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The majority of women elected to Congress this year are former Girl Scouts.

The midterm elections sent a clear message that historically underrepresented groups deserve to have their voices heard in Washington.

And for the record number of women elected to Congress in 2018, a number of them are probably giving thanks to the Girl Scouts of the USA.

That's because 58% of the women elected to the House of Representatives participated in the Girl Scouts way back before any of them were likely even dreaming of running for elected office someday.


While women are 50 percent of the population, women are still the minority in Congress. In 2018, a record number of women ran for Congress, and a record number of them won their elections. 102 women were elected to the House of Representatives, widely surpassing the previous record of 84 .

It's a huge milestone for progress and a reminder of how far we still have to go for true gender equality.

Our nation has become more politically minded since the election of Donald Trump, with protests and rallies now seeming to be a weekend activity. And with the Women’s Marches pulling crowds of literally millions of people, it’s not surprising that more women than ever were inspired to run for office.

Since the Girl Scout’s founding in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, the Girl Scouts have had the mission to empower young women during their formative years.  Currently, the Girl Scouts of the USA is the largest leadership organization for women in the world.

By allowing girls to be a part of a supportive female environment, the Girl Scouts provide a space where women can learn to lead without the gender bias found in other spaces.

As a former Girl Scout myself, I remember being given leadership opportunities within my Scout group that would have likely gone to a boy in a mixed-gender environment. And, more importantly, was given the attitude that these opportunities shouldn’t automatically go to a boy.

Additionally, the Girl Scouts provide women with strong female role models.

Even the act of witnessing a woman in a leadership position can go a long way in making a young girl feel that this role is something she can aspire to.

From having the guidance of a strong Scout Leader to learning about women who have made history for their accomplishments, to gaining inspiration from successful CEOs who were once scouts themselves.

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Girl Scouts

Civic minded girls grow up to become civic minded women.

No longer are we telling girls that their only place is in the house. Their place is also in the House and Senate. Girls who are growing up now have a plethora of strong female role models that past generations of women didn’t always have access to.

Notable Girl Scout alumni include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and every female Secretary of State – Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Clinton.

And Girl Scout alumni now make up the overwhelming majority of female senators as well.

If the trend continues into 2020 and beyond, it's fully possible that the girls growing up today will occupy 50 percent of the seats in Washington tomorrow. You go, Girl (Scouts)!

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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Joy

5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

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@caitlin.the.realtor/TikTok, used with permission

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.

Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

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A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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