United Methodist delegates voted Thursday to make the denomination‚ which has skewed leftward in the wake of mass defections by conservative-leaning congregations‚ more gay- and LGBTQ-friendly. By a 523-161 vote‚ delegates to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church meeting in Charlotte‚ North Carolina‚ voted to drop a decadeslong definition of marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman and struck language saying homosexual practice “is incompatible with...

United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality ... incompatible with Christian teaching” — part of a wider series of historic reversals of the denomination’s longstanding disapproval of LGBTQ activity. The historic vote came as delegates also approved a new definition of marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith” while recognizing the couple may or may not involve a man and a...

Robert Blain‚ a Houston public high school teacher‚ saw many friends leave the United Methodist Church in recent years because of the denomination's ban gay clergy. But on Wednesday‚ Blain celebrated when reading news posted on X that the majority of UMC delegates at the annual General Conference in Charlottesville‚ N.C. agreed to remove a 40-year-old rule forbidding &;quot;self-avowed practicing homosexuals&;quot; from taking leadership positions in the church. The group also...

A forensics student named Alex recently shared vital information on TikTok that all women should know. She detailed the specific signs male predators are looking for when they choose a victim. Her video is based on a 2013 study entitled “Psychopathy and Victim Selection: The Use of Gait as a Cue to Vulnerability.” For the study‚ researchers interviewed violent criminals in prison and asked them the type of women they’d be most likely to victimize. The study found that the criminals all agreed that how the woman walked was a deciding factor.“What the selected women all had in common was the way that they walked and how they generally held themselves in public‚” Alex says in the video she later deleted but has been shared broadly across the platform. @gatita_bunee How to walk for your safety&;#33; #women #safety #tips #walking #kidnapping #murder #attacks #fyp “The selected women all had a similar ‘awkwardness’ to the way that they walked and carried themselves‚” she continued. “The first part of the woman had a gait that was a little bit too small for their body‚ which resulted in smaller steps‚ slower speed and their arms more typically to their sides‚ or crossed‚ as well as their heads being down and not really taking in their general surroundings‚ which indicated three different things to these potential attackers.”The woman’s body language signaled to attackers that she was fearful and anxious and because her head was down‚ she'd be easier to surprise. Alex then described the second type of woman the criminals said they’d target.“On the other hand‚ the other part of the women that were selected had a gait that seemed a bit too big for their body and their arms tended to flail to the sides and seemed just overly awkward‚” Alex continued.The woman with the bigger gait signaled to potential attackers that she may be clumsy and won’t put up a good fight. “Because their arms were out and flailing to the side‚ it left the lower body open to‚ again‚ come around and grab them‚” she said.​The video was helpful because Alex also discussed the types of women the attackers wouldn’t pursue. Alex says these women “walked with a gait that tended to be more natural to their body.” She adds they moved at the same pace as those in the immediate area‚ with their shoulders back and chins up and asserting a general sense of confidence.“Essentially‚ the women that were not selected gave off an energy that said‚ ‘Don’t mess with me. I will put up a good fight.’ And that’s why they weren’t selected‚” Alex said. “I know that it sounds silly‚ but something as simple as the way you walk or the way that you carry yourself in public could determine the likelihood that you become a target of a predator.”Alex concluded her video by sharing an acronym that can help prevent women from being victimized while in public: STAAR.S(tride) — Walk with a natural stride to your body and not too far apart or short.T(all) — Stand tall. Keep your shoulders back and your chin up. Assert a natural confidence and dominance to those around you.A(rms)—Swing your arms naturally by your sides‚ avoiding keeping them too close to your body or flailing out of your natural range of motion.A(wareness) — Stay aware of your surroundings. Take notice if something feels or looks off.R(elax): Stay cool‚ calm‚ and collected and don’t indicate to a potential attacker that you feel or see something is wrong.

As every parent knows‚ kids have energy for days‚ and figuring out how to channel and focus that energy to preserve your home and your sanity can be a formidable challenge. Sending kids outside when they're bouncing off the walls usually works‚ but that's not always an option. Often when kids are stuck inside‚ we resort to screens (which can overstimulate their sensory system) or calm indoor games (which don't stimulate their energetic bodies). Both have their place but aren't great for getting the wiggles out. That's why parents are loving a viral video that demonstrates 30 simple‚ fun parent-child activities and games‚ combining full-body movement with fun challenges that stimulate both the body and the brain. The video‚ shared on Facebook by Simple Life‚ has 55 million views and thousands of comments from parents praising the way it shows parents and kids doing fun‚ healthy‚ educational activities together without a screen in sight. And the best part is that most of them require simple props parents likely have around the house or that are easy and inexpensive to find. For instance‚ in one game‚ a parent stands on a stool and tosses a tissue for a child to catch. Super simple‚ but tissues fall in unpredictable ways‚ so it requires a child to use their hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes.Another example is a parent facing away from a child and tossing soft balls or stuffed animals behind them‚ with the child catching the items in a basket. Again‚ super simple‚ but builds gross motor coordination. Watch:Such whole body games can help children through important developmental stages‚ encouraging things like bilateral and midline-crossing movements‚ which are activities that requires kids to reach across their body. It may seem like a simple movement‚ but according to occupational therapist Colleen Beck‚ if a child has difficulties with crossing the midline‚ they will demonstrate challenges in almost every functional task. Games like those shown in the video also help kinesthetic learners‚ who learn best through movement and tactile activities. Kinesthetic learners retain information primarily by doing‚ rather than seeing or hearing. But all kids benefit from a variety of teaching approaches‚ so these active‚ hands-on games that double as skills practice are good for everyone. So many of the activities in this video are brilliantly simple‚ but things most of us simply wouldn't have thought of. Dropping tiles down a wall for kids to catch&;#63; Having them pick up balls with their feet&;#63; Who would think&;#63; Even the balloon bum-wiping lesson in the beginning is a good way to simulate a vital skill. Notice how the woman demonstrates how to fold the toilet paper&;#63; A good first step for teaching a child personal hygiene. Finally‚ these ideas offer ways to bond with your kids in fun‚ active ways that also sneakily teach skills and encourage strong physical development. Kids get to practice accuracy‚ speed and agility‚ parents get to watch their kids improve‚ and everyone has a good time doing it. And a bonus in the digital age: No screens involved. It doesn't get any more win-win than that.