Humanities March 2017

Humanities news l politics lreligion l psychology

Issue 14 March 2017

FAKE NEWS What's real?

What's fake?

Explore the Thoughts of

DR. LAURENCE AJAKA

PTSS??

Is there a such thing as PostTraumatic Slave Syndrome?

Brainy

Retrain your brain to get rid of anxiety!

Learn all about the Pre-frontal cortex, the amygdala and more!

Dark and Twisted Projections DR. LAURENCE AJAKA If only we can go back to a time when people dealt with each other instinctively and spontaneously!

Back in the days when our generation were only children, and even throughout our teenage years, we walked hand in hand with friends intertwined so tight we were like a moving brick wall. There existed a real humanistic connection of the highest form. We actually used to play and laugh heartily and life used to be good because it was so simple.

Modernization has robbed us of plenty of innocent pleasures, and life is now a long list of taboos to cover up the decadence happening behind closed doors and in secret basements. If women feel the desire to exchange with their female friends a cheek-to-cheek kiss, they could easily be labeled as lesbians. Men are afraid to show affection towards other men in fear of being thought of as homosexual.

When were greetings ever a means for unsolicited sexual advances?

Where do these dark and twisted projections come from?

Ultimately, those who try so hard to reject something are guilty of the same accusation they try so valiantly to push upon others. Let us go back to a time of pure intentions and well-meaning gestures. We will each be labeled under our own intentions; should they be true and just, then so are you, and should they be false and prejudiced, then so are you.

Put Forth Your Best Qua

By Dr. Laurence Ajaka I was invited to a party in a restaurant with all that entitles of women dressed in the heels. My table was close to the entrance, so I had a pretty good view of who was coming and going. Whenever any new woman entered, all the other women would look shards at her especially if her outfit was a bit sexy or exposed. The resentment almost felt personal as if this newcomer was there to steal all the men for herself.

Do you know that the more exposed a person becomes, the more evident it becomes that it's the only thing they have to expose? Excessive attention to the outer appearances will always come at the price of neglecting the essence. Every person who is whole and complete on the inside doesn't pay this much attention to how they look.

alities, Not Your Best Heels!

We should all try to be more sympathetic to our fellow humans instead of treating them as our mortal enemies. Ladies if the man will only look at you because you have the shortest skirt or the biggest cleavage, he is not worth pursuing or keeping. He is a person guided only by instincts.

So remember ladies, the way you win them is the way you lose them, so put forth your best qualities, not your best heels. Those are not so easily bought in the boutique.

Sugar

Is it Really Addictive?

Anyone who knows me also knows that I have a huge sweet tooth. I always have. My friend and fellow graduate student Andrew is equally afflicted, and living in Hershey, Pennsylvania – the “Chocolate Capital of the World” – doesn’t help either of us.

Lana Vasquez Anyone who knows me also knows that I have a huge sweet tooth. I always have. My friend and fellow graduate student Andrew is equally afflicted, and living in Hershey, Pennsylvania – the “Chocolate Capital of the World” – doesn’t help either of us.

But Andrew is braver than I am. Last year, he gave up sweets for Lent. I can’t say that I’m following in his footsteps this year, but if you are abstaining from sweets for Lent this year, here’s what you can expect over the next 40 days.

Sugar: natural reward, unnatural fix In neuroscience, food is something we call a “natural reward.” In order for us to survive as a species, things like eating, having sex and nurturing others must be pleasurable to the brain so that these behaviours are reinforced and repeated.

Evolution has resulted in the mesolimbic pathway, a brain system that deciphers these natural rewards for us. When we do something pleasurable, a bundle of neurons called the ventral tegmental area uses the neurotransmitter dopamine to signal to a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. The connection between the nucleus accumbens and our prefrontal cortex dictates our motor movement, such as deciding whether or not to taking another bite of that delicious chocolate cake. The prefrontal cortex also activates hormones that tell our body: “Hey, this cake is really

good. And I’m going to remember that for the future.”

Not all foods are equally rewarding, of course. Most of us prefer sweets over sour and bitter foods because, evolutionarily, our mesolimbic pathway reinforces that sweet things provide a healthy source of carbohydrates for our bodies. When our ancestors went scavenging for berries, for example, sour meant “not yet ripe,” while bitter meant “alert – poison!”

Fruit is one thing, but modern diets have taken on a life of their own. A decade ago, it was estimated that the average American consumed 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, amounting to an extra 350 calories; it may well have risen since then. A few months ago, one expert suggested that the average Briton consumes 238 teaspoons of sugar each week.

Today, with convenience more important than ever in our food selections, it’s almost impossible to come across processed and prepared foods that don’t have added sugars for flavour, preservation, or both.

These added sugars are sneaky – and unbeknown to many of us, we’ve become hooked. In ways that drugs of abuse – such as nicotine, cocaine and heroin – hijack the brain’s reward pathway and make users dependent, increasing neuro-chemical and behavioural evidence suggests that sugar is addictive in the same way, too.

S “

ugar addiction is real

The first few days are a little rough,” Andrew told me about his sugar-free adventure last year. “It almost feels like you’re detoxing from drugs. I found myself eating a lot of carbs to compensate for the lack of sugar.”

T

here are four major components of addiction: bingeing, withdrawal, craving, and cross-sensitisation (the notion that one addictive substance predisposes someone to becoming addicted to another). All of these components have been observed in animal models of addiction – for sugar, as well as drugs of abuse.

A

typical experiment goes like this: rats are deprived of food for 12 hours each day, then given 12 hours of access to a sugary solution and regular chow. After a month of following this daily pattern, rats display behaviours similar to those on drugs of abuse. They ’ll binge on the sugar solution in a short period of time, much more than their regular food. They also show signs of anxiety and depression during the food deprivation period. Many sugar-treated rats who are later exposed to drugs, such as cocaine and opiates, demonstrate dependent behaviours towards the drugs compared to rats who did not consume sugar beforehand.

L

ike drugs, sugar spikes dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Over the long term, regular sugar consumption actually changes the gene expression and availability of dopamine receptors in both the midbrain and frontal cortex. Specifically, sugar increases the concentration of a type of excitatory receptor called D1, but decreases another receptor type called D2, which is inhibitory. Regular sugar consumption also inhibits the action of the dopamine transporter, a protein which pumps dopamine out of the synapse and back into the neuron after firing.

I

n short, this means that repeated access to sugar over time leads to prolonged dopamine signalling, greater excitation of the brain’s reward pathways and a need for even more sugar to activate all of the midbrain dopamine receptors like before. The brain becomes tolerant to sugar – and more is needed to attain the same “sugar high.”

“sugar withdrawal.” This was facilitated by either food deprivation or treatment with naloxone, a drug used for treating opiate addiction which binds to receptors in the brain’s reward system. Both withdrawal methods led to physical problems, including teeth chattering, paw tremors, and head shaking. Naloxone treatment also appeared to make the rats more anxious, as they spent less time on an elevated apparatus that lacked walls on either side.

S

imilar withdrawal experiments by others also report behaviour similar to depression in tasks such as the forced swim test. Rats in sugar withdrawal are more likely to show passive behaviours (like floating) than active behaviours (like trying to escape) when placed in water, suggesting feelings of helplessness.

A

new study published by Victor Mangabeira and colleagues in this month’s Physiology & Behavior reports that sugar withdrawal is also linked to impulsive behaviour. Initially, rats were trained to receive water by pushing a lever. After training, the animals returned to their home cages and had access to a sugar solution and water, or just water alone. After 30 days, when rats were again given the opportunity to press a lever for water, those who had become dependent on sugar pressed the lever significantly more times than control animals, suggesting impulsive behaviour.

T

hese are extreme experiments, of course. We humans aren’t depriving ourselves of food for 12 hours and then allowing ourselves to binge on soda and doughnuts at the end of the day. But these rodent studies certainly give us insight into the neuro-chemical underpinnings of sugar dependence, withdrawal, and behaviour.

T

hrough decades of diet programmes and best-selling books, we’ve toyed with the notion of “sugar addiction” for a long time. There are accounts of those in “sugar withdrawal” describing food cravings, which can trigger relapse and impulsive eating. There are also countless articles and books about the boundless energy and new-found happiness in those who have sworn off sugar for good. But despite the ubiquity of sugar in our diets, the notion of sugar addiction is still a rather taboo topic.

S A

A

I

A

ugar withdrawal is also real

lthough these studies were conducted in rodents, it’s not far-fetched to say that the same primitive processes are occurring in the human brain, too. “ The cravings never stopped, [but that was] probably psychological,” Andrew told me. “But it got easier after the first week or so.” n a 2002 study by Carlo Colantuoni and colleagues of Princeton University, rats who had undergone a typical sugar dependence protocol then underwent

re you still motivated to give up sugar for Lent? You might wonder how long it will take until you’re free of cravings and side-effects, but there’s no answer – everyone is different and no human studies have been done on this. But after 40 days, it’s clear that Andrew had overcome the worst, likely even reversing some of his altered dopamine signalling. “I remember eating my first sweet and thinking it was too sweet,” he said. “I had to rebuild my tolerance.” nd as regulars of a local bakery in Hershey – I can assure you, readers, that he has done just that.

H

owever, life is a gradual process and pain is the only means that truly shapes and defines our characters. We have to stumble and fall behind on our way up the tree; as long as we keep going, we will get there.

~ I

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ nstant gratification has become a bane in our lives. Technology has spoilt us with instantaneous results that we have come to expect in everything. That is grossly impractical, but we have grown so accustomed to it that we throw a tantrum at the least provocation. And tantrum is the accurate word because we start whining and complaining about everything under the sun and blowing matters out of proportion. But why do we have such a visceral reaction? We should be more confident in the work done to the extent we are comfortable with our results. Perhaps our anxiety stems from having rushed the job and botched it in the name of instantaneity.

It’s a sign of failure that blocks our creative input and drains our energy. We should approach life in a sensible manner by working hard and having the patience to wait till our work bears fruition.

~ O

MY THOUGHTS DR. LAURENCE AJAKA

A

s our minds mature, we pay a toll by losing some of our passion for life. We start analyzing life from a logical perspective. Some of the issues that sparked a fire within us are now approached in a very analytical way with a cool and level head. When people ask me what I would do if I had the chance to turn back the hands of time, I would have liked to know what I know today at the age of 26. I would have gotten the best of life in terms of balancing logic with emotions.

I

f only the yesterdays of valuing knowledge came back, it would save the world much strife and negativity that invariably spring from two stubborn people butting heads in a disgraceful display ignorance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ n my way to a certain undisclosed region, my car was stopped dead in track by a police officer with a serious look of intent on his face. Long pregnant minutes passed by as the rest of the passengers and I waited to see what the emergency was. Our wait was rewarded with a slew of fancy cars that passed by signifying that we just waited 10 minutes for the long procession of cars carrying some nameless politician. Our nerves were frayed all because the all mighty politician needs to have the road to himself. Why is it that everywhere else, politicians are viewed and view themselves as normal people? They take the subway and ride their bicycles.

They move with the common man. What greater proof of refinement is there when acquiring power is a burden and not a privilege? Our country will never get out of the hole it sunk in unless the people reclaim their rights to humanity and equality. Being in high office means you are a humble servant with burdensome responsibilities. That is the essence of a modern society.

~ T

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ he first bite of anything always tastes sweeter. It awakens our senses and provokes our emotions. We relish it with an abandonment that is never quiet echoed in subsequent experiences.

T

he same can be said of the first people we meet, our parents. They imprint us to the core, and we remain oblivious to its magnitude until the day they leave this earth. The endless shifts of time have taught me one absolute truth; no one will love you like your parents. They are our Godsend angels that will stop at no sacrifice to see us succeed in life. They do the best they can to the best of their knowledge and capabilities.

Y

ou were gone too soon, Father and Mother. You left with two pieces of my heart that I can never reclaim. My heart remains content only because I believe it's God's will to embrace you back into his heavens. May He cocoon you with his celestial majesty as you bask in His love until the time comes to be reunited? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eople make the assumption that asking for help would be met with an automatic willingness to assist.

Whenever we get a refusal, most of us go off the rail and start ranting about the morality of today's society and the caliber of people. We never think to halt for half a moment to consider why the other person refused because we are so immersed in our own bubble to notice much of anything else. It is possible that the other person is in a compromising position and is genuinely incapable of offering any assistance. They could have boasted about a power they do not possess in an effort to impress us. We should also consider whether we have the right to ask for their help in the first place. After all, life gives back what we invest in it, so it's ludicrous to think that passing acquaintances should be so willing to help us. So before the cries of indignation start and the wailings of banshees commence, ask yourself whether or not the other person can help or if they would be willing to do so. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ f only people would cease their constant lecturing about everything under the sun. The world is full of exceptional individuals with fascinating thoughts that need to be spread to all those near and far.

~ P

~ I

I

t's a shame that matters have deteriorated to the point where everyone is so insecure that they need to prove they know about everything.

S

ocial media is a free outlet that gave many advice junkies an easy outlet for their ill-informed and biased opinions. The latest presidential election is a fair example of just how people talk out of order without having a semblance of a complete perspective yet they broadcast their opinions in the air of that who is seeped in confidence.

I

f only the yesterdays of valuing knowledge came back, it would save the world much strife and negativity that invariably spring from two stubborn people butting heads in a disgraceful display ignorance.

~ T

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ he lack of maturity and self-restraint I witness every day never ceases to shock me. You would think that by the time someone reaches the point of taking their masters, they would have enough scruples to act in an intelligent and dignified manner, but often that is not the case. We have barely gained the level of decorum needed to listen when someone else is talking without any side talks. It is a slap in the face and akin to telling the other person that his/her words are not worth considering. In academia, such actions are frowned upon and considered outside the bonds of propriety. This type of behavior stems from childhood when parents fail to stress that the limelight doesn't belong to one person, and thus each one must know when to hold their silence and listen. The sense of self-righteousness and entitlement shouldn't make us selfish and greedy to the point where we deny others even the time to express themselves.

T

eaching is reaching out to make a difference in the lives of the students. Educating a new generation goes beyond training students about numbers and letters; it’s when they see real life between the leather bindings of the book and hone their social and emotional skills within the halls of their schools. With their zest and zeal for life, they are by turn

eager to please and hungry to rebel.

Their emotions will get the best of them, and they will push you away.

A real teacher knows the harder they push, the tougher he/she has to push back to break those boundaries into their inner sanctuaries. Once they let you into their fortress, it’s the most beautiful and rewarding experience of a lifetime.

~ T

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ he Red Cross is a shining proof that humanity still beats strong in the hearts of men and women from all around the world. It's rare that an altruistic goal can bring forth a unity from the freezing winds of the tundra to the scorching heat of the desert.

T

he Red Cross is dedicated to help all those in need regardless of gender, race or social status. It is the ultimate equalizer in the face of adversity and the guiding hand of mercy for those in need.

I

t is the brave men and women who think nothing of hurling their lives and fates to the wind to enter even the most dangerous war zones. They risk their lives knowing there is no glory or reward other than serving their fellow men. They are the unknown faceless heroes that are always on the stand by in the shadows waiting to catch us before we fall into the abyss.

I

fail to wrap my head around this obsession with suntanning yourself into crispy bacon. Is it the ultimate beauty secret that will transform people from regular John and Jane to the next beauty king and queen? All the campaigns that warn of developing skin cancer as a result of excessive suntanning fall on deaf ears. Sometimes I wonder should we ask them to darken their skin to put an end to racism and discrimination, would they be as willing to do so with the same enthusiasm of what they perceive as a beautification method.

Somehow, I have my doubts about that. Meanwhile, it would behoove us all to ditch such practices that not only threaten our health, but also our sense of perception in favor of logic and moderation.

Be Her Rock Through Hard Times DR. LAURENCE AJAKA

I am intrigued by those who wait Mother's day to start the ceremony of posting images of their mothers on social media and buying numerous gifts. The flood of emotions is unparalleled as they go on and on about the love and esteem they have for their mothers.

Little do they know that everything, even words, come with a price tag. These flowery gestures aren't necessary now; what counts is that you stand by her when she grows old and frail.

Don't hire a nurse or put her in a nursing home. She needs you to dedicate a fraction of the years she invested in nurturing you into the independent adult you are now to take care of her in her twilight years. Stop living the moment and work on paying back some of the heavy debt you owe her.

Our mothers are not to be abandoned to solitude or being nursed by a stranger. Money is no substitute for the love, affection, and sacrifice we owe the special soul God saw fit to take us from His embrace to walk the trial of life. Even a simple touch and a nod of understanding are enough to soothe all the wounds of time.

3 Signs You Have An Unhealthy Addiction to Y

By Y 7 Staff You enjoy your partner’s company, share his concerns, and feel connected to her even when you’re separate. These are signs you are attached to your partner. The outcome of attachment is intimacy, caring, and understanding. It can be a beautiful thing and it is absolutely necessary to form a healthy relationship. But not all kinds of attachment are healthy.

Excessive attachment is unhealthy, and damaging.

Excessive attachment is unhealthy, and damaging.

There are three warning signs you have an unhealthy attachment to your partner:

In a healthy relationship, you want to be as supportive as you can be while your partner goes through his or her life, but you know that it is not your life

1. Emotional dependence

3. Rescue behavior

A good relationship includes a healthy dose of interdependence; an unhealthy relationship includes a poisonous dose of emotional dependence. So what’s the difference between interdependence and dependence? Interdependence is a two-way street and dependence is not. Take these examples:

If you make your partner’s life your own life, rescue behavior will naturally follow. When you are worried about every little thing that happens to your partner, no matter how trivial, you will try to take charge, make decisions, and provide solutions – even when they didn’t ask for your help. This is called rescue behavior.

In a healthy relationship, partners ask for each other’s advice, but they understand that the individual has to be comfortable with and take responsibility for the decision. You may step in to help your partner, if they ask for your help, but you don’t wade into their life and start living it for them.

• Interdependence: I rely on you for comfort when I am sad, and in return, I comfort you when you are sad.

• Emotional dependence: I offer you an unlimited amount of comfort, but I never ask for – or expect – comfort in return.

• Interdependence: I enjoy spending time with you, but I also enjoy doing things on my own.

• Emotional dependence: I don’t enjoy doing things alone, so all of our free time must be spent doing things together.

Meeting all of your partner’s needs and not expecting to have your own needs met – or demanding that all of your needs are met without meeting your partner’s – is not healthy. Self-sacrifice is not love and can end up making one — or both — of you feel guilty that you’re not doing enough to make the other happy.

2. Preoccupation with your partner’s needs and feelings It is normal in a relationship to share your worries with your partner. In a good relationship, you care about your partner’s worries and they care about yours, too. But there is a line between caring and becoming preoccupied.

If your partner is nervous about an upcoming performance review at work, for instance, it is healthy for you to listen with compassion, offer words of encouragement, and then return to your own work. In this scenario, you are showing respect for your partner’s ability to meet life’s challenges. If you listen to your partner with compassion, offer words of encouragement, and then put down your own work so that you can give their performance review all of your time and attention, you have crossed over into the realm of unhealthy attachment.

If you take over your partner’s life and something goes poorly, then you stop being the partner they walk through life hand-in-hand with as equals. Instead, you become the person to blame when things go wrong, or the person expected to fix everything. As rescue behavior follows preoccupation, anger and resentment follows rescue behavior.

If emotional dependence, preoccupation, and rescue behavior are signs of unhealthy attachment, does that mean one must detach from their partner entirely in order to be healthy? Not at all. The choice isn’t unhealthy attachment or no attachment at all. There is a middle ground: healthy attachment. The key to achieving the balance between attached and detached is to lovingly disengage from your partner.

You want to respect your partner’s right – and their ability – to lead their own life. You must disengage from your partner to the degree that you can let them have their life, and you can have your own. You can’t solve your partner’s problems for them. You can assist, support, cheer-lead, and soothe, but you can’t take over or interfere. With compassion and love for each other, you attend to your own responsibilities and let your partner do the same. That’s the magic balance a healthy, happy, mutually supportive relationship requires.

Your Partner

Paid Menstrual Leave

Some people think a menstrual leave policy could hinder women—not help them—in the workplace.

Share via facebook dialog Maria Elena's period can sometimes be a pain. The 20-year-old has anemia, and menstruating often leaves her feeling weak. Sometimes, she even passes out. "Normally, I can deal with it, but there’s certain days when even talking to someone is hard," the Los Angeles-based freelance writer tells SELF. "It would be better to have that time off than just being at work and making it worse for everyone else."

Y7 STAFF

But that was difficult when her prior jobs only offered a certain number of sick days. "I have taken sick days for my period before," she says. "I had a job a few years ago at Disneyland and we had a certain amount of sick days. It was kind of unfortunate because everyone got the same amount of days, and I would have to use them for my period. When I got the flu, I didn’t have as many sick days left."

Last week, UK social enterprise company Coexist announced they're creating a "period policy," which will allow women employees to take time off while menstruating. The news sparked a debate among women: Should a menstrual leave policy be a regular thing in offices? Japan has had a nation-wide plan in place since 1947, according to the Atlantic, and Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, and parts of China have similar policies, too.

Off the bat, the idea of "paid menstrual leave" in the workplace might sound like a brilliant idea—but it's not that simple.

According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, more than half of women who menstruate experience some pain for one to two days each month. Pain associated with menstruation is called dysmenorrhea, and, for 20 percent of women, it can be severe enough to interfere with daily activities, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. It falls into two categories: primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea. The first is more common, and consists of cramping in the lower part of the abdomen around the time of menstruation. It's caused by prostaglandins, a natural chemical made in the lining of the uterus, which triggers the uterus to contract.

For some women, the cramping can feel as painful as passing a kidney stone.

Secondary dysmenorrhea is a "disorder in the reproductive system," according to the ACOG, and may begin later in life. Some of the conditions that fall under this category include endometriosis, adenomyosis, and fibroids. Actress and writer Lena Dunham recently opened up about her painful experience with endometriosis—a condition where the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body—and it's even kept her from working.

"So many women with this disease literally don't have the option of time off and I won't take it for granted," she wrote in an Instagram post explaining why she took a recent leave from work because of the condition. It's estimated that 6 to 10 percent of women in the U.S. who are of reproductive age have endometriosis. Pain relievers and birth control can often ease the pain of dysmenorrhea, though secondary dysmenorrhea sometimes requires surgery.

leave will act in exactly this manner."

UNDERCOVER Worstall estimates that if one day off a month is added for menstrual leave, "we would expect female wages to fall by 1/22 or 1/23 relative to those of men (or of post-menopausal women)."

Then, there's the question of if women will actually take the time off. In Japan, a fear of "social stigma" causes many women to just request regular time off rather than menstrual leave, fearing the attention of their male co-workers, the Guardian reports. Menstrual taboo is a serious issue across the world, and many women don't like talking about their period unless they're with a healthcare provider.

Katy Waldman, a writer for Slate, argues in her opinion piece, titled "Thanks, But We Will Pass On Paid Menstrual Leave," that companies should accommodate women with a fair sick-leave policy that has enough days off for menstruating and nonmenstruating employees, rather than predetermined "menstrual leave" days, which could unnecessarily "pry" into the pants of women.

"We definitely don’t deserve the added attention to—or annoyingly reverent theorizing around—our ovaries. They will be fine!" she writes. "Give us plenty of paid sick leave for those days when we 'are hunkered down under four blankets in soul-crushing pain,' as one of my colleagues puts it."

Amelia Costigan, director of nonprofit Catalyst—which works to accelerate progress for women in the workplace—says a menstrual leave policy isn't a great idea. She calls the policy benevolent sexism, and, while it's designed to help women, it would actually undermine their ability to compete in the workplace. She suggests companies should provide ample flex time, and there shouldn't be a need to explain why women or men are using it.

"When you start using the 'why' then people start getting judgment," she tells SELF. "If somebody has to manage their personal life that’s their personal life, and an organization should trust that person is going to get the work done and they’re accountable for it."

It's the side-effects and often debilitating nature of menstruation that has many women, like Elena, pro-menstrual leave. Elena argues that women get migraines, the flu and other ailments that require a sick day just like men, but a woman's period is a monthly occurrence that men don't deal with, and it calls for a couple extra days off.

So, are menstrual leave policies a good idea? It's unclear. Women deserve to take time off when they're not feeling well—whether it's from their period or the flu—and have the sick days to accommodate for both. They also need more flex days, period, so they can have enough personal days for any host of reasons, like doctors appointments or their kids falling ill. But, women shouldn't have to sacrifice equality in the workplace. It all depends on the type of policy, how it would work in an office—would you have to announce it's menstrual leave to your entire team?—and how the employer would treat women under such a plan. Either way, the debate around this gets people talking about how much periods can affect women. That's a good start to lessening the stigma around the topic.

"I don’t think it would hurt for a few days more a year," she says.

"Women all over the world have to deal with their period."

And, policy or not, Elena argues that women will still take the time off they need.

But there's another side to the debate. First, it has to do with the inequality many women already face in the office. In an opinion piece for Forbes, finance writer Tim Worstall theorizes that adding in extra days off for women to take menstrual leave could increase the gender pay gap. A gap already exists in the workplace, and women earn $0.78 on average for every dollar a man made in 2013, and this ratio is even more dire for women of color, according to nonprofit org Catalyst. Worstall argues that could increase with the addition of paid menstrual leave, as female employers could "cost more" to employers.

"Whether we get [menstrual leave] or not I’m still going to take the time off anyways," she says. "Whether you put it on paper and say this is going to happen or not, women are still going to be taking that time off."

"If we insist that one group or another has an extra set of costs associated with their employment then we’ll end up seeing the wages of that group fall relative to groups that don’t have those associated costs," he writes. "The provision of paid menstrual

19

W

JANICE KEITH

How To Pay For Your Wedding The little things you can save, the big things you can sacrifice and how to make it all add up for your wedding day.

START SAVING NOW Start saving from the moment you think about it. Don't wait until your wedding day is around the corner. Lessen your stress and start setting aside money in a special account or piggy bank.

How to Actually Pay for Your Wedding The little things you can save, the big things you can sacrifice and how to make it all add up for your wedding day Your wedding is probably the priciest party you’ll ever throw in your life. It’s easy to say you’ll stick to a budget, or have tons of fabulous DIY details, but at the end of the day, your venue and catering bill could amount to way more than you imagined. It’s important to understand how your budget will be broken down. Saving up for the wedding isn’t an insurmountable task—we promise. Here’s how to save up and pay for your wedding by spending smartly and cutting back a little along the way.

Use this simple math equation.

If you have a big budget goal that seems daunting, divide it into smaller chunks that are easier

USE AS MANY SAVINGS AND WEDDING APPS AS YOU CAN FIND TO KEEP YOUR BUDGET ON TRACK!

tthe number of months you have to save up. Getting married in a year with a budget of $20,000? Divide $20,000 by 12 (which equals about $1,700 per month). If that amount seems like too much per month, add more time or try cutting back on a few of your big-ticket monthly expenses to help you save. “That’s literally how simple planning [financially] for a wedding can be,” says David Bach, founder and chairman of FinishRich Media and author of Smart Couples Finish Rich, about this relatively simple math. Where should this money go? Into a newly created “wedding account,” of course. Throughout your life, having a savings account dedicated to something more exciting than a retirement plan, like travel, a wedding or another big event, is a good idea and will help make saving more fun. Obviously, the amount of time you’ll need to save up for a wedding depends on your current income and expenses. For example, if you can only save $800 a month, but your dream wedding looks like it will cost somewhere in the $50,000 range, you’ll be saving for over five years. When you’re thinking of your budget, work within realistic parameters and don’t set unattainable goals. For some couples, more drastic sacrifices will be required, while other to-be-weds will be splitting the cost with relatives to help lighten the load. Think about what’s best for you and your partner and what makes the sense. Be practical about your limits. The amount of time it takes you to save will depend entirely on your own circumstances.

Cut back on monthly expenses.

digest. The simple math trick that makes it all work?

Take the sum of your desired budget and divide it by

Do you belong to a gym, club or subscription service

that takes a monthly sum out of your account? Cutting back on these types of expenses can have some of the quickest effects on your account balance. Turning off your cable could save you $100 a month, and ending a gym membership could put an extra $75 in your account each month. You’re not going to give up your cell phone, but you might be able to change the data plans or forgo on-demand movies for a year.

You should make a habit of reaching out to your cell phone and cable companies annually and negotiating a better deal. Sometimes, just by asking, you can get a price cut on your bills. Even $20 off a monthly bill can save you $240 over the course of a year. Nowadays, it’s so expensive for a company to acquire a new customer that most will lower their fees just to keep you around. And if your attempts at negotiation fail, consider cutting out nonessential monthly costs. We’re not talking about your health plan or your life insurance—those things are non-negotiable. But for things like cable, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Birchbox and Spotify—anything that debits you on a monthly basis—the time has come to really consider if these are must-haves you truly need, or if you can sacrifice them for a bit in favor of a larger wedding budget—and that fancy cake you have your eye on.

Stop little spending habits that add up.

Scale down your shopping during the months you’re saving or only buy lunch out one day a week. You’ll begin to see a little wiggle room for your wedding account in no time. “I call this ‘the latte factor’—the way we spend money on a lot of little things without thinking about it,” Bach says. “It could be your coffee, bottled water, eating out for lunch and dinner, or having drinks. It could even be taking a cab instead of taking the subway, or parking your car closer to your office and therefore paying a higher parking fee.” A dollar here, three dollars there—it adds up over days and weeks. Cutting back on a few (or a lot) of these expenditures can result in saving up to $10, maybe $20, per day—that’s $300 to $600 per month. But don’t worry—cutting out these expenses isn’t going to change your whole life for the next year. Trust us, time flies when you’re wedding planning.

Make bigger sacrifices, if you're willing.

Looking for any possible way to cut costs or find extra money to help pay for your wedding? There are some more drastic measures you can take as well. You could move in with your parents to save on rent for the year (or move in together if you haven’t already). If you both own a car, consider selling one of them—that itself could save you more than $5,000 in expenses like gas, tune-ups and insurance. “The expenses from that car could pay for a third of the wedding,” Bach says.

Use your credit cards—realistically.

If you’re in the process of saving up for the wedding while you’re making deposits to reserve your venue and other vendors, you’re likely going to have to use credit cards. That shouldn’t worry you as long as you’re using them correctly (read: paying them off in full in a timely manner). Credit cards can actually protect you from fraud and make transactions easier, so we don’t suggest avoiding them entirely as long as you’ve saved up enough, or will have saved up enough to pay them off before interest sets in. But one big thing to keep in mind: Don’t start your marriage off in debt—it’s never a good idea—and don’t consider paying for things with money you don’t have and won’t have for a long time. You also shouldn’t take out a loan to cover costs. “Going into marriage with debt for a oneday party is a huge mistake,” Bach says. “People start their lives in these huge financial holes and it’s just a shame. It’s smart to create a specific wedding account to put money into and then simply reverse the math to come up with your savings plan.” Bottom line: Don’t spend more than you can afford.

Think of creative ways to make more cash.

Have you considered selling items you don’t need anymore online? What about starting an Etsy shop or doing freelance work? This can be a great way to supplement your wedding fund. Once you have a plan in place to actually pay for your wedding, start a wedding budget. It's also worth looking into expensive wedding dates to avoid and checking out some planning advice to get a handle on the whole process. Whatever kind of help you need, we've got you completely covered below. And let The Knot wedding planning app keep you on track every step of the way.

What about investing to pay for the wedding?

Investing in stocks is more of a long-term process, and probably not the best idea as a way to pay for the wedding. But if your parents are planning to pay, it’s something they might have already considered years before you even met your partner.

Is It All A Matter of Sexual Prowess?

Men are facing real crises in today's society. Having already lost their previously unshakable role as the sole breadwinner, they are now being questioned about their sexual prowess.

DR. LAURENCE AJAKA After a certain age, the testosterone level decreases, and men become incapable of performing as well as before. Men might not have menopause, but they do experience a downfall of sexual desire and capability at different ages. The stressful working and personal environments we live in also contribute to this situation, and men often suffer from erectile dysfunction at various ages. Some women have no qualms about exploiting this fact as a means to overrule their partners, degrading them in subtle and not so subtle ways to get the upper hand in the relationship. Men are especially vulnerable when it comes to their sexuality, and they can suffer debilitating emotional damage when questioned about it. In response, they might take to compensating for this lack with extra-marital affairs or spending money in a reckless way trying to reclaim their glory. Women also use this as an excuse to cheat, seeking cheap sexual thrills. Ultimately, the integrity and cohesion of the family will be compromised, and the children are the ones most likely to suffer the consequences. Sexual satisfaction is not the most important part of marriage. Instead of counting the number of sexual encounters a man can fulfill, it's more beneficial in the long run to cement the emotional intimacy between the couple.

DR. LAURENCE AJAKA

Clean Up Toxic Thoughts Most of us rush to the doctor whenever we get sick.

Consumption of pharmaceutical drugs is at a historical height of usage. We try so valiantly to protect ourselves unaware that we are responsible for the majority of all our illnesses, and that it all lies in our thoughts.

A human will average 30,000 thoughts each day, some of which are comforting but the majorities are burdened by the stressful lifestyle of the modern world. Scientists have proven that negative thoughts can trigger hormonal responses in the body.

These hormones, with frequent release, might lead to many diseases from skin rashes up to diabetes and cancer. This is because our bodies should be able to balance out the negative hormones with some positive ones that restore our homeostasis. However, if we remain prisoners to these negative thoughts, we will get to the point where the coping mechanisms fail, and we get sick.

So the next time we get a health scare and decide to detox, we might have to reconsider drinking exotic shakes with ingredients whose names we cannot even pronounce and opt to clean up our toxic thoughts!

Fix Up Your FICO The best advice for rebuilding credit is to manage it responsibly over time. If you haven't done that, then you need to repair your credit history before you see credit score improvement. The tips below will help you do that. They are divided up into categories based on the data used to calculate your credit score.

3 Important Things You Can Do Right Now

It's important to note that repairing bad credit is a bit like losing weight: It takes time and there is no quick way to fix a credit score. In fact, out of all of the ways to improve a credit score, quickfix efforts are the most likely to backfire, so beware of any advice that claims to improve your credit score fast.

1. Check Your Credit Report – Credit score repair begins with your credit report. If you haven't already, request a free copy of your credit report and check it for errors. Your credit report contains the data used to calculate your credit score and it may contain errors. In particular, check to make sure that there are no late payments incorrectly listed for any of your accounts and that the amounts owed for each of your open accounts is correct. If you find errors on any of your reports, dispute them with the credit bureau.

2. Setup Payment Reminders – Making your credit payments on time is one of the biggest contributing factors to your credit scores. Some banks offer payment reminders through their online banking portals that can send you an email or text message reminding you when a payment is due. You could also consider enrolling in automatic payments through your credit card and loan providers to have payments automatically debited from your bank account, but this only makes the minimum payment on your credit cards and does not help instill a sense of money management.

3. Reduce the Amount of Debt You Owe – This is easier said than done, but reducing the amount that you owe is going to be a far more satisfying achievement than improving your credit score. The first thing you need to do is stop using your credit cards. Use your credit report to make a list of all of your accounts and then go online or check recent statements to determine how much you owe on each account and what interest rate they are charging you. Come up with a payment plan that puts most of your available budget for debt payments towards the highest interest cards first, while maintaining minimum payments on your other accounts.

More Tips on How to Fix a Credit Score & Maintain Good Credit Payment History Tips Contributing 35% to a FICO Score calculation, this category has the greatest effect on improving your scores, but past problems like missed or late payments are not easily fixed.

•Pay your bills on time.

Delinquent payments, even if only a few days late, and collections can have a major negative impact on your FICO Scores.

•If you have missed payments, get current and stay current.

The longer you pay your bills on time after being late, the more your FICO Scores should increase. Older credit problems count for less, so poor credit performance won't haunt you forever. The impact of past credit problems on your FICO Scores fades as time passes and as recent good payment patterns show up on your credit report. And good FICO Scores weigh any credit problems against the positive information that says you're managing your credit well.

•Be aware that paying off a collection account will not remove it from your credit report.

It will stay on your report for seven years.

•If you are having trouble making ends meet, contact your creditors or see a legitimate credit counselor.

This won't rebuild your credit score immediately, but if you can begin to manage your credit and pay on time, your score should increase over time. And seeking assistance from a credit counseling service will not hurt your FICO Scores.

Amounts Owed Tips This category contributes 30% to a FICO Score's calculation and can be easier to clean up than payment history, but that requires financial discipline and understanding the tips below.

•Keep balances low on credit cards and other "revolving credit".

•Note that it's OK to request and check your own credit report.

High outstanding debt can affect a credit score.

This won't affect a score, as long as you order your credit report directly from the credit reporting agency or through an organization authorized to provide credit reports to consumers.

•Pay off debt rather than moving it around.

The most effective way to improve your credit scores in this area is by paying down your revolving (credit cards) debt. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your scores.

•Don't close unused credit cards as a short-term strategy to raise your scores.

•Don't open a number of new credit cards that you don't need, just to increase your available credit.

This approach could backfire and actually lower your credit scores.

Length of Credit History Tips •If you have been managing credit for a short time, don't open a lot of new accounts too rapidly.

New accounts will lower your average account age, which will have a larger effect on your scores if you don't have a lot of other credit information. Also, rapid account buildup can look risky if you are a new credit user.

New Credit Tips •Do your rate shopping for a given loan within a focused period of time.

FICO Scores distinguish between a search for a single loan and a search for many new credit lines, in part by the length of time over which inquiries occur.

•Re-establish your credit history if you have had problems.

Opening new accounts responsibly and paying them off on time will raise your credit score in the long term.

Types of Credit Use Tips •Apply for and open new credit accounts only as needed.

Don't open accounts just to have a better credit mix – it probably won't raise your credit score.

•Have credit cards – but manage them responsibly.

In general, having credit cards and installment loans (and paying timely payments) will rebuild your credit scores. Someone with no credit cards, for example, tends to be higher risk than someone who has managed credit cards responsibly.

•Note that closing an account doesn't make it go away.

A closed account will still show up on your credit report, and may be considered by a score.

To summarize, "fixing" a credit score is more about fixing errors in your credit history (if they exist) and then following the guidelines above to maintain consistent, good credit history. Raising your scores after a poor mark on your report or building credit for the first time will take patience and discipline.

Natural worriers can relax a little: Neuroscientists are beginning to understand their condition. In particular, recent studies suggest that the prefrontal cortex of the brain normally “gets a grip” on excessive anxiety by moderating the activity of a more primitive region known as the amygdala.

When this prefrontal-amygdala connection is weak, excessive anxiety can be the result.

“There’s been an explosion of findings” concerning this connection, says Ahmad Hariri, a neuroscientist at Duke University who is prominently involved in the field.

The latest study was reported in the Sept. 16 issue of the Journal of Neuroscienceby Dartmouth College researchers Justin Kim and Paul Whalen. The researchers combined two imaging techniques: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which works similarly but can map nerve fiber bundles.

The scientists found that when 20 healthy subjects watched standard test images of “fearful” faces, brain activity increased on the fMRI scans. The increases seemed to map to a nerve-fiber bundle known as the uncinate fasciculus (UF)—a major connection

u a C h t o B n i a r B e h t n a C DR. LYNN DAVIS MD

between the temporal lobe, which houses the amygdala, and the frontal cortex.

The researchers also found that the thickness of this fiber tract varied inversely with the subjects’ scores on a standard psychological test of inherent anxiety, known as trait anxiety. “So if the two areas are strongly connected, you tend to show lower levels of [the] trait anxiety, and if the connections aren’t as heavy, you tend to be more anxious,” Whalen says.

The prefrontal cortex is the structure that most clearly differentiates human brains from the brains of other primates. Observations of humans with prefrontal cortex damage suggest that this brain region exerts a relatively sophisticated, moderating influence on the simpler, more impulsive and less flexible structures of the

limbic system, which humans share with other mammals. “ The prefrontal cortex is supposed to keep areas like the amygdala in check, and instruct them that, for example, ‘I know that’s a snake, but it’s behind a piece of plexiglass, so we’re good,’” Whalen says. “It’s much like a parent and child. Children are less flexible in their responses to situations than parents, whose job is to instruct them and help them regulate.”

Next steps The findings add to a growing body of evidence explaining the underlying connections of the brain in anxiety. Previous experiments using fMRI alone, for instance, showed that people with high trait anxiety scores tend to have amygdalas that are less coordinated, or “coupled,” with the

prefrontal cortex. In other words, higher amygdala activity corresponds to lower prefrontal activity, and vice versa.

A recent neurogenetics study also concluded that people with a genetic variation affecting the serotonin neurotransmitter system tend to have a thinner UF. “ These happen to be the same individuals who show increased amygdala reactivity and decreased coupling between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex,” Hariri notes.

A good next step, he says, would be to per form imaging experiments in a relatively large sample of subjects to see whether differences in UF structure can usefully predict the degree of amygdala-prefrontal coupling and trait anxiety.

Whalen also wants to start looking at the UF pathway in people with an-

? y t e i x n A e r u C d n a e us

xiety-related mental health problems. With Lisa Shin, a researcher at Tufts University, he plans to study people who have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Both Whalen and Hariri note that the amygdala also merits more study in general. Though it is popularly portrayed as the brain’s “fear ” region, its fear-related functions are associated with only one portion of the amygdala, known as the lateral nucleus. Other systems within the amygdala appear to be activated by a broader range of situations. “You can show happy faces to subjects and the more dorsal parts of the amygdala are quite interested in them,” Whalen says. “We also know that lesions of the amygdala affect [rats’] ability to learn about tones that predict food.”

Thus, he argues, “biologically relevant learning” is probably a better description of the amygdala’s general function. Hariri notes, too, that the amygdala might only help to signal a “baseline level of arousal,” whereas “other parts of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex use that information and elaborate that information in a way that’s relevant for the specific experience of positive or negative emotion.”

Both researchers attribute the traditional emphasis on the amygdala’s fear-related functions largely to the limitations of laboratory techniques. “We know,” Whalen says, “how to make animal subjects afraid better than we know how to make them happy.”

The

Prophet Moses went out one day to contemplate and asked God: "How do the weak take their due from the strong?� God replied: "Go forth on this day to this place and learn how the weak get their justice from the strong".

DR. LAURENCE AJAKA Prophet Moses went off and saw a waterfall coming out of a mountain, and he sat down to observe. A knight on a steed came and wanted to drink.

He removed his buckle that was restraining his motion and put it aside while drinking. After taking his full, the knight went back on his ride forgetting the belt he put aside earlier.

Lord is Right and Just

Later on, a small boy riding a donkey came to drink from the waterfall.

The boy gave thanks to the Lord, and while leaving, he spots the belt the knight had forgotten. He opened the belt and found it full of gold, money and precious gems. The boy was ecstatic and took his find with him.

A few minutes later, an old man came to drink from the same waterfall. It wasn't long before the knight came back looking for his belt. He saw the old man and accused him of stealing his belt. Though the old man earnestly denied laying eyes on it, the knight wasn't pacified and lobbed the man's head off.

Prophet Moses contemplated what had unfolded and asked God about the injustice that befell the old man.

God replied: "The old man had killed the knight's father many years ago.

As to the boy, his father tolled on the knight's father's property for years without receiving his due compensation.

The knight got justice for his father's murder and the boy took his father's rightful earning from the knight".

Praised be the Lord that is Right and Just for no indiscretion goes unpunished.

I happen to enjoy working in snug cafes where the changing scenery never fails to entertain me.

Yesterday, while thus engaged, walked in a beautiful woman and placed a written card that read “I am deaf-mute� as well as an assortment of key chains she was selling to be able to survive.

She made a tour all over the room to all tables; some responded to her while others pretended she wasn’t even there. What struck me was the smile she had on all the time even when people rebuffed her rudely. I almost felt envious for the gift God gave her, the ability to radiate positivity in all circumstances. Even among the throng of beautiful people in the place, her smile put them all to shame. I became curious to talk to her, and we had a lovely chat. I found out she is Russian and she was born with her condition.

She refused even my invitation for a drink or something to eat insisting that she works for her living and accepts nothing from anyone.

DR. LAURENCE AJAKA

And She Stands As A Te

Such bravery and stoic attitude in the face of all adversary, and yet we, in possession of all our faculties, spend our days in an incessant tirade of complaints.

We should all take this trooper as an example to persevere even when we feel life has taken so much. Life has given us so much for everything it takes, yet we are loath to even part with a smile. The soul of God himself shone from her, and she stands as a testament to His will.

estament to His Will

Do You Have Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome?

Recent events have Black people reeling, and the way we respond may go back to the harrowing treatment of our ancestors. Learn how to break the chains for survivaL And for the

Post-Traumati Slave Syndrom

Tatyana Rhodes didn’t grow up afraid of anybody.

Even last year, when the Texas teenager’s social media feeds became a window into the ugly, sometimes deadly reality of police brutality, she never imagined she’d be exposed to such violence. Then in June, at an end-of-school gathering organized by Rhodes and her mother near an admission-restricted community pool in their Dallas suburb of McKinney, Texas, she found herself in the middle of a nightmare.

Rhodes says she was approached by two White women who hurled racial insults and told her to “go back to subsidized housing,” even though, she adds, she and her friends, mostly AfricanAmerican adolescents, were residents or guests of residents of the subdivision and, as such, had a right to be by the swimming pool. “I felt threatened; they were yelling, being verbally violent,” recalls Rhodes, 19. The abuse then got shockingly physical: One of the women struck Rhodes in the face with a closed fist. A short time later, once police arrived in response to complaints that the party had turned rowdy, a White officer grabbed a friend of Rhodes’ younger sister—a slender, bikini-clad 14-year-old. After pushing the girl, facedown, to the ground with his knee and straddling her, the officer waved his gun at other attendees.

That part of the incident went viral online and became national news. The attack on Rhodes didn’t garner such attention, yet after it happened, she started getting threats on Twitter and Instagram, harassment that continued for weeks.

“I feel that I need to be extra- aware of my surroundings; I don’t really feel secure or safe,” the student, model and aspiring physician says now.

“I don’t really hang out with my friends anymore. I feel like anyone can just walk up to my home and do anything.”

ic me

From the fatal chokehold of Eric Garner in New York City last year and the bloody arrest in March of University of Virginia student Martese Johnson to the horrendous massacre of nine congregants attending Bible study in a Charleston, S.C., church in June, it is clear that African-Americans are under attack. If you’re feeling frightened, isolated or angry—or think you have to tiptoe around the office to avoid a racial encounter—you’re not alone.

While what you’re experiencing may seem to be a reaction to recent events, your emotions and actions could, in fact, be rooted in the past. There’s even a name for this condition: post-traumatic slave syndrome (PTSS). And although it is complex and deeply rooted, know this: It is possible for Black people to live victoriously—albeit cautiously—in America today and at the same time strive to make things better for future generations.

Chains in Our DNA Educator and author Joy DeGruy, Ph.D., is the woman who, 25 years ago, coined the PTSS term to help explain the consequences of multigenerational oppression from centuries of chattel slavery and institutionalized racism, and to identify the resulting adaptive survival behaviors. She turned her study into the groundbreaking book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, published in 2005. Researchers have long investigated how historical trauma is passed down through the generations, and findings suggest actual memories are transmitted through the DNA for Jews, Native Americans and other groups, DeGruy indicates. That same concept can be applied to the impact of slavery on African-Americans.

PTSS differs from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which results from a single trauma experienced directly or indirectly. “When we look at American chattel slavery, we are not talking about a single trauma; we’re talking about multiple traumas over lifetimes and over generations,” says DeGruy. “Living in Black skin is a whole other level of stress.”

In formulating her theory, she wondered: What happens when stressed people lack treatment for generations?

How have Black people coped? What adaptive behaviors have we invented— now misinterpreted as “cultural”—to survive in a toxic environment? “How do we tease out, as a people, that which is harmful and adaptive, that which builds resilience and that which is absolutely pathological?” asks DeGruy, because figuring that out is essential if we are to break the cycle. “We have to learn to not pass along the broken material. We have to learn how to keep ourselves safe.”

What is Fake News?

How to Tell What's Real “Fake news” has become a topic of household conversation. It is more important than ever to have a firm understanding of what authentic and reputable journalism is, and what is actually fake news.

Y7 STAFF OPINION

It is more important than ever that individuals be proactive in differentiating fake news from real news, especially in the social media world. Consider some of the points below to get your education started.

What Actually is Fake News?

According to GCF Learn Free, “…Fake news is any article or video containing untrue information disguised as a credible news source. Fake news typically comes from sites that specialize in bogus or sensationalized stories. It tends to use provocative headlines, like Celebrity endorses not brushing teeth or Politician selling toxic waste on the black market.”

However, as GCF points out, these stories are becoming increasingly dangerous in the digital age, with many people consuming stories on social media without fact checking or bothering to confirm that such headlines that aim for a “shock” factor even exist.

Once these stories are shared and become popularized, enough people believe the story and accept the story as truthful. Oftentimes, this can even become subconscious. This cycle is vicious in the social media world, as stories that make it to the top of news feed are all-too-often untruthful clickbait.

RESEARCH. RESEARCH. AND THEN RESEARCH SOME MORE!!

MARQUES JOHNATHAN

A Word on Mainstream News For the most part, trust in major news sources really lies in the eye of the beholder. See the image below highlighting the most trusted major news sources in America (most of which are actually British), as found

by Pew Research Center and cited by Business Insider.

How to Differentiate Between Fake News and Real News There are definitely some things you can do if you are not certain a story is real or fake. Here are some tips to help you differentiate between fake news and real news stories: What is the Site?

As discussed above, while people fall all over the board ideologically in deciding whether they trust a mainstream news source, the truth is that most major recognized sources for news journalism are not going to be producing clickbait fake news. Most of the fake news that go for “shock” value and produce fake stories are not as recognized. Look into the source itself and see whether it is a website that can be trusted.

Jokes and Satire Are Not Fake News It is also incredibly important to mention that satire sites like The Onion and Clickhole, which feature funny stories based on relevant current events, are not “fake news.” They are smart satire pieces intended to be humorous — not real — and their entire sites are based around their readers being knowledgeable about this strategy and theme. With branding like Clickhole’s own “Because Everything Deserves to Go Viral” or The Onion’s “America’s Finest News Source,” their articles’ joking nature is intended to be common knowledge.

While there are discrepancies based on ideological views, most major news sources do have to undergo editorial reviews and are recognized as being prestigious forms of journalism. The BBC, PBS, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, ABC, NBC, CNN, USA Today, and Google News were among the most trusted across ideological groups (with the exception of consistently conservative folks — who favor BBC, Google News, and the Wall Street Journal).

Once you identify if a story is real or fake, you can make a big difference. Do not share stories on social media that are fake and make them more visible.

Check the Domain NPR recently reported that many fake news stories use similar URLs and domain names to mimic reputable news sources, but rather than using a .com they use .com.co endings. “This is true even when the site looks professional and has semi-recognizable logos.

For example, abcnews.com is a legitimate news source, but abcnews.com.co is not, despite its similar appearance.”

What are the Authors’ Sources?

Good news stories contain links to other reputable reporting by respected organizations. They contain interviews with individuals who can confirm or deny they made the claim. They are sup-

by evidence, dates, and other data that can be fact checked. Be wary of sources that cannot substantiate their claims.

Fact Check!

When in doubt, fact-check the information that you read! You can start with a simple search to look into the keywords or the event that is being reported on.

You can also use sites like PolitiFact, FactCheck, and Snopes — all of which are extremely reputable fact checking sites for a variety of issues and topics (not just politics).

Examine the Website Closely It is important to not look at one story alone but to look at the full spectrum of details on the site. Are there other fakelooking or shocking headlines? What does the overall website look like? How is the user experience? Sometimes doing just a little further digging will make it evident if a news story is fake.

How Informed Users Can Interact Once you identify if a story is real or fake, you can make a big difference. Do not share stories on social media that are fake and make them more visible.

If you notice a friend or family member share a fake story on a social media outlet, do them a favor and comment or message them showing how you found out it was fake so they don’t repeat the same mistake.

If you come across a fake news article, comment on it stating how you arrived at the conclusion it was fake. If everyone does their part to distinguish fake news stories and make them known, then they won’t be shared as easily.

WWW.YA7ELWEENMAGAZINE.COM

Keep it Beautiful!