Donald Trump used a Memorial Day post to excoriate a federal judge and E. Jean Carroll, who recently won a defamation verdict against the former president. In a Monday morning post on Truth Social, Trump’s media platform, the former president tore into Carroll and the judge overseeing the case. In January, Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million in a defamation lawsuit stemming from his denial of Carroll’s claim that he raped her in the mid-1990s...

For more than half a century, concerns about oil shortages or a damaged climate have spurred governments to invest in alternative energy sources. In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter placed solar panels on the roof of the White House as a symbol of his commitment to developing energy from the sun. In the 1990s, Japan offered homeowners groundbreaking subsidies to install photovoltaic panels. And in the 2000s, Germany developed an innovative program that guaranteed consumers who adopted a...

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody has been covered dozens of different ways. But you've never seen it performed like this.As one of the most iconic songs in rock music, Bohemian Rhapsody is recognizable no matter how it's done. As children, my brother and I used to belt out Galileos and Figaros in the backseat of our parents' Volkswagon whenever the song came on (yes, just like in Wayne's World). While other kids learned about Beelzebub in Sunday School, I learned about him from Queen's perfect harmonies. If there were an anthem from my classic rock-filled childhood, it would be Bohemian Rhapsody.It's one of those songs that is hard to cover well, though it hasn't stopped people from trying. I've enjoyed some renditions, but nothing has caught my attention or delight more than this kapa haka version from New Zealand.A Māori choir in native garb sang the song live in the Māori language, and it is something to see.The group Hātea Kapa Haka performed the song on February 21 at New Zealand's national kapa haka festival, Te Matatini, in Wellington. The festival brings 46 kapa haka (Māori performing arts) groups together to compete against one another.Newshub reports that Hātea Kapa Haka collaborated with musical artist William Waiirua to create a "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover in the Māori language, both as a tribute to Freddie Mercury and to celebrate the Oscar-nominated movie about his life.The group had previously created a music video for their cover, but seeing it performed live is something else. The voices, the harmony, the presentation—everything—is wonderful.This kind of cultural mashup reminds us how small our world has become.The contrast between Queen's 1970s British rock and the Māori people's traditional kapa haka could not be more striking. And yet, the melding of the two totally works. Music has the power to bring people together, and this performance is a great example of how it can bridge cultures with beautiful results.Watch the live performance here:And if you want more, check out the music video too:William Waiirua got more help from Hātea Kapa Haka than he bargained for when his car broke down... For more Queen, check out this playlist: https://umusicNZ...This article originally appeared on 03.01.19

My mother died from ovarian cancer when I was a young child.I'm in my late 30s now, and I'm still navigating this loss as I move through life. I've lived most of my life without my mother at this point, but I still miss her.Here are three things I've learned since losing Mam:1. Grief is not linear and is not solely expressed through tears.Someone you love has been taken away from you, and your heart has broken into pieces. It's natural to grieve, but we all grieve differently. Grief shows up in anger, sorrow, guilt, fear, and sometimes peace. It is unpredictable and, at times, exhausting.I cried when my mother died, and I cried at her funeral when my school choir sang "Be Not Afraid." I didn't cry much in the immediate years that followed — not directly as a result of Mam's death, but probably indirectly related to it. I certainly felt fear and anger and other emotions related directly to my loss.Then sadness hit me like a ton of bricks one day when I was in my early 20s. A compassionate friend asked me about Mam, and as I hadn't spoken about her to anyone outside the family, I broke down. It was a good release. The years have brought many stages of grieving.Mother's Day is never easy. Shopping for my wedding dress without my mother brought up intense feelings of loss. And sometimes it just hits me hard, on a regular day, yanking me out of my pleasant thoughts. A mother in a dressing room with her daughter, and they're trying on clothes together, admiring how the other looks. The mother telling the daughter how beautiful she is.Or a friend of mine, meeting her mother for lunch and I can't even imagine what that would be like! I can't even fathom the amazing joy of having lunch right now with Mam! And then I get that heaviness in my chest and my stomach feels bad.There's no closure. My grieving stems from having loved so deeply. I have learned to tune into the emotions I'm feeling and to acknowledge the love, the pain, and the loss.2. There are no replacements.Nobody can replace your mother. We love our mothers in our own individual ways. Our mothers care for us when we're sick, guide us in life the best ways they can, listen to us, and love us unconditionally.For a mother, her child is always her first priority. And we sense this. We feel it. We know it, even if she doesn't say it.My mother was beyond happy when I was born a healthy baby girl. I was told that she called me her little angel. She carried me in her womb for nine months.By the time I was born, we had that unbreakable bond, and she knew me from that first second of my existence. There's never going to be a replacement for that person who loved me probably more than she loved herself. The joy in her eyes when she saw me, the warmth of her arms wrapped around me, the pain in her eyes when she had to say goodbye are all ways that I remember the deep love she had for me.Mam prepared lunches for me every day to take to school, named muffins after me because they were my favorite, and surprised me with the best doll she could find when I was a few years old. She repaired my soft toys when they tore, taught me to have manners and sit up straight, wiped my eyes when I cried and my nose when I was sick.Today I look for certain qualities in people. I look for a warmth, a radiance, a compassion and kindness that Mam had. I look for humor, a voice of sense, and strength of character. These are traits that my mother had. I find some of them in others.But it's never the same. There'll never be another Mam. She's irreplaceable on so many levels.3. There are other people who will love you and other people for you to love.Family members and friends will love you. They might not know exactly what your needs are or how to address them, but it's worth reaching out to them. People struggle with different things.Perhaps family members cannot love you or be there for you, and we may have to look around, let go, and reach further than we might want to in order to find the people who really love us, but there is someone out there to love you, and there's someone in need of your love.I was blessed with the kindest, most devoted father who gave my brother and me all the love and care we needed. My dad is a gem in my life. He calls me to hear my news and to share his. He worries when I'm not feeling good and is overjoyed when I'm happiest. He listens to my concerns and trusts me to make the right decisions.My dad has helped me so much in dealing with my loss, through caring for me and loving me unconditionally. I have the most wonderful fiancé who loves me to no end. And I've friends in my life who I know truly care about me.I've been blessed with a lovely family, but it doesn't mean that I don't reach out to others. I've reconnected with old friends after years of distance. I've discovered things I have in common with others and opened up to new friendships.Having people to love is truly healing. I was a kindergarten teacher for 10 years. I loved the children in my care, and they showed me so much love in return. By spreading love, we invite more love into our lives. Try volunteering or working in a school or a hospital. There are people everywhere in need of love.Our world is so big and yet so small now in this age of technology. We can reach out to others across continents.Our mothers were the first to show us the true meaning of love. In honor of our mothers, let's spread that love wherever we can.This article was written by Carmel Breathnach and originally appeared on March 5, 2017

What are women up to when no one is watching?Artwork courtesy of Sally Nixon, used with permission.Well, take a look at Sally Nixon's illustrations and you'll see.The subjects in her artwork aren't aware we're looking at them.And that's the point. They're living in a world free from the pressures that exist in the real one."I like drawing girls doing their everyday routine — just hanging out, not worried about what others are thinking," Nixon told Upworthy. "They're usually alone or with other girls. Their guard is down."Editor's note: An image below contains partial nudity.Capturing her subjects in this liberated light wasn't intentional at first, she explained.But when she started a 365-day challenge last April to create one art piece a day, the work started reflecting the nuances of her own life away from prying eyes — "I was kind of like, 'Oh, I'm brushing my teeth, so I'll draw that.'" — and a theme began to form.Her illustrations show how women look, away from the exhausting world where they're often judged more harshly than men.You also might notice none of the girls in her illustrations are smiling.According to Nixon, that's a deliberate choice."I don't sit around smiling to myself," Nixon said, noting the double standard that exists in thinking women should always appear cheerful."I've been told, 'You need to smile more.' It's so infuriating. I wanted to show the way girls actually look, comfortably."The theme of friendship is also an important one in Nixon's drawings.“I have four older sisters, so female friendship has always been a big part of my life," Nixon told The Huffington Post. “You gotta have someone to talk about periods with, and dudes just don't get it."Creating relatable scenes was key to Nixon, too — from the details of women's lives to the physical shapes of their bodies.“It's important that the women I draw aren't rail thin with huge boobs," Nixon said. “I think there are enough images of bodies like that out in the world. The ladies I draw typically have small-ish, droopy breasts and thick thighs. They're kind of lumpy but in an attractive way. Just like real people."The women in Nixon's work aren't real, but she hopes their stories are."One of my absolute favorite comments [on my work] is, 'Oh my God, it's me!'" she explained of the depictions."There's a little bit of beauty in [everyday life] and I wanted to bring that out."You can view more of Nixon's artwork on her website and check out her prints for purchase on Etsy.This article originally appeared on 04.15.16

Nothing can ruin a relaxing weekend or holiday like an email from the office. Even if there's no need to take action until Monday, the unwanted intrusion of professional life can really suck the joy out of a Sunday afternoon barbecue.That's why the country that's famous for giving its employees 30 days off a year and 16 weeks of full-paid family leave in May 2016 made itself even cooler with its new "right to disconnect" rule.In France, if you're a company of 50 employees or more, you cannot email an employee after typical work hours. The labor law amendment has come about because studies show that in the digital age, it's increasingly difficult for people to distance themselves from the workplace during their off hours.This new provision allows people to get the full advantage of their time off."All the studies show there is far more work-related stress today than there used to be, and that the stress is constant," Benoit Hamon of the French National Assembly told the BBC. "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash — like a dog. The texts, the messages, the emails — they colonize the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down."The rule stipulates that companies must negotiate policies that limit the spillover of work into their employees' private lives. Although there are no penalties for violations, companies are to establish "charters of good conduct" that specify the times which employees are free from being digitally connected to their workplaces.This right to disconnect amendment was passed as part of a controversial French labor law that some say will weaken unions and enhance employee job insecurity. The digital disconnect amendment was the one part of the law that's been viewed favorably by the French public.This article originally appeared on 11.12.17

The sights and sounds of erotic pop. The post The music video Paul McCartney called a pretty average porn movie: “I’ve seen better” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Understanding what makes heavy exciting. The post The album that made Jack Black love heavy metal: “It changed my whole brain” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are prone to get soggy if you just drop them on a plate after cooking. Here's a chopstick tip for how to prevent mushy bread.

The Big Boy chain started as a 10-seat hamburger stand but quickly evolved into a drive-in restaurant credited with serving the first double-deck hamburger.