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New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.

Why I Failed Maternity Leave
Maternity leave. A time where – according to anyone who has never been on maternity leave – you have copious amounts of freedom and space to do whatever you please. A time where you, the mother, create a special bond with your lovely newborn because you decided to – for very unselfish reasons – create life and care for something more than yourself.
By Meagan8 years ago in Families
The Last Cigarette
The bus driver is smoking. There are no passengers on the bus; it’s not scheduled to leave for another ten minutes. The window is open beside him, the smoke curling in the warm breeze. It’s not even eight in the morning, and already the sun is pounding the cracked dirt and hot asphalt, the sky as fiercely blue as it was yesterday, as it will be tomorrow. Yesterday, a fire swept over the hills, visible from our neighbour’s patio, and we watched planes buzz overhead, dropping precious water in bright curtains while the tiny figures of men in orange jackets struggled with heavy hoses.
By Ryan Frawley8 years ago in Wander
Take the Shovel Back, I’m Not Burying Her: An Open Letter to Dontnod Entertainment
Dear Dontnod, I’m really tired of seeing dead lesbians in media. When I say this, I don’t mean that I’m sad about the creative choices that have happened in recent media, or even that I’m heartbroken by the fact that "dead lesbians" is still a very common trope within modern media. No. When I say I’m tired of seeing dead lesbians in media, I mean that I’ve given up hope. That the surge of joy I once felt on the rare occasion that I saw my sexuality represented in a healthy way is quickly snuffed out by anxiety as I have to sit and debate if I even want to continue consuming this piece of media until I can be absolutely sure that said character won’t meet a grisly end.
By Destiny Smith8 years ago in Gamers
Under Metallic Skies: Titanium Oxide Discovered on Exoplanet For First Time
Space telescopes and ground-based telescopes have been discovering a wide variety of exoplanets in the last few decades - several thousand have been found so far and the estimated total number is in the billions in our galaxy alone. Now, astronomers have found the first exoplanet with titanium oxide in its atmosphere. The chemical compound is rare on Earth but can be found in the atmosphere of some cooler stars.
By Paul Scott Anderson8 years ago in Futurism
Good Eating on a Budget
Eating is a very important part of everyone's day. Depending on what you eat. that day will change your mood in many different ways. If you're anything like me and is a super picky eater then you're in luck. I know exactly how to eat with a picky mind on a little more than $20 a week per person! It's a win win for everyone.
By Cassie White8 years ago in Feast
The Trans Awakening
This story is a pretty deep one filled with confusion and emotion. It’s a story of a girl who didn’t know she was a girl until she was an adult man. This is a story of a 25-year-old woman born and raised a man. This is the true story of Alexandria Victoria in the making.
By Alexandria Victoria8 years ago in Humans
How to Use Meditation to Treat Anxiety and Stress
Meditation can seem daunting to those who are unfamiliar with the practice, and often people believe that there is no way they can possibly clear their mind for long enough to achieve any benefit. We often visualise meditation as the Buddhist monks sitting with their hands upturned on their crossed legs, chanting 'Um' repeatedly. Of course, this image is correct for some methods of meditation practice, but this is not the image you should associate with meditating.
By Anna Pembrey8 years ago in Longevity
Best Drones for Aerial Photography
There are many reasons why someone might find drones to be a fun hobby to partake in. Gearheads love the idea of being able to tinker with technology, and drone maintenance definitely allows for plenty of that. They also might like being able to shop for cool drone accessories, too.
By James Lizowski8 years ago in 01
The Gate - Björk
The Icelandic songstress is back with a light fluffy persona and a brand new song called The Gate. Her new album Utopia is scheduled to be released in November. Am I excited? You bet I am. Björk is one of the most innovative and artistic singers around and has been fusing the lines of abstract art and music since before I was born.
By Chloe Gilholy8 years ago in Beat
When Depression Feels like Rage
Recently I have been dealing with a lot of changes in my life, something that can be difficult for most people, much less a person dealing with mental health issues. However, the emotions I felt during all of these changes were much different from anything I had experienced before. It sent me to the internet, searching for others who had gone through a similar experience. I wondered if something else was wrong with me, or if I had finally snapped. Why? Because I was angry.
By Vanessa Cherron Riser8 years ago in Psyche
The Skin
There's something about skin. The way it feels when two bodies are together, relaxed and comfortable, it's bliss. I love the way he caresses me. I feel a connection. He and I, together for a moment, and he stares into my eyes like he's inspecting. He could remember my eyes perfectly and pinpoint their detail in writing. He touches me softly reminding me that even rough large hands can handle a dainty frail glass-like figure such as mine with a grasp so empowering. His hand ever so slightly grazes over my face, he likes to assert his presence before pushing his lips onto mine. We begin folding into one another, exchanging parts of ourselves for parts of the other.
By Kenya Carpenter8 years ago in Filthy
How (Not) to Write: A Y.A. Romance, Part I
Young Adult literature is probably one of the most popular genres nowadays from what I've seen, and it has been for the past few years, perhaps even longer. I think the buzz started with Twilight, and even though it's had its ups and downs, the high that book brought has stayed and only gotten more and more pronounced over time. A lot of this has to do with movies and shows being created based around popular Y.A. books, but I think the books are the things people enjoy the most. I would say the same case works for me, since I tend to be one of those people who believes that 'the book is better,' simply because books tend to have more to them, and movie representations can be, well, hit-or-miss.
By D.A. Baldwin8 years ago in Journal
Corrupt the Youth
This essay does not intend to add to the thousands of think-pieces on Donald Trump's profound unfitness of the Office of the Presidency on the basis of his politics, for it is clear that the subjectivity surrounding the definition of “unfitness” has rendered this line of argumentation useless for those not already convinced of its validity. For 60-odd million Americans, Trump's attitudes do not qualify as unfit, and I will leave it to others to rip the hair from their own scalps as they shout hollowly, but how do you not get it?! The disbelief that the other side of the political aisle could possibly believe whatever lunacies they hold true is based on the presumption that one's own core values—whether they inclusivity and fairness on the left, or security and stability on the right—be intuited just as readily in the hearts of their opponents, and it is this incredulity that has led to so many argumentative stalemates among the Public. All of our moral-political decisions stem from these core values, and to assume that everyone shares core values is to have stopped discussion before it has begun. Therefore, I will not argue with either the right or the left, because in the present case it does not matter—this administration has launched an attack on the truth itself, a concept without which "left" and "right," along with most everything else, is mostly meaningless.
By PJ Reilly8 years ago in The Swamp
'Twin Peaks' 2017: Laura Is The One
It's been a hell of ride since the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return. Watching the two-parter live was unforgettable, a bracingly raw emotional experience that ran the gamut of thrills, laughs, unbearable tension, heart-warming resolutions, head-fucking narrative turns, and a horrifyingly fatalistic ending. I was so bewildered and overwhelmed, I could hardly speak for hours afterwards. There was so much to take in, to try and make sense of; much of Part 18 in particular was very open to interpretation, and what I felt was being implied was pretty tough to swallow. After everything he'd been through, why did Coop suddenly feel he needed to 'save' Laura? Did he break reality in the process? And what did those closing moments mean - with Coop seemingly lost and Laura more traumatised than ever, had the Black Lodge attained some nightmarish victory?
By James Giles8 years ago in Geeks
“Made In Africa:” Changing Women’s Lives With Shea Butter
Rahama Wright, a first generation Ghanian, was no stranger to the difficulties that encumber women’s lives in Africa. Growing up, her mother would tell her stories of how different her childhood was versus Rahama’s in upstate New York. “She wasn’t allowed to got to school because she was a girl,” Wright reflects, “and her parents wanted her to marry very young.”
By Swaay8 years ago in Viva
DIY Home Upgrades That Cost Less Than $100
Pinterest has become infamous for starting a huge trend in DIY home upgrades - many of which might require you to have professional-level skills to do. If you're good at what you do, and don't mind shelling out a ton of money, those Pinterest-style DIY home upgrades and projects can be worth sharing and photographing.
By Katie Marchbank8 years ago in Lifehack
Pros and Cons of the National Guard
A military career is something many of us have considered in passing. We've wondered if it's the right choice for us, if it can provide as well as people say it will, and possibly if it's actually something that would mesh well with the personalities and values we have.
By Mike Mavenful8 years ago in Serve
Unusual Ways to Make Your Car Last Longer
Cars, to a point, are bad investments. Even with the utmost care, your car will have signs of wear and tear. Eventually, even the most well-maintained car will break down.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Wheel
Best Cheap Rosé Wine on the Market
Rosé wine has long been somewhat maligned among wine connoisseurs — particularly among purists, due to the fact that it's a blend of different wines together. However, over the years, people have begun to find a lot of merit in rosé wines.
By Mackenzie Z. Kennedy8 years ago in Proof
The Clearance Aisle
Everyone loves a good deal, so a clearance aisle is definitely attractive to most people. There is nothing better than a marked down item or a 50% off clearance, but are some of these deals too good to be true? Here are three things to pay attention to on any item in the clearance section.
By Victoria Reeves8 years ago in Lifehack