We’re not doing such a great job solving the whole climate change problem, which is why some experts think it’s time to study more radical tactics. The notion of geoengineering—hacking the climate to cool the planet—is controversial, awe-inspiring, and to many, terrifying. And yet, despite their own grave concerns…
Apparently, a drunk guy got into a scuffle with a Knightscope K5 security robot, and by scuffle I mean he knocked the 330-pound robot over. Maybe in an effort see if Weebles really do wobble, but don’t fall down, since the thing does look like a giant Weeble. I’m just guessing here.
Anyway, one of the five-foot droids took a fall last week in Mountain View, when a drunk man decided he didn’t like droids. Jason Sylvain knocked down the robot while it was patrolling a parking lot. Now the man faces prowling and public intoxication charges. Stacy Dean Stephens, Knightscope’s VP of marketing said, “The robot did exactly as it was suppose to do. The ‘assault’ was detected and immediately reported. The alarms on the robot sounded, the suspect attempted to flee the scene and was detained by one of my colleagues and me until the Mountain View Police arrived.”
I just want to know how this guy took down a 330-pound robot. Maybe he should play football.
Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande may deny there’s any bad blood between them, but a recently unearthed video clip makes them look like the modern day Bette and Joan.
To refresh your memory, Justice and Grande co-starred on Nickelodeon’s hit show “Victorious.” After the show wrapped, Grande told Seventeen that she felt bullied by a former colleague, whom many assumed to be Justice. Grande later clarified that she wasn’t referring to anyone on “Victorious,” but the damage was already done. And a video making the rounds on Twitter has brought rumors of their purported feud back to life.
In the old video, “Victorious” castmate Elizabeth Gillies praises Grande for her singing voice.
“One thing you don’t know about Ariana Grande is that she literally sings everything,” Gillies says. “It’s a good thing, because she has a beautiful voice.”
Justice nods along before adding, “I think we ALL sing.”
And thus, a meme was born.
People on Twitter simply couldn’t deal with Justice’s level of pettiness. Twitter user @beachparadisee even found a second clip in which Justice didn’t acknowledge Grande’s musical talents, despite the fact that each of her co-stars did.
The meme quickly took on a life of its own. Check out some of our favorites below.
We may never know if the Victoria Justice/Ariana Grande “feud” is real or fake, but I think we all know this is the best meme to hit the internet in a long time.
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If these two don’t make you want to hold your significant other a little closer, then you truly might be a vampire.
“Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder and “Twilight” actress Nikki Reed took to Instagram on Wednesday to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. The pair each posted sweet notes and photos, sharing their love with each other and their fans.
Somerhalder, 38, posted a close-up shot of himself and Reed on their big day, writing, “To the most amazing human in the world. Thank you for 2 incredible years of marriage. Today, two years ago to the minute, we said ‘I do’ and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful to you for this life. Thank you for being my best friend the hardest-working, kindest, most patient and most talented woman I’ve ever known. To you my love, I say that I know we will have so many of these we can’t even count them. Partly because I’ll be so old… I love you.”
Reed, 28, wrote an equally beautiful message to her husband, calling him “my guy, my man, my honey, my partner in this life, my better half in every way.”
Alongside a black-and-white image of the two smooching at their wedding, she wrote, “At exactly this time two years ago today we walked hand in hand into the next chapter, our chapter, together. Every day gets better, every moment calling for even more. Navigating the waters of life with you is the greatest and most rewarding adventure I’ve ever known. We climb, we grow, and we laugh at all of it. Thank you for being exactly who you are, and for loving all of me. Thank you for your willingness to go even deeper. Until you, I had no idea what could be. Until you…Happy Anniversary ❤.”
Somerhalder and Reed tied the knot on April 26, 2015, during a sunset ceremony in Santa Monica, California. They began dating shortly after Reed split with her first husband, Paul McDonald, and Somerhalder ended his relationship with “Vampire Diaries” co-star Nina Dobrev. The couple got engaged in January 2015, and the rest is a lovely, romantic history.
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Kim Kardashian’s robbery is heavy stuff. After thieves held her at gunpoint in Paris back in October, the reality TV star was left traumatized by the incident and retreated from the public eye for several months.
More than six months later, Kardashian has since returned to the spotlight with a bit of distance from the event that’s allowed her some reflection ― and, apparently, laughs.
For the first time since the robbery, Kardashian sat down for an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, who’s been a friend to the famous family over the years, hosting everyone from Kendall and Kylie to Caitlyn Jenner on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
An emotional Kardashian recounted the incident on an episode airing Thursday, describing how she is a “completely different person” post-Paris and, in some way, thankful for the experience.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I know that was meant to happen to me,” the reality star said. “I don’t want to cry anymore. I really feel like things happen in your life to teach you things.”
“I’m not here to show off the way that I used to,” she added about her current stance on material things. “It’s just not who I am anymore.”
But the most surprising moment of the interview came when DeGeneres, who has the uncanny ability to make even the most tragic events the slightest bit funny, joked about how the robbers didn’t even know the star’s name.
When masked men first entered the lobby of Kardashian’s hotel, they asked the concierge to take them to “the rapper’s wife.” Held at gunpoint, the concierge obliged, bringing the robbers to Kardashian’s room to steal ― among other things ― her $4 million engagement ring.
“How dare them not know your name,” a straight-faced DeGeneres said. Taking it in stride, Kardashian had no choice but to laugh at the expertly-timed quip.
“Yep,” she replied, cracking a smile.
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Israel struck an arms supply hub operated by the Lebanese group Hezbollah near Damascus airport on Thursday, Syrian rebel and regional intelligence sources said, targeting weapons sent from Iran via commercial and military cargo planes.
Video carried on Lebanese TV and shared on social media showed the pre-dawn airstrikes caused a fire around the airport east of the Syrian capital, suggesting fuel sources or weapons containing explosives were hit.
Syrian state media said Israeli missiles hit a military position southwest of the airport, but did not mention arms or fuel. It said “Israeli aggression” had caused explosions and some material losses, but did not expand on the damage.
Israel does not usually comment on action it takes in Syria. But Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, speaking to Army Radio from the United States, appeared to confirm involvement.
“The incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel’s policy to act to prevent Iran’s smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah,” he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicates an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act”, he added.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said: “We can’t comment on such reports.”
Two senior rebel sources in the Damascus area, citing monitors in the eastern outskirts of the capital, said five strikes hit an ammunition depot used by Iran-backed militias.
Lebanon’s al-Manar television, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said early indications were that the strikes hit warehouses and fuel tanks. It said there no casualties.
RUSSIA AND IRAN BACK ASSAD
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed in his six-year-old civil war by Russia, Iran and regional Shi’ite militias. These include Hezbollah, a close ally of Tehran and enemy of Israel, which describes the group as the biggest threat it faces on its borders. The two fought a month-long war in 2006.
Syrian military defectors familiar with the airport say it plays a major role as a conduit for arms from Tehran.
Alongside military planes, there are a number of commercial cargo aircraft that fly from Iran to resupply arms to Hezbollah and other groups. The flights go directly from Iran to Syria, passing through Iraqi airspace.
As well as weapons, hundreds of Shi’ite militia fighters from Iraq and Iran have been flown to Damascus international airport. Intelligence sources put their numbers at 10,000 to 20,000 and say they play a significant role in military campaigns launched by the Syrian army.
Israel has largely kept out the war in Syria, but officials have consistently referred to two red lines that have prompted a military response in the past: any supply of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah, and the establishment of “launch sites” for attacks on Israel from the Golan Heights region.
Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, where he was attending a security conference, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman reiterated that Israel “will not allow Iranian and Hezbollah forces to be amassed on the Golan Heights border”.
During his visit, Lieberman held talks with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as part of efforts by Israel to coordinate with Moscow on actions in Syria and avoid the risk of confrontation.
A statement from the Defence Ministry said Lieberman had expressed concern to the Russian ministers over “Iranian activity in Syria and the Iranian use of Syrian soil as a base for arms smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon”.
A Western diplomat said the airstrikes sent a clear political message to Iran, effectively saying it could no longer use Iraqi and Syrian airspace to resupply proxies with impunity.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview in Washington on Wednesday, Katz, the intelligence minister, said he was seeking an understanding with the Trump administration that Iran not be allowed to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.
Israeli officials estimate that Iran commands around 25,000 fighters in Syria, including members of its own Revolutionary Guard, Shi’ite militants from Iraq and recruits from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Israel has also said that Hezbollah has built up an arsenal of more than 100,000 rockets, many of which would be capable of striking anywhere within Israel’s territory. The last conflict between the two left 1,300 people dead and uprooted more than a million Lebanese and 300,000 to 500,000 Israelis.
(Additional reporting by Luke Baker in Jerusalem and Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Luke Baker, Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Michael Perry, Richard Lough and David Stamp)
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Parents around the world are applauding a British mom’s spoof video of an Ed Sheeran song that accurately sums up the struggles of parenting.
Sophie McCartney only shared her parody take on Sheeran’s recent hit “Shape Of You” to Facebook on Wednesday. But with its hilarious and catchy chorus line of “I gag at the smell of poo, and the sight of vomit too,” her reworked “Smell Of You” has already garnered more than 7.4 million views.
“I genuinely can’t believe the response I’ve had. It’s been crazy,” the 32-year-old told HuffPost. “So many mums getting in touch to say that it’s cheered them up, made them feel not alone and that actually, it’s quite normal to not have perfect kids or to be a perfect parent ― so amazing.”
It’s no wonder her music video is such a hit ― Beatles legend Paul McCartney is her second cousin.
McCartney lives in Warrington, northwest England, with her husband, Steven Lilley, her 4-year-old son Jack and 18-month-old daughter, Evelyn.
Her father is Paul McCartney’s first cousin, though she doesn’t think he’s aware of her genius music video yet. “I don’t think my dad has sent it to him yet,” she said. “We’ll see ― watch this space!”
She began blogging about parenting via TiredNTested.com earlier this year, and decided to make the music video after chatting with a friend.
“I knew I had to do it, but was terrified of people’s reactions and horrible comments,” she said. “But essentially, a friend told me that in order to achieve anything in life, I would have to go out of my comfort zone ― so I did.”
McCartney said she “had the song in my head for about a week and naturally just started changing the words to parenting related words.” And while her fanbase is fast growing around the world, she said her children “haven’t got a clue” about what’s happened.
“My husband said every time he hears the song now he can’t sing the real words,” she told the Liverpool Echo. “Maybe this will be my niche – but I don’t think I’ll be doing Whitney or Adele anytime soon!”
Check out the parody above, and see how it compares to Sheeran’s original below:
HuffPost has reached out to Sheeran’s representatives for comment.
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Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Thursday argued that President Donald Trump’s proposed tax plan would benefit the middle class ― but he wouldn’t say definitively whether middle-class Americans would pay more or less under the plan.
Like the plan itself, unveiled Wednesday, Mnuchin’s explanation was short on details.
“This is about middle-income tax cuts,” the secretary told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “Although we’re not releasing the specific numbers, this is about creating economic effects and tax cuts for the middle class.”
But when asked if he could ensure that the middle class would not pay more under the plan, Mnuchin would not say, claiming the details were “very complicated.”
“I can’t make any guarantees until this is done and on the president’s desk,” he said. But he added that “this is our number one objective.”
When Stephanopoulos noted that the proposed tax plan would primarily reduce taxes for the rich, Mnuchin claimed that it was not final.
“In my plan, they’re going down, but by the time it’s negotiated, they’ll go up,” Mnuchin said. “That’s the objective, and we’ll see where we get from here.”
Trump’s tax plan includes changes such as cutting the corporate tax rate in half, eliminating inheritance taxes for rich heirs and heiresses, and lowering the tax rate for stocks and investments, all of which would help the wealthy.
Some of the plan’s provisions would likely benefit Trump himself.
But Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, dismissed those concerns, claiming again, without evidence, that the plan would help the little guy.
“Let me say, this isn’t about President Trump’s tax returns,” Mnuchin said. “This is about the American public’s tax returns. This is about creating economic effects for small and medium-sized businesses and making sure they have the same opportunities as large corporations.”
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