Every single shelter cat in New York City has been forced into quarantine following the biggest flu outbreak ever seen in cats.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opened a temporary quarantine center on Dec. 29 for the 500 cats in the city's shelter system. So far, 386 of them have tested positive for the virus, a mild form of H7N2, which is a strain of bird flu that has never before been observed in cats.
Shelter cats began falling ill in November, developing runny noses and eyes, congestion, coughing and lip smacking. It could take weeks for the cats to be declared free of the virus (it is contagious for up to three weeks and can live on some surfaces for days), so in the meantime, they're confined to the quarantine center under the care of professional animal crisis workers from all over the country.
Experts are baffled about how H7N2 found its way into a cat in 2016. The strain was last seen over 10 years ago in poultry market birds (both in NYC and elsewhere) and until recently, it was believed that the first cat to fall ill was one named Mimi from the flagship city shelter in East Harlem. She was initially diagnosed with a canine flu virus, H3N2, but further tests determined that it was H7N2.
However, it was later discovered that a kitten named Alfred ("Patient Zero") who had been brought to a shelter in the Bronx in late October had fallen ill shortly after being adopted and died on Nov. 12. Alfred had H7N2 — but nobody knows where he got it.
Thanks to the animal crisis workers and the local ASPCA volunteers, the virus is abating and the cats should be released to shelters and adopters soon.
No other H7N2 outbreaks or H7N2 infections in cats in the United States have been reported, so unless you recently adopted your cat from an ACC animal shelter in New York City, the chance of your cat having the virus is extremely low. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, H7N2 is only "slightly transmissible to humans" and causes only mild illness.
Since the election, fears surrounding the future of women’s health care have exponentially risen. With the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act, it’s a frightening reality to face — over 20 million people could lose their health insurance.
For women and girls, it means losing basic services including mammograms, cancer screenings, STD testing, regular checkups and birth control — much of which has been generously provided by Planned Parenthood to over 2.5 million people each year. The ongoing threat to women’s health care has clearly brought women and girls together in coalition with one another, but this concern is not simply a trend.
Inside the gynecologist’s office, the fear of no longer having access to basic health care has manifested, and many women and girls have been seeking long-term contraception to protect themselves through a Trump presidency.
Women have outwardly expressed anxiety over the possible loss of their health insurance, creating a different dynamic within obstetrician and gynecologist offices according to Dr. Kelly Culwell, chief medical officer at WomanCare Global.
“The election has ignited conversations about women’s rights — particularly, women’s sexual health and access to affordable contraceptive options for all women,” she told SheKnows. “There’s been a surge in urgency in social media among women rushing to get long-term birth control, fueled by concerns that the Trump administration might end Obamacare provisions that require insurers to cover intrauterine devices and other contraception.”
Culwell, along with Dr. Elizabeth West, an OB-GYN at the Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, noted that there has been a significant increase in patients looking for long-acting contraceptives — IUDs in particular.
“Immediately after the election, there was a surge of patients coming into the office to discuss contraception and requesting IUD insertion,” West told SheKnows. "I think many of those patients had uncertainty about the future of reproductive health care coverage and wanted to ensure that their IUDs were placed before the change in administration.”
Although this harrowing presidency has placed urgency on women and girls to seek long-term contraception, Culwell encourages women to discuss the full range of contraceptive options available to them with their doctors. Utilizing the safe space within our doctor’s care, asking questions and opening the door to assess which birth control option may be right for oneself is more significant than ever before.
Nonetheless, to prepare for the future, IUD insertion has skyrocketed by 900 percent at Planned Parenthood alone.
“Since the election, we have seen an unprecedented surge in support and questions about access to health care and birth control,” Planned Parenthood’s Southern New England President and CEO Judy Tabar told SheKnows. “There’s been a significant increase in appointments scheduled for birth control, with demand for IUDS increasing by more than 900 percent across the country. These spikes illustrate just how important the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit has been for women to access the birth control method of their choice.”
Another contributing factor is that IUDs have been increasing in popularity over the past several years already due to its contraceptive reliability, safer design and lack of complications following insertion, according to Dr. G. Thomas Ruiz, an OB-GYN at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California. He added that both hormonal and nonhormonal IUDs are more effective in preventing unplanned pregnancies than tubal sterilization.
The value of the reproductive care provided by the Affordable Care Act and through Planned Parenthood is reflected by the furor that came in response to the ominous fate of repealing essential services for women. To minimize and eliminate these necessary services would be a disservice to millions of Americans and would further escalate the anxieties presented across our nation, leaving many without reliable and affordable options for managing one’s health.
Planned Parenthood plans to face this by continuing “to fight for their patients and the care they need,” Tabar said. “No one should have their basic health care taken away.”
West echoed the sentiment, noting that any major changes in women’s health care will not come into effect immediately at the beginning of the new presidential administration.
“Patients should feel confident that we can continue to provide them their best care and offer a breadth of contraception options throughout the next year,” she said.
Several weeks after Kardashian West's terrifying ordeal came to light, Khloé shared her thoughts on the robbery and how it served as a major wakeup call for the rest of the family to take their own security more seriously. And on Thursday, Jan. 12 when there was a new development in Kardashian West's case, Khloé was available once again to share her thoughts.
During an interview with E! News, Khloé was informed that suspects in connection with Kardashian West's robbery case had been charged, and she was glad to hear it. According to TMZ, four suspects were officially charged on Jan. 12, including a 63-year-old man identified as Yunice A. Yunice A is believed to have been charged with armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping and criminal association.
But Khloé also wanted to share her complete disgust that her sister was robbed in the first place.
"It's just disgusting that someone would rob anybody, whether you're the poorest of the poor or the richest of the rich. No one deserves to be treated like that, so I think anybody should be accountable for those actions that they do," she confessed.
But the fact that there has been a positive development in the case, according to Khloé, brings "comfort" because it was a "really traumatic experience" not just for Kim, but for everybody else involved.
She's right, once those involved have successfully been brought to justice, hopefully the entire family (the Kardashian-Jenner clan as well as Kanye West) can work at putting this terrible ordeal behind them.
Add former cult members to the list of groups triggered by President-elect Donald Trump’s rise to power.
Steven Hassan, a licensed mental health counselor, rehabilitation expert and the founding director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center — himself a former cult member — said that he has been working with other former members who are disturbed by similarities between the president-elect and traditional cult leaders.
“Much like the leaders of cults, Trump advertises himself as being better than others in an almost divine way,” Hassan wrote in a blog post shortly after Trump secured the Republican nomination. “Anyone who questions him is cut down with a barrage of insults and threats. He instills in his supporters an ‘us vs. them’ and ‘black & white’ mentality that raises tensions and anxieties throughout the world.”
Also similar to cult leaders, Trump uses fears and phobias to manipulate his supporters’ emotions, Hassan explained. For example, someone who is xenophobic may be drawn to Trump’s promise of a ban on Muslims entering the country, believing that this policy may keep them safe. According to Hassan, the same reasoning can also be applied to Trump’s ability to attract voters with his propensity for sexism, racism and other hateful attitudes.
Abigail Bukas, administrator for the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, has also seen a significant trend in potential and current clients who are “profoundly upset” about the results of the November election. She said that many of them had to take a break from the news cycle, as they found Trump’s victory to be triggering.
But it’s not just the similarities between Trump and cult leaders that disturbs former cult members — it’s also the fact that someone like him was able to garner enough support to be elected.
“It’s not just what Trump says,” Bukas said. “It’s everyone’s reaction to it, and the realization that we live in a world where people can be taken in by a cult leader, and they’re not as safe as they thought they were. It’s about the whole system that allows things like this to happen.”
Hassan noted that Trump supporters appear to be acting like people do when they’re getting recruited by a cult, rising above their instincts or hardwiring and believing what they want to believe.
“Everybody wants to believe they’re special and have hope for the future,” he told SheKnows. “And everybody was a child once that needed to believe in a strong authority figure that would make things better.”
Also a former cult member, Bukas explained that when people are in cults, they may see abuses going on internally and have doubts or concerns about them, but are conditioned by the leader not to think about them or to somehow justify the behavior.
“Sometimes those legitimate concerns are too troublesome to ignore,” she noted, “but if you see that other members are going along with it, that can be really troubling — that other people taken in and OK with the abuse.”
In other words, witnessing the rise to power of someone who mocks people with disabilities and openly brags about sexually assaulting women is difficult for many people, but especially for those who have lived through this power dynamic before. Bukas said that what bothers her the most is how Trump treats women.
“When there’s a whole culture of not addressing the concerns of victims, you can feel small and not taken care of,” she said. “When you see that in a larger picture, it really hammers it in.”
Moving forward, Hassan and Bukas will be using the start of the new presidential administration as a call to activism — specifically educating people on undue influence, fake news and propaganda.
According to Hassan, unless the average citizen is educated on how to discern ethical influence vs. unethical, undue influence — including researching and evaluating sources of information — it can be difficult to determine what is credible or factual in the media cycle.
“It’s really important for us to focus on this as a learning opportunity in a constructive way and not just get angry,” Burkas said. “We need to look at what will be effective and healthy for people.”
No biggie, y’all. BET Ultimate Icon Janet Jackson and her hubby, Wissam Al Mana, just welcomed their first child — son Eissa — into the totally, completely normal life that is what you get when you combine an heir to the Jackson pop throne with a Qatari business magnate who is reportedly worth $1 billion and oversees 55 companies. You know. Just regular folks. Nothing to see here.
Word has it that Eissa was delivered on Jan. 3 by an all-white, stork-driven Lamborghini upholstered in a classic cream leather. There have been rumors of a diaper malfunction, but these rumors remain unconfirmed at the time of this publication.
"It was an easy birth," a source close to Jackson told US Weekly. Janet’s publicity rep said, ”Janet is resting comfortably.”
But "resting comfortably" means something quite different when you're Ms. Jackson. "Family insiders" revealed that the new mom and baby are living “a lavish life,” compliments of Al Mana’s massive army of licensed pamperers. “Nurses are waiting on them hand and foot.”
Whaaa?! Really? Nurses do that?
Details of this hand-and-foot care have not been released. We’re guessing baby Eissa’s already been treated to reflexology, Tibetan singing bowls and a Dead Sea salt scrub to help him relax, but don’t quote us on that.
What’s next for the Jackson-Al Mana Three? Friends say the family awaits imminent visits from big brother Jermaine as well as Jackson’s mom, Katherine. Move over, hand-and-foot nurses — this lady’s had 10 kids and you can bet she knows her way around a diamond-studded burp cloth.
Don’t expect any other new releases (besides Eissa) for a while, Jackson fans. In April, Jackson put her Unbreakable World Tour on the back burner to concentrate on family, saying, “I have to rest up, doctor's orders! But...I will continue the tour as soon as I possibly can.”
No new tour dates have been announced, and hey, if we were at the postpartum epicenter of round-the-clock white-glove handling, we wouldn’t be releasing any tour dates either. Because WAITED ON HAND AND FOOT, PEOPLE.
In the meantime, fans will just have to make the most of Unbreakable. Jackson’s lead single from the album, “No Sleep,” was dedicated to Al Mana… but we’re thinking Jackson might rededicate that song to Eissa if the battalion of nurses and maids ever decides to go on strike.
The reality TV show is set to air on Arena on Sunday Feb. 26, and while we still have more than a month to wait, we have the trailer to keep us entertained for now. Here are six things we thought when watching it.
Real Housewives of Sydney trailer
Real Housewives of Sydney trailer
1. There isn't even any dialogue
Look, we know reality TV can be dramatic, but the trailer for RHOS is so intense that they didn't even bother to string together a storyline or any proper dialogue — which we can only imagine means screaming and catfights will fill the silence on the show.
2. Athena describes herself as a "spiritual goddess"
She may have chosen to market herself as a "spiritual goddess" (or the show did that for her), but if you're wondering who Athena X is, her real name is Athena Levendi. She spent her teenage years in Athens, Greece, and is married to an Australian Greek jewellery designer (she's also a jewellery designer) who owns and runs Levendi Jewellers.
The trailer is less than one minute and we've already got a glimpse into the seriously lavish lives of these women: Champagne, private yachts, helicopters and the prettiest dresses you have ever seen. Damn!
4. We already smell drama
Maybe it's just the death stares that all these women have perfected, but we already know this is going to be a series packed with drama.
According to an earlier report, after just two weeks of filming, all hell broke loose on the set with Athena threatening to leave the show after butting heads with Victoria Rees, and the ever-opinionated Lisa Oldfield has already referred to her castmates as a "malevolent bunch of molls."
Get ready people, it's coming, and in Oldfield's own words, it's going to make The Real Housewives of Melbourne look like a catwalk. Meow!
5. Who is Matty? Apart from being a self-made millionaire
We know the trailer doesn't tell you too much information about Persian-born Matty Samaei, but we think she's one to watch out for. Aside from her love of shopping, travelling and — you guessed it — socialising, Matty is also the owner of The Medispa by Matty.
Lisa Oldfield, who is married to former politician David Oldfield, is much more than her one-line bio lets on. She is also a successful businesswoman and television presenter.
In fact, she has a bone to pick with the show because of this.
Lisa Oldfield Instagram
Lisa Oldfield Instagram
Other ladies joining the cast are model Krissy Marsh; former Miss Australia Nicole O'Neil; actress, model and singer Melissa Tkautz; and interior decorator and beauty product owner, Victoria Rees.
Are you excited for The Real Housewives of Sydney? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
There are some things that are just funny to parents — and these things often wind up on Twitter, because let's face it. Once kids enter the picture, who has time to regale anecdotes to friends IRL?
Need a little LOL in your life? (Of course you do; you have kids!) Here are this week's funniest tweets from parents.
Mariska Hargitay, fierce queen that she is, says the show has also helped change the way society views sexual assault and its survivors.
"This show has shed new light. When people approach me in the street and tell me, ‘I came forward and reported my rape because of you and the show,’ that is the best part," Hargitay told Page Six. "It is the changing of societal views — stop blaming the victim. I noticed my attitudes as well as others have changed. I used to think, ‘Why is she drinking so much?’ or ‘Why did she go over there?’... It is not about women protecting themselves, it is about men not being violent."
It's no wonder SVU has had that kind of impact. After all, the show exists in some magical alternate universe where assault victims are always believed and always treated with respect and compassion. Oh, and the police always do their absolute best to make sure the perps go behind bars and stay there for a long time, which, as we all know, is a far cry from how the justice system usually works IRL.
And maybe that's at least part of why the show is so successful. Hargitay has been starring in SVU since the very beginning, which was 18 years and 400 episodes ago. After the cast's 400th episode celebration this week, Hargitay admitted that she has a lot of trouble picking a favorite SVU story.
"It is impossible in 18 years to pick a favorite episode," she said. "Guest appearances are pretty cool, like when Joe Biden was on the show."
Sometimes, teaching our kids a lesson takes more than just wagging fingers and administering punishments. Sometimes, we need to show them what kinds of people we want them to be by being those people ourselves. That's what one Packwood, Iowa, middle school principal did on Tuesday when he had his own head shaved during a special assembly.
Let's backtrack: On Monday, 11-year-old Jackson Johnston showed up at school with a shaved head. He did it as a show of support for his grandfather, who is fighting cancer. "Knowing that one of my loved ones could die like that was, like, really, really scary for me, and [I] told my grandpa we could start a new club of shaved heads," Jackson told KCCI News.
Sadly, it didn't take long for other students to start teasing him for his new look. In an interview with WhoTV, Jackson said, "Right off the bat, I had two mean comments, like 'Well, you look like you have cancer' and, like, other stuff like 'Hi bald boy.'"
We all know that bullying happens and that middle schoolers can be the worst, but to make fun of someone by saying, "you look like you have cancer"? That should break all of our hearts.
Pekin Middle School Principal Tim Hadley debated how to handle the bullying. The easiest thing to do would have been to bring those kids into his office and punish them for their behavior, but instead, Hadley called for a special assembly, and in front of Jackson's classmates, had Jackson shave his head.
Child bullied for shaved head
Child bullied for shaved head
"I said... this is an opportunity to teach more than just what our handbook says and policy — this is an opportunity to teach life," said Hadley. "For me, I thought, 'If this makes one student stop before saying something, I think it's all been worth it.'"
This principal's selfless act did indeed have an effect — some of the students responsible apologized to Jackson on their own, and others have shaved their heads as well. In an email to the Huffington Post, Hadley said, "It has opened up a huge line of communication with students about their own struggles and life battles. It has been truly humbling to see how many people this simple act has impacted."
The housemates may not like the new eviction structure, especially Stacy Francis, who broke down in tears when she discovered that five housemates were up for the elimination by the public vote, but we do — it certainly makes things more interesting and unpredictable.
2. The conflict between Speidi and Austin Armacost
You don't want to take on Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, but unfortunately for Austin Armacost, he has already had bitter rows with the reality TV duo, and it has resulted in him even threatening to quit.
Let's just say that these rows are definitely spicing up the show!
There's not much we can say about Loose Woman co-host Coleen Nolan's decision to give Calum Best a lap dance (because he's the guy she finds most attractive in the house) except, wow!
Loathe
1. Jedward being booed
Look, we weren't really looking forward to Jedward's return to the Celebrity Big Brother house, but the fact that the brothers (John and Edward Grimes) were booed by an angry audience as they made their way into the house was just uncalled for and downright ugly!
2. Nicola McLean and Jamie O'Hara's flirting
Glamour model Nicola McLean made her return to the Big Brother house after an appearance in 2012, and so far it has proven to be no less dramatic than her first stint, which we certainly aren't complaining about. What we aren't so keen on, though, is her flirting with Jamie O'Hara — she is married to former footballer Tom Williams and the couple share two children.
Coleen Nolan broke down in the Celebrity Big Brother house after she offended Calum Best with her comments about his playboy reputation, and she seriously felt so bad. During her time in the Diary Room, Nolan tearfully admitted that she upset Calum, but added that it wasn't her intention "because he’s seriously just the loveliest guy."
We hate to see her cry!
Are you enjoying this season of Celebrity Big Brother? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Coffee may be your legal drug of choice, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. If you've been drinking your coffee the same way for years, it may be in need of a major upgrade — especially in the creamer department. Switching up your creamer is a quick and easy way to take your morning coffee from a dairy-filled sugar bomb to healthy fuel with a caffeine kick.
Image: Tiffany Egbert/Sheknows
Most of us are guilty of enjoying our coffee a little on the sweet side — and by sweet, I mean dumping in half a container of sugar and a few glugs of milk so that you can hardly recognize your medium roast.
Because of this common coffee-and-cream conundrum, there are a few good reasons to consider a coffee creamer swap. First and foremost (as any true coffee snob can verify), there's the flavor. It may take some adjustment to start drinking your coffee closer to its virgin roots, but just like taking a bitter sip of beer for the first time, your taste buds will soon adjust, and they'll thank you for it.
The second big reason is hard to ignore, and it has to do with your health. If you're loading your coffee up with cream and sugar in the morning, you're most definitely starting your day on the wrong foot and can expect an inevitable sugar crash by 10 a.m. Millie Wilson, registered dietitian at My Fit Foods, cautions, "Adding milk and cream into your coffee can add fat and up to 500 calories! If you need to lighten up your coffee, consider adding unsweetened almond milk, as it has fewer calories than skim milk but also provides that creamy texture you're looking for."
And if you're looking for something completely new to reinvent your brew, try one of these healthy coffee creamer substitutes that are surprisingly delicious:
1. Butter
butter coffee
butter coffee
Putting butter in coffee is a thing, and what a deliciously inventive thing it is. (Note that adding a healthy fat like grass-fed butter is recommended.) Brittany Poole of Hush Destinations, specializing in digital detox vacations, explains her penchant for the butter-coffee combo: "The extra fats help slow your body's response to the caffeine. So I feel incredibly focused in the morning without the crash. I might be biased, but I think it tastes better than a latte."
2. Cacao butter
cacao butter
cacao butter
Maybe a dollop of butter in your morning coffee isn't for you, but what if said butter tasted like chocolate? "Buy some cacao butter from your local health store, and add a small chunk (teaspoon worth) to your coffee while it's piping hot. Let the fat melt, and mix it up for a chocolaty coffee taste. You could even add a teaspoon of cocoa powder for extra chocolate flavor," says blogger and personal trainer Alex Fergus.
3. Collagen powder
collagen coffee
collagen coffee
Consider this your new go-to, anti-aging morning drink: "If I'm feeling really healthy, I'll add collagen powder to my coffee. You can't taste it, but it's got a little bit of protein, and it helps keep your skin youthful and taut," says Poole.
4. Egg yolks
egg yolk coffee
egg yolk coffee
File this flavorful coffee creamer alternative under "don't knock it till you've tried it." Fergus explains, "Egg yolks are excellent emulsifiers. Blend them into your coffee for a silky smooth finish — not to mention they are packed full of nutrients!" (Choose pasteurized if you're worried about consuming raw eggs.)
5. Honey
honey coffee
honey coffee
For those who have long associated honey with hot tea, this news may come as a surprise. Honey tastes great in coffee, and it makes an excellent natural alternative to refined sugar. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey recently found that on average, Americans consume 20 teaspoons of sugar a day. Wilson says, "This is two to three times more than the recommended amount!" To help curb a sugary coffee addiction, Wilson recommends, "If you need a little sweetness, going natural is the best option. Instead of refined white sugar, opt for honey, agave nectar or even a splash of pure maple syrup."
6. Ice
iced coffee
iced coffee
If you, like so many java junkies, hate to see your coffee naked in the morning, you may be brewing it wrong. For many people, black brewed coffee is tough on the stomach. "If you've never tried cold brew coffee (with or without ice), it might be time to do so!" says Wilson. "Because of the way it is brewed, it is about 67 percent less acidic than traditionally brewed coffee. If you experience heartburn from high-acidic foods, cold brew might be the way to go. It also has a much bolder flavor, so you may find that adding a lot of sweeteners and cream isn't necessary."
While I'm not suggesting you drop loose change into your coffee just yet, there's something to be said for investing in your brew. As Wilson points out, buying top-notch coffee will naturally make it taste better, meaning you'll need fewer add-ins as a result. If you think you're ready to go all the way and drink it black, Wilson suggests choosing high-quality, organic coffee to start with a healthy base. "Traditional coffee beans may be treated with pesticides before hitting shelves," she explains.
8. Oil
coconut oil coffee
coconut oil coffee
Like butter, oil is another oddball coffee mixer that seems to work. Fergus recommends coconut oil as a popular and healthy creamer sub to his clients. "It's actually a really good performance enhancer — both cognitively and physically — as the coconut oil is packed full of MCT [medium chain triglycerides] that are broken down in the body faster than usual fats. This gives you a nice energy boost without the sugar crash."
9. Pumpkin
pumpkin coffee
pumpkin coffee
The pumpkin spice latte may be like catnip to basic bitches like me, but no one's pretending it's healthy (or easy to make at home). If you can't imagine a life worth living without PSL, Aimee McNew, Certified Nutritionist at Paleo Plan, will do you one better. She recommends mixing real pumpkin into black coffee for full fall flavors, without a Starbucks-size side of guilt.
10. Spices
Spiced coffee
Spiced coffee
Now that you have PSL on lock, this creamer hack may make your life complete: Someone finally came up with a flavorful, healthy chai latte that won't add to your ever-increasing Starbucks debt. Poole recommends adding a hint of cinnamon, turmeric, china spices and black pepper to your morning brew for the chai latte effect. "The cinnamon helps prevent spiking in your adrenals. And the turmeric has been proven to help people live long, healthy lives. On top of all that, it's pretty tasty," she says.
11. Whipped coconut cream
Whipped coconut cream coffee
Whipped coconut cream coffee
This is one lucky moment where you can have your whipped cream and eat it too — as long as it's made from coconuts. McNew's whipped coconut cream is the perfect alternative to the whipped sugary stuff. It's Paleo-friendly and easy to "whip" up in under 10 minutes.
If procrastination is your middle name, we feel your pain — it happens to the best of us. But these pretty little to-do lists are just the visual motivation you need to stop putting things off and start handling your day like a boss.
Who knew good old fashioned butcher paper could make for a totally pulled-together look? And a simple roll pinned up on the wall in your kitchen is the perfect backdrop for lists of all kinds. Find similar paper holders at Ikea here.
We all know that to-do lists are ever evolving, so sticky notes are a natural way to make changes. That and ripping the sticky note down when you've completed a task is just so satisfying.
If you can't decide between a chalkboard command center and a sticky note list, the good news is you don't have to. The chalkboard sticky note wall is the best of both worlds. All it takes is some chalkboard paint and a little bit of imagination.
Goal cards are great because they extend beyond a daily to-do and let us plan out a week — or a month — in advance. The Pretty has a free PDF download and instructions on how to put these together here.
"Making the most of today" is a totally appropriate mantra for a to-do list. After all, isn't that what it's all about? Get In Honor of Design's free printable here.
By now, you've probably seen that viral open letter the Bush twins, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, wrote to Sasha and Malia Obama as they exit the White House.
And for anyone who lives under a rock and hadn't read it yet, the twins appeared on the Today show Friday morning to read it out loud. It was obviously emotional for them, because they both broke down in tears during the segment.
"It's amazing how eight years go by and they become these really amazing women," a tearful Jenna said on the show. "And we just wanted to make sure they knew."
The Bush twins were 20 years old when their father, President George W. Bush, was inaugurated, but had spent time in the White House as little girls when their grandfather, George H. W. Bush, was president. They met Sasha and Malia when they moved into the house eight years ago. In their letter, they write about giving the Obama girls a tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
"We saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as you gazed at your new home," they wrote, also detailing showing Sasha and Malia how to slide down stair banisters in the house as they gave them a tour.
"We have watched you grow from girls to impressive young women with grace and ease," the letter continues. "And through it all you had each other. Just like we did. Now you are about to join another rarified club, one of former First Children — a position you didn’t seek and one with no guidelines. But you have so much to look forward to. You will be writing the story of your lives, beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet you will always carry with you the experiences of the past eight years."
Ah, border collies. They're full of energy, loyal and almost too smart for their own good.
If you're looking for a dog that loves having the job of watching over your family and is highly trainable, the border collie is right up your alley. Just know they'll keep you on your toes by opening closed doors, microwaves, baby gates and refrigerators — and will go to great lengths to remove any obstacles that keep them from your love.
Model and actress Molly Sims (who's currently best known for talking to magazines about her babies) has given birth to her third child with husband Scott Stuber.
Sims introduced the new addition, a baby boy named Grey Douglas, to the world via Instagram Wednesday.
Baby girls have a vast palette of color names (Ruby, Scarlet, Jade, Rose and Violet for starters), but the options for boys are more limited. Limited to one, pretty much: Grey. We can't say if Sims' choice was inspired by Christian Grey — aka pop culture's most well-known sadomasochist — but the name has jumped 3,000 places in the U.S. chart since the first wave of post-Fifty Shades babies was born in 2013. Make of that what you will.
Grey Douglas joins big sister Scarlett May (hey! another color name), 21 months, and big brother Brooks Alan, 4. According to Sims, this new arrival will be the last. "My husband is getting a vasectomy," she told the press in October, "but he doesn’t know it yet."
The hierarchies within the fashion industry are built upon the image of the slim, white cis female.
Size, shape, identity and ability are absent in the vision for how clothing should properly fit, creating discomfort and difficulty when choosing something as simple as what to wear for the day.
For Sky Cubacub, a Chicago-based genderqueer person of color, something had to budge. A vital medication was in order. They set out to make an impact and a change in the world of fashion and lingerie.
Rebirth Garments, which was recently funded on Kickstarter, is sensitive to gender nonconforming, non-binary and QueerCrip people and was started by Cubacub after years of daydreaming about a clothing line that was all-inclusive.
Rebirth Garments
Rebirth Garments
Cubacub suffers from allergies, anxiety, depression, digestive disabilities and panic disorders. Rebirth Garments offers physical, wearable objects in which customers can feel confident in expressing their identity. As someone who suffers from several disabilities, Cubacub is aware of the obstacles that disabled communities have with mainstream designers and clothing lines. The pieces created challenge beauty norms and mainstream fashion by promoting and celebrating all ethnicities, cultures, ages, identities, abilities and sizes.
In the Rebirth manifesto, Cubacub states that, “When a part of your physical appearance dominates all others, it becomes you. Your identity is that thing. You are automatically objectified.” Fashion and clothing can become this extension. Rebirth Garments is here to make clothing a positive prosthetic, rather than a negative one.
The pieces in the line themselves are vibrant and include Cubacub’s passion for chain mail, bringing a kinetic aspect to the sculptural but functional pieces. Cubacub writes in Issue 1 of Drala, “We all have needs that our garments must fulfill; the need for warmth, for comfort, and to be attractive.” The utilization of chain mail in Rebirth’s line, which serves as an armor, and the historical and current trends in fashion, where able-bodied individuals are prioritized, creates a warrior mentality when compared to the unattractive, uncomfortable and unfortunate options for QueerCrip youth. Other pieces include spandex with geometric shapes, vinyl corsets, 1920s-inspired swimsuits and pastel binders. Cubacub tailors every item to the customer's size, and many pieces can be custom-ordered by color as well.
In addition to their current collection, Rebirth Garments is growing. Rebirth Warriors is a gender nonconforming baby and kids clothing section that will specialize in underwear, activewear and undergarments like binders and padded bras. Rebirth Warriors will also include clothing that has adaptations for disabled youth to dress themselves.
Fashion, for everyone, should be a means to experiment and explore one’s identity. This important aspect of life should not be exclusive to a single type of individual — fashion should be expansive, ever-growing and developing. It should never be detrimental to one’s creativity.
Sky Cubacub writes that Rebirth Garments is “navigating obstacles that social systems construct through disparate points of inspiration. This movement celebrates the contradiction. We, as QueerCrips, are living contradictions in a society that wants us dead.”
Through their incredible resilience and celebratory events, projects and future plans, Rebirth Garments is sure to rock the queer fashion industry boat a little harder than expected.
"I'm English, Irish, German and Cherokee," Lively revealed in the ad for L'Oréal's True Match foundation, which just expanded its line to 33 shades. "So my family's sort of from all over."
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 2
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 2
Lively continued, "To look back far into my heritage and see where everybody came from, you know, it's neat. It's neat to be in this country that has such diversity and such culture. There's such a variety of colors because everyone's skin has such different nuances."
Almost immediately, blond and blue-eyed Lively got roasted on Twitter for saying she's part Cherokee.
"Is there anything more white than Blake Lively claiming she has cherokee ancestry in a LOREAL commercial ? That's PEAK BECKY RIGHT HERE," one Twitter user wrote.
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 1
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 1
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 3
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 3
"Blake Lively has said shes part Cherokee in a L'Oréal ad. The girl who said she had 'LA face with an Oakland booty,' another wrote along with an eye-rolling emoji.
Others called Lively out for claiming Cherokee heritage only when it stands to earn her more money.
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 4
Blake Lively roasted for saying she's part Cherokee 4
Lively herself hasn't addressed the controversy. Other spokewomen included in the commercial claimed Indian, Spanish, Creole, Kenyan, Asian and Dutch heritage.
To look at me you see a black woman. I’m not wearing any coverings, no hijab. My name, although ethnically Arabic, may or may not reflect my religious beliefs so most people do not know my religion until I tell them. I don’t pray five times a day, but I do pray and during communal prayer services I am often brought to tears.
There is such beauty and solidarity in making salat with other Muslims. Hearing the prayers chanted from different surah’s of the Qur’an always soothes my soul. I don’t eat pork. I wear above the knee dresses and go out to drink with coworkers. I do not wear my religion nor do I consider myself religious, but my heart is Islam. When I read the Qur’an I find peace within myself and I try to be the best person I can be. I am a black American Muslim and neither makes me a woman to be feared by this world.
I’m not surprised by illogical hate and fear, because America sees me as black before they know I am Muslim. I know my history, and I know there are people in America who see my color and feel I am not entitled to the same quality of life as them solely because of my race. I know racism and I know racists but I never believed it would reach the level of personifying our next president. I know racism, but I’m used to the more subtle form of it. I never expected this extreme form of racism from anyone who will be our president, even if I always thought they secretly spewed this rhetoric amongst friends.
After 9/11 I felt the backlash of being Muslim in America on top of the exhaustion that can come with being black. I listened to some of my coworkers carefully express their fear of foreign-born Muslims specifically, but all Muslims silently. They asked me why Muslims hated America. I explained those heinous individuals didn’t represent Islam the same way the KKK/white supremacy groups don’t represent Christianity. Like Trump they failed to equate the same ideology and dismiss it altogether. Funny, how people in white America dismiss terrorism so easily when the face is their own. I guess when you’re not the group being attacked it’s not as big a deal – just like it wasn’t a big deal when Hitler went after the Jews.
I've listened to the GOP tiptoe around Trump's declaration of not letting Muslims in the country. Not one emphatically denounced Trump, but instead just said they didn’t agree with his policy. Denying Muslims entry into America and stoking hate against American Muslims is not a policy – it is bigotry. I’ve listened to Trump's ignorance for the past year and had online debates with many progressives that we were letting history repeat itself. Too many believe we could never have another Hitler in the world. Yet the rhetoric being spewed in our political spectrum sounds a lot like Hitler.
I am a black American Muslim and I know racism and Trump personifies it.
After Megyn Kelly's surprise exit from Fox, she's taking a job at NBC that includes a daytime slot. Rumors have been flying that she's going to be joining Today, but now there are even more rumors saying she's going to go on at a time that will directly compete with Kelly Ripa on ABC's Live! With Kelly.
Radar Online reports that NBC execs are considering placing Kelly in the 9 a.m. slot of Today, which airs at the same time as Live! With Kelly. What could make this competition even more awkward is that Ripa and Kelly have worked together — just a few months ago, Kelly joined Ripa as a temporary co-host on Live! With Kelly to discuss the election the day after it happened.
At NBC, Radar reports that employees aren't sure how to handle the surprise news that Kelly is joining the team. People at Today are reportedly on edge, worried about whether Kelly is going to be their replacement. Rumors have already been circulating for weeks that execs plan to use Kelly to push out longtime Today host Savannah Guthrie, who is currently out on maternity leave.
"Everyone is just on edge, all the time," a source said, adding that everyone is keeping a closer eye than usual on Today's ratings. "Even when they’re up, they don’t know what’s going to happen."
The insider added that hosts Guthrie, Matt Lauer, Tamron Hall and Carson Daly "are always looking over their shoulders."
Another source, however, wonders if Kelly can actually compete with Ripa, who is funny, personable and nonconfrontational, whereas Kelly tends to be "pretty abrasive and confrontational," the source said.
Just a week after news of the show's cancellation crushed fans and the cast alike, series creator Michael Jacobs told TVLine that there's already talk among networks and streaming services who may want to pick up the show for a fourth season.
"There are talks underway, but we're at the very, very beginning stages," Jacobs said. "And I can tell you it's because of the audience's reaction to the cancellation that there is interest in other places. For anyone in show business, if you ask them why they're doing something and they say they're doing it for themselves, they won't sustain long. Those that answer ‘We're doing it for the audience' and mean it, they sustain."
He continued, "Networks want to do something to gather an audience. The fact that there is an audience who's been so loyal says a lot."
Disney Channel declined to comment on the news, but released a statement when Girl Meets World's cancellation was announced, saying, "We are proud that for over 70 episodes, Michael Jacobs, April Kelly and the talented creative team, cast and crew entertained viewers with an authentic and heartfelt look at navigating adolescence."
As of now, the series finale for Girl Meets World is scheduled to air Jan. 20. The final (for now, hopefully) episode, entitled "Girl Meets Goodbye," will show the Matthews family "contemplating a life-changing decision." It will also have plenty of throwbacks for fans of Boy Meets World — the episode will feature appearances from Eric (Will Friedle), Shawn (Rider Strong), Mr. Feeny (William Daniels), Mr. Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn), Cory's parents (William Russ and Betsy Randle), Minkus (Lee Norris) and both Morgans (Lindsay Ridgeway and Lily Nicksay).
