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The next time someone uses the R-word in front of you, quote NFL star Joe Haden. He nailed it.

"Open up your vocabulary, people."

Growing up, NFL star Joe Haden took one request from his parents to heart: "Protect your brother, Jacob."

It was a commitment that came to light back in 1998, when he was just 9 years old. Jacob, who was only 4 at that time, nearly drowned in a swimming pool.

Luckily, Joe was there to save him.

"Honestly, I didn't think for one second that he was gone," Joe told ESPN, which recently profiled the 26-year-old athlete. "I just wouldn't let myself even get to the thought."

GIF via ESPN.

Joe has always been a protective older brother to Jacob, who has a cognitive disorder.

In fact, they're each others' "#1." Jacob, whose disorder impairs his speech, gave Joe the nickname because Joe was born first. But Joe considers Jacob his #1 because he's a source of inspiration — on and off the field.

"Life wouldn't be the same without him," Joe told ESPN. He plays cornerback for the Cleveland Browns.

"That's kind of why, when I play, I play so hard, and I play with so much passion, emotion. Because I love the game and know my man, Jake — he can't do it. ... I'm playing for the both of us."

Inspired by his brother, this year Joe became the first NFL player to be named a Special Olympics global ambassador.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images.

The recognition has allowed Joe to bring visibility to people with disabilities during the 2015 Special Olympics, taking place July 25 through Aug. 2, 2015, in Los Angeles.

"Growing up, my brother had the opportunity to participate in the Special Olympics movement and through my involvement, I learned first-hand the tremendous value of playing sports with, and learning from, people with intellectual disabilities," Joe said in a statement.

The role has given him the opportunity to speak out on one word in particular that hits close to home.

Joe hasn't beaten around the bush when it comes to his thoughts on the R-word.

The word "retarded," which originated as a clinical description for a person with an intellectual or developmental disability, has devolved into slang often used to demean someone's intellect. Clearly, there's no reason to use the outdated term today.

That's no news to Joe. He made his take on the word very clear when he chatted with ESPN in July 2015:

(In case you're still wondering if there are certain situations in which the R-word is appropriate to use, this handy flow chart should help you out.)

Joe's message is part of a growing movement to end the R-word.

An online initiative launched in 2009, Spread the Word to End the Word, has garnered more than 570,000 signatures in support of eliminating "the derogatory use of the R-word from everyday speech." You can pledge your support here.

Thanks to groups like Spread the Word to End the Word and people like Joe, hearts and minds are changing.

A little bit of brotherly love can spark a lot of good.

GIF via ESPN.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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Pop Culture

Author is causing debate over theory that we've 'tricked' ourselves into loving lobster

"Lobsters are like diamonds. Bad product, great marketing."

via JasonKPargin/TikTok

Jason K. Pargin shares his controversial theory on lobster.

Novelist Jason K. Pargin has inspired an online food fight after his video about lobster received over 500,000 views on Tiktok and nearly 6 million on Twitter. Pargin believes that we’ve all been tricked into liking lobster and that people only like it because it’s considered high class.

Pargin is the author of the “John Dies at the End” and “Zoey Ashe” series and the former editor of Cracked.com.

"I don't think anyone actually enjoys eating lobster. I think they've just been convinced that it's a high-class food for a really specific reason,” Pargin says in his controversial video. He then describes how just a few centuries ago lobster was once used as prisoners' food and ground into fertilizer.

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Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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Pop Culture

This 1940s guide on 'how to be pretty' for teen girls has some surprisingly modern suggestions

In a resurfaced video from the 1940s, Mary Stuyvesant, a Ponds beauty consultant, spoke to a group of high school girls about "how to be pretty."

Glamourdaze/YouTube

1940s guide on "how to be pretty" is surprisingly modern.

Often, when we think of the 1940s and the messaging that was sent to women and girls back then, we tend to imagine lessons about how to get and keep a husband. But it turns out that all messaging wasn't the same and some girls were receiving a much more progressive message about their appearance.

In a resurfaced video from the 1940s, Mary Stuyvesant, a Ponds beauty consultant, spoke to a group of high school girls about "how to be pretty." Surprisingly, the advice is rather timeless and not at all focused on becoming the best wife and mother you can be, but on learning to care for yourself. Stuyvesant refers to your physical appearance as icing on a cake and that good icing tastes nice but the cake is the most important part.

She goes on to explain to the girls that who they are as people is the cake and that's the part that needs the most attention.

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Joy

Weatherman rescues a chicken in a blizzard and now they're an unlikely best friend duo

"Now that she's a part of the family, she's a total diva!"

The Dodo/YoutTube

Weatherman rescues a chicken in a blizzard and now they're friends.

There's a little-known saying that every weatherman needs a chicken. OK, it's little known because I totally just made it up, but you have to admit, it's just random enough to make you wonder if you missed out on a weird colloquialism. But in this case, it may be a new saying because weatherman David Neal found a stray chicken while reporting on a blizzard, and they've somehow become best friends.

The chicken, now named Penelope, was running around in the snowstorm while Neal was filming, so he tried to catch her so he could make sure she was warm. Penelope had other plans and gave Neal a literal run for his money. Eventually, with the help of a bystander who was likely as confused as the chicken, Neal was able to get Penny in his arms.

Of course, he had some explaining to do once the cameras were rolling again, and he handled it like the pro he is, holding a live chicken.

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Pop Culture

Taylor Swift wows fans by diving below the stage of her Eras Tour concert

Even non-Swifties agreed that this move was next level.

Today Info/Youtube

Taylor Swift "diving" below the stage of her Eras Tour concert

The highly anticipated, Ticketmaster-bustingTaylor Swift Eras Tour has officially begun. And it’s looking like the pop star is pulling out all the stops to deliver a heap of spectacle.

Case in point—a video from the “Anti-Hero” pop star's kick-off concert that’s making quite the splash online.

In a mesmerizing blend of live performance and hologram wizardry, audiences saw Swift, clad in a flowy red dress, dive into a pool built into the stage. She then swam across to emerge through waves in a shimmery jumpsuit, just before climbing a ladder and disappearing into a cloud.

Basically, it was like a romantic fairy tale brought to life.

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