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Forward William Eklund will miss the rest of the season after he had surgery this week to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, the San Jose Sharks announced Friday.

Eklund, 20, had the surgery Thursday in San Jose. Per the Sharks, Eklund is expected to be ready for the team’s next training camp in September.

Eklund, the Sharks’ top forward prospect, sustained the injury in the San Jose Barracuda’s game with the Colorado Eagles on March 22.

Eklund was injured in the second period when he fell to the ice in an awkward fashion following a puck battle with Colorado’s Nate Clurman. Eklund then slowly skated to the Barracuda’s bench, holding his arm, and did not return to the game.

Eklund played most of the season in the AHL but was recalled to the Sharks in early March and had three points in eight games. Eklund was officially returned to the AHL four days before his injury.

The Barracuda (27-32-1-4) are trying to secure a spot in the playoffs, as it entered Friday in eighth place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with 59 points, seven points back of both Tucson and Bakersfield with eighth regular season games remaining. The top seven teams in the Pacific Division make the postseason.

Eklund, who was drafted seventh overall by the Sharks in 2021, had 41 points in 57 games for the Barracuda this season. The team’s leading scorer, Andrew Agozzino, was just returned to the AHL on Thursday after he had three points in four games with the Sharks.

The Barracuda’s next games are tonight and Saturday on the road against the Texas Stars.

A tornado was spotted in Little Rock, and forced meteorologists with the local National Weather Service office there to evacuate.

Chun Woo-won meets relatives of those killed as troop crushed a student uprising in 1980.

Is it us, or is time flying? We blinked and it went from getting dark at 4 p.m. to the blissful post-daylight-savings dream of it still being light outside when leaving work. Let’s all let out a resounding huzzah as we thank the powers that be for lessening our seasonal depression and bestowing upon us the same glory and mercy that Gwyneth Paltrow is also currently enjoying post-trial-win. March is turning out to be a truly heavenly month. On top of celebrating Everything Everywhere All At Once stealing every Oscar with our own hot dog hands, we also explored how to achieve maximum resting potential during Sleep Week, and we’re gearing up for music festival season. It’s time for our March 2023 installment of What VICE Readers Bought This Month, so let’s delve into the stuff you guys went cuckoo-bananas over this month, before it’s April and we’re all stoned out of our minds.

It cums comes as no surprise that clit-sucking vibrators and Hoka Bondi 7s topped the list of things that VICE readers bought this month, because if there’s two things we know for sure, it’s that you guys love running and orgasms—keep up the good work. The rest of March’s best-sellers include pheromone perfume (for keeping things horny), a Japanese chef's knife for mastering absolutely everything from Ina Garten’s bibliography, and nipple covers for… covering nipples. Read on for more of the top products VICE readers bought in March 2023.

Reach your climax

In the words of Rec Room’s senior writer and resident sexpert Mary Frances Knapp, who reviewed Rosie, the rose-shaped clit-sucker from Tracy’s Dog, “it made my clit swoon.” On top of being, like, totally aesthetically pleasing and clit-charming, this pretty suction toy is also super lightweight, made from body-safe silicone, and incredibly travel-friendly (it fits in the palm of your hand).

If you’d rather hump your toys, no sweat—readers also went ham for the Ruby Glow massager from Rocks-Off, which offers 10 speeds for you to ride along with. While it’s not the most discreet toy, “this vibrator wants to be full-on straddled and have you just go at it,” writes Knapp.

Speaking of sex….dust

Maybe you’re familiar with Moon Juice and the lore of founder Amanda Chantal Bacon, Father John Misty, and a stolen crystal, but have you actually tried its popular wellness products? It turns out that Sex Dust actually slaps. After ingesting Sex Dust every day for a month, senior writer Mary Frances Knapp “went into this experiment feeling skeptical, but I found myself feeling not only hornier from the adaptogen blend, but more creative and even open-minded.” Her only caveat: The dust is quite earthy, so “it begets a banana and date smoothie, or some hot chocolate.” Noted.

Run like the wind

It’s no secret that you freaks LOVE sneaker brand Hoka—us too, mateys. There’s just something about those chunky, pillowy soles that fulfill both our aesthetic and physical needs. “When it comes to Hokas, the Bondi 7s are god’s gift to the running world,” writes Nicolette Accardi in her review of the Bondi 7s—which are (luckily) currently on sale.

Do you want that TOGO?

We love our readers. Y’all have exceptional taste in decor, even if you don’t have a Logan Roy-level budget. We’re with you, babes—we’re also squirreling away our tax return for our next big purchase, which will either be a glorious Togo sofa or Wassily chair dupe. VICE readers have been buying this sick Togo armchair lookalike like hotcakes, and we don’t blame you—it’s plush velvet, highly rated, and only around $1,000, a steal compared to a real Togo sofa’s price tag.

I love the way you smell

And so will every other hot single hottie at the bar, hardcore show, and famer’s market. Baddies everywhere will be coming up to you in droves because of that je ne sais quoi. Pssst…. It’s this TikTok-famous pheromone oil that comes in a convenient roll-on that you can stash in your purse, gym bag, or back pocket  whenever you need a little extra confidence boost. One of our staff writers took it for a test run, and the results were interesting to say the least.

You need to cut it

Fancy knives can get really pricey, but as most professional chefs and avid home cooks know, all you really need is one good knife to tackle everything from fileting fish to julienning vegetables—just make sure you keep it nice and sharp, and clean and dry it after each use. This tried-and-true Imarku knife is one of our top picks under $100, and apparently, one of yours, too.

No more nippin’ out

God, don’t you hate it when the A/C flicks on mid-meeting and you find yourself peeking through your shirt? Us, too, which is why comfortable, trusty-worthy nipple covers (a.k.a. pasties) are truly a god-send. Writer Becca Blasdel reviewed a bunch last summer in hopes of having a carefree, braless season, and it turns out pasties make it possible. The two brands that are still flying off the shelves? Bare Necessities Nippies and Bonamona nipple covers. ​

See you next month, and thanks for shopping [rips bong].

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

Trump and his defenders are priming his supporters to reject our legal system.

By Stephen McGrath and Vadim and Ghirda | Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania — Andrew Tate, the divisive internet personality who has spent months in a Romanian jail on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking, has won an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest, an official said Friday.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Tate’s appeal, which challenged a judge’s decision last week to extend his arrest a fourth time for 30 days, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT.

Tate, 36, a British-U.S. citizen who has 5.4 million Twitter followers, was initially detained in late December in Romania’s capital Bucharest, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women.

All four won an appeal Friday, and will remain under house arrest until Apr. 29, Bolla said. None of the four has yet been formally indicted. The court ruled in favor of their immediate release. Prosecutors cannot challenge the appeal court’s decision, which was final, Bolla added.

Tate, a professional kickboxer who has resided in Romania since 2017, was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech. He has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged their case is a “political” conspiracy designed to silence him.

DIICOT said in a statement after the December arrests that it had identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were allegedly subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and sexually exploited by members of the alleged crime group.

The agency said victims were lured with pretenses of love and later intimidated, placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the crime group.

In January, Romanian authorities descended on a compound near Bucharest linked with the Tate brothers and towed away a fleet of luxury cars that included a Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari and a Porsche. They reported seizing assets worth an estimated $3.9 million.

Prosecutors have said that if they can prove the cars’ owners gained money through illicit activities such as human trafficking, the assets would be used to cover the expenses of the investigation and to compensate victims. Tate unsuccessfully appealed the asset seizure.

Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

In the deadliest incident, a house and barn were swept into the sea on the island of Reinoya.

Enlarge / Deployment of LSPM junction box 1. (credit: IN2P3/CNRS)

In 1962, one of the world's first underwater research laboratories and human habitats was established off the coast of Marseilles, France, at a depth of 10 meters. The Conshelf 1 project consisted of a steel structure that hosted two men for a week.

Now, more than 60 years later, another underwater laboratory is being set up not far from Marseilles, this time to study both the sea and sky. Unlike the Conshelf habitat, the Laboratoire Sous-marin Provence Méditerranée (LSPM) won't be manned by humans. Located 40 km off the coast of Toulon at a depth of 2,450 meters, it is Europe’s first remotely operated underwater laboratory.

Physics under the sea

Currently, three junction boxes capable of powering several instruments and retrieving data are at the heart of LSPM. The boxes, each measuring 6 meters long and 2 meters high, are connected to a power system on land via a 42-kilometer-long electro-optical cable. The optical portion of this cable is used to collect data from the junction boxes.

Read 15 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Braise, sear, steam, strain, sauté, fry, and boil—there’s only one suave piece of cookware that comes to mind when we think of a single piece of cookware that can perform all those verbs: the cult-fave Always Pan from Our Place. You may be pondering why we’re kicking things off by describing all the wonderful things it can do in the kitchen. Well, first of all, we’ve tried (and loved) it, and furthermore, this eight-in-one kitchen workhorse (did we mention it also stores food?) is now 20% off for its Last Chance Sale.

This sale is sizzling, as there are only three colors left of this glorious 10-inch pan: the terracotta-pink Spice, handsome Blue Salt, and earthy Sage green. If you’re asking us, we’ll take one of each. Besides saving a whole $30 (grocery money!) off the original retail price, you can finally make yourself some eggs that won’t stick to your decade-old, crusty pan from Dad. Exciting!

One of our editors claims the cult-fave pan to be “the cookware Eames chair of the 2020s,” which should be enough to convince you that this is a must-have when it comes to functional design. Maybe the 4.6 star average and over 32,000 reviews on its website say it all. “I just told my wife yesterday (as I was cleaning our pan) that I never thought I could LOVE a pan,” one reviewer wrote. That's the only kind of emotional cheating we condone.

If you’ve never thought of yourself as a cook, perhaps the spruce steamer attachment will convince you to make tender xiao long bao that have the potential to be better than your secret dumpling spot in Chinatown (believe in yourself, young grasshopper). Super-long reusable chopsticks are even included—what more can you ask for???

You can also find other kitchen necessities on sale at Our Place, such as this gorg Walnut Cutting Board, this colorful glassware for sippin’ in mid-century-adjacent colorways, plates, and bowls for up to 28% off.

Our Place is being sneaky during its Last Chance Sale, since we have no idea when it ends. The Always Pan will only be 20% off for so long, so throw it in your virtual shopping cart fast if you want to do your kitchen some good.

Shop the entire Our Place Last Chance Sale here.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

For Teh Winz!

RuPaul's got a Build-a-Bear bear

https://boingboing.net/2023/03/30/rupauls-got-a-build-a-bear-bear.html

Who watches the watchmen? The Office of the Inspector General

Back in July 2020, then New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act into law, which required the New York Police Department to reveal how it uses surveillance technology and to formulate surveillance policies.…

I have this line in a Notes Widget on my desktop. Super handy sometimes.

Useful Symbols: ™ ® © 🄯 ° µ ⏻ ⏼ ☕ ⛾ ▢ ▣ ♪ ♫ ♬

Because 78% of Americans are fucking stupid, Low Information Consumers™, and have no idea what the hell is going on. And 90% of those fools will log on to Facebook today.

Washington CNN —
Half of Americans support a US government ban on TikTok, while 22% oppose the idea and more than a quarter are unsure, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Friday.

Its 1920s charisma gleams. This Colonial estate melds its newly transformed kitchen, primary-suite bathroom, family room and guest suite within this polished four-bedroom, three-bathroom period home.

This gorgeous home boasts molding, built-ins, decks, a level lawn and terraced grounds. 

Hardwood floors meet molding-embellished walls inset with built-ins and divided-light windows, including door arrays that usher in light and leafy outlooks.

The fireplace-enhanced living and dining rooms plus dine-in kitchen open to decks, level lawn, terraced grounds and office/fitness room.

Address: 747 Rosemount Road, Oakland
Price: $2,100,000
Website: 747Rosemount.com
Listing agent: Anthony Riggins DRE# 01372885 (510) 693-7931 anthony.riggins@sothebys.realty Sotheby’s International Realty

By Michael Rubinkam and Acacia Coronado | Associated Press

A woman pulled alive from the rubble of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory after an explosion that killed seven co-workers says flames had engulfed the building, and her arm, when the floor gave way beneath her. That might have been the end, if she hadn’t fallen into a vat of liquid chocolate.

The dark liquid extinguished her blazing arm, but Patricia Borges wound up breaking her collarbone and both of her heels. She would spend the next nine hours screaming for help and waiting for rescue as firefighters battled the inferno and choppers thumped overhead at the R.M. Palmer Co. factory.

“When I began to burn, I thought it was the end for me,” Borges, 50, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview from her hospital bed in West Reading, Pennsylvania, just minutes from the chocolate factory where she worked as a machine operator. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board planned to interview Borges on Friday.

The March 24 blast at R.M. Palmer killed seven of Borges’s co-workers and injured 10. Federal, state and local investigations are underway. A cause has not been determined, but the federal transportation safety agency has characterized it as a natural gas explosion.

Borges said she and others had complained about a gas odor about 30 minutes before the factory blew up. She is angry Palmer didn’t immediately evacuate. She said the deaths of her co-workers — including her close friend, Judith Lopez-Moran — could’ve been prevented.

Others workers have also said they smelled natural gas, according to their relatives. Palmer, a 75-year-old, family-run company with deep roots in the small town 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, has not responded to questions about the workers’ claims.

File photo: Patricia Borges was pulled alive from the rubble of the R.M. Palmer Co. factory, a chocolate factory in West Reading, Pa., after an explosion that killed seven co-workers. Associated Press photo from video

Speaking in Spanish over videoconference, her eyes bruised and her burned right arm heavily bandaged, Borges recounted her terrifying brush with death.

The factory was getting ready for a product switch that day, so instead of running a candy-wrapping machine as usual, she was helping to clean.

At 4:30 p.m., Borges told the AP, she smelled natural gas. It was strong and nauseated her. Borges and her co-workers approached their supervisor, asking “what was going to be done, if we were going to be evacuated,” she recalled.

Borges said the supervisor noted someone higher up would have to make that decision. So she got back to work.

Just before 5 p.m., the two-story brick building exploded.

Borges, who’d been on a ladder, was thrown to the ground. She heard screaming. There was fire everywhere, and the flames quickly overtook her. “I asked God why he was giving me such a horrible death,” she said. “I asked him to save me, that I didn’t want to die in the fire.”

She began to run. That’s when the floor gave way, and she could feel herself falling — into a long, horizontal tank of chocolate in the factory’s basement. At 4 feet, 10 inches tall, Borges landed on her feet in chest-high liquid.

The chocolate extinguished the flames, but she believes her fall is what broke her feet.

The vat began filling with water from firefighters’ hoses, eventually forcing Borges to climb out as it reached neck level. She sat on the lip of the tank, then jumped into a pool of water that had formed on the basement floor. Briefly submerged, Borges said she swallowed a mouthful of water before surfacing. She grabbed onto some plastic tubing.

And then she waited.

“Help, help, please help!” she yelled, over and over, for hours. No one came.

The pain grew more intense. The water was frigid. The main supply pipe for the building’s fire suppression system had ruptured — and water was pouring into the basement. She lost track of time but thought she might be there for days.

“The only thing I wanted was to get out of there,” she said.

Finally, in the middle of the night, she saw a light and screamed anew for help.

Search-and-rescue dogs had alerted their handlers that a survivor might be in the rubble. Now, as rescuers carefully worked their way down to the basement, they heard Borges’s cries.

Calling for quiet, the rescuers followed the sound of her voice. They found her in a tight space, in chest-deep water. She made her way to them and was placed in a litter.

“She was severely hypothermic and banged up,” conscious but “absolutely confused,” said Ken Pagurek, who helped lead rescue efforts as program manager of Pennsylvania Task Force 1, an emergency response team that deploys to disaster sites around the country.

“I think had they not gotten to her when they did, there was a very good chance the number of victims was going to be plus one,” said Pagurek, also a captain in the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Her rescue gave hope to first responders who already had pulled two bodies from the rubble in the hours after the blast. Rescuers spent two more days at the pile. They found five more bodies but no additional survivors.

Borges now faces surgery on both feet and a long recovery. Her family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her pay the bills.

Borges, who came to the United States 31 years ago from Puebla state in south-central Mexico, has worked at Palmer for four years. She said she’s seeking accountability.

“I wanted to speak so that this will be prevented in the future,” she said. “For my colleague Judy, I want there to be justice.”

Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania and Coronado reported from Austin, Texas.

A Florida teenager has documented how it feels to be young and transgender for a film set to debut at a festival as transgender people around the world celebrate visibility and lawmakers across the country look to restrict their rights and care.

The hush money scheme is part of a pattern of anti-democratic behavior.

SAN JOSE — Scores of affordable homes are being eyed in San Jose near the city’s primary major malls, a project that could sprout in what municipal officials hope is an emerging and vibrant new corridor.

The proposed project would add 94 affordable homes at the northeast corner of West San Carlos Street and Cleveland Avenue in San Jose, according to documents on file with city officials.

The development site has addresses ranging from 1921 through 1929 West San Carlos Street as well as 30 through 58 Cleveland Avenue, the planning documents show.

Los Angeles-based real estate firm Path Ventures, which is active in the development of affordable housing, has proposed the project.

PATH Villas on the Row, a 94-unit affordable housing development at the corner of West San Carlos Street and Cleveland Avenue, concept. (Steinberg Hart)

The developer intends to bulldoze five buildings at that corner to clear the way for the new project.

At present, the occupants of the buildings include merchants such as a piano store at 1921 West San Carlos.

“Path Villas at the Row is a 94-unit affordable, mixed-income housing development service families in the West San Carlos Urban Village Plan Area,” Path Ventures stated in its development proposal.

The proposed project is located a short distance from Westfield Valley Fair mall and Santana Row, both in San Jose.

Path Ventures envisions a project that could accommodate a wide array of future residents.

“The development contains a variety of unit sizes to accommodate families and individuals earning between 30% to 80% of the area median income,” Path Ventures stated in the project proposal. “The development also provides housing units and support spaces for individuals experiencing homelessness.”

The project also envisions potential retail uses in Path Villas on the Row.

“Commercial retail space is provided at the ground level facing West San Carlos Street at Cleveland Avenue, to activate the development’s corner,” Path Ventures stated in the proposal.

Students performing calls of the Thick Billed Raven, the Adélie Penguin and the Common Loon took the top three prizes Thursday night when Piedmont’s Bird Calling Show returned in person to the Alan Harvey Theater for its 54th annual contest following a three-year hiatus.

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Created in 1963 by Leonard Waxdeck, a biology teacher at Piedmont High School, the show grew into an annual event that over the decades has attracted local and national attention as winners have appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “The Arsenio Hall Show” and “Late Night with David Letterman.” Recently, a former Piedmont High student and participant demonstrated her skills on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.”

Though the contest has changed somewhat over the years — it faced cancellation in 1996 as interest waned before its first resurrection in 1997 — its spirit and traditions have been carried on by the many who share in a spirit of innovation.

Students spent weeks and months perfecting their bird calls and were judged based on three criteria:

Authenticity of call — the judges will act as the show’s experts to certify each bird call’s authenticity.

Poise and delivery — stage presence and smoothness of delivery are considered. The beauty and singularity of the bird call are essential.

Content of introduction — contestants must write their own “sketches.” Each sketch should include pertinent information about their bird. The information should be organized, well-composed and in good taste. Humor can be a plus or minus, depending on how appropriate it is.

Charlotte Mascola, left, and Clio Salzer, who won first place for their performance on the Thick Billed Raven, participate during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Isabella Wire, left, and Lulu Tschider, who won second place for their performance on the Adelie Penguin, participate during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Isabelle Myers performs the sounds and body language of the California Gull during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Isabelle Myers performs the sounds and body language of the California Gull during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Piedmont High School Jazz Quartet perform during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Ray Gentleman, left, Clio Salzer, and Charlotte Mascola react after winning first place for their performance on the Thick Billed Raven during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Megan Foster acknowledges the audience after winning third place for a performance on the Common Loon during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Lulu Tschider, left, and Isabella Wire react after winning second place for their performance on the Adelie Penguin during the 54th Bird Calling contest at the new Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

"He's going to be arrested, fingerprinted, read his Maranda Rights ... imagine his surprise when he finds out he had the right to remain silent."
-- Jimmy Kemmel 😂