New York’s Democratic-controlled state legislature passed a new congressional map on Wednesday after voting down another proposal that was less favorable. Both chambers rejected the New York Independent Redistricting Commission’s (IRC’s) plan on Monday‚ which only gave Democrats one pickup opportunity in November. The state Democrats’ slightly altered new plan‚ which is headed to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for her likely signing‚ would make two districts more left-leaning while leaving the...

The protest vote organized against President Joe Biden this week in the Great Lakes State asked the president to “Listen to Michigan.” But despite members of Biden’s administration meeting with Arab and Muslim American community leaders this month‚ the initial response from the president’s campaign to Michigan’s primary Tuesday did not directly acknowledge the number of Democrats who marked themselves “uncommitted” to express their opposition to his approach to the Israel–Hamas war. Asked...

When a middle school in one of America’s largest school districts learned that a student was interested in a medical gender transition‚ administrators knew exactly who to turn to. That’s because just a month earlier‚ the school for kids as young as eleven had formed a partnership with the largest transgender youth clinic in the country‚ according to documents obtained by The Daily Wire. Emails show that administrators in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) immediately connected...

The rock music scene changed in a big way in the early ‘90s; spandex-clad glam rockers were kicked to the curb by a new group of alternative-rock acts that were rooted in the D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) ethics of the late ‘70s‚ early ‘80s punk movement.MTV served up videos to the new movement via “120 Minutes‚” a nightly video show featuring the latest alternative rock‚ punk and indie acts. A frequent host of the show was Henry Rollins‚ the former singer of punk icons Black Flag who later created The Rollins Band.One night‚ Rollins dispensed some essential D.I.Y. advice for the kids watching at home. He asked them to be inspired by the acts they saw on MTV‚ not awed by them."Instead of being awed by all these people with their wonderful hair and airbrushed faces‚ you can also go out and get yourself a guitar‚ learn some rudimentary chords and play yourself‚” Rollins said. “You can be awed into submission to where you will sit and be a fan for the rest of your life instead of being someone who does.”Rollins tied his advice to Nirvana's approach that completely changed rock music.Henry Rollins says don't be awed‚ be inspired on MTV 120 Minutes (1993.01.31) Black Flag"That's why you should learn the lesson from Nirvana‚” Rollins continued. “You can be a mere mortal on the planet‚ not be the big attractive‚ perfectly-styled guy‚ have a greasy T-shirt and an attitude‚ pick up a guitar and actually make some meaningful music. You figure half these boneheads can't read and they can play a guitar. You stand a really good chance."Rollins then pointed out that people can easily be "freaked out" when they see a genius like Picasso or Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. Instead‚ they should choose to be "inspired" by their work to create their own art for the world to enjoy.

When you peruse the news headlines or dive into discussions on current events on social media‚ it's pretty easy to feel despondent. Doom and gloom sells‚ unfortunately‚ and our natural negativity bias that's meant to protect us can be overworked by a 24/7 bombardment of humanity's challenges.There is an anecdote to all of that‚ though: Curating and cultivating the good. Sometimes it's just knowing where to look to find examples of problems being solved‚ discoveries being made‚ innovation taking huge leaps and other evidence that humans are moving our collective life forward in incredible ways.Someone on Reddit asked‚ "What is currently in its 'Golden age‚' but not enough people know about it?" and thousands of people responded. Reading through the answers is an enlightening and uplifting glimpse of things we might not personally be involved with but are happy to see having a heyday. Like‚ who wouldn't like to know that we're in a golden age of astronomy and paleontology. Space and dinosaurs? It's like realizing our 5-year-old selves' ideal future.Here are some of the top things that are experiencing a "golden age": AstronomyThe amount that scientists have learned about the final frontier in recent decades is mind-blowing."Astronomy is currently experiencing a golden age. It has changed radically in the last 30ish years. Think on this‚ if you are 30 + years old‚ you were born into a world that wasn't sure if planetary systems were rare or common. We now know that nearly all stars are likely to have planets. We know of 5000+ exoplanets. Mars was not considered a place we could find signs of life by most. The generation of spacecraft exploring Mars since the year 2000 changed that. Now some argue that discovering signs of past life on Mars is a matter of when‚ not if. We found multiple worlds in our solar system with liquid water oceans. This is just scratching the surface. New technologies like JWST promise to keep the momentum for the foreseeable future." – Slimjerry"A hundred years ago‚ we were debating if the Milky Way was the entire universe. It’s crazy to think about how far astronomy and cosmology have come. And it’s not just huge existential topics either. Galaxy evolution has been completely reversed in the past 20 years. Elliptical aka 'early type' galaxies are the end result of mergers of spiral and irregular aka 'late types.'" – snoogans235"42 year old‚ you're not even doing the scope justice. When I was a little kid‚ it's not that we didn't know if planetary systems were rare or common‚ it's that we didn't know if there were other planetary systems! It was just an assumption we extrapolated from the fact that THIS star had them‚ a statistical contrivance! It could have just as easily proven true that our sun was profoundly weird‚ the only one this happened with. Think about that next time you're watching some classic B sci fi flick about going to another planet; that was a MUCH bigger leap in logic when that film was made than it is now." –Of_Mice_And_MeeseKnitting and CrochetingThe fiber arts have been around a lonnnng time‚ but it's never been a better time to be a knitter."Knitting. First‚ we're in the golden age of yarns. There are hundreds of indie dyers putting amazing colors on a truly mind-boggling range of yarn bases (both fiber content and weight). Even "cheap" yarn is better quality‚ and comes in a wider range of colors and bases‚ than ever before. There's an abundance of wool yarn soft enough to wear next to your skin (although you can get scratchy yarn if that's your jam).Then there are the patterns. Thousands of them‚ many of them free online. Think of what you want to make‚ and there's a pattern out there.Tools‚ too. How do you like your needles - wood‚ bamboo‚ steel‚ aluminum‚ plastic‚ casein? Circular with 15 sizes of interchangeable tips‚ straight‚ long short? They're out there.If you're a knitting nerd‚ it's a great time to be alive."– cwthree"I believe it's both crochet and knitting!! i might be a lil biased as i crochet and not knit but all the points you made apply to crochet!" – QUEERVEEPaleontologyDINOSAURRRRRS!!! Who knew?"Paleontology! So much tech bringing new stuff to light."– foolishfoolsgold"And archaeology. LiDAR's power to identify probably human-made structures under layers of jungle canopy is just incredible."– ModusPwnins"And completely overhauling existing knowledge. DNA studies have changed to much in paleontology that there are joke papers published about it.A lot of people's life work has been proven incorrect because of a few DNA studies despite those folks using the best methodologies available to them at the time."– guynamedjamesCooking So many recipes. So many documentaries. "The Great British Baking Show." All at our fingertips."Cooking! I'm 30 now and it's so easy to find amazing recipes‚ good cooking supplies‚ and with so much information I can save money on food in so many ways. Literally youtube is teaching me to make so many great things." – BootsRubberClumsy"Yup‚ and this influx of easy information has created a nexus of global cuisines in almost all major cities. the blending of ingredients and techniques from Asia‚ Europe‚ latin America‚ etc is creating some really incredible stuff. I worked at a three Michelin when I was younger that had a classically trained French chef who focused on Japanese ingredients‚ it was really quite something."– ThewFflegyy"Dietary options. No matter what issue you have‚ there's a pantry full of food that will meet that restriction AND taste good."– deathbrusherBoard GamesThis one might be surprising‚ considering the internet and digital entertainment and screen usage. Perhaps board games are having a great run because of‚ not in spite of‚ those things?"Board games have been having a great run for the past 10 years‚ tons of amazing games coming out every year."– jraff_dot_net"The combination of the internet and the inability to copyright rules have opened a floodgate of innovation in board games." – SuperPants73"Here are some great modern games that are considered gateway games. I would definitely call them favorites also. (Edited for formatting)Ticket to RideCarcassonnePandemicDominionSplendorAzulKing of Tokyo"– HabeLinkinMusic Production EquipmentExcellent news for creatives with little $$$."Playing guitar and recording music. You can buy a quality guitar online for crazy cheap now and some pro recording software out there is free." – leatherwolf89"Seriously! 'Starter' instruments these days are so far ahead of the starters of the 90's/00's- it's insane how much quality you can get these days for much‚ much less." – Fortune090"Keyboards‚ both synthesizers and mechanical.It's possible to get a synth that sounds identical to a $5000 Minimoog for $200 and a decent mechanical keyboard for less than that." – the_slanted_slope"To add to that‚ DAWs (sound/song editing software‚ like photoshop for music) are amazing these days!Some have plug-ins that can mimic orchestras so accurately that you can tell them which way a violin bow's stroke is moving and configure valve sounds into saxes. Some digital flautists come with breath sounds! Like it'll blow a long riff‚ then a sound like the musician is lightly inhaling.Off key? Add a little auto-tune. Drummer's all 'not quite my temp' on you? Align it to a digital metronome. Now your drum tracks sound like they're made by an app? Add a little random error into the mix to "humanize" it.That shit used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now $5k gets you a moderately professional studio rig. (But the price for top-end stuff will always be 'how much ya got?')" – hendergleHome Television SetsFor real. We've all experienced the opposite of inflation with home TVs and it's been a glorious thing. "Home TVs. The sort of hardware you can get for even $300 is absolutely absurd compared to what the 1980s through 2000s knew." – NotAnotherEmpire"32-inch‚ 2006 from Best Buy for $1‚700.I can’t come to terms with the fact that only 18 years later I’m watching a TV twice as big that cost 40% less and carries a picture quality that’s so good it gives me chills sometimes." – frawgster"Accurate. Just got a 55" Samsung LCD for $350. Hard to beat that value." – Pac_Eddy

In a world where prices are continuously increasing‚ prominent companies are turning to surge pricing to raise prices even further during peak demand times. Uber charges people more for a ride when demand is high. Hotels have been changing prices based on demand for years and Amazon uses AI to keep prices constantly in flux.Recently‚ Ticketmaster‚ known for charging high fees‚ has been charging customers even more for tickets as demand rises.On Monday‚ February 26‚ news reports began circulating that Wendy’s‚ America's 5th most popular fast-food chain‚ would implement dynamic pricing at its restaurants. Many assumed that meant a Dave’s Double burger would cost an extra $3 during dinner time or medium fries would cost an extra buck during the lunch rush.The changes in pricing are part of a $30 million effort to launch digital menu boards at all of its U.S. company-run restaurants by the end of 2025 and to enhance its digital menus at restaurants across the globe.Dear @Wendys‚No.Sincerely‚Everyone.— My Own Damn Self (@BlackGirlTris) February 27‚ 2024 Many people feared the worst after the reports‚ but Wendy’s hadn’t provided any specifics on pricing during its announcement. “Dynamic pricing can allow Wendy’s to be competitive and flexible with pricing‚ motivate customers to visit and provide them with the food they love at a great value‚” a Wendy’s spokesperson told The New York Post. “We will test a number of features that we think will provide an enhanced customer and crew experience.”The news caused a lot of outrage on Twitter‚ where many railed against what they saw as a plan to start price gouging. They also feared that surge pricing would become ubiquitous in the fast-food industry‚ where consistency and low prices keep people returning to the drive-thru.If you can’t depend on the price of a burger and fries on the drive home from work‚ then what can you depend on?Prices at fast food restaurants are already on the rise. McDonald's raised its prices by 10% over the last year‚ and‚ according to PriceListo‚ Wendey’s prices have soared by 35% between 2022 and 2023 due to a rise in the cost of labor and supplies.Adding surge pricing on top of higher prices would force many people to abandon the drive-thru altogether.Looks like Wendy's got word of @ronnychieng's side hustle and shut it down pic.twitter.com/8NiqzUk1gj— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 28‚ 2024 Wendys figuring up what your fast food meal cost based on demand and surge pricing pic.twitter.com/zkv7T2siAP— ScottW (@jswtreeman) February 27‚ 2024 The Wendy’s Cashier after selling the guy in front of me a stale burger for $17.98 pic.twitter.com/1UVYYvx3Pp— High Yield Harry (@HighyieldHarry) February 28‚ 2024 Me bursting into Wendy's at 3am so I can get a nacho cheeseburger for $1.50 https://t.co/a03U4gXPsD pic.twitter.com/jocx7YE88V— DOGRUSH (@dagothurfanclub) February 28‚ 2024 Bro I’m just trying to order a sandwich from Wendy’s what the heck is this 😭 pic.twitter.com/ptiPThvVo1— Matt Esparza (@matthewesp) February 27‚ 2024 just got 110 burgers from Wendy's. nice try but your surge pricing won't get me‚ I'm stocked up for the year 🖕 https://t.co/PydoS5hjA0 pic.twitter.com/yJu8tY4mx3— gaz (@gazpachomachine) February 27‚ 2024 Wendys + Robinhood 🤝 pic.twitter.com/QTgT66srUK— David (@dkrasniy) February 28‚ 2024 After the public backlash against its new pricing strategy‚ Wendy’s clarified that it has no intention of implementing surge pricing. “Wendy’s will not implement surge pricing‚ which is the practice of raising prices when demand is highest. We didn’t use that phrase‚ nor do we plan to implement that practice‚” the company said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday‚ February 28.However‚ it did add that its new digital menu boards may offer more dynamic menu offerings throughout the day that could save consumers a few bucks for stopping by during non-peak hours. The company said the new digital menus “could allow us to change the menu offerings at different times of day and offer discounts and value offers to our customers more easily‚ particularly in the slower times of day.”

Monica Lewinsky knows a thing or two about reinvention. The former White House intern became the source of media obsession after her affair with former President Bill Clinton become public. It solidified her place in history against her will‚ but through her actions since‚ Lewinsky has transformed her public persona into a feminist icon and champion of a powerful anti-bullying campaign.Now‚ the 50-year-old Lewinsky is lending her household name to sustainable fashion brand Reformation and Vote.org in hopes to encourage people to vote this year.In a campaign aptly titled “You’ve Got The Power‚” Lewinsky models fabulously chic and structured workwear pieces—blazers‚ pencil skirts‚ one badass leather trench coat—all while posing in a sky rise office building.There are even subtle (or not-so-subtle) nods to Lewinsky’s previous chapter during the Clinton era: one image where she’s clad in vivid scarlet‚ head-to-toe‚ and another wearing large sunglasses as though she were thwarting the paparazzi.On the campaign website‚ Reformation wrote: “Monica’s been empowering women to use their voices and feel powerful for a long time. So it just makes sense that she’d help us do the same. And while great clothes won’t fix everything‚ putting them on and going to the polls is a pretty good place to start.”On the same page‚ Lewinsky is quoted saying “Voting is using your voice to be heard‚ and it’s the most defining aspect of democracy. If you wanna complain for the next four years‚ you gotta go out and vote."Lewinsky told Elle in an interview published Monday that her decision to join the campaign was inspired by an evident rise in voter frustration and apathy. “We all have to be reminding each other that we can’t let that get in the way of needing to vote‚ that that’s how we use our voice. That’s where our power is‚” she shared. For many women‚ clothing is a powerful form of expression. The fact that we have so many unapologetically feminine elements coming together to encourage women to use their voices‚ spoken in a language that many women understand on a visceral level…that in itself feels like progress.Voting is sure to be tenuous this year. Whether this campaign serves as a reminder to get out there and let your voice be heard‚ or gave you inspiration for your election-day look‚ it’s a pretty worthwhile collaboration. FYI: Though not modeled by Lewinsky‚ Reformation is also selling a limited edition "You Got The Power" sweatshirt. A portion of the proceeds made will got towards Vote.org‚ which works toward making voting more accessible.

"Some of their songs move me to tears." The post The band who moved Christine McVie “to tears” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Their lives in the '80s are being examined in a new Brat Pack documentary.