Does it really matter what words we use when we talk to our kids about cosmetics? One mom thinks so. In an inspiring video on social media, Maggie Katz explained why she always tells her daughter that she looks “fancy” rather than “pretty” when she’s wearing makeup. Her reasoning makes a lot of sense! In this sweet clip, Maggie and her young daughter were putting on “fancy” makeup together in front of the mirror. This was clearly an enjoyable activity for both of them, but Mom didn’t want her little girl to grow up feeling like she needed to wear these products in order to look beautiful. So, she used their makeover as an opportunity to impart some wisdom. @maggiekatz The words we hear growing up have an impact #makeup #momsoftiktok #raisingdaughters #fancy ♬ original sound – Maggie Katz “And why do we do makeup?” Maggie asked. When the little girl didn’t know the answer, Mom explained that they were using makeup because “it’s fun, and we get to look fancy.” “But are we pretty no matter what?” the woman continued. “Yes,” her daughter replied. Many parents are following Maggie’s example. Screengrab from TikTok Other parents in the comments section loved the way Maggie was teaching her daughter to wear makeup for her own personal enjoyment. A few were inspired to start saying “fancy” instead of “pretty,” too! “I’ve been trying to think of a way how to explain why I do certain things to my girls without making them believe they ‘need’ to do it,” one user wrote. “This is amazing.” Another added, “I just started saying fancy too instead of pretty in regard to makeup! It’s so nice and hopefully my girl will just think makeup is fun but not needed to be beautiful.” Young girls absorb a lot of harmful messaging about what’s considered “pretty” or “attractive,” and these ideas can have a profoundly negative effect on them as they get older. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that our kids are learning better ways to think about beauty at home! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Mom Shares Powerful Reason She Calls Makeup “Fancy” Over “Pretty” appeared first on InspireMore.

Feeling stressed? Take a moment to enjoy the simple pleasure of lying in some moss with this contented pigeon. One bird owner shared the sweetest video of her feathered friend relaxing in a beautiful, natural setting. This animal couldn’t have looked cozier! In this soothing clip, Peeper the pigeon found the comfiest spot to sit down in a patch of moss. She looked so serene as she settled in for a nice rest in this idyllic location surrounded by beautiful trees. In the background of the video, Mom added some calming music to make the scene even more peaceful. We could watch this all day! @peepermousepigeon eepy sleepy cozy mossy #petpigeon #pigeonsoftiktok #beautifulbirdsinnature #creatorsearchinsights ♬ Mystical Forest – Lovely Nature Music Zone “Hey, do you want to lay in some moss with me?” read the text over the footage. Many commenters were more than willing to take the pigeon up on her offer to hang out in the moss! “It’s all I’ve ever wanted,” joked one user. Another added, “You don’t need to ask me twice.” Wait… is this pigeon loafing? One person in the comments came to a very important realization while watching this video. They found out, for the first time, that pigeons could “loaf.” If you’re not familiar with the term, it usually refers to the way that cats lie down with their limbs tucked underneath their bodies. Kitty owners call this “loafing” because their pets look like loaves of bread when they do it. You can read more about the phenomenon on Catster. In response to this user, the pigeon’s mom shared another post to prove that these birds “loaf” a lot. Actually, she believes pigeons “might even be some of the BEST loafers out there.” Her compilation video shows her pet assuming this position in a variety of different places. Peeper has apparently loafed in a chair, by the window, and on the stove. Don’t do that again, Peeper! @peepermousepigeon Replying to @cauliflower_hater they might even be some of the BEST loafers out there #pigeonlovers #petpigeon #pigeonsoftiktok #birdloaf #loafing ♬ Gnomes and Fairies – Marco Cutini Whether she’s hanging out in a bed of moss or in a comfy chair, this pigeon definitely has a knack for kicking back and relaxing. We could learn a thing or two from Peeper! Well, except for the whole sitting on the stove thing. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Zen Moment Of The Day: Peaceful Pigeon Lying In Vibrant Moss appeared first on InspireMore.

Choosing the 10 best songs named after specific streets was a daunting task, especially given how many iconic tracks have drawn inspiration from real locations. Streets often serve as powerful symbols or settings, providing the backdrop for personal storytelling or cultural reflections. Narrowing the list down to just 10 required leaving out several notable songs, such as “Ventura Highway” by America, “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” by Bruce Springsteen, and “Kings Road” by Tom Petty. Tracks like “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen and “Funky Broadway” by Wilson Pickett are equally deserving of recognition but didn’t make The post 10 Best Songs Named After Streets appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A new bipartisan bill – the Free Speech Protection Act – has been introduced in the US Congress with the goal of improving ways to fight what are known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. Congressman Jamie Raskin and Kevin Kiley are behind the House proposal, while “companion” legislation in the Senate is sponsored by Ron Wyden. SLAPPs are described as serving to chill both free speech and political action through litigation that is both frivolous in nature – and burdensome for those targeted by such lawsuits. “Though many such suits often prove meritless, they are nonetheless effective at silencing, intimidating, and discouraging dissent,” a press release said. The proposed legislation would prevent “Goliath triumphing over David,” as Congressman Raskin put it, by those with more money and power essentially abusing the judiciary and wearing down their opponents with huge legal costs and “prolonged invasive discovery.” If the Free Speech Protection Act becomes law, its sponsors hope to rein in “the rich and powerful” both from draining those with fewer resources of money and in the process silencing people whose political views they consider “incorrect.” Journalists, whistleblowers, and activists are likely to be subjected to meritless SLAPP lawsuits, the lawmakers note in their press release. The legislative effort, which is supported by a number of civil rights groups, is meant to extend similar state laws to the federal level. Although two-thirds of US states already restrict SLAPPs, in cases involving First Amendment free speech violations these laws do not apply – since they are tried in federal courts. And those (ab)using the judicial system to their own end are aware of this and tend to file their SLAPPs in those courts, Institute for Free Speech President David Keating remarked, adding that this is why his group has supported the bipartisan and bicameral proposal. The Free Speech Protection Act seeks to provide federal courts with a new mechanism to control SLAPPs, including by letting judges act quickly to identify when a SLAPP is going after constitutionally protected speech and dismiss such lawsuits. Another provision is to prevent those filing SLAPPS from treating the discovery process as a privacy-invasive tool, and lastly, federal judges would be able to deter these lawsuits by awarding attorney fees to the victim – “to reduce the cost burden and deter future exploitation of this tactic.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Bipartisan Push to Shield Free Speech Targets Abusive Lawsuits appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, Fallout - they’ve all got Funko Pop figurines. A mainstay of popular culture, the Funko franchise has this year come full circle, with the release of Funko Fusion in September giving the plastic collectibles, often based on videogames, their very own tie-in platformer. But now, allegedly, a wrinkle in the company’s brand protection software means that Itch - the spiritual home of experimental and independent games, and alternative digital store to Steam and Epic - has been taken offline. Continue reading The whole Itch store has been pulled offline, and apparently it’s Funko’s fault MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best free games, When is the next Steam sale?, Best indie games

Monday Morning Meme Madness

Image: Epic Games Indie game storefront Itch.io is currently offline because of what it describes as a bogus phishing report. While the game store’s servers are still online, the domain for the website is currently pointing towards IP addresses that itch.io doesn’t own — making it inaccessible for most people. Itch.io blames pop culture collectibles company Funko for the issues in a post on X, “because they use some trash ‘AI-powered’ Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar.” I kid you not, @itchio has been taken down by @OriginalFunko because they use some trash "AI Powered" Brand Protection Software called @BrandShieldltd that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, @iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain— itch.io (@itchio) December 9, 2024 While the disputed page has been taken down, itch.io’s domain registrar, iwantmyname, still disabled the domain likely due to automated systems. According to a post on X, the indie game marketplace is now waiting on the domain registrar to respond and re-enable its domain. If you know how to tweak your hosts file that maps hostnames to IP addresses then you can use the 45.33.107.166 IP address in the meantime, but you’ll need to remove the entry once the domain is restored. Itch.io is hoping the problems will be resolved in a matter of hours so it doesn’t have to deploy a new domain name instead. The domain issues come just days after itch.io started allowing its users to use its domain name for Bluesky accounts. If you have spent $10 on the platform then you have the option to use your itch.io profile URL on Bluesky, but the current domain issues mean anyone who switched to the custom itch.io URLs has an “invalid handle” error on Bluesky until the main itch.io domain is back online.

A wood and leather shield dating to around A.D. 250 is one of only a few complete Roman scuta ever found.

Obama drew a ‘red line’ in the sand on Assad’s use of chemical weapons and then bowed out and told Secretary of State John Kerry to outsource the job of dealing with it to Vladimir Putin. That worked…