Earlier in the week, Stephen Callaghan's daughter Ruby came home from school. When he asked her how her day was, her answer made him raise an eyebrow.Ruby, who's in the sixth grade at her school in Australia, told her dad that the boys would soon be taken on a field trip to Bunnings (a hardware chain in the area) to learn about construction.The girls, on the other hand? While the boys were out learning, they would be sent to the library to have their hair and makeup done.Ruby's reply made Callaghan do a double take. What year was it, again?Callaghan decided to write a letter to the school sharing his disappointment — but his wasn't your typical "outraged parent" letter."Dear Principal," he began. "I must draw your attention to a serious incident which occurred yesterday at your school where my daughter is a Year 6 student.""When Ruby left for school yesterday it was 2017," Callaghan continued. "But when she returned home in the afternoon she was from 1968."The letter goes on to suggest that perhaps the school is harboring secret time-travel technology or perhaps has fallen victim to a rift in the "space-time continuum," keeping his daughter in an era where women were relegated to domestic life by default."I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this millennium where school activities are not sharply divided along gender lines," he concluded.Dear PrincipalI must draw your attention to a serious incident which occurred yesterday at your school where my daughter Ruby is a Year 6 student.When Ruby left for school yesterday it was 2017 but when she returned home in the afternoon she was from 1968.I know this to be the case as Ruby informed me that the "girls" in Year 6 would be attending the school library to get their hair and make-up done on Monday afternoon while the "boys" are going to Bunnings.Are you able to search the school buildings for a rip in the space-time continuum? Perhaps there is a faulty Flux Capacitor hidden away in the girls toilet block.I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this millennium where school activities are not sharply divided along gender lines.Yours respectfullyStephen CallaghanWhen Callaghan posted the letter to Twitter, it quickly went viral and inspired hundreds of supportive responses.Though most people who saw his response to the school's egregiously outdated activities applauded him, not everyone was on board.One commenter wrote, "Sometimes it is just ok for girls to do girl things."But Callaghan was ready for that. "Never said it wasn't," he replied. "But you've missed the point. Why 'girl things' or 'boy things'... Why not just 'things anyone can do?'"He later commented that he didn't think the school's plan was malicious, but noted the incident was a powerful example of "everyday sexism" at work.Callaghan says the school hasn't responded to his letter. (Yes, he really sent it.) At least, not directly to him.Some media outlets have reported that the school claims students are free to opt in and out of the different activities. But, as Callaghan says, gendering activities like this in the first place sends the completely wrong message.In response to the outpouring of support, Callaghan again took to Twitter."At 12 years of age my daughter is starting to notice there are plenty of people prepared to tell her what she can and can't do based solely on the fact she is female," he wrote."She would like this to change. So would I."This article originally appeared on 12.08.17.

Sabrina Benaim's “Explaining My Depression to My Mother" is pretty powerful on its own.But, in it, her mother exhibits some of the most common misconceptions about depression, and I'd like to point out three of them here.Misconception #1: Depression is triggered by a single event or series of traumatic events.Most people think depression is triggered by a traumatic event: a loved one dying, a job loss, a national tragedy, some THING. The truth is that depression sometimes just appears out of nowhere. So when you think that a friend or loved one is just in an extended bad mood, reconsider. They could be suffering from depression.Misconception #2: People with depression are only sad.Most people who have never experienced depression think depression is just an overwhelming sadness. In reality, depression is a complex set of feelings and physical changes in the body. People who suffer from depression are sad, yes, but they can also be anxious, worried, apathetic, and tense, among other things.Misconception #3: You can snap out of it.The thing with depression is that it's a medical condition that affects your brain chemistry. It has to do with environmental or biological factors first and foremost. Sabrina's mother seems to think that if her daughter would only go through the motions of being happy that then she would become happy. But that's not the case. Depression is a biological illness that leaks into your state of being.Think of it this way: If you had a cold, could you just “snap out of it"?No? Exactly.These are only three of the misconceptions about depression. If you know somebody suffering from depression, you should take a look at this video here below to learn the best way to talk to them:This article originally appeared on 11.24.15

Losing a loved one is easily the worst moment you'll face in your life. But it can also affect the doctors who have to break it to a patient's friends and family. Louis M. Profeta MD, an Emergency Physician at St. Vincent Emergency Physicians in Indianapolis, Indiana, recently took to LinkedIn to share the reason he looks at a patient's Facebook page before telling their parents they've passed.The post, titled "I'll Look at Your Facebook Profile Before I Tell Your Mother You're Dead," has attracted thousands of likes and comments."It kind of keeps me human," Profeta starts. "You see, I'm about to change their lives — your mom and dad, that is. In about five minutes, they will never be the same, they will never be happy again.""Right now, to be honest, you're just a nameless dead body that feels like a wet bag of newspapers that we have been pounding on, sticking IV lines and tubes and needles in, trying desperately to save you. There's no motion, no life, nothing to tell me you once had dreams or aspirations. I owe it to them to learn just a bit about you before I go in.""Because right now... all I am is mad at you, for what you did to yourself and what you are about to do to them. I know nothing about you. I owe it to your mom to peek inside of your once-living world.”Profeta explains that the death of a patient makes him angry:"Maybe you were texting instead of watching the road, or you were drunk when you should have Ubered. Perhaps you snorted heroin or Xanax for the first time or a line of coke, tried meth or popped a Vicodin at the campus party and did a couple shots.”"Maybe you just rode your bike without a helmet or didn't heed your parents' warning when they asked you not to hang out with that 'friend,' or to be more cautious when coming to a four-way stop. Maybe you just gave up.""Maybe it was just your time, but chances are... it wasn't."Profeta goes on to explain why he checks a patient's Facebook page:"So I pick up your faded picture of your driver's license and click on my iPhone, flip to Facebook and search your name. Chances are we'll have one mutual friend somewhere. I know a lot of people.”"I see you wearing the same necklace and earrings that now sit in a specimen cup on the counter, the same ball cap or jacket that has been split open with trauma scissors and pulled under the backboard, the lining stained with blood. Looks like you were wearing it to the U2 concert. I heard it was great.""I see your smile, how it should be, the color of eyes when they are filled with life, your time on the beach, blowing out candles, Christmas at Grandma's; oh you have a Maltese, too. I see that. I see you standing with your mom and dad in front of the sign to your college. Good, I'll know exactly who they are when I walk into the room. It makes it that much easier for me, one less question I need to ask.”"You're kind of lucky that you don't have to see it. Dad screaming your name over and over, mom pulling her hair out, curled up on the floor with her hand over her head as if she's trying to protect herself from unseen blows.”"I check your Facebook page before I tell them you're dead because it reminds me that I am talking about a person, someone they love — it quiets the voice in my head that is screaming at you right now shouting: 'You mother f--ker, how could you do this to them, to people you are supposed to love!'"— Updated June 5, 2019.This article originally appeared on June 5, 2019

What the thrash legends are all about. The post James Hetfield on the album that shows Metallica at their best: “We got to be a part of it” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Learning from rock's fountain of wisdom. The post The two iconic bands Jack Black admitted to stealing from: “Not enough to sue us” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Dunkin' is leaning into the spirit of summer with a lineup of s'mores-themed items. Fans will no doubt be glad to see one returning item, in particular.

South by Southwest, held annually in Austin, TX, announced Wednesday (6/26) that it has cut ties with the U.S. Army and other weapons manufacturers. “After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model,” SXSW said in a statement. “As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”  That roughly 80 artists dropped off the bill for the ’24 edition, held last March, objecting to the relationship between SXSW and the Army/weapons manufacturers, motivated SXSW to cease the partnership ahead of next year’s fest – March 7th -15th. One of the many artists protesting the Army sponsorship was Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams. “I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US Army, a main sponsor of the festival,” she wrote at the time on Instagram. Texas Governor Greg Abbott jumped in defending the sponsorships and had a three word retort for the protesting acts… “Don’t come back.” SXSW initially defended the sponsorships before abandoning them. ### The post SXSW Drops The Army appeared first on RockinTown.