controversy

The Netflix documentary series, 'Making A Murderer,' has been nothing if not a productivity-robbing, cultural sensation since it dropped in December.

If you're one of those cave-dwellers who resides under a rock you should know that the documentary focuses on Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man, who might've been framed for crimes he didn't commit a few times.

The frontman for The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, and his new blues-rock band, The Arcs took the global bingeing efforts to a new high with their recent released track, "Lake Superior."

The song references the Steven Avery criminal case, and the perverse, if not corrupt way the police and the criminal justice system considered as an entity, handled it.

Auerbach's vocals, as usual, don't disappoint; and manage to carry through song, the full emotional depth of this emotionally-riveting case.

Listen below:

Nebraska had a disappointing season, ending with a 5-7 record. Husker fans have a lot of feelings about it too. So when Wide Receiver Brandon Reilly went out to eat and encountered a server who wanted to rant about the Huskers, apparently not realizing who was sitting at the table, he decided to leave her that "tip" instead of a monetary one.

Reilly ended up pulling down the tweet after responding to some heated tweets about it.

Well...um, this is awkward.

The husband of a cop killed on 9/11 has returned his late wife's Glamour Woman of the Year award because Caitlyn Jenner was given the same award last week.

The man, James Smith, told The Post he mailed the posthumous award given to his wife Moira back to the magazine after hearing Jenner would be honored.

A rep from Glamour defended the magazine's decision to give the award to both women.

"We were proud to honor his wife . . . in 2001, and we stand by our decision to honor Caitlyn Jenner," a Glamour spokeswoman said.

"Glamour's Women of the Year Awards recognize women with a variety of backgrounds and experiences."

Starbucks has just entered the "War on Christmas" with one bold, unthinkable move—having a red Christmas cup?

That's right. Some Christians are upset because the Starbucks Christmas cup for this year is plain red instead of decorated with snowflakes or Christmas trees.

As a form of protest, people have started using the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks to spread the message of outrage.

And some people are saying their name is "Merry Christmas" at Starbucks so the barista has to write it on their red cup.

Im asking Starbucks to put Merry Christmas on my cup. #MerryChristmasStarbucks pic.twitter.com/CuZIBxZ6oS

— Leah Whatley (@ElyonSpaGirl) November 6, 2015

Can I get a name for your cup? Sure. "Merry Christmas" #MerryChristmasStarbucks pic.twitter.com/lFgFASnBsi

— Jay Carr (@Jay_Carr) November 6, 2015

Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks vice president of Design & Content, had this to say about the cups:

"In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs. This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories."

"Starbucks has become a place of sanctuary during the holidays," he said. "We're embracing the simplicity and the quietness of it. It's more open way to usher in the holiday."

It definitely sounds like Starbucks is out to destroy Christmas. eye roll

Do you see anything wrong with this Walmart display?

A lot of people do. And they're calling it insensitive as best and racist at worst.

Some customers at a Walmart in North Las Vegas were outraged at a clothing display they say looks like people being hanged from the ceiling.

It may seems like a stretch to make the comparison—but is it really?

A local reporter went on the street to ask what people saw when they looked at the display.

"...A little like the Ku Klux Klan, black people hanging from the ceiling," said one woman.

Other said it looked like people being hanged, but some saw nothing.

Walmart has yet to respond to the situation, but the display has been taken down. Intent aside, it is clear that the display struck a chord with many who saw it.

It's a bad day to be in the KKK.

The hacktivist collective Anonymous just released the phone numbers and emails of about 40 alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan terrorist group.

You can view the full list here.

It seems that phone numbers of KKK members are on the internet. ;) https://t.co/C54dX8dp7R

— Anonymous (@GroupAnon) November 1, 2015

There is no place for racism now we're more connected, the time to cooperate and better the world is now.

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) November 1, 2015

Anonymous delivers.

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) November 1, 2015

Anonymous said in a press release that about 1,000 more KKK members' information would be released in the coming days.

"The aim of this operation is digital. Another cyber war trist, nothing more. We are not violent," the press release states.

"We will release, to the global public, the identities of up to 1000 klan members, Ghoul Squad affiliates and other close associates of various factions of the Ku Klux Klan across the Unites States."

UPDATE: We are ahead of schedule. JOIN US: 10:00am (Central) Nov. 5 2015 #OpKKK #HoodsOff https://t.co/2B1sGOER0q pic.twitter.com/ppxbTrNNsY

— Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) October 31, 2015

Taylor Swift just can't keep her hands to herself.

Singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as the Weeknd, says that when he first met Swift she kept "petting" his hair.

He described the bizarre encounter with Taylor Swift in Rolling Stone:

"But the whole time she was talking," he says, "she was kind of, like, petting my hair? I think she was just drawn to it — she must have been a little gone off a few drinks. And of course I'm not going to be like, 'Hey, can you stop?' I mean, it felt good! But when she started petting my hair, that's when I was like, 'I definitely need a drink.'"

For those clueless individuals out there, touching a black person's hair is normally a cultural no-no. And it really doesn't help Swift's image when she also makes music videos like this.

Word of advice, Taylor. Next time—just don't.

Miley, what's good?

That's what Nicki Minaj fans want to know, and they are bombarding Miley Cyrus' Instagram page until they get answers.

After the explosive encounter between the two pop divas at the VMAs this weekend, fans of Minaj have taken her infamous quote and are posting it non-stop on Miley's Instagram. And it is hilarious.

They just won't stop.

People need to know what is good, Miley.

Tell us what is good, Miley. You owe the world some answers.

As of press time, Miley had still not said what is good.

A 50-foot Norwood spruce in Reading, PA is the focus of ridicule this holiday season, with locals calling it "sad," "nasty," "pathetic," "ugly" and even comparing it to Charlie Brown's disaster of a tree.

"If there was a squirrel right now looking for a place to live in the Winter," said one resident. "It won't even go into this tree."

"I've never seen a tree look so horrible in all my life," said another person. "That tree is atrocious."

Don't hold anything back Reading...

As a result of all the outrage, city officials decided the thing needed to be put out of its misery, and after raising money from local businesses, it is scheduled to be replaced this week.

This ad might make you feel all warm and tingly inside, but some people are up in arms over it.

UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's, in partnership with The Royal British Legion, has released a new WWI-themed Christmas commercial for its store. It's based off of a series of unofficial, real-life ceasefires between those battling in the front lines on Christmas in 1914, showing both British and German soldiers briefly gathering together, sharing food, singing and playing football.

It's very moving, and visually stunning - as far as advertisements go - but the concept has people complaining that it's inappropriate to use the war to promote a supermarket.

"A story such as this has no place in an ad which, at its core, is urging you to buy your turkey and trimmings at Sainsbury's," writes Ellen Stewart for Metro.

Ally Fogg at the Guardian is calling it "a dangerous and disrespectful masterpiece."

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received over 200 complaints, and Neil Kelley, an advertising expert at Leeds Beckett University, told the Mirror that it made him feel "unclean."

The video, which premiered Wednesday, already has nearly 5 million views.

So what do you think? Tasteful or Tacky?

Yasssss, you read that right. Along with a number of justifiably obnoxious, overused words and phrases like "literally," "bae," and "turnt," Time's fourth annual poll titled "Which Word Should Be Banned in 2015?" also includes the word "feminist."

The post clarifies the nomination as follows:

"You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let's stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade."

The poll, while intended to be a lighthearted piece, has resulted in a bit of controversy online over that words' inclusion.

TIME thinks the word "feminist" should be banned? We think reductive attacks on feminism should be banned. #justsayin http://t.co/3pJMAs4SyD

— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) November 12, 2014

Washington Post writer Alyssa Rosenberg has a lengthy piece explaining why she thinks "Suggesting banning it is stupid on linguistic grounds, not just political ones."

Samantha Allen from the The Daily Beast goes even further to dub the poll both "sexist" and "racist."

And, as The Daily Dot points out, some users on 4Chan's /b/ board, who are infamous for regularly gaming year-end polls on Time, are using the site to rally votes to ban "feminist." 9gag is reportedly also trolling the poll.

And it seems to be working.

As of Thursday afternoon, "feminist" is winning with 50% of the votes, with "bae" in a distant second.
"OMG," "YOLO," and "twerk" were the previous winners.

I can't even with this.

This image has been circulating on Twitter with the hashtag #GoodellMustGo.

For reference, here is the original image:

This newly released video has developed quite the controversy. The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies has created this short clip that visualizes the warming of Earth over the past 60 years. Supporters of the Global Warming theory feel that the video is solid proof of a dangerous trend while skeptics argue that 60 years is too short of a time period to fully understand climate change.

While out on a dinner date with his husband earlier this week, Blake Loates from Alberta, Canada was shocked to find the words "You Retard" printed on the cap of her VitaminWater bottle. Outraged, Loates' father Blake, whose youngest daughter has been living with cerebral palsy and autism, then sent off an angry letter to Coca-Cola's board of directors to demand answers, to which the company responded with an apology to the Loates and an explanation that makes the story even more bizarre and incredulous. According to CocaCola Canada's spokesperson, the unfortunate wording on the cap was an unintended byproduct of a promo campaign that involves pairing up a random English word with a random French word, which by chance happened to be "retard," meaning "late" or "delayed."

The controversial Christian talk show host Pat Robertson has fallen victim to the Streisand Effect after unsuccessfully trying to get rid of a YouTube video clip in which he claims that San Francisco gay men with AIDS have been intentionally trying to spread the virus by cutting people with "special rings" on the pretext of shaking hands.

Like the rest of Scandinavian countries, Norway is usually known for its progressive-mindedness when it comes to gender equality, yet the country's leading brand of dairy products Prior has created a minor controversy after unveiling their latest line of gender-branded eggs, dubbed "Princess Eggs" and "Pirate Eggs" for boys and girls respectively and complete with bright pink and dark blue packagings. Despite the ridicule that the products have drawn, Prior's parent company Nortura defended the decision by saying that they didn't want to over-think it and simply wanted to get children to eat more eggs.