President Biden huddled with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as the two leaders sought to strengthen their security ties in the Pacific as a counterweight to China.With Biden welcoming Kishida to the White House on Wednesday‚ the two countries outlined plans to upgrade U.S.-Japanese military cooperation amid concerns about North Koreas nuclear program and Chinas effort to extend its influence across the Pacific.In a joint news conference‚ Biden said the two nations were ...

Investment firms led by the former CEO of the SPAC that merged with Donald Trumps media company allege that their files were hacked and stolen by a current member of the media companys board of directors.In a federal civil lawsuit filed in South Florida last month‚ the firms accuse board member Eric Swider of plotting a coup in early 2023 to replace Patrick Orlando as CEO of the special purpose acquisition company‚ Digital World Acquisition Corp.As part of that attempted ouster‚...

Britains National Health Service (NHS) will review all transgender medical treatment in the wake of a highly-anticipated review that found such treatment is built on weak evidence.The landmark final report released Tuesday by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass is the result of a major independent review on children and gender identity commissioned by the NHS in 2020. Cass is a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.The reality is that we have no good...

JUST IN‚ declares Bloomberg: US futures drop after core CPI rises more than forecast.Yes‚ yes‚ I know. Bloomberg is talking about the futures market. But‚ ultimately‚ thats not the most important question‚ is it? The most important question is what happens to people. And for millions of them‚ inflation continues to be a roiling disaster. Processing the news‚ the Washington Post noted its most obvious implication. Inflation‚ the Post recorded‚ ticked up again in March compared with...

Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia called out President Biden for his foreign policy in the Middle East as more information was revealed about an anti-Israel protester who called for the ";complete annihilation"; of Israel.The Iraq veteran‚ who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Battle of Fallujah‚ joined ";Fox &;amp; Friends"; to discuss the Biden administration';s stance on anti-Israeli and anti-American rhetoric and why he believes there is a significant issue...

For the third day in a row‚ a New York appeals court on Wednesday denied a request fromformer President Trump';slawyers to delay his upcoming hush money trial.Why it matters:The rejection is yet another legal loss for Trump and increases the likelihood that the trial will start as scheduled on April 15.Trump has pleaded not guilty to34 felony countsstemming from allegations hefalsified business recordsto cover up payments made to adult film...

Grieving in the technology age is uncharted territory.I';ll take you back to Saturday‚ June 9‚ 2012. At 8:20 a.m.‚ my 36-year-old husband was pronounced dead at a hospital just outside Washington‚ D.C.By 9:20 a.m.‚ my cellphone would not stop ringing or text-alerting me long enough for me to make the necessary calls that I needed to make: people like immediate family‚ primary-care doctors to discuss death certificates and autopsies‚ funeral homes to discuss picking him up‚ and so on. Real things‚ important things‚ time-sensitive‚ urgent things.At 9:47 a.m.‚ while speaking to a police officer (because yes‚ when your spouse dies‚ you must be questioned by the police immediately)‚ one call did make it through. I didn';t recognize the number. But in those moments‚ I knew I should break my normal rule and answer all calls. ";He';s dead??? Oh my God. Who';s with you? Are you OK? Why am I reading this on Facebook? Taya‚ what the heck is going on?";Facebook? I was confused. I hadn';t been on Facebook since the day before‚ so I certainly hadn';t taken the time in the last 90 minutes to peek at the site.";I';ll call you back";‚ I screamed and hung up. I called my best friend and asked her to search for anything someone might have written and to contact them immediately and demand they delete it. I still hadn';t spoken to his best friend‚ or his godsister‚ or our godchild';s parents‚ or a million other people! Why would someone post it to Facebook SO FAST?While I can in no way speak for the entire planet‚ I certainly feel qualified to propose some suggestions or‚ dare I say‚ rules for social media grieving.How many RIPs have you seen floating through your social media stream over the last month? Probably a few. Death is a fate that we will each meet at some point. The Information Age has changed the ways in which we live and communicate daily‚ yet there are still large voids in universally accepted norms.This next statement is something that is impossible to understand unless you';ve been through it:There is a hierarchy of grief.Yes‚ a hierarchy. It';s something people either don';t understand or understand but don';t want to think or talk about yet we must.There is a hierarchy of grief.Hierarchy is defined as:a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority‚ andan arrangement or classification of things according to relative importance or inclusiveness.What does this mean as it relates to grief? Let me explain. When someone dies whether suddenly or after a prolonged illness‚ via natural causes or an unnatural fate‚ a young person in their prime or an elderly person with more memories behind them than ahead there is one universal truth : The ripples of people who are affected is vast and‚ at times‚ largely unknown to all other parties.A death is always a gut punch with varying degrees of force and a reminder of our own mortality. Most people are moved to express their love for the deceased by showing their support to the family and friends left behind.In the days before social media‚ these expressions came in the form of phone calls‚ voicemail messages‚ and floral deliveries.If you were lucky enough to be in close proximity to the family of the newly deceased‚ there were visits that came wrapped with hugs and tears‚ and deliveries of food and beverages to feed all the weary souls.Insert social media. All of those courtesies still occur‚ but there is a new layer of grief expression the online tribute in the form of Facebook posts‚ Instagram photo collages‚ and short tweets.What';s the problem with that? Shouldn';t people be allowed to express their love‚ care‚ concern‚ support‚ and prayers for the soul of the recently deceased and for their family?Yes.And no.Why? Because there are no established ";rules‚"; and people have adopted their own. This isn';t breaking news‚ and you';re not trying to scoop TMZ. Listen‚ I know you';re hurt. Guess what? Me too. I know you';re shocked. Guess what? Me too. Your social media is an extension of who you are. I get it. You ";need"; to express your pain‚ acknowledge your relationship with the deceased‚ and pray for the family.Yes.However...Please give us a minute.We are shocked.We are heartbroken.Give the immediate family or circle a little time to handle the immediate and time-sensitive ";business"; related to death. In the minutes and early hours after someone passes away‚ social media is most likely the last thing on their minds. And even if it does cross their mind‚ my earlier statement comes into play here.There is a hierarchy of grief.Please pause and consider your role and relationship to the newly deceased. Remember‚ hierarchy refers to your status and your relative importance to the deceased. I caution you to wait and then wait a little longer before posting anything. This may seem trivial‚ silly‚ and not worth talking about‚ but I promise you it isn';t.If the person is married‚ let the spouse post first.If the person is ";young"; and single‚ let the partner‚ parents‚ or siblings post first.If the person is ";old"; and single‚ let the children post first.If you can';t identify the family/inner circle of the person‚ you probably shouldn';t be posting at all.Do you get where I';m going with this?In theory‚ we should never compare grief levels‚ cast the grief-stricken survivors into roles‚ or use words like status and importance. But maybe we need to at this moment (and for the next few weeks and months).The ";RIP"; posts started hitting my timeline about an hour after my husband';s death‚ and I certainly didn';t start them. This created a sense of confusion‚ fear‚ anxiety‚ panic‚ dread‚ and shock for the people who knew me‚ too. What';s wrong? Who are we praying for? Did something happen? Did someone pass? Why are there RIPs on your wall and I can';t reach you? Call me please! What';s going on?That';s a small sample of messages on my voicemail and text inbox. I had to take a minute in the midst of it all to ask a friend to post a status to my Facebook page on my behalf.Your love and expressions of support are appreciated and needed‚ but they can also be ill-timed and create unintended additional stress.The person is no less dead and your sympathy no less heartfelt if your post‚ photo‚ or tweet is delayed by a few hours. Honestly‚ the first couple of hours are shocking‚ and many things are a blur. Most bereaved people will be able to truly appreciate your love‚ concern‚ prayers‚ and gestures after the first 24 hours.I';ve learned this from the inside twice within the last four years. And I assure you that if we each adopted a little patience and restraint in this area‚ we would help those who are in the darkest hours of their lives by not adding an unnecessary layer of stress.A few extra hours could make all the difference.This article originally appeared on 05.07.19

Being a teacher isn';t easy. Teaching middle school students is especially not easy. Teaching middle school students who spent several of their formative years going through a global pandemic in the age of smartphones‚ social media and a youth mental health crisis is downright heroic. If you haven';t spent time in a middle school classroom‚ you may not fully grasp the intensity of it on every level‚ from the awkwardness to the body odor to the delightful hilarity that tweens bring to the table. When you connect with your students‚ it can be incredibly rewarding‚ and when you don';twell‚ we all read ";Lord of the Flies‚"; right? Skilled teachers bring out the best in young people‚ and that can be done in many different ways. For Amy Allen‚ it';s by making her middle school classroom a fun‚ welcoming place to learn and by bonding with them.";I love teaching middle schoolers because they are awkward‚ and Im awkward‚ so we get along‚"; Allen tells Upworthy.She plays games with students‚ gets rambunctious with them and creates opportunities for them to expend some of that intense pre-and-early-teen energy in healthy ways. For instance‚ she shared a video of a game of ";grudgeball‚"; an active trivia game that makes reviewing for a quiz or test fun and competitive‚ and you can see how high-energy her classroom is:@_queenoftheclassroomIf this looks like fun to you‚ pick up my grudgeball template ( in bio) #qotc #grudgeball #10outof10recommend @Amy Allen @Amy Allen @Amy Allen ";I think for teachers‚ we always want to create moments for our students that are beyond the standard reading‚ writing‚ memorizing‚ quiz‚ ';traditional learning‚';"; Allen says. ";Games are a great way to incorporate fun in the classroom.";Allen clearly enjoyed the game as much as her students";I love the chaos!"; she says and there';s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Fun keeps teachers sane‚ too. But one person took issue with her classroom behavior and commented‚ ";your a teacher act like it."; (Not my typothat';s exactly what the person wrote‚ only with no period.) Allen addressed the comment in another video in the most perfect way possibleby acting exactly like a teacher. Watch:@_queenoftheclassroomReplying to @ Come see me if you have any further questions. #qotc #iteachmiddleschool #weDEFINITELYdonthavefuninhere @Amy Allen @Amy Allen @Amy Allen #InvertedThere are two solid ways to handle a rude comment without making things worseyou can ignore it or you can craft a response that makes the person look like a fool without being cruel or rude yourself. Allen';s grammar lesson response was A+ work‚ right down to the ";Come see me if you have any further questions"; caption. In fact‚ the person apparently went back and deleted their comment after the comeback video went viral‚ which makes it all the more hilarious. The video currently has more than 4 million views on TikTok and over 18 million views on YouTube. ";Whats funny is I left my correction on the board accidentally‚ and the next day‚ students asked me what that was all about‚"; Allen says. ";When I explained it‚ they thought it was cool because ';why would anyone go after Ms. Allen';? At that point‚ the video had maybe 10‚000 views. I never imagined the video would go viral."; Two days later‚ as the video was creeping toward a million views‚ she upped the stakes. ";Some of my students are my ultimate hype people‚ and they were tracking it harder than I was‚"; she says. ";I made a ';deal'; with my fifth period if it reached 1 million during their class‚ they could sit wherever they wanted the entire week. During lunch‚ I checked‚ and it reached 1 million. So when they came back from recess‚ I announced it‚ and it was like I was a rockstar. They screamed and cheered for me. It was an incredible moment for me.";The irony‚ of course‚ is that Allen was acting like a teacher in her grudgeball videoan engaged teacher with engaged students who are actively participating in the learning process. Just because it doesn';t look like serious study doesn';t mean it';s not learning‚ and for some kids‚ this kind of activity might be far more effective at helping them remember things they';ve learned (in this case‚ vocabulary words) than less energetic ways of reviewing. Allen has her thumb on the pulse of her students and goes out of her way to meet them where they are. Last year‚ for instance‚ she created a ";mental health day"; for her students. ";I could tell they were getting burnt out from all the state tests‚ regular homework‚ and personal life extracurricular activities that many of my students participate in‚"; she says. ";We went to my school library for ';fireside reading‚'; solved a murder mystery‚ built blanket forts‚ watched the World Cup‚ colored‚ and completed sudokus. Is it part of the curriculum? No. Is it worth spending one class period doing something mentally rewarding for students? Absolutely.";Teaching middle school requires a lot of different skills‚ but perhaps the most important one is to connect with students‚ partly because it';s far easier to teach someone actually wants to be in your classroom and partly because effective teaching is about so much more than just academics. A teacher might be the most caring‚ stable‚ trustworthy adult in some students'; lives. What looks like silly fun and games in a classroom can actually help students feel safe and welcomed and valued‚ knowing that a teacher cares enough to try to make learning as enjoyable as possible. Plus‚ shared laughter in a classroom helps build a community of engaged learners‚ which is exactly what a classroom should be.Keep up the awesome work‚ Ms. Allen‚ both in the classroom and in the comment section.You can follow Amy Allen on TikTok and YouTube.

Conan OBrien had a blink-and-you-missed-it run as Tonight Show host. After only a year‚ he was unceremoniously laid off in 2010 by NBC due to a contractual dispute and replaced by former host Jay Leno‚ followed by Jimmy Fallon in 2014. But despite his short-lived reign‚ OBrien cemented himself as a wickedly funny and whip smart performer‚ as well as a master of recurring gags‚ self-deprecating humor and engaging conversationnot to mention developing a reputation for being a pretty great guy off the air. Which is why fans were excited to see OBrien appear as a Tonight Show guest for Tuesdays episode‚ marking a return to his old stomping grounds for the first time in 14 years. And lets just sayOBriens comeback did not disappoint. During parts of the interview‚ OBrien exuded that same amount of candid poise that he famously maintained throughout the 2010 controversy. Like when he talked about podcast Conan OBrien Needs a Friend‚ the project that followed his Tonight Show exit‚ he said he still considered hosting a late-night show the best job in the world‚ but shared his appreciation for the podcast format since it allows for longer‚ more in-depth conversations with guests.But along with all the sentimentality were trademark rapid fire zingers and absurdly dramatic outbursts‚ especially when talking about how weird it felt to be back at Rockefeller Center. ";I was here for 16 years doing the Late Night show‚"; O';Brien told Jimmy Fallon (both Late Night and The Tonight Show filmed in the same building. ";When someone else is in your studio it feels weird. So I walked in and said‚ ';Who';s in my old studio?'; And they said ';Kelly Clarkson';. And I love Kelly Clarkson‚ who doesn';t love Kelly Clarkson? But still I felt like‚ IT';S NOT RIGHT! BLASPHEMY! THEY SHOULD HAVE BURNED IT TO THE GROUND!";";And then Kelly came out to say hi and I said‚ DON';T TALK TO ME! YOU MAKE ME SICK!!";Man‚ O';Brien really knows how to commit to the bit. Watch:OBriens interview was so well received that fans seemed to fall in love with him all over again.Conan returns to the Tonight Show in TRIUMPHHH being one of the greatest of all time.Conan is going down in history as one of the greatest to ever do it!Conan';s career is a true testament to the saying Everything happens for a reason.This hit me right in the feels.The man';s a national treasure‚ give him everything.If youre left wanting even more Coco‚ OBrien has a new series‚ Conan OBrien Must Go‚ which debuts on April 18 on Max. Talk about a full circle moment.

Maybe youre one of those elite travelers whos mastered packing for an entire trip using only carry-on luggage. If so‚ youre likely haughty and wont stop crowing about the convenience of hopping off the plane and jetting to your destination. We know: The airlines lost your bag in 1986 and you vowed never again. So‚ now you roll three garments‚ one pair of shoes‚ a tiny bottle of 5-in-one body wash‚ and a Kindle into your backpack‚ and you';re good to go.For the rest of us mere traveling mortals‚ especially those with kids‚ checking bags is a necessary evila necessary and costly one.If it seems to you like checked bag fees have been steadily climbing‚ thats because checked bag fees have been steadily climbing. According to this article‚ bag fees on American Airlines rose 33% just last year from $30 per bag to $40 and 5 of the 6 biggest carriers raised their fees last year. Why is the entire industry upping their checked-bag fees? Theres a specific reason involving an arcane bit of tax code‚ which accounts for why the fees are tacked on separately versus rolled into the price of the ticket.Jay L. Zagorsky‚ a business school professor who studies travel‚ says 7.5% of every domestic ticket goes to the federal government. Airlines dislike this‚ claiming it raises ticket prices for consumers. But as long as the bag fee is separate‚ it is excluded from the 7.5% transportation tax.Estimated bag fees for 2023 topped 7 billion. By making the bag fees separate‚ airlines saved themselves about half a billion dollars. If that savings has been passed down to the customer‚ then we all got a bit of a break‚ too. Perhaps you automatically dislike the separate fees because youre Gen X and remember a time when a ticket was all-inclusive. Now‚ it feels like youre paying for stuff you used to get for free.Turns out that more and more travelers actually like the separate charges.One thing that our research has shown‚ Henry Hartevedlt‚ president of travel industry analytics firm Atmosphere Research told USA Today‚ is that more than two-thirds of U.S. leisure airline passengers now feel that the unbundling of the coach product and letting people buy what they want and need on an la carte basis is actually something they like because it helps them stick to their budget.This is a positive way to look at something thats undoubtedly here to stay. And now if you hear someone complain about bag fees at the airport‚ youll know why its done the way its done‚ which is really sweet satisfaction in itself.Of course‚ there';s always this unusual workaround courtesy of Reddit user Old_Man_Withers‚ ";I Fedex my luggage to the hotel and carry nothing on the plane but my laptop for work. It doesn';t matter if it';s 2 days or two months‚ I ship it. The hotel has it waiting in my room when I get there and I ship it back home from there when I';m done. No random inspections‚ no chances of loss without recompense‚ fully trackable... I see no downside that isn';t worth the 50-100 bucks it costs.";