All posts tagged: awkward

CFTC’s one-man show gets awkward on the Hill as lawmakers hammer Selig on sports bets, staffing gaps and corruption claims

CFTC’s one-man show gets awkward on the Hill as lawmakers hammer Selig on sports bets, staffing gaps and corruption claims

Published by skeptic

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) came to the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday (April 16), hoping to talk about market integrity and fraud. Instead, it got dragged into the much messier question hanging over prediction markets, i.e. when does a “financial product” start looking suspiciously like a sportsbook in a blazer? The answer, judging by the CFTC hearing, is right about the moment lawmakers start saying “Jose Altuve home run prop” out loud. The tension has been building for months. The CFTC has been pushing new guidance and a formal rulemaking process for prediction markets even as the larger fight over whether these contracts are legitimate exchanges or just gambling with better stationery keeps escalating. At the same time, Kalshi has been expanding deeper into sports-style offerings, including contracts on touchdowns, point spreads and total scores, pushing the industry closer to the exact kind of betting state and tribal regulators say is already heavily regulated for a reason. Rep. Gabe Vasquez argued that prediction markets and sportsbooks may be sold under different labels, but …

11 Unfortunately Common Humiliation Rituals That Happen At Almost Every Job

11 Unfortunately Common Humiliation Rituals That Happen At Almost Every Job

Published by Jenni Sidey

While constructive negative feedback can sometimes improve employees’ performance in certain contexts, far more research has found that when someone feels embarrassed and ashamed at work, they are less likely to learn from failures and improve. While there are several unfortunately common humiliation rituals that still seem to happen at almost every job, that doesn’t mean they should be normalized. Your boss isn’t your parent, and they shouldn’t punish you as though you were a child. Your humanity deserves to be respected, regardless of your position, power, or salary. Here are 11 unfortunately common humiliation rituals that happen at almost every job 1. Being corrected publicly Zivica Kerkez | Shutterstock.com Especially with someone in a position of power at work, having a safe space to lean into for feedback is important. However, if your boss or manager regularly corrects your behavior in a shameful, public way without ever taking the time to offer real constructive criticism, chances are you’re battling with resentment. It’s uncomfortable dealing with feedback on its own, let alone in a room of …

Robert MacIntyre Has Awkward Masters Exit After a Middle-Finger Moment, Missed Cut and No Interviews

Robert MacIntyre Has Awkward Masters Exit After a Middle-Finger Moment, Missed Cut and No Interviews

Published by Sam Flores

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Robert MacIntyre made no public apologies for his fiery behavior at the Masters this week, breezing past reporters after his first-round 80 and then declining interview requests after a 71 on Friday that caused him to miss the cut. The 29-year-old MacIntyre, who tied for second last week at the Texas Open, raised some eyebrows Thursday at Augusta National — where decorum is held in high esteem — when he flashed the middle finger upon hitting a ball into the water. MacIntyre also slammed a couple of clubs and muttered some curse words loud enough to be caught live by the TV mics. It was unclear whether Augusta National took any disciplinary action. MacIntyre finished at 7 over, missing the cut by three shots, and headed straight to the Player Services Building. At one point, someone posted to his Instagram story what appeared to be an AI-produced image of a Masters gnome in his likeness giving the bird. Whoever it was had a sense of humor about things. He was 3 …

JD Vance Uses Painfully Awkward Analogy To Explain Iran Proposal

JD Vance Uses Painfully Awkward Analogy To Explain Iran Proposal

Published by Sam Flores

Vice President JD Vance provided a wild analogy on Wednesday involving his wife, Usha Vance, and skydiving, to describe his feelings about a key part of Iran’s 10-point proposal to end the ongoing war. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport as he departed from Hungary, Vance was asked: “Do you see a scenario in which the administration may be willing to agree to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium for civilian nuclear purposes?” Both the Trump administration and Israel have repeatedly cited the crippling of Iran’s nuclear program as a primary goal of the conflict. “What the president has said is that we don’t want Iran to have the capacity to build a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “The president has also said that we don’t want Iran enriching towards a nuclear weapon and we want Iran to give up the nuclear fuel. Those are going to be our demands during the negotiation.” In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian …

Trump Has Call With Moon Astronauts So Awkward That They May Turn Around and Disappear Into the Void of Space

Trump Has Call With Moon Astronauts So Awkward That They May Turn Around and Disappear Into the Void of Space

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech On Monday, four astronauts on the Artemis II mission slipped behind the Moon — and, in doing so, traveled farther from Earth than any prior human being in history. They also, unfortunately, experienced one of the most skin-crawlingly awkward interactions in the entire solar system. During their trip behind the Moon, which brought them 248,655 miles from Earth, the Integrity spacecraft lost contact with ground control in an expected communication blackout that lasted roughly 40 minutes. When they reemerged, the crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — reestablished contact to celebrate. Those festivities took an awkward turn, though, when president Trump hopped on the call.  “You’ve made history and made all America really proud,” Trump began. It was a fine start. But after he lavished praise on Hansen, perhaps to help smooth over strained Canadian-US relations, the astronauts seemed to have nothing to say in response. “I spoke …

How I calibrated my subwoofer placement for peak impact in awkward room setups

How I calibrated my subwoofer placement for peak impact in awkward room setups

Published by skeptic

Jada Jones/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Placing your subwoofer correctly can maximize its bass output. Every room has its limitations, but simple workarounds make a difference. For living rooms and common areas, you’ll have to get creative. A subwoofer is a surefire way to upgrade your home theater, whether you’re following the expansion recommendations from Sonos or Sony, or building a more advanced setup with receivers, in-ceiling speakers, and more. Whether you’re upgrading the equipment in your living room or a dedicated theater room, a subwoofer is a wonderful addition, but where you place the device in the room matters. Also: Your TV may be tracking your viewing data – here’s how to stop it (beyond disabling ACR) Audio geeks may find few opinions to agree on, but one commonality is that a subwoofer should go in the front quadrant of a room. In this position, your room’s walls act as barriers that guide the woofer’s low-pitched sounds in the right direction. However, optimal placement can be a complicated …

Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell shouts at alleged trespasser on his private beach in awkward video: ‘You wanna be gay, bro?’

Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell shouts at alleged trespasser on his private beach in awkward video: ‘You wanna be gay, bro?’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell is facing social media backlash over a video of him arguing with a man over beach access. Footage recently came to light of Littrell, 51, getting into a heated argument with a beachgoer named Kyle Gallagher outside of his multimillion-dollar mansion in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, last month. Littrell stormed out of his house to record a video of Gallagher lying on the beach behind his home. He called the man “gay” and a “p****” as he accused him of trespassing on his private property. Gallagher is seen in the video pushing Littrell’s phone camera away and insisting that he was on the wet sand, which is considered public access in the state. The boy band singer then called 911 and alleged that Gallagher committed battery against him by striking his hand and said that he wanted to …

Howie Mandel’s groveling apology to Kelly Ripa after awkward on-air exchange – see the video

Howie Mandel’s groveling apology to Kelly Ripa after awkward on-air exchange – see the video

Published by Daniella Wilson

Howie Mandel has broken his silence following an uncomfortable moment on morning television, issuing a surprisingly candid, and characteristically humorous, apology to Kelly Ripa after their awkward on-air exchange. The comedian, 70, took to Instagram to address the situation directly, admitting he had spent days debating whether to speak out at all. “Okay. I have been debating for 48 hours whether I should make this post or not. And I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing,” he began in the video. © Live with kelly and MarkHowie appeared to be upset when Kelly discussed his age Known for his decades-long career in comedy, Howie acknowledged that apologizing doesn’t come naturally to him. “Philosophically, I don’t believe that somebody needs to, somebody who’s a comedian, needs to apologize for a joke. © Variety via Getty ImagesHowie turns 70 It is a joke. It is meant as a joke. And it’s not meant to offend. It’s not meant to, you know, you cannot like it. And in all my years, 50 years in the business, I haven’t, …

Taylor Swift helps save Vin Diesel during awkward iHeartRadio Music Awards gaffe

Taylor Swift helps save Vin Diesel during awkward iHeartRadio Music Awards gaffe

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Taylor Swift dominated the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday — and helped save a hapless Vin Diesel in the process. The 13th annual awards ceremony — held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles — suffered technical difficulties throughout the night as the red carpet livestream cut to presenters who were still preparing to go on air. The Fast and the Furious star Diesel later appeared to present rapper Ludacris with the Landmark Award. However, as he stood on stage, the 59-year-old actor admitted: “I literally can’t see the teleprompter. Where is it?” The audience then pitched in to help him find the autocue, with Diesel asking, “There? It’s over there? It’s in the middle!” Vin Diesel muddled through his presenting job at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards after being unable to locate the teleprompter (Getty) Taylor Swift accepts the Pop Album of …

Ireland’s Micheal Martin and Trump in awkward St Patrick’s Day exchange | US-Israel war on Iran News

Ireland’s Micheal Martin and Trump in awkward St Patrick’s Day exchange | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

Ireland, which took a strong stance on the Gaza genocide, is similarly robust on Iran, but Martin is criticised for passivity. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has met US President Donald Trump during an annual Saint Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, DC, delicately pushing back against the latter’s stances on several issues, from Iran to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The leaders’ sit-down took place at the Oval Office on Tuesday, on a day dominated by the resignation of US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent over the US and Israel’s war on Iran and Trump’s tirade against NATO allies refusing to get on board with military action in the blocked Strait of Hormuz. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The 65-year-old taoiseach – Irish for prime minister – was under political pressure to talk tough to Trump about the war on Iran. But as the Irish Times newspaper noted, he remained “effectively mute” for the first 20 minutes as the US president held forth on a range of grievances, including the resignation of Kent, …