Rep. Rashida Tlaib‚ D-Mich.‚ is urging Democrats in Dearborn‚ Michigan‚ to vote against President Joe Biden in the state's upcoming Democratic primary. “If you want us to be louder‚ then come here and vote uncommitted‚” Tlaib said in a new video posted to social media on Saturday while standing outside an early voting location. She joined growing calls from progressive activists in Michigan to vote “uncommitted” in the state's Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 27 instead of voting...

What happens when the fantasy of getting everything you want collides with cold‚ hard reality? Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility attempts to answer that question by plotting the love lives of two young women: the cool-headed‚ pragmatic Elinor Dashwood‚ and her feverishly emotional younger sister‚ Marianne. Together‚ the pair embody the novel’s titular struggle: of practicality versus passion‚ decorum versus desire‚ the head versus the heart (or the hormones). More recently‚ a pair...

On Thursday‚ the Biden administration announced a new plan to enact large-scale student loan forgiveness‚ this time by targeting borrowers experiencing financial "hardship."  Under the proposal‚ borrowers would be eligible for forgiveness if they meet certain criteria demonstrating financial hardship‚ such as their "total student loan balance and required payments relative to household income" and "high-cost burdens for essential expenses like healthcare or childcare‚" according to a...

A teacher's message has gone viral after he let his student sleep in class — for the kindest reason.Teachers spend time preparing lesson plans and trying to engage students in learning. The least a kid can do is stay awake in class‚ right?But high school English teacher Monte Syrie sees things differently. In a Twitter thread‚ he explained why he didn't take it personally when his student Meg fell asleep — and why he didn't wake her up.Screenshots via MonteSyrie/Twitter.Meg's nap meant she missed an in-class essay‚ but she turned it in that night. "I didn't beat her up about it. Didn't have to‚" he wrote. "In a different room‚ Meg may have been written up for sleeping in class and given a zero for missing and essay‚ but she wasn't in a different room; she was in my room."Syrie pointed out that sometimes we have to "trust our instincts‚ even if it goes against the grain." Meg is a good student with a lot on her plate. She takes a zero-hour class before the normal school day and does farm chores before that. She runs track. And she's a teenager‚ with all of the social‚ academic‚ and life pressures that go along with it.Syrie teaches sophomore English in Cheney‚ Washington. Photo via Monte Syrie.And she's not alone. During the school year‚ teens report higher levels of stress than adults‚ and many students report feeling exhausted trying to keep up with it all. "I think too often the biggest thing that people forget about high school students is that they are kids‚" Syrie says. "They're kids — kids who are having to grow up way too fast and are having way too much pressure put on them‚ in and out of school ... even for our best and brightest‚ that pressure gets to be too much."Syrie's compassionate story resonated with people because we've all been in a position of needing a little grace.Syrie's tweets continued‚ exemplifying how teachers can show kindness and understanding to students. He pointed out‚ "I can't offer Meg a math class later in the day. I cannot feed her horses ... I cannot run 6 race-pace 300s for her. I cannot spirit away her teen trouble. But I can give her a break."Syrie says he tries to be that responsive to all of his students. "Because I firmly believe that one size fits all is madness‚ I adjust to each student‚ trusting my instincts‚ trusting what I know‚" he says. "Regardless of our responsibilities‚ life is hard‚ and we all need some grace now and then."Syrie says he's had a few negative comments‚ but overwhelmingly the response has been positive from both students and teachers. [rebelmouse-image 19397573 dam="1" original_size="665x141" caption="Screenshot via Alexa Shaw/Twitter." expand=1]Screenshot via Alexa Shaw/Twitter.[rebelmouse-image 19397574 dam="1" original_size="648x96" caption="Screenshot via Maria Riverso/Twitter." expand=1]Screenshot via Maria Riverso/Twitter.[rebelmouse-image 19397575 dam="1" original_size="661x119" caption="Screenshot via Mrs. Chow/Twitter." expand=1]Screenshot via Mrs. Chow/Twitter.Syrie has words for those who say that allowing a student to sleep in class doesn't prepare them for the "real world." Some may question whether letting a student sleep in class without consequence is a good idea. Syrie has a response: "We are not working in factories‚ stamping out standardized products‚" he says. "We are helping young humans — unique individuals — learn about themselves and their worlds. As such‚ when our young humans face the inevitable pressures of growing up‚ we need to respond with empathy." "And if that does not prepare them for the 'real world' as some may suggest‚ then maybe the world needs to change. I want to live in a world where there's empathy. That's the world I want to live in."You can read more about the way Syrie is rethinking education on his website. This article originally appeared on 06.01.18

Years ago‚ a friend went to a party‚ and something bothered him enough to rant to me about it later.And it bothered me that he was so incensed about it‚ but I couldn't put my finger on why. It seemed so petty for him to be upset‚ and even more so for me to be annoyed with him.Recently‚ something reminded me of that scenario‚ and it made more sense. I'll explain.The party was a house party.One of those parties people throw if they're renting a good-sized house in college. You know the type — loud music‚ Solo cups of beer‚ and somebody doing something drunk and stupid before the end of the night.At some point‚ my friend had occasion to use the bathroom. When he went into the bathroom‚ he was disgusted to see that the hostess had left a basket of menstrual hygiene products on the counter for guests to use if needed.Later‚ when my friend told me about it‚ he wrinkled his nose and said‚ “Why would she do that? Guys don't want to see that!"When I suggested that she was just making them available in case someone needed them‚ he insisted they could be left in the cabinet or under the counter. Out of sight‚ anyway.I wish I'd had‚ at the time‚ the ability to articulate what I can now.To me‚ this situation is‚ while relatively benign‚ a perfect example of male privilege.A man walks into the bathroom and sees a reminder that people have periods. And he's disgusted. He wants that evidence hidden away because it offends his senses. How dare the hostess so blatantly present tampons and pads where a man might see them? There's no reason for that!Someone who gets a period walks into the bathroom and sees that the hostess is being extra considerate. They get it. They know what it's like to have a period start unexpectedly. The feeling of horror because they're probably wearing something they don't want ruined — it is a party after all. The sick embarrassment because someone might notice‚ especially if they're wearing light-colored clothes‚ or worse‚ they sat on the hostess' white couch.The self-conscious‚ semi-nauseated feeling of trying to get through a social event after you've exhausted every avenue to get your hands on an emergency pad or tampon‚ and you're just hoping to God that if you tie your jacket around your waist (you brought one‚ right?)‚ keep your back to a wall‚ clench your butt cheeks‚ squeeze your thighs tightly together‚ and don't ... move ... at ... all — you might get through the evening‚ bow out gracefully‚ and find an all-night convenience store with a public restroom.Or maybe they came to the party during their period‚ but didn't bargain for the flow to suddenly get that heavy. Or they desperately need a tampon‚ but their purse or bag is in a room where a couple is not to be disturbed. Maybe they don't know the hostess well enough to ask if they can use one. Or they don't know anyone at the party well enough to ask. Or they figure they can make do with some wadded up toilet paper or something.Whatever the case‚ they walk into the bathroom and hear the hostess saying‚ “Hey‚ I know what it's like‚ and just in case‚ I've got your back." They see someone saving them from what could be a minor annoyance or a major embarrassment.The hostess gets it.The person who just walked into the bathroom? They're either going to see that the person throwing the party is super considerate or they're going to be whispering "thanks to Jesus‚ Krishna‚ and whoever else is listening" because that is a basket full of social saviors.But to the guy who wrinkled his nose‚ it's still offensive that those terrible little things are on the counter‚ reminding his delicate sensibilities that the playground part of a person is occasionally unavailable due to a "gross" bodily function that he should never have to think about.In the grand scheme of things‚ it's a tiny thing. It's a tiny annoyance for the man and a more significant‚ but relatively tiny‚ courtesy for the person with their period. After all these years‚ my friend has probably forgotten‚ but I never have. As a person whose life is partially governed by a fickle uterus that can ruin an evening faster than a submerged iPhone‚ his story has stuck with me.How can you be so offended by a small gesture that has zero effect on you‚ but could make such an enormous difference to the person who needs it?It occurs to me now that this is a small but effective illustration of how different people can see the world.It's part of the same thought process that measures a woman's value through her bra size and her willingness to have sex with him — that everything about us is displayed or hidden based on how men perceive them or what he wants to get from us. Unattractive women should be as covered as possible‚ while attractive ones shouldn't be hiding their assets from male eyes (or hands‚ or anything else he wishes to use).A woman who isn't smiling is an affront to him because it detracts from her prettiness‚ despite the fact that there might be a legitimate reason for her not to smile (or more to the point‚ there isn't a legitimate reason for her to smile). Her emotional state is irrelevant because she's not being pretty. It's the line of thinking where a man blames anything other than cheerful sexual consent on the woman being a bitch‚ being a lesbian‚ or — naturally — being on her period. Everything we do‚ from our facial expressions to our use of hygiene products‚ is filtered through the lens of “how it looks to a man.”It's the line of thinking where a small gesture from one person to another‚ an assurance that someone else understands and will help without question or judgment‚ a gesture that could save a person's evening from being ruined is trumped by a man's desire to see an untainted landscape of pretty‚ smiling women with visible cleavage and bodies that never bleed.And people wonder why we still need feminism.This story was written by L.A. Witt and originally appeared on 8.12.16

When San Francisco photographer Lisa Robinson was about to have her second child‚ she was both excited and nervous.Sure‚ those are the feelings most moms-to-be experience before giving birth‚ but Lisa's nerves were tied to something different.She and her husband already had a 9-year-old son but desperately wanted another baby. They spent years trying to get pregnant again‚ but after countless failed attempts and two miscarriages‚ they decided to stop trying.Of course‚ that's when Lisa ended up becoming pregnant with her daughter‚ Anora. Since it was such a miraculous pregnancy‚ Lisa wanted to do something special to commemorate her daughter's birth.So she turned to her craft — photography — as a way to both commemorate the special day‚ and keep herself calm and focused throughout the birthing process.Normally‚ Lisa takes portraits and does wedding photography‚ so she knew the logistics of being her own birth photographer would be a somewhat precarious new adventure — to say the least."After some thought‚" she says‚ "I figured I would try it out and that it could capture some amazing memories for us and our daughter."In the end‚ she says‚ Alec was supportive and thought it would be great if she could pull it off. Her doctors and nurses were all for Lisa taking pictures‚ too‚ especially because it really seemed to help her manage the pain and stress.In the hospital‚ she realized it was a lot harder to hold her camera steady than she initially thought it would be."Eventually when it was time to push and I was able to take the photos as I was pushing‚ I focused on my daughter and my husband and not so much the camera‚" she says."I didn't know if I was in focus or capturing everything but it was amazing to do.”The shots she ended up getting speak for themselves:"Everybody was supportive and kind of surprised that I was able to capture things throughout. I even remember laughing along with them at one point as I was pushing‚" Lisa recalled.In the end‚ Lisa was so glad she went through with her experiment. She got incredible pictures — and it actually did make her labor easier.Would she recommend every mom-to-be document their birth in this way? Absolutely not. What works for one person may not work at all for another.However‚ if you do have a hobby that relaxes you‚ figuring out how to incorporate it into one of the most stressful moments in your life is a pretty good way to keep yourself calm and focused.Expecting and love the idea of documenting your own birthing process?Take some advice from Lisa: "Don't put pressure on yourself to get 'the shot'" she says‚ "and enjoy the moment as much as you can.”Lisa's mom took this last one.This article originally appeared on 06.30.16

The singer was heavily involved in the 'Citizens in Space' programme. The post How John Denver almost ended up on Nasa’s first space shuttle first appeared on Far Out Magazine.