Quantcast
Channel:
Viewing all 25628 articles
Browse latest View live

Melania Trump’s Speechwriter Takes Responsibility For Plagiarizing Michelle Obama

0
0

A member of Melania Trump's speechwriting staff has finally confessed to copying direct quotations from one of Michelle Obama's 2008 speeches into Mrs. Trump's Republican National Convention address on Monday night.

According to TheNew York Times, Meredith McIver, a longtime writer for the Trump Organization, released a statement on Wednesday apologizing for her role in "lifting two passages" from Mrs. Obama's Democratic National Convention speech. Up until then, the Trump campaign had denied all accusations of plagiarism.

Before delivering her RNC address, Mrs. Trump told NBC's Matt Lauer in an interview, "I read it once over, and that's all because I wrote it with as little help as possible.'' These words came back to haunt her after she phrased much of the "self-written" speech in the exact way Mrs. Obama did.

In her statement, McIver clarified the actual writing process that went into the botched speech. Apparently, Mrs. Trump admired Michelle Obama, and wanted to share an inspiring message with the American people, much like she did eight years ago.

"[Melania] read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples," McIver wrote. "I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech. I did not check Mrs. Obama's speeches. This was my mistake and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant."

According to the Wall Street Journal, after releasing the news of her mistake to the public, McIver attempted to resign from her position, but said that Trump refused her resignation. However, her statement also made it clear she worked for the Trump organization, rather than the Trump campaign. This left many Americans in doubt of the competence of Trump's campaign and staffing decisions.

"Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and we learn and grow from these experiences," she wrote.


Watch Michelle Obama SLAY Carpool Karaoke

0
0

FLOTUS, boss feminist and now pop star? Michelle Obama really does do it all. She appeared on James Corden’s famous Carpool Karaoke segment and, as we would expect, she killed it.

Not only did she jam out to Stevie Wonder, but she also showed some respect for the other queen in America—none other than Beyoncé. The FLOTUS looked right at home singing along to “Single Ladies,” in the Bey Hive “making honey to put in [their] Lemonade.” Yes, she did say that.

The First Lady also spent some time chatting about her Let Girls Learn program, which aims to help the 62 million girls worldwide that aren’t currently being educated. Since Michelle Obama is literally the coolest, you can follow her on Snapchat to keep up with her travels and the program.

To top it off, Missy Elliott joined the party and jammed out to Michelle’s song “This is for My Girls,” released earlier this year with the rest of the FLOTUS’ squad. Then, after seeing Michelle rap “Get Your Freak On,” even Missy said she didn’t want to leave and we don’t blame her. After watching this, it's no wonder Melania Trump wanted to copy Michelle

Tiffany Trump Struggles to Make Father Seem Relatable in RNC Speech

0
0

While many speakers at this year's Republican National Convention have praised Donald Trump's policies and professional accomplishments, his youngest daughter was tasked with an even more difficult feat for her speech: make her father seem human.

According to The Cut magazine, Tiffany used unique rhetoric to accomplish this task, by discussing how "encouraging" her father was to her in both her times of success and her times of need.

The only daughter of Donald and his second wife, Marla Maples, Tiffany Trump spoke of appreciating the "sweet notes he wrote on each and every one of" her school report cards, and how empathetic he was when she suffered the loss of a loved one.

"Without his unwavering support, I don't know how I would've made it through," she said.

However, Tiffany never mentions an anecdote in which Mr. Trump is actually present in her life. This could be because after Marla and Donald divorced, Tiffany lived with her mother in California, seeing Trump just a few times per year. Other pundits also noticed this oddity, some arguing that her stories are weak examples of "fatherly love" that only make the official Republican nominee seem more distant.

Claire Landsbaum at The Cut wrote, Tiffany "describe[s] a father who does the bare minimum for his second daughter: read her report card and call her when someone dies."

Ruth Graham for Slate even called the speech "vague"and "sad."

"Tiffany was unable to come up with a single meaningful anecdote about her father or his influence in her life," Graham wrote. "It was almost too easy to psychoanalyze — to see a young woman eager for the attention and approval of a father she barely knows." Graham's words could have some truth to them, considering Trump wasn't even in Cleveland to watch Tiffany's first major political speech. 

Following Melania Trump's plagiarism disaster in her address to the RNC, Tiffany was one of Trump's last hopes to appear human and warm to the Republican Party. The speech garnered a general agreement that Trump was likely, at the very least, kind to his daughter — but definitely distant. You can watch Tiffany's full speech here and decide for yourself.

You Can Now Add Bitmojis to Your Snapchats

0
0

Snapchat announced Tuesday that you can now add Bitmojis to your snaps or in the app’s chat system. Bitmoji, if you’re not already obsessed, is a keyboard app that lets you design a cartoon of yourself and use it as an emoji, and it comes complete with hundreds of little actions (emoticons) that Bitmoji-you is doing. Snapchat purchased Bitstrips, the company behind Bitmoji, this past March for a cool $100 million.

In a video announcement of the collaboration demonstrating how users might add Bitmojis to their snapchats and messages, users are seen making their own Bitmojis and embellishing their snaps with the cute little icons. Like Snapchat’s addition of emojis and its own stickers to the palate of snap decor, Bitmojis can be moved around on screen, made enormous or tiny and pasted in infinite quantities.  

If you’re chatting with a friend, you will even see special Bitmojis come up if they have made their own avatar as well! These combo-Bitmojis, dubbed “Friendmojis,” will display your icon as well as your friend’s.

Snapchat has evolved massively since its origin in September of 2011. It has been through several pop cultural rounds; first it was everyone’s go-to sext-messenger, then it brought DJ Khaled to fame again and now it is apparently used for celebrity takedowns (and basically just everything Kardashian). Who knows where Snap will go next?

Just download Bitmoji or link your existing account to Snapchat, and let the snapping begin!

Kendall Jenner Has Taken a Side in the Kimye vs. Taylor Feud

0
0

As the shyest member of the Kardashian fam, it’s no surprise that Kendall kept her response to the Kimye vs. Taylor feud on the down low. In fact, she didn’t even have to respond with words to make her position clear. V stealthy.

Kendall liked four posts on Twitter that favor Kim. Yep, that's all it took for her to make her side known. One post was from Kim herself, and another was posted by Khloé. The other two were from Kendall’s BFF Hailey Baldwin and presumably a fan, who wrote: “The kardashians/jenners literally all stand up for eachother and its beautiful.”

Not that it comes as any surprise that Kendall would back up her sister on this, since the KarJenners are super tight-knit. But we’re willing to bet there’s now a blank space in Taylor’s squad where Kendall’s name used to be. 

Jordan Rodgers' Brother Just Spoiled the Ending of 'The Bachelorette'

0
0

Former NFL player Jordan Rodgers has a real chance at being The Bachelorette's last man standing. Or at least his oldest brother Luke sure seems to think so, according to Us Weekly.

In an interview with Womanista on Facebook Live, Luke seemed to slip up. When asked about his brother's relationship with Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher, Luke started describing how well JoJo fit into the family, like she’s already a part of it. “She was able to just so easily lockstep with our family and conversations and stuff, except for the fact that she is missing some crucial movies that we quote a lot, but we’re going to catch her up.”

Catching JoJo up on their favorite movies sounds awfully suspicious to us, given that the fam likely wouldn't care what movies JoJo has or has not seen if she dumps Jordan for one of the other remaining men.

But when Luke realized what he said, he went on to add, “We could catch her up with that, should she need to be caught up, depending on how this whole thing ends. But yeah, she definitely can roll with us, which is fun. It was fun.”

*Face palm* What does it all mean? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see who JoJo awards the final rose to, but for now we have a good idea about who may walk away with it. Thanks, Luke. 

Is Taylor Swift Dead? Australia Seems to Think So

0
0

According to an Australian tag artist, Taylor Swift is dead. In Melbourne, a large mural in memory of Taylor Swift—captioned “In loving memory of Taylor Smith, 1989-2016”—has been painted to commemorate the life and supposed death of the incredibly famous pop star. 


While we all hope T. Swift is alive and well, many have suggested Kim Kardashian's "Famous"reveal was merely the beginning of the end for Taylor's career. This artist took the idea a bit too literally, though.

Taylor's team has reportedly sent legal notice to the artist, but given the pretty significant typo and the fact that several others have already defaced the piece, we don't think this will be a problem. Like Tay says, "Haters gonna hate."

Court Rules That Texas Voter ID Law Violates the Voting Rights Act

0
0

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that Texas’s voter identification law does not comply with the Voting Rights Act.

Senate Bill 14, signed into law by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, stipulates the types of photo identification election officials can and cannot accept at the polls. One of nine states requiring “strict photo ID," Texas’s law is viewed as the nation’s strictest and the state’s list of acceptable identification forms is the shortest.

Texas faced much scrutiny for its voter ID law and has defended challenges to the law by the U.S. Department of Justice, minority groups and voting rights advocates. The case centers around whether the Texas law discriminates against Hispanic and African-American voters.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told the Texas Tribune, “It is imperative that the State government safeguards our elections and ensures the integrity of our democratic process. Preventing voter fraud is essential to accurately reflecting the will of Texas voters during elections.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott supports the law, saying it helps to prevent voter fraud at the ballot box. However, opponents argue that the voter ID law was intended to make it harder for minorities to vote, weakening their electoral power.

Experts testified that 600,000 Texans lack such identification, though “election identification certificates” can be obtained free of charge—if you have a birth certificate, according to the Tribune. The problem is that for many people, it's not that easy to get a birth certificate if yours was lost, or if you never got one in the first place.

The 5th Circuit Court’s ruling states, “The district court found that multiple Plaintiffs were turned away when they attempted to vote, and some of those Plaintiffs were not offered provisional ballots to attempt to resolve the issue."

Seven of the court’s 15 judges back the decision in full. Two additional judges back most of the decision. The rest dissented, leaving the court without a majority decision. Still, though, the ruling was a blow against the law—Texas now has to find more ways to help people who don't have identification get one. The New York Times reports that the court gave an example of using voter registration cards as identification. This would eliminate the need for voters to go through the difficult, costly process of obtaining a driver's license or birth certificate—and hopefully also eliminating the discriminatory effect of the law.

Now the case will go back to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. According to Bloomberg, that court is going to look into the question of whether the voter ID law was created with the intent to stop minorities from voting—If they find that legislators were acting with discriminatory intent, the law may have to be changed even more.

Due to the election coming up, it's likely that a short-term remedy will be enacted with a long-term solution reached later that will allow for greater access to acceptable identification.


The Racist Abuse Leslie Jones Endured on Twitter is Absurd

0
0

Social media abuse is no new issue. Any anonymous jerk has the potential to spam you with racist and misogynistic comments and not receive any backlash. Comedian and Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones has finally had enough and taken a stand against the hundreds of hate-filled comments she's received on Twitter. In the past few days, Jones has been the victim of an unprecedented amount of bullying from people who passionately hate that women star in the Ghostbusters remake, and from a multitude of racist trolls. 

She began retweeting some of the appalling messages she's gotten. 



Despite the fact that she exposed the racist comments and had hundreds of people flock to support her, it was not enough. She was too hurt, too angry and too done with the way people had treated her. 



Many are speculating why Twitter doesn't do more to protect people from this kind of abuse. "Twitter I understand you got free speech I get it. But there has to be some guidelines when you let (hate) spread like that...It's not enough to freeze Acct. They should be reported," Jones said to Twitter directly.

Twitter eventually went through the comments Jones received and banned the worst offenders. While it's not enough, it certainly is a start to ending social media abuse. 

"We know many people believe we have not done enough to curb this type of behavior on Twitter," said a company spokesman. "We agree."

Jones officially quit Twitter on Monday, but she returned today, proving no amount of negativity can keep her down. We can only hope that Twitter continues to create a system that prevents this type of abuse, and meanwhile, our hearts go out to Leslie Jones for the pain she's had to endure. 

Ben Carson Drew a Line Between Hillary Clinton and Lucifer

0
0

In his speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson highlighted the relationship between Hillary Clinton and Saul Alinsky, a community organizer who wrote that Lucifer was the first radical in his book Rules for Radicals. He asked, "Are we willing to elect someone as president who has as their role model someone who acknowledges Lucifer?"

Carson told CNN on Wednesday that he chose to point out this connection to explain what type of leader he believes Clinton would be if she were our next president.  Carson explained that in the book, "on the dedication page, you acknowledge Lucifer in an admirable way saying he's the original radical who gained his own kingdom... What I am saying is that we are talking about electing to the presidency an individual who embraces someone who obviously is not someone who is consistent."

As a Wellesley undergraduate, Hillary wrote her undergraduate thesis on Alinsky in 1969. However, in her own book she explained that there are many ideas of his that she does not agree with.

While many people believe Alinsky dedicated Rules for Radicals to Lucifer, it was actually dedicated to his wife. Alinsky's quote about Lucifer was simply presented at the beginning of the book. Soon after Carson's speech, author Salman Rushdie pointed out on twitter that Alinsky's comment about Lucifer was meant as "irony or humor" in a tweet, not as a true dedication to Satan or the "fallen angle" that Carson believes it to be. 


Vox explains that the reason so many Republicans see Alinsky as a villain is because of his self proclaimed title as a radical. Because his ideas were far to the left of the Democratic party, Clinton's support of some of his ideas makes it easy for Republicans to believe that she too has radically leftist ideas.

Taylor Swift's Worst Nightmare Came True When Kanye Recorded Her

0
0

Unless you live under a rock, by now you're caught up on every aspect of the #KimExposedTaylorParty. What you NEVER expected was this new slice of information we have for you: Taylor Swift actually predicted this whole thing would happen. 

Okay, so kind of predicted it. A 2015 interview with Taylor—in which she talks about how her absolute worst fear is being recorded without her knowledge—has resurfaced. Little did she know what Kim Kardashian would be posting on Snapchat a year later!

"I always feel like someone has bugged the room and is either videoing me or recording me, that’s one of my paranoias," Swift said in the interview. If she lies about her other interactions as much as she did about her conversation with Kanye, then it totally makes sense that being recorded unknowingly would be her own personal horror movie. 

Apparently, her second worst fear is being framed for murder, so let's hope Kim doesn't hear about that one. 

There's Going to Be a Live-Action Pokémon Movie

0
0

Since Pokémon Go was launched, the game has achieved a level of popularity that no one was expecting. In fact, Nintendo's stock increased 25 percent following the game's launch. If that's not a testament to its success, we don't know what is. Although the game is particularly popular among young people, kids and adults have been joining in. Admit it—you've probably stepped out of your house with several portable chargers, just to make sure you catch 'em all without your phone dying.

Considering the success, we're not surprised that the Pokémon franchise is looking to capitalize even further—with a Pokémon movie. Now, all our Pokémon dreams are coming true because a film based on the characters you love is indeed happening! This is us right now: 

The movie won't begin filming until next year, but we've already got a few deets about what to expect. First, the live-action film will be led by Legendary Entertainment and the Pokémon Company. According to Variety, the movie will also focus on a relatively new character, Detective Pikachu. All other details regarding the movie are super secret as of now, but we can only hope that more will be revealed once production commences.

You Won't Believe How Much Money Selena Gomez Makes on Social Media

0
0

Selena Gomez is currently the reigning queen of Instagram, with the most liked photo and highest number of followers on the popular app. Not too shabby, right? While we all love scrolling through her fun Instagram posts, did you ever realize that she reportedly makes quite a large sum of money for her pics? We're talking six figures here.

According to D'Marie Analytics, Selena tops the list of social media influencers, even ranking higher than fellow celebs like Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Rihanna and Beyoncé. Based on research, the company arrived at the conclusion that Sel's social media posts can bring in a whopping $550,000—and that's just for one post.

So how did D'Marie reach this insane number? CEO Frank Spadafora explains that an algorithm is used which takes several factors into account. "The rate-per-post is her 'ad equivalent' value per post across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This may be different than how much she is actually getting paid when participating in social media campaigns. That is up to negotiations between her agents and the brands," he says. "This valuation is based on D'Marie's algorithm which measures 56 metrics including followers, post frequency, engagement, quality of post, click-thru and potential to create sales conversions from her social content." 

You'll also notice that Selena doesn't upload many sponsored posts online. Rather, she endorses a select few brands (like Pantene and Coca Cola)—and perhaps this is the key to the high value of her posts. "It's interesting that the statistically most influential person on social media is engaged in noticeably less campaigns than other celebrities," Spadafora says. "Personally, I think it's because she's being smart and she's aware that over-saturating her social feeds with sponsored content could negatively impact the relationship she has with her audience."

With Sel's social media popularity increasing each day, we can only imagine how much more money her future posts will earn her. Keep on slaying, Selena.    

Former Baylor Football Player Indicted for Sexual Assault

0
0

Shawn Oakman, who once expected to be drafted by the NFL, is now hoping to avoid jail time after being indicted on a sexual assault charge by a grand jury on Wednesday. He's currently free on a $25,000 bail.

Former Baylor University defensive end Shawn Oakman was indicted by a McLennan County grand jury on one count of allegedly sexually assaulting a Baylor student, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. The alleged assault took place at his residence on April 3.

“Shawn Oakman maintains his innocence in regard to the recent accusations made against him, and he insists that the sexual relationship in this case was consensual,” Oakman’s attorney Michelle Tuegel told the Tribune-Herald

Police searched Oakman's residence, looking for belongings the woman left behind, as well as bodily fluids and other potential DNA evidence, according to an affadavit. They seized some bedding from his bedroom.

The affidavit said that the woman met Oakman at a Baylor-area bar and he asked if she wanted to go home with him. The pair walked to Oakman’s duplex where Oakman allegedly “forced” the woman into his bedroom and “forcibly removed” the woman’s clothes before sexually assaulting her, according to an affadavit. She later was examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner.

The Tribune-Herald reports that police documents show Oakman was investigated in 2013 after his former girlfriend said that he had assaulted her. He was not arrested for that incident. He was also dismissed in 2012 from Penn State University for shoplifting and violating team rules.

ESPN reports that two other Baylor football players have been convicted of sexual assault in the last few years—One player, Tevin Elliot, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting two women. Back in May, the university fired head football coach Art Briles and demoted president Ken Starr over a report saying the university had not responded appropriately to sexual assault allegations on campus. However, the Tribune-Herald reports in a separate story that the board of directors for the Big 12 conference decided on Tuesday not to punish the school or its athletic department for its issues with sexual assault, saying they were "very pleased" with the actions the school has taken after the report to address sexual assault.

6 Things That Determine How Healthy You Are (Other Than Your Weight)

0
0

Have you ever been to the doctor’s office for a routine checkup and found out that your weight has fluctuated by five, or maybe even 10 pounds? It may come as a surprise, but this is actually very common, and completely healthy. It’s also just one of several reasons why your weight isn’t always a great indicator of how ‘healthy’ you are, so to speak. Here are 6 other things that can give you a better idea of your health than the numbers on the scale.

1. Your body composition

Your weight isn’t the most dependable indicator of your overall health because variables like bone structure, muscle composition and activity level all impact your health in ways that your weight doesn’t necessarily show. According to health motivation expert and founder of FitShrink, Dr. Kelly Morrow-Baez, body mass index (BMI), which is a tool that uses your height and weight together to categorize your weight as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese, fails to take these variables into account.

Due to this, a fit athlete with a dense bone frame and extra muscles could be categorized as overweight -- when in reality, they’re completely healthy!

This is exactly what happened to Sophia, a senior at Bowdoin College, when she was a competitive swimmer. During high school she was categorized as being at risk for becoming overweight by her BMI. In reality, she weighed more because of her muscle density—a result of a vigorous training schedule that had her swimming over 20 hours a week and lifting weights at least three times per week as well.

“I had an incredible cardiovascular system and was pretty much a pack of pure muscle,” She says. Sophia also says that ever since then, she’s been pretty skeptical of the scale.

Dr. Morrow-Baez says that is why she believes you should forget about BMI (and how it uses your body weight in comparison to your height) as a measure of health. If you’re a number person and you do want a concrete figure to work with, she suggests seeing a nutritionist and opting for a body fat assessment instead. Plus, most college campuses have their own registered dietitians on staff for these kinds of consultations!

2. How much time you spend sitting

In the age of hour-plus lectures to attend, papers to write and desk-work to do, sitting has become a very consuming part of our day. In fact, a recent report released by the National Institutes of Health revealed that adults spend 60-71 percent of their waking hours sitting and engaging in sedentary activities (such as driving or working at a desk). If you’re wondering why this is so bad and what it has to do with your overall health, Personal Health Expert and CEO of health tracking app ph360 Matt Riemann broke it down for us.

For many, sitting means slouching. According to Riemann, this poor posture is bad for your spine’s health, and it also restricts the amount of air that your lungs are able to take in. One immediate side effect of this is poor concentration (as a result of not being able to take in as much oxygen). Over time, sitting too much can lead to poor circulation, decreased muscle tone and can put you at risk for cardiovascular problems, difficulty sleeping and even anxiety—yikes! Riemann revealed the secret to breaking up the monotony of sitting and decreasing your risk for those health problems: walks.

“Walks can be beneficial,” Riemann says. “Reduced oxygen can even hinder concentration so you’re better off taking a break and getting some movement to study better than [spending] hours at you desk.” He also says that your walk breaks don’t have to be super long or get in the way of your work. Breaks of just five minutes for each hour you spend sitting down are extremely effective for decreasing your risk for health complications that are associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

3. Your diet

The quality of your diet is so much more important than you might think It (along with the water you drink) is what keeps your body working at its best. According to registered dietician and nutrition expert at Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating Rene Ficek, the way the food you eat affects your body chemistry also affects your mental well-being. She explained that is because certain foods stimulate your endocrine system by facilitating the production of specific hormones that impact every process in your body, from your mood to your cell functions.

Whole grains, for example, increase serotonin (the ‘feel-good’ hormone) levels in the body, while meat can raise the body’s levels of adrenaline (which is responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response, raising your body’s stress levels). But, according to Ficek, fast food is by far the biggest antagonist in regards to your body’s well being.

“Fast food meals contain a toxic mixture of unhealthy fats, preservatives, coloring and refined carbohydrates that can create imbalances in your brain,” Ficek says. She also says that it isn’t just one ingredient that’s to blame for these imbalances, which can lead to feeling depressed or hyperactive.

The best way to combat these effects is by avoiding fast foods in your diet and instead reaching for foods that you know are better for you.  

4. How much you exercise

Exercise is one of the trickier items on the list because many people seem to have a preconceived notion of what constitutes ‘too little’ exercise. Dr. Morrow-Baez says that most of the time our mindset is the biggest obstacle to getting healthier. Like the earlier example of taking a five-minute walk break for every hour you spend working, it’s actually pretty easy to incorporate more exercise into your everyday life. According to Dr. Morrow-Baez, “consistency beats intensity,” which means that you don’t have to work out for an hour everyday to see results.

“I never really worked out before this year of college because I have exercise-induced asthma. I still can’t even run a half-mile without feeling the symptoms of asthma setting in,” Kayla, a sophomore at Kennesaw State University who also says that although she is petite, she credits her build to her high metabolism and not a balanced exercise regimen, which she’s trying to change. “Compared to a lot of people, I’m in very poor health if you base it off of ability to complete cardio activities and VO2 max.”

You can always start simple. with 10-20 minutes of exercise two or three times a week. It might not sound like much (and it’s certainly not your maximum capacity for exercise), but starting with a lower goal is easy for even the busiest of collegiettes to work into their day. Dr. Morrow-Baez also emphasizes that celebrating small wins (such as fitting in a 10-minute workout) sets the foundation for establishing better and longer lasting good habits for the long run.

Related: Your Perfect Gym Style According to Your Zodiac Sign

5. Your sleep patterns

The last time you had to pull an all-nighter, or got less than seven hours of sleep, how did you feel? Chances are, the answer is “not great.” That’s because when you sleep, your body not only rests, but also resets and rebuilds.  Your brain is hard at work priming you to mentally handle the day ahead of you when you wake. If you don’t have this time to rest and reset, you won't be well-equipped for the next day.

According to cardiologist Dr. Jason Guichard, sleep deprivation (generally sleeping for seven hour or less per night) stresses your body by increasing inflammatory markers in your bloodstream. The stress your body is subjected to as a result of these markers can lead to anxiety, depression and impaired attention, judgement and memory.

Brooklynn, a junior at Ohio University, says she’s “a disaster” if she doesn’t get at least seven hours of sleep per night. “Getting enough sleep helps me have the motivation to start the day. I'm not falling asleep in lecture or skipping a workout to take a nap.” If you find yourself unable to stay awake in lecture, or reaching for more than one or two cups of coffee a day, you may be suffering from sleep deprivation. While it’s normal to have an occasional night of less-than-optimal sleep, you really should be aiming for at seven and a half to eight hours per night.

6. Your skin

Many medical conditions can manifest themselves through the only organ you can actually see visually: your skin. Dr. Tshippora Shainhouse, a Beverly Hills dermatologist explains that conditions like Celiac disease, Polycystic Ovarian Symptom and melanoma are a handful of serious medical conditions whose symptoms can show up as skin abnormalities.

Dr. Shainhouse says that overall, acne is the most common skin concern she encounters among young women at her practice. However, the causes of acne vary depending on your age group. According to Dr. Shainhouse, teenage acne is often caused by bacteria on the skin, clogged pores and the production of excess oil on the skin’s surface. This kind of acne is generally treatable with skin creams or sometimes antibiotics.

She explains that acne in your 20s can be more complicated to treat than teenage acne because hormone imbalances are usually an underlying cause of acne in adults. This means treating acne in your 20s might require hormone modification—which isn’t as scary as it sounds. She also says that sometimes, just switching up your birth control can solve for it!

While it's easy to focus on the numbers you can see to quantify exactly how healthy you think you are, there’s far more at play in determining your health. You’re so much more than a number, and you deserve to remember that by celebrating the small victories like a quick workout, adequate sleep, or a combination of all of the six factors we mentioned. 


Justin Bieber is DMing Unreleased Song Lyrics to His Fans

0
0

Justin Bieber’s new single “Cold Water,” a collab with Major Lazer, Diplo, Ed Sheeran and MØ comes out tomorrow, and nobody is more excited than the pop star’s army of Beliebers. Except maybe the Biebs himself. 


Bieber has been sliding into the DMs of die-hard fans who tweet the hashtag #ColdWater2Days, surprising them with lyrics from the unreleased song.


But Bieber’s not the only one killing the Twitter game today. Also trending worldwide is #24YearsKillingThemWithKindness—a pre-birthday shout out to ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez, who celebrates her 24th birthday tomorrow. We're just excited to see some more positive celebrity tweets, tbh. 

Adele Has Been Posting Makeup-Free Selfies & They're Breathtaking

0
0

British superstar Adele is all about the makeup-free look lately, and we are living for it. The stunning mother posted back-to-back Instagram photos this week, sans makeup. In the first, Adele is candidly pictured enjoying a glass of white wine outdoors next to her adorable pup, Louie (we suspect they coordinated their poses). And in the second, she reminds us of her awesome sense of humor as she playfully pretends to be part of the Roger Center’s security team—hands down, the most beautiful security officer we’ve ever laid eyes on.

With more than 14 million followers on Instagram, Adele is no doubt sending a message to her fans to celebrate their natural beauty. It’s perfectly acceptable to leave the house without achieving the perfect winged-liner—even if it is your signature look. And it is also okay to get your hair wet.


 

Denver, CO

A photo posted by @adele on

Thanks for the reminder, Adele.  

5 Things Millennials Want Their Employers to Know

0
0

As of 2015, the number of millennials (ages 18-34) in the workforce surpassed the amount of Generation Xers (ages 34-54) for the first time, according to Pew Research.

Labeled as entitled, technology-obsessed brats, the younger end of the millennial generation is often looked down upon by older employers. However, I believe that growing up in the age of advancing media and instant gratification has not entirely destroyed our generation.

Millennials are restless. We have a constant need to be occupied. While some believe these qualities are the downfall of our generation, I believe it is our most promising attribute. If our employers take advantage of these strengths, rather than discourage them, we can prove to be great assets in the workplace.

After a tough four plus years of college, we enter the work force (often heavily in debt), but ready to give our all. We come equipped with an abundance of knowledge that is eagerly waiting to be put to use. All the theoretical concepts we spent hours reading about and being tested on can finally be applied for a real purpose.

So millennials passionately enter the working world, only to be disappointed with what lies ahead. There tends to be a serious disconnect between those running the companies and the younger generations being hired.

Here are five things all millennials wish their employers would understand:

1. Play to our strengths.

We grew up surrounded by advancing technology, so we are always up to date on the latest social media trends. If you listen to what we have to say, you might see that we can actually improve the company’s online presence.

2. Provide guidance.

Believe it or not, we love hearing advice and wisdom from those who are seasoned pros within our field of work. Be a role model that we can aspire to be someday.

3. Challenge us.

We are dedicated and willing to commit ourselves to whatever work you throw at us.

4. Encourage teamwork.

Colleges pride themselves on adding group work tasks within the classroom setting. Recent graduates are prepared to think out loud and brainstorm with others. Some of our most creative ideas come from this method of working.

5. Offer feedback.

We thrive on receiving feedback on our work. Although we (obviously) enjoy hearing praise, we can also handle constructive criticism when given in a way that will help us improve in the future.

22 Low Key Ridiculous Things All Book Lovers Do

0
0

Books are everywhere. Books are everything. Books are LYFE. Here are 22 borderline ridiculous things that happen to the best of us. 

1. You have more than one copy of your most loved books; one that looks nice on your bookshelf and one that travels well 

2. You bring at least one book everywhere you go, no matter what 

3. You ignore your school and work responsibilities to just chill out and read 

4. You fuel judgments about a film adaptation of a book before it even comes out 

5. You feel personally attacked when someone asks you what your favorite book is 

6. You sometimes make the mistake of starting a new book without finishing another 

 

7. You annoy your friends and family by spending hours upon hours in a bookstore 

8. You silently judge strangers for what they're reading on public transit 

9. You lie about having plans when you're really just staying home to read all night 

10. You don't feel the slightest bit concerned when you don't experience human contact for hours on end 

11. You stay up all night to finish a book you literally can't put down 

12. You feel a world of pain when you finish a good story 

13. You continue to add to your overwhemingly large and unread collection because you can't. stop. 

14. Gift cards are the best part of every birthday and holiday 

15. You've been known to make weird faces while reading a particularly gripping passage 

16. You love gloomy days because it makes for the perfect reading weather 

17. You love to hug your books 

18. And lovingly caress your books 

19. You sniff them like it's an addiction 

20. And kiss them and tell them that you love them 

21.  You refer to them as your friends in front of your human friends 

21. You're very particular about how you like your reading environment 

 

22. Or you can read absolutely anywhere at all 

Happy reading!

The Roommate Contract You ACTUALLY Need

0
0

You already know the importance of creating a roommate contract (and you’ve already printed out a copy of the Her Campus Sample Roommate Contract), but there’s more you need to establish with your new roomie than just when to shut off the lights at night and when the TV is allowed to be on.

To help you make your relationship with your roommate as smooth and tension-free as possible this year, we present to you a few additions to your roommate contract to cover all those gray areas that your other roomie agreement may have neglected.

Dear [your roommate's name], 

1. I, [your name], vow to never invite that cute guy or girl down the hall over for some late-night action without asking you first—and if you aren't okay with it, I promise not to pout too much about it the next day.

2. If you want to have a party in the room, I’m fine with it on two conditions: one, that I am invited, and two, if the RA comes knocking, I expect you to take most of the blame for the noise.

3. I will never eat your snacks without your permission (except maybe for a handful of Goldfish crackers now and then because they’re going to constantly taunt me sitting on your desk like that and I don’t think I’ll be able to resist).

4. I promise not to steal your new Cosmopolitan magazines until after you read them (except for maybe a peek or two).

5. If you’re watching one of your favorite TV shows, I vow not to talk too much during it—unless it’s Pretty Little Liars, because I always get so confused during it and have to ask a lot of questions.

6. When you get a care package from your mom, I solemnly swear to not eat any of the homemade snickerdoodles she sent until after you get sick of them and offer me some.

7. I will know that anything in your closet that still has a tag on it is always off-limits, and I’ll always ask permission to borrow anything else (even that mint green cardigan that I’ve had my eye on since day one that would look so good with my new white jeans).

8. If you decide to go to sunrise yoga at 7 a.m. one day, I promise not to groan too loudly if your alarm wakes me up.

9. I vow to never snoop through the stuff you leave on your desk (even if it looks really interesting, like a letter from your ex-boyfriend or an exam that you did poorly on).

10. When I’m having a heated conversation with my dad on the phone about why my liberal arts major isn’t impractical, I’ll be sure to take the call into the hallway so you won’t have to awkwardly listen to it.

11. I will do my best to limit the number of times I accidentally lock myself out of our room (and have to call you to let me in) to three times a semester.

12. I promise to always go to bed at a reasonable hour—except for on the weekends. Or during exam week. Or any night before I have a big paper due. On second thought, let me just promise instead that I’ll be quiet when I do eventually go to bed.

13. Feel free to have your friends over whenever you’d like—except for that one friend of yours who I think gossips too much. You’re better off inviting her over when I’m not around.

14. If you come back to the room at night having had a few too many, I promise to hold back your hair if you need to get sick (as long as you promise to do the same for me!).

15. In the morning, I promise never to hit the snooze button more than twice—unless it’s a Monday, in which case I think I deserve at least three times. 

16. I’ll try to keep my singing in the shower to an agreeable volume (except for when I sing Adele. When it comes to Adele, belting is a necessity).

17. When you have someone over to spend the night, I will willingly sleep on the common room couch or in a friend’s room as long as you do the same for me (and buy me coffee the next day).

18. When you ask me for my opinion on an outfit or hairstyle, I vow to always give you an honest answer (as long as you promise not to get mad if it’s not the answer you wanted to hear).

19. If you’re in the room watching a TV show or YouTube video on your laptop without your headphones while I’m trying to work, I promise to discreetly clear my throat to express my disapproval rather than shoot you a nasty death glare.

20. I will try my best to keep my side of the room as tidy as possible — but a few shirts lying here and there won’t hurt anyone, right?

21. I promise not to act too grossed out when you get sick, as long as you try not to touch my stuff and avoid having one of those phlegmy coughing fits in the middle of the night.

22. If you decide to stay in on a Friday night with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a Lifetime Original Movie marathon instead of going out with me, I swear I won’t tell you you’re lame—unless this becomes a weekly thing, in which case I will feel obligated to rag on you a little bit.

23. If I start snoring one night, I give you full permission to throw a pillow at me, but I do not grant you permission to then tell all our friends that I’m a snorer.

24. When an RA unexpectedly shows up for a room inspection, I promise to share the blame for any empty beer cans she might find in our trashcan.

25. I promise to clean out the inside of the microwave after I attempt a microwave recipe (and probably fail).

26. I’ll do my best to keep my shower time to less than 15 minutes (but when I’m shaving my legs, I’ll probably need more like 20).

27. But, most of all, I promise to be as considerate, respectful and good-natured a roommate as I can be—except for when I’m on my period. During those days, I simply can’t be held accountable for my behavior.

Signed,

[your name]

What else would you and your roomies add to this list, collegiettes? Share your own roommate agreement additions in the comments below! 

Viewing all 25628 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images