#_revsp:yahoo_lifestyle_wellness__643

[bethevenyc]

New Zealand's prime minister is pregnant. What will leading a country with a newborn look like?

New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has only been in office since October. And now, along with still getting used to her new position of power, she’ll have another job to learn from scratch: motherhood.

On Friday, Ardern, 37, announced that she is pregnant, expecting her first child in June, and that her husband, Clarke Gayford, planned to take a leave from his job as the host of a TV show about fishing to be a stay-at-home dad.

She made her announcement at a news conference, saying that she was “not the first woman to multitask,” nor the first “to work and have a baby,” but adding that she’d suffered from “pretty bad” morning sickness in her first trimester, and that she wasn’t sure “how the government cars would feel about having a baby seat in them.”

This is not the first time a woman leading a nation has given birth in office, though it is a very rare occurrence indeed — the most recent time being in 1990, when the late Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan, gave birth to her daughter Bakhtawar. Here, a look back at all the times a woman gave birth while leading a country.

Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford are expecting their first child in June 2018, an announcement they made on Friday. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will take on Prime Ministerial duties for six weeks after the baby is born. (Photo: Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Jacinda Ardern, center, after her party’s October victory. She is the third woman to lead her country. (Photo: Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, who served from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996 (and was assasinated in 2007) is the only other leader in modern history to give birth while in office. (Photo: Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

When Bhutto, who was the first-ever female leader of a Muslim nation, gave birth to her daughter Bakhtawar (shown here) in 1990, she had been in office just a little over a year. Her first child was born just a couple of months before she took office in 1988, and her third child was also an infant when she took office for the second time. (AP Photo)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

The current Queen of the United Kingdom had two of her four children — Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — during her reign. She is seen here on the grounds of Balmoral Castle with Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Philip, who holds baby Prince Andrew on his lap. (Photo: Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Princess Elizabeth, future Queen Elizabeth II, is shown gazing at her month-old son Prince Charles. (Photo: Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) had nine children during her reign, which began in 1837. Her first child, also Victoria, was born in 1840, and her youngest, Beatrice (pictured here with her mother) was born 17 years later in 1857. (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert shown with some of their children in 1846, in a painting by F. Winterhalter. (Photo: Culture Club/Getty Images)

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

[rachel-bertsche]

Why some schools are suspending kids for joining gun control walkouts

Students across the country participated in school walkouts this week to demand action on gun violence, and two more widespread walkouts are planned for the next two months — on March 14, to mark one month since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, and on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. (A major Washington, D.C., demonstration, the March for Our Lives, is set for March 24.)

The protests are drawing attention not just for their impassioned plea, but for the ways in which various school districts are reacting to the organized action.

Students expressing anger over gun violence in the form of protests are being met with disciplinary action at some schools. (Photo: Getty Images)

Consequences for students participating in walkouts have been drastically different across the country. At Needville High School in Texas, students were threatened with a three-day suspension if they participated in the walkouts, according to a note posted on the school’s Facebook page by Needville Independent School District superintendent Curtis Rhodes.

“The Needville ISD is very sensitive to violence in schools, including the recent incident in Florida,” the note said. “There is a ‘movement’ attempting to stage walkouts/disruptions of the school through social media and/or media outlets. Please be advised that the Needville ISD will not allow a student demonstration during school hours for any type of protest or awareness!! Should students choose to do so, they will be suspected from school for 3 days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension.”

The school’s Facebook page has since been taken down, but the note, which went viral after it was posted on Tuesday, was captured in screengrabs. “Life is all about choices and every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative. We will discipline no matter if it is one, fifty, or five hundred students involved,” Rhodes wrote, adding that even those who had notes from parents would not be spared from discipline, and asking the community to understand that “we are here for an education and not a political protest.”

Photo: Getty Images

Other school districts made similar threats. According to the Los Angeles Times, Steven Walts, superintendent of Prince William County (Va.) Public Schools, wrote an email to parents and students noting that there would be “disciplinary consequences” for “students who cause disruptions or leave school without authorization.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Jerry Kalina, principal of Papillion-La Vista High School in Omaha, Neb., joined his students for a 17-minute walkout on Wednesday, one minute for each of the Parkland victims. “I thought if kids are going to walk out, I want it to be controlled, and I want it to be a respectful situation in which our kids focus on the victims and their families,” Kalina tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “So I got on the intercom and we took a moment of silence for the victims, and I told the students that if they plan to walk out, that was their choice and they wouldn’t get in trouble.”

When the bell rang to end the class period at 11:55, Kalina says, about 250 kids joined him outside in 18-degree weather. “I roamed around the crowd — kids were worried, they had looks on their faces I hadn’t seen before,” he says. “I wanted to let them know that we are here for them, and to show some compassion and love. I didn’t want to be a dictator; I wanted students to know that hopefully this is the start of something that will create change.”

In St. Charles, Ill., administrators took a similar approach. “Once we were made aware of the walkout, the high school principal sent a message to staff saying that if a student tells you they are walking out, please allow them to do so,” Carol Smith, St. Charles School District 303 spokesperson, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “We made sure there was supervision. Students met under the flagpole. They had conversations about what this meant, and when the 17 minutes were up they went back to school.”

Smith says that at St. Charles North High School, about 27 students participated in the walkout, and at St. Charles East, there were between 150 and 200. That discrepancy, Smith says, is likely because two St. Charles East students were killed as a result of gun violence just last year. “It’s been very, very difficult, so these students understood what they were doing,” she says. “As one of our students said, ‘We may not be able to vote yet, but we’re a movement. We’re starting to show people that we care and that we can make a difference.’ As a school district, how can we say no to that? How can we discourage them from doing something they are passionate about and they feel can make a difference [about] on a national level?”

Plenty of schools seem to still be hashing out how they will handle the upcoming walkouts. On Tuesday, Todd Gray, the superintendent of the Waukesha School District in Wisconsin, sent an email suggesting that those who participated in a walkout would face disciplinary action, according to the Journal Sentinel. By Wednesday, Gray had amended his message, explaining that students would be allowed to participate if given permission by a parent.

Legally, schools can discipline students who ditch class for any reason, according to a blog post by Vera Eidelman, a William J. Brennan fellow with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “But what the school can’t do is discipline students more harshly because they are walking out to express a political view or because school administrators don’t support the views behind the protest,” she writes. “In other words, any disciplinary action for walking out cannot be a response to the content of the protest.”

Much of the backlash against Rhodes, the Texas superintendent who threatened suspension, seemed to be the result of the content of his message. “It’s a quintessential First Amendment violation, and most Americans have an instinct about that,” Georgetown Law professor Heidi Li Feldman told the Washington Post. “What’s really weird about this is that they announced they will suspend people over the content of their off-campus protest. Content-based restrictions on speech are anathema to the First Amendment. So this looks like a total problem.”

Back in Omaha, meanwhile, Kalina says he believes that any good school administrator should react to specific situations rather than apply a blanket rule as moments like these come up.

“You have to use the common sense approach; you have to be compassionate. I could sense even as our day started on Wednesday that things were different; they’ve been different since this happened. Kids seem on edge,” he says, noting that 17 minutes of the school day wouldn’t be especially disruptive to a school that goes through seven five-minute class changes a day. “Young people need to be heard; we have to trust them and give them boundaries and a controlled setting and let them know that we’re here for them. I didn’t want to talk suspension and punishment — that’s not what my students needed to hear. They needed to hear the opposite — that they will be taken seriously, and they will be safe.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: 

Gun control rally in Tallahassee; Parkland students meet with lawmakers 

Teens hold a ‘lie-in’ at White House calling for gun control

Are school lockdown drills helping?

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[elisesole]

Here's why Moby's controversial plan for food stamps wouldn't work

Moby is under fire for critiquing the U.S. food stamps program. (Photo: Getty Images)

Moby is taking heat for criticizing the U.S. food stamp program in an op-ed titled, “Food Stamps Shouldn’t Pay for Junk Food.”

On Tuesday, the musician wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, a federal effort that helps 40 million Americans buy food via a payment card, does not promote health.

“Even though SNAP is generally well-intentioned, what it puts on shelves is not always helpful or healthy,” wrote Moby. “SNAP rules allow stores to distribute candy, soda, cheese products, energy drinks, processed meats and lots of other items that end up seriously compromising the health of SNAP recipients.”

Moby disclosed that while he was growing up in Darien, Conn., his mother relied on food stamps to feed him. He also noted that research shows people collecting SNAP have worse diets than others and are more likely to be obese when compared with people at the same income level who don’t participate in the program.

Arguing that the solution isn’t to end SNAP but rather to reform it, Moby writes, “A better approach would be to focus the program on cheap, healthy foods like beans, vegetables, fruit and whole grains.” He says, “Congress should fix SNAP, not gut it. The U.S. can have healthier people, lower health-care costs, and a trimmer budget at the same time.”

In February, President Trump suggested revamping SNAP as “America’s Harvest Box” and offering shelf-stable (processed) food selected by the government in lieu of people purchasing their own food with payment cards. The proposed plan would slash SNAP benefits by $17.2 billion in 2019 and was criticized for being highly impractical and inefficient.

“What we do is propose that, for folks who are on food stamps, part — not all, part — of their benefits come in the actual sort of — and I don’t want to steal somebody’s copyright — but a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash,” Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters, according to NBC.

Moby’s suggestion was met with equal disdain — many called him names such as a “vegan millionaire” and labeled him out of touch.

vegan millionaire: poor people shouldn't be able to buy candy or meat https://t.co/kI06mA0sIc

— Ben Walsh (@BenDWalsh) April 10, 2018

Moby, who’s rich, should STFU and stop pairing with the WSJ to punch the poor & advocate for controlling what they do. Being poor is stressful, eating healthy takes time many people don’t have. https://t.co/32FJFJ96ma

— Alexis Goldstein (@alexisgoldstein) April 10, 2018

We now turn to subject matter expert Moby, who has identified the key problems with SNAP: It is too good at feeding poor people, and not good enough at making them feel bad for eating the same foods as non-poor people. https://t.co/k2A0hxdDe1 pic.twitter.com/xSnt3juaBZ

— Gray Kimbrough (@graykimbrough) April 10, 2018

It’s a bit more complicated than that in that Moby is arguing against subsidiIng the junk food industrial complex. I would argue SNAP could encourage more healthy choices without telling poor families they can’t treat their kids to the snacks other kids enjoy. Dignity matters. https://t.co/PE160Aaqdg

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) April 10, 2018

Things Moby's op-ed doesn't address:

1.) Food deserts 2.) The fact that healthy food can be expensive 3.) The fact that some families on SNAP might not have the time/equipment to prepare healthy foods

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) April 10, 2018

didn't realize food stamps could be used to buy Moby albums pic.twitter.com/o4ziTE1Tds

— Kevin Nguyen (@knguyen) April 10, 2018

Moby’s plan is problematic, according to Craig Gundersen, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. “The reason SNAP works so well is that it gives dignity and autonomy to families,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “The notion of the government telling people what to feed themselves is insulting and could cause SNAP participants to drop out of the program altogether.”

Noting that Moby, a long-time vegan, follows his own unique diet, Gundersen says there’s an inherent danger in imposing specific menus on the public. “By his theory, how would SNAP cater to people with specific dietary needs stemming from allergies, religious beliefs, or medical issues?” says Gundersen. “It’s a slippery slope.”

There’s also a financial downside to Moby’s plan, he says, including rising food prices. “Companies would also have to label or categorize food either SNAP approved or not,” he notes. “And while that may be feasible for large organizations, it would be a massive undertaking for mom-and-pop companies, some of whom may opt out altogether.”

Gundersen added, “Being poor is stigmatizing enough — do we really want to embarrass people in the checkout line? We owe poor people dignity.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

If a test could predict you’ll get a terminal illness in 20 years, would you take it?

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Ivanka Trump’s tweet about healthy-children programs backfires

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[mollylizshea]

Kylie Minogue says having cancer means she’ll go through menopause twice

LONDON, ENGLAND – Kylie Minogue attends The BRIT Awards 2018 held at The O2 Arena on February 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Imagine suffering through the hot flashes, mood swings, and brain fog that typically accompany menopause; then imagine having to do it all over again, years later.

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, 49, says she’s preparing for her second round of menopause, after first experiencing the loss of menstruation during treatment for breast cancer 12 years ago.

“I’ve already done it once,” she told the Daily Mail in an interview published over the weekend. “The first was medically induced when they suppressed my [estrogen] for my cancer treatment. So at least I know what it will be like. I’m ahead of the game with that experience.”

Double menopause sounds shocking, but experts say Minogue isn’t the only one to go through two sets of changes. Indeed, younger premenopausal breast cancer patients often undergo what’s called ovarian suppression, in which the ovaries are targeted with a medication that stops them from producing estrogen in order to halt tumor growth. Ovarian suppression typically ushers in the same symptoms as menopause: hot flashes, dry skin, mental fatigue, and more. But once treatment is complete, some patients’ ovaries will begin to produce estrogen again, reversing the early-onset menopause — and setting the stage for what feels like a second menopause around the age of 50.

Today marks my official 10 year ‘all clear’ from breast cancer. Naturally, my nearest and dearest were at the forefront of my mind. Behind the tears were relief and thanks and thoughts. Thoughts of all those who are making their way towards this landmark, those who are past the landmark and of those who we sadly miss. Thank you just doesn’t say enough. The @londonmarathon is coming up and @joshuasasse will be running it to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care @breast_cancer_care (He has never run a marathon before! ) #Lovers, please support him so we can raise as much as possible! You can sponsor him at virginmoneygiving.com/RunSasseRun I love you all and send love to you all.

A post shared by Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue) on Feb 24, 2016 at 9:37am PST

  “Fifty to 60% of patients diagnosed while premenopausal have complete ovarian suppression, which means they have no return of ovarian function,” Dr. Roshni Rao, chief of breast surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The other 40 to 50% — including Minogue — will experience a return of function, and then a second, natural period of menopause. That’s good news for patients hoping to have children after treatment, but bad news for those hoping to have gotten menopause out of the way.

Luckily, Rao says that a natural menopause is typically less intense than the first medically-induced experience, which can happen almost instantly. “You can imagine, if you go through [menopause] quickly, it’s going to be harder on you than a more natural progression over a few years,” says Rao. Plus, she says, breast cancer survivors “might be in a better position to understand what the side effects are.”

Treating those side effects requires a little more finesse than a typical scenario. Hormone replacement therapy, which is commonly used to treat difficult cases of menopause, is not an option for those who are undergoing or have undergone breast cancer treatment. “That doesn’t mean we don’t do anything,” says Rao. “If you have hot flashes, we can put you on medication that helps with hot flashes. We do have different ways.”

She urges anyone undergoing menopause — cancer patient or not — to speak with their doctor about treatment options. “As women, we tend to have this need to [tough it out],” she says. “The main thing to know is that there are options to help you.”

Minogue has her own nuanced treatment plan. She says that while her first experience left her “flummoxed” and “hot,” she’s going into her second round with a strategy in place. “I remember a friend of mine a bit older than me used to open the fridge and stand in front of it,” she says. When hot flashes hit again, she says, “I’ll be back in the fridge!”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Ivanka Trump’s tweet about healthy children programs backfires

Single mom supports teenage daughter by being paid to date

Restaurant bans mom for making too many complaints about her meals

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

[mandibierly]

The best of Leslie Jones's Olympics commentary, so far

Leslie Jones during the opening monologue of ‘Saturday Night Live’ on Feb. 3 (Photo: Will Heath/NBC)

Yes, we’re all eagerly awaiting Leslie Jones’s arrival in PyeongChang to cover the Winter Olympics in person (it’s coming). But in the meantime, we’re also all still happy to have her in the States, where she can give us her unfiltered, NSFW commentary on all the action on Twitter, from in front of her TV. Now that we’re a few days into the 2018 Games, let’s take a look at her greatest hits so far.

We begin with her extreme frustration over not understanding the rules of curling or why it’s an Olympic sport.

600 years?! Wtf?! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/rAJq1MOu9e

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

Back to this shit!! @Olympics @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/NN4ib0sRQw

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

Hey this is the worst shuffleboard game I have ever seen!! Wtf is going on?! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/dPvJdVqAy7

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

She’s also confused by biathlon, or, as she calls it, the “decathlon of death”…

What. Is. This!!!!! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/SQuWG7nVYZ

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

And the short track relay…

Who got the baton!! Somebody explain this man!! pic.twitter.com/50tzHYmWNm

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

And luge.

WHAT IN THE SIMPLE FUCK IS THIS?! AND WHY?!!!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/hbVSIjFyAw

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

Though she does love America’s silver medalist, Chris Mazdzer…

Just stop… pic.twitter.com/i6PSqSC6hY

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

Even if she thought he needed to focus more.

Boy go get ready!!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/nXQG5iHfkW

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

What Jones does understand is how brutal skiathlon must be.

Man…. @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/2zYX79SVeD

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

She has quickly become an expert on figure skating fashion. Her description of this ensemble is particularly inspired.

Then this outfit LORDT!!!!! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/W6sMnrvuPg

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 12, 2018

She approved of several of Team Canada’s looks…

Nice!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/Uc0hy1CNvZ

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

Best outfit so far!!!! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/aNhSAydoxt

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

And how this wardrobe malfunction was handled.

Let me tell you about a good partner he pulled it when they ended I love it. @Olympics pic.twitter.com/y6ukRoqZpW

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

But do not get her started on this Russian pair daring to have a costume change…

What in the Sam Hill is this? @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/PXFaTJQa6e

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

Or this Russian, in general.

He has a career in the movie business if he want pic.twitter.com/1uANfRg7Jh

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 9, 2018

She’s obsessed with America’s Shib Sibs. Here’s what it would have been like had Jones and her brother been ice dancing partners.

Man me and brother would have killed each other!! Hell to the naw!! @Olympics @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/X3C5E8oGdc

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

Seriously this is incredible!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/sTq4e8IYUd

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

She’s also a big fan of commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski.

I want them to be my auntie and uncle!! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/180iHiXACi

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 12, 2018

She also admires 45-year-old ski jumper Noriaki Kasai from Japan.

I wish a muthafucka would tell me I can’t do it at my age!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/t56MPzik9h

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

And she’s found a new appreciation for short track’s “gangster lean.”

That lean man!! @Olympics pic.twitter.com/j8gbeeXw99

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

We’re hoping she gets to sit down with Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris…

SOLDIER!! pic.twitter.com/Sj6A3iRFWp

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 11, 2018

And maybe she’ll have time to get to the bottom of American Kyle Mack’s style.

Boy if you don’t pull your pants up!! Kyle what set you from?! NONE! Exactly!! Pull your fucking pants up!! pic.twitter.com/JeWdlqKyGi

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 10, 2018

Check NBCOlympics.com for the TV and livestream schedule.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

‘Moulin Rouge’ will be the most popular figure skating music at the Olympics

Mirai Nagasu just landed a triple axel at the Olympics. Here’s how she did it.

Meet Maame Biney, the first black woman to compete as a U.S. Olympic speed skater

[rachel-bertsche]

Viral support for bullying victims like Keaton Jones won't fix the bigger problem

When a video of Keaton Jones, a bullied boy crying to his mother about the torment he faced at his Tennessee middle school, went viral late last week, celebrities rallied in support. Actor Chris Evans, Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker, and singer Katy Perry were just a few of the famous names who sent messages of support to Keaton in the days after his mother posted the video to social media. And it wasn’t the first story of childhood bullying to make headlines recently — just a few weeks earlier, 10-year-old Ashawnty Davis committed suicide after she confronted and fought with her bully and the video wound up online, her parents say. (That tragic response may have influenced yet another child’s suicide, this one of 8-year-old Imani McCray, say prosecutors.)

Photo: Getty Images

As with so many viral episodes these days, Keaton’s story took on a life of its own. As quickly as the outpouring of support arrived, so too did the backlash — photos spotted online of his mother and other family members posing near Confederate flags sparked an uproar, causing some of Keaton’s online supporters to turn on him. His mother, Kimberly Jones, spoke out, telling CBS News that these were “the only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a Confederate flag.” She went on to say that “I spent most of my life being bullied and judged because I wasn’t racist.”

Keaton Jones (Photo: Heather Jones via Facebook)

But the swirl around Keaton’s story, as is often the case when one viral episode dominates headlines, has shifted the conversation away from the one we really need to be having: Why is bullying still happening and to such a severe degree? And how can we make it better?

“Individual stories are important for galvanizing interest in and concern about the issue of bullying, which affects millions of kids every year. But when we get too caught up in the individual circumstances it is possible to lose sight of the forest for the trees,” says Robert Faris, associate professor of sociology at University of California, Davis, whose research focuses on teen bullying. “It’s good for people who are in the position to make important school decisions to have faces to put to these stories — they are motivating in a way that statistics never will be. But I try to take a broader view and understand why not just one kid experiences this, but why does it keep happening in very similar ways to millions of kids? What are the commonalities across schools and across kids of various backgrounds?”

The facts about bullying are grim: Between 25 and 33 percent of U.S. students say they have been bullied, and most of that bullying occurs in middle school, according to StopBullying.gov. Approximately 30 percent of young people admit in surveys to bullying others, and 70.6 percent of young people say they have seen bullying in school.

Ashawnty Davis (Photo: GoFundMe)

Faris says there are two different patterns of aggressive behavior, or bullying. The first, he says, is the typical scenario of one kid being defined as “different” and becoming an outcast. “What it means to be different is very subjective. A kid can get this label for whatever reason: weight, acne, poverty,” Faris says. “We see this process of ostracism — the vulnerable kid being left out and isolated and picked on — across cultures.”

The second type of bullying, Faris says, might be more dangerous. That’s when kids — often the most influential kids in the school — use aggressive behavior strategically, as a means of climbing the social ladder. “Often, that kind of bullying is subtle,” he says. “Kids don’t even think of it as bullying. They use terms like ‘talking shit.’ This often occurs within friendship groups or between friends, which makes the negative effects double, because they come with the feelings of being betrayed.”

But while there is a wealth of information about the prevalence of bullying in schools, there is less clear-cut information about how to prevent or stop it. “Many prevention programs have been tested in schools with modest results,” according to StopBullying.gov. “Others have failed to make a difference.”

Faris puts it more bluntly. “Most bully prevention programs don’t work. They rarely have lasting impact,” he says.

“There is all sorts of inflated rhetoric about bully-proofing your school, or stomping out bullying,” Faris adds, but he says the only way schools can come close to achieving that is to address and counteract popularity dynamics. “The fact that aggressive behavior can be rewarded with more prestige and more friends is really difficult for adults to counteract.”

According to Faris’s research, the most promising way to combat bullying is to help kids develop high-quality friendships. “One of the biggest surprises for me in the decade of research I’ve been doing is that the majority of adolescents have what I would define as poor-quality friendships,” he says, pointing out that few kids maintain friendships for more than a four-and-a-half-year period. Ask kids to name their five to 10 best friends, Faris adds, and less than half of those nominations will be reciprocated.

So why would improving these friendships help address the bullying problem? “Stable friendships provide support and anchors,” Faris says. “The logic of social climbing means you will have to let go of old friends. Kids who are locked into these friendships are less willing to make the sacrifices necessary to climb the social ladder.”

And strong friendships won’t just prevent you from becoming a bully, they can save you from getting bullied too, since the more strong connections you have, the less likely you will be deemed a singular “other.”

“A lot of research suggests that having at least one friend is strongly protective,” Faris says. “And when victimization does happen to these kids, they are likely to be less affected by it because they have a support system.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: 

5-year-old survivor of Texas church massacre just wants Christmas cards for the holidays

Sandy Hook mom and dad speak out in rare interview: ‘You don’t heal from grief’

Can rescue animals change the way we grieve?

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[elisesole]

A healthy 43-year-old woman had a heart attack 'out of nowhere' — how is that even possible?

Women are more at risk than men of dying from cardiovascular disease. (Photo: Getty Images)

A young, healthy woman is sharing her experience of having a heart attack “that came out of nowhere” in a viral Facebook post.

On Wednesday, Beth Shelburne, a journalist in Birmingham, Ala., who works for local news station WBRC, wrote in a post that got 1,400 reactions, “I had a heart attack Monday night. I know, it’s still hard for me to process. I am currently in good hands at UAB, undergoing tests on what may have caused it. I am 43 with no known health problems, other than a large load of anxiety I carry around in an already stressful but fantastic life. Still, this came out of nowhere.”

  Many people have asked for more info on my heart attack: I had a SCAD: spontaneous coronary artery dissection. This was not caused by blockage. I am still in the hospital where we are trying to figure out the cause. SCAD affects mainly healthy young women, like me.

— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) April 5, 2018

Also, I cannot thank you all enough for the messages of hope, encouragement and prayers. You cannot possibly know how much that means to me. I am still in hospital undergoing tests to figure out what caused my heart attack, but grateful to be given another day with all of you!

— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) April 5, 2018

At first, Shelburne thought the early symptoms of lightheadedness and shortness of breath were actually a panic attack. “But what got my attention was radiating dull pain and pressure in my chest, throat & jaw, and down my arms,” she wrote. “That was something I had never experienced, so we went to the E.R. Turns out, that was the right thing to do…for now, I am incredibly grateful to JUST BE ALIVE. That is an amazing gift.”

A Facebook commenter chimed in that her friend, also Shelburne’s age, had suffered a heart attack recently. Another wrote, “I had a heart attack at 43. Had a personal trainer and no risk factors. Turned out mine was caused by severe spasms in 2 of my coronary arteries. Unfortunately, I had open heart surgery before they figured out the true cause.” 

Heart attacks often evoke images of overweight middle-aged folks (the average age of men having a first-time attack is 65; for women, 72), but according to Sam Kalioundji, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Dignity Health Northridge Hospital in California, young women — even in their 30s — are at risk.

“Cardiovascular disease, of which heart attacks are one type, is the leading cause of death among women for two reasons,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “Heart attacks have long been viewed as a male concern, so women aren’t educated about them as much. And women tend to present with atypical symptoms, which are easier to overlook.”

Factors that put women at risk are diabetes, high blood pressure and blood sugar, stress, family history, smoking (that includes vaping), depression, and lack of sleep and physical activity. “Ideally, women should get 40-60 minutes of exercise per day — not necessarily through tracking daily steps but actual, self-focused exercise,” says Kalioundji, adding that not being overweight isn’t a pass for unhealthy habits. “We often treat physically fit people who had heart attacks.”

Other areas of concern are trendy high-protein diets that include generous servings of red meat, which increase the risk for heart disease, as well as diet supplements.

Kalioundji notes that while some heart attacks are sudden, women tend to experience a gradual onset of discomfort, such as shortness of breath, fatigue, neck and abdominal pain — all signs that point to calling 911. “Oftentimes, a heart attack can feel like indigestion,” he says, adding that if the pain worsens with activity, it’s a red flag. “Never delay getting medical care.”

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[elisesole]

6 important events you won't believe may be missing from Oklahoma's old textbooks

Oklahoma textbooks are lacking relevant information. (Photo: Twitter/jamiebh73)

The Oklahoma teacher walkouts — a protest against low wages and cuts to school funding — have inspired people to reveal the dilapidated and outdated state of their textbooks.

The two-day protest unfolded a week after Republican Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma signed a $424 million tax plan, which included $50 million reserved for education funding, reported Oklahoma City local station News 9.

That $50 million, Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest told CNN, will provide less than one textbook per student in Oklahoma. Currently, she said, many of her state’s textbooks are 20 years old.

Teachers are particularly frustrated by textbooks that are often held together by duct tape, contain outdated content, or are absent altogether from their curriculum. As a result, here are some major world events that modern-day Oklahoma kids potentially aren’t being taught.

my history textbook is so old it doesn’t even have the Oklahoma City Bombing in it. and that was in 1995. #OklahomaTeacherWalkout

— lauren ♡ (@nostalgicminter) April 3, 2018

The Oklahoma City bombing

One of the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history was the Oklahoma City bombing, which occurred in April 1995 when a security guard named Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck full of explosives outside of a federal building, killing 168 people. But according to a Twitter user named Lauren, her history book is so old, it bears no mention of the event. In 2010, the State Senate voted to require the State Board of Education to include the bombing in the core curriculum, but until then, students received limited information. 

One of the reasons it’s not over yet…This is a textbook from my daughter’s class. It’s a history book and the current President in it is George W. Bush. We can do better Oklahoma. #OklahomaTeacherWalkout#oklaed #oklaleg @gophouseok @oksenategop @housedemsok @oksenatedems pic.twitter.com/F5FE3JcFQh

— Jamie (@jamiebh73) March 30, 2018

The Obama presidency

Judging from a history book provided by the Owasso public school district in Oklahoma, the U.S. is still years away from its first black president, Barack Obama; affordable health care; the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden; and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which, in part, changed the limited time for filing complaints of wage discrimination. As one mom named Jamie tweeted, “One of the reasons it’s not over yet…This is a textbook from my daughter’s class. It’s a history book and the current President in it is George W. Bush. We can do better Oklahoma.”

Two Oklahoma teachers shared these photos w/ me. Their students use these textbooks. It blows my mind. pic.twitter.com/kF6Azdlgy4

— Alexia Campbell (@AlexiaCampbell) April 2, 2018

The death of Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq

The textbook The World and Its People (the green books depicted) was originally published in May 2004, which means that kids aren’t learning about President George W. Bush’s reelection or the 2006 execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for his crimes against humanity and its subsequent impact on American politics.

Hillary Clinton was sworn in as secretary of state in February 2009, a portion of history not included in an Oklahoma history book. (Photo: Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state

Sixteen-year-old Muskogee High School student Raylynn Thompson told the Washington Post that her history textbook cuts off in January 2009, at the inauguration of President Obama. Back then, Hillary Clinton was still a New York senator, and while she had been offered the role of secretary of state, she hadn’t yet started the gig.

Oklahoma science textbooks may not cover climate change. (Photo: Getty Images)

Climate change

Mom Alisha Malaska told PBS that her son, who attends Bethany High School in Oklahoma, was learning about science from a 10-year-old textbook, which likely didn’t include facts about climate change. To be fair, climate change is a controversial topic in schools all over the country, as NPR reported in 2016. However, one possible reason for the lack of education is outdated textbooks.

Our textbooks are so outdated they "talk about going to your local librarian so they can talk to you about this new thing called the Internet," says Oklahoma teacher Allyson Kubat, who's rallying with thousands of educators for increased school funding https://t.co/pB0mGjPae3 pic.twitter.com/FD8Fd4ikiB

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) April 2, 2018

The internet

Oklahoma teacher Allyson Kubat told CNN that her textbooks “talk about going to your librarian so they can talk to you about this new thing called the internet. And how to look up information on ‘microfiche.’”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Broken school chairs have become the symbol of the Oklahoma teacher walkout

Oklahoma teachers go on strike and rally at state Capitol 

Oklahoma teachers prepare for walkout as red state revolt spreads

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[elisesole]

Daycare workers are accused of slamming kids to the ground and stepping on them. Is abuse like this common?

Two daycare workers have been arrested for allegedly physically abusing kids in their care. (Photo: Sioux Falls Police)

Two daycare workers have been arrested for allegedly abusing children in their care by slamming them on the ground and stepping on them.

Teresa Gallagher, 31, and Kenedi Wendt, 22 — employees at Little Blessings Learning Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. — were arrested on 25 counts of child abuse, according to local news station KSFY, after a child complained to his mom in February.

The parent reported the incident to the police and the Department of Social Services, and the daycare center fired the women. Police inspected security footage from Feb. 14 to Feb. 23, which revealed the employees picking up the children, ages 3 and 4, and slamming them onto their sleeping mats, stepping on them, knocking their heads around, and pulling their arms.

Gallagher and Wendt are being held on a $25,000 cash bond and will appear in court Tuesday.

Representatives from Little Blessings, the Department of Social Services, and the Sioux Falls Police Department did not return Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.

Police spokesman Sam Clemens told USA Today that even children stirring on their mats caused the teachers to abuse them.

“The video was pretty clear, but it was tough to figure out why this took place,” said Clemens. “All of it seemed to be happening really just kind of because.” He added that several parents reported that their children did not like nap time at school. None of the kids required medical attention, but some complained of back pain or headaches.

Cases like the one at Little Blessings made headlines in March. A daycare owner was recently sentenced to 21 years in prison for running an illegal business called Little Giggles, lying to parents and saying she was a registered nurse, medicating children with melatonin (a natural sleep aid), and leaving them unsupervised while she went tanning and to the gym.

Three employees at the Kiddie Junction Daycare facility in Illinois were also arrested for allegedly giving children gummy bears laced with melatonin before nap time. They were charged with two counts of endangering the life or health of a child and two counts of battery, and are to appear in court on Wednesday. And an employee at the Children’s Lighthouse Daycare in Spring, Texas, was arrested and jailed for allegedly grabbing a 4-year-old girl by the arm and slamming her to the ground.

While cases like these make the news because of their horrific nature, child abuse in a school or daycare setting isn’t as common as people may think, David Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

In a February 2016 study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, Finkelhor and his team analyzed data from the U.S. National Surveys of Children’s Exposure to Violence regarding physical assault, sexual and verbal abuse, and neglect as reported directly by children.

Results revealed that less than 0.5 percent said they had experienced abuse over the previous year by a “teacher, coach, or youth group leader,” and under 1 percent said they had experienced this type of abuse over a lifetime.

“Daycare and preschools generally aren’t high-risk environments due to the added accountability, systems of checks and balances, and educational training that often help prevent abuse,” Finkelhor says.

Surprisingly, the fact that many classrooms have surveillance cameras may not stop abuse from occurring. “It’s possible that some teachers forget they’re being filmed, operate in an environment where their behavior is considered acceptable, or simply believe they’re not doing anything wrong,” he says.

Finkelhor’s research revealed that abuse is actually more common at home than at school — 6 percent of children said they had experienced abuse by a family member over the previous year, and 11 percent said they had over their lifetime, suggesting that some kids might be safer in school.

“Kids may be less safe at home — a private environment — where more vulnerable and problematic moments occur,” he says.

Finkelhor adds that parents who are concerned about potential abuse can ask schools how discipline is handled and how teachers are trained in conflict resolution. That’s also important for kids who attend more affordable home daycare centers, which are generally unlicensed and aren’t required to follow certain protocols. Parents can also call their local social services offices to obtain reports of any violations that occurred at the school.

And parents should maintain an open dialogue with their children about what adult behavior is acceptable, says Finkelhor. “You could say to a child, ‘If a person touches you or yells at you, I need to know. They may say it’s your fault, but it’s not.'”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

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Daycare Owner Sentenced to 21 Years For Giving Kids Melatonin While She Went Tanning and to Gym

Parents claim daycare center waxed their children’s eyebrows

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[bethevenyc]

Meet the transgender activist who called Caitlyn Jenner a 'fraud,' had 'healing' interview with Rose McGowan

Ashlee Marie Preston (Photo: Ashlee Marie Preston/Quinn Lemmers for Yahoo Lifestyle)

To mark the International Day of the Woman on March 8 and Women’s History Month, Yahoo Lifestyle is exploring notions of feminism and the women’s movement through a diverse series of profiles — from transgender activist Ashlee Marie Preston to conservative campus leader Karen Agness Lips — that aim to reach across many aisles. 

You may know transgender feminist activist Ashlee Marie Preston as the one who publicly called out Caitlyn Jenner in a video that went viral in 2017.

“You’re a f***ing fraud,” Preston told her, as Jenner — a frequent target of anger within the LGBT community because of her GOP sympathies — moved away from Preston, who had approached the celeb in the audience following a Trans Chorus of L.A. event.

In hindsight, that moment feels like “an unfortunate experience,” says the activist — who has since made a name for herself by having served as editor in chief of the feminist publication Wear Your Voice; by snagging Rose McGowan for an hour-long “healing” interview on her Revry podcast, Shook, following her well publicized run-in with an angry transgender audience member in NYC; and for announcing her run for office in California (though she soon dropped out of the race).

Preston has mixed feelings over that viral moment with Jenner, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle, because of how she felt a bit like an appointed “attack dog” by some — particularly as a black woman. “It was very similar to the way that America celebrated black women in Alabama when they showed up and blocked Roy Moore,” she explains. “People will often weaponize black rage when it’s convenient for them.”

The interaction also wound up overshadowing the “loving, healing, proactive, supportive unifying contributions” Preston says she had made as an activist over the past dozen years, and did not show her “depth.”

To that point, she says, “People were blown away with the Rose McGowan interview, because they thought I was going to come in and rip her to shreds and show off. And what they found is that we’re not perfect, and we can’t ask people to hear us and see us if we can’t see other people.”

With the Jenner video, though, “There were people who felt that it was a publicity stunt or that it was divisive — ‘Oh [Jenner is] a trans woman, we should embrace her, stop this infighting.’ But it’s not infighting if you were never in. The thing people failed to recognize is [she is] someone who is benefiting and profiting off of the pain of others,” she says. “There’s a quote by Zora Neale Hurston: ‘All kinfolk ain’t kinfolk,’ meaning just because people are African-American does not mean they are working toward the betterment of the African-American community. And so my own version of that is: Everybody LGBTQ ain’t always for you.”

The run-in did serve to highlight the complexities of identity politics within the women’s movement, she says, as well as kick off a conversation that needed to happen — regarding how members of oppressed communities, as they finally achieve some power, will often too easily shut the door in the faces of those who still need lifting up.

The best way to combat misogyny is to not allow it to control our narrative…⚡️ . . . . . . . . #unity #rosemcgowan #healing #growth #resist #kisses #solidarity #womenshistorymonth #women #feminism #feminist #trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #queer #gay #lesbian #bi #losangeles #pic #picoftheday #daily #instagood #instadaily #rosemcgowan #truth #metoo #timesup #hollywood

A post shared by Ashlee Marie Preston (@ashleemariepreston) on Mar 6, 2018 at 10:49am PST

  “When [Jenner] came up, all of a sudden, now not all, but a great deal of white trans women, were at the top of the food chain, and they weren’t being respectful … and basically sided with Caitlyn. They were even saying borderline racist things,” she says, “and what we found was the same dynamic shift that happened when gay rights became a thing, and gay white men forgot about the lesbians that fought for them during the AIDS epidemic.”

Of those who came out against Preston after the Jenner video went viral, she says, “Ironically, they were hoping to benefit from Caitlyn Jenner, and were OK with the crumbs that fall from the table. But what is the generation behind us going to eat?”

A similar logic could be applied to conservative women who believe that feminism can and should be expanded beyond the realm of its original progressive roots. It’s an argument Preston isn’t buying.

“Feminism is about improving the quality of life for all women. And if you’re not actively dismantling racism, not actively dismantling discrimination based on class and economic position, you are part of the problem, and you’re benefiting from the oppression of other women,” she says. “Therefore, as a conservative woman who is supporting those who work against those interests, you cannot be a feminist.”

She adds, “I think it’s one of those things where, if you’re not careful, you actually promulgate the very things we’re working against.”

That goes for some progressive women within the feminist movement too.

“As women, we’re not a monolithic people. So I think what it’s really about is giving people space to express their identities and their experiences, and when we look at it with that understanding, it really creates more unity,” she says. “Maybe it was a lot easier to define feminism in the ’60s and ’70s, because black women still didn’t have voices. … And I think what often happens is we forget that there are identities that carry more privilege within the women’s movement — and what happens is sometimes the experiences of women of color and trans women tend to be put to the back. There’s a lot of myopia.”

With more radical feminists, Preston says, and women who cannot bear the idea of transgender women in a female “safe space,” they feel “that trans women pollute it,” and someone born with a certain [male] privilege can’t possibly know oppression.

“We push back against that and say, not only do we know what that’s like, but we also have to deal with transphobia on top of it, we also have to deal with racism on top of it,” she says. “We’re not saying that cisgender women don’t have struggles that they’re born into — we’re just saying we also have struggles that we’re born into, and this isn’t a choice and this isn’t a gimmick and it’s not a way to insert the patriarchy into feminist spaces. It’s a way for us to actually come together and really demonstrate what it means to be inclusive of the experiences of all women.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Tamika Mallory of the Women’s March is a fan of Louis Farrakhan, and people are outraged

Trump-loving women protest the Women’s March: ‘A feminist is someone who is kind of hateful’

Faces of Power to the Polls, the Las Vegas Women’s March: ‘Our voices are finally being heard’

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[bethevenyc]

Tamika Mallory and is a fan of Louis Farrakhan and people are outraged

Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory, who is under fire this week. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Women’s March organization — decried from the start for being non-inclusive by a variety of critics, including some trans women, women of color, sex workers, and even and anti-abortion activists — can now add another rapidly growing rank to that list: Jewish feminists. Or, more broadly, those who oppose anti-Semitism. The latest controversy stems from Women’s March cofounder Tamika Mallory and her recent attendance at a speech given by incendiary National of Islam leader and noted anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. “Satan is going down. Farrakhan has pulled the cover off the eyes of the Satanic Jew and I’m here to say your time is up, your world is through. You good Jews better separate because the satanic ones will take you to hell with them because that’s where they are headed,” the controversial leader said in what was reportedly a three-hour speech given in Chicago on Feb. 26 in honor of Saviour’s Day, a Nation of Islam holiday celebrating the birth of its founder. Mallory posted a quick Instagram video from the event, plus photos, and received a shout-out from the stage by Farrakhan, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League. “He even mentioned the Women’s March, saying that while he thought the event was a good thing, women need to learn how to cook so their husbands don’t become obese,” the ADL reported. “Tamika Mallory, one of the March organizers, was in the audience, and got a special shout-out from Farrakhan. Mallory posted two Instagram photos from the event, which Carmen Perez, another Women’s March organizer, commented on with ‘raise the roof’ emojis.”

Louis Farrakhan. (Photo: Getty Images)

This is far from the first public calling-out of Mallory’s association with Farrakhan (not to mention repeated charges of anti-Semitism aimed at cofounder Linda Sarsour), but this one — stoked by Jake Tapper of CNN — appears to be a churning storm that just keeps gaining power, and from which there may not be any turning back for many. “Tamika Mallory has not just gone to see a man oozing of such hatred speak. She has publicly endorsed him,” noted Elad Nehorai in an opinion piece for the Forward. “She has refused to back down for her attendance. She has refused to denounce his words. She has composed her own anti-Semitic dog-whistling comment. And she has thanked others for supporting her attendance.” Much of the increasing blowback has indeed been related to Mallory’s response tweets (in lieu of her releasing an official statement), and to the official Women’s March response, being called too little, too late by many critics. https://twitter.com/TamikaDMallory/status/970487355856576512 The statement, provided to Yahoo Lifestyle and posted on social media by the Women’s March, reads in part: “Anti-Semitism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, racism and white supremacy are and always will be indefensible. Women’s March is committed to fighting all forms of oppression as outlined in our Unity Principles. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia  and we condemn these expressions of hatred in all forms. “Women’s March is an intersectional movement made up of organizers with different backgrounds, who work in different communities. Within the Women’s March movement, we are very conscious of the conversations that must be had across the intersections of race, religion and gender. We love and value our sister and co-President Tamika Mallory, who has played a key role in shaping these conversations. Neither we nor she shy away from the fact that intersectional movement building is difficult and often painful.

Women’s March co-founders Tamika Mallory, right, and Linda Sarsour, at the Power to the Polls event in Las Vegas. (Photo: Getty Images)

“Minister Farrakhan’s statements about Jewish, queer, and trans people are not aligned with the Women’s March Unity Principles, which were created by women of color leaders and are grounded in Kingian Nonviolence. Women’s March is holding conversations with queer, trans, Jewish and Black members of both our team and larger movement to create space for understanding and healing.” Mallory addressed questions regarding her support of Farrakhan (already known by many who have been following the issue) in a Canada public television interview on Feb. 16, before she spoke at a NDP (New Democratic Party) Convention in Ottawa. “I think people have to ask Mr. Farrakhan about his views. I’m not responsible for Mr. Farrakhan nor am I a spokesperson for him,” Mallory said. “What I do know is that I’ve worked with him for many years to address some of the ills in the black community where we’ve transformed lives. Under his guidance, there have been many people who have turned away from drugs, away from crime, to get themselves cleaned up. Many black men have reentered their homes to take care of their families. In those areas, we’ve been able to work together.” When further pressed by the interviewer about how her support could be troubling to many Women’s March supporters, she said, “I would be afraid to go into your families and check to see that all the people that you have dinner with and break bread with during holidays… So when we start this moral purity question, it really is a pretty dangerous road to travel.” Mallory then attempted to shift attention to her own activism. “If we just look at the Women’s March, the most recent action that I was involved with, and something that I led, it was truly intersectional… that’s the work that we need to be focused on.” As part of that work, at the Women’s March Power to the Polls event in Las Vegas on Jan. 21, Mallory gave a rousing speech, calling out many of the white women in the audience. “Don’t come to this rally today and sit here with your pink hat on, saying that you’re with us and you’re nowhere to be found when black people ask you to show up in the streets and defend our lives… Stand up for me, white woman. Come to my aid.” She spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle about that powerful moment recently. “It is always very uncomfortable to be the one or to be among the few who are willing to speak truth to power — even when you happen to be speaking to people who are considered to be friends — and no one wants to be that girl, if you will,” Mallory said. “That you’re the one who is constantly removing the veil from some of these really deep, hurtful, and confrontational discussions is not a popular position… But I’m able to sleep better at night with myself, knowing that I am not just sort of existing within the space without being a part of the voices that actually transform the space.” But now the fact that Mallory has not personally denounced Farrakhan’s bigoted beliefs has put many other women in that same “removing the veil” position, with some believing that her specific silence in this instance makes her — and the other individual March cofounders — complicit. https://twitter.com/jcinthelibrary/status/970093524027957249

A short thread on the Women's March leaders & their support for Farrakhan. 1) Three out of the four co-Presidents of the Women's March have expressed their support for Farrakhan, one of the most vile antisemites in America. Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarour and Carmen Perez.

— Daniel Sugarman (@Daniel_Sugarman) March 6, 2018

https://twitter.com/x0x0x00x0x0/status/970538744481804288 Some Jewish feminists, in particular, expressed feelings of abandonment and disappointment. https://twitter.com/erintothemax/status/970864852808978432 https://twitter.com/jaclynf/status/970728629855404036 Mallory still has plenty of prominent activists in her corner, including Donna Lieberman of the New York Civil Liberties Union, and writer and Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King, who both tweeted support. https://twitter.com/JustAskDonna/status/970322013901467648 https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/969705132421197825 But a pointed essay in the Medium, “An Open Letter to Tamika Mallory,” takes the activist to task over a particular phrase — “enemies of Jesus” — used in one of Mallory’s tweets. “Perhaps you truly do not know that the phrase ‘enemies of Jesus’ is an anti-Semitic dog whistle,” writes Ariela Bee, “that goes back to when the Romans converted to Christianity and they needed a religious narrative that would suit the political demands of the empire.” But in any case, she continues, she is “hurt.” “Let me be very clear: I am not hurt because you are a black woman who is tweeting these words… I am hurt because you are a leader who is tweeting these words. You have influence. You have visibility. You do not force anyone involved in the Women’s March to follow you. People follow you because you have power. Because you have power, your words have the power to hurt.” Adding to that growing chorus this week was Lily Herman, writing for Refinery 29 and laying out not only the recent Farrakhan situation but past evidence of anti-Semitism on the part of Sarsour and cofounder Carmen Perez. “Understandably, the Jewish community — particularly people who have supported the Women’s March and other social justice causes — wanted answers. We also wanted something that most thought would be pretty simple for a bunch of women who spend their days parading around their intersectionality: We wanted them to denounce anti-Semitism and the words Farrakhan said against Jews. This isn’t a new thing; after all, we ask public figures to denounce awful people and hate speech all the time,” she wrote. “To say we didn’t get that is an understatement.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

The reason was simple — Trump won: Why 9 women decided to run for political office

Trump-loving conservative women protest the Women’s March: ‘A feminist is someone who is kind of hateful’

Faces of Power to the Polls, the Las Vegas Women’s March: ‘Our voices are finally being heard’

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

[elisesole]

Internet fights back after Parkland students are slammed for laughing

Parkland school shooting survivors Emma González, Cameron Kasky, and Jaclyn Cori are responding to claims that they’re “grief actors” after actor James Woods criticized the trio for smiling on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Grief wears many faces… pic.twitter.com/EIKQby8SuV

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) February 26, 2018

On Tuesday, after Woods tweeted a video of the kids mugging for the camera while making an appearance on the daytime talk show, 18-year-old González struck back.

They hate us for smiling, they hate us for crying, they hate us for speaking, they hate us for being alive – they hate us. What's important to remember is that their argument against us is so weak and futile that they have to resort to attacking the people delivering the message. https://t.co/2DRzl2pae1

— Emma González (@Emma4Change) February 27, 2018

Sarah Chadwick, another Marjory Stoneman Douglas student who has been vocal on social media since the shooting, defended her peers.

You don’t get the feeling we get in our stomachs every time we look at that building or hear his name. The number 17 isn’t different for you like it is for us now. You don’t understand so don’t tell us how we should be acting. 2/2

— Sarah Chadwick// #NEVERAGAIN (@sarahchad_) February 26, 2018

Many others on the internet did the same.

Anyone that has known grief understands that people in pain often shift between laughing and crying. It’s normal and should not be judged.

No one has to justify the way they process loss to anyone, end of story.

— Brianna Wu (@Spacekatgal) February 27, 2018

Hi Collin. As a bereaved parent and a therapist, I can tell you grief is complex. And early grief even more so. The lack of empathy in your tweet is WAY “weirder”- especially with Christian in your bio. https://t.co/0kXeKuNvj5

— Nelba Márquez-Greene (@Nelba_MG) February 27, 2018

Monitoring and policing how others grieve is gross. In my saddest of times I also laughed with coworkers, went out to bars, and performed in comedy shows. Grief is not always visible.

— Kate Spencer (@katespencer) February 28, 2018

grief is a fickle thing. i've never had a friend die, but i've had a sister die and man it really is true that grief wears many faces. seeing how it was affecting ppl around me, how i affected me… those moments of joy really keep you going and help you survive.

— ash (@asluckyasus) February 26, 2018

Srly @RealJamesWoods? Yes grief wears many faces and moods! Stop shaming the kids for allowing themselves to feel joy! I grieve the loss of my daughter daily, but laugh and love with those I still have!! My moments of joy in NO WAY lesson the pain I feel EVERY SEC OF THE DAY! https://t.co/oOHBYPa2yV

— Fed UP✊✊✊✊✊✊ (@endthemaddnesss) February 27, 2018

Imagine being so broken that you'd sneer at trauma survivors for smiling. https://t.co/CZzyB0oG9a

— Tom & Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) February 27, 2018

Absolutely this. I remember laughing so hard with my sister the day before she died when her heart monitor stopped going beep beep and went beeeeeeeeeep. She looked at me, I looked at her… ‘Hang on, I’m not dead.’ The plug had come out. People handle pain in all kinds of ways.

— Liz Luff (@LizLongstonePR) February 28, 2018

  According to Sherry Cormier, a certified bereavement and trauma specialist, and author of the book Sweet Sorrow, the teens’ behavior was entirely appropriate.

“There’s no uniform way to grieve, and laughing — much like crying — can be a form of emotional release,” Cormier told Yahoo Lifestyle. “It’s also intolerable to be sad every waking moment of the day, the psyche can’t handle that. So it’s recommended that people take ‘breaks’ from grief with distractions.”

One way people heal from grief is to find purpose in an otherwise meaningless tragedy, Cormier noted, so challenging gun laws at a rally or on a comedian’s talk show is an example of that. Given the amount of camera time devoted to the young activists, they may also feel pressure to stay composed. In situations where death is sudden and traumatic, she added, survivors can experience shock or numbness that can appear to others as emotionless.

Most importantly, the young people aren’t obligated to perform their grief for the public. “Grieving can be private, and no one is entitled to witness someone else’s pain or impose their own expectations of grief on another person,” Cormier said.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Terri Irwin’s husband, Steve, died 11 years ago, and she hasn’t dated once. Here’s how to understand.

Why terrifying real-time shooting texts go viral

Should schools ban kids from touching snow? This one did. 

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[bethevenyc]

Bikini blogger is teaching toddlers how to squat in controversial 'edu-tainment' show

Ashy Bines is a controversial fitness blogger in Australia. (Photo: Instagram/ashybines)

A mega-popular Australian fitness blogger has become the target of criticism over the launch of her new “edu-tainment” series for kids ages 1 to 6 because of its emphasis on exercise and nutrition.

Ashy Bines, who runs a fitness empire including personal training, workout apps, active wear, nutritional supplements, and the Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge — and who has a following of 910k on Instagram, where she mostly posts workout- and bikini-bod shots — now adds Ashy & Friends to her commercial offerings. The kids’ live-performance-meets-cartoon-series show, which is “coming soon” to Australian venues, is a “fun packed music, fitness and education show for 1 to 6 year olds,” the website explains. “It is a highly interactive experience and will have your child singing, dancing, exercising and smiling from ear to ear.”

The characters — including Ashy, a lithe blonde girl, and a clutch of animal friends including a frog and a cheetah — go on adventures and, along the way, “learn about the benefits of water, eating healthy food, and only having sweet drinks as ‘sometimes’ treats… We learn about fitness, sharing and caring with friends and having a go at things even if you haven’t done it before. We even learn how to do squats!”

Swipe right – Had the best weekends with my little man – Taj is such a water baby!! He’s growing up so fast I just love him so much – he also cut through a back molar this morning with another on the way poor bubba !!! . And this bikini is actually high waisted but I rolled it down for some colour on my tummy – comfiest and fits big boobs from @wanderlust_swim

A post shared by Snapchat : Ashybines1 (@ashybines) on Feb 18, 2018 at 10:28pm PST

  Though it’s not yet launched, and only offers short clips of the various episodes on its website, Ashy & Friends has whipped those concerned with issues of children and body-image into a frenzy. The head of an Australian eating-disorder organization, the Butterfly Foundation, told Mamamia that it appeared to be a “marketing ploy” that preyed upon parents afraid of having obese children. “And since when did that translate into a toddler having to be so concerned about putting on weight? That to me is just taking it too far.”

Facebook critics, commenting on a story posted by the New Zealand Herald, were particularly harsh. “This narcissistic woman has absolutely zero credibility,” noted one, with another adding, “You have to wonder how they come up with the idea of having someone with an eating disorder promoting health and fitness to kids.” Another chimed in with, “There is no such thing as a chubby 1 year old unless you are stuffing them full of crap food. As babies grow they become more mobile and most naturally shed any excess. There is certainly no need for rubbish like this at that age.”

Similar outrage was expressed on Twitter:

This is absolutely disgusting. Are women not already told we’re not fit enough, hot enough, healthy enough, not good enough? We need to now target TODDLERS?? 1-6 year olds need to play and be happy and free, not do goddamn squats FFShttps://t.co/koyQbHAK5v

— Georgia Love (@GeorgieALove) February 20, 2018

Squat the hell indeed – is a 12-month-old even capable of squatting? Squat the hell: Toddlers targeted in Ashy Bines’ new fitness program https://t.co/k4mORlz4E3 via @theage

— Amber May (@BamberAmbers) February 21, 2018

Bines has not responded to a request for comment from Yahoo Lifestyle (and also reportedly did not respond to publications in her time zone).

Claire Mysko, head of the National Eating Disorder Association in the U.S., could not comment specifically on Ashy & Friends, as she has not seen it. But she tells Yahoo Lifestyle that there are many important points to keep in mind when it comes to the messaging of fitness and nutrition to children of any age.

“Talking about food, body, and exercise should always be placed in a holistic framework,” she says. “For such young, young children, it should be about movement that makes your body feel good, with elements of fun and connection, with family or others. Where it becomes problematic is where it’s linked to your body’s shape and size in any way.” The same goes for how we talk about healthy eating with young kids, she says, pointing to 2016 guidelines for preventing obesity and eating disorders from the American Association of Pediatricians as a helpful guide.

Sunshine , salt water , bikinis for days – which I’ve spoken about before finding bikinis that fit is hard these days , I feel they are getting smaller and smaller and most brands I’m fitting a large or XL?? And I’m a standard size Aussie TEN! I found this brand which I wear a medium and they do gorgeous one pieces too and are made with sustainable eco friendly ,soft , recycled ocean saving fabric ! How epic is that – saving the ocean one bikini at a time ! this is also the brand I wore in my snaps the other day the blue pattern one ! . @oceanzen_bikini #nailedit

A post shared by Snapchat : Ashybines1 (@ashybines) on Feb 10, 2018 at 10:34pm PST

  “We do hear from parents of children as young as 6 who are starting to express concern [about eating disorders],” Mysko says, noting that while such complex disorders have biological and psychological elements, there are social elements as well. “So it’s really important with very young children that we approach it from a holistic way, and keep in mind there’s an onslaught of messages that can be really difficult to navigate. Kids are so vulnerable in terms of what’s communicated around food, weight body image exercise.”

Maria Kang — a California-based fitness influencer and parent who has caught her own share of flak about messaging around exercise and body image, and who ran a pilot health-based exercise program for school-age kids — has also not seen Ashy & Friends, and has a measured reaction to the concept and criticism.

“Ashy Bines is not the first person who has created interactive fitness videos for kids. However, since most of her current programming and branding centers around weight loss and having a ‘bikini body,’ I can understand the concern of her being the creator,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “I definitely believe a greater focus should be on educating the parents, as they are the role models who buy/cook meals and encourage activity. I think children, however, should also be empowered to know how their body works and functions. For example, since I didn’t play any sports and my mother was inactive, I took my chore money at 12 and bought a workout step video and started performing exercises. I didn’t exercise because I hated my body, I intuitively did it because I knew it felt stronger when I did.”

Finally, Kang adds, “I think it’s too early to tell what Ashy has in store but hopefully she provides diverse body types, positive language and useful knowledge that encourages activity, health and acceptance.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Victoria Beckham slammed for using ‘sick’ looking model in new fashion ad

The key to feeling confident in a bikini, according to one Instagram star

Tiffany Trump’s friend entered a sexless marriage, which isn’t a terrible idea

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[laurentuck]

8 Olympians share who they'd dedicate their medals to — and the answers are pretty sweet

(Quinn Lemmers for Yahoo Lifestyle)

Most Olympians dream of making it to the games their entire lives and possibly making it to the podium to collect a gold, silver, or bronze medal. So in the same way that actors practice their Oscars acceptance speeches in the shower, athletes think about who they’d dedicate their hardware to. Yahoo Lifestyle asked 8 competitors who they’d honor with their medal — and the answers are so sweet.

Jaelin Kauf, freestyle skier

I would probably dedicate it to my brother Skyler. I was kind of raised in the sport and my parents were mogul skiers as well but he was really the one who got me into mogul skiing. I never really liked it, and only started mogul skiing because he liked it so much and I kind of wanted to do what he did. So I grew up doing whatever he did — chasing him and wanting to be like him. And he always pushed me to be the best in everything I did. And he skied moguls through high school and then went to [Ithaca] college to play football. And I think he really showed me how to work hard. Everything he did, whether it was mogul skiing or football, he put his whole heart and energy into it and worked harder than I even knew was possible. And he kind of taught me about taking advantage of these amazing opportunities that I have and getting what I want out of it.

Jessica Smith Kooreman, short track speed skater

I don’t think I’d dedicate it to an individual person, but to everyone who has supported me throughout the entire journey since I first put on a pair of skates. Every single person along the way has some part in me getting to where I am today, and I wouldn’t have gotten here without them. I’m just thankful to have everyone that has been there for me and rooting for me.

Maame Biney, short track speed skater

Oh man. I would dedicate the medal for sure to my dad, 100 percent. He has sacrificed. He has given up his life in order for me to succeed and be where I am right now. Regardless of whether I win or I don’t get a medal at all, all of this, the experience that I’m about to have, the fun that I am about to have, is all automatically dedicated to him because he’s the one who’s put me through and sacrificed everything. Obviously, I have a lot of people too but I think my dad is in the middle of it. My dad will definitely get the dedication. If I win any more medals, all the medals will be dedicated to him too.

Aja Evans, bobsledder

My Olympic gold medal, I’m planning on dedicating to my mom. I mean she’s superwoman — she gets on my nerves most of the time but she’s the biggest support I have in my life. She’s the only person that really gets me for me.

And I gotta correct myself because I love my niece, I have a 9-year-old niece and she’s really into watching all my videos and media and in one of my P&G videos I said, “My mom is the only person that gets me.” And she got mad because she considers herself my best friend. So just to have so much support of family members in my life, that’s who I dedicate my next medal to because without them I wouldn’t be able to keep pushing through and deal with as much as you do on such a high level of stress and anxiety that goes into sports.

Clare Egan, biathlete

Probably my grandmother [she is 89 years old and lives in Falmouth, Maine]. She went to Wellsley college, it a women’s college. She’s a really strong and brilliant woman, I don’t even think she had opportunity to do sports and I want to dedicate my performance to her whether or not I win a medal.

Lindsey Jacobellis, snowboarder

That’s so hard because so many people have contributed to my success. It would have to be a time-share. People who found me and people who molded me and my current coaches who have been with me for forever so it’s really hard to say. The easiest thing would be my parents. They really supported this unique path.

Jocelyne Lamoureux, ice hockey player

All the people who supported my sister and me along the way. I would dedicate that to my family, our parents, and brothers and extended family and coaches and my husband, everyone who’s supported us who make up the team behind the team. I don’t think anyone gets to the position we’re in without this great support system. Our journey and success is a reflection of that support.

Monique Lamoureux, ice hockey player

I think just my family and husband, because for the last three years, my husband has been training sister and I. He’s a strength coach. He would never take any bit of credit for the place my sister and I have been able to get to physically on and off the ice. I don’t think he would ever take credit for it, but I also don’t think he understands how appreciative my sister and I have been. He’s got dual roles as my husband but also as our coach, who tells us what to do but doesn’t always tell us what we want to hear, but makes us better athletes.

My parents, my brothers have also been there every step of the way. To share that special moment with them would be amazing.

Additional reporting by Laureen Irat, Kerry Justich, Dana Oliver, Rachel Bender, Alexandra Mondalek, Beth Greenfield, Elise Solé, and Abby Haglage.

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Lindsey Vonn isn’t the only athlete not representing President Trump at the Olympics

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These Olympians would wear black to support #TimesUp and #MeToo — if it were allowed

Meet Maame Biney, the first black woman to compete as a U.S. Olympic speed skater

What 11 Olympians do in the morning to start their days off right

Mirai Nagasu just landed a triple axel at the Olympics. Here’s how she did it.

This biathlete casually learned how to speak Korean before heading to the Olympics

What 11 Olympians packed to make PyeongChang feel a little more like home

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[elisesole]

Is Kim Kardashian’s 24-inch waist healthy?

Kim Kardashian is showing off the 70-pound weight loss she’s achieved since the 2015 birth of Saint, her second baby, with photos of a 24-inch waist.

On Monday, the mother of three revealed her measurements in a video shared on her app, shot during a book club meeting with pals Chrissy Teigen and hairstylist Jen Atkin, and sister Kourtney Kardashian.

“I can’t take your hips seriously right now,” Kourtney said to Kim, according to People. “Because your waist is so small and your hips are so big.”

Atkin asked Kim for her numbers and she revealed it was 24 inches, which Atkin called “insane.”

The reality star also posted an Instagram pic Tuesday showing off her tiny waist in a black string bikini, the result of a whole-foods diet and intensive workouts with trainer Melissa Alcantara.

Forgot to post this last night

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Feb 13, 2018 at 6:06am PST

Waist measurements are now considered a more accurate marker of obesity, rather than the BMI, (body mass index) — a measure of body fat based on a person’s weight and height. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a high BMI is correlated with body fat and some weight-related diseases; however, the formula is controversial because it gives only a general snapshot of a person’s weight without including factors such as muscle mass.

Research published in the May 2017 edition of the journal PLOS One found that measuring waist-height ratio (WHtR), by dividing waist by height, is a better barometer for determining a healthy size.

Quartz analyzed the PLOS One study in the context of earlier research published in the journal Nutrition Research Reviews, which found that a person’s disease risk increases with a WHtR above .50. The publication also created a handy calculator to determine your own measurements, bearing in mind the study’s general rule: “Keep your waist to less than half your height.” As the article pointed out, “That means someone who is 5 feet 5 (65 inches; 167.64 centimeters) tall should maintain a waistline smaller than 33 inches, or 84 centimeters.”

To supplement the second study, co-author Margaret Ashwell of City University London offered a “Shape Chart,” outlining the health risks associated with various body types based on measurements.

Using the calculator and the chart, here are Kim’s stats: The star is 5 feet 3 inches (63 inches) tall with a 24-inch waist, categorizing her body type a “chili” — very slim to slightly underweight. The chart’s takeaway for “chili” types: “You should take care. You will not need to decrease your waistline.”

In other words, Kim looks great, but maybe she should stop while she’s ahead.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: 

Some people aren’t thrilled about Amy Schumer’s ‘body positive’ film ‘I Feel Pretty’ 

Hilaria Baldwin shares sexy pregnancy pic: ‘I will gain weight, cellulite will happen’

Ridiculously revealing slit highlighted this model’s cellulite on the red carpet 

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