Sleep Is the New Wonder Drug

Did I just give you permission to use a drug?



Yes, I did. Sleep is THAT important.



Scientists have discovered that sleep is not just important for the brain, but also for immune function, hormone balancing, learning and, my favorite, weight loss.



Sleep is the time when your body repairs all the damage done to it during the day.



Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, obesity, and cancer.



When I used to stay up too late I wasn't as productive. Not to mention, I was more irritable and prone to short tempers that can be very disruptive and embarrassing.



Does this sound familiar? I bet it does -- many of us get six hours or less, even though The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says we need seven to eight hours of sleep at night. How many are you getting?



Deep down, we all know we don't get enough sleep, yet we make it the last priority on our to-do list, if it even makes the to-do list at all.



Why?



I live in the city that never sleeps: New York City. Here, sleep is not a valued commodity. It's almost unheard of for people to put in less than a 12-hour workday at the office, and then nearly all of us bring work home.



It's considered a badge of honor to dedicate hours upon hours at work only to have no energy left to dedicate your time to what's really important.



Thankfully, this is beginning to change.



While sitting at a conference last spring, I was surprised to hear Arianna Huffington, someone of her experience and stature, not only allowing herself to indulge in the sleep drug, but encouraging everyone to follow suit!



I was thrilled.



You see, just like her, it took a big ah-ha moment for me to wake up and realize that not sleeping and pushing myself too hard was not helping me or anyone else. It was actually hurting me.



Last year, I developed an abscess cyst on my jawline, about the size of a walnut. Not only was it the ugliest thing you ever saw, my surgeon informed me it was potentially killing me.



She wanted to admit me to hospital immediately for observation.



I felt a heavy pit land in my stomach.



In traditional New Yorker fashion, I said there was no way I could just drop everything to do that. I'm a single mother with lots of responsibilities.



She listened for a moment, and then this amazing doctor put her arms around me, held me and gave it to me straight.



"You are one very lucky woman," she said. "I am going to help you take care of this. But you need to stop. You need to slow down. You need to sleep. You need to take care of yourself."



She told me to crawl into bed and only get out of it in order to come and see her. She said that if I followed these valuable instructions I would get well. She explained to me that I work too much and take care of everyone except myself. She made it crystal clear that I needed to stop immediately or I wouldn't be around to take care of anyone else.



Immediately, I knew she was right. This was my wakeup call!



So, I went home and stayed in bed for weeks, only leaving the comfort of my apartment a handful of times. I slept and slept and slept. Within the first week, I already felt something shift. My internal clock was becoming normal. I started to get tired at night and get up naturally with the sun in the morning.



Today, when I feel tired or sick, I cancel everything and crawl into bed until I feel rested, clear-headed, and ready to get back to business. This is a complete 180 from my old self who survived on only four hours of sleep, juggling single motherhood, school and a full-time job.



The conference I attended with Arianna Huffington was shortly after my health scare. I found myself nodding in agreement and applauding when Arianna said, "With sleep and proper rest -- everything is transformed. Sleep deprivation should no longer be a badge of honor." I wonder if I could have avoided my life-threatening infection if I had not been living a sleep deprived life. I'll never know but now my aim is to get eight hours of sleep at night. Period.



So go ahead, try it. Shut off your phone. Fall into bed. Wrap yourself in a blanket. And deeply inhale the freedom of giving your body exactly what it needs... a good night's sleep.



Sweet Dreams!



xo Lynne

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Woman Indirectly Struck By Lightning Sustains Rare Injury

By: Tanya Lewis

Published: April 15, 2015 11:22am ET on LiveScience.

Being struck by lightning is a rare event, and it can have some equally unusual medical effects.

For one 77-year-old woman who survived being hit by an indirect lightning strike while sitting in her car, those effects included losing her vision in one eye, according to a new report of her case.

This photograph reveals the swelling (black arrow) near the macular hole in the woman's right eye caused by a lightning strike.

An exam revealed that the strike tore a tiny hole in the woman's macula, which is the part of the eye that is critical for high-acuity vision.

The woman's case reveals the importance of checking the vision of anyone who is struck by a bolt, researchers said in their report, published March 31 in the journal BMJ Case Reports. [16 Oddest Medical Cases]

"In the future, if patients are struck by lightning, it should be a routine process to refer them to an ophthalmologist to have an eye assessment," said study co-author Dr. Permesh Dhillon, an ophthalmologist at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, England.

The woman's injury wasn't diagnosed right away. When the lightning bolt struck the woman's car, she suffered some back pain, and her hairdresser later noticed minor burns on the woman's scalp. Later that day, the woman reported, the vision in her right eye was blurred, and she could barely see with that eye, though it was not painful, Dhillon said.

A few days later, when the woman visited her optician, she was referred to Dhillon and his colleagues, who scanned the patient's retina using a relatively new technique known as optimal coherence tomography (OCT). They found the hole in the woman's macula, a part of the retina that is responsible for about 90 percent of vision, Dhillon said.

The retina doesn't conduct electricity very well, which suggests the injury may have been caused by heat that was produced when the lightning struck, he added.

Dhillon prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory eye drops, but the woman stopped using them when she developed an allergic reaction to the medication. After two months, the woman's vision had not improved, and so she underwent surgery to correct the hole in her macula. The surgery involves removing the jelly part of the eye in contact with the retina, and injecting a gas bubble to push the layer at the back of the eye back together, Dhillon explained.

Lightning strikes are extremely rare (though more common in tropical regions). In the United States, an average of 51 people were killed by lightning per year between 1984 and 2013, according to the National Weather Service. Only about 10 percent of those struck by lightning are killed.

There have been reports of lightning strikes affecting other parts of the eyes, resulting in cataracts, burns or swelling, or bleeding in a jellylike part of the eye called the vitreous humour, Dhillon said. But "this lady was quite fortunate in that only her retina was affected, and only in one eye," he said.

Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter . Follow us @livescience , Facebook & Google+ . Original article on Live Science.

• 
  


• Electric Earth: Stunning Images of Lightning


• Infographic: How Lightning Works


• The 9 Most Bizarre Medical Conditions

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Celebrities Have Been Working Out A Lot Lately, And They Have The Instagrams To Prove It

What A Small-Town Obituary Writer Can Teach Us All About Living

The Imperial Court's 'Night Of A Thousand Gowns' Brings Style And Sass To New York For A Great Gay Cause

The mood was appropriately majestic at New York's Marriott Marquis on April 11, when national members of the Imperial Court advocacy group donned capes, crowns and floor-length evening wear for the 29th annual "Night of a Thousand Gowns."



The evening, billed as "an opportunity to celebrate the [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community, and in particular, the colorful cross-dressing segment of that community," was a veritable showcase of sequins, style and sass, featuring performances by pop star Jody Watley, the cast of "Avenue Q" and singer Cheyenne Elliott. Also present were openly gay dance-pop artist Adam Barta and Blondie's Deborah Harry, a longtime LGBT ally.



The Imperial Court itself is a grassroots, non-profit organization which aims to raise funds for various lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy groups. Each individual "empire" operates as a separate entity that focuses on causes within its realm and elects an "emperor" and an "empress."



The 2015 beneficiaries of the April 11 event were the National Gay And Lesbian Task Force and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of New York.



"It's a great showing of community coming out and supporting each other. It's fantastic to see people of all races, creeds, colors, sexual orientations showing up and having a good time," Natasha Jewel Dennis Carrington of the Imperial Court of Washington, D.C., who wore a Liza Minnelli-inspired gown and an Eva Peron-style hairdo, said. "You can be a black lesbian or transgender or like myself, a dude in a dress, which is my tagline -- and no one looks at you any differently because we're all here for the same reason."



The Queen Mother of the Americas, Nicole the Great, felt similarly, noting, "This is all about volunteering and love."



Pioneering HIV/AIDS advocate and "The Normal Heart" playwright Larry Kramer was honored with the organization's Imperial Diamond Award. True to form, the 79-year-old Kramer didn't shy away from politics in his acceptance speech, urging the crowd to "force this government and this Congress...to get off their tuchus and really get to work" for LGBT equality.



The Imperial Council of San Francisco celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, although the current reigning emperor, Kevin Lisle, said he felt the organization's passion is the strongest it's ever been.



"If I'm able to inspire someone to do something in support of the community, then my job is fulfilled," he said.

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The Pankow Peace Group

It was one thing to establish an independent peace group in Poland or Hungary during the last decade of the Communist era. Freedom and Peace challenged military service in Poland, where there was a long tradition of independent organizing. In Hungary, perhaps the most liberal country in the region outside of Yugoslavia, Dialogus opposed nuclear weapons on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Both groups experienced their share of surveillance and harassment.



But organizing in East Germany was something else. Dissidents were put on trial, thrown in jail, and often kicked out of the country against their will. The Stasi kept a tight watch on everything.



That's why the story of the Pankow Peace Group is so remarkable. Organized in the Pankow neighborhood of East Berlin in 1981, the group not only took bold positions on nuclear issues but interpreted peace more broadly to include pedagogy, economic development, and environmentalism.



Ruth Misselwitz had just begun to work as a pastor at a church in Pankow in 1981. She, her family, and her friends were very concerned at that time about the growing risk of war between the United States and the Soviet Union.



"Friends of ours wanted to start to do some work here in this church together with others worried about war," she told me in an interview at her home in May 2013. "We wanted this work to be public and open. We did not want to continue to meet at home and discuss these things. We wanted to go public, and in the GDR it was only possible to go public within the churches. I started to work on September 1. Then on October 24, 1981 we held the first big event called: 'In favor of peace, against a deadly security.' We were against those security strategies in which people always wanted to convince us that we will be more secure. We critically questioned those strategies."



The Pankow Peace Group emerged from this meeting. "We circulated a list for people to sign up who had an interest in working in a peace group," Misselwitz continued. "There were hundreds of people in the church. The event was the whole day: we started in the afternoon and it went on until late at night. Many people signed up on the list and included their names and addresses. It was very courageous for so many people to state openly that they were interested in such kind of work. In December we invited all those who registered on this list to meet for the first time in December 1981. Approximately 30 people came to the first meeting. That's how the work of the Peace Group started."



They knew they were under surveillance. "We would have conversations on the street when we didn't want the Stasi to hear -- not in the flat and of course not on the phone," she remembered. "We had this conviction not to work in the underground. We would work publicly, and we would tell this to every Stasi officer. That was the strategy to fight the fear of thinking all the time of who was the informer. This mistrust was so terrible that it destroyed some groups -- because the mistrust was so strong that nobody trusted anyone anymore. This was also a strategy of the state security to sow mistrust to destroy the groups."



When the changes came in 1989, most independent peace groups disbanded. But not the Pankow Peace Group. "In the beginning there was of course the consideration: Do we continue working together or is it now superfluous? Have we reached the goals we were following?" Misselwitz related. "Many members went into politics. Many groups who had needed the roof of the church did not need that roof anymore. They were able to work somewhere else. But we stayed together. And for me it was clear that I should not be active in a political party. I had to have a neutral attitude. Otherwise it would have been fallen apart."



There was plenty of work to do. "We took in some refugees from Bosnia into our community center," she said. "So we directly heard their stories and reports. And one woman in particularly in the peace group was taking care of the refugees. That was the first time I met Muslims. We didn't have Muslims in the GDR. For me it was a really exciting issue. One woman, Marina Grasse, together with a friend founded an East-West-European network of women that is still working in the Caucasus. So we also heard the news from the Caucasus. My younger daughter also was a student at the university in Belgrade. So the conflicts were always present to us."



We talked about the work with the Muslim community, her experience on the evening the Berlin Wall fell, and the social attitudes of Germans east and west (a topic we covered as well in South Korea when Misselwitz joined a delegation I put together on conflict resolution and reunification). Near the end of the conversation we were joined by her husband, Hans Misselwitz, whom I interviewed in 1990 and who continues to work with the Social Democratic Party (SPD).



The Interview



Do you remember what you were doing when you heard about the fall of the Berlin Wall?



Ruth Misselwitz: It was November, and every November we had our "peace decade." There were events for 10 days. We came home late and turned on the TV where we heard strange news that we did not understand. Helmut Kohl wanted to stop his journey to Poland and return to Germany. We didn't know what happened.



Then a friend called and said: "You have to go to the Wall immediately. I've just returned from Kuhdamm with my car." And we were very astonished. We couldn't believe it.



And then another friend called and said: "The Wall is open." Just imagine!



So we took our bikes and went to Bornholmer Straße. But it was not yet really open. There were people everywhere and they were talking with the soldiers and saying: "Just let us cross, we will come back. We won't stay there we just want to go and see."



It was a very peaceful atmosphere. It was not at all aggressive. Then there was the order that the Bornholmer Straße should be opened and all were crossing the border and going to West Berlin. Our children were 12 and 14 years old at the time. And there we were with our bikes in West Berlin! And we said: "We have to go back, we have to get our children. Who knows if they are going to close the Wall again and our kids are at home, sleeping."



So we went back and got our children out of their beds and told them: "You have to get up, the Wall is open."



And the children said: "No, we want to sleep. It's cold and wet outside."



So I said: "This is a historical moment, you have to get up now!"



Then all four of us took the bikes and we went back to Bornholmer Straße. Of course there were now thousands of people. So we crossed the border with our bikes. There was this incredible, happy atmosphere. You really could not believe what was happening right there. Then we went back with the children and I asked them whether they wanted to go to school the next day - because it was late at night. And they said that they want to go to school early because they had to tell everybody what they had just experienced. So this is how November 9 was for us. During the next days and weeks we tried to understand what had happened. Very many friends from Western Germany and from West Berlin came to Berlin. Those days were really an exceptional time.



What do your children say today? Do they remember that day? Obviously they wanted to continue sleeping. But what do they say today about this historical moment?



Ruth Misselwitz: Yes, yes they were very thankful and today they are still thankful that we pulled them out of their beds! They will never forget this night for their whole life.



I want to go back a little bit earlier: to 1981 when the Pankow Peace Community began. Can you tell me how that began?



Ruth Misselwitz: At the end of the 1970s, the society in the GDR became very strongly militarized. In the schools a subject called military expertise was introduced into the curriculum. It was compulsory for all the pupils -- and in the universities for all the students and for all the workers in the companies -- to participate in a military camp for a certain period of time. Students, for example, had to go for three months. So there was this militarization in all segments of society.



We had the impression that we were preparing for another war -- mentally and also in terms of behavior. There were exercises on how to behave when a bomb hits Berlin and so on. It frightened us. On the night of New Year's Eve 1979, we were at a friend's place in Mecklenburg - Markus Meckel - who was a pastor there in a village. He shared with us a scenario from an American general who was retired. It included what would happen in Europe in the case of a nuclear war -- where there will be Soviet troops and American troops and which towns will be bombed and how the troops will move. On this map I saw that Berlin and also the village where I come from were specific targets. I was very frightened. We had two little children. We were afraid that our children would have to experience a war. And we were particularly frightened because this war would be a nuclear war.



It was not only us who were frightened. Many, many people were afraid of a war, too. In 1981, I started to work as a pastor here in Pankow. Friends of ours wanted to start to do some work here in this church together with others worried about war. We wanted this work to be public and open. We did not want to continue to meet at home and discuss these things. We wanted to go public, and in the GDR it was only possible to go public within the churches. I started to work on September 1. Then on October 24, 1981 we held the first big event called: "In favor of peace, against a deadly security." We were against those security strategies in which people always wanted to convince us that we will be more secure. We critically questioned those strategies.



After this event, the Peace Group formed. We circulated a list for people to sign up who had an interest in working in a peace group. There were hundreds of people in the church. The event was the whole day: we started in the afternoon and it went on until late at night. Many people signed up on the list and included their names and addresses. It was very courageous for so many people to state openly that they were interested in such kind of work. In December we invited all those who registered on this list to meet for the first time in December 1981. Approximately 30 people came to the first meeting. That's how the work of the Peace Group started.



We had the three pillars, which were also important for the conciliar process. There was the issue of environment, because the protection of environment was practically non-existent in the GDR. There was the issue of peace, which involved the heightening tensions between the hostile blocs, East and West, the increasing danger of war, and what what we could do against this deterioration.



And finally there was the issue of justice. Right from the beginning we had a global view. We saw the North-South divide. For many years we had a partnership with a hospital in the African country of Benin. A doctor from West Berlin, who was a friend of ours, had worked in Benin, so this is how we got the connection. There was nothing in this hospital. It was really, really poor. We were not allowed to export medicine from here. But what was possible was sending bandages and supplies like that. We went to pharmacies here and asked if they had some leftovers. Then we put together big packages to send to the hospital in Africa. We received a lot of support. And because we could not export medicine, we arranged for a peace group in the Netherlands -- with which we had a very close relationship through the inter-confessional peace movement -- to send medicine to the hospital. So actually it was a partnership of three parties: East-West-South.



We reflected a lot about our schools and what our children were learning there. In the schoolbooks we searched for enemy images taught to our children. For instance, there was the friendly and helpful Soviet soldier and the bad and terrible American soldier. There were many more stereotypes. We had a real group within the Peace Group that was only dealing with school and pedagogy. We were looking for new forms of pedagogy different from the authoritarian pedagogy we had in the GDR. We were dealing with new alternative concepts of pedagogy, like for example Paulo Freire and The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. We also tried to practice this with our children since we could not do this at school. We created exhibitions about these schoolbooks: Where are the enemy images, where are the stereotypes? What can we do against those stereotypes? We made role-playing games with the children and also with the adults so that they could put themselves into the position of the teacher.



How old were your children?



Ruth Misselwitz: Our daughters were born in 1975 and 1977. During the 1980s, the younger daughter was 12 years old in 1989 and the older daughter was 14.



There was also a group called "living differently." They criticized consumer society in general. Because we in the GDR were a consumer society, too. We did not have as much as the people in West Germany but we had the same thinking, the same patterns. The members of this group - during the time of the peace decade, when we were having the gatherings and events - they slept and fasted in the church for 10 days. During that time a lot of ideas came up about how we should treat the environment and ourselves.



There was also a group thinking about the security system. What are the mechanisms of this military vicious circle? And how can we escape from these mechanisms? There was Olaf Palme with his concept of mutual security. I found that very convincing back then. When Palme was shot it was a big shock for us. Until today I believe that it was a political murder.



The group did a lot! I mean, you were working on pedagogy and the school system, environmental issues, helping the Benin hospital. How did things change as you came closer to 1989?



To read the rest of the interview, click here.

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Drive-By Shooters Open Fire On Car, Killing Toddler Near Seattle

(Reuters) - A one-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a drive-by shooting near Seattle on Thursday died late Saturday from her wounds, hospital officials said.



The girl was brain dead and life support care had been removed, a spokeswoman for Harborview Medical Center said.



Police in Kent, Washington, 20 miles south of Seattle, have not announced any arrests following the Thursday afternoon shooting near an apartment complex.



The child was strapped in a car seat in the back of her parents' car when a black car pulled alongside, and both the car's driver and passenger opened fire on the family's vehicle before driving away, police said in a statement.



She was taken to the hospital in grave condition.



Her parents were unharmed.

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Hillary 2016: Her Personal Brand

Have you heard? Hillary Clinton is running for President! As we gear up for the 2016 election cycle, I'm particularly interested in the branding direction that Clinton and the other candidates will be taking.



I spoke to Ben Hordell, Partner and branding expert at DXagency on Clinton's brand and what lies ahead in her campaign.



How is Hillary Clinton's brand supporting 'everyday Americans?'

A lot is yet to unfold but immediately you can see Hillary including visuals of "everyday Americans" in her campaign. The first taste of this was in her announcement video. The video included real, blue collar, people doing regular things and facing everyday problems. The content touched on schools, parenting, starting a business, employment, gay marriage, retirement and "families" in general. It's a lot to cover in a two-minute video but you can see the focus is on a struggling middle class. The hope is that there is an issue she touches on that the voter can relate to and associate Hillary with making things better.



How is Clinton branding herself to connect with her core audience?

It all depends by what you consider the core. Hillary appeals to a female audience, the Democratic party and left leaning moderates. For the female core, Hillary has been definitive in her Pro-Choice stance and that will put that core at ease and build trust. Additionally you will notice Hillary is referred to as "Hillary", whether it be "Hillary for America", "Ready for Hillary", "Hillary for Iowa", #Hillary2016. By doing so she reinforces that she is not only a women but she is her own person. She's relatable and you are now on a first name basis with her. Additionally by not always using "Clinton" there is potentially an attempt to distance herself from the same old politics of the Bush/Clinton years which will likely be a common attack point.



What do you think are the strengths of Clinton's brand?

Hillary has significant experience across many branches of government. From elections where "hope and change" outweighed experience, experience may now win out.



What role do you think branding will play in this election?

Branding will be crucial. Think about why you buy- you are likely loyal to brands and repeatedly buy the same ones as they have built trust with and you know what you are going to get.



Hillary along with the other candidates must build credibility and trust, and this is evident in the closing line of her campaign video.



"I'm hitting the road to earn your vote. Because it's your time and I hope you'll join me on this journey."

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Why My Daughter Never Got A Trampoline For Her Birthday

Thousands Of Yemeni Troops Side With President Hadi, Say Officials

ADEN, April 19 (Reuters) - The Yemeni commander of a vast military district covering half the country's border with Saudi Arabia pledged support to Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Sunday, local officials said.



The announcement puts at least 15,000 troops in the desert border area on the same side as the kingdom, the world's top oil exporter, after three weeks of an inconclusive bombing campaign it has led against Iran-allied Houthi rebels. (Reporting By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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A step forward in Washington, a step back in New York

Something stunning happened this week in Congress. The Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 22-0 to overhaul No Child Left Behind. That's right, policymakers from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) listened to the people they're sworn to represent and found common ground on public education.



Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) led the charge. They're the ultimate Odd Couple--he served as President George H. W. Bush's secretary of education; she was known as the "mom in tennis shoes" who entered politics to save her local preschool.



Together, they listened to business leaders, community partners, civil rights activists, parents and educators--including nearly 20,000 AFT members. Overwhelmingly, the message was: Instead of obsessing over test scores, let's give our students what they need to climb the ladder of opportunity and succeed. Schools should be places of learning and joy, not testing and agita. And, let's give our teachers the latitude, supports and resources necessary to do their jobs well.



The outcome is promising: While not perfect--no compromise is--their bill restores the original intent of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as NCLB was first known, to address poverty and educational inequality with targeted funding for poor children. It moves away from the counterproductive focus on sanctions and high-stakes tests, and ends federalized teacher evaluations and school closings.



Meanwhile, in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is going down a different (albeit well-worn) path, ramming through ideology as part of his budget, ignoring those closest to the classroom.



Across the state, students, teachers, parents and community members pleaded with the governor to listen to their concerns and visit their schools. Sixty public forums were held. Thousands rallied. But the governor refused to listen. He hasn't visited a public school in his second term. It just seems he won't have an honest conversation about what New York's children and families are facing.



Systemic underfunding is denying generations of New York students their right to a sound basic education. Local communities have gone through tough economic times. The courts have said that the state owes schools in high-need districts 2.3 times more in per-pupil funding than schools in wealthy districts. Yet Gov. Cuomo fails to close this gap, which is among the worst in the nation. At the same time, New York schools are the most segregated in the nation, another issue that the governor ignores.



Instead, the governor, who's really too smart to operate in an evidence-free zone, has bought into his hedge fund backers' idea: that the correlation between teachers and their students' test scores is the only thing that matters. We saw this idea play out in NCLB and Race to the Top, where the over-reliance on high-stakes testing may not have been the intention, but it's been the end result.



Pretty much everyone agrees that it hasn't worked. And it's no wonder: As important a role as teachers play, they ultimately account for 10 percent of the variance in test scores, according to economists. But while most policymakers are trying to strike a new balance by addressing the other 90 percent, Gov. Cuomo is doubling down on testing and sanctions.



Thankfully, the state Assembly and some in the state Senate have stuck to their values, fighting for more funding and moving some decisions to the Board of Regents, a board with educational expertise. Still, the governor's actions are just plain wrong. New Yorkers, who, despite their calls to curb sanctions, despite already being put through the ringer with the fixation on high-stakes testing, continue to be ignored. That's why we're seeing so many parents choose to opt their children out of these tests.



I've worked in public education for 30 years--as a teacher, a lawyer and union leader. I've visited hundreds of schools and districts. I've seen leaders from the classroom to the national stage who have been willing to set aside their differences and do the hard work that's necessary to create real, enduring change.



It might be surprising that this kind of leadership is wilting in a state like New York, while blooming in the most unlikely of places: Congress. The U.S. Senate bill represents an important step forward and the most positive development we've seen in public education policy in years--because of both the bill's content and the committee's very intentional move to leave partisanship and politics at the door.



There's no silver bullet when it comes to helping all children achieve. Great public schools are our best shot. But until we have more leaders willing to look past ideology, listen to those closest to the classroom and find common ground, we won't move forward. And, in a welcome change, it's the U.S. Senate that has shown us what's possible.

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Clinton Patches Up Relations With Liberals During Beginning Of Campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — This time, Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to be on liberals' good side.



As a presidential candidate in 2008, she opposed gay marriage, equivocated on granting driver's licenses to people who were living in the U.S. illegally and endured heavy criticism from rival Barack Obama over her stance on campaign finance. During the opening week of her second presidential campaign, Clinton showed she had retooled her positions to line up with the views of progressive Democrats. On Monday, she called for a constitutional amendment that would limit "unaccountable money" in politics. Days later, she said through her campaign that she supports same-sex marriage being recognized as a constitutional right in a pending Supreme Court case. After that, her campaign said she now supports state policies awarding licenses to people in the country illegally.



Such do-overs are part of an effort by Clinton to rectify past missteps and assure the liberal wing of her party that in 2016, she will be change they've been waiting for.



While Clinton enters the race in a dominant position, she faces skepticism from some Democrats who question her commitment to tackling income inequality.



"Equal opportunity and upward mobility have been very central to her political ideals from the start," said Robert Reich, who was President Bill Clinton's labor secretary and has known Hillary Clinton since college. "I just don't know how courageous she will be in fighting for them."



Clinton devoted the first week of her campaign trying to put such concerns to rest. She visits New Hampshire on Monday and Tuesday, returning to the state that handed her a 2008 primary victory early in the bruising nomination struggle won by Obama.



Aides spent much of the first 72 hours reaching out to union leaders, party officials and other interest groups. But for some who have met with her campaign staff, they wonder not about whether Clinton will tack to the left, but how far her proposals will go.



"There's a big difference between a $9 or $10 minimum wage versus a $15 wage," said Adam Green, a liberal activist who has talked with the campaign over the past months. "The big question we anticipate is, will they go big or will they go small?"



So far, at least a few are encouraged. At her opening event in Iowa, Clinton took on CEOs and hedge fund managers, saying the "deck is still stacked in favor of those already at the top."



At the Statehouse, her support for universal pre-K earned some of the biggest applause from Democratic lawmakers, according to people in the room.



When she returned to New York, Clinton had words of praise in Time magazine for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a liberal stalwart some have hoped would challenge the former secretary of state. "She never hesitates to hold powerful people's feet to the fire: bankers, lobbyists, senior government officials and, yes, even presidential aspirants," Clinton wrote.



News also leaked that Clinton had recruited former federal regulator Gary Gensler as her campaign's chief financial officer, a sign that she may be preparing to take a tougher position toward regulating financial firms.



Potential rivals have jumped at the chance to question Clinton's record and say she has shifted her positions on matters important to liberal voters.



"I'm glad Secretary Clinton's come around to the right positions on these issues," said former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is considering running for the Democratic nomination. "Leadership is about making the right decision — and the best decision before sometimes it becomes entirely popular. "



She's faced this before. In 2008, Clinton's hold on the nomination looked unshakeable. Then Obama captured Democrats' imagination and proved a far more durable candidate than expected.



Clinton's supporters say her recent comments, particularly on inequality, do not reflect a shift in position. In her 2008 primary campaign, Clinton stressed the need to help families struggling economically and she criticized hedge fund investors, oil company profits, drug company subsidies and trade agreements.



"She's been an advocate for these issues of economic equality, fairness and playing by the rules for her whole career," said Tom Nides, a Clinton confidant and Morgan Stanley vice chairman.



Clinton is not in the clear with liberals yet.



Liberal organizations say they plan to continue their push to draft Warren, and Democrats in early voting states say Clinton has work to do if she wants to be assured of winning the nomination.



Her decision to accept political donations from lobbyists — something Obama refused — may undercut her efforts to change the campaign finance system. Obama's push for a trade pact with 11 Pacific nations will put Clinton between the centrist wing of her party and union leaders who oppose the deal. On Friday, her campaign said she would be "watching closely" efforts to negotiate a final agreement.



"There's probably been some modicum of reassurance, but I wouldn't push it too far because it's just too early," said Jared Bernstein, former economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and now a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Biden is considering a White House run.



___



Associated Press writers Ken Thomas in Washington and Catherine Lucey in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

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Why Parents Shouldn't Stalk Their Children On Social Media

7 Questions You Need To Answer Before You Turn 65

A Look at Coursera, The Shaw Academy and Lynda.com: Which One Stands Out?

The success of online learning has been growing at a steady pace over the past years. Schools all over the world have recognized the importance of integrating an online platform into their curriculum. This is because a study commissioned by the US Department of Education has shown that e-learning enables students to learn a wider range of subjects. Even businesses encourage its employees to further their studies to be able to expand their professional growth.








However, choosing the right online course provider is just as important as choosing which subject area to study. After all, their teaching process and methodology play a vital role in ensuring that students are able to grasp subject matters effectively. For this reason, let's take a closer look at 3 of the most popular online course providers today.



1. Lynda.com



Founded in 1995, Lynda.com has 4 million users to date and is considered to be one of the most popular online learning platforms today. It was also recently acquired by LinkedIn.



Pros

• Students can choose from the 3,870 courses available. Subject areas are: Arts, Business, Computer Science, Design, Engineering, Finance, Games, Humanities, Lifestyle, Music, Operating Systems, and Software.


• 
  


• Courses are offered in 4 different languages - English, Spanish, French, and German.


• 
  


• Courses are taught by industry professionals.


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• Videos on lectures are recorded and can be viewed anytime.


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• Available on mobile devices.

Cons

• Students only receive a certificate upon completing a course.


• 
  


• All courses and tutorials are paid.


• 
  


• Lessons are not interactive.

2. The Shaw Academy



The Shaw Academy offers 10 courses which range from Financial Trading to Nutrition. It is approved by various internationally-recognized organizations such as the International Compliance Association, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and the South African Association for Nutritional Therapy.



Pros

• They have a dedicated portal where students can log on to take exams and quizzes, review modules, replay lectures, etc. All materials are available 24/7.


• 
  


• The courses are built in such a way as students are able to interact with their educators.


• 
  


• Students can complete courses at their own pace thus ensuring work life balance.


• 
  


• Course lectures remain static on the page. However, they are regularly updated based on user interaction.


• 
  


• A round the clock Tech Support team is available for students.

Cons

• Course offerings are currently limited.


• 
  


• Courses are only offered in English.

3. Coursera



Although Coursera only started operations in April 2012, it has already garnered over 4 million users to date. The main reason for this would probably because the courses they offer are free of charge. However, users would only be able to earn badges, a college credit, or a certificate at best, upon completion of a course.



Pros

• Courses are offered for free.


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• There are 406 courses available on the site.


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• Learning materials are available in 7 different languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.


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• An online forum is available for users.


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• Lessons are interactive.


• 
  


• Available on mobile devices

Cons

• Some courses may require students to attend lectures on-campus.


• 
  


• Some courses have to be completed on a set schedule.


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• Due to the fact that courses are offered for free, some users may have to wait a while to get a slot in the course of their choice.

Conclusion



At the end of the day, the main factors you need to consider when choosing an online course provider is whether they offer the area of study you are looking to take, time flexibility, and the cost. While others prefer to take online courses that offer blended lectures, this may not be the right fit for those who have full-time jobs. Make sure to assess your own needs before you decide on which online course provider to go with.

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"People" Skills

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The 13 Greatest Sissies Of All Time

It’s never been easy being a sissy. Society has long vilified any behavior in men that even hints of effeminacy—acting like a woman meant that you were weak, that there was something wrong with you, that you were probably a homosexual.

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Here's What Happened When a Lesbian Photographer Used Art to Promote Love

It all started with a hot shower and a little mind-wandering. Photographer Steph Grant, famous for her lesbian wedding photos, which have won the Internet, started the Promote Love Movement because she realized her true life's mission is, "Promoting love...one story at a time." Grant says that the movement is "centered around being true to yourself, loving others and sharing all of the stories."







Me as an accidental poster girl. Grant shot this when I hired her to shoot my book jacket photo!

Photo by: Steph Grant



Grant is inviting everyone and anyone to upload pictures to Instagram promoting love in any form (like volunteering, falling in love, connecting with family, working to change the world) and to #PromoteLove.



Starting May 1, every Friday, Grant will choose one photo and contact the poster so that she can feature an image of her or him or them along with a Q&A on her site. To assure that the movement serves its purpose of serving the community, a portion of all the proceeds from Promote Love t-shirt and sticker sales, which Grant hopes people will use to show their support of the movement, will be donated to a charity of the month.





Photo by: Steph Grant



Jenny Block: How did the Promote Love Movement come to be?



Steph Grant: I've spend a majority of my time traveling the world photographing lesbian weddings and corporate events. In the summer of 2013, I photographed a wedding in Los Angeles and the photos went viral. It travelled all around the world and love was spreading like wildfire.



When talking about this wedding, I found myself using the phrase "Promote Love." Since then, just about every lesbian wedding I have photographed has been featured somewhere incredible. What a good feeling to have these love stories told to the world. My goal is to showcase the LGBT community in a positive light and knock stereotypes out the window.



Last month I was singing in the shower and I had this idea to make some products surrounding the idea of promoting love in hopes of bringing people together through my love of storytelling.



Two weeks ago, I walked into a store on lower Greenville in Dallas, TX called Bullzerk. Struck up a conversation with the owner, shared our stories and I told him about my idea with Promote Love. Dan was on board and is really big into helping out small businesses in the area. Right then and there we designed a logo, designed shirts, tanks and he was going to have them all printed in a few days. Basically I watched my entire idea come together in a matter of hours. All because two strangers started talking about their lives.



I had the shirts in time to go to Dinah Shore in Palm Springs, CA where I started talking with people about the brand and passing out stickers. This was all last weekend! I started selling shirts out of my loft and completely sold out of the first batch within a couple of days.





Mike Escamilla catching air in his Promote Love tee.

Photo by: Paul Luna





Jenny Block: Why do you think it's important?



Steph Grant: A few reasons. It's important because I see it changing the way people view others who are different than them. It may be at its very beginning stages but I already see it bringing people together. If it only brings a few people together then my job is done. Also, this project has helped me get out of some dark places. When I refocus during those times and put my energy into helping others, it always brings me out. I hope that this will do that for others who are possibly struggling.







Kat Cole in her Promote Love tee.





Jenny Block: Do you think promote love will help the LGBT movement?



Steph Grant: Absolutely. That is my goal. This is not just an LGBT movement though... that just happens to be my story. Although we have made progress in the world as far as the LGBT community and marriage equality there is still so much hatred and bullying towards our community. Perfect strangers will comment on my images of loving and happy LGBT couples with hateful comments like "first class ticket to hell."



This person does not know that I was born and raised in church. I was a praise and worship leader for years and volunteered in just about every area of my church. A lot of my friends actually come from that same background. So before you spew words of hate in person or online, check yourself. Form your own opinions. Don't just repeat things you were told. Do your research because there is someone on the other end of that hateful comment, someone with a heart and a good story.





Photo by: Steph Grant





Jenny Block: Where are the furthest places you have been asked to ship your shirts?



Steph Grant: I've been asked to ship shirts to Germany, Italy, Australia, Ireland and Canada.



The Instagram account has been live for basically one week and there is such an outpouring of love and support. I am super excited to see how big this can get. I'm determined. People just want to get on board and I love it.





Photo by: Steph Grant





Jenny Block: Why do you think people have responded to it so openly and positively already?



Steph Grant: I think that everyone just desires to be and to feel loved. Accepted. Not tolerated (I think that word is gross.) There are so many of us who go through life not feeling loved and completely alone, dealing with some huge circumstances by ourselves. I don't want that. I want someone to see this message... see all of us wearing these shirts and for it to spark a conversation. Maybe even end with a hug. I want it to bring strangers together.







Steph Grant at Bullzerk in Dallas, TX.



You can see more pics from my accidental poster girl shoot here.



To read even more about the back story, click here.

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10 Novel, Absurd, And Irrelevant Arguments Made In Supreme Court Briefs Against Marriage Equality

Oral arguments for the same-sex marriage Supreme Court case are just over a week away, and just as many groups and individuals from across the country expressed their support for marriage equality, many expressed their opposition. Among them are the more familiar arguments, like that “conjugal marriage” (i.e. “complementary” relationships in which someone with a penis has sex with someone with a vagina) is unique and deserves special recognition regardless of whether such unions result in children, that same-sex parenting harms children even though all valid research points to the opposite conclusion, or that marriage is a states rights issue, not a human rights issue.

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'One Big Happy' Star Kelly Brook Loves Her Show's Unconventional Family

NBC's new series "One Big Happy," the story of a lesbian who's having a baby with her dude best friend, may have been considered outlandish 20 years ago. But as one of the show's stars, Kelly Brook, told HuffPost Live on Thursday, it's just a reflection of the ever-expanding definition of what family means.



Brook, who plays the soon-to-be father's new girlfriend named Prudence, explained to host Ricky Camilleri that the show's creator and writer, Liz Feldman, had a similar situation of wanting to have a child with her best friend. While that didn't work out, Brook said it is just one example of families becoming less traditional.



"The whole premise of the show is just to kind of show people that nowadays, what is a kind of conventional family?" she said. "It can be pretty much anything."



Brook said it's "fantastic" that the show is airing on a network like NBC and added that it's important for television to represent all different types of people and situations.



"It's not like we're ramming it down people's throats that you have to accept this now," she said. "It's just, this is our situation and this is how we're trying to make it work, and it's fun and sometimes tricky."



Watch the full interview with Kelly Brook here.



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