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A historic number of women are running for office this year. Here’s why that’s good news.

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L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth

If what they say is true, 2018 is shaping up to be the year of the woman.

[rebelmouse-image 19397662 dam="1" original_size="750x511" caption="Image via Victor Lorano/Unsplash." expand=1]Image via Victor Lorano/Unsplash.

From sister survivors organizing to prosecute their assailants to movements for equal pay in Hollywood and beyond, this year women across the country are demanding a voice on issues that matter. And in November, that surge of woman power is set to hit Congress during this year’s midterm elections.


As of October, 262 women are on the ballot for the November primaries for the House and Senate races, according to Center for Women and Politics.

And they're not all liberal candidates.

It’s a common misconception that women tend to be liberals and that gender equality issues are an exclusive hallmark of the political left.

In reality, women on both sides of the aisle are fighting for many of the same things. That’s why, come election time, an uptick in female representation would be great news for everyone — regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum. Here’s why:

[rebelmouse-image 19397663 dam="1" original_size="750x535" caption="Image by Shannon McGee/Flickr." expand=1]Image by Shannon McGee/Flickr.

Congresswomen are extremely capable. Just take a look at what they’ve done already.

Congress’s bipartisan Women’s Caucus, made up of both liberal and conservative women in the House and the Senate, is led by Rep. Susan Brooks and her Democratic counterpart Rep. Lois Frankel. Togetherwith almost 60 congresswomen, Brooks and Frankel have worked for progress on key issuesrelevant to women and families, such as equal pay, parental leave, sexual harassment, and support for female entrepreneurs.

[rebelmouse-image 19397664 dam="1" original_size="750x500" caption="Image via Lucia/Unsplash." expand=1]Image via Lucia/Unsplash.

“But when you think about it, all issues impact women and families,” says Susan Brooks. “So we have, together in a bipartisan way, tried to have discussions and promote legislation that impacts those areas.”

Their efforts have been largely successful. The Women’s Caucus' list of accomplishments includes the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which protects women from employer retaliation when they become pregnant, and the Women’s Business Ownership Act, which protects female entrepreneurs from discriminatory lending practices by banks favoring men. And that’s just two examples. The list of the caucus’s accomplishment is long and reaches right up to the present.

[rebelmouse-image 19397665 dam="1" original_size="750x600" caption="A Women's Caucus Breakfast in Indianapolis, Maryland. Image via Maryland GovPics/Flickr." expand=1]A Women's Caucus Breakfast in Indianapolis, Maryland. Image via Maryland GovPics/Flickr.

Just last year, female leadership introduced mandatory reporting requirements to protect U.S. athletes from sexual harassment.

“Lois led the effort in the House — Susan Collins and Diane Feinstein led it in the Senate — to get a bill passed because Congress has oversight of the U.S. Olympic Committee,” explains  Brooks. Together, members of the Women’s Caucus passed the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act, which was signed into law in March of 2017.

There are men in Congress who are critical advocates for women. But that’s not enough.

Representatives Brooks and Frankel can both name a list of congressmen with a record of prioritizing women’s issues in their politics. But while men have been key participants in much of the progress made by the Women’s Caucus, that’s just not the same thing as women actually being represented by women.

[rebelmouse-image 19397666 dam="1" original_size="750x413" caption="Image via Miguel Bruna/Unsplash." expand=1]Image via Miguel Bruna/Unsplash.

“The fact is that women — as mothers, as daughters, as grandmothers, as sisters — bring a different perspective to issues and problems,” says Representative Lois Frankel. “And that diversity is necessary to really create laws and policies that reflect the people we’re trying to represent.”

Brooks agrees. “We do very much appreciate, and continue to support, the men who, on both sides of the aisle, have stepped up and have led on legislation for health issues, childcare issues, sexual harassment issues,” she says. “But what women bring to the table is their perspectives: having been a girl going through school, having been a young woman entering into workplaces, what it’s like maybe to start a women-owned business, and how difficult sometimes it can be to be recognized.”

[rebelmouse-image 19397667 dam="1" original_size="750x491" caption="A Women's Caucus Breakfast in Indianapolis, Maryland. Image via Maryland GovPics/Flickr." expand=1]A Women's Caucus Breakfast in Indianapolis, Maryland. Image via Maryland GovPics/Flickr.

Of course, women are also well-suited to accomplish more than just progress on “women’s issues.”

“Women excel in all areas, and not just women’s issues,” says Rep. Frankel. “It’s so important to have women’s perspective and experience on every single issue.”

Rep. Brooks agrees. “I do believe that, with more women in Congress, we may be able to come together on more issues,” she says. “I would love to think that if we had more women involved in the discussions that we could even maybe resolve some of the thorniest problems facing the country — like immigration reform.

[rebelmouse-image 19397668 dam="1" original_size="750x512" caption="Image via Huw Williams/Wikimedia Commons." expand=1]Image via Huw Williams/Wikimedia Commons.

While there are more women entering politics, the job is not done quite yet.

“We’re getting there far too slowly,” says Rep. Brooks. Currently women represent about 20% of the government, from Congress to the state legislative bodies.

[rebelmouse-image 19397670 dam="1" original_size="750x500" caption="Image via Rob Walsh/Unsplash." expand=1]Image via Rob Walsh/Unsplash.

“We have to encourage women to consider running,” she says. “Women often need to be asked to run, rather than raise their hand and run on their own.” It’s a documented phenomenon and a classic case of unmatched self-confidence across genders — even between candidates who might be equally qualified.

“They say a man gets out of bed, looks in the mirror, and says ‘I can be President,’ whereas a woman you have to ask [her] ten times,” she laughs.

That's why the uptick in women running this year is so important.

[rebelmouse-image 19397671 dam="1" original_size="750x504" caption="Image via Rochelle Brown/Unsplash." expand=1]Image via Rochelle Brown/Unsplash.

As protections for women, families, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and many other vulnerable communities were slashed this year, women — from all points on the political spectrum — are finally showing up, ready to run.

It would seem that, for now at least, the male-dominant status quo is no longer.

“Not this cycle,” says Rep. Frankel. “Not at all. They are being energized.”

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.


The French Bulldog’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past decade. They were the #14 most popular breed in 2012, and since then, registrations have gone up 1,000%, bringing them to the top of the breed popularity rankings.

The AKC says that the American Hairless Terrier, Gordon Setter, Italian Greyhound and Anatolian Shepherd Dog also grew in popularity between 2021 and 2022.

The French Bulldog was famous among America’s upper class around the turn of the 20th century but then fell out of favor. Their resurgence is partly based on several celebrities who have gone public with their Frenchie love. Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Thee Stallion, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga all own French Bulldogs.

The breed earned a lot of attention as show dogs last year when a Frenchie named Winston took second place at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and first in the National Dog Show.

The breed made national news in early 2021 when Gaga’s dog walker was shot in the chest while walking two of her Frenchies in a dog heist. He recovered from his injuries, and the dogs were later returned.

They’ve also become popular because of their unique look and personalities.

“They’re comical, friendly, loving little dogs,” French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa told the AP. She said they are city-friendly with modest grooming needs and “they offer a lot in a small package.”

They are also popular with people who live in apartments. According to the AKC, Frenchies don’t bark much and do not require a lot of outdoor exercise.

The French Bulldog stands out among other breeds because it looks like a miniature bulldog but has large, expressive bat-like ears that are its trademark feature. However, their popularity isn’t without controversy. “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” veterinarian Dr. Carrie Stefaniak told the AP.

american kennel club, french bulldog, most popular dog

An adorable French Bulldog

via Pixabay

French Bulldogs have been bred to have abnormally large heads, which means that large litters usually need to be delivered by C-section, an expensive procedure that can be dangerous for the mother. They are also prone to multiple health problems, including skin, ear, and eye infections. Their flat face means they often suffer from respiratory problems and heat intolerance.

Frenchies are also more prone to spine deformations and nerve pain as they age.

Here are the AKC’s top ten most popular dog breeds for 2022.

1 French Bulldogs

2 Labrador Retrievers

3 Golden Retrievers

4 German Shepherd Dogs

5 Poodles

6 Bulldogs

7 Rottweilers

8 Beagles

9 Dachshunds

10 German Shorthaired Pointers


This article originally appeared on 03.17.23

Representative Image from Canva

There's no way they didn't understand what she was saying.

Okay, so maybe dogs don’t understand everything we tell them exactly as a human would. But is that gonna stop us from having full blown conversations with them? Of course not. And the times they do seem to comprehend what’s being communicated—pure comedy.

Take this dog mom’s hilarious pre-grooming pep talk with Shih-Tzus Branston, Pickle and Gizmo. She minced no words telling them exactly how this trip was gonna go. And the message seemed to be received.

Branston (the troublemaker, apparently) got a firm warning of what not to do, including telling white lies about his upbringing.

“I don’t need you running in telling the first dog you see that this is what this is what your hair used to look like when you lived in the Bronx running up and down the block, cause I know for a fact, Branston, that you live in a rural village,” she tells him.

Viewers, however, seemed on board with Branston’s Bronx-affiliation, even if it was a little white lie. One person joked, “don’t be mad at the treats that I got, I’m still Branny from the block.”

In the video, Branston is also instructed to not tell everyone that he “identifies as a BUll Mastiff,” which gets the most adorable look of disappointment for wee little Branston.

As for Gizmo and Pickle—mom’s best advice is to pretend like they don’t know Branston.

Perhaps the best part is mom’s British accent, which makes the entire clip feel like something pulled straight outta “Ted Lasso.” That, or the complete shock the Shih-tzu trio has at being informed of their weight class.

Watch:

@branstonandpickle01 Your NOT from the Bronx and you never ran up and down the block!! #dogsoftiktok #peptalktoyourdog #branstonwehavearrived #shihtzusoftiktok #peptalkbranston #funnydogvideos #funnyvideos #nyc #bronx #funny #dogs #dogtok ♬ original sound - Branston,Pickle&Gizmo

Perhaps Branston, Pickle, and Gizmo’s mom isn’t totally off-base by giving them a talking to. According to the website allshihtzu.com, this breed had a “unique intelligence,” which gets best demonstrated by their attuned, empathic connection to their human families. Meaning that while they might not have the same kind of smarts as border collies or other herding dogs, their super power is picking up social cues.

And, again, even if they had no earthly idea what their mom was saying, odds are she’d still be talking to them anyway. Why? Because pets are our babies. And baby talk is fun.jk

Island School Class, circa 1970s.

Parents, do you think your child would be able to survive if they were transported back to the '70s or '80s? Could they live at a time before the digital revolution put a huge chunk of our lives online?

These days, everyone has a phone in their pocket, but before then, if you were in public and needed to call someone, you used a pay phone. Can you remember the last time you stuck 50 cents into one and grabbed the grubby handset?

According to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, roughly 100,000 pay phones remain in the U.S., down from 2 million in 1999.

Do you think a 10-year-old kid would have any idea how to use a payphone in 2022? Would they be able to use a Thomas Guide map to find out how to get somewhere? If they stepped into a time warp and wound up in 1975, could they throw a Led Zeppelin album on the record player at a party?


Another big difference between now and life in the '70s and '80s has been public attitudes toward smoking cigarettes. In 1965, 42.4% of Americans smoked and now, it’s just 12.5%. This sea change in public opinion about smoking means there are fewer places where smoking is deemed acceptable.

But in the early '80s, you could smoke on a bus, on a plane, in a movie theater, in restaurants, in the classroom and even in hospitals. How would a child of today react if their third grade teacher lit up a heater in the middle of math class?

Dan Wuori, senior director of early learning at the Hunt Institute, tweeted that his high school had a smoking area “for the kids.” He then asked his followers to share “something you experienced as a kid that would blow your children’s minds.”


A lot of folks responded with stories of how ubiquitous smoking was when they were in school. While others explained that life was perilous for a kid, whether it was the school playground equipment or questionable car seats.

Here are a few responses that’ll show today’s kids just how crazy life used to be in the '70s and '80s.

First of all, let’s talk about smoking.

Want to call someone? Need to get picked up from baseball practice? You can’t text mom or dad, you’ll have to grab a quarter and use a pay phone.

People had little regard for their kids’ safety or health.

You could buy a soda in school.

Things were a lot different before the internet.

Remember pen pals?

A lot of people bemoan the fact that the children of today aren’t as tough as they were a few decades back. But that’s probably because the parents of today are better attuned to their kids’ needs so they don't have to cheat death to make it through the day.

But just imagine how easy parenting would be if all you had to do was throw your kids a bag of Doritos and a Coke for lunch and you never worried about strapping them into a car seat?


This article originally appeared on 06.08.22

What is Depression?

In the United States, close to 10% of the population has depression, but sometimes it can take a long time for someone to even understand that they have it.

One difficulty in diagnosis is trying to distinguish between feeling down and experiencing clinical depression. This TED-Ed video from December 2015 can help make the distinction. With simple animation, the video explains how clinical depression lasts longer than two weeks with a range of symptoms that can include changes in appetite, poor concentration, restlessness, sleep disorders (either too much or too little), and suicidal ideation. The video briefly discusses the neuroscience behind the illness, outlines treatments, and offers advice on how you can help a friend or loved one who may have depression.


Unlike the many pharmaceutical ads out there with their cute mascots and vague symptoms, the video uses animation to provide clarity about the mental disorder. It's similar in its poignant simplicity to the HBO short documentary "My Depression," based on Liz Swados' book of the same name.


This article originally appeared on 08.17.19

New baby and a happy dad.


When San Francisco photographer Lisa Robinson was about to have her second child, she was both excited and nervous.

Sure, those are the feelings most moms-to-be experience before giving birth, but Lisa's nerves were tied to something different.

She and her husband already had a 9-year-old son but desperately wanted another baby. They spent years trying to get pregnant again, but after countless failed attempts and two miscarriages, they decided to stop trying.


Of course, that's when Lisa ended up becoming pregnant with her daughter, Anora. Since it was such a miraculous pregnancy, Lisa wanted to do something special to commemorate her daughter's birth.

So she turned to her craft — photography — as a way to both commemorate the special day, and keep herself calm and focused throughout the birthing process.

Normally, Lisa takes portraits and does wedding photography, so she knew the logistics of being her own birth photographer would be a somewhat precarious new adventure — to say the least.

pregnancy, hospital, giving birth, POV

She initially suggested the idea to her husband Alec as a joke.

Photo by Lisa Robinson/Lisa Robinson Photography.

"After some thought," she says, "I figured I would try it out and that it could capture some amazing memories for us and our daughter."

In the end, she says, Alec was supportive and thought it would be great if she could pull it off. Her doctors and nurses were all for Lisa taking pictures, too, especially because it really seemed to help her manage the pain and stress.

In the hospital, she realized it was a lot harder to hold her camera steady than she initially thought it would be.

tocodynamometer, labor, selfies

She had labor shakes but would periodically take pictures between contractions.

Photo by Lisa Robinson/Lisa Robinson Photography.

"Eventually when it was time to push and I was able to take the photos as I was pushing, I focused on my daughter and my husband and not so much the camera," she says.

"I didn't know if I was in focus or capturing everything but it was amazing to do.”

The shots she ended up getting speak for themselves:

nurse, strangers, medical care,

Warm and encouraging smiles from the nurse.

Photo by Lisa Robinson/Lisa Robinson Photography.

experiment, images, capture, document, record

Newborn Anora's first experience with breastfeeding.

Photo by Lisa Robinson/Lisa Robinson Photography.

"Everybody was supportive and kind of surprised that I was able to capture things throughout. I even remember laughing along with them at one point as I was pushing," Lisa recalled.

In the end, Lisa was so glad she went through with her experiment. She got incredible pictures — and it actually did make her labor easier.

Would she recommend every mom-to-be document their birth in this way? Absolutely not. What works for one person may not work at all for another.

However, if you do have a hobby that relaxes you, figuring out how to incorporate it into one of the most stressful moments in your life is a pretty good way to keep yourself calm and focused.

Expecting and love the idea of documenting your own birthing process?

Take some advice from Lisa: "Don't put pressure on yourself to get 'the shot'" she says, "and enjoy the moment as much as you can.”

Lisa's mom took this last one.

grandma, hobby, birthing process

Mom and daughter earned the rest.

Photo via Lisa Robinson/Lisa Robinson Photography.

This article originally appeared on 06.30.16