Nothing can ruin your weekend quite like a text or an email from the boss while you’re enjoying your time off. Having a job where your boss can contact you all hours of the day‚ can create a constant feeling of stress that makes you feel like you’re never really off the clock.That’s why Australia‚ the country with the 4th-best work-life balance in the world‚ is set to enact a new law that gives its employees the “right to disconnect.” A parliamentary bill with the majority of support in the Senate and the blessing of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gives workers the right to ignore unreasonable calls or messages from work without penalty. Employers that violate their employee's right to disconnect can be fined.“What we are simply saying is that someone who isn’t being paid 24 hours a day shouldn’t be penalized if they’re not online and available 24 hours a day‚” Albanese told reporters.The Senate chamber erupts into applause to celebrate the passing of the Closing Loopholes bill into legislation — including the Greens’ right to disconnect amendment!A wonderful day for workers in Australia! pic.twitter.com/M5CkGMFA3c— Barbara Pocock (@BarbaraPocock) February 8‚ 2024 When the law is passed‚ Australia will join several countries in the European Union including France and Spain that allow employees to turn off their phones and log out of their emails when they are off the clock.Greens Party leader Adam Bandt believes the law protects people from working without pay. “Australians work an average of six weeks unpaid overtime each year‚” Bandt said. “That time is yours. Not your boss’.”If you’ve been asked to answer an email‚ take a call‚ or edit a doc on your day off‚ then this one’s for you:The Greens have just won you the Right to Disconnect.Now‚ you’ll have the right to ignore your boss when you clock off.— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) February 7‚ 2024 Sydney resident Colvin Macpherson told Reuters it’s a “wonderful” idea. "We all need to relax‚ we all need to be able to switch off and not be disturbed by emails and phone calls in the middle of the night. Both of my kids are lawyers as well‚ so they work horrendous hours as it is and you get things coming in at night time‚" he said.However‚ not everyone is over the moon about the law set to be voted on in the coming days. Australia's Chambers of Commerce released a joint statement saying that the new law is government overreach that will harm the country’s economy."Modern technology has provided flexibility to the workforce and many employees no longer need to sit behind a desk from nine to five‚" the statement said. "We cannot allow industrial relations laws to make it harder for hard-working business owners to generate the wealth we enjoy as a nation."The new Australian law comes at a time when workers worldwide are beginning to feel that there has been an uneasy melding of their personal and professional lives. These days‚ anyone can be reached at any time via cell phone‚ email or messaging systems such as Slack‚ which causes many to feel they constantly have to be “on” all the time.Further‚ for many‚ their office is at home‚ so there’s an increased expectation for them to work outside business hours.Time will tell if right-to-disconnect laws are a way to promote healthy work-life balance while also ensuring that business can be run effectively. But it’s comforting to know that big countries are coming to believe that work-life balance should be a top priority.

NOTE: One or more of the videos contained in this article may contain adult language.There's always a lot of talk around Gen Z‚ but it turns out Generation Alpha are even more conscious of today's politics at an earlier age. In fact‚ they're not just more politically aware at a young age‚ they're more socially and emotionally aware with a strong sense of protection for those around them. This budding generation has earned themselves the moniker‚ "honey badger" across social media and it seems to be sticking. Upworthy sat down with Laura Loray‚ a licensed clinical social worker and psychiatric nurse practitioner. Loray is the one who actually coined the term honey badger for this new generation. As someone who specializes in working with kids and adolescents‚ Gen Alpha falls right into her purview on a daily basis but it wasn't just her clients that sparked the endearing nickname."Obviously‚ we all remember that video from 15 years ago with the 'honey badger don't care‚ honey badger don't give a sh*t' and once I started seeing all these videos of parents saying their babies were built different‚" Loray recalls."I started really looking at them to see what this extra spiciness is about because they're very‚ very spicy and they just don't care. They're fearless and that's when it popped in my brain because honey badger don't care. I don't remember what video I first said it on but people in the comments agreed. It just fit like puzzle pieces‚ it just fit perfectly."You may think with a nickname like honey badger that they wouldn't care about much of anything but Loray says Gen Alpha has feral empathy. "They have this seemingly innate incredible amount of empathy to care for other‚ to want to know how others are feeling and then to take care of others‚ which I think is different from what we've been seeing in previous generations. They very much want to make sure other people around them are okay and they have this keen ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes‚" Loray explains. The therapist tells Upworthy that this feral empathy and their ability to not back down or care what others think is what causes them to stand up for people and engage in protests. Yes‚ Gen Alpha has been engaging in and helping to organize protests though the oldest kids in the cohort are between 9 and 11. You can thank their feral empathy and their Millennial parents for their early activism. @thatpsychnp #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #thatpsychnp #genalpha #genalphaparent #gena #honeybadger #honeybadgerdontgiveashit #apocalypse #childhood #momsoftiktok #dadsoftiktok #teachersoftiktok #school #advocate #support #amazing #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #viralvideo #learnontiktok Parents of Gen Alpha are not only being their kids' rides to protests‚ but they're teaching them to use their voice via gentle parenting. "I think that comes along with the gentle parenting as well because they're allowed space for us to model that for them and for them to be able to verbalize what they're feeling and thinking. A lot of us Millennials‚ even if we weren't necessarily trained in it (you know not just Millennials‚ it could be various generations in terms of parenting) but we're seeing that we can much better understand them when they're able to utilize those feeling words. It actually reducing their frustration‚ reduces their anger‚ it solves things quicker and I think us allowing for that space has been such a huge game changer‚" Loray tells Upworthy. @thatpsychnp #greenscreenvideo #thatpsychnp #genalpha #genalphaparent #genalphahoneybadgers #genalphatok #honeybadger #honeybadgerdontgiveashit #genzwillsavetheworld #genz #momsoftiktok #dadsoftiktok #teachersoftiktok #nursesoftiktok #doctorsoftiktok #learnontiktok #politics #news #hero #herostory #amazing #girlboss #girlbossmoment The mom also explains that the teaching of social and emotional learning in school is also a large contributing factor because it teaches kids how to express what they need on top of how they feel. She says these lessons at school help them relate to others and will help them later in life in relationships and at work.Clearly the honey badger generation has won the hearts of older generations but they've also won the hearts of animals. Loray has several videos on her social media page that shows this strange pull that Gen Alpha seems to have with animals‚ local wild life included. She doesn't really have an explanation to that but some would argue that animals can sense kindness in people‚ so maybe they're just drawn to that in this still growing generation. @thatpsychnp #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #thatpsychnp #genalpha #genalphaparent #genalphahoneybadgers #honeybadger #honeybadgerdontgiveashit #momsoftiktok #dadsoftiktok #teachersoftiktok #parents #parenting #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #news #learnontiktok #hawk #viral #animalvideos There really is no telling why squirrels‚ ducks‚ snakes and other creatures are perfectly happy in the company of these human honey badgers‚ but it's a pretty neat phenomenon. Loray thinks Gen Alpha will be the generation to rebuild systems in a way that would be beneficial to all citizens due to their feral empathy and innate moral compass. Only time will tell but they are certainly tiny and fierce‚ and we're lucky to know them.

Super Bowl LVIII (that's 58 for those who've forgotten their Roman numerals) is set to take place on Sunday‚ Feb 9th between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Or‚ according to some folks‚ between Taylor Swift fans and Taylor Swift anti-fans.Since the relationship between the pop star and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce became public‚ Swift has been coming to his games to cheer him on. And because Taylor Swift is‚ in fact‚ a global megastar‚ she's gotten a bit more screen time than other players' loved ones. Some folks have had a hard time coping with this fact‚ however‚ loudly expressing their displeasure at having the cameras "constantly" pan to Taylor Swift during NFL games. Technically‚ she's only been on screen for an average of 25 seconds during each of the last four Chiefs games with an average camera shot being less than 8 seconds‚ but for some‚ that's still too much. As we all know‚ it's an all-American right to watch football without seeing anything we don't want to see‚ so in the name of freedom and liberty‚ here are 13 hacks for avoiding Taylor Swift during the Super Bowl. Simply pick any of the following as soon as the camera pans to TS:1. Close your eyes and yell "Football is liiiife!" three times. This is from "Ted Lasso" and it's referring to soccer and not American football‚ but it's still fun to say‚ (Plus it'll get some of that angst at seeing TS's face for a split second out of you.) 2. Turn off your TV and immediately turn it back on again.That should be just enough time for the camera to move on to someone else.3. Move your eyeballs to the right or left—take your pick—until she disappears.Just like when you see a woman breastfeeding in public‚ you can simply choose not to look at Taylor Swift. (See‚ our eyeballs have this awesome feature where they swivel in their sockets‚ and we have total control over them! You don't even have to shift them very far to stop seeing whatever don't want to see. Super nifty.)4. Take a really‚ really‚ really fast bathroom break. You'll probably only have time to get to the bathroom door before the camera moves again‚ but if you're swift about it (ba dum pum) maybe you can get in a tinkle‚ too.5. Text your mom and thank her. You know you've been meaning to. Now's the opportune time. (If not your mom‚ pick someone else you owe some gratitude to.)6. Think about the Roman Empire.Thinking about the Roman Empire is like second nature anyway‚ isn't it? Indulge whatever that impulse is and zone out with Marcus Aurelius for a few seconds.7. Take your empty can to the recycling bin.Clean as you go‚ as they say. It'll get you off the couch and save you a little time at the end of the game. Win win. 8. Go put a dish in the dishwasher.Just one. That's all you're going to have time for before TS is gone.9. Do a few pushups.Maybe if you get Travis Kelce's physique‚ you could land someone like…nevermind.10. Google "Taylor Swift net worth"Just for funsies. (Spoiler: She is very‚ very successful.)11. Google "Taylor Swift charity"In case you want to feel better about her connection to the NFL‚ which none of us have any control over. (Spoiler: She is very‚ very wealthy but also very generous.)12. Go outside and touch grass.Isn't that what perpetually online folks tell other perpetually online folks? Just step away from the screen for a sec. You'll feel better and you won't have to see Taylor. Win win‚ again.13. Go give your wife/kid/sibling/friend a hug.Tell them it's your Taylor Swift avoidance tactic. See if they laugh‚ either with your or at you.There‚ that takes care of the 0.3% of the game that Taylor Swift's face might have ruined for some folks. Phew! Regardless of who's there and who the camera shows for however long‚ this year's Super Bowl should be an exciting game‚ so let's all enjoy the matchup between two impressive teams‚ the Usher-led halftime show that people will inevitably find a way to complain about and the egregiously overpriced commercials that may or may not hit the mark. God bless America!

Tatiana von Furstenberg laid out more than 4‚000 works of art on the floor of her apartment and was immediately struck by what she saw.The pieces of artwork were submitted from various prisons across the country in hopes of being featured in "On the Inside‚" an exhibition of artwork by currently incarcerated LGBTQ inmates‚ curated by von Furstenberg and Black and Pink‚ a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBTQ community behind bars. The exhibit was held at the Abrons Arts Center in Manhattan toward the end of 2016."I put all the submissions on the floor and I saw that there were all these loving ones‚ these signs of affection‚ all of these two-spirit expressions of gender identity‚ and fairies and mermaids‚" von Furstenberg said.She noticed the recurring topics throughout the works of different artists — eye contact‚ desire‚ fighting back‚ alienation‚ and longing — and these shared struggles became the themes of the art exhibition."These artists feel really forgotten. They really did not think that anybody cared for them. And so for them to have a show in New York and to hear what the responses have been is huge‚ it's very uplifting‚" she said.Plenty of people turn to art as a means of escape. But for the artists involved in On the Inside‚ the act of making art also put them at risk.Gay‚ lesbian‚ and bisexual people are incarcerated at twice the rate of heterosexuals‚ and trans people are three times as likely to end up behind bars than cisgender people. During incarceration‚ they're also much more vulnerable than non-LGBTQ inmates to violence‚ sexual assault‚ and unusual punishments such as solitary confinement.Not every prison makes art supplies readily available‚ either‚ which means that some of the artists who submitted to "On the Inside" had to find ways to make their work from contraband materials‚ such as envelopes and ink tubes. And of course‚ by drawing provocative images about their identities‚ they also risked being outed and threatened by other inmates around them.But sometimes‚ the act of self-expression is worth that risk. Here are some of the remarkable examples of that from the exhibition.(Content warning: some of the images include nudity.)1."A Self Portrait" by B. Tony.2. "Rihanna" by Gabriel S."Rihanna is who I got the most pictures of‚" von Furstenburg said. "I think it's because she is relatable in both her strength and her vulnerability. She's real.”3. "Acceptance" by Stevie S."This series is sexy and loving and domestic‚" von Furstenberg said about these two portraits by Stevie S. "A different look at family values/family portrait.”4. "Michael Jackson" by Jeremy M.This was another one of von Furstenberg's favorites‚ because of the way it depicts a struggle with identity. "[MJ] was different‚ he was such a unique being that struggled so much with his identity and his body image the way a lot of our artists‚ especially our trans artists‚ are struggling behind bars‚" she said.5. "Unknown" by Tiffany W.6. "Genotype" and "Life Study‚" by J.S."This is the Michelangelo of the group‚" von Furstenberg said. "To be able to draw this with pencil and basic prison lighting is astounding. One of the best drawings I've ever seen in my life.”When the exhibition opened to the public on Nov. 4‚ 2016‚ visitors even had the chance to share their thoughts with the artists.The exhibit included an interactive feature that allowed people to text their comments and responses to the artist‚ which von Furstenberg then converted to physical paper and mailed to inmates.Some of the messages included:"I have had many long looks in the mirror like in your piece the beauty within us. I'm glad you can see your beautiful self smiling out. I see her too. Thank you.""I am so wowed by your talent. You used paper‚ kool aid and an inhaler to draw a masterpiece. I feel lucky to have been able to see your work‚ and I know that other New Yorkers will feel the same. Keep creating.""I've dreamed the same dreams. The barriers in your way are wrong. We will tear them down some day. Stay strong Dear."Many people were also surprised at how good the artwork was — but they shouldn't have been.Just because someone's spent time in prison doesn't mean they can't be a good person — or a talented artist. They're also being compensated for their artwork. While business transactions with incarcerated people are technically illegal‚ $50 donations have been made to each artist's commissary accounts to help them purchase food and other supplies."We're led to believe that people behind bars are dangerous‚ that we're safer without them‚ but it's not true‚" von Furstenberg said. "The fact that anybody would assume that [the art] would be anything less than phenomenal shows that there's this hierarchy: The artist is up on this pedestal‚ and other people marginalized people are looked down upon.”Art has always been about connecting people. And for these incarcerated LGBTQ artists‚ that human connection is more important than ever.Perhaps the only thing harder than being in prison is trying to integrate back into society — something that most LGBTQ people struggle with anyway. These are people who have already had difficulty expressing who they are on the inside and who are now hidden away from the world behind walls.On the Inside's art show provided them a unique opportunity to have their voices heard — and hopefully‚ their individual messages are loud enough to resonate when they're on the outside too.This article originally appeared on 11.14.16

Meet Samira Omar. The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.A group of girls threw boiling water on her‚ leaving her badly burned and covered in scars and discoloration.She thought the physical scars would be with her forever — until she met Basma Hameed. Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop‚ of sorts — but her tattoo artistry doesn't look like you'd expect. Basma is a paramedical tattoo specialist. Instead of tattooing vibrant‚ colorful designs‚ she uses special pigments that match the skin in order to conceal scars.It looks like this:With Basma's help‚ patients like Samira can see a dramatic decrease in their scar visibility and discoloration after a few treatments. She even offers free procedures for patients who are unable to afford treatment. That's because Basma knows firsthand just how life-changing her work can be for those coping with painful scars left behind.Check out the video below to find out more about Basma's practice‚ including how she became her very first patient.This article originally appeared on 01.12.15

Lately‚ art history majors have become something of a pop culture punching bag. Not only has the phrase become short-hand for "unemployable in today's economy‚" they've also been ridiculed by President Barack Obama on national television.But will the gentle art of aesthetic study finally get the last laugh?Middle Earth Organics is known for their organic pasta sauces‚ each label featuring a famous Italian painting.While this would normally be an NBD‚ the painting they chose for their tomato and porcini mushroom sauce has been stirring up controversy online.The woman in the painting above is not staring with intense concentration at a pot of delicious‚ simmering sugo.The image is "Judith Beheading Holofernes‚" a painting by Caravaggio. Judith‚ seen above‚ is not making an al dente delight. Judith is cutting off some dude's head.As 11points.com noted‚ "That unfortunate painting selection could've been avoided if they'd just hired an art history major." You heard it here folks. Pasta sauce companies: the future of global arts employment.Take a look at the art inspired lineup of sauces.This article originally appeared on 08.16.18

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