US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Hamas for refusing a UN-backed cease-fire proposal, saying the terror group could have halted the war in Gaza with a single word. Speaking from Qatar on Wednesday, Blinken pointed out that the current proposal is nearly identical to the one Hamas itself proposed last month, accusing the terrorists of prolonging the war just to insert more demands that undermine the ongoing peace talks. “It was a deal that Israel accepted and the world was...

Hamas proposed "numerous changes" in its response to a ceasefire proposal to end the Gaza war including some unworkable changes, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, but he insisted Washington and mediators will press ahead to bridge gaps between the Palestinian militant group and Israel. Hamas formally responded on Tuesday to a U.S. ceasefire proposal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31 that envisages a ceasefire and phased release of Israeli hostages in Gaza...

Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Wednesday that Hamas has not accepted the U.S.-backed proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal and presented "numerous changes" that go beyond its previous positions. Why it matters: The U.S. and international mediators see the proposal as the best chance to end eight months of war. About 120 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza and more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the war in Gaza, according to local health...

It's back-to-school time (yaaassss!), but that means it's also the time when you have to tackle those super-long, super-specific school supply lists (uggghhhh!). You know what I'm talking about — the 15-plus-items-long list of things your kids need for school.As a bonus, they're often brand-name specific. Seriously. Because Elmer's glue is apparently just that different from generic store brand glue.Based on the venting ( "OMG, everyone is sold out of pre-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils!") and cries for help I'm seeing from my fellow parents on social media ("Where did you find three wide-ruled draw-and-write composition books?" — OK, I admit that was my question), a lot of our public school kiddos are being given supply lists quite similar to this one:Sample school supply list created from actual lists I've collected. Some items have been switched between lists to protect the innocent.While many public schools send these lists to parents, in certain states they're "requests" not "requirements" (even when not clearly presented that way) because some states cannot legally require students to provide their own school supplies.Optional or required, however, these school supply lists are important.I know, I know — lots of us parents have many feelings about them, like:We didn't have to buy a specific list of supplies when we were kids (walking uphill both ways, two miles, in the snow).This is public school, not private school! Can't the glue sticks come out of my taxes?This list is so name-brand specific. Are Elmer's glue sticks reallllyyyy that superior to these cheaper, generic ones?Seriously?? So many glue sticks?! Just ... what?And we can all agree that it's not right that public school budgets are regularly slashed and aren't big enough to cover the basic necessities essential for our kids' success. (You know, like pencils.) And in some cases, budgets are misused, and that's not right, either.But as much as parents dread shopping for school supplies, our children's teachers probably dread having to ask.Katie Sluiter, a mom of three and teacher of 13 years, shares in parents' frustrations about supplies — just from a different perspective. "I struggle every single August with having to ask for [supply] donations. I hate it," she says.She'd love to stop asking parents to bring in a combined total of 800 pencils and 1,000 glue sticks and just buy them herself. But as a teacher, she simply cannot afford to do it."I hate that we have two full-time salaried workers in our house. ... I have an advanced degree, and we are still living paycheck to paycheck. It feels shameful to have to ask every. single. year. for donations. Teachers don't want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach.""Teachers don't want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach." — Katie SluiterNicole Johansen, a mom of two who was a teacher for 12 years, echoes Sluiter's sentiments. She cites never ending budget cuts as well as the need to stretch other funds, like PTO-raised money, further and further as the reasons supply lists exist and adds, "It is frustrating knowing that schools should be appropriately allotted funds for supplies — this said from the parent AND teacher standpoint."So most of us are on the same page here. Class supply lists are the pits ... for everyone!The most significant thing to remember, though, is that if your budget allows, it's important to purchase the items on the list.If you're not purchasing the supplies, it's very likely your child's teacher will have to — with his or her own money.Image by Thinkstock.And we've already established that teacher salaries aren't cutting it when it comes to taking care of their families and their students.And maybe it's not so much that teachers have to spend their own paychecks on classroom supplies, but they want to because an overwhelming majority of teachers genuinely care about their students."I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students," Johansen said. "Pretty much all teachers I know will be spending for their classroom despite having to cut back the grocery bill for their family.""I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students." — Nicole Johansen"No, we don't have to spend all that time and money on our classrooms, but it makes it a quality experience when your children have things like science experiments, books, art supplies, and a comfortable, cozy classroom environment."OK, but seriously, what do they do with all of those glue sticks?!I know I'm not the only one who opened up that list when my daughter was in first grade, choked on my coffee, and exclaimed, "THREE DOZEN GLUE STICKS?! What, are the kids eating them? [Probably. Little kids eat all kinds of gross stuff.] Are the teachers selling them for profit? [I wouldn't blame them. See above about teachers' salaries]."Image by Thinkstock."We glue kids' mouths shut," Sluiter told me when I asked."Totally kidding. They last like 12 seconds ... [and] no matter how vigilant we are in supervising the picking up and putting away of supplies, each time we get the tub of glue sticks out, there are about three to five dead soldiers and lone caps rolling in the bottom of the bin."(I love teachers with senses of humor!)But back to the actual issue. My friend Shannon summed up the class supply list conundrum perfectly, if bluntly:She wants parents who can budget in school supplies without experiencing a financial burden to "quit complaining about some of the items being communal. Vote for politicians who will quit cutting money from schools. I don't remember my parents having to buy 20 glue sticks, but I certainly don't think any more should come out of teachers' pockets."Couldn't have said it better myself.This story originally appeared on 08.11.15.

With Donald Trump threatening to reverse Roe v. Wade upon taking office, the need to defend women's reproductive rights has never been more urgent. As other writers have pointed out, pro-life fanatics have the power of positive connotation on their side and use this advantage to demean the valid arguments of pro-choice advocates.I mean, who would ever claim to be in opposition to life? Only, equating zygotes with adult human beings fails to recognize the science behind conception, as Bill Nye points out in an older video that has recently gained new relevancy.In the video, you can see how frustrated Nye is explaining why abortion rights aren't something we should be debating in the first place. After a brief explanation of how conception occurs, the science educator proves how little our laws have to do with reason or logic."You cannot help but notice — and I'm not the first guy to notice — you have a lot of men of European descent passing these extraordinary laws based on ignorance," he says, adding, "It's just a reflection of a deep scientific lack of understanding and you literally apparently don't know what you're talking about." We can only imagine how frustrated he — along with every other advocate of logic — must be feeling now.While anti-abortion zealots aren't typically eager to consider science or reason, this video could potentially sway those who are on the fence about impeding on women's rights. And while it shouldn't take a white guy to explain why women's rights are human rights, sadly, few people seem to listen when the plea for respect comes from women — despite the fact that these draconian laws only affect them.Still, Nye and other logic-lovers are willing to hear you out, pro-lifers. If the argument truly comes down to protecting children and not depriving women of basic rights, there are several discussions worth having. For instance, instead of focusing on the rights of unborn babies, perhaps we could put our resources into protecting the children that already exist. We take it for granted that real, live children don't enjoy the same human rights that adults do — an archaic way of thinking that time and time again puts kids in harm's way. By actively fueling global warming, we deprive today's children from having any semblance of a dependable future.Now, more than ever, it's imperative that we focus on the facts. By relying on scientific evidence to guide a course of action, we can respect one another's beliefs without infringing on one another's rights. It's really not that hard. Take it from The Science Guy himself: "Be objective about this. We have other problems to solve, everybody."This article originally appeared on 11.23.16

We can try to be the hippest, savviest, most progressive adults of all time, and still, there will inevitably be certain quirks younger generations have that just baffle us. Just think of it as a badge of honor. You’ve made it far enough in life to say “kids these days…”And let’s face it, since Gen Zers and Gen Alphas were born into a drastically different world than their millennial, Gen X and certainly boomer counterparts, it’s understandable that a few things are going to seem foreign. Then again, maybe some things, like this wretched Skibidi Toilet business, are just plain weird. Recently, older generations banded together on Reddit to share some of the more perplexing trends that younger folks are taking part in. Below are some of the best contributions. Give them a read. It might make you feel old, but also less alone.1. "I guess there’s, like, elementary school-aged kids with full skincare routines now? That’s wild…" —u/retrosnot862. "That they use phones instead of laptops. I use my phone a bit, but it's hard to imagine it being my only computer. I need at least 20 inches of screen, a trackball, and a keyboard with physical buttons just to think properly. I don't want to budget my battery to last all day if an important text comes through. I want my internet signals sent over a hard wire. When my computer stops working, I want to open it up and swap the broken part with a better one." —u/gameryamen3. "All the self-labeling. When I was young, we avoided labels at all costs!" —u/1mamapajama4. "I find many younger people to be very fearful. Hyper-fixating on the worst possible outcomes even though the actual chance is so low it's not worth worrying about."—u/sonicfluff5. "Making fun of kids for 'no show' or 'ankle' socks. What on earth is that about?" —u/Tangboy500006. "They are allowing every one of their friends on Snapchat to know their location at all times. My 23-year-old coworker and her friends are constantly revoking and then reinstating their visible location depending on whether they're happy or mad with each other. If someone notices that they can't see where another person is, they'll bring it up, wondering what they did to upset them. Her best friend will ask her friend to check her boyfriend's location and whichever friend he told her he'd be with to make sure they match.At least I can kinda understand family members knowing, but even then, my siblings don't need to know where I am at all times, and my parents should maybe stop constantly checking once I hit 18. 21 surely. IDK, I guess if you grow up with it, you don't think it's weird. I'm 43, and I certainly didn't grow up with people who didn't have the ability to know where I was at all times unless I told them or called them."—u/CallejaFairey7. "Not dating someone because of the phone they have..."—u/SaveusJebus8. "Binge-watching short videos compiled so you never watch anything with a plot or storyline. Just tons of 10–60 second videos, and most of them are awful."—u/hey_nonny_mooses9. "Vaping. Isn't it clear by now that inhaling fumes is not really a good idea?"—u/LordGiguvia GIPHY10. "That literacy rates are plummeting.” —u/Soren_Camus1905u/mbbysky added:“Part of it is also media literacy. Literacy isn't just reading, it's understanding context and the target audience of a piece of media (which may NOT be you, and this is ok) Shit like TikTok often lacks nuance AND is catered directly to the user via algorithms, so it's harder to understand that not ALL the content you consume has to be geared toward you and all the things YOU like. So now… [when] some new movie isn't something you perfectly align with and enjoy…you're convinced it's incorrect and shouldn't be like that, when in reality it was just meant for someone else who DOES enjoy what it's about. All of this makes reading more difficult, because the clues…are often subtle and not explicit in good works of literature (it's part of what makes them good, imo)."11. "Committing crimes as part of social media trends. Especially the challenge of licking ice cream at the store and putting it back. That's a straight-up health code violation." —u/Heroic-Forger…and on that note…12. “The popularity of ‘nuisance streamers’ with younger folks. I don't find being a public nuisance even a little bit entertaining or funny, especially when it’s being filmed. Also just in general the trend of filming, photographing and trying to make "content" out of their entire life in some vain hope of becoming internet famous. I don't get it. Last thing i'd ever want to do is have my entire life posted on the internet.” —u/system_error_0213. "I've trained three co-workers in their early 20s who don't use the shift key to capitalize letters. They hit caps lock, type the letter to be capitalized, and then hit caps lock again. I can't wrap my head around it." —u/mowglimg14. "That they're bringing back those thin '90s brows again. It seems it's a lesson we all must learn the hard way." —u/dontaskwhatitmeans15. "Kids making fun of other kids because they don't have a specific water tumbler. It sounds like somebody is trying to parody 'making fun of other kids for having the wrong brand of clothes or phone.'" —u/shf50016. "Refusing to learn to drive. I understand not wanting to, preferring to live where you don't have to because of good walkability/transit/likability, etc. But just being unwilling to learn at all? It's an important life skill, and there might be an emergency where you have to!" —u/Beruthiel99917. “Making every phone call via speakerphone, especially when holding the phone directly next to the side of their head because they can't hear."—u/veni_vidi_vici4718. "Getting addicted to nicotine. I thought younglings would be a little less foolish than we were." —u/computer_crisps_dos19. "I listened to a 23-year-old (more than a decade younger than me) say she wanted to start 'preventative Botox.'…Girl..." —u/KholzieAnd last but not least: 20. “Broccoli haircuts.” —u/Johnny_Menace

There is nothing wrong with pinching a few pennies here and there. Most people on a budget or fixed income become really good at learning where they can save money but frugality isn't something you consider when thinking of millionaires. Yacht trips in the Mediterranean, swanky dinners on plates that cost more than people's rent payments and extravagant shopping sprees are all things that come to mind when thinking of the uber-rich. Very seldomly would anyone equate frugality to extreme wealth, but that's likely because they didn't know about Hetty Green. Henrietta ("Hetty") Howland Robinson was born in 1834 to a wealthy Quaker family in New Bedford, Massachusetts where she was raised mostly by her grandparents. Her grandfather and father amassed their wealth through whaling, and according to the Forgotten Newsmakers, she was an expert on stocks and bonds by age 15.Green's expertise didn't come by through her genuine interest at first. Due to her grandfather's poor eyesight, he had the young girl read the financial news to him daily. Recently the heiress has come to modern public consciousness after her story was shared on different social media platforms highlighting her extreme money saving techniques.The Quaker woman never knew poverty as she was born into millionaire status in the 1800s, but you wouldn't know that from her spending habits. In the social media post it mentions that she never purchased a new pair of underwear after learning to mend them at the age of 16. Until her death, Green was wearing the same pairs underwear she had worn since her teen years. In another truly mystifying supposed factoid the wealthy woman shopped around for the best price to have her son's broken leg set. Her delay in medical treatment for her son resulted in him having to get his leg amputated. Though, this part of the story has been disputed by Roberta Sawyer who spent her childhood on the Green's estate tells South Coast Today, "Hetty's own daughter, Sylvia Wilkes, told a completely different story. The truth is that Hetty Green went around with her son for three days trying to find a doctor who felt he could save Ned's leg instead of amputating it."According to Wilkes much of the information on Green seems to be sourced from the book "The Day They Shook the Plum Tree," which she calls "mistruths" in 2011. But the bulk of the claims about her frugal nature seem to be true according to books, multiple articles, and a 1905 character study written about the woman. Green learned to rely on left overs while in boarding school, wore the same black dress for years and dressed her children in secondhand clothes.The woman's spending habits are what landed her in the Guinness Book for being the "world's greatest miser." Looking outside of her tight fisted nature, she was actually a powerhouse of an individual. She not only had her own bank account before women were legally allowed to open their own accounts, she was respected in the financial world by giants on Wall Street. Green was a woman in a man's world who not only inherited wealth but amassed her own wealth through her strict budgeting and her ability to navigate stocks. Maybe should be remembered as a financial pioneer ahead of her time instead of her ability to hold on to a dollar. "Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon" is attempting to do just that, highlighting the woman's business sense not just her eccentric nature. Green was so savvy with her investments that the millionaire had to bail out investors on Wall Street. She foresaw the "Knickerbocker crisis" of 1907 and when John Pierpont Morgan (yeah, that J.P. Morgan) called the greatest minds in finance to help him figure out how to save the economy, Green was the only woman at the table. She bailed out The New York Central Railroad with a loan according to Yahoo Finance, which cited quotes from the 1916 Literary Digest. Green explains in one of the quotes that she knew the chaos was coming and did her part to help others without taking advantage of the situation. So much for the stingy miser label.“When the crash came I had money, and I was one of the very few who really had it. The others had their ‘securities’ and their ‘values.’ I had the cash and they had to come to me,” she said.Yahoo Finance highlights that she loaned the New York City government $1.1 million at the height of the 1907 panic and just months before she loaned them $4.5 million. “Those to whom I loaned money got it at 6%. I might just as easily have secured 40%,” she explained. “Never in my life—no matter what has been said against me—have I practiced usury, and no one knows it better than the wealthy men who have had business dealings with me.”There you have it, Hetty Green, The World's Greatest Miser, investment tycoon, business woman and multimillionaire who turns out to not be as stingy as people made her out to be.

A new proposed rule from the Biden administration could spell some relief for people with outstanding medical bills.According to data collected by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), 15 million Americans are carrying $49 billion in medical debt that shows up on their credit report, potentially having a negative impact on their credit score. A new rule banning medical debt from credit reports would change that.In the U.S., people's ability to get approved for a car loan or a mortgage to purchase a house depends heavily on their credit score or FICO score. People with a strong credit history, who make payments on time and don't carry too much debt, will usually have a good credit score and an easier time being approved for loans with the best interest rates. A low credit score makes getting a loan more difficult or more expensive.Unfortunately, circumstances out of people's control, like medical care that puts them thousands of dollars in debt, can negatively impact their credit score. "Medical debt makes it more difficult for millions of Americans to be approved for a car loan, a home loan or small business loan, all of which in turn makes it more difficult to just get by, much less get ahead. And that is simply not fair," Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters via teleconference. — (@) CFPB Director Rohit Chopra also shared that having medical debt is not a fair indicator of someone's true credit habits."Medical debt on a consumer credit report is a very different type of debt than a mortgage, an auto loan, or a credit card," Chopra explained. "Sometimes, as is the case with a visit to the emergency room, the debt is taken on unexpectedly and in a time of crisis. Medical bills are also frequently subject to coding errors, charity care mistakes, or complexities with insurance. A decade ago, the CFPB found that medical debts were overly penalizing consumer credit scores, and we have consistently found that medical billing data on a credit report is less predictive of future repayment than other debts."Chopra also called out the predatory practices that have influenced credit reporting systems when it comes to medical debt, providing an unfair disadvantage to consumers. "Some have seized on medical debts as a major moneymaking enterprise," he said. "These entities purchase medical debt, sometimes for pennies on the dollar, and they can cash out big by getting consumers to pay up on those debts. And one of the easiest ways they can do so is by threatening to park that medical debt on the credit report, where it might impede a consumer’s ability to get approved for a loan. In this way, the credit reporting system more closely resembles a weapon for debt collectors rather than a tool for lenders to assess someone’s likelihood to repay a loan."Chopra also pointed out that the three big credit reporting agencies——Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—voluntarily removed some medical debt from credit reports, only certain kinds. CFPB research found that although the number of Americans with medical debts on their credit report had decreased, the numbers were still substantial and disproportionately impact low-income Americans. Additionally, the average medical debt on credit reports had increased from $2,000 to over $3,100.Vice President Harris said that this change would result in millions of Americans seeing a 20-point increase in their credit score on average, allowing for 22,000 more approved mortgages to buy a home. She also called on states, cities and hospitals to join the Biden administration in forgiving medical debt. According to ABC News, the rule has been in the works since September and could go into effect early next year.

In the latest episode of “America’s Got Talent,” a one-of-a-kind Argentinian dance troupe snagged a Golden Buzzer from Sofia Vergara and stunned audiences with a performance that truly brought the heat. As the group, named Legión, stepped onto the stage in matching sleek black outfits that look straight out of the film “Desperado,” the crowd could already tell they were about to experience something special. Just before starting their number, one of the Legión dancers explained that the team all had “regular jobs” and would find time to rehearse around 2am of the night in a family member’s backyard. If they won, they would use the prize money to purchase a studio where they can truly dedicate himself to their craft. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, someone appeared on stage to set their boots on fire. Legión’s blazing routine was a riveting display of passion and precision, made even more thrilling with the rhythmic beats of drums and whips. Watch:The folk duel dance, called malambo, emerged in the late 19th century as a way for gauchos to test their speed, strength and dexterity against one another. As malambo choreographer Gilles Brinas explained to ArtBurst, the fast-paced footwork is inspired by the galloping horses gauchos would ride as they wrangle cattle. And while malambo dancers might regularly add weapons or drums to their routine, it seems the boots-on-fire aspect was a completely new touch. Even Vergara, who said I'm South American. I have seen this dance many times” told the troupe "that was spectacular. I thought it was amazing. I have never seen anything like that” just before hitting the Golden Buzzer button. Cowell, along with Hiedi Klum and Howie Mandell also sang high praises. Klum remarked “I loved it. Many dancers have danced on this stage, but their feet have never been on fire” while Mandell called it “Very unexpected, very surprising.”“This is something I genuinely can see in Vegas,” Cowell noted. Over in the Youtube comments, viewers felt the same way. “I have never seen anything like that in my entire life. That was INCREDIBLE and very worthy of the golden buzzer. I can see them going very far if not winning. Congratulations and great job, guys!!!”“That was amazing! Well deserved Golden Buzzer! I agree with Simon, VEGAS WORTHY! Viva en fuego muchachos!” “I literally never seen anything like this before. They’ve added some danger to this act and original moves. Well deserved golden buzzer.” Congrats to Legión, for delivering a unique, energetic and definitely fiery performance!

The song that started it all... The post ‘Uptight’: How Stevie Wonder went from child star to songwriting genius first appeared on Far Out Magazine.