In this world of crazy, bad news all the time, it’s nice to have the occasional reminder that most people are good and decent. Thankully, this Tumblr thread is here to remind us of the adorable things that humans do. For example:
Her wisdom and sense of justice were on display when she presided over the sentencing phase of a particularly tragic case. Amanda Kosal, age 25, was driving drunk when she hit a SUV carrying 31-year-old Jerome Zirker and his fiancee, 31-year-old Brittany Johnson, last summer. Kosal killed Zirker and caused severe injuries to Johnson.
But during the victim impact statements, Lillard noted a disturbance in her courtroom.
Members of Kosal’s family appeared to be laughing. Lillard interrupted the proceedings and laid down the law on two of the family members.
“Whoever can sit here at a tragic moment like this and laugh and smile when somebody has lost a family member … in the entire time that Mr. Zirker’s sister was speaking, that clown — and that’s what I am going to call him, a clown — was sitting there smiling and laughing,” said Lillard.
“This is a court of law, and these are very serious matters… I understand you all are very upset because your loved one is going to prison — but guess what? She’s going to prison for the choices that she made,” explained the judge. “These people are here grieving, saddened because a senseless act took away their loved one, and you’re sitting here acting like it’s a joke?”
Meanwhile, a man and a woman were escorted from the courtroom. Lillard let them know they could not act disrespectfully in Courtroom 502. “Not today and not any other day.”
The woman turned out to be Kosal’s mother, who was sentenced to 93 days in the Wayne County Jail. However, the next day, she tearfully apologized and said she was feeling stressed because her (alive) daughter was getting sent to prison. Lillard compassionately reduced her sentence to one day, time served.
Kosal was sent to prison for her crime – 3 to 15 years.
Friends and family of Zirkir are still mourning their loss.
Lillard was touched by all the attention given to her actions and the speech she made that day. She posted a statement on Facebook.
“I am honored to have the privilege of serving the citizens of Wayne County. Although I am unable to respond individually to everyone, I have read all of your remarks. I appreciate all of your comments.”
Libraries are houses of learning, and oh my god are they beautiful. While some libraries are just plain old municipal buildings, there are others that completely surpass all expectations. Here’s a list of ten libraries so special, it may be worth your while to take a trip to see them.
1. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France
Home to 15 million books, it is beautifully French. Also, tourists.
“Today years old” is the latest meme to take the internet by storm. It’s where people post things they only just learned recently that has completely changed the way they look at something. Basically, tidbits of knowledge that should be common but are somehow…not.
Read through this list of 15 good ones, and I bet you’ll have your mind blown at least once!
If you’ve been on the internet at all, you know that misinformation is an epidemic. Particularly when it comes to sexuality and health, it seems like thousands of people out there skipped their high school health classes altogether.
Oh, sure, everyone thinks they’re an expert. But what they really “know” about female anatomy is horrifyingly, hilariously incorrect. Some think girls pee out of their vaginas. Others think periods are made out of the blood of dead babies. You know, fun stuff like that.
So sit back, relax and laugh.
1. This dude tried to write something snarky on the comment section of an Onion article titled, “Frustrated Gunman Can’t Believe How Far He Has to Drive to Find Nearest Planned Parenthood Clinic.” He became a bigger joke than the article. (via MsManifesto)
2. Redditor _ahsatan started a conversation about female anatomy when they had to explain that you don’t pee out of your clitoris.
I just taught my sister-in-law (26) and my husband (31) that women do not, in fact, pee from the clit. What are the most ridiculous ideas you’ve heard about the female body?
3. thumper5 responded to _ahsatan with a period myth women wish were true.
That you can “hold” your period blood the same way you can hold your pee. I had an incredibly stupid boyfriend once that wouldn’t stop at a gas station on our way someplace because he thought I could just hold it til we got there.
ETA: that women only use one pad/tampon per period. That pads/tampons/etc aren’t necessary hygiene items.
4. Through all the spelling errors and profanity, it seems this woman thinks that vaginas smell because of years of semen building up inside? (via Reddit user lady-linux)
5. wicksa, a labor and delivery nurse, had many stories to share about female anatomy myths that will make you want to campaign for sex-ed in all schools immediately.
Oh, my time to shine! I am an L&D nurse and I hear some weird shit, especially from teen moms.
“My friend told me that if I douched with sprite after having sex, I couldn’t get pregnant.” – 16 year old in labor
“I tried to schedule a c section because my pussy is really tight and I know a baby ain’t gonna fit through there. The doctor wouldn’t let me.” The baby did indeed fit with no assistance (meaning no vaccuum or forceps, a doctor was totally there haha).
5 foot tall 120 lb girl who looks so pregnant it’s like she swallowed a beach ball, hasn’t had her period in 9+ months, is sexually active, shows up to ER with abdominal pains (contractions!): “I didn’t know I was pregnant.”
“I’m not going to breastfeed because I am afraid it will turn me on too much. I like nipple play during sex.”
6. This man tries to correlate the thigh gap to the size of one’s vagina, even though it seems pretty obvious that no one would ever let him near their vag. (via Redditor dustinyo_)
I dont think that there is enough space for a baby in there. I’ve had 2 kids and they both liked 2 move around and that wouldn’t have been possible in such a Tiny bell. Everyone carries different but working out like that and leaving your baby with little space is not okay. A baby needs 2 tumble en move around. Dont be selfish and workout hardcore 2 keep super thin.
8. Redditor katiedid05 posted this unsettling screenshot of a teenager condescendingly explaining how the clitoris has to grow ten centimeters before giving birth.
sorry but in childbirth you clitoris will need to grow up to 10cm to actually give birth…thats why they say you need to be 10cm dialated to start pushing…im not even 18 yet and i got that one right :/
9. midnasays found this perplexing meme that tries to slut shame women who prefer to use pads?
11. One time an anti-abortion lawmaker asked why women couldn’t just swallow a camera to expedite the process of getting a gynecological exams. Yes, a man who makes laws said this. (via Huffington Post)
During a debate over an anti-abortion bill, a Republican lawmaker in Idaho asked Monday whether women can just swallow a tiny camera in order to conduct a gynecological exam remotely with a doctor.
According to the Associated Press, Idaho Rep. Vito Barbieri (R) posed the bizarre question to Dr. Julie Madsen, who was testifying against a bill that would ban doctors from prescribing medication abortion via webcam unless they have examined the woman in person. Madsen had to explain to Barbieri that swallowed items, like pills, do not land in the vagina.
12. pizzaoverload shared this comment that they found on a YouTube video where a woman (Chris) announced that she got her period back after years of over-training and dieting.
Chris, I know I am male but I have always had somehow an internal sensing that women’s period is blood that is not up to standard and the body must get rid of it. As well as many females think something is wrong with them when they don’t have a period something tells me if your detoxing well through exercise and clean diet that if the body has clean blood and there is nothing to recycle out you just won’t have a period. Just like a lot of women of little bodyfat. I think a female loses their period because the body is that clean and detoxed. I see it as a good thing if this is the case. If this is the case then most females just are not optimal detoxed and the body has to force it through a period to keep the system clean. What are your thoughts is this possible? With Love JC.
13. In a horrifying true story, a so-called “sexual assault expert investigator” had to be told what a cervix was in court.
In the reinvestigation of the case of Kelli Smith, a young driver who killed a father of two while driving the wrong way down a one way street, it was discovered that the woman may have been slipped a date rape drug which caused the accident. Although initially there was no investigation into a possible rape, it was discovered that the woman sustained injuries to her cervix and was found at the scene of the crime without pants or underwear on. Sexual assault expert investigator Eric Stacks was called in to look into whether or not Smith was raped, which prompted defense attorney Jennifer Bukowsky to ask Stacks about the injury.
Bukowsky: In your experience with car crashes how many times do you see injuries to a cervix?
Stacks: I don’t know what you’re asking me, to a cervix?
Bukowsky: You don’t know what a cervix is?
Stacks: No. explain that to me, please.
14. This person thinks that the menstrual cycle is unnatural, and suggests basically starving yourself to stop it. (via PM_me_a_scary_thing from Reddit)
A major part of learning to be in a long-term relationship is learning how to share a bed with your partner. It’s one of those things that you can simultaneously love and also be driven insane by.
Maybe you go back and forth a little bit, alternating between being really annoyed and extremely content and comfortable.
Whatever your feelings are on the subject, these comics will look very familiar to you…
“While still living (as a) a boy, I messaged Jared on Facebook saying, ‘Hey, what’s up,’” Erin recalls, according to Lad Bible. “I knew of him and added him on Facebook because he was cute. But he was having no part of it and didn’t seem interested at all, so I decided not to try anymore with him.”
However, that wasn’t the end of the story for these two. Their paths crossed again once Erin had undergone two years of hormone replacement therapy and breast augmentation.
“It was two years later when he liked one of my pictures on Instagram,” she says. “By that time I had come out as trans and a woman. I decided I was going to be upfront, so I sent him a message with my number and within five minutes, I got a message from him and we started talking. The next day was my birthday, I hung out with him and a week later we were dating officially on Facebook and have been together ever since.”
Jared’s willingness to be honest and open about Erin’s identity with his family and friends is one of the reasons that their relationship is so successful.
“Prior to dating Jared, I had been seeing people but nothing serious came about because they were afraid to tell their family or friends,” Erin says.”They would tell me they really liked me but couldn’t risk their family knowing I was trans and that was what hurt the most. But Jared didn’t fear that, he told his family that I was trans and everything, he doesn’t care what other people think.”
The two have been very open about their relationship on social media, and have even made a video openly discussing why dating trans people shouldn’t be stigmatized. According to Jared, the videos and social media posts have prompted a slew of negative and regressive responses.
“It wasn’t really well known that I was dating a trans woman at first, but when everyone found out, it was a big shocker,” Jared says. “I received a lot of death threats online with one guy saying ‘I will beat you up f*** ‘ which kind of sucked and was depressing. It’s always the same rigmarole things like ‘I hate you,’ ‘You’re disgusting,’ ‘You’re dating a dude’ and other comments.”
However, the couple also says that they’ve received many loving and encouraging messages from people who were inspired by what they had to say.
“After getting all these death threats we talked about it and decided to ignore everybody, whether they are sending love or hate,” Jared adds. “Thankfully I had some messages encouraging us and telling us to ignore the haters.
“It reminds us that people like that are not worth our time.”
This article was first published by our partners at Woke Sloth
Lamyaa is a 17-year-old high school student from Pennsylvania who wears a traditional hijab as required by her Muslim faith.
Recently, she was participating in a group chat with some friends when the subject of Donald Trump came up. “I personally had very strong views considering the presidency did impact me because I am an Arab, Muslim woman,” she told BuzzFeed News.
After Lamyaa criticized Trump’s policies, a “friend of a friend” in the group chat started spewing hate speech. He commented that she “couldn’t take that scarf off or [her] dad would beat” her. Oh, he also called her a bitch.
Most of us would’ve taken this opportunity to furiously unleash an ALL CAPS tirade against this bigot. Lamyaa instead used it as an opportunity to educate. First, she reached out to her dad, who lives in Saudi Arabia, and asked him about potentially removing her hijab. This was his wonderful, moving response:
“Sweetheart that’s not my decision to make,” he wrote. “That’s no man’s decision to make. If it’s what you feel like you want to do, go ahead. I’ll support you no matter what.”
The teen later explained she doesn’t actually plan to remove her hijab.
If you’ve got kids, take note: there are 26 Disney movies currently available on Netflix. Get familiar with them, and you may just survive the long winter months with kids in the house.
With both Marvel and Star Wars technically falling under the Disney umbrella, there’s no shortage of amazing films to share with your kiddos!
It’s not historically accurate, but it has good songs and it’s pretty. You could always use it as a jumping off point for discussions with your kids about genocide and cultural appropriation.
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