Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night in a fiery speech that laid out a worker-oriented, populist vision for Democratic governance. Pointing to the dire state of the country in 2020, he touted the administration’s COVID record, arguing that it was proof that “when the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for our country.” Now, he suggested, there is something wrong with the way the U.S. is run, arguing that there are too many Americans struggling to make ends meet. Instead, in perhaps a subtle critique of the current administration, he proclaimed that “we need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class.”  Sanders argued that Democrats must prioritize broad social welfare initiatives, including expanding access to healthcare, cutting prescription drug costs, raising the minimum wage, promoting union membership, strengthening public education, and guaranteeing that every American can attend college. In a direct rebuke to Democratic Party elites that rebuffed his campaign in 2016, he asserted that the time has come to get big money out of the American political process. “Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections,” he said, “including primary elections!” Sanders’s speech was notable for the relative absence of both of the main political characters of the day. Neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris featured prominently in his address, although he did direct a jab at the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Instead, he kept his vision for a new Democratic Party firmly in the spotlight. He ended his speech with a call for Democrats to stand up against wealth and power at home and abroad—at home, by enacting the populist economic policies he laid out in his speech, and abroad by working to “end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages, and demand an immediate cease-fire.”  As he pronounced those words, a number of pro-Palestinian protestors outside of the convention were being led away under arrest by Chicago police forces. The post Bernie Sanders Touts Populist Vision at the DNC appeared first on The American Conservative.

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A significant part of adulthood is realizing that many uncomfortable truths are indeed real, even if we wish they weren’t. At first, these harsh truths may dampen our spirits and make us feel that the world is a bit colder.However, understanding some of life's hard lessons opens us up to greater possibilities and can help us overcome the obstacles holding us back. Harsh truths help us realize when relationships aren’t as great as they can be. They also prevent us from having too much faith in people and institutions that will ultimately disappoint us. Knowing dark truths can also help us appreciate the things that are truly beautiful, honest and good.A Redditor named Rare_Can_5418 asked the AskReddit forum, “What difficult truths, the sooner you accept them, the better your life will be?” and received over 6,500 responses. Many of them were centered around harsh truths about relationships and the fact that even if we do our best in life, we can still end up with the short end of the stick.The key is to keep going and never let failure get you down.Here are 15 of the “difficult truths” that made people’s lives a lot better.1. Stop comparing yourself"There will always be someone better looking, better educated, younger, more experienced, more intelligent or wealthier than you. Do your best, live without regret, have empathy and kindness, give when you can, expecting nothing in return. Focus on your heart value more than what others have.""Comparison is the thief of joy."2. Some people won't like you"You can be sweetest, juiciest peach on the tree. But some people don't like peaches.""In Spanish, there's a saying: 'Nadie es moneda de oro para que lo quiera todo el mundo,' which translates to something like nobody is a gold coin to be liked/wanted by everyone else."3. Things are just things"They don’t have feelings. They don’t care if you give them away or sell them or throw them out. If a thing is useful, keep it. If not, get rid of it."Psychologists refer to perceiving that inanimate objects have feelings as anthropomorphizing. Psych Central says that humans project feelings onto objects to relate to them more deeply. "People generally anthropomorphize to make sense of events and behaviors they experience. Further, attributing emotions, attitudes, mental states, faces, and values to non-human things can help you feel connected to something," Sarah Barkley writes in a PhD-reviewed article.4. Not all friendships last"Surprisingly though, the ones that last are not necessarily the best (or even good) ones.""Most friendships are based on convenience, I've found. Unless two people are willing to put in a lot of effort, time and distance will do more to end a friendship than any disagreement."5. You may be the bad guy"You can do your best with someone and still be the villain in their story.""One of my current favourite memes is: I don't care if I'm the villain in your story, you're the clown in mine."6. You can't change people"You can only help people who actually want it. If they’re not ready to change or put in the effort, there’s not much you can do. Realizing this can save you a lot of frustration and help you focus on people who actually appreciate your help.""It’s always tough having those friends who are constantly complaining but doing nothing to address what they are complaining about. But as an adult, you just have to sit there and listen. No point in offering help to someone who isn’t asking for it. Kinda like how it’s really tough to teach someone who isn’t interested in being taught."7. How we judge"We judge ourselves by our intentions. We judge others by their actions.""In psychology, this is called fundamental attribution error."The Fundamental Attribution Error is a psychological phenomenon where we assume someone's actions reflect their personality without considering the situation. It's like when we blame someone's driving skills for being in an accident instead of the curvy road. 8. Depending on people"Once you're an adult, there really isn't anyone you can 100% depend on except yourself. There will still be people in your life to lean on, but everyone has their limits in how they can help you."9. Nice doesn't equal good"Nice people aren't always good people.""One of my bosses doesn't greet/make small talk and is known for being quite firm. He's been the most helpful throughout my most difficult period dealing with tragedy. Some people with that personality type simply get things done when you need them done without the chattering."10. Everything is temporary"You can suddenly lose anything and anyone at any time...and maybe all at once or in quick succession without so much warning."11. Nobody is thinking about you"In general, people in the real world are oblivious to you. You're not even a blip on their radar. If you're insecure about something you wear or how you look, remember: nobody cares."12. No one is coming to save you"No one is coming to save you, so you have to do it all yourself.""And once you internalize this and do it, your self-esteem will be through the roof."13. Nobody knows what they're doing"Before i graduated high school I thought, thank god, I finally won’t have to deal with annoying obnoxious kids and I’ll be treated like an adult, I come to find out 95% of adults are worse then the actual kids, nobody knows what they’re actually doing and life is actually a big joke."14. Love is reciprocal"If a romantic interest is not giving you the same attention/respect you give them, they don't really care about or want you, and you're in for a world of hurt if you keep telling yourself otherwise."15. Who's good for you?"People who are good for you will make you feel happy, joyful, accepted, cared for, and filled with fun times, despite any differences. People who are not good for you will make you feel anxious, sad, down, slighted, judged, and never check in on you if you're not okay, and won't even bother noticing when you're not okay. Genuine people will never let you suffer in silence or watch you suffer. Stay away from those who make you feel negative emotions and thoughts."

The country is experiencing a major teacher burnout right now, and has been for quite a while. Obviously, COVID only exacerbated issues that were already present. But beyond dealing with grossly low wages, a neverending list of extra responsibilities and battling against phones for attention…there’s a more existential shift in students that’s making teachers become both disillusioned with their vocation, and concerned about this younger generation.Recently, someone considering becoming a teacher asked other more experienced educators on Reddit to share "biggest difference you see in kids from the time you started teaching to right now in 2024?"The responses offer a bluntly candid glimpse of some of the challenges faced in schools today—but there are also some positive nuggets thrown in. Below are some of the top answers.1. "Level of curiosity... [it's] almost non-existent today. When I started in the '90s, there were always a handful of students in every class that wanted to know 'Why?' but in recent years, it's either 'Just tell me the answer' or 'Who cares? Just mark it wrong.'"—u/Pretend_Screen_52072. "I can't show movies or videos anymore because it is all boring to them. It is boring because they have Netflix on their phone and they can watch whatever they want at any time. It isn't special to watch a movie. "—u/Ferromagneticfluid3. "Fine motor skills seems to be way down. I teach instrumental music, and kids [being able to figure] out where to put their fingers and how to maneuver them has gone way down since COVID." " Kids [being able to figure] out where to put their fingers and how to maneuver them has gone way down since COVID."Photo credit: Canva—u/eagledog4. "A huge difference I’ve noticed is it is becoming disturbingly common for parents to explicitly tell their kids that they don’t have to follow school rules. Students are always so smug about it when they say that their mom gave them permission, and then equally enraged when they still receive the related consequence because mom doesn’t make the rules at school…Absolutely could never have been me when I was a student, and this was not a thing when I first started teaching. But this kind of attitude has grown increasingly more common every year."—u/kaelhawh5. "Kids just seem dumber overall. Could be the area I teach in, but basic math and literacy skills have constantly trended downward here. We keep lowering the bar for interventions because we don't have enough spots if half the school needs math and reading support.” —u/Baidar856. "Year 22 starts in July. I don't know if I can put it in words, but there's an air that little children have: it's a combination of silliness, joy, fearlessness, creativity, curiosity, imagination, and sweetness. Occasionally some naughtiness creeps in but it's all very innocent...I've taught K-1 most of my career and while many little kids still have all of these qualities, it's astonishing how many kids don't. You hand them a piece of paper and they say, 'I don't know what to draw,' or 'I don't like to color. You put on a silly dancing song and they not only refuse to stand up, they sit there whining 'This is BORING.' The water during science turns blue and they say 'Whatever.' "They've just... lost a huge developmentally appropriate part of their childhoods. It's going to have long-lasting societal repercussions."Photo credit: CanvaI think they're growing up too fast... They're afraid of looking silly or getting dirty or drawing attention to themselves by asking a question. They'd rather be on their phones more than anything in the whole wide world, but since they're at school, a Chromebook will do. If they're asked to do something challenging or ‘boring' they'll run to the counselor to complain about their big feelings so they can get access to a screen to 'calm down.' My kids are 5 to 8, generally, and they've just... lost a huge developmentally appropriate part of their childhoods. It's going to have long-lasting societal repercussions." —u/azemilyann267. "I’ve moved schools so I’m gonna have a rare opinion; they got much better in every area possible. Smarter, kinder, more respectful, self-aware, less entitled."—u/swift-tom-hanks8. "I just finished year 34, all in upper elementary and middle school. Back in the day, I'd have one or two kids in a class who didn't give a flying f**k and who did literally nothing. Now it can be a third of the class. It's mind-blowing. I will have several assignments over the course of a trimester where less than half of the class will get the thing done and turned in. Nearly every assignment will have a couple of kids who write their names on it and then turn in blank pieces of paper."—u/DerbyWearingDude9. "I've been in early childhood [education] for 10 years now, [and] was a sub for about five years before that. What I've noticed since COVID is a profound lack of social skills. Not just a lack of curiosity or emotional dysregulation, which I've seen in spades, but an inability to play or talk or cooperate with other kids. Each kid is their own little island and they have zero interest in visiting other islands. "I've literally had to teach 5-year-olds how to play basic 'toss the ball' games or work together to build a wall of blocks' whereas before, they would be coming up with wacky 'Calvinball' type games on their own and pulling everyone under four feet tall into the game with barely any effort. Now, I might as well be trying to teach them physics in Klingon."—u/the_owl_syndicate10. "Their handwriting is…comically big, completely illegible, letters not formed correctly, not within lines/margins if it's on loose leaf paper - straight up looks like a 1st grader wrote it. And this [is] junior high...Sometimes I feel so frustrated at them not getting incredibly basic art concepts and techniques, such as copying a similar value/line/angle or whatever, then realize they can't even write a letter 'g 'correctly, and it makes sense." "Their handwriting is…straight up looks like a 1st grader wrote it. And this [is] junior high."Photo credit: Canva—u/_crassula_11. "The maturity level has been reduced about three or four years since I started in 1990."—u/Felixsum12. "As an English as a foreign language teacher, here's a positive one: the internet/phones/tablets have made English accessible for EVERYONE. "Even in countries like Egypt where the parents speak no English at all, I'm noticing their kids have a great base level just from playing on their phones. It's pretty cool! Even young kids know quite a bit now."—u/Accomplished-War197113. "When I sub, I rarely see students reading books or drawing for fun (even in art class); they mostly use their laptops/phones to listen to videos or play games…But even more baffling are the ones who are told to put devices away [and] just sit in complete and total silence and do nothing but stare at the desk the entire class. They don't do worksheets, they don't do homework, they don't draw; nothing."—u/Seamilk9021014. "Been teaching middle school for 12 years. Kids are now testing lower than ever. I’d say I have around 10-15 middle schoolers that are testing at a 1st-3rd grade level. Students also lack the ability to be resourceful and persevere. They give up the moment something gets too difficult." "They give up the moment something gets too difficult."Photo credit: Canva—u/TraditionalSteak68715. "At the start of my career, on days leading up to and day of an assessment, my mornings would be absolutely devoured by students seeking extra help. Like, a full hour before the first bell I'd be circulating around answering questions and I would have to make a turn order and consolidate kids who had the same questions. Last three or so years? Absolutely silent. One kid might come in and ask me one question they didn't really need to ask and just want some reassurance."—u/enigma7x…and let's end with a sweet one to remember it's not all terrible...16. "28 years of experience... It's genuine kindness. Kids are so much more kind now than they were when I started in the '90s. They are so accepting of kids of different races, gender identities, [and] intellectual differences like autism. 'Accepting' isn't even a strong enough word. Kids [who] would be in such different social circles due to peer pressure in the '90s are friends now. I'm a straight white guy [who] was in high school in the '80s. I wish I was brave enough then to be as kind as kids are now.I have plenty of complaints about phone addiction or the inability to multiply 5x4 without a calculator, but this is the most kind generation of students I've ever taught." —u/scfoothills

Oh, what it must be like to be a cat. To never suffer from imposter syndrome, to take on foes at least twice your size without hesitation, to navigate the world like you’re on every VIP list in existence. What a glorious life, indeed.Take this concert-crashing kitty, for example. During a live orchestra performance at the 52nd annual Istanbul Music Festival, a curious feline wandered up on stage without a care in the world—and of course it was all anybody could talk about.In a clip shared to multiple social media platforms by several news outlets, including @abcnews on TikTok, we see the gray and white cat traipse onto the stage, as if drawn in by the whimsical tune being played. Then, it literally catwalks across the stage, unbothered from beginning to end. Watch: @abcnews A curious cat wandered onto stage during a live orchestra performance at the 52nd Istanbul Music Festival. #turkey?? #orchestra #catsoftiktok ♬ original sound - ABC News Of course, as many viewers pointed out, this is an all-too-common sight in Istanbul, which, like many Muslim countries, holds a special place in its heart for felines. According to Catster, cats don’t have owners. Instead, they are taken care of by the entire community all around the city—from tea houses to ferries to public transport and beyond.Istanbul even funds veterinary care for its stray cats, including spaying and neutering, emergency care, and a mobile Vetbus. It’s pretty much Kitty Heaven over there. Besides commending Istanbul for its feline-friendly atmosphere, people also shared their delight for the cat who “stole the show.”“He KNEW this was about him. HIS moment! Lol,” one person wrote. Another added, “that’s his background music, and he’s off on a big adventure.”Another tapped into the cat’s POV, writing, “how lovely, the humans are playing me a song.”Some even offered their best cats puns. “I think it was trying to find the ‘purr-cussion’ section,”one person quipped. Another said, “That is an ARISTOCAT.” Istanbul might go above and beyond for its cats, but the respect we have for feline audacity is strong just about everywhere in the world. This article originally appeared on 6.11.24

Whether we like it or not,artificial intelligence (AI) has arrived in our lives. Once only the subject of sci-fi films and tech geeks' imaginations, various iterations of AI technology are now in use across nearly every industry. Depending on your beliefs about and understanding of AI, that's either a good or a bad thing. At this point, most people seem to recognize and acknowledge that there are some profoundly helpful uses for AI, while also feeling trepidation about the reliability of popular language learning models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI tools many of us have begun using regularly.One realm that has seen significant backlash against AI is art. It's one thing for a machine to do complex equations or write code or or analyze medical images or defuse a bomb. It's another to replace human creativity with AI, which is why Procreate co-founder and CEO James Cuda is saying "no" to incorporating AI tools into the company's art software.Procreate is a popular iPad app with the slogan "Art is for Everyone," which allows users to sketch, paint, illustrate and animate. In a video shared on X, Cuda was blunt. "I really f__king hate generative AI," he said in a post captioned, "We're never going there. Creativity is made, not generated.""I don't like what's happening in the industry, and I don't like what it's doing to artists," he said. "We're not going to be introducing any generative AI into our products. Our products are always designed and developed with the idea that a human will be creating something."Watch: — (@) "We believe we're on the right path supporting human creativity," he concluded. Cuda's announcement comes as its biggest competitor, Adobe A statement on the Procreate website explains further:"Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us.We're here for the humans. We're not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less travelled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community."Generative AI has been labeled as theft due to the AI models using real art from real artists to generate images. Many artists celebrated Cuda's announcement, praising Procreate for supporting and empowering artists. Others said the company was being overly sentimental and out of touch with the times. — (@) It's important to note that Cuda specifically refers to "generative AI" which does not mean all AI. Artificial intelligence isn't just one thing—there are various AI models, some of which are used for predictions and analysis and others that are used to "create." It's the generative AI used to create that has artists, musicians, writers and other creative professionals up in arms. The question of what "counts" as art has been debated for centuries, but we've always agreed that art comes from humans. Some see art as the creative expression of the human spirit, which makes machine-created art feel soulless. Easier and more efficient, perhaps, but lacking the intangible, inspiring, intriguing quality of individual human creativity. As Cuda said, "We don't exactly know where this story ends or where it's going to go." Perhaps resisting generative AI is a losing battle and humans are doomed to be replaced by machines. Maybe AI-generated art will simply make 100% human-created art more valuable and in-demand. Maybe there's another possibility no one has even conceived of yet. However things turn out, it's the real choices real humans make that will determine what direction we will go.

Are you the type of person who always gets the short end of the stick? Or do seemingly random events always work out in your favor? The interesting thing is that, according to research, whether you think you are lucky or unlucky, you're right.The good news is that if you have bad luck, you can do some things to improve it.Richard Wiseman studied 400 people over 10 years and found that people can control what seems uncontrollable: their luck. Wiseman is the author of “The Luck Factor” and holds Britain’s only professorship in the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is also a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a “Skeptical Inquirer” consulting editor.In his research, Wiseman determined that one big thing separated the lucky from the unlucky: Lucky people consider themselves lucky. - YouTube www.youtube.com At first glance, this may seem like a simple psychological trick. People who’ve experienced a lot of misfortune will eventually consider themselves unlucky and vice versa. But that’s not the case. People who consider themselves lucky see the world differently than those who do not, giving them more opportunities for something positive to happen.“Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles,” Wiseman wrote. “They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.”By contrast, Wiseman found that people who considered themselves unlucky experienced more anxiety. “Personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people's ability to notice the unexpected,” he wrote.How can I improve my luck?If you consider yourself among the unlucky, Wiseman has 3 ways to develop a mindset that can bring more luck. 1. Write in a luck diaryBefore you go to bed each night, spend about 30 seconds jotting down why you are lucky in a dairy. Take the time to list the things you’re grateful for, such as your friends, family, or health. You can also list some of the good things that happened during the day.2. Be flexibleWhen you drive to work or college, take a different route occasionally. When you go to a party, start talking to the types of people you would normally avoid. Making yourself open to new experiences increases your chances of seeing new opportunities.3. Trust your gutPeople who consider themselves unlucky often fail to follow their intuition when making a choice. Whereas lucky people tend to put a lot of faith in their hunches. Unlucky people tend to focus on the rational part of a question, whereas lucky people follow their feelings. Wiseman believes this gives lucky people an advantage because gut feelings act as an alarm bell—a reason to consider a decision carefully.Ultimately, Wiseman’s work shows that luck isn’t affected by supernatural beliefs or by holding onto a rabbit's foot. It’s the product of an optimistic view of the world that opens people up to greater possibilities. “Instead, it is about encouraging people to move away from a magical way of thinking and toward a more rational view of luck,” Wiseman wrote. “Perhaps most important of all, it is about using science and skepticism to increase the level of luck, happiness, and success in people’s lives.”