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A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y. You might have learned it as a chant, a song, or a simple declaration, but this is how you learned the vowels of English. You may have wondered, why is Y so unsure of itself? Can't we just decide what it is? Why is Y a "sometimes" vowel? Because writing is not the same thing as speech. While we casually refer to letters, which are written symbols, as vowels or consonants, the concepts of vowel and consonant properly belong to the domain of speech. In general terms, a consonant is a...

Crises have the power to expose tensions within ideologies, and the current pandemic has made some of those in contemporary American conservatism vividly apparent. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is not only fighting a COVID-19 infection—he’s also on the front lines of a clash within conservatism. The Republican has declared his state “the Freedom Capital of America.” He has consistently prioritized cutting regulations on business, and in a 2018 opinion column boasted, “Innovation and self-reliance are deeply rooted in the Lone Star State, and when freed from the stranglehold of over taxation and overregulation, new ideas flourish. By limiting...

Can you remember visiting a buffet when you were young? It represented a vast stretch of freedom to load up your plate with whatever you wanted. When you're an adult, though, you start asking questions. Are you eating your money's worth? Did that kid really just stick his fingers in the mashed potatoes? Why is everything so sticky? There's a good chance it's been a while since you've been to a buffet, and suspiciously sticky utensils aren't the only reason. So many people are skipping buffets that this sector of the industry is declining — more than you might...

As journalists, it’s our job to choose our words wisely and not perpetuate stereotypes. n the 13 years that I’ve lived in the US, I’ve heard the words “No can do” on so many occasions — from teachers, comics, news anchors, Hall & Oates — that I’ve always thought it was simply a cheeky way to say “alas.” But the phrase, I learned several days ago, emerged in the late 19th century, around the time the US passed the Chinese Exclusion Act banning immigration from China, the country of my birth. Some white Americans popularized the saying to mock the...

A weird thing happened right after the Nov. 3 election: nothing. The nation was braced for chaos. Liberal groups had vowed to take to the streets, planning hundreds of protests across the country. Right-wing militias were girding for battle. In a poll before Election Day, 75% of Americans voiced concern about violence. Instead, an eerie quiet descended. As President Trump refused to concede, the response was not mass action but crickets. When media organizations called the race for Joe Biden on Nov. 7, jubilation broke out instead, as people thronged cities across the U.S. to celebrate the democratic process that...

Picture this: A bunch of unique-looking headbanging people listening to heavy music; entering a whirlpool of human collision in front of their favorite artist; raising their fists in the air; raising the devil’s horns \m/. What is that all about? Who are they? These are the metalheads. What is their psychology? We are going to look at the social psychology of heavy metal and rock music fans. In this article, I’ll review the scientific research done on their personality, their behavior, why they do what they do, what they get out it, etc. The effects of heavy metal music can...

As an organization committed to fighting all forms of hate, we know that this brutal death follows an explosion of racist murders and hate crimes across the U.S. “The national rage expressed about the murder of Mr. Floyd reflects the depth of pain over the injustice that People of Color — and particularly Black men — have been subjected to throughout the generations. In recent months we have seen, yet again, too many devastating examples of persistent systemic racism, “For the past two days, the Jewish community observed Shavuot, a holiday rooted in learning and action that commemorates when the...

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate questioned why Gov. Desantis is supportive of moving immigrants "further inland."Desantis’ office confirmed the illegal foreigners were given brochures that informed them of benefits they could receive after the Republican governor sent them on a plant to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.Tony Fenske, the communications director under Desantis, told Florida’s Voice News every illegal alien was given the packet which provided details on how to receive a variety of benefits and services.The brochure, written in English and Spanish, explains:“During the first 90 days after a refugees arrival in Massachusetts resettlement agencies provide basic needs support including:– assistance...

National File has unearthed information from meetings of the World Economic Forum placing Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin at Davos alongside high-ranking members of the Chinese Communist Party.Glenn Youngkin attended Klaus Schwab’s annual World Economic Forum (WEF) summits in Davos, Switzerland in 2019 and 2020, the years immediately preceding his run for Governor of Virginia.According to a Chinese-language WEF webpage, at the 2019 Davos meetings, Youngkin, then a co-CEO of the Carlyle Investment Group, sat on a WEF panel alongside high-ranking CCP member Fang Xinghai. On Chinese government websites, Fang is listed as the Vice Chairman of the China Securities...

(KTLA) – Two female ... social media influencers say they were denied entry into a popular Los Angeles nightclub because of their size. Ella Halikas said a bouncer told her and fellow “curvy model" Alexa Jay they couldn’t follow their friends into The Highlight Room in Hollywood. “(Alexa) asked him, ‘Hey what’s going on? I’m with that party you just let in,’ and he said, ‘I know,’ and looked her up and down and said, ‘Not tonight,’” The women shared their story on social media and said it has resonated with women all over the country. “It was so dehumanizing,”...

(Feb 25, 2021) "TOPLINE U.S. regulators on Thursday cleared the way for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to be stored in normal freezers for two weeks, instead of holding them at ultra-cold temperatures, making the vaccine easier to handle for smaller medical clinics with fewer resources." Prior to this, it had to be shipped and stored at -76 to -130F. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/02/25/pfizers-covid-vaccine-doesnt-need-ultra-cold-storage-fda-says/?sh=6291eaa7226e

Ever expanding democracy has long been the Progressive’s means to their fuzzy, yet dangerous social justice ends. Our national experience has shown that the explosion of the democratic element since the direct election of senators, voting by women, repeal of Jim Crow, abolition of poll taxes, lowering the voting age to eighteen, extension of voting from a single day to a couple of weeks, same day registration, motor voter, voting rights for ex-convicts, and judicial overthrow of state voter ID laws . . . have all served to extend the franchise to an ever expanding portion of the public. But,...

Our conversation about abortion places the burden of responsibility on women. I argue men are the root cause. As a mother of six and a Mormon, I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. When I hear men discussing women’s reproductive rights, I’m often left with the thought that they have zero interest in stopping abortion. If you want to prevent abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Men seem unable (or unwilling) to admit that they cause 100% of them. I realize that’s a bold statement. You’re likely thinking, “Wait. It takes two to tango!”...

In today’s polarized political climate, Americans nervously anticipate U.S. Supreme Court rulings with the same fervor with which they enjoy sports, and with the same goal in mind: namely, to win. But American government is not a game, cautions United States Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton. By forcing the Supreme Court to make notably divisive, winner-take-all decisions, he argues, we run the risk of politicizing the “crown jewel of American government.” No one at the American founding took the view that the U.S. Supreme Court should resolve the most difficult issues in American government or be the key...

I was just sent this old article, have NO IDEA why, by my iPhone. I believe the author actually intended to be serious? All I can say is, this is EXACTLY why I am living overseas now. For real.

No decent, thoughtful human being wants to be accused of racism. Most decent, thoughtful human beings are guilty of racism. Of course, it’s usually unconscious, and it’s often hard to keep track of evolving language and social movements, of phrases in the vernacular that were perfectly acceptable ten years ago but are now taboo (and vice-versa). As writers, albeit pros or fanfic writers, or everyone in between, we use our words as tools, as toys, and sometimes, as weapons. It’s our responsibility to listen to new conversations, to keep abreast of the ever-changing socio-political climate, and above all, to think...

I would love a COVID-19 vaccine passport. After more than a year in full or partial quarantine, I’m so happy to be vaccinated I want to get the words “FULLY” and “VAXXED” tattooed on my butt and run naked through the streets. (Don’t worry, I won’t. America has suffered enough.) Unfortunately … sorry, that’s a side effect of the Pfizer vaccine … unfortunately, vaccine pride is not as prevalent as it should be, and a sizable swath of the population prefers to poo-poo the one thing that can lead us out of a pandemic that has killed more than 550,000...

In an interview with NBC's Pete Williams, Attorney General William Barr says that some are expecting U.S. Attorney John Durham's report on alleged government surveillance abuse--too soon. Barr says it will likely be closer to late spring or early summer 2020.

Back when I was in college, I ate a diet that frankly may have been more fitting for a small woodland creature than for a human. Though my snacks were scavenged from the Whole Foods produce department rather than off of the forest floor, I grazed primarily on an assortment of fruits and nuts throughout the course of any given day. Even as I’ve entered adulthood and appropriately added more variety to my meals, I can still polish off a two-pound bag of grapes in one sitting and will sometimes choose cherries over an actual dinner when the mood strikes....

Justice Ginsburg has had quite a few health scares over the past little over a decade. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009 and subsequently resisted pressure to retire from the Court under ObamaÂ’s administration. With multiple hospital stays this year and a recurrence of her pancreatic cancer, many question how long she will be able to stay on the Court and if she will outlast President TrumpÂ’s incumbency, while some liberals express frustration that Ginsburg did not retire under President Obama. Retirements and replacements from the Court occur in different patterns. The current situation harkens back to Justice...