Can't get enough of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? Well, soon you'll be able to get your fix of the newest royal couple during Fox's comedy lineup. Markle's ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, is producing a new series for the network, and we think it's fair to say that art is imitating life a little bit.
The show isn't entirely based on real-life events, though. In the series, the couple has children, so much of the plotline is about sharing custody of the kids over international borders and with the humorless fictional royal family that exists in the show (we all know the real royal family is far from humorless). Markle and her ex don't have any kids, so there's definitely some creative license being taken here.
Still, with Markle's engagement to Prince Harry expected to come literally any second now, you bet we're sitting up and taking note of these similarities, and you bet we'll be tuning in to see Engelson's comedic take on his own failed marriage with the woman who would go on to become a princess.
Engelson is already an accomplished producer. He exec produces FX's drama Snowfall as well as the upcoming Paramount dramedy Heathers. For this series, he's teamed up with Modern Family's Danny Zuker and New Girl's Jake Kasden, so we already have high hopes for this one.
Oooh, fun. Let's play Guess Who Needs a Nanny. The internet is abuzz with hypotheses as to which heavily staffed, self-proclaimed "entrepreneurial" San Francisco family might be searching for a Mandarin-speaking nanny — and can afford to pay that person a cool $130,000-per-year salary with health benefits according to the nanny ad.
For the record, I will totally learn Mandarin in exchange for $130,000 a year and health insurance. Especially if it means watching the child of one Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, and his wife Priscilla Chan. If it's them. Totally not saying it's them.
According to Mommyish, the ad has since been removed from Indeed, but it originally read:
“A young, entrepreneurial family with several businesses and philanthropic interests is looking to hire a nanny to provide a safe, caring, nursing and stimulating environment in which a child can develop. This busy family is constantly on the go and has multiple residences," the ad reads. "The existing household and family support staff work extraordinary well together — they rely on and help each other resulting in a strong team. The current team includes a Managing Director, Household Operations Manager, Executive and Personal Assistants, Chefs, Nannies, an Executive Housekeeper, Housekeepers, Facilities/Maintenance Staff, and Security.”
The ad also requested a person with three years of experience, basic medical training and fluency in Mandarin. The hours of the gig run 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for five consecutive days, but hey, then you get the next five off, so all in all, not a bad deal.
Go on, give it your best guess — Chinese social media already has. All fingers continue to point to Zuckerberg and Chan. After all, Zuckerberg is fluent in Mandarin, while Chan is fluent in English, Spanish and Cantonese. As for their kids, Max is 21 months and August was born this August. (We see what they did there.) They're both probably founding tiny startups as we speak.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan with kids
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan with kids
Zuckerberg hasn't confirmed anything, and so far has not responded to Us Weekly’s request for comment. But we're watching you, Mark.
The Caribbean has been battered by one hurricane after another in recent weeks. And with the death toll from Hurricane Maria's pass through Puerto Rico still rising, Jennifer Lopez just revealed that she still hasn't heard from her family members who live in Maria's path.
Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico two days ago. In a heartfelt Instagram video, Lopez explained that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about the island since the tragedy began.
"What's on my mind is Puerto Rico," she said. "The devastation is beyond belief. Me and my cousins still haven't been able to hear from our families over there."
Jennifer Lopez call for help for Puerto Rico after Irma
Jennifer Lopez call for help for Puerto Rico after Irma
But Lopez is somehow managing to stay productive during what has to be a cripplingly terrifying situation. Where most of us would be panicking, she's calmly urging her followers to donate to hurricane relief in Puerto Rico and on other islands that have been hard hit by hurricanes this summer.
"What's foremost on my mind and many others' is trying to figure out the best way to help," she said. "The island has been hit by two of the most devastating hurricanes we have ever seen, Irma and Maria. Today, Puerto Rico needs our help."
Lopez was born in the United States, but her parents are from Puerto Rico, and much of her family still lives on the island. Lopez has also been active in helping other communities ravaged by hurricanes — she and her boyfriend, Alex Rodriguez, each donated $25,000 to relief efforts in Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey caused devastating flooding there.
When my sons were 7, 5 and 2, I was single and working full time — and when the phone rang at 6 a.m., it was never good news. I knew that a phone call that early might be from my child care provider canceling for the day. That meant my workday as a university adjunct lecturer, freelance writer, author and public speaker had just imploded.
Luckily I have two sisters — one an attorney, another an insurance executive — who had child care in place at their own homes that I could take advantage of. I also begged friends to watch the boys before and after school — and I always returned the favor. Sometimes, I took my youngest with me to campus, where I begged the secretary to watch him while I was in class. (There was no on-site child care.)
And so for the better part of 10 years, I panicked about being able to get my work done.
Managing and mastering your career as a single working mother has those moments, but you also have the satisfaction of maintaining ambition and a meaningful work life while raising children alone. You serve as a role model of persistence and strength — not just for your kids, but for other parents as well. Here are some tips on how to do your best as a single working mom.
Single parenting does not mean you have to feel alone in the community. For support from a like-minded tribe, try Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere, founded two years ago by Marika Lidholm. She explained the inspiration for her business in the New York Daily News. “My own divorce drove home the additional emotional toll of single motherhood. Just when single moms need the most support, friends tend to take sides or drift away. My own post-divorce loneliness inspired me to build a community in which solo doesn't mean alone.”
Having this community means you can rely on each other to, for example, swap child care duties. Be reliable so you can expect others to be reliable as well.
2. Calculate child care costs and plan accordingly
Unless you are lucky enough to have a family member who can watch your child for free, have a free on-site child care facility at your place of work or can co-op duties with friends, you will have to pay for child care. This is likely your biggest expense and budget worry, so take care to get it right.
Personal finance expert, author and broadcaster Farnoosh Torabi writes in Mint Life, “The latest government figures show that for a middle-income family, parents can expect to spend close to a quarter of a million dollars to raise one child through high school. This includes food, housing, health care and basic necessities. The average cost of child care has been climbing over the years. Day care, for example, now costs an average $200 a week according to Care.com. A personal nanny can be $15 to $18 an hour in some areas.”
There are many places around the country where working mothers are respected and valued. The National Association for Female Executives is one of the largest associations for women professionals and business owners in the country. Each year, they work with Working Mother and come up with a list of the best places for executive women to work. This year, the list includes Procter & Gamble, Marriott, Deloitte, Accenture and many more.
If you work for a smaller operation without big resources, have an honest conversation with your boss about flexible hours, occasionally working from home and potential child care solutions. Volunteer to research ideas and to make it happen. It’s a winning proposition for everyone involved.
In breaking Kardashian-Jenner news, Kylie Jenner is reportedly pregnant with rumored boyfriend Travis Scott‘s baby. According to TMZ, the 20-year-old Keeping Up with the Kardashians star began spreading the news to friends earlier this month at Day N Night Fest in Anaheim, California.
The couple, who began dating in April, is reportedly expecting a girl according to the site. Per TMZ’s sources, Scott has also been open about becoming a dad. He has reportedly been telling friends about the Kylie Cosmetics mogul’s pregnancy and how his life is “going to change.”
Fans first speculated that the younger Jenner sister was pregnant after she shifted her recent Instagram aesthetic to old selfies and pictures from the neck up. The only question left to ask is if Jenner will name her daughter with a K moniker or if she’ll go against the grain like her sisters and come up with something really unique.
Ever since it was officially confirmed in Season 1, Episode 5, that Jack Pearson is sadly dead (like so many had already assumed) in the present day, fans have wondered exactly how he died.
It's been one of the biggest mysteries This Is Us has produced (so far) — and one viewers just can't let go. Thankfully, come Season 2, Jack's death will be revealed. While appearing on Today in June, Mandy Moore dished that the audience will find out how Jack died in the Season 2 premiere. "That's what we've been told," she said.
As for the drama's creator, Dan Fogelman, he chatted with E! News in August about Jack's death and said that in the sophomore season's first episode, there will be "a big, giant piece of the puzzle that will potentially set the internet abuzz, but hopefully give some momentum to that storyline."
For Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Jack, he wishes fans would focus more on his character's life rather than his death. He spoke with the New York Post in June and said, "It bothered me that people were so wrapped up in wanting to know [about] Jack’s death. Whenever someone would say to me, 'I was bummed I didn’t find out,' I would say, 'I’m disappointed you didn’t focus on his life.'" He added, "People are dissatisfied no matter what. If Jack dies: 'Why did you kill him?' If Jack lives: 'Why didn’t you show us how he died?' People just need to calm down … and understand that things are going to unfold as they’re supposed to unfold."
Until any type of answer is given about Jack dying, it's time to take a look at all the theories out there speculating exactly how he died. There are a few that seem pretty far-fetched, though there's always a chance one of the following theories will turn out to be true.
1. Alcohol-related
It's no secret that Jack can't just have one drink. In the Season 1 finale, he drove drunk to Rebecca's show and was wasted by the time he got there. There's a chance Jack either gets into a fatal car accident because he is driving drunk or a medical issue evolves due to his heavy drinking.
There are several theories that Jack died in a plane crash. Originally, some viewers thought maybe he died on 9/11. However, seeing as Jack died when Kate, Kevin and Randall were teenagers (in the '90s), this isn't plausible, especially since the Sept.11 attacks took place in 2001.
Then there is a different theory that Jack died in the 1994 USAir jet crash. Seeing as Kate has expressed a fear of flying and Kevin threw out all of his toy planes after Jack died, fans think maybe those two elements are directly related to Jack's death. For those unaware, in 1994, USAir Flight 427 was heading to Pittsburgh, where the Pearson family lives. All 132 passengers on the flight were killed. What if Jack was on that flight?
However, The Hollywood Reporter crafted a handy timeline of This Is Us events, and according to the outlet, Jack died sometime between 1996 and 1999. If that is the case, then he couldn't have been on USAir Flight 427.
3. Miguel killed him
This is one of the more ridiculous theories (almost as much as Kate truly being responsible), but it's one of Ventimiglia's favorites, as he revealed at June's ATX Television Festival. After it was revealed in Season 1 that Miguel and his wife were divorcing, fans began wondering if maybe he killed his former BFF, Jack, so he could then be with Rebecca. That's pretty dark and doesn't seem likely, but you never know.
There are some fans who think Jack may have taken his own life. It's awful to think about and would be beyond upsetting if this turns out to be the case. Here's hoping this isn't how Jack died.
In Episode 7, there was a bit of focus on Jack's forgetfulness. Now, either he was just under a lot of stress, which was influencing his memory and thoughts, or there's more to this. What if he was dealing with some type of illness, like possibly Alzheimer's, and had no idea? It could've come out of the blue and killed him instantly. Or, maybe Jack knew he was sick and kept it a secret.
According to some fans, Jack may have died from a heart attack. As suggested by PopSugar, seeing as Kate was so upset over Toby's heart surgery, that could've been a sign that Jack also had heart-related issues, which then caused his death. Or maybe it means nothing at all.
7. He died a hero
There's been some speculation that Jack died a hero after saving Miguel's family from a house fire, per a Reddit user. After moving in with Miguel (as he set out to do after his fight with Rebecca in the Season 1 finale), the house goes up in flames and Jack tries to save Miguel's kids (who are staying with him, since he and his ex-wife are probably divorced at this time), but in the end, Miguel is the only one who makes it out in time. This type of event would obviously be a way to bring Miguel and Rebecca closer together since, you know, they are married in the present.
This would also partially explain the resentment Kevin has for Miguel. It might also possibly shine a deeper light on why Kate feels responsible for her father's death, since she pushed him to make things better with Rebecca and, well, we know how that all ended up — with Jack leaving to go stay with Miguel.
8. He was murdered... by someone other than Miguel
According to TV Guide, based on Jack's zodiac sign (he's a Virgo), all signs of his death point to murder. Seriously, this is quite the elaborate theory and one you need to read immediately. Based on a random and unverified study, Virgos apparently are more likely to have unexplained deaths or be murder victims.
It actually makes a little bit of sense, especially if you think back to the altercation Jack experienced in the Season 1 finale after winning all that money in a poker game. Remember when the men followed Jack and his friend outside, beat them up, took their money back and then said, "Ray sees either one of you again, he'll kill you." What if Jack has a gambling debt he can't pay? Though, it's unclear why Kate would feel responsible if this is the case. Either way, it's just another theory to think about.
However Jack died, when it's revealed and fans actually get to see him die, well, it's probably going to be as rough as when we watched Randall say goodbye to William in the hospital.
This Is Us Season 2 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 9/8c on NBC.
Here’s how doctors assess fertility: There’s your basic physical exam, including blood tests to check your hormone levels and screen for sexually transmitted infections. According to where you are in your menstrual cycle, there might also be tests for follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, which regulates the menstrual cycle and egg production as well as progesterone and estradiol levels. Depending on the situation, your doctor might order a transvaginal ultrasound, an endometrial biopsy or a hysterosalpingogram (it checks out your fallopian tubes).
You can study your own fertility at home in the form of ovulation-predictor kits, which allow you to see when you’re ovulating so you can determine the best time to conceive.
“For the most part, these are reliable,” says Dr. Wendy Chang, an OB-GYN fertility specialist with the Southern California Reproductive Center. “But you get what you pay for. Ovulation-predictor kits will vary, with many kinds missing the most crucial window if they are not sensitive enough.
While good hydration is important, occasionally Chang says that she has encountered women who drink far more than 2-1/2 liters of water per day, which means they may be more prone to get a false negative on their ovulation-predictor kit testing.
“Ovulation tests are great if your menstrual cycle is regular,” says Josie Bouchier, Holistic Health Coach for The Whole Woman and expert at The Tot. “But if you have PCOS or a short ovulation window or you’re over 40, your [luteinizing hormone] surges vary, and therefore the test could be inaccurate.”
Bouchier recommends the fertility-awareness method, a scientifically valid way to track your menstrual cycle. The method involves taking your basal body temper, evaluating your cervical fluid and being aware of the position of your cervix. Regardless of whether or not you’re trying to get pregnant, Bouchier urges learning fertility awareness.
“Knowing that you ovulate on day 19 versus day two of your cycle takes the guesswork out of it,” she says. “It’s the difference between looking at a blinky smiley face on a test and understanding what’s actually going on in your body. Once you know what’s going on, you’re in a much better position to be an advocate for yourself.”
There are a few at-home fertility tests Bouchier and her colleagues suggest. If you’re super-serious about testing (as opposed to just learning about your cycle), Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test looks for luteinizing hormone and estrone-3-glucuronide to give you a wider range of days when you might try to conceive. If you only want to test your luteinizing hormone levels, WondFo offers an ovulation test that’s inexpensive and turns results around in five minutes.
Chang notes that some folks opt for saliva-ferning tests, like Fertile-Focus, an ovulation predictor that detects the estrogen spike that precedes ovulation, known as ferning. Chang advises using a urine test to check for the presence of luteinizing hormone along with the salivary test, if you’re going to go that route, to see if the results are consistent.
Fertility tests, when accurate, give you a read on how you’re doing right now in terms of ovulation and hormones and suggest when you might proceed with attempts at conception. But if pregnancy is further down the road for you, there’s an at-home test that can help you learn what your fertility looks like at the moment.
Modern Fertility founders Afton Vechery and Carly Leahy developed their at-home fertility test after realizing for themselves how complicated fertility is. The test gets you out in front, so to speak, allowing you to “check in” on your fertility so you can know what you’re dealing with before you try to get pregnant.
As Vechery learned when she went to get fertility testing herself, blood tests render the most accurate assessment of what’s happening now and what might happen in the future. She and Leahy are building the test they want in order to bridge the knowledge gap about fertility before thinking about pregnancy begins to happen.
The test, which is personalized according to your birth-control method, provides information about ovarian reserves (the capacity of your uterus to produce eggs), ovulation and hormone levels. You order the test, send in your samples and receive results in a few days in the form of a fertility score as well as lab results you can share with a doctor.
“It’s a tool for thinking about your reproductive timeline more broadly,” says Vechery. “You can get access to information now that you might not uncover until later.”
We love to watch movies and TV shows with characters we can relate to. Experiencing their ups, downs and triumphs can be cathartic. But not every personality fits into a neat little box. That's why we cherish weird characters. These strange folks may not be exactly like us, but there's usually something about them that we can identify with. Here are 13 of our favorite weird characters.
1. Elsbeth Tascioni from The Good Wife
Carrie Preston plays the quirky red-headed lawyer on The Good Wife and, now, The Good Fight. She delightfully solves cases with ADHD and the song "Call Me Maybe" stuck in her mind. Here's a fun scene from the show.
Elsbeth 2
Elsbeth 2
2. Stefon from Saturday Night Live
Manhattan hipster Stefon, played by Bill Hader, loves to keep us up to date on New York's hottest (if not weirdest) clubs. From a haunted synagogue to the upper east side of a dumpster, there's no end to Hader's strange humor.
Known as the worst movie ever made, The Room (2003) stars Tommy Wiseau as the forlorn Johnny. Lucky for us, the film is a treasure trove of weirdness. From recycled sex scenes with Wiseau's bright white buttocks to melodramatic emotional displays like "You're tearing me apart, Lisa," it's no wonder this film has become a cult classic or that James Franco is playing Wiseau in the upcoming film The Disaster Artist. Here are some of the funniest scenes with weirdo Wiseau.
The room
The room
4. Joffrey from Game of Thrones
How many kinds of weird can a character be? Well, Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) seems to be all of them. He's the really frightening version of Fifty Shades of Grey. All of Joffrey's worst moments are in the video below.
Joffrey
Joffrey
5. The Ballerina Twins from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
These twins with sacks on their heads may be the weirdest twins of all time. Their faces appear drawn on with shoe polish. Why are they hiding their faces? How do we know they're actually twins? So many questions. Real-life twin actors Joseph and Thomas Odwell play them in the film. Here's a video giving a bit of backstory.
Ballerina Twins
Ballerina Twins
6. Twisty the Clown from American Horror Story: Freak Show
Other than Pennywise from Stephen King's It, Twisty (John Carrol Lynch) is the weirdest, creepiest clown of all time. Check out this picnic scene.
7. Spalding and Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story: Coven
Balenciaga! These two are so weird. Myrtle, played by Frances Conroy, is a witch who focuses on the original coven of witches from Salem, Massachusetts. Spalding, played by Dennis O'Hare, is the creepiest mute butler of all time. Here's a clip of Myrtle trying to uncover who cut out Spalding's tongue.
AHS Coven
AHS Coven
8. Richard Simmons on Late Night with David Letterman
Richard Simmons is truly an American icon, never straying from his positive attitude and famous dolphin shorts over tights. He's been taking some "me time" over the last few years, but we sure do hope he's coming back into public life soon. Check out this video where David Letterman plays a little prank on him.
Whether you watched the recent Twin Peaks or just loved the original series from the '90s, the Log Lady, played by Catherine E. Coulson, is one of our favorite TV characters of all time. Coulson died of cancer in 2015, but she managed to film her scenes for the revival of the show a few weeks before her death. Get to know the Log Lady in this clip.
Log Lady
Log Lady
10. Napoleon Dynamite
One of the most original films ever made, Napoleon Dynamite (2004) made us fall in love with the lead character, played by Jon Heder. Here is his awkward yet awesome dance scene.
Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite
11. Kramer from Seinfeld
Michael Richards, who plays Cosmo Kramer, is a master at physical comedy. Nearly every entrance he ever made was laugh-worthy. Here are some of his funniest moments from Seinfeld.
Kramer
Kramer
12. Andy Kaufman on Saturday Night Live
More of a performance artist than a comedian, Andy Kaufman brought the character Latka to life on the hit TV show Taxi from 1978 to 1983. Sadly, Kaufman died of lung cancer in 1984 at the age of 35. Check out his interpretation of the song from the Mighty Mouse cartoon.
Anday Kaufman
Anday Kaufman
13. Crispin Glover on Late Night with David Letterman
We loved Crispin Glover as George McFly in the Back to the Future movies. Here is a very weird appearance he made on Letterman in 1987. Watch to the end of the video, where Glover comments on the clip.
Basically, Beyoncé added some lines to her wedding tattoo and the world is freaking out that it means something bad regarding her marriage to Jay Z.
beyonce tattoo reaction 1
beyonce tattoo reaction 1
Beyoncé and Jay Z had the roman numerals for 4 tattooed on their wedding ring fingers instead of just opting for a simple asteroid of a diamond. Four is a very symbolic number for the couple. Beyoncé was born on September 4. Jay Z was born on December 4. The two got married on April 4, or 4/4, and they named their albums 4 and 4:44.
Yup, that number is kinda important in their lives.
Which is why when Beyoncé decided to add some lines, combining the IV into a new sort of design, the world lost its mind.
I'm going to go ahead and guess the additional lines have something to do with her children. Maybe a connecting lines for the twins and a serif ascender for their first child, Blue Ivy?
It's kind of funny that, for a couple who is so obsessed with the number four, the family will never be a family of four. They just skipped right over that number.
No word yet if Jay Z also modified his ink.
What do you think the additions to Beyoncé's tattoo mean?
The two twinned it up while promoting Stone's new movie, Battle of the Sexes. The two ran into one another during an appearance on The Late Show and decided to nab the photo op.
billie jean king tweet 1
billie jean king tweet 1
Stone has already poked fun at the photo because she's embarrassed she looks "naked" in the shot.
"Can I also point something out beyond this very cool photo?" Stone said during her recent Late Show interview with host Stephen Colbert. "I get a chance to meet Hillary Clinton, which is unfathomable and incredible, and I look like I'm nude. Really? You had one shot. Whatever."
Battle of the Sexes follows the real-life story of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs' infamous 1973 tennis match. King won the match and, therefore, championed for women's rights proving they deserved just as much prize money and respect as the men in the sport.
Stone plays King in the film, and even King herself couldn't resist shared the photo of Stone and Clinton holding a shirt of her with the match scores, "6-4, 6-3, 6-3" underneath the image.
The Stone/Clinton run-in is also poignant because Stone has already been vocal about the parallels between Battle of the Sexes and the 2016 presidential election.
"The parallels in this movie are pretty fascinating," Stone said during an interview with Out magazine. "We began shooting in the spring of 2016, when there was still a lot of hope in the air, and it was very interesting to see this guy — this narcissistic, self-focused, constantly-stirring-the-pot kind of guy — against this incredible, qualified woman, and at the same time be playing Billie Jean, with Steve [Carell] playing Bobby Riggs."
Check out the trailer for the film below.
battle of the sexes trailer video 1
battle of the sexes trailer video 1
You can watch Battle of the Sexes in theaters now.
Laverne Cox shared some major news with reporters last night on the 2017 Emmys red carpet. You might have noticed her gorgeous manicure that perfectly matched her metallic dress. Well, it turns out that the manicure is actually the happy result of a new collaboration between Cox and Orly.
The Orange Is the New Black star has always been a fan of a slightly more daring manicure. In an interview with Refinery29, Cox said that a manicure in a bold color with a tapered point makes her feel powerful. And now, by partnering up with Orly, she wants to share that feeling with her fans.
Cox has named the collection Celebrate Yourself because she wants everyone to feel like they’re being treated to a professional manicure when they reach for one of her polishes. “It’s about giving everyone the opportunity to feel glamorous in their day-to-day lives,” she said.
The complete set of six gorgeous, glittery and metallic polishes will most certainly be an upgrade to your average paint job. For her big debut, Cox rocked a combination of the shades Androgyny and Shine. And though the price point might seem a little steep at $49 per bottle, part of the proceeds go to Hurricane Irma relief.
“I think when much is given, much is required. That’s all,” Cox told Giuliana Rancic of E! Live From the Red Carpet while making her entrance last night. “Everyone can do it. Everyone can give a little bit.”
Growing up in a conservative, Christian “abstinence-only” household where I had little opportunity to explore my sexuality, I couldn’t access resources about safe sex and consent; I was expected to simply not engage in any type of sexual activity until I was married. That's why when I started college, I wish I would have had more access to comprehensive sex education than the very little that was available.
When the University of Minnesota recently adopted a new minor in sex education for public health graduate students, both at the master’s and doctoral levels, I saw the value immediately. According to Minnesota Daily, the idea for the minor came from a class called "Sex, Sexuality and Sexual Health" taught by Simon Rosser, a professor of epidemiology and community health. The program will cover a range of topics, including but not limited to HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and LGBTQ studies.
Learning about the breakdown of this new course made it apparent to me that more schools should be following suit. During my time in college, I wish I had fully pursued the resources that were already available to me about comprehensive sex education beyond just the free condoms. Making it optional to explore the resources was one I had trouble voluntarily taking up because an abstinence-only education isn’t as easily left behind in the classroom. I think that if the class or resources had been required, there would have been a greater likelihood I would have known more walking into college.
Teen Voguereports that the average age people lose their virginity is 19, with a larger percentage of male virgins than female virgins existing within those statistics. I fell within that average — ultimately not losing my virginity until I was in college and with little knowledge of what I was doing in general.
I know I’m not alone, either. Not every high school student has access to adequate information about sexual and reproductive health through their school district. The Guttmacher Institute explains only 24 states and the District of Columbia mandate some sort of sex education in public schools, while 37 states are required to provide information about abstinence.
I attended a public school in New Jersey, which was required to teach sex education, but the lack of information I walked into my sex life with speaks volumes about the ineffectiveness of the curriculum. Although these programs are mandated by the federal government, they can still be inadequate. Plus, the heteronormative narrative around my school’s curriculum erased queer and transgender identities and how they experience sex.
Sex education isn’t just a social issue, but one of public health. Young adults need access to knowledge about their bodies. Otherwise, young people are at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 collectively make up 10 million diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections every year. Specifically, 1 in every 4 HIV infections occurs among youth between the ages of 13 and 24 years.
Sex education plays a crucial role in STI prevention, but an honest (and educational) portrayal of each is very rarely found in sex ed curricula. More often than not, the curricula thrive on fearmongering. In my personal experience, it didn’t occur to me that I had to be tested only once every six months. While in college, I got tested every time I had a new sexual partner, even though I wasn’t showing any symptoms of an STI. However, the fear of contracting one motivated me to schedule a Planned Parenthood appointment every time I hooked up with someone new, which isn’t a great strategy for anyone trying to save money.
Rates of STIs are just the tip of the iceberg with the correlation between adequate sex education and a healthy sex life. According to the Guttmacher Institute, declining rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States correlate with sex education as well as adequate access to affordable reproductive health care — not with abstinence-only curriculums. Evidence suggests sex-ed programs “have been shown to delay sexual debut, reduce frequency of sex and number of partners, increase condom or contraceptive use, or reduce sexual risk-taking,” while abstinence-only curricula have consistently failed to prevent young adults from engaging in sexual activity.
Sexual assaults on college and university campuses are at an all-time high. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reports 11 percent of all undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault through excessive force, violence or incapacitation. Fortunately, sex education can help prevent sexual violence by providing information about practicing good consent. Perhaps if consent were more widely taught, I wouldn’t be a survivor of sexual violence today.
Although there are laws mandating public schools teach sex ed, there are none that apply to higher-education institutions. Although many academic institutions offer gender and sexuality courses, they are not required to be taken by the entire student body at some point in their undergraduate careers. Quality comprehensive sex education can change lives. It could’ve changed mine.
The decision to put my child up for adoption was basically immediate for me. I was so broke, I had defaulted on not one, but two student loans — and three credit cards. I was single. I was — am — a playwright living with roommates. None of this spelled “awesome time to raise a kid.” And while identifying strongly as pro-choice, I didn’t want an abortion. The only option left was adoption — preferably to a nice gay or lesbian couple.
And I did find the gay couple of my dreams. They live a 15-minute walk from my apartment. They wanted (and still want) as open an adoption as I wanted. I see them and my son about once a month — and five years later, he’s becoming quite the amazing little man.
In terms of adoption stories, this is basically the best-case scenario; I’m delighted that everything happened the way it did.
It’s not that I didn’t ever have moments of doubt that I was making the right call; I definitely did. It’s not that I didn’t go through debilitating grief when I said goodbye to my son; I literally collapsed when he left the hospital without me. But while I had many moments when I thought, "I am definitely going to go with this adoption thing," not once did I ever think, "I am definitely going to be the one to raise my son." And there has never been a point when I thought, "I wish I could go back in time and change my mind."
So why does it make me feel so guilty to admit that?
The societal pressure I feel as a birth mother is twofold and contradictory. On the one hand, I’m not supposed to want to insert myself at all. I’m supposed to step back and let the adoptive family blossom while I fade into the background. (My son’s daddies, by the way, have never even remotely expressed this desire; this is purely a pressure I feel from the larger world.) I’ve lurked in online adoption forums where I watched adoptive parents practically yell at each other not to let the birth parents into their lives. The fear, it seems, is that the birth mother (specifically the mother) will want her baby back — despite the fact that such court battles are, statistically, exceedingly rare.
On the other hand, I’m supposed to want my baby back. I’m supposed to stay up every night regretting my decision. Because what kind of awful woman could possibly be at peace with someone else raising her child? I’ve even seen this attitude from other birth mothers — women who unlike me were forced to relinquish against their wills. According to them, if you relinquish a child willingly, you’re a terrible person and dooming your child to a life of misery.
In general, I’m a no-regrets kind of person. This even goes for the experiences about which I can objectively say, “Yeah, that was a terrible idea.” I make a concerted effort to learn and gain everything I can from every awful thing that happens, because otherwise, it’s just random badness — and that seems so wasteful.
But relinquishing my son doesn’t fall into that category. I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions of my life. And yet I am terrified to admit that because some little part of me thinks that admission makes me selfish and evil.
In his five short years on earth, my son has gotten to learn American Sign Language, tumbling, swimming, African dance (which he did not care for) and probably a ton of other classes I’m forgetting. Not because his fathers are obsessive over-schedulers of his time, but because they’re giving him the chance to explore his interests. These classes would not be happening if my broke ass were raising him.
And in those same five years, I’ve been able to do amazing things too, like travel the world doing theater and start my own business as a life coach. Again, this would not be happening if my broke ass were raising him. As much as it gives me anxiety to admit, because I think you’ll all look at me as a self-serving monster-woman, there are all kinds of incredible things about not raising a kid.
But those aren’t the reasons I know I made the right call. I knew I was making the right call even before I signed the paperwork. I could tell from the minute I met them that John and Peter were the right parents for my child. From the day I met them to the afternoon my son went home with them, I never once had any hesitations about them as parents or as people. And I still don’t.
My son — our son — is amazing. He’s curious, silly and kind. He’s one of the most well-behaved children I’ve ever met, but that doesn’t keep him from asking for what he wants — which is usually ice cream. And he’s being raised with an overflowing network of love. Who could ask for anything more?
Deep down, despite whatever guilt or pressure I may feel from the outside world, I know that my decision was the best possible thing for my child. It’s a nice side benefit that it happened to be the best thing for me too.
It's official — Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren't hiding their love anymore. This weekend, the Suits actress made her first appearance at one of her royal beau's events, playing the part of the supportive spectator at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.
It was a milestone moment for the low-profile pair. Despite having dated Prince Harry for over a year, both of them flying all over the globe to spend time together, Markle has yet to publicly appear at any affair associated with the royal family... until now.
Her presence at the Invictus Games certainly suggests that Markle and her prince are growing more serious by the minute. Her decision to choose this event for her official debut into Harry's world makes sense, given the importance of the Games — which Harry founded to raise awareness and funds for wounded and/or injured veterans.
Conveniently, Markle didn't have to go far to get there. This year, the Games are being held at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, which is where Markle films Suits.
Although Markle couldn't sit with Harry, as he was hosting, she didn't attend the prestigious event alone. Seated with her was her longtime best friend, Markus Anderson, who reportedly introduced Markle and Harry. Anderson is also one of Markle's frequent travel companions.
According to Hello magazine, Harry made a strong show of support for Markle this week, too. A "local source" claims the prince visited the set of Suits on Wednesday to meet the cast and crew who work alongside Markle on the legal drama.
It's been a minute since ABC announced Katy Perry as a judge on the new American Idol, leaving fans to speculate over who might join Perry at the judges' bench. Well, it's safe to say the news was worth the wait — sources have confirmed country superstar Luke Bryan has snagged the second spot.
With just a week left before Idol auditions are slated to begin, ABC could be pacing the announcements to build anticipation for the reboot. And, hey, it kinda worked, right? One of country music's biggest stars (his last three albums debuted at the top of the Billboard charts), Bryan brings a passionate fan base with him to the series.
Little else is known about Bryan's contract, including whether or not he managed to rope a deal as impressive as Perry's. Since ABC has declined to comment for the time being, we'll just have to put a pin in that curiosity.
Of course, it's unlikely that Perry and Bryan will be the only judges for the new Idol's inaugural season. In fact, Variety reports that inside sources say the show will have three judges as opposed to the four Idol has had in the past.
Both Charlie Puth and Lionel Richie have been named as possible contenders, although it is rumored that negotiations with Richie fizzled. Since the series has historically opted for both veteran musicians and newcomers across all genres, the field is wide open. However, the window for the third spot to be filled is rapidly closing.
So the big question is, does ABC already have a third judge lined up to sit alongside Perry and Bryan? Or could they be scrambling to secure talent still?
Only time will tell. But with top music talents like Perry and Bryan — not to mention host Ryan Seacrest — steering the singing competition, it seems likely that the network already has someone exciting waiting in the wings to fill that third spot.
Who doesn't love a good second chance story? After nearly a decade apart, Dancing with the Stars' Cheryl Burke and her ex, Matthew Lawrence, have rekindled their romance. It's OK; you can say it. In fact, we'll say it with you: awwwwww!
According to E! News, the professional dancer, 32, and actor, 37, are definitely back on, picking up where they left off in 2008.
The couple originally met — where else? — on the set of Dancing with the Stars, when Lawrence was a contestant during Season 3. After around a year of dating, the two decided to go their separate ways. However, Burke admits she continued to carry a torch for Lawrence.
"If I had any regret in life, it was the end of our relationship," she told People. "When we first dated, we were both young and immature, and I was so new to this world. Now we are both adults and feel balanced."
While confirmation of their recoupling is just making the rounds, it isn't for lack of trying on Burke's part. Just last week, she shared an adorable photo of herself and Lawrence on Instagram, captioning the cute pic, "#reunitedanditfeelssogood @themattlawrence."
Matt Lawrence & Cheryl Burke
Matt Lawrence & Cheryl Burke
Outside of their busy schedules (in addition to DWTS, Burke is replacing Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller), the couple seems to be making up for lost time by spending any spare moments together.
"He's such a great guy," Burke shared. "He's so normal, considering we're in this crazy business. It's so nice to be able to come home to him and turn Netflix on and order Postmates. He's someone I definitely do see spending the rest of my life with."
Judging by Burke's comments, this newly reunited couple could be dancing at their own reception in the near future.
When you find yourself sniffling and coughing as the weather goes from rays of sunshine to crisp fall breezes, you might head to your doc for an annual flu shot. Though, sure, a change in temperature can cause an infection, you can also get flu-like symptoms from a transformation in your diet. Surprisingly, some of the setbacks from restricting a specific type of food can be detrimental, not only to your metabolism but to your overall health and vitality too.
One of the more common ailments many dieters suffer from is known as carb flu — which Dr. Keith-Thomas Ayoob, the associate clinical professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says is actually better called "low-carb flu." Just as the name suggests, this is related to how many or how few carbohydrates you’re consuming. Here, experts shed light on what carb flu is and why you should be wary of it when attempting to improve your eating habits or drop pounds.
Ayoob adds that in addition to being called the low-carb flu, you might also hear these same symptoms called "keto flu." When might you expect to experience this? When you go on a very low-carb diet, cutting out even good-for-you carbohydrates from all meals and supplements. This causes your body to perform differently and work double-time to function.
“You can feel a variety of symptoms that mimic the flu, from headache and lethargy and feeling weak to constipation or diarrhea,” Ayoob explains. You might also suffer from a brain fog, where you can’t seem to concentrate or focus on the task at hand. While he stresses that you won’t have a fever from the carb flu, it can wreak havoc in your day-to-day performance at work.
Image: Getty/Design: Ashley Britton/SheKnows
What causes it?
Because all bodies need the appropriate balance of fat, carbohydrates, proteins and other essential nutrients, restricting one group to an extreme puts your body into a different mode of processing. As Ayoob explains, when you begin to contract the carb flu, it’s your body going into ketosis, a state in which it burns primarily fat for calories (hence the keto in keto flu). This is actually a prehistoric way for your body to process what you eat that started back when food was harder to come by and our early ancestors were forced to perform on much less intake.
“Fat is harder for the body to burn, and while it can survive on ketones, it’s definitely not desirable for the long-term. It’s how the body learned to survive during periods of famine and lack of regular food,” Ayoob says.
Ayoob says that more likely than not, carb flu isn’t life-threatening, with symptoms only lasting several days or a week. However, lingering conditions like bad breath and constipation can continue to manifest if you restrict your carbs consistently, mainly due to the lack of fiber in your diet. Ayoob’s best advice is to not spend too long on a low-carb crash diet and instead invest in a healthy alternative to losing weight.
“Your breath may smell rather acidic because you aren’t getting enough fiber, and ketones cause this stench,” he explains. “While not terribly dangerous for otherwise healthy people, ketosis is not where you want your body to be for any length of time.”
What happens when you have carb flu?
If you’ve been pushing away all breads, wraps and potatoes, you might notice for the first few days, you feel fine because your body still has glycogen, which is the store of carbohydrates your body reserves just in case you aren't getting enough food (or start a fad diet). However, Ayoob explains this stockpile only lasts for a few days before your body starts to burn mostly fat and protein, which is a tougher task. That’s why you start experiencing those exhausted feelings almost immediately. Depending on how much you want to stomach, Ayoob reminds us that coming off of a low-carb diet won’t instantly give you a boost of energy.
“You may still feel somewhat lethargic until you up your carb intake, even if not to where it was. Increasing carbs to 40 percent of your diet would prevent carb flu,” he says.
Ayoob says even in the search for the ideal filter-free body or shape, carbs still have a place in every diet. Because of the recent movement against carbs, this essential part of our diets has fear surrounding it.
“You’re leaving out whole food groups if you avoid carbs. Beans, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, they’re all carb-rich but healthful and loaded with antioxidants and nutrients,” he says. “People can lose weight from a super-low-carb diet, but there’s a better way... without placing severe limits or even eliminating nutritional food groups. Aim for balance instead.”
The new season has barely gotten underway and already Dancing With the Stars performer Vanessa Lachey has sustained an injury that could affect her performance in this competition. During rehearsal on Friday, September 22, Lachey and her partner, DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, were working through a complicated dance sequence when things went awry. The moment the injury happened was rather quick but in the footage, it appears that Lachey accidentally slammed the front part of her foot with Chmerkovskiy's foot, resulting in the significant injury.
The footage makes the entire moment look very painful. While it appears the foot-on-foot collision happened in a split second, it's clear from the aftermath that this was serious. The minute Lachey sticks the final pose, she begins to wince in pain and bend over. Chmerkovskiy immediately reacts with, "That is going to be so painful. That hurts my soul."
It's clear that whatever happened was severe. As Lachey sits down to take off her high-heeled bootie, she begins to cry. From the looks of the injury, we can surmise that Lachey's toe isn't going to be healing up quickly. This is further evidenced by the fact that Chmerkovskiy had to use gauze and bandage to stop the toe from bleeding too much. Ouch, that's going to hurt.
It's a bit of a shame things have taken such a grim turn because Lachey had an exciting, warm welcome to DWTS Season 25 when the premiere hit airwaves. She and Chmerkovskiy did a mommy-themed dance number, with Lachey pushing a stroller and Chmerkovskiy dancing with a Babybjörn strapped to him, the pair dancing to Kesha's hit song "Woman." Definitely a strong start, which was only bolstered by DWTS judge Len Goodman's rousing and positive response to their dance.
Updated Sept. 25, 2017,11:00 a.m. ET: On Saturday, Nikki Reed tweeted out a note apologizing for how they handled sharing the information about the circumstances surrounding how she got pregnant, saying, “To anyone who has been affected by reproductive coercion, we are deeply sorry." She went on to write that "if this somehow sheds light on a topic that definitely needs mainstream attention, then we are grateful for the unintended consequence."
Original story:
When it comes to a couple deciding if and when to have a child, it’s best to have both parties on board. Sounds obvious, right? And if one member of the couple takes control of the situation without telling the other, it’s highly inappropriate on so many levels, right? Yes, absolutely.
But apparently, Ian Somerhalder didn’t get that memo about basic autonomy and decided to take wife Nikki Reed’s fertility into his own hands.
In an interview with Dr. Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy Podcast, Reed revealed — while laughing — that her husband went into her purse without her consent and “threw out all [her] birth control pills” during a 2016 trip to Spain, as if it were something romantic and adorable. Except it’s not.
According to Somerhalder, they both had decided that they wanted to have kids, but he decided that “it was just time” and without checking in with Reed to see if she felt the same way, took it upon himself to dispose of her birth control pills.
"By the way, it was the beginning of the pack, so I had to pop all those suckers out. There was like 25 of them,” he said, as if he was angling to get some sort of medal for all the hard work it took to push small pills through foil in order to deceive his wife.
But that’s not all! The co-host of the podcast then asked Reed how she felt about it, and as soon as she started to speak, Somerhalder immediately started talking over her to say that he has a six-minute video of her "freaking out" as he flushed the pills down the toilet. Wait, what? You have actual proof of her less-than-pleased reaction to this, and you’re still trying to pass this off as something sweet?
He then elaborated in case you weren’t sure how to feel about the whole thing: “What’s so cool is that there’s this video of me with this handful of these little pills and she’s just [mimics panting and panicking]…panting.”
Panting, guys! Sounds as if she was really enthusiastic about having the chance to make choices regarding her own body taken away from her.
"Actually, now thinking about it, I guess I kind of decided [to start a family]," he added, clearly delighted with himself for taking away his partner’s agency.
Let's get a few things clear: Just because someone says that they want to have children at some stage doesn’t mean they’re OK with this happening at any time. Being able to control if, when and how we become pregnant has been a struggle for women for way too long for some vampire actor to step in and make it seem acceptable in any way to tamper with someone’s birth control.
Growing up as the oldest of 12 kids, I watched my mom creatively hack her way through life. She had a gaggle of little kids, and our house had tile floors that needed regular cleaning. So she would pour soapy water on the floor and give us rags and we would go to town, playing and cleaning. It sounds crazy today, but this was the OG mom hack.
Today, as the mom of seven kids of my own, I'll admit I've never done that one. Still, I rely on so many hacks to make this crazy life a little easier, and so do so many other moms and dads. Below, we've rounded up some tips and tricks from parents all over the country on how they save time, money and sanity. Whether it's freezing a month’s worth of lunches or dressing kids in chartreuse, we're spilling their secrets for how they get shit done — and sometimes even make it look easy.
Freezer hacks "I make a month's worth of school lunch sandwiches, bag them and freeze them. Each morning, I throw them in lunchboxes. They defrost by lunch while keeping everything else cold." — Vanessa Hunt, Wanderlust Crew
"Freeze your kids' leftover Halloween or Easter chocolate... and chop it up to use when baking." — Jordan Page, Fun Cheap or Free
Date-night hack "I save all babysitters in my phone with 'babysitter' in front of their name, so I just open my phone and search 'babysitter' when needed." — Allyson Downey, founder of weeSpring and author of Here's the Plan
Playtime hack "Fill a rimmed cookie sheet with rice, cars and little dump trucks — it keeps toddlers entertained for hours." — Sarah Banks
Travel hacks "Bring little sticky notes on flights. Your baby can stick them all over the tray in front of the seat and then pull them off." — Brittany Hayward
"Keep baby powder in the car when you’re headed to the beach. At the end of the day, rub baby powder on your kids’ sandy skin and watch the sand just fall away — no scrubbing (or tears) required." — Christine Munns
"Put kids in neon clothes when you travel and are on vacation — neon hats for snowy climates, neon T-shirts for the beach. It makes it much easier to spot kids in crowded places." — Melanie
Bath time hack "Instead of giving my little ones baths, I put them in the shower with me in their Bumbo Floor Seat — cleaning the Bumbo and the baby at the same time." — Kimmy Crosby
Bedtime hacks "I hooked up Philips Hue lightbulbs in the nursery and set them on a dim, glorious color. Instead of being greeted by stark white light at 3 a.m., I was able to feed my son under gentle spa-like lights that eased me (and him) right back to sleep." — Shala Burroughs
"We stopped using that pesky top sheet — now we just pull up the comforter or quilt and the bed is made." — Shanda Munns
