directions) to be sure fermentation is complete.
When you're ready to bottle — you guessed it — clean and sanitize all the equipment that's about to come into contact with your beer.
Prepare the priming sugar as instructed. Add the priming sugar syrup to your beer. Using the auto-siphon or racking cane, transfer the beer into the bottling bucket, avoiding the transfer of any solids (grub) from the bottom of the bucket. Use a large, sanitized, stainless steel spoon to create a whirlpool to combine the beer with the sugar without splashing.
Attach the bottle filler to the bottling bucket (there's a spigot on the front of the bottling bucket), and fill the bottles. It's a good idea to do this on the counter over your open dishwasher (with the spigot and bottle hanging over the dishwasher door). Bottling is sticky business. When you're done, you just close the dishwasher and run it to get rid of the stickiness. Fill bottles all the way to the top. The bottle filler will make them look fuller than they really are, so when you remove it, the liquid will really be about an inch below that, which is exactly what you want, and it should be mostly consistent between bottles.
Use the bottle capper to carefully cap the bottles, and store them at room temperature (around 70 degrees F) for 2 to 3 weeks.
There are many methods of brewing, but these should get you through the dizzying array of options and alternatives and start you on a practical path to brew-vana.
Prehopped extract* — As simple as it gets while still having beer come out at the other end, but you give up all control. The extract replaces real grains or mash.
Unhopped extract* — More options than prehopped because you get to select your hops, but still very simple.
* Extracts take the place of making your own mash. They're essentially a concentrated version of what you'd get with extra steps in the following methods.
Partial mash — You don’t have total control, but you're ready to learn new words like "vorlauf" and "sparge," so the manufacturers are no longer dictating your final product.
Brew-in-a-bag — A simplified version of all-grain brewing that allows much more control with only a fraction of the required equipment and steps.
All-grain — You’re now in total control of all aspects of your beer, but it's a more complicated and exacting process.
The vaccine debate is one of our generation's most frustrating undying topics. There's no link between vaccines and autism — something that's been proven over and over again — but that hasn't cooled the hot topic one iota, it seems. When barely qualified people like politicians add their voices to the fracas, it certainly doesn't help.
Hearing a voice of reason enter the conversation is always a breath of fresh air, but there's something especially appealing about the rapid-fire opinion of a new "researcher" on the scene. We're talking, of course, about 12-year-old Marco Arturo, a precocious little dude from Mexico whose video on the vaccine-autism link is puh-riceless.
In it, Marco, gravely speaking a mile a minute, has something particularly shocking to share with the rest of the world — the evidence he's uncovered and compiled about how vaccines cause autism. He's gathered it all into a folder that's marked "Evidence that vaccines cause autism" in a child's scrawl, but there's only one problem: The pages inside are blank.
There's no link, so of course the pages that have evidence of one on them would be blank. Well, all except for that last one, of course.
Marco Arturo Gif
Marco Arturo Gif
The appeal of the video is easy enough to grasp. Marco doesn't sound like a kid parroting back what he thinks we want to hear. He seems like a smart, precocious kid who's come to the conclusion independently, and he asserts all of it with the kind of confidence only a preteen who's got it all figured out can muster.
When he says the reason those pages are as unmarked as the pure, driven snow is "because there is no evidence to support the statement that vaccines are linked to autism in any way whatsoever. On the other hand, it's almost an accident that vaccines are preventing millions of children from dying from diseases like polio and measles and meningitis and hepatitis..." he doesn't just sound passionate about getting the truth out — he sounds like a scary-smart kid with a crazy-bright future ahead of him.
Ultimately, though, the reason people are hitting share over and over on this one — it's been shared more than 80,000 times and viewed more than 6 million — is for what it represents to a lot of people who are frustrated with the irrational and dangerous fear of vaccinations. Namely, the fact that if a child can understand the simple and empirical fact that there is no link between vaccines and autism, why can't everyone?
More than that, though, is that if we can't get through to this generation, maybe we can make a dent in the next. And when kids like Marco are ready to be parents a million years from now — presumably he'll also be responsible for stuff like hover cars and being the president of Mars — they'll take Marco's advice: "Please, vaccinate your children."
During a new interview with Cosmo, the Disney star opened up about a number of topics from voting to how she built her career by demanding what she wants. That included her return to the Disney Channel as the star and co-producer of K.C. Undercover.
"The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power," she said. "One thing that is really important to me is diversity on the channel. It's hard as a young person of a different ethnicity or background to look at the TV and not see anyone who looks like you. Representation is very important."
Zendaya is no stranger to getting what she wants. She plans to change the way women of color are viewed in Hollywood, starting with the people she works with.
"I didn't like my hair and makeup one time on a photo shoot, and my publicist told me, 'You should just be happy with it — they haven't had a black girl on the cover since forever.' She's no longer my publicist," she remembered.
That's not all Zendaya is passionate about. She also wants to encourage more young people to become engaged in their civic communities.
"There's really crazy stuff happening right now, and it's disappointing, sad and scary," she explained. "My generation, we really have to step up to the plate and vote. Tweeting is great — people say, 'Oh, I don't want this or that' — but at the end of the day, tweeting isn't a ballot. Just saying that you don't like someone on Twitter is not going to turn a state blue or red. You have to vote."
Depp, who is currently on a European tour with his band the Hollywood Vampires, spent Wednesday night partying it up in Denmark, according to sources.
"[Johnny] spent the night drinking with the bar staff and the local customers until 4 a.m.," an onlooker told People magazine. "He was in a good mood and they all had a big Danish party."
A second source added, "He only had three to four vodka and tonics and basically wound down from the gig. It was a relatively quiet night and Johnny was happy and relaxed."
Meanwhile, Heard has been mostly staying out of the public eye as her divorce proceedings against Depp continue. She did, however, release photos showing facial injuries that she alleges occurred due to abuse from Depp.
The photos show Heard with bruises near her eyes and on her cheeks. In one photo, she has a bruise on her cheek and a cut, bleeding lip. Heard alleges that Depp assaulted her during her birthday party in April, and then threw an iPhone at her face earlier this month.
Heard's attorneys contend that the abuse has been ongoing; they released a statement saying that Heard "suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny" and the only reason she didn't report the abuse earlier was "in an attempt to protect her privacy and Johnny’s career."
Depp and Heard split earlier this month after being married for 15 months. They dated for two years before tying the knot. Their divorce has been extremely public and increasingly bitter, and Depp's reps deny the allegations made by Heard that domestic violence is the driving force behind the split.
There's nothing like a killer partner workout to heat up your relationship. The sweating, the heavy breathing and the complete reliance on your partner to help you make it through each tough move promote a level of bonding you're unlikely to find outside the bedroom.
And because I, quite literally, just wrote the book on partner workouts, I'm going to loop you in on a few of my favorite next-level moves that are practically guaranteed to help keep your fire burning — at the gym and in your love life. Consider this your sneak peek.
1. Bear crawl down dog
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
A little active stretching combined with a cardio-friendly bear crawl makes for the perfect warmup exercise. Just make sure you have some room to travel. You'll be moving forward, switching roles with your lover throughout the exercise.
Start in a plank position, balanced on your palms and the balls of your feet. Your partner will start perpendicular to your body on his hands and knees.
Press your hips up toward the ceiling, extending your arms and pushing through your palms until you form an inverted V with your body, entering downward dog. Your partner lifts his knees from the floor, balancing on the balls of his feet and palms.
As you maintain your downward dog, your partner bear crawls under your body, bending his elbows and hips as needed to fit under your hips.
When your partner crawls all the way under, he turns 90 degrees and forms his own plank as you lower to plank and turn 90 degrees to face his hips.
Continue the exercise, this time, bear crawling under your partner's downward dog.
Continue crawling forward until you run out of space, then turn around and go back the way you came. Continue for one to two minutes.
2. Squat and pushup
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
Grab a BOSU ball or other balance tool for this challenging total-body strength move. One partner fires up her core, glutes, quads and hamstrings while the other partner targets her core, chest, shoulders and triceps. Each of you performs 10 repetitions before switching positions. Aim for three sets of each half of the exercise.
Start in a plank position, your hands grasping the edges of a BOSU ball with the flat side facing up. Your partner will squat down between your legs.
When your partner is in the squat position, lift one leg off the ground so your partner can grasp your ankle before placing it across her same-side shoulder. Once your foot is secure, tighten your core to maintain a straight line from heels to head, and lift the opposite leg off the ground so your partner can secure it over her other shoulder.
Your partner now stands up, lifting your legs toward the ceiling as she does. Maintain a straight, tight core. This is the starting position.
As a unit, your partner squats, pressing her hips back and keeping her weight in her heels as she lowers her hips toward the ground. You simultaneously bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the BOSU to perform a pushup.
When both of you reach the bottom of your respective squat or pushup, reverse the movement, and return to the starting position.
3. Plank and hop over
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
This fun exercise offers one partner a burst of heart-pumping cardio while the other partner holds a steady plank, working his core.
Position yourself to the left of your partner's left shoulder, your feet pointing forward toward his head. Your partner starts in a high plank position balanced on the palms and balls of his feet, core tight.
Bend down, and place your palms lightly in between your partner's shoulder blades. Bend your hips and knees, and engage your core, preparing to jump.
Powerfully spring up and laterally over your partner's back, keeping your palms on his shoulders for support. Land softly on the opposite side with your knees and hips slightly bent. Immediately jump back up and laterally the way you came, returning to the starting position.
Continue jumping back and forth over your partner's torso for 30 to 60 seconds. Switch roles with your partner, and continue.
4. Toasted split squat
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
You'll completely toast your lower body with this challenging partner exercise. One of you will hold a wall squat while the other brings the heat by performing single-leg Bulgarian split squats. The partner performing the split squats is in charge, performing six to 12 repetitions per leg before switching roles.
Your partner starts in a wall squat, her back pressed against a wall, knees and hips bent at a 90-degree angle, feet shoulder-width apart.
Stand perpendicular to your partner on one side of her body, facing away. Lift one leg, bending your knee and raising your foot behind you to place your ankle across your partner's same-side thigh.
From this position, keep your weight in your supporting heel, and squat down, bending both knees as you reach toward the ground. At the bottom of the squat, press through your supporting foot, and spring into the air, extending your body as you jump. Land softly, knee, ankle and hip slightly bent.
Continue immediately to the next split squat. When you perform six to 12 reps on one leg, move to the other side of your partner's body and switch legs, performing the same number of reps to the opposite side. When you've finished your reps, switch roles with your partner.
After killing your lower body, you'll appreciate the slightly more relaxed plank and row exercise. Grab a dumbbell to complete the movement.
Start in a plank on the floor with your palms under your shoulders, feet extended, forming a straight line from heels to head. You'll maintain this position for the entire movement.
Your partner will stand to the right side of your body with a dumbbell in his right hand and his toes pointing forward toward your shoulders.
He'll bend forward from the hips, placing his left hand just under your right shoulder for support. From this position, he'll lunge his left leg backward to more effectively use your body as a weight bench. The dumbbell is hanging under his right shoulder, right arm extended fully.
As you maintain your plank, your partner uses you for support as he rows the dumbbell toward his chest by bending his right elbow and squeezing his shoulder blades together.
He reverses the movement and extends his right arm before performing another row.
After performing 10 to 15 repetitions on one side, your partner will switch to your other side to row with his opposite arm. After completing the same number of repetitions to each side, you'll switch roles.
Get ready for a laugh. This balance exercise can get a bit unruly, especially if you and your partner are competitive. Grab two stability balls to battle it out for a full five minutes in the middle of your workout.
Stand facing your partner, each of you holding a stability ball between your hands in front of your torsos. The balls should be almost touching.
Both of you shift your weight to your right legs, and lift your left feet from the floor. The goal is to remain balanced on your right foot as long as possible.
On the count of three, begin battling it out, pushing your stability ball against your partner's stability ball. Feel free to use varying force and angles to try to throw your partner off balance. If you're feeling really competitive, swing the ball around, and hop on your supporting foot to change positions during the battle.
The first partner to touch her lifted foot to the floor loses the round, but that doesn't mean the battle is over. Switch supporting legs (balancing on your left feet, lifting your right), and continue. Keep at it for the full five minutes, and tally who racks up the most wins.
7. Twisted wall sit and pushup
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
Another well-balanced movement, one partner actively works through a pushup while balancing on a BOSU ball while the other partner fires up his legs in a wall squat while simultaneously targeting his obliques with a medicine ball twist.
Don't say I didn't warn you: These really are next-level moves.
After your partner lowers into a wall squat, holding a medicine ball in his hands, line up perpendicular to your partner's thighs, facing away, and set up in a high plank position with your hands gripping the edges of a BOSU ball under your chest (flat side up). Place your shins across your partner's thighs, and tighten your core so your body forms a straight line from heels to head.
When you're ready, bend your elbows, and lower your chest toward the BOSU ball, keeping your core tight. Press yourself back to the starting position, and continue, performing 10 to 15 pushups.
As you're performing your pushups, your partner maintains a wall squat but continuously rotates his torso from the right to the left and back again while touching the medicine ball to the wall as he twists.
When you finish your set of pushups, switch positions with your partner.
8. Bodyweight chest press
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
Who needs dumbbells when you have a buddy? And I have to say, the positioning of this move certainly gets you up close and personal — the perfect prequel to tonight's bedtime festivities, perhaps?
Your partner lies on her back, feet hip-distance apart, hands at her sides.
Plank directly over your partner, your hands to either side of your partner's shins, the balls of your feet planted just under or over your partner's shoulders depending on height. Maintain your plank position, and tighten your core. One at a time, grip your partner's shins with your same-side hand so you're using her legs to support your plank.
Once you're positioned, your partner will grasp each of your ankles and press your legs up toward the ceiling as if they were dumbbells. At the top of the movement, check your plank form to ensure your hips don't sag.
From this position, your partner lowers your feet toward her chest, using your body as resistance. After she performs 10 to 15 repetitions, switch roles.
If you want to make it harder (and a little sexier), as your partner performs the chest press and lowers your legs toward her chest, you can bend your elbows to perform a pushup, lowering your torso toward hers. When your elbows form a 90-degree angle, press back to the starting position.
It might take some practice (and some serious core strength) to get this move down, but once you do, you'll want to show it off to all your friends.
Start in the same position as you did for the body-weight chest press. You'll plank over your partner's legs, and he'll press your legs up so your bodies form parallel lines.
As a unit, your partner, keeping his upper body straight, will sit up tall, reaching his shoulders over his head until he's in an L position, your legs directly over his head. At the same time, you'll pike your hips up toward the ceiling, allowing your arms to extend over your head until your torso and hips form a 90-degree angle and your upper body is in an assisted handstand. Your two bodies together should form a square shape.
Again as a unit, keeping your core strong, steadily reverse the movement, and return to the starting position.
Perform as many as you can before switching roles.
10. Double boat
Image: Becci Burkhart/SheKnows
To wrap up a killer workout, you'll stare into your partner's eyes while enjoying a nice stretch through the hamstrings, glutes and low back.
Sit on the ground facing your partner with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground so your toes are almost touching.
At the same time, both of you lean back slightly, placing your palms on the ground behind your hips for support, your arms straight. Tighten your core.
Lift your feet from the ground, and place your feet sole-to-sole with your partner.
When your feet are positioned and you feel steady, both of you extend your knees, keeping your feet together until your legs are straight.
Hold the position for five slow breaths, release, then repeat another four to five times.
Though it's not official, an unnamed police source close to the investigation of Prince's April death confirmed that he died of an accidental opioid overdose.
The source — who was not authorized to speak about the case — told the Minneapolis StarTribune that the music legend died of an overdose of painkillers.
The 57-year-old was found dead in an elevator at his home outside Minneapolis just days after his private plane was diverted to Illinois for a medical emergency. Initial reports pointed to the flu as the cause of the hospital visit, though later rumors said it was because of his addiction to painkillers.
"I would give overwhelming odds that, tragically, this is a drug death," said family forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. "When you rule out foul play, when there is no history of any kind of significant disease... heart and lung... when you rule out any kind of intervention, anything of an environmental nature, you come down to an autopsy that is essentially negative... and that probably means drugs."
Does this change how we should feel about Prince? No, not at all.
Addiction to painkillers is at epidemic levels in the United States — about 80 percent of the world's painkilling medication is consumed here, despite the U.S. being only 4 percent of the world's total population. Over 20,000 people a year die from opiate overdoses, making it one of the leading causes of death — even more than car accidents.
And what's worse, opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl are approved for use by the FDA, but they're expensive, and once an addict has exhausted his access or financial resources, they'll turn to heroin to satisfy their need. In fact, the average heroin user is 23, from an affluent background and got started with painkillers. The government's response to the problem is to enforce blanket policies that restrict access to painkillers and punish addicts harshly for using.
The real attention needs to be on how to help them rather than punish them. The shame is strong with drug use, making people less likely to be honest and open about needing help, so they hide and continue down a dangerous path that often leads to death.
Yet, we're surprised every time someone else dies of an overdose.
It's time we start talking about — and finding solutions to — opiate addiction. That's the only way we're going to turn the tide. Otherwise we're looking at a future where it becomes the leading cause of death, with a path of destruction that ruins not only the addict's life, but also the lives of their family, friends and those in their communities.
America's new sweetheart Jordan Rodgers didn't last long at the top. In only week three of the show, the rumors are coming out that the Bachelorette contestant is on the show for (gasp!) the wrong reasons. In the Bachelor world, just about the only unpardonable sin is getting too thirsty in your quest for fame. Sorry, Rodgers, you can pack your tight tees and head back to the football field.
Us Weekly has the scoop from some insiders who claim to know the contestant has more interest in the spotlight than in JoJo Fletcher. According to the mag, Fletcher received "multiple warnings" from sources close to Rodgers prior to shooting the show.
Even worse, another insider alleges that "Jordan was seeing another girl. He only went on the show to land sports commentator gigs."
The Bachelor shows rarely lead to marriage, let alone fame and fortune. When will contestants learn that there really is only one reason to sign on — to try to find love in the most public way possible.
While he's still on the show, Rodgers is doing a great job at getting his 15 minutes of fame. Next week's trailer shows him confessing to Fletcher that he's "made a lot of mistakes" with a previous girlfriend, just the type of vaguely emotional statement that I'm betting will win him lots of fans. But will it win him a sports commentating job? Hmm...
