A TikTok video by the mother of a gender non-conforming son is a masterclass in refusing to be baited into a confrontation‚ no matter how tempting it may be. It all started when TikTokker Jolene Dolo’s 8-year-old son‚ Sam‚ sent out invitations to his Taylor Swift-themed birthday party.Jolene told Upworthy that Sam doesn’t have a favorite Swift song‚ but his favorite album is “Lovers.”“My 8-year-old Sam is having a Taylor Swift birthday party‚ and yesterday I received a text message from a parent of a child who was invited letting us know that their child will not be attending because it is against their beliefs‚” Jolene began.“I'm not exactly sure what belief system you have‚ like what religion is out here saying‚ ‘Thou shalt not listen to Taylor Swift?’” she continued.Even though Taylor Swift is probably the closest thing to being America's Sweetheart‚ a quick search on the internet reveals she is a threat to some with extreme religious and political views.Top 5 Taylor Swift conspiracy theories:1. She’s secretly a queer woman in love with model Karlie Kloss.2. She’s working to swing the election for Joe Biden.3. She’s a Pentagon psychological operative manipulating the minds of Americans.4. Her success as an unmarried businesswoman in her 30s is a bad example for girls and young women.5. She performs witchcraft on stage.Even if the parents aren’t conspiracy theorists‚ they may think that an 8-year-old boy having a Taylor Swift party is wrong because young boys shouldn’t be into “girly” things. @jolenedolo They are allowed to have their beliefs and i’m allowed to have feelsing about their beliefs. I didnt try to change their mind‚ i just wanted to talk about it on MY page. Tha ks for listening ❤️ #taylorswift #gendercreativeparenting #taylorswiftparty After reading the cryptic text‚ Jolene and her husband could easily have let curiosity get the best of them and asked the parents why a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party was against their beliefs. But they were strong and didn’t take the bait."Me and my husband talked about it and we decided that their text message seemed a little confrontational because they could have just said 'No‚ thank you‚ we will not be attending.' It seemed like they probably wanted a response from us and we didn't want to give them what they wanted‚" Jolene said.Further‚ the declined invitation was better for everyone involved. Who wants someone at a Taylor Swift party who doesn’t like her or what she may or may not stand for? “We do not want anybody coming to our party who is going to be feeling uncomfortable or making us feel uncomfortable so you know it's a good thing‚” Jolene continued.On a deeper level‚ the story touches on an important topic. Why is it okay for young girls to look up to men‚ but young men can’t look up to women? No one would bat an eye if a young girl had a Jonas Brothers-themed birthday party‚ but many people are shocked by a young boy loving Taylor Swift.“Are little girls not allowed to listen to male artists‚ or is it just like certain male artists who give off like‚ masculine vibes? Because I've always found it kind of weird that we don't want boys liking women like that or looking up to women. What's the problem in boys liking women?” Jolene asked.The TikTokker believes the double standard is rooted in misogyny. “Society tends to see women as weaker or less than men‚ so a boy looking up to a woman is essentially below him in their eyes‚” Jolene told Upworthy. “That's why most people wouldn’t bat an eye at a girl who likes Spider-Man or had a Harry Styles-themed birthday. Meanwhile‚ boys are shamed for even participating in women-dominated hobbies and interests.”The good news is that‚ in the end‚ the party went off without a hitch and the decorations were fabulous. @jolenedolo Taylor swift birthday party for my 8 year old son #taylorswift #taylorswiftparty #gendercreativeparenting Taylor swift birthday party for my 8 year old son #taylorswift #taylorswiftparty #gendercreativeparenting

The cat distribution system always works. Even for celebrities. Just ask Matt Damon. While appearing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‚” the “Jason Bourne” actor shared the wildest story about a stray cat he had adopted 10 years ago during a month-long stay at an Airbnb in Costa Rica. After hearing him describe this next level kitty‚ you’ll understand why he describes him as “the coolest cat you’ve ever seen.”“He was living by himself in the jungle…He was hunting. He had two giant holes in his side. He was fighting for his life every night‚” Damon began. Damon and his family fed this tough jungle kitty every night‚ and by the time came for them to head home‚ they decided to take their new furry friend with them. "We decided we gotta take the cat‚ he's gonna die‚ now he's relying on us‚” Daman joked with Colbert. Once Damon got the cat home‚ he figured it would prefer staying out in their backyard. Nope."He never went outside‚ ever again." Now‚ this is where the story takes a slightly darker turn. Eventually the cat developed a brain tumor. However‚ Damon became determined to not “let a brain tumor take this cat out.” After all‚ this is the toughest jungle cat!Eventually the Damon family and Jungle Cat moved to New York City. And by this time‚ the cat had lost a lot of weight and was only walking around in circles (a common symptom of cat brain tumors).Hoping to find a cure‚ Damon took his feline friend to a cat neurologist named Chad (which cracks Damon up to share)‚ and Dr. Chad at first tells him to prepare his children and teach them that part of a pet owner’s responsibility is giving them the “dignity” of a humane death when quality of life is too far compromised.But just when things seem at their worst‚ this story does a 180 into hilarity. @colbertlateshow Matt Damon shares an incredible story about the cat he adopted from Costa Rica. #Colbert ♬ original sound - colbertlateshow “Chad said‚ ‘I could load him up on steroids. And I go‚ ‘What do you mean?’ He goes‚ ‘I mean‚ I could give him like a BUNCH of steroids.’” At this point‚ Damon‚ Colbert and the audience are all laughing. Damon apparently asked “are there long term issues?” to juicing his cat‚ which got an emphatic “YEAH! Massive long term issues with that but we can just see what happens‚” from Dr. Chad. This was apparently two-and-a-half years ago. And not only is Jungle Cat still around‚ but “jacked like Arnold Schwarzenegger‚” Damon joked. Down in the comments‚ viewers were begging to see photos of Jacked Jungle Cat. "MATT WE GOTTA SEE THE CAT!!!" one person demanded. "WHERE CAN I DEMAND A PICTURE OF ARNOLD SWAGGERCAT?" echoed another. Others were just enamored by Damon’s storytelling skills. "Matt Damon always delivers the funniest stories‚" one person wrote‚ while another said that he “needed a podcast.”And perhaps the best comment goes to the person who said‚ "At no point in this story did I have any idea what would happen next." While Dr. Chad might have seemed a little out there in his methods‚ it’s fairly common for pet oncologists to try incorporating steroids like Prednisolone to treat the inflammation associated with brain tumors. However‚ that’s normally low doses‚ not using a bunch and seeing what happens. But hey‚ it seemed to work! And Damon got a really great story out of it. Not to mention more time with a pretty awesome jungle cat.

As inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in the summer of 2022‚ Americans keenly felt it at the grocery check-out. It seemed as if prices had gone up on everything‚ and our food budgets took a hit. Even though inflation has eased since then‚ many of us are still lamenting the amount we're spending on groceries and dining out every month.A New York Post headline ominously pronounced in February 2024 that "Americans have not spent this much of their incomes on food since the Gulf War‚" citing a federal statistic that U.S.consumers spent 11.3% of their disposable income on food—a higher percentage than we've seen in the past 30 years. But as they say‚ it's all relative. While we balk at spending 11% of our income on food‚ families in the early 1900s would have been thrilled at spending that little on food. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics‚ Americans spent a whopping 42.5% of their household budgets on food in 1901‚ nearly four times what we spend now. In real numbers‚ that means the equivalent of a household with the current median income of almost $75‚000/yr spending $2‚610 a month on food. And that was the reality for a long time—even a few decades later in the 1930s‚ people were still spending more than a third of their income on food compared to our 11% today. And the economy‚ while different in its nature‚ wasn't drastically different in terms of numbers at that time. The unemployment rate for Americans in 1901 was 4.0%‚ approximately the same as March of 2024. The country was between two mild recessions and it would only be two more years before it overtook Britain as the world's wealthiest nation. It's not like there was some huge economic downturn that had caused food prices to soar at that time. Food just cost a whole lot more relative to people's income back then. Okay‚ so food budgets were high relative to income back then‚ but what about housing? Surely‚ people spent far less of their money on housing at that time‚ right? Less‚ yes‚ but not by as much as we might assume. In 1901‚ housing made up 23.3% of the average household budget‚ while in 2022 it was 33%. Definitely an increase‚ but not as drastic as the decrease in our food budgets. (Caveat: Those percentages don't speak to everyone's individual situation—some Americans are spending upwards of 50% of their income on rent and utilities.) Our clothing expenditures have also gone down by a lot since 1901‚ from 14% of income to less than 3%.So where is all of our money going to make our budgets feel squeezed? One spending category that's not even included in the 1901 statistics‚ which makes up double digit percentages of our spending today‚ is transportation. In 1901‚ the automobile industry was in its infancy‚ still a couple decades away from its first big boom that made cars commonplace. Now we have cars‚ buses‚ subways‚ air travel—and the fuel for all of those things—that people in 1901 simply didn't have to consider. We also have technology like computers and smartphones now that have become more necessity than nice-to-have. And along with that‚ of course‚ we have copious entertainment extras that most of us can't imagine living without. Another expenditure that doesn't show up in 1901 is healthcare‚ which takes up 8% of our budgets now. Did people simply not have healthcare expenses back then? Basically‚ no‚ they didn't. According NPR‚ Americans spent around $5 a year ($100 in today's dollars) on medical care in 1900‚ primarily because there wasn't a whole lot of medical care to be had. We forget how far our advancements in medicine came in the 20th century‚ and that those advancements have a cost. Throw in the health insurance industry evolving in the middle of the 1900s‚ and now medical costs make up a decent chunk of our budgets.It's fascinating to take a step back and look at the big picture of history when we find ourselves complaining about the price of a banana or a bag of rice. It's not that we can't or shouldn't feel frustrated when our cost of living increases‚ but when it comes to food budgets‚ we're living in pretty flush times‚ relatively speaking. Especially when we consider how much more access we have to different kinds of foods than ever before. Fluctuations in retail prices have always occurred‚ of course‚ due to wars‚ recessions‚ etc.‚ and some items have become more expensive while others have gotten cheaper‚ relatively speaking. But regardless of individual prices‚ if we find ourselves lamenting our curren grocery bill‚ it might help to remember how much more of the average budget food used to be. Even if grocery prices were to rise more‚ we still won't be anywhere near the percentage of our paychecks that food used to take up‚ and that's certainly something to be grateful for.

People come by things in all sorts of ways. Sometimes you find something while at a garage sale and sometimes it's because a family member passed away and it was left to them. After coming into possession of the item‚ the owner may be tempted to see how much it's worth so it can be documented for insurance purposes or sold. On a recent episode of BBC One's Antique Roadshow‚ a woman brought an ivory bracelet to be appraised. Interestingly enough‚ the expert didn't meet this rare find with excitement‚ but appeared somber. The antique expert‚ Ronnie Archer-Morgan carefully explains the purpose of the bracelet in what appears to be a tense emotional exchange.There would be no appraisal of this antique ivory bracelet adorned with beautiful script around the circumference. Archer-Morgan gives a brief disclaimer that he and the Antique Roadshow disapprove of the trade of ivory‚ though that was not his reason for refusing the ivory bangle."This ivory bangle here is not about trading in ivory‚ it’s about trading in human life‚ and it’s probably one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to talk about. But talk about it we must‚" Archer-Morgan says. Turns out the woman had no idea what she had in her possession as she purchased it from an estate sale over 30 years before. One of the elderly residents she cared for passed away and the woman found the ivory bracelet among the things being sold. Finding the bangle particularly intriguing with the fancy inscription around it‚ she decided to purchase the unique piece of jewelry. After explaining that his great-grandmother was once enslaved in Nova Scotia‚ Canada before being returned to Sierra Leone‚ Archer-Morgan concluded he could not price the item."I just don’t want to value it. I do not want to put a price on something that signifies such an awful business. But the value is in the lessons that this can tell people‚" he tells the woman.In the end the woman leaves without knowing the monetary value of the item but with a wealth of knowledge she didn't have before visiting. Now she can continue to share the significance of the antique with others. Watch the full explanation below.

The magnum opus of a punk icon. The post ‘Generation Indigo’: the triumphant return of Poly Styrene first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

'Donald Trump has been indicted 91 times! He's liable for sexual assault! His entire business was found to be fraudulent! And law enforcement had the fucking gall to stand on stage with him?!' whines liberal. An epic video going viral on social media shows an unhinged liberal losing his mind after police in Grand Rapids‚ Michigan‚ joined former President Donald Trump at a recent rally. In the video‚ the angry man descends into a full-blown meltdown over police accompanying the former president‚ illustrating the depths of extreme Trump Derangement Syndrome. Trump has them actually breaking their mindsExcellent 2016 is happening again pic.twitter.com/1bviBBwCKW— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 3‚ 2024 Members of the Grand Rapids PD joined Trump at a campaign event called “Biden’s Border Bloodbath” on Tuesday‚ with the president of the Police Officers Association of Michigan‚ James Tignanelli‚ offering Trump the group’s full endorsement. Embed from Getty Images Happening Now in Grand Rapids‚ Michigan…“On behalf of 12‚000 Law Enforcement people that the Police Officers Association of Michigan represent—We want you to accept our endorsement for President of the United States.” #LESM pic.twitter.com/hXSnnPp7gWOur fan-favorite Turbo Force Plus is now 40% off! See for yourself the delicious one-of-a-kind energy boost infowarriors CRAVE!— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) April 2‚ 2024 Be prepared for deranged liberals to post more of these triggered reactions‚ as Trump continues to dominate Joe Biden heading into the 2024 election.

"History will judge this medicalized 'gender-affirming care' on minors as we now judge eugenics and lobotomies." A landmark 15-year study found what critics have been saying all along: most “trans” children grow out of their gender confusion by the time they are fully grown adults. Dutch researchers tracked 2‚700 children starting at the age of 11 until their mid-twenties‚ asking about their gender every three years. The study‚ published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior‚ began with 1-in-10 children (11%) expressing “gender non-contentedness” to varying degrees. But by age 25‚ just 1-in-25 (4%) said they were “often” or “sometimes” unhappy with their gender. “The results of the current study might help adolescents to realize that it is normal to have some doubts about one’s identity and one’s gender identity during this age period and that this is also relatively common‚” the researchers concluded.Our fan-favorite Turbo Force Plus is now 40% off! See for yourself the delicious one-of-a-kind energy boost infowarriors CRAVE! “Gender non-contentedness‚ while being relatively common during early adolescence‚ in general decreases with age and appears to be associated with a poorer self-concept and mental health throughout development.” But over the last 7 years‚ rates of gender dysphoria diagnoses soared in every state except one‚ “with the average age of diagnosis trending younger‚” the Daily Mail reported. The evidence also highlights the trans movement’s social contagion characteristics as well as the medical industry’s profit incentive given the sharp rises in gender dysphoria diagnoses in a relatively short period of time. From the Daily Mail: An analysis of insurance claims conducted by Komodo Health Inc found between 2017 and 2021‚ approximately 121‚880 children aged six to 17 years old were diagnosed with the condition.   In 2021‚ 42‚000 were given the diagnosis‚ a 70 percent increase from 2020. And children under 18 years old now make up one-fifth of new diagnoses each year. In the United States‚ 1.6 million people ages 13 and older identify as transgender.  A report by the health data analytics firm Definitive Healthcare shows the rate of gender dysphoria increased in every state except South Dakota from 2018 to 2022 across all ages.  Dr. Jay Richards‚ director of The Heritage Foundation’s Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life‚ Religion‚ and Family‚ said the study will render “gender-affirming care” on minors historically on par with “eugenics and lobotomies.” “We’ve known for over a decade that most kids who experience distress with their sexed bodies resolve those feelings after they pass through natural puberty. “Indeed‚ we can infer from the DSM 5 [2013] and other sources that as many as 88 percent of gender-dysphoric girls and as many as 98 percent of gender-dysphoric boys in previous generations desisted if allowed to go through natural puberty. “These two facts make it clear why ‘gender-affirming care’ on minors is such an outrage. It leads‚ in the end‚ to sterilization and in many cases to a complete loss of natural sexual function. “There is no good evidence that this helps minors long term. Moreover‚ it medicalizes what could very well be temporary psychological symptoms.“History will judge this medicalized ‘gender-affirming care’ on minors as we now judge eugenics and lobotomies.” Meanwhile‚ Joe Biden and the Democrats continue to virtue-signal the harmful trans ideology at any opportunity. Follow Jamie White on X | Truth | Gab | Gettr | Minds