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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13167572" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kendrick-lamar" source="Orion">Kendrick Lamar</keyword> released the video for the first single from his new <keyword id="12279527" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="album" source="Orion">album</keyword>, "<keyword id="13878366" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-heart-part-5" source="Orion">The Heart Part 5</keyword>."</li><li>It features the rapper's face being altered into several celebrities through deep-fake technology.</li></ul>Kendrick Lamar used deep-fake technology to transform into Will Smith, Kanye West, O.J. Simpson, Jussie Smollett, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle in his video for "The Heart Part 5," the first single from his upcoming album.The video, released Sunday, opens with a quote from Lamar's latest alter ego <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/kendrick-lamar-letter-theories/">Oklama</a> on screen that reads "I am. All of us." Next, the Grammy Award-winning rapper informs the listener that as he ages he has begun to understand that "life is perspective."He goes on to launch into the first of several perspectives presented in the song's lyrics. Lamar acknowledges how "the culture" can "point the finger" then "promote ya" over the sample of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You."He then virtually becomes other people throughout the video via <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-deepfake">deep-fake technology</a>. His clothing and hair remain consistent, but his face repeatedly morphs into the faces of other celebrities.The majority of the celebrities featured in the video are polarizing figures who have run afoul of public opinion at one point in their lives."In a land where hurt people hurt more people, fuck callin' it culture," raps Lamar as Will Smith at one point.Smith has faced criticism and consequences for slapping <a href="https://www.insider.com/chris-rock-says-slapped-by-softest-person-will-smith-2022-5">Chris Rock</a> at the Oscars, after Rock made a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has since <a href="https://www.insider.com/will-smith-banned-from-attending-the-oscars-for-10-years-2022-4">instituted a 10-year ban preventing Smith from attending any Academy events</a>, including the Oscars.<div type="image" title="Kendrick Lamar" height="1255" width="1673" msid="91452756" hostid="261"></div>Lamar's new video was directed and executive produced by Lamar and his longtime collaborator <keyword id="13878364" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dave-free" source="Orion">Dave Free</keyword>.The deep-fake special effects were provided by <keyword id="13878365" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="deep-voodoo" source="Orion">DEEP VOODOO</keyword>, the studio founded by "<a href="https://www.insider.com/ed-sheeran-hair-redhead-south-park-slam-radio-interview-2022-1">South Park</a>" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The duo went viral with their "Sassy Justice" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WfZuNceFDM">clip</a> in 2020. Lamar extended a special thanks to them in the credits. The new track is the first single from Lamar's upcoming album "Mr. Morale &amp; The Big Steppers," the highly anticipated follow-up to the rapper's 2017 album "Damn," which <a href="https://variety.com/2018/music/news/2018-grammys-winners-list-music-awards-1202676802/">won best rap album</a> at the 2018 Grammy Awards and that year's <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/business/media/pulitzer-prize-winners.html">Pulitzer Prize for music</a>.Lamar has always dropped a "heart" themed single before releasing a project. "The Heart, Part 1" preceded the mixtape "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7MoLQ8vckhwBbQqEYQTYQC">Overly Dedicated</a>," which was released in 2010. "The Heart, Part 3" came before 2012's "<a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17253-good-kid-maad-city/">Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City</a>."The <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-kendrick-lamars-ferocious-new-song-the-heart-part-4-110081/">fourth part of the "heart" series</a> in <a href="https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-the-heart-part-4-lyrics">2017</a> was teased with a tweet of the roman numeral IV and caused rap pundits to advise competitors to clear the way. "Mr. Morale &amp; The Big Steppers" is scheduled to drop on Friday. See the full video for "The Heart Part 5" below.

Kendrick Lamar morphs into Will Smith to rap the line 'hurt people hurt more people' in new surprise video

<ul class="summary-list"><li>South Park's creators said they want to target OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in future episodes.</li><li>Matt Stone said he finds Altman's frequent podcast appearances amusing.</li></ul>OpenAI CEO Sam Altman may join the ranks of celebrities pilloried by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-park-creators-matt-parker-trey-stone-net-worth-2023-7">South Park</a>.South Park co-creator Matt Stone said that Altman "just makes me laugh every time" when a reporter at a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVvNc4x88AM">Bloomberg event</a> on Friday asked if there was an executive he'd like to make fun of."Does he do anything but podcasts?" Stone asked. "Maybe he's smart. I don't know, but all I do is see the guy on podcasts."Stone and Trey Parker, co-creators of South Park, are also behind the AI entertainment startup <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-startups-netflix-marvel-lucasfilm-holllywood-deepfake-dubbing-vc-funding-2023-3#deep-voodoo-1">Deep Voodoo</a>. Deep Voodoo showed off a face-swapping tool on an acclaimed Kendrick Lamar <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAPUkgeiFVY">video</a> that replaced his face with those of O.J. Simpson, Kobe Bryant, and others in 2022.Stone said at the Bloomberg event that Altman is "presumably" running a company, but "when you actually listen to him talk, does anything he says make sense or strike you as smart?""I would say yes, I think he's a very smart guy," he added to laughter from the crowd. "I hope to meet him someday."South Park parodied OpenAI's ChatGPT in the March 2023 episode "Deep Learning." The episode follows the show's characters as they become reliant on ChatGPT for things like writing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-driving-return-to-paper-exams-written-essays-at-universities-2023-8">text messages and school papers</a>. ChatGPT is credited as a co-writer for the episode.

South Park creator Matt Stone asks if Sam Altman does anything other than 'go on podcasts'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Father Vincent P. Lampert is an exorcist based out of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.</li><li>Lampert is one of just 175 priests in the US ordained to perform exorcisms.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Father Vincent P. Lampert, a Catholic priest and the designated exorcist of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. It has been edited for length and clarity.I'm a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and I was ordained back in 1991. Fourteen years in to being a priest, my bishop appointed me to be the exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.At the time I was appointed, I was one of only 12 stably appointed Catholic exorcist priests in the US. Today, that number has grown to 175. The church says the best way to learn the ministry is through the apprenticeship model, but because there were so few in the US back in 2005, my Bishop sent me to Rome, and I was able to train under a Franciscan priest, who allowed me to sit in on 40 exorcisms that he performed over the three months I was there.It's one thing to read all the book knowledge and to understand what the church believes and teaches about evil. It's another thing to see the practical application and to actually experience the demonic itself.<h2>There's no such thing as a typical exorcism</h2><div type="image" title="&quot;The Exorcist.&quot;" height="2352" width="3079" msid="104784767" hostid="261" sizebytes="418160"></div>There's a very strict protocol that I follow. A person needs to have a psychiatric evaluation and a medical examination by a doctor. I'm basically asking them, is there something about this person's condition that you cannot explain?I then sit down and do an <a href="https://www.archchicago.org/documents/70111/5051701/Spiritual+Intake+Form/80b0789a-0ca5-4113-9cd4-a97ef9eb1679">intake questionnaire</a> trying to determine if this is demonic. The church works with anyone who believes that they're up against the forces of evil. My main goal is to determine if that is really the case, because I'm trained to be a skeptic.I average 3,500 people a year who reach out to me for help, and they come from all over the US, other parts of the world, all kinds of faith backgrounds, you name it.So there's not a day, seven days a week, I don't deal with some form of exorcism ministry. Now, though cases of demonic possession are real, they're rare — maybe one out of every 5,000 cases, is demonic possession. There are three other types of extraordinary demonic activity. Infestation, the presence of evil in a location, or associated with an object, like a voodoo doll, for example. There's demonic vexation, which are physical attacks, and then demonic obsession, which are mental attacks. Infestation, vexation, obsession, I do thousands of those a year. I don't even keep track anymore. The real cases of demonic possession itself, I see maybe one or two or three a year on average.There are no typical exorcisms. Each case is different. I still remember, in one of these exorcisms in Rome, the body began to float in front of me.The levitation began, and the body was about a foot out of the chair, and I'm looking at this in disbelief, like, what in the world is going on here? How is it possible? And then the priest who's training me, he just takes his hand and puts it on the head of the body and pushes the person back into the chair, and continues to pray.He never paused for a moment. He just kind of glanced over, looked at it, and then just took his hand and put it on the head of the person and pushed them down and just continued to pray.Almost like business as usual.Demons can do certain things that we would just find to be completely not possible. I've seen when demons manifest, eyes roll in the back of the head, there's growling and snarling, foaming at the mouth and whatnot.The voice becomes deeper and more authoritative; strong, horrible odors, stenches that are coming from the person that's possessed. I've witnessed levitation, where demons cause the body to float.I've seen when demons manifest, the person's body will drop to the floor and slither like a snake. I've seen when manifestations begin, the face becomes contorted, and even sometimes, the tongue has come out like a snake.I've seen all of these things, so yeah, I do think movies get it right. The more I've been involved in this — I'm now in my 18th year — none of this really phases me in the least.During a recent exorcism, when the demon finally manifested, the person's eyes in front of me turned green, and their pupils became slanted like a serpent.And this voice comes out of the mouth — a very deep voice — and says, "You can't get rid of us. We've been here too long and you're not strong enough." And then began to howl and growl and hysterical laughter and whatnot. <h2>Casting the devil out is the easy part</h2><div type="image" title="The Exorcist" height="900" width="1600" msid="104784769" hostid="261" sizebytes="32918"></div>There is a growing trend, I think, to see the exorcist as a magician, that somehow I have a bag of tricks that I can make people's problems go away. But again, it's not about just casting the devil out. It's also about inviting God in. I would even say that casting the devil out is the easy part.The harder part is to convince somebody that they need God in their life. For some people, though, it is a mental health issue. There was a man who reached out to me who was diagnosed as schizophrenic.He had a psychiatrist and a caseworker. He believed that it was demonic. I agreed to talk to him with the psychiatrist and caseworker.And so we're all four of us are together. And I said, "In my opinion, you are not possessed."And the psychiatrist says to the man, "Father says you're not possessed. What is your response?" He said, "I'm disappointed." And then he looked at the psychiatrist and said, "You can label me a schizophrenic, but you can't tell me why. If it's the devil, at least I would have my why."And then he got up and walked out.You would think if I told somebody you're not possessed, they would be relieved. But I've actually had people that have gotten angry at me for saying that.But I don't want to tell people what they want to hear. In fact, I would say the church would do greater harm if it labels someone as possessed and that label prevents them from getting the true help that they need.But unfortunately, we live in a world today where if you think you're possessed, trust, there's somebody out there that's going to validate that and take advantage of you. But certainly, that would not be the approach of the church.My focus is not on the theatrics of the demonic. It's on the power of God. And really, that's what exorcism is all about.Humans have a deep longing for God because God gives human life ultimate meaning, purpose, and direction. I think the devil is kind of the opposite of that. The devil wants to bring about division, confusion, the lack of meaning, purpose, and direction.So really, it's not just about focusing on what the devil is doing, but it's also about helping people come to realize what God wants to do in their life.So in exorcism, the real focus is not on the devil. The real focus is on God.It's really about helping people to know that the greatest thing in life that we can know are not the sins that we do, but it's God's love and mercy.God is always ready to forgive if we simply give God that opportunity.

I'm a Vatican-trained exorcist. I've stared demons in the face, watched people slither on the floor like snakes, and seen people levitate.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>We compated the differences between <keyword id="9178656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wingstop">Wingstop</keyword> menus in the US vs the UK.</li><li>The largest portion of <keyword id="857741" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="wings">wings</keyword> in the UK is 24. The largest in the US is 100 wings. </li><li>In the US, an order of Buffalo Ranch <keyword id="177068" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Fries">Fries</keyword> contains 3,880 milligrams of sodium. </li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>.Harry Kersh: From calorie count to portion sizes, we wanted to find out all the differences between Wingstop in the UK and the US. This is "<keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food">Food</keyword> Wars."In the UK, we can get wing portions in four sizes. Eight wings, 10 wings, 12 wings, or a Flavour Craver wing platter, which comes with 24 wings and three dips. Joe Avella: US Wingstop, you can get your wings in 10, 15, ooh, 20, [grunts] 30! Hang on. And... 30. Not enough, you say? I agree. Wingstop also does wings in orders of... 50, [laughing] 75, and, of course, 100 <keyword id="62613" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chicken">chicken</keyword> wings. I'm in heaven right now. Bury me in these wings. I'm going in. Eh, I could do better, but we gotta move on. Sean Evans, I'm coming for you, buddy. Harry: So, the portion sizes might be pretty different, but what about the wings themselves? We're gonna weigh 10 plain wings in the UK and do the same in the US to see how they match up. So, 10 plain wings in the UK came to 290 grams, which is an average of 29 grams per wing. Joe: Oh, way higher, dude. 360 grams. I needed my calculator app to determine what 360 divided by 10 is. And it is, in fact, 36 grams. So our average is 36 grams per wing here in the US. Harry: What about chicken tenders? Well, in the UK, those come in two portion sizes: as a portion of three or as a portion of five. Joe: At a Wingstop in the US, you can get your chicken tenders in orders of four, seven, 15, 20, and 30. Yes! I don't know what maniac is at a Wingstop and gets chicken tenders instead of wings. I mean, I get it if you're taking your, like, 10-year-old there. Let's weigh five chicken tenders here in the US. Harry: So, five plain tenders in the UK weighs 230 grams. Joe: 200 and what? Way over 300 on this one. We're over 300, and they try to pass this off as a tender. Bigger chunks of meat over here in the US. Bigger tender chunks of meat. Harry: What about a side of fries? Well, in the UK, these come in two sizes. Regular and large. Joe: And in the US, our Wingstop fries also come in two sizes. Regular and large. How do those look? Harry: We're gonna weigh them both to see what they come to. [laughing] That's not a good look for fries. How do I get this back in? Producer: Just like that. Joe: Yep, also a brick. Also a brick. Harry: And the large portion came to 255 grams. Joe: Our regular is bigger than your large, UK. OK. Oh, lost a fry. 400 grams. Harry: Fountain drinks in the UK come in one size. It's 22 ounces. But, unfortunately, we weren't able to get one today. Joe: Wingstop in the US, you can get your fountain drinks in two sizes, 20 ounce and 32 ounce. The Wingstop we went to did not have any 32-ounce cups. Harry: Dips in the UK only come in one size, and it's regular. We're gonna weigh a cup of ranch to see how much we get. Joe: Dips in the US come in two sizes, regular and this absurd tub. Look at this. First we're gonna weigh this, the regular size. Now the big boy. I couldn't even guess how much this container weighs. Producer: What your best guess? Joe: Before I do this? Producer: Yeah. Joe: Closer to 300. This is heavy. This is like a half a bottle of ranch. [laughing] Bro! It is 440. 440 grams of ranch. Harry: So, fun fact about me, I've never actually had ranch before. This is not a common dressing in the UK. It's just not really on menus. We prefer, like, a garlic mayonnaise or a ketchup. So I'm about to try my first-ever ranch. See how it goes. [chicken crunching] Hmm. OK. OK. I don't know if Wingstop ranch differs to the classic ranch you might find in the States, but it's nice. If you want, like, a kind of cooling thing with a similar effect to mayo in that regard, but, like, a little bit more tang, bit more seasoning. Yeah, you guys are doing it well. Harry: The biggest thing on the menu in the UK is this, the Flavour Craver wing platter. You get 24 wings, three dips, and no other sides. All for a price of 22.50 pounds. Joe: Biggest single menu item at the Wingstop in the US is this, the 100-wing party pack. OK, obviously you start with 100 wings. You can get up to six different flavors. I just got the same one. Four orders of large fries. Four orders of veggie sticks. And eight dips. This is supposed to feed 13 people. Or, like, you and three of your friends. You can get boneless or bone-in wings. If you go boneless it's $94.39, and if you go all bone-in wings it's $104.19. Harry: I gotta say, I'm generally a drums guy over a flats guy. I think it's just the shape is great. It's just like a meat lollipop. And also it feels like you get more meat on there than you do on a flat. Joe: No, Harry, no. Drums are not good. Flats are way better. You can pull out both bones. You get all the meat off of it. For the drum, it's way harder to get the meat off. Don't be deceived by that shape. It's less meat. Flats. Flats! I'm a flat head.Harry: Here is everything you will only find on the menu at a UK Wingstop. Joe: And here are all the exclusive items you can get at a US Wingstop. Harry: We'll start with the chicken. There's actually one flavor of wing that we can get that you guys can't, which is this one, it's Brazilian citrus pepper. I'm gonna try the Brazilian citrus pepper using my patented wing-eating technique. Get one of the bones out. And then a little meat lollipop. Mm. Nice little freshness from the citrus, kick from the pepper. Not bad. Joe: So, for exclusive wing flavors, you can get these two, the Bayou BBQ and the lemon hot. We can also get any Wingstop flavor on the side. I don't know if you can get that in the UK. Another thing you can do at the US Wingstop is you can customize your fries or you can get regular or extra seasoning. So I got an extra seasoning of a seasoning you guys don't have in the UK, which is the garlic Parmesan. Look at the seasoning on this. I mean, they just dusted this thing, right? You know exactly what I'm gonna do. Yeah, yeah! These are Louisiana Voodoo fries. They are topped with a cheese sauce, ranch, and Cajun seasoning. Harry: Our exclusive fry option is this. Sweet potato fries. These come in sizes of regular or large, and you can also get them in the same seasonings as the regular fries. In my opinion, you guys aren't missing out on much with these. I just always think that sweet potato fries are worse than regular fries. They always cost more, they always come out soggy. It's just not worth it. Just stay with the regular. Joe: Outside of meat and potato, you can also get Cajun fried corn. Am I saying that right? It's fried? You can also get freshly baked rolls. Bread, baby. Bread. Harry: We also have one other exclusive side, which is this. It's a honey mustard slaw. We can also get booze from our Wingstops. This comes in the form of two types of beer. And usually we would be able to get two types of wine, however, due to a reduced menu, currently they are not serving them. Joe: The three drink options you can get in the US are, oddly enough, sweetened and unsweetened tea. I don't know why we have tea and the UK does not. And also you can get this 52-fluid-ounce Simply Lemonade. Harry: And finally, in the UK, you can finish off your meal with some churros. These come in portions of either six or 10. You have two crumb options, including Oreo or Lotus Biscoff. And then you can choose from one of two sauces, either a sweet milk or some dulce de leche caramel. Mm. Delicious. Joe: What about desserts? Here's one you can get in the US and not in the UK at a Wingstop, the triple chocolate chunk brownie. Did I say that in the right order? Producer: Uh-huh. Joe: Fantastic. Harry: I'm now gonna do something really stupid, which is attempt to eat the hottest wing on the Wingstop menu, which is the Atomic wing. These come with gloves, just to avoid getting it on your skin and then getting it in your eyes. I'm not good with spice, one thing to note. Ah, man. I don't really want to do this, but, hey, for the content. Cheers. Yep, it's immediate. Oh, man. Deep breaths, Harry, deep breaths. Joe: If Harry's doing it, I'm doing it too. This is the hottest? I'm not a tough guy with the heat. This is not that hot. Yeah. It's starting to get hot. Yeah, I'm starting to feel it. Ugh. Now my tongue's kind of starting to hurt. What's what they do on the, on "Hot Ones," when -- [coughs] [dramatic music] Ugh, yeah.Harry: Unfortunately, Wingstop doesn't disclose any of its nutritional information in the UK. Joe: They do disclose the nutritional information in the US, however. And there are some pretty interesting takeaways. OK, let's start with this. The classic meal for one, an eight-piece combo. I got four hot wings, four lemon pepper, regular fry, dip, regular Coke. This meal contains a total of 1,595 calories, along with a lot of your daily fat and sodium allowance. Harry: Interestingly, if you get the same meal but boneless wings instead, the calories go up to 1,711, roughly a 7% increase. Even more interestingly, the sodium in the meal rockets up to 5,258 milligrams, which is 228% of your daily allowance. So it looks like boneless wings are way saltier than bone-in wings, but they do contain slightly less fat. Joe: What's the most calorific wing at Wingstop in the US? That would be the boneless garlic Parmesan wing, which clocks in at 112 calories for just one. Harry: The saltiest wing on the menu is the boneless original hot wing. Now, it's less calorific than the garlic Parmesan, but just five of these is your entire daily sodium allowance. Joe: The tenders at Wingstop are, as you might expect, more calorific than the wings. The most calorific flavor in the US? Garlic Parmesan. Where have I heard that before? That's not the saltiest tender. That crown goes to the Cajun spice tender, with 775 milligrams of sodium. Just three of these is your entire daily allowance. I didn't come here to not eat chicken tenders. Mm. [peppy music] Harry: What about the dips? Well, the least healthy dip on the menu is this. It's honey mustard. Just a regular portion of this in the US contains 367 calories, 33 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 682 milligrams of sodium, and a slightly alarming 17 grams of sugar. Joe: As for the rest of the menu, you really wanna watch out for the fries. The most calorific single menu item on a Wingstop menu is a large portion of the Louisiana Voodoo fries. This serving alone, 910 calories, which is almost half of your daily allowance. Harry: If you're looking to cut down on the sodium, you might want to avoid the Buffalo ranch fries. They're slightly less calorific than the Louisiana Voodoo fries; however, they contain 2,880 milligrams of sodium. That's 125% of your entire daily allowance. Joe: In summary, Wingstop, maybe not the healthiest fast-food chain. If you're looking to cut back on your sodium, definitely skip the boneless wings and maybe stick to regular fries, and not the ones with these gross toppings.Harry: Now, sadly, along with the nutrition, Wingstop UK also doesn't disclose its ingredients. Joe: Wingstop also does not disclose its ingredients in the US. [crickets chirping] Harry: So, what do we know about what goes into the chicken? Well, for starters, in the UK, the chicken is not organic and not free-range. All the chicken they use in the UK is also halal, which means it's suitable for Muslim people to eat. Joe: Now, it is unclear if the US chickens are free-range or organic. All Wingstops say that they expect their chicken supplier to conform with USDA, FDA, state, and local regulations. However, they do not specify a grading. So for all we know it could be grade C chicken, which can be misshapen, poorly fleshed, and, Jesus, and with no limit on the size, number of areas, or intensity of discolorations and flesh bruises. Wow, I wish I knew that a few minutes ago. In better news, the fact that they refer to their tenders as "tenders" legally means that they have to at least be made of whole cuts of chicken breast and might be actual chicken tenderloins, which are in the inner pectoral muscles of the chicken breast. And that's pretty much all we can glean from the information that's publicly available. Why are you so sneaky, Wingstop? Is it because you know we'll eat it regardless? Correct.Joe: Ooh, I f---ed up. I should've waited before I went into that second wing. [laughs] [exhales]

US vs UK Wingstop, everything from calorie count to portion sizes

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13632727" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="witchtok" source="Orion">WitchTok</keyword> is a popular <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> subgenre with 25 billion views on tagged videos.</li><li>The community appears welcoming and inclusive, but there is also infighting.</li></ul>Last October, a TikToker uploaded a short instructional video in which she claimed to teach a technique to "make someone think of you 24/7." All a person needed to do was follow a few simple steps: Write the name of their unrequited love on a piece of paper three times, fold the paper three times, and put it under their pillow. Having a dream about that person would mean it had worked, she said.The TikTok, which is one of hundreds on her account teaching followers simple "<keyword id="13632728" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spells" source="Orion">spells</keyword>," has since been viewed more than 20 million times and received 1.4 million likes, but the comments were also filled with warnings. "Ladies, don't do this," one said. Another chimed in, "this will get you a STALKER, not a lover."<keyword id="11916554" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="witchcraft" source="Orion">Witchcraft</keyword> TikTokers have created a popular subculture often referred to as WitchTok. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=witchtok%20&amp;t=1649079329124" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The hashtag #WitchTok</a>, featuring videos claiming to teach spells, enchantments, and hexes, has been viewed 25 billion times. Related hashtags such as #WitchTikTok and #BabyWitchTok, catering to people of different ages and experience levels within the community, have millions more views.People from all over the world with different belief systems use the term witchcraft and self-identify as "witches." Some in the WitchTok community identify as Wicca, which is a modern pagan religion; others follow the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/07/vodou-haiti-endangered-faith-soul-of-haitian-people">vodou</a> religion, a spiritual system that originated in Haiti; and some are practitioners of hoodoo, <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a34115081/hoodoo-vs-voodoo-facts-history/">a set of spiritual practices</a> that evolved from other forms of religion and spiritualism within enslaved African American communities in North America. Other self-identified witches are nondenominational in their spirituality, focusing on tarot or astrological predictions.The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-47130108">rise in witchcraft content on social media in recent years</a> has culminated in the huge popularity of <a href="https://www.nylon.com/life/witchtok-witches-of-tiktok">WitchTok</a>, which is a largely inclusive space, self-described witches told Insider. But this collective attitude also means inexperienced practitioners — often referred to by those in the community as "baby witches" — can be subjected to judgment from other witches who say they're only after money and virality.While many see TikTok as a place for them to share their history and rituals, some think it is also rife with people who are perpetuating the commercialization of spiritual beliefs and chasing clout and fame, leading to infighting about the intricacies of "spells" and who can and can't cast them, and claims of cultural appropriation.<h2>Some self-identifying witches say other community members are spreading '<keyword id="11919168" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="misinformation" source="Orion">misinformation</keyword>' and appropriating cultures</h2>Three weeks after the love spell was uploaded, a TikToker called Eryn Angellé, who also posts witchcraft-themed videos, filmed a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@imangelle/video/7023389099163700486?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1">response</a>, referring to the spell as "misinformation.""Technically she's not wrong," Angellé said. "They won't be able to stop thinking about you because they will be fucking obsessed."Angellé went on to call out a trend in which inexperienced witches cast "spells" that she argues aren't based on tradition or history.The love-spell video highlights the tension within the space. Angellé, who has <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@imangelle">224,000 followers on TikTok</a>, told Insider she is a hoodoo practitioner. She said she started posting about her beliefs on TikTok at the start of the pandemic, and ended up on WitchTok, where she said she was "very disturbed" by what she found. She said she's mainly concerned about "a lot of misinformation, a lot of misguided people, and just a lot of foolishness in general."It's not just supposed spells about love — Angellé pointed to the hundreds of videos about weight loss, getting someone to text you back, and making money that one can find on the app. To people like Angellé, those coming to witchcraft from TikTok don't understand the deep history and knowledge that more experienced practitioners might have with the <keyword id="11899151" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="culture" source="Orion">culture</keyword>. Trying these spells, to Angellé, is like having "a tree with no roots." She said she calls out these TikToks because, according to her beliefs, casting spells in ways she perceives as "incorrect" can have outcomes that differ from spell-casters' intentions.Laura Kounine, a senior lecturer of early modern history at the University of Sussex who has studied the history of witchcraft, told Insider that in many traditional communities, such as Wicca, "you have to have a lot of training, a lot of learning" to be initiated into the community. "Whereas WitchTok is open access. You don't really need to do much to already be part of this global community," she said.This "democratization" of witchcraft can also lead to <a href="https://mashable.com/article/witchtok-problematic-witch-cultural-appropriation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims of cultural appropriation</a>. Because "witchcraft" refers to so many different worldwide practices and beliefs, there is a complexity to how this manifests. To this day, women <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/witch-hunts-a-global-problem-in-the-21st-century/a-54495289" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are still killed around the world</a> after being accused of witchcraft.Angellé, who is a Black woman, said that when spells were birthed by her ancestors, it was for protection from the dangers that African American enslaved people faced. "My upbringing greatly affects how it is that I practice my magic," Angellé said. "So the way I was taught to do things may be vastly different from someone else. Just because it looks good on TikTok does not mean that it's good for you."<div type="image" title="herbs and spices spells witchtok" height="1500" width="2000" msid="90883780" hostid="261"></div><h2>'Baby witches' say the criticism is unfair and witchcraft should be for everyone</h2>TikTok user Manifex, who also goes by Nikki, told Insider became interested in witchcraft about six years ago. She posted the controversial "love spell" video, which she knows WitchTok got very angry about."Lots of people were trying to say that by doing this it takes another person's free will away and that it was voodoo magic and only African American people can do this stuff," she said, adding that she intended the video to be about manifesting — which is her area of interest — not "magic." She tried <a href="https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdSbAP6J/">explaining herself in a further video</a>, but it didn't get her very far, she said.She said it's extremely hard to grow your following on TikTok if you "don't capture a person's attention in the first second or two," which is why she tries to make her videos as simple as possible to "keep people's attention while still trying to teach them the basics.""What I've had to come to learn is there are always going to be people out there that disagree with you and won't like you; especially on social media," she said. So-called baby witches often accuse their critics of being <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/search/video?q=baby%20witch%20gatekeeping&amp;t=1649077129838">"gatekeepers"</a> who refuse to give them information about spells that some say were meant to be shared. A WitchToker <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@witches.with.twitches/video/7073389807841414443?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=6891688038939182597">called witches.with.twitches</a> refers to gatekeepers as "toxic witches" who make up their own rules about who can and cannot call themselves a real witch. One self-identified baby witch <a href="https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLx7X6hg/">posted a TikTok</a> asking more experienced witches within the community to help rather than "hating on baby witches for being wrong" and "making them hate witchcraft because of all the toxic behavior."<h2>More experienced community members say they want to help newcomers, but only if they're in it for the right reasons</h2>Sierra Myers has been interested in spirituality from a young age and describes herself as a "psychic medium." She told Insider she started researching different religions and areas of witchcraft about five years ago. She said she got involved in the WitchTok community at the start of 2020 and has built <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sierranmyers?lang=en">a following of 105,000</a> since then. She said it's full of some of the "most amazing, knowledgeable, and educational people" she's ever met."But the other half is full of money-hungry, uneducated, dramatic, judgemental 'spiritual scammers' which make the community look bad," she said.Jessica Grey, who started experimenting with her spirituality about three years ago,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicaagreyy"> has over 254,000 followers on TikTok</a>. She told Insider she picked up an interest in witchcraft when moving from Christianity to spirituality, first collecting crystals and making self-love "spell jars," then moving toward what she calls "spell work." The problem with newcomers, she said, is that they use witchcraft as "a trend or aesthetic," which minimizes its importance. These are the people who come to it for "the wrong reasons," she said.Angellé said she's mostly disappointed with what she calls "misguided information" spreading due to WitchTok's popularity — but she doesn't want these "new witches" to be disheartened. She told Insider she just hopes they practice their beliefs mindfully, aware that it will take many years to develop understanding and experience within the diverse community."Don't allow that to discourage you from practicing something that you feel a true pull and draw to," she said. "Just make sure that you're doing it safely, ethically, effectively, and understanding that you are having an impact when you do these things."

TikTok witches are accusing each other of being toxic, gatekeepers, and misinformation spreaders

<ul class="summary-list"><li>We list our <keyword id="992127" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="favorite">favorite</keyword> dishes from every <keyword id="6355728" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="state">state</keyword>, based on the places we've been, your responses to the stories we've shared, and reflecting on recent stories we've produced for this series.</li><li>Some dishes we've been lucky to try ourselves, such as the legendary half-smoke from Ben's Chili Bowl.</li><li>Other dishes are widely known to be a must-try <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> when visiting a certain state, like Wisconsin's <keyword id="59734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Iconic">iconic</keyword> butterburger.</li></ul>From Nashville <keyword id="11233763" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hot-chicken">hot chicken</keyword> to New York's legendary <keyword id="1703279" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="cronut">Cronut</keyword>, here are our favorite dishes from every state.If you're in Alabama, it's worth trying these decadent orange rolls. They're the biggest draw to the restaurant All Steak in Cullman. Each roll is topped with a deliciously sweet orange glaze.Despite the delicious fish you'll find in Alaska, we recommend trying the state's iconic reindeer hot dog instead. The sausage is made with reindeer, or caribou, pork, and beef, and it's not something you can get many other places.Sopaipillas are the perfect savory or sweet treat. The hollow pockets of dough are a cross between Latin American fried pastry and Navajo fry bread. When served sweet, sopapillas can be filled with honey or topped with powdered sugar.We'd be remiss not tell you to try cheese dip in Arkansas. It's similar to queso, but don't tell Texas we told you that. The two states have debated which created the favored dip and what it should be called.With so many great places in California, it's hard to pick just one. But we love Fugetsu-Do in LA. It makes delicious rainbow dango, which are these bite-sized pieces of tender, colorful mochi.What might surprise you is our pick from Colorado. At this Conoco gas station, we recommend getting blue corn tortillas with cactus and sauteed onions or the traditional huarache, a Mexican-style flatbread.Thrasher's French Fries has been serving hungry beachgoers since 1929. The boardwalk stand originated in Ocean City, Maryland, but has since won over Delaware customers with its large buckets of fries doused in vinegar.Old Greg's Pizza in Miami started as a quarantine pizza operation for the owner's friends and family. Today, it feeds hundreds of customers a week, many who order the popular Roni Pie weeks in advance.Crispy, tender fried chicken is one of the most satisfying dishes we tried in Georgia. We viisted several places, but our pick is JCT. Kitchen &amp; Bar.Our pick for Hawaii is an island staple. The kalua pork sandwich is satisfyingly juicy with a smoky flavor, which is the result of roasting a whole pig slowly all day. Kalua is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that uses this pitlike underground oven called an imu.When in Idaho, you eat potatoes. But we recommend going for their sweet counterpart - the ice cream potato. Yep, it's made entirely out of ice cream, cocoa powder, and whipped cream. You can get one at the Westside Drive In in Boise.Have you ever seen a whole slice of cake mixed into a milkshake? Not many people have, which makes it the best- kept secret at Portillo's. The restaurant takes an entire slice of decadent cake and mixes it in just a little bit of ice cream and chocolate syrup, and there you have it: the cake shake.St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis is known for packing serious spice in its famous shrimp cocktail. The restaurant loads its famous cocktail sauce onto four black tiger shrimp.This next one's reminiscent of Illinois in that it also takes a slice of dessert and turns it into a milkshake. At Hamburg Inn No. 2, they mix a slice of pie with soft serve.When in Kansas, Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que won't disappoint. The Z Man Sandwich comes with thinly sliced brisket, smoked provolone, onion rings, and barbecue sauce. You also won't go wrong if you order a rack of ribs. They're smoky, tender, and delicious.In Louisville, Kentucky, there's the one-of-a-kind Hot Brown sandwich. It was created in the 1920s at the Brown Hotel and has since become a local legend. It's an open sandwich topped with turkey, tomato, Mornay sauce, and bacon.Café du Monde should be your first stop when visiting New Orleans. You can only get one thing, and that's the shop's iconic fried pastry called a beignet. These pillowy pockets of fried dough are dusted in powdered sugar and always served hot.In 2019, Maine fishers caught more than 100 million pounds of lobster, hence why it's become the star of a few popular dishes. From the lobster roll to boiled lobster and butter, there's even a restaurant that makes lobster tacos with a cheese shell.It's all about crabs in Maryland, and there's a number of ways to enjoy them. Be it soft-shell crabs or crab cakes, this is where crab dishes truly shine.We chose this next one not only because the pork ramen is delicious, but also because it encourages customers to achieve their dreams. The idea is that if you can finish these huge bowls of ramen at Yume Wo Katare, you have the power to make your dreams come true.A hot dog in Detroit typically looks like this: a steamed bun, an all-beef sausage with an all-meat, beanless chili on top, and diced white onions. And, of course, generous yellow mustard. It's called the Coney dog, and it's a century-old staple in the city.In Minnesota, instead of placing cheese on top of your burger, they put it inside your patty. It's dubbed the Jucy Lucy, and it oozes melted cheese. Matt's Bar in Minneapolis is one of two famous places that say they created it.Down South in Mississippi, catfish is the go-to for some fried goodness. Head to Taylor Grocery, which was voted the best catfish restaurant in Mississippi in 2020.It's gooey. It's buttery. What's not to like about gooey butter cake? It's a St. Louis staple, and it's unlike other traditional cakes. It's a flat cake covered in a "goo" mixture.Huckleberries are grown in the northwestern <keyword id="6356955" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="united-states">United States</keyword> and particularly thrive in Montana. They're similar to blueberries in that they're both tart and sweet, which makes them perfect for turning into pie.For Nebraskans, it's all about the runza. One of the most popular places to get one is the iconic fast-food chain called Runza. This bread pocket is made with ground beef, onions, and cabbage, and baked. Go for the cheese runza. It's a best seller.You really can't go wrong with doughnuts, and Pinkbox has over 50 to choose from. The Be Well doughnut is limited edition. It's a yellow doughnut with a mask, because, you know, 2020.There's no place like New England in the fall, where apple picking is abundant and apple pickers nom on these doughnuts all through the season. More doughnuts, we know. But you're really missing out if you're not trying an apple cider doughnut in New Hampshire.When in New Jersey, you've got to try a pork roll, egg, and cheese. At Slater's Deli, you can get a classic sandwich with three slices of pork roll, or, if you really like your processed meat, take a jab at this monstrous option with six slices.With its own Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail, it's no secret New Mexico prides itself on this popular burger. Whole or chopped green chilies give this the meal its signature flavor and extra kick.Earlier this year, we told you the Cronut is still New York's most legendary dessert. Why? Aside from people around the world waiting in line to try it even years after its debut, the treat takes three whole days to make. It's a labor of love, rolled in sugar and glazed with ganache.You won't go wrong with barbecue in North Carolina. But heads-up, becuase there are two kinds, depending where you go. If you're ordering Eastern style, you'll get meat from the whole hog, as they say. But if you find yourself at a Lexington-style restaurant, you can expect some form of pork shoulder.Recipes for knoephla soup may vary slightly, but every one always has potatoes. It's what makes this rich and creamy soup so hearty.When in Cincinnati, we recommend giving Camp Washington Chili a go. If you order the five-way chili, expect to get a very full plate of spaghetti, red beans, chili (of course), diced white onions, and shredded cheddar cheese.If you're in Oklahoma, then make sure you stop at Sonic. It's headquartered in Oklahoma City and known for its retro- themed in-car dining. Try finishing the foot-long hot dog. We recommend ordering a slushy to wash it down.For a choice of more than 40 flavors, head to Voodoo Dougnut in Portland. The shop's signature treat is its Voodoo Doll doughnut, a yeast doughnut filled with rasspberry jam.Philly is known for its cheesesteaks, but have you tried the roast-pork sandwich from DiNic's? It comes with crumbled provolone, thin-sliced roast pork, and broccoli rabe, all squeezed between a long, plush roll.At Iggy's Doughboys and Chowder House, you've got try the doughboy, because fried dough is truly never a bad option. And this one comes with powdered sugar or sugar and cinnamon on top.You can find shrimp and grits at restaurants along the coast of South Carolina. With some spices and bacon mixed in, so you have an incredibly flavorful, hearty dish to enjoy.Chislic is something you'll really only find in South Dakota. Typically, this meal consists of small cubes of meat on a wooden skewer, usually deep-fried and salted.If you can handle the heat, then you've got to try hot chicken in Nashville. We love Party Fowl's take on the dish, but head to Prince's Hot Chicken Shack if you want to experience the place that started it all.Although we've praised other states' barbecue, Texas barbecue should by no means be left off this list. Our pick is Louie Mueller in Austin. The brisket is tender and juicy, and the bark is just right.If you like your burgers extra meaty, then you won't go wrong with the signature burger from Utah fast-food chain Crown Burgers. The Crown Burger comes with a quarter-pound patty ropped with hot, juicy pastrami.We love Ben &amp; Jerry's, but really, who doesn't? The iconic ice cream brand is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. It makes over 60 flavors, including Chocolate Therapy, which is a pint of chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookies and chocolate pudding.Virginia is home to eight regions that harvest their own oysters. It's no wonder the state considers itself the oyster capital of the East Coast. The oysters range in flavor, some with a salty taste on the tongue, others with a delicate sweetness.Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle is known for fresh fish. The shop is famous for tossing customers' fish orders over heaps of ice the front to be weighed at the scales in the back.Walk into a convenience store in West Virginia, and you'll likely find pepperoni rolls. They're said to be created in Fairmont back in 1927. Imagine doughy bread filled with spicy pepperoni and cheese.If you're looking to indulge in Wisconsin, we steer you to Solly's Grille. It serves a Wisconsin favorite known as the butterburger. It's like a regular burger, but with a heaping chunk of melted butter on top.Cowboy cookies are a popular treat in Wyoming, but if you can't make it there, it doesn't mean you can'y try them yourself. Make a batch at home like we did - you'll need chocolate, pecans, coconut, oats, and cinnamon.Considered a Washington, DC, landmark, Ben's Chili Bowl is worth visiting for the food and the history. The restaurant is a local icon stationed on the famous U Street. Make sure you order its popular half-smoke. It's a half-pork, half-beef sausage smothered in homemade chili.Plantains are widely grown in Puerto Rico, which makes them a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine. We like them in the form of tostones, fried and crispy topped with garlic. They're often served on their own or even as the bread of a sandwich.

From Nashville hot chicken to New York's legendary Cronut, we rounded up our favorites dishes from every state

ReutersPeople wait for Federal Reserve Board Chairwoman Janet Yellen to attend a news conference after the Fed releases its monetary policy decisions in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2017.It's likely escaped your attention, but the Wall Street dad bro is having an existential crisis.You'll see it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/salt-2017-conference-trump-nervous-laughter-2017-5">at conferences</a> in between bites of muffins, and it's on financial TV for as long as anyone can stand talking about it without changing the subject. But the darkest takes on this crisis are really on the internet.That's where morose money managers share their concerns that, in an era of quant funds, passive investing, and giant central bank balance sheets, their very existence is obsolete.Here's an exhibit for your review from Ben Hunt, the chief investment strategist at Salient Partners. He writes a site and newsletter called <a href="http://epsilontheory.com/">Epsilon Theory</a> "that examines markets through the lenses of game theory and history."And he's a perfect example of someone who isn't sure what the role of a stock picker is in 2017. Other dad bros who are feeling the same way have been passing around one post in particular called "Tell My Horse" because he's done a marvelous job of articulating what's going on.<a href="http://epsilontheory.com/notes/tell-my-horse/">From Epsilon Theory:</a>"I'm having a hard time with this market, because I can see <a href="http://epsilontheory.com/notes/westworld/">what a powerfully stable social equilibrium is being established around this transformation of capital markets into a political utility</a>. I'm having a hard time with it because, like any powerfully stable social equilibrium, to be truly successful in that world you must give yourself over to that world. You must embrace that world in your heart of hearts. As Winston finally learned, to be happy you must love Big Brother. Or in our case, lever long, sell volatility, and love the Fed."You'd think think that with stocks moving higher and a potential tax cut on the way, the state of the dad bro would be strong, but it's not. This seemingly unending upward grind of stock prices is upsetting the balance of markets. The point of investing, is, yes, to make money. But it's also supposed to be a game of assigning value. It's a game of finding worth.Hunt went on to compare the current state of finance, where big "ideas" like artificial intelligence or central banks propping up asset prices dominate, to a "voodoo wasp," a creature that lays its eggs inside caterpillars. Those eggs then hatch, with the wasp babies then either eating their way out of the caterpillar or taking over its body like something out of a zombie movie.<h2>Hug your nearest dad bro</h2><a class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/594c2affa3630f1d008b4d1f-960/screen shot 2017-06-22 at 43826 pm.png"></a>JP MorganRight now the job of value assignment doesn't matter. Active money managers are losing ground to robots who slosh around in markets based on algorithms. The Federal Reserve's low rates and massive asset purchases have ensured stocks move higher and volatility is nil. Passive and quant (robot) players now make up 60% of equity markets, according to JP Morgan. Humans are barely picking stocks right now. It's becoming a robot job. All of these are acting as a bludgeoning force pushing stocks ever higher, no matter what we would expect from those stocks' underlying value. And when value ceases to matter, the value hunters cease to matter. They have no purpose.Nineteenth century sociologist Emile Durkheim described what happens when people lose their sense of purpose in his book "Suicide" in 1897, and it remains one of the most in-depth examinations of the human mind in despair. In the book he describes a form of suicide called "anomic suicide." It's closely associated with the breakdown of a society and norms, making people question who they are. It's also closely associated with a person's expectations for themselves in modern society. Durkheim observed that when those things disappear, people fall into a deep despair.Anomic despair is a helpful framework for understanding many of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-deaths-of-despair-crisis-is-gripping-america-2017-3">crises of middle- and working-class life</a> that have dominated headlines in the last few years. And now it's come for fund managers.The Wall Street dad bro - the one who still goes to his lacrosse reunion at Dartmouth and gets a new set of irons whenever he pleases - is facing a fate that has taken the livelihoods of many working men across the country over the last 30 years. So all the dad bro can think is: What if the machines make me obsolete?Even worse, he's thinking that if he wants to make money he has to ignore everything he's learned and every market instinct he's developed. All the logic gathered over years about the way money works, about what people buy, about how much they spend, about debt and accounting, about how governments work, about what's going to last.In the land of ETFs and algorithms, he's afraid he has to let go of that and just buy.<h2>Get numb and dumb</h2>Another exhibit, from Michael Batnick of Ritholtz Wealth Management. For a second there, he - a father and a responsible market participant - started kicking himself for not submitting to Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency craze."If you asked me what I thought about bitcoin a year ago, I would have said it's ridiculous. Today I have no opinion. My knowledge of cryptocurrencies is unchanged over the last year, but bitcoin is up 240%," he wrote in his blog <a href="http://theirrelevantinvestor.com/2017/06/15/a-lesson-in-humility/">The Irrelevant Investor</a>.In other words, Batnick, like so many others, has thrown up his hands. He's a value hunter and every single bit of his training looks at Bitcoin and says it's absurd. But, somehow, the cryptocurrency just keeps going up."The thing about bubbles, and for the record, I'm not brave or dumb enough to declare this one, is that they wear you down," he wrote. "They make you feel irresponsible for not getting involved. Today I found myself at this juncture. What if Bitcoin legitimately is the future of currency? What if this is how 30% of online transactions take place in ten years? Why wouldn't I buy on this pullback?"Bitcoin, unicorns, flying cars, self driving cars, <a href="https://t.co/qlCAGzMGWQ">cars that know your favorite song</a> - it's all the same. None of it makes sense within the context of the normal dad bro business of figuring out which investment strategies make sense and should pay off.<h2>Hold fast</h2>Now, this problem has been plaguing investors since about the end of 2015, but it's really getting ugly now. Hedge funds and mutual funds, the active managers of the world, have been posting anemic returns for several quarters. Last year, legendary trader Steve Cohen admitted that February 2016 was his nightmare scenario. With all the money managers of the world chasing the same trades, the moment flashed before his eyes when everyone would be on one side - the wrong side - and everything would collapse."One of my biggest worries is that there are so many players out there trying to do the same strategies ... if one big one goes down, will we take collateral damage?" Cohen said at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles. "We were down 8% in February and for us that's a lot ... my worst fears were realized.""It happened in four days," Cohen added later, "and the markets were going up at that time."Getty ImagesSteve CohenWhen not even Cohen can wield the markets, you know there's a problem. And instead of paying high "master of the universe" fees to guys like Cohen, investors are putting their money in lower-cost passive investing - the robots and the index or exchange-traded funds.Even the deal guys are starting to worry. With stocks looking expensive compared to their value, people don't want to do mergers and acquisitions or buy stakes in over-valued companies.Paul J. Taubman, chief executive officer of investment bank PJT Partners, recently admitted that he's scared too, according to Bloomberg."Right now there seems to be an unease about committing large sums of capital at these valuation levels, and yet the market continues to grind higher," Taubman said Thursday at a conference hosted by JMP Securities. "It's made it more complicated everywhere you look."Perhaps this is why money managers around the world smell something dangerous, but they can't put their finger on what it is. Hard economic data and soft data economic are dancing around each other without meeting. The market seems too trusting. When there is no volatility and every index looks like it can only go up - while at the same time commodities prices are in the sewer and there are sabers rattling all around the world - there's something moving in the water out there that the dad bros don't fully understand, and it's making the market unrecognizable.Something has to give.Or maybe it doesn't. Years ago, when I first started reporting about Wall Street, I heard something that stuck in my head. In between bagel and coffee breaks at a Bloomberg conference near Union Square, one speaker said succinctly: "In 20 years the worst job on Wall Street will be untangling the true value of stocks from the indices they've been lumped into."The dad bros are afraid of the markets becoming a massive Gordian knot. In the meantime they're afraid they either have to submit to what they see as an irrational regime or be killed.Funds are closing left and right. Guys like legendary investor Eric Mindich <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-23/eric-mindich-s-eton-park-said-to-return-capital-to-investors">at the now defunct fund Eton Park</a> - they weren't supposed to go anywhere. They were supposed to grow old like Carl Icahn and call into CNBC when they got a belly ache to troll their enemies and complain about taxes and regulation.They weren't supposed to be winnowed out. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/things-got-awkward-when-april-ryan-asked-sarah-sanders-where-sean-spicer-was-2017-6">'Where is Sean?': Things got awkward when April Ryan asked Sarah Sanders why Spicer didn't attend the WH briefing</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

The Wall Street dad bro is having an existential crisis

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://my.happify.com/"></a><a href="http://my.happify.com">Happify.com</a>My initial happiness level.</div></div></div><a href="http://my.happify.com/">Happify</a>, a startup "experience" that claims to help people improve their emotional well-being through research-backed activities and games, has created a lot of buzz since its launch two years ago. In 2014, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/business/positive-thinking-with-a-little-help-from-your-phone.html">New York Times</a> called it "perhaps the most sophisticated positive vibes app available now," and the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-happiness-app">New Yorker</a> even wrote a short piece about Happify's creation, focusing on co-founder Ofer Leidner.With nearly $4 million dollars in early funding and another <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/05/12/happify-raises-5m-in-convertible-debt-to-grow-emotional-fitness-platform/">five in convertible debt</a> as of May this year, Happify caught my attention too. I decided to try the service and see how I felt.According to Leidner, 1.3 million people are now training on Happify. That's a 1200% increase since Happify's beta-days just two years ago. "The whole idea behind Happify is to create a rigid, scientific framework that applies to happiness but layer over it a user experience that is fun," Leidner told Business Insider. "I think we're getting the response we're getting because of that."In the end, the service impressed me - but I didn't necessarily feel happier.<h3>Five core principles </h3>"As you'll see, Happify is built upon tracks that will teach you the skills needed to find happiness. Each track is based on scientific research from the brightest neuroscientists and psychologists at Harvard, Stanford, Penn and other top institutions," co-founder and CEO Tomer Ben-Kiki wrote on <a href="http://blog.happify.com/post/64772384774/the-next-step-for-happify">Happify's blog</a>.These "tracks" hinge on a specific goal, such as "conquer negative thoughts," "mindfulness for beginners," and "cope better with stress." They feature activities and games, designed by experts, meant to teach and reinforce skills necessary to reach the goals. The entire process stems from five core principles, or STAGE, created in part by <a href="http://www.hiram.edu/majors-and-minors/psychology/faculty-and-staff/acacia-parks">Acacia Parks</a>, one of Happify's chief advisors and an assistant professor of psychology at Hiram College.The concept started by her "taking what I know of this huge body of literature about happiness activities and translating it into a digestible model for people to use online," Parks told Business Insider.She and other experts have adapted all the activities from existing research, she said. "There was about a year where we literally tested the framework [STAGE] to make sure it represented all the latest studies, and we keep updating it," Leidner added.He explained the acronym this way: "S" stands for "savor," the ability for people to pay attention to their present feelings and experiences. "T" stands for "thank," the principle of living with gratitude. "A" stands for "aspire," learning to build a sense of optimism, purpose, and grit."G" stands for "give," the ability to share with others.And finally, "E" stands for "empathize," recognizing and understanding others' emotions and perspectives.One element particularly impresses me about Happify: When its literature makes a scientific claim, the text often includes a link to a footnote with relevant psychological studies or books. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.happify.com">Happify</a>A footnote from Happify.</div></div></div> <h3>Conquering negative thoughts</h3>For my personal experience with Happify, I chose the "conquer negative thoughts" track. I'll admit - I'm a worrier, and my overactive mind sometimes causes mild anxiety. Before starting any tracks, however, I had to take a short quiz, which lasted just a few minutes, so the site could determine my initial happiness levels. The quiz asked how many times I'd felt grateful in the past week, if I felt excited about my future, and other similar questions.I scored a 61 for overall happiness, which averaged two other scores: "positive emotion," on which I scored 44 (out of 100) and "life satisfaction," on which I scored a 77. Admittedly, I was a bit miffed at the app for basically giving me a D-. I feel more than "pretty decent" on most days, and even at my worst, I thought I deserved at least a C+. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.happify.com">Happify</a>The best game on Happify.</div></div></div>Pushing my ego aside, I started browsing through the activities on the app that I could start doing. They ranged from completing writing exercises (i.e. "What are you proud of?") to looking at timed beached scenes accompanied by peaceful music, to playing games, such as popping hot air balloons labeled with negative and positive words. The latter ended up being one of my favorite activities on Happify.In the game, users quickly click the balloons with positive connotations - like "kind" and "correct" - and ignore the ones with negative words, such as "sigh." I found myself excited when I saw this game appear in my queue for the week, and if I felt particularly stressed or sad, I often took down some dirigibles in the app's "free play" mode."Behind this innocent balloon-popping game is so much <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword>," Leidner said. "And the particular goal is to help your brain fix the negative bias, which has kind of an evolutionary basis, which has trained your brain to over-analyze negative thoughts."A widely accepted theory among Darwinian scientists does assert that stress helps species survive. By staying constantly aware of potential threats, we become better prepared to stay alive, <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1006930515592">the theory goes</a>. Unfortunately, that can also make us feel unnecessarily anxious.Aside from genuine fun, Happify offers a considerable amount of positive reinforcement and feedback. The app tells you when you've reached new milestones in certain games and congratulates you for progress on skills that relate to the track.As simple as it sounds, these notifications encouraged me and made me feel more proactive in my quest for peace of mind.<h3>The hedonic treadmill</h3>A psychological concept called the "hedonic treadmill" played heavily into Happify's creation. Coined in the 1970s, the idea refers to a "happiness set point," as Parks explained, which differs from person to person. Throughout life, people emotionally adapt to maintain this point. Think about it like emotional homeostasis.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.happify.com">Happify</a>Who me? Shucks.</div></div></div>"The reason why people are resilient is because when bad things happen, they're able to adapt and move on. The same is true of good things," Parks said. "Look at marriage - research shows that it makes you happier for the first year or so but then you go back."That second year of marriage isn't necessarily any less wonderful. People's expectations have just risen, like when someone experiences a death in the family, losing their keys may not elicit as much frustration. One person can only handle so much.Happify's creators faced the hard task of guarding against this hedonic treadmill. The variety of activities supposedly act as a kind of immunity against it. Studies of people using self help apps shows greater success with different activities, according to Parks."If two individuals spend four hours on the app - one only did one activity and one did more - the one who did more would be less subject to adaptation because they're doing different activities," she explained. <h3>A dark side of happiness?</h3>Despite Happify's emphasis on psychological research, not everyone agrees these types of activities can increase happiness - or even that people should try to do so. Shimon Edelman, professor of psychology at Cornell University and author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Pursuit-Neuroscience-Teach/dp/0465022243">The Pursuit of Happiness</a>," voiced some reservations about the inherent basis of apps like Happify. He spoke to Business Insider at length about one specific study, "<a href="http://pps.sagepub.com/content/6/3/222.abstract">A Dark Side of Happiness? How, When, and Why Happiness Is Not Always Good</a>," which Parks called "cool and important" but "limited in its findings."Edelman referenced a well-established vein of research that discusses emotion as the body's way of policing itself. Let's say you miss a deadline at work because you forgot or didn't plan your time well. The guilt and anxiety that results could prevent you from making the same mistakes in the future. "Setting aside the nature of the application, which seems to be a bit like voodoo ... happiness is part of the system for <a href="http://www.hanen.org/helpful-info/articles/what-is-behaviour-regulation--and-what-does-it-hav.aspx">behavioral regulation</a>," Edelman told Business Insider. "If you don't feel unhappy about a bad outcome, you have no prompt to change your actions."By helping users overcome negative emotions like worry and guilt, services like Happify might combat this crucial method of self-control. "Instead of asking, 'What should I do to be happier?' People should be asking, 'What kind of person do I want to be?'" Edelman said. "Virtue is not taken lightly within this type fo research."As I've said, I often return to my beloved balloon-popping game to cope with stress or sadness. It's distracting and seems to brighten my mood. When I asked Edelman about any research behind the activity, however, he called it "preposterous."Edelman instead propose a different task: asking myself why I'm happy. "That seems like a much better activity .... It's one more level of simplicity than shooting down balloons with words written in them."<h3>The burning question</h3>So ... did Happify work? Yes and no."After six to eight weeks, 86% of users who use the program for the recommended time and dosage come back and say they feel happier and much better," Leidner explained.According to my Happify stats, I didn't experience quite the same benefit. In fact, my overall happiness levels dropped.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://my.happify.com/stats/">Happify.com</a>My happiness levels dropped. But I wasn't using the app as the creators intended.</div></div></div>Then again, I wasn't using the Happify as the creators intended. Happify recommends users complete at least eight activities a week. Try as I might, I couldn't hit that. And I doubled the three-week period of use Leidner recommended. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.happify.com">Happify</a>I never hit eight activities over the course of six weeks.</div></div></div>While Happify offers some features for free, the full subscription normally runs $14.95 a month. The company generously offered me a complimentary subscription, the same one developers have, but unfortunately, that came without push notifications reminding me to complete weekly activities. The regular subscription does include them.While I don't necessarily feel "happier" after using Happify, I do feel more prepared to cope with negativity. When I'm overwhelmed or down, I've noticed I count my blessings more frequently. I take more deep breaths, imagine myself in serene spaces, and make time to write down my problems - and their solutions.That said, would I pay $14.95 a month to practice these skills, when meditation, journaling, or even uplifting sticky notes on my mirror could potentially do the same? Probably not. But as long as parts of Happify stay free, I'll keep going back to "conquer my negative thoughts" - and play that delightful balloon game. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/study-germany-parenting-divorce-worse-relationships-death-children-2015-10">A recent scientific study claims parenthood actually makes you less happy</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="MyZXRmeDo1U1dhBlLhGsiuAx_sIgtGnE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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