Some great motivation for those who think they won't be able to follow through. via Karen X

Russian-born Kazakhstani pro tennis player Yulia Putintseva apologized for her shady treatment of a U.S. Open ball girl who was trying to pass her new tennis balls on the court during the third round play.
In viral clips, the world No. 27 player seemingly signaled to the ball girl to supply her with new balls, but Putintseva stood motionless, with her arms down to the side, and let two of the thrown balls bounce off her body without bothering to go after them.
Putintseva finally caught the ball on the third attempt and strode over to snatch the other off the ground before resuming her losing streak against Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Spectators interpreted her behavior as disrespectful, and jeered and booed at Putintseva.
You can watch a clip here.
She was under fire online for the awkward moment with the unnamed ball girl.
On Saturday, Putintseva issued a statement of apology on her Instagram story and chalked up her bizarre display to misdirected resentment.
She wrote:
“I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was when she was giving me balls.”
“Honestly speaking it was not about her. I was really pissed at myself by not winning the game from the break point and then got empty with my emotions and deep in my thoughts, that I was not even focusing on whats going on and who gives me the ball … "
"All the ball kids [were] doing amazing as always at the open.”
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Some thought expressing regret online wasn't sufficient.
But an apology is still an apology and it should exonerate her from further ridicule, right?
Well, not everyone thought so.
Others thought it best to leave what's done in the past.
Putintseva's apology came hours after her elimination from the U.S. Open for losing 6-3, 6-4 to Paolini.
Billionaire Elon Musk is facing criticism after sharing a post that claims "women and low T men" shouldn't have any decision-making power in government.
The rant, initially posted on 4chan and later shared as a screenshot on X by the right-wing account Autism Capital, rehashes misogynistic talking points while mocking low-testosterone men:
“People who can’t defend themselves physically (women and low T men) parse information through a consensus filter as a safety mechanism. They literally do not ask ‘is this true’, they ask ‘will others be OK with me thinking this is true.’”
“Only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people (hey autists!) are actually free to parse new information with an objective ‘is this true?’ filter. This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making.”
“Democratic, but a democracy only for those who are free to think.”
Musk shared it, saying:
"Interesting observation."
You can see his post below.
He was swiftly called out.
The account that shared the initial post dubbed its unfounded theory as “the Reich effect,” seemingly alluding to Robert Reich, a prominent Musk critic and former Labor Secretary, who stands at 4 feet, 11 inches due to a genetic disorder affecting bone growth.
Reich, who served under former President Bill Clinton, recently said that Musk is "out of control," noting that Musk's wealth and status does not at all mean that "we’re powerless to stop him."
He urged people to boycott Tesla and suggested Musk should face more serious consequences for his behavior, saying regulars "around the world should threaten Musk with arrest if he doesn’t stop disseminating lies and hate on X."
Russian-born billionaire and Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France late last month on criminal charges stemming from alleged insufficient content moderation on Telegram and his refusal to cooperate with police, which facilitated the spread of criminal activity.
1st Lieutenant Jimmy McCain ripped into former President Donald Trump following reports that two of Trump's staffers "verbally abused and pushed" an Arlington National Cemetery official who attempted to stop them from filming in an area with recent U.S. military casualties.
Jimmy McCain, the youngest son of the late Arizona Republican Senator John McCain who has served in the military for 17 years, said the Trump campaign's conduct "blows me away" in remarks to CNN:
"It just blows me away. These men and women that are laying in the ground there have no choice [of whether or not to be associated with a political campaign]."
“I just think that for anyone who’s done a lot of time in their uniform, they just understand that inherently — that it’s not about you there. It’s about these people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country.”
Jimmy McCain opined that the Arlington episode marks a new low in what he sees as Trump’s disrespect for the fallen:
"Many of these men and women, who served their country, chose to do something greater than themselves. They woke up one morning, they signed on the dotted line, they put their right hand up, and they chose to serve their country. And that’s an experience that Donald Trump has not had. And I think that might be something that he thinks about a lot.”
McCain’s anger over the incident was especially intense because it occurred right after he returned from a seven-month deployment to Tower 22, a small US base on the Jordan-Syria border. He arrived there shortly after three U.S. service members were killed in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants, and those fallen comrades were on his mind when he saw Trump posing in front of gravestones last Monday.
He said:
“It was a violation. That mother, that sister, those families, see that — and it’s a painful experience.”
Jimmy McCain—who recently changed his voter registration to Democratic and said he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November's election—is particularly angry given Trump's prior attacks on his father.
Trump notoriously mocked the late Arizona Senator's injuries that came from his five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from 1967 to 1973 and resulted in his inability to move his arms above his head for the rest of his life.
In 2015, Trump, then a presidential candidate, infamously said that McCain was "not a war hero" because "he was captured" and "I like people who weren’t captured."
Senator McCain, in response, mocked Trump's multiple draft deferments, pointing to wealthy Americans who were able to get out of being drafted into service. During his lifetime, the Senator was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his military service.
Jimmy McCain said:
“John McCain was my father, and a lot of people lose that in the minutia. He wasn’t ‘John McCain’ the way he is to the world. He was the man who loved me. And the one thing I’ve known about my dad since the moment I could think, was that he was a good man and that he had done his part."
"And for me to be with him towards the end of his life, hearing things [from Trump] like, he was a loser because he was captured—I don’t think I could ever overlook that.”
Many praised the younger McCain for speaking out.
Trump has a history of disrespecting members of the military, particularly, as he put it, the "suckers and losers" who die in combat.
A 2020 report from The Atlantic revealed that Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018. At the time, four individuals with direct knowledge of the situation said that Trump declined the visit due to concerns about his hair being affected by the rain and a lack of importance placed on honoring American war dead.
During discussions with senior staff members on the morning of the planned visit, Trump questioned the necessity of visiting the cemetery, referring to it as "filled with losers." Additionally, on the same trip, he reportedly referred to the over 1,800 marines who perished at Belleau Wood as "suckers" for losing their lives.
Trump made headlines this month for claiming the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, is actually "better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest military honor, since civilians don't have to die or be wounded to receive it.
In fact, Trump said the Presidential Medal of Freedom he gave to billionaire donor Miriam Adelson is "much better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor given to wounded or dead members of the U.S. military.
Adelson is estimated to be the fifth richest woman in America with a net worth of $27.7 billion. She and her late husband Sheldon Adelson were Trump’s most significant financial supporters during his presidency. They made the largest contributions to his 2016 campaign, his presidential inauguration, his defense fund during the Mueller investigation into Russian interference, and his 2020 campaign.
Australian Paralympic runner Jaryd Clifford said he was "devastated" after being stripped of his bronze medal in the T13 5000-meter final for vision-impaired athletes.
Clifford took to Instagram to share his heartbreak after it was determined that the tether to his guide Matt Clarke was released just shy of the finish line, resulting in disqualification.
He wrote:
“I’m absolutely devastated that we made such a critical mistake out there today."
"Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule in guiding and I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those final metres."
"I felt good, I have so much more to give and I promise I’ll bring everything I’ve got for the 1500m on Tuesday."
Clifford then thanked all of his fans and loved ones for their outpouring of support.
"I’m feeling so much love, I’ve got a great team of people around me."
"Sport can be a cruel beast at times, but the tough times are what make the good times so great."
The three-time Paralympic medalist finished his post by expressing his gratitude for his guides Tim Logan, who ran with him the first 2000 meters, and Clarke.
"Couldn’t be prouder to have worn the Australian singlet alongside my best mates @timlogann and @mattiiclarke ❤️"
Viewers of the post shared Clifford's heartbreak.
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But they applauded him for a race well run, nonetheless.
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Unfortunately, Clifford barely missed out on a bronze yet again on Tuesday, coming in fourth by just .01 of a second in the 1500-meter final.
Clifford previously took home two silvers and a bronze from Tokyo and broke the world record for the T12 1500-meter event in 2021.
After the 1500, he told reporters:
“It’s almost so ridiculous that it’s funny."
“I get DQ’d in the last meter and [miss bronze again by] 0.01. It’s crazy that it’s three years of work and the last meter of both races can define all of that."
"It’s pretty brutal."
We're just gutted for him, but we're glad he's taking it all in stride.
I live in a very remote, rural area, so there aren't a lot of celebrities walking about.
I've met Stephen King, Lea DeLaria and a number of politicians, but that's pretty much it.
People who go to cons are more likely to have rubbed elbows with my idols, but my introvert self thinks going to the post office is way too "peopley."
My few interactions were entirely positive—and do are many other people's.
Reddit user guyute2112 asked:
"Who’s the nicest famous person you’ve met?"
"I was a sophomore in high school and my girlfriend and I decided to go to Spooky World [Halloween theme park in Massachusetts]. Some of our friends had told us that Kevin Bacon was there, but we didn't believe them."
"So we're walking by the food vendors when my girlfriend says, 'OMG, I want some fries!'."
"A man in hat and sunglasses holding some hears her, walks over to us, and hands her a heaping fry stack. We didn't really know how to react."
"We kind of just stared. He takes off his glasses and lifts up his hat, and there he is. Kevin F*cking Bacon."
"He says, 'Don't worry, my family has plenty', smiles, and walks away. Kevin Bacon is one cool dude."
~ SexyFaith4365
"The late Brittany Murphy. I met her by accident outside the Today Show as a child. I told her my name was Brittany too, spelled like her."
"She asked my zodiac sign and I told her. Later, outside TRL studios, I saw her again waiting to meet the musical guest."
"She said, 'Brittany the Gemini!' And we laughed."
"We took a photo together on a disposable film camera. She was so sweet and so personable."
"I think of her so often. Gone way too soon."
~ Brittanyballin
"George Takei. He is the real deal. My interaction was via social media—so I didn't meet him in person, but I left with the impression he's very intelligent, but warm and friendly."
~ BoringBob84
"Admittedly I haven't met many famous people, but I went out of my way to attend a signing by him at my local comic/game store. He stuck around for well after he was scheduled for to make sure everyone in line got a chance to meet him."
"It's not much, but he shook my hand and took a photo with me despite my not having enough money for an autograph at the time."
"I'm straight, but very supportive of the LGBT community and really appreciate the activist work he does. Being a huge nerd helps, of course."
"Anyway, he struck me as just a very genuine and kind person. Was a lovely experience."
~ prophaniti
"Met him in New York City about 35 years ago when I was 12 or so. I still remember it. Such a warm and friendly guy."
~ tadhg555
"Yes! We just met him recently and had the opportunity to get to know him and his husband, Brad, a bit. Super nice, thoughtful and gracious and down to earth."
~ in_a_cloud
"Celine Dion. Just one of the nicest. I was in a wheelchair at the time, but wanted to stand to get a picture with her."
"She made sure I was OK and wouldn’t fall. Then afterwords she helped me back in my chair and told my husband 'you make sure you take good care of her'."
"I’ve met some of her family by chance. They are all just so sweet and nice, all around great people."
~ Infiniti_Blue
"Yes!! She will sit out and sign autographs and take pics with fans forever."
"When I met her I was so shaken up and was having trouble with my phone camera and she just lightly massaged my arm and said, 'it’s OK, take your time' and was just the sweetest—took time for all the fans."
"She is also notorious for doing this sometimes for hours when she is in Paris outside her hotel—so many videos of her singing with fans, putting on mini concerts."
"Just the sweetest angel."
~ Cevansj
"'Weird' Al Yankovic. I got the chance to interview him for my little podcast many, many years ago."
"His manager told me I had 10 minutes. I asked my questions and I wrapped the show. And I said I’ll get out of your hair."
"He said it was cool and we just sat around and talked about music, and all kinds of stuff for almost a half hour. It was a very surreal experience talking to someone I had listened to basically my whole life."
"He then gave me a backstage pass to come back after the show, which I did! I was last in the after show line as I guess there was a contest or something."
"Even after performing a full show, meet and greets for almost an hour, he remembered my name, took a few more photos and said he loved all the questions I asked. And asked for a link to the show and my email address."
"It was an amazing experience, and Al is a genuinely nice guy and generous with his time. 11/10 would do again!"
~ Lazer310
"Victoria Beckham. Met her at a meet-and-greet in London."
"She was promoting her clothes. I was there because of working catering."
"She's really nice, said hello to everybody, genuinely thanked each of us for helping and for our time."
"Was not stuck up at all."
~ tourmaps
"Patton Oswalt at O'Hare airport."
"I was sitting in a lounge and saw someone walking by, thought it kind of looked like him and as he got closer, realized it was him."
"Now, lots of people say that I look like him and my wife is kind of obsessed with it, and I've been a huge fan of his going back to his earliest HBO comedy special."
"I didn't want to be that guy, to make a scene in the lounge, so I waited a bit and then decided to slip him a note. Said I was a fan, thanked him for the laughs, told him wife thinks we're doppelgangers."
"A few minutes later, he gets up to get a drink and some snacks and as he walks back, he turns and walks straight up to me and says 'oh, my god, we are. We should not be seen together like this often'."
"He was great, we had some laughs about it, took some pictures. I told him of a time when I'd had an intoxicated woman come up to me and insist I was him and there was NOTHING I could do to convince her otherwise."
"He told me that as long as I was nice to people and didn't get him cancelled, I should totally have fun with it if it happened again and send him pictures."
"10/10 encounter. He was pretty much exactly like anything you've ever seen him in, just a nice and genuine guy."
~ mickstranahan
Considering Season 3 GIF by PortlandiaGiphy
"Coincidentally enough, Kamala Harris. I work in hospitality and she came to visit a guest who was staying at my hotel in early 2020 before she was Vice President."
"It was my job to escort her to the room. It was just me and her—no security—and I let her know I admired her work as a Senator, so she opened up."
"I’d just moved to DC and she couldn’t have been nicer. Asked how I liked the city, how my family was, and recommended places to visit in DC."
"At the end of the night, she called a yellow cab and left without any fanfare."
~ livingINtomorrow
"Tom Hiddleston. Ran into him in a bookstore in London, of all places. I was peeking through some shelves and there he was, just browsing quietly."
"I hesitated to approach him because you never want to be intrusive, you know? But I noticed he picked up a novel I absolutely loved."
"After a bit of an internal battle, I mustered the courage to just say, 'That’s an amazing book, hope you enjoy it as much as I did'."
"He looked up, his eyes brightened and he gave me the warmest smile. 'I’ve heard good things. Any other recommendations?' he asked."
"We ended up talking about books and theatre for a good half an hour. He was incredibly polite, eloquently spoken and genuinely interested in my thoughts."
"I walked away with a few book recommendations from him as well, and he insisted on paying for my book as a thank-you for the chat."
"Never made me feel like he was in a rush, never seemed anything less than delighted to talk. Absolute gentleman."
~ BlossomKellsey
"Dolly Parton. But a ton of people can say that, I suppose."
"'You want a picture, sweetheart?'."
"'Yes, ma’am, I do'."
~ SamDBeane
"My kiddo gets a book every month thanks to her."
~ HyperrrMouse
"I used to see Dolly Parton at the Pennyfeathers restaurant in West Hollywood a very long time ago. I would eat there often with my boyfriend and she always made eye contact, smiled and said hello."
"She radiated niceness. Always thought she found my boyfriend cute."
"And 40 years later...she looks exactly the same. Has not lost that bright shiny spark."
~ EtDemainPeutEtre
"I’ve met her. Probably the most famous person I’ve met. And she was sooooooooooooooo nice."
"I rounded a tight corner back stage at the Grand Ole Opry one night when she was playing. She rounded the same corner. From the other direction."
"BAM!"
"We ran into each other. She apologized profusely. Then chatted me up."
"She was not only kind. She. Was. Stunning. Wow!"
"Like, she made my knees buckle. Other than my wife, no woman has ever taken my breath away like that."
~ Annual-Visual-2605
GIF by Dolly PartonGiphy
"Hugh Jackman, it was like talking to someone you’ve known for ages, very friendly."
~ hollyjazzy
"My exact experience. I worked on the set of X-Men 2 for like a month."
"He was like your cool uncle who is your mom's younger brother and he asks you all the cool questions about sports and movies and hobbies when you see him at Christmas each year."
"I met quite a few famous actors while working in the industry for a few years in Vancouver in the early 2000s and he was the best of the lot."
"Spoke to him briefly, but daily, for the entire month, and each time, he was just like I said—your cool uncle."
"It's really the best way I can describe him. He loved to poke fun in that Aussie loving way."
~ Culzean_Castle_Is
"Lady Gaga—by happy coincidence, I was having drinks with a friend at the Dublin hotel she was staying at while touring."
"I didn’t recognize her initially, as she was dressed in a pretty low-key way until she stood up to leave the bar, and her security guys got up too."
"We said hello, and she talked with us for a solid 5-10 minutes about Dublin and where is good to visit. She was so sweet."
"When we went to leave the hotel bar later, we went to clear our tab and discovered it had already been paid for."
~ Big-Preparation-9641
"I met Robin Williams a bit more than 20 years ago. He was performing a stand up show. My wife—back then she was my girlfriend—was with me and I convinced her to go around back of the theater after the show to see if he came out."
"After about 10 minutes, Robin appeared. He was still soaked in sweat and looked absolutely and completely tired as hell. Looked like he could barely walk."
"But he was so soft and gentle. Several people just wanted to talk to him and tell him how much he meant to them."
"He stood and listened to every word and never broke his gaze on them. He was gracious and utterly just kind."
"I got an autograph and a picture with him. Unfortunately it was before smart phones so no video and it was a film camera."
"And I even made him laugh quite heartily when I made a joke at the expense of my girlfriend. It was that loud explosive laugh that we all remember and it’s one of the highlights of my life."
"Just a beautiful, kind, and gentle man."
~ Size14-OrangeDiver
"Kate Bush. I waited for her outside a radio station in the rain when she came to NY after the Hounds of Love release."
"I was originally going to get my album signed when she was at Tower Records earlier, but the line was around the block."
"She came out with an army of handlers who were desperately trying to rush her along into the car. I said, 'Hi Kate! Would you sign my record please?'."
"She said, 'Of course love!' She grabs my pen and says, 'Who's it for?'."
"I said, 'Me!' She said, 'Do you want me to write...To me?'."
"We laughed and I told her my name. She asked me how I liked the record and I told her I loved it but The Dreaming was my favorite."
"She thought that was hilarious. I have to say that I've never seen a more striking face that close before."
"I was an absolute stuttering idiot, and she was so nice."
~ SkeevyRay
"Paul Rudd. Went out of his way to be super kind to me and my friend, gave us autographs and pictures and chatted for a long time, and even offered to share a cab back down to Times Square—which, of course, we said yes to."
"1000/10 amazing human being."
~ StepRightUpMarchPush
"Agree. I was working at an event with the entire cast of Avengers: Endgame, and I was pretty nervous. Paul came and asked me to make him a Moscow mule, and saw how bad my hands were shaking."
"This man, hard eye contacts me, and very, very gently touches my hand to pause me making his drink."
"He says, 'Heyyyyyy....., I'm sure you are terrified about now, but I used to do exactly what you're doing, and we're just people. Just people. Except Gwyneth. She kinda sucks. You want a hug?'."
"I almost burst into tears from the comic relief, and Paul busts out laughing. I took the hug."
~ Pandoras_Fate
You never know who you might have a chance encounter with! Be sure to bring a pen, paper, and positive attitude if you happen upon one of your favorite celebrities.