A batch of about 2,500 voter registration forms submitted in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, included several that were rejected after an automated state system flagged the forms as fraudulent, officials said in a news conference Friday.

When the White Witch offers you advice, you take it. Even if you’re Katy Perry. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, legendary Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks recalled offering Perry some tough love advice when she asked about dealing with the “cruel and rancid internet armies” of fellow female singers.We know of course that women of all industries are often pitted against one another. But the online commentary that comes from toxic fans in the pop community can be particularly vicious, creating made-up rivalries for, let’s face it, their own twisted entertainment. It’s very Hunger Games-esque, when you think about it. Perry, in this instance, was alluding to her since retracted long standing, very public beef with Taylor Swift, which was famously referenced in Swift's 2014 song "Bad Blood” and seemingly ended when Perry offered Swift an Instagram story with an olive branch in 2018. However, all of this drama could perhaps have been avoided if Perry had received Nicks’ blunt yet wise words earlier. Put simply, Nicks told Perry that she didn’t really deal with this type of problem at all. Why? “Because I’m not on the internet,” she said. Not fully comprehending that statement, Perry then asked the “Landslide” singer who her “rivals” were. Because how will you know this important information if you’re offline, right? To this, Nicks apparently gave her signature “steely look” and said, “Katy, I don’t have rivals. I have friends. All the other women singers that I know are friends. Nobody’s competing. Get off the internet and you won’t have rivals either."The epitome of blunt honesty, ladies and gentlemen. See on Instagram Nicks’ advice has since been making the rounds online, making fans feel a whole new level of appreciation for her badassery. "There are so many incredible tidbits in this stevie nicks interview, but this katy perry story killed me," tweeted Vogue writer Keaton Bell.That’s why she’s an icon and a legend," added another. She literally said touch grass and get off the mf internet lmfao— ?️⚧️ Cata Doll ?️⚧️ (@Catadollxx) October 24, 2024 OH MY GOD STEVIE NICKS, HERE'S YOUR CROWN ? https://t.co/E0pYtyfVoC— jayyy ?? (@jjaydayyy_13) October 25, 2024 This is why I’ve been slowly transitioning to a better balance between my IRL and online lives.I have amazing friends in both spaces but the internet just breeds toxic brain rot.“I don’t have rivals, I have friends. Nobody’s competing. Get off the internet.” https://t.co/V3EgbIDFs7— Dia (Sarah) (@thatDiavola) October 24, 2024 Stevie is right. 70% of the current Fame Sucks discourse is that entertainers are too online. https://t.co/2mpHjepx06— Grant (@NotSoNiceville) October 24, 2024 Stevie is a Witch and a real magician of her craft. She knows better than to engage in these things. She doesn’t NEED social media, her legacy runs deep bc of her attitude about life. Let this be a lesson to us all! There’s no need to compete when there’s space for everyone. https://t.co/z8ZG2XBCYK— ASTROCARTOGRAPHY ?️ (@WorldlyAstro) October 24, 2024 One person even noted how there’s recently been a refreshing change in this mindset, writing, “Something I adore about the current batch of pop girlies is how much they fangirl over and support each other. It’s wholesale AF and as it should be because hun, we downloading ALL your albums.”Nicks’ words might at first seem to only apply to high level pop stars, but how many of us allow artificial online drama to take up space in our mind? And if we’re really honest with ourselves, let it influence how we go about our lives in the real world? Odds are anyone who engages in social media has been guilty from time to time. That’s why it’s important to let these “touch grass” reminders to really sink in.Less international rivals. More IRL friends. That’s something we could all benefit from.Less international rivals. More IRL friends. That’s something we could all benefit from.

Birth order can play a significant role in determining one’s personality and level of success in life. Studies show that firstborns are better suited for leadership roles as they age. Middle children tend to be the best-behaved, and the youngest child in a family is often the most social.Those are all positive traits associated with birth order. However, a new Epic Research study has found a dark side to being the firstborn child in a family. They are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.The research team looked at the medical records of over 180,000 children and found that by the age of 8, firstborn children were 48% more likely to have anxiety and 35% more likely to have depression than the younger children in their families.The study also found that only children were 35% more likely to have depression and 42% more likely to have anxiety by the age of 8 than children who were born second or later. The study comes 2 years after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that all children be screened for anxiety starting at the age of 8, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or not. “For older children and teens, screening and follow-up care can reduce symptoms of depression and can improve, and potentially resolve anxiety,” the statement reads. “However, there is very limited evidence on the benefits and harms of screening children younger than 8 for anxiety and younger than 12 for depression.” A child with anxiety.via Canva/PhotosChildren with anxiety often have trouble sleeping or developing a consistent sleep pattern. They may also be clingy and express excessive anger and irritability. Anxiety may also manifest in physical symptoms such as stomach pains or headaches. Children with depression may have continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness. They may also be prone to outbursts of crying, feelings of worthlessness or guilt and impaired concentration. The Epic Research study didn’t provide a reason why firstborn and only children are more likely to have anxiety and depression. However, Milly Cox, a biological anthropologist at UCLA, said it could be caused by inexperienced parents who aren’t as exposed to child-rearing as older generations. “In the pre-industrial context, the context present for the majority of human history, you would be exposed to parenting and kids your whole life. You would be more involved in caring for your younger siblings,” Fox told The Huffington Post. — (@) The differences in mental health between firstborn and subsequent children may also be caused by different conditions in the mother’s womb. Firstborn children often have other health challenges than their siblings due to the differences in uterine environments. Even though firstborn children are more likely to have anxiety and depression than their siblings, it’s still essential for children to be screened for anxiety and depression regardless of their birth order.“Anxiety and depression don’t have a single cause, so understanding what factors are likely to impact a child can help both parents and clinicians to make sure that they are helping the child with their specific needs,” Caleb Cox, head of research and data science at Epic Research, told The Huffington Post. He added that there are plenty of cases where second- or third-born children have anxiety and depression as well, “so it’s important for parents to make sure their kids are getting the help that they need, regardless of the child’s birth order.”

Many years before I got together with my boyfriend, I had a sex thing with this guy that I thought was relationship material. He not only had an amazing body but a great personality as well. I was honest when I met him that I was looking for something more than just sex, and he led me to believe that was what he wanted, too. Between mind-blowing sex sessions, we ordered in, played video games, and watched movies — couple things but without the label. But when I tried to get him to go to a show or out to dinner with me, he refused. My frustration grew as the months went on, and one day I confronted him."Why don't we ever go anywhere?""We have everything we need here," he answered while simultaneously distracting me by caressing my shoulder blades."We actually don't," I said. "I'm hungry, let's check out that new Indian place around the corner.""No! We might run into one of my buddies," he said, moving his body further away from me. The underlining meaning was clear — he couldn't take the chance that someone he knew would see him with me.He needed to keep our relationship on the DL so that no one would ever suspect that he enjoyed spending time with me — a fat woman.He was super fit, so obviously that's the kind of woman he wanted to be associated with, the kind he could be seen with at the Indian place.When I realized he was ashamed of being seen with me, I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach — a place where much of my pain already resided.To him, I was fuckable but not dateable. He dumped me soon after that conversation.He did me a favor by not continuing to lead me on. Otherwise, I might still be trying to prove to him that I was worth any shit he might have gotten from other people. If I was still his secret shame, I might not have met my next boyfriend, so thanks, athletic asshole.I had hoped that, in this age of body positivity, men would no longer need to hide their desires when it comes to fat women.But I was wrong.It's just a sad fact: Many men who are sexually attracted to fat women are ashamed of it.They're OK with banging a fat girl, but they don't want to hang out with her — someone might judge them for it.It's one thing if you're not into fat women — everyone has their preferences, and not every body type appeals to everyone. But if you find larger women hot and you want to have sex with them without being associated in public with them, that's emotionally abusive.Everyone should have the freedom to express their desires openly (as long as there's consent from both parties). If you modify your behavior and wants to what you think will protect you from criticism and/or ridicule, then you need help because that kind of self-loathing will only grow until it has destroyed you.Don't act like we're in a relationship if all you really want is to experience what sex with a fat woman is like.I'll tell you what it's like: It's as amazing and fun as having sex with anyone who's into having sex with you. We don't have magic vaginas, and our breasts don't do any special tricks — well besides the usual, like feed or comfort people.Fat women are just as hot and sexually gifted as women of other shapes, sizes, and abilities. Being fat doesn't mean we're so hungry for attention that we'll put our own needs aside and do whatever we can to rock your world.If you're with someone who doesn't make you feel beautiful or who isn't proud to have you on their arm, you need to dump their ass.Being alone is far better than compromising on what you deserve or being made to feel as if you're someone's big dirty secret.You're not only dateable, you're lovable and worthy of being treated with respect and love.I regret not standing up for myself when I discovered the athletic guy was only using me for sex. But at least I learned, as we all should learn, that I'm responsible for being my biggest advocate and to never accepting anything less than what I need.This article was written by Christine Schoenwald and originally appeared on 06.29.18

To a stranger I met at a coffee shop a few years ago who introduced me to what my life as a parent would be like:My "welcome to black fatherhood moment" happened five years ago, and I remember it like it happened yesterday. I doubt you'll remember it, though — so let me refresh your memory.It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Los Angeles in 2011, and I decided to walk my then 3-month-old daughter to the corner Starbucks. That's when I met you — a stylish older white woman who happened to be ahead of me in line.You were very friendly and offered up many compliments about how cute my daughter was, and I agreed wholeheartedly with you. She's cute.But after you picked up your drink, you delivered this parting shot:"No offense, but it's not often that I see black guys out with their kids, but it's such a wonderful thing," she said. "No matter what happens, I hope you stay involved in her life."And then you put on your designer sunglasses and left.Meanwhile, I was like...Here's the thing: I'm not angry with you, but I want you to understand the impact you had on my life.Do I think you're a mean-spirited racist? No, I don't. Actually, I bet you're a really nice lady.But let's be real for a second: Your view on black dads was tough for me to stomach, and I want you to know a few things about what it's really like to be me.1. I want you to know that we have challenges that other dads don't experience.I know what you're thinking: "Oh boy — let me brace myself while he 'blacksplains' how hard his life is while shaming me for ignoring my white privilege."But that would be missing the point. We all have our challenges in life, and I'm not about to bring a big bottle of whine to a pity party.Instead, as you probably know, today's dads are trying to shed the stigma of being clueless buffoons.But black dads have an additional obstacle to hurdle in that we're often seen as completely disinterested in fatherhood. Trust me, it gets old when people automatically assume you're not good at something because of the color of your skin.Our encounter was the first of many examples of this that I've witnessed, directly or indirectly, in my five and a half years of fatherhood, and I'm sure there will be more to come.2. I want you to know that I'm not a shiny unicorn. There are plenty of black men just like me who love fatherhood.During the months that followed our brief meeting, I felt a need to prove that you — a complete stranger — were wrong. I needed to prove there were plenty of black men just like me who loved being dads.I knew a lot of these great men personally: My dad, my two brothers, and many others embraced fatherhood. But could any data back up how much black dads embraced fatherhood? Because the examples in mainstream media were few and far between.Thankfully, the answer is yes.A few years after I met you, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 70% of black dads are likely to engage in common child-rearing activities such as diaper changing, bathing, toilet training, etc., on a daily basis. That's a higher percentage than white or Hispanic fathers.Full stop.This isn't about black dads being "the best" because parenthood isn't a competition. It's about showing that we're not even remotely as bad as society makes us out to be.And outside of the CDC study, I saw firsthand how hands-on black dads are when I was thrust into the public eye, too, because a lot of them reached out to me to tell their stories.We nurture our kids.We're affectionate with our kids.And we do whatever our kids need us to do.And none of that should come as a surprise to anyone.3. I want you to know that I believe you meant well when you praised me for being involved in my daughter's life, but that's what I'm programmed to do.I will always be there for her and her baby sister.Even though I just described how black dads are different from many dads, I hope the takeaway you have from this is that we have a lot of similarities, too.Please don't fall into the trap of saying that you want to live in a colorblind world because it makes it harder to identify with inequality when it happens. Instead, I hope you can recognize that we have the same hopes, dreams, and fears as other parents, but the roads we travel may not be the same.And no, I don't want an apology.But I hope when you pick up your next latte and see a dad who looks like me that you'll smile knowing he's the rule rather than the exception.This article originally appeared on 06.15.16

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The Dead co-founder never stopped making music.