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Less than a year after she came out with her Grammy-winning album Short n Sweet, pop singer Sabrina Carpenter announced the release date of her next project, titled Mans Best Friend, with a new album cover on Wednesday, and it has ignited a headline-grabbing debate. While some fans of the singer are salivating over the mere mention of another Sabrina Summer, others are none too happy with the album covers messaging. The cover depicts Carpenter in heels and a black minidress, crouching on the floor. An anonymous man holds a handful of her iconic blonde hair. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sabrina Carpenter (@sabrinacarpenter) Fans and critics immediately took to social media to voice their support or concerns with the images messaging, and though many fans staunchly defend Carpenter and the album cover as satirical, exaggerated, and ironic, others, including the domestic violence advocacy group Glasgow Womens Aid, say that the image of a Carpenter kneeling on the ground being dragged by her hair is triggering, regressive, and frankly, distasteful. Pushing boundaries or tired tropes? Discourse about the albums imagery calls to mind a long history of public criticism directed toward women artists. Many women who have challenged boundaries around what was acceptable in music and other artistic disciplines have found themselves on the receiving end of cultural blowback, but this conversation reads differently. The prevalence of social media means that the album cover went viral overnight, as people saw and posted about the new cover, and some critics worry about the impact of the message on young fans. (Carpenter is a former Disney Channel star.) Fans also have the ability insult each others intelligence overtly via Instagram and TikTok, calling those who dont get it dumb and dense. Comments on the original Instagram post lean both directions, with some expressing their excitement and others telling Carpenter that the cover is not the slay you think it is. One user explained that even if the cover is an ironic joke, it’s not an effective one. If the fans who know all of her lore are the only ones who can interpret her attempt, that isnt satire,” the user wrote. “[It’s] an inside joke that reads misogynistic to everyone else which makes it really harmful.” Still, Carpenter is known for the wry messaging in her music, prompting some TikTok users to call out others whom they claimed just didn’t get it. The people criticizing Sabrina Carpenters new album cover for Mans Best Friend are so obtuse, said one TikToker in a video. None of you have ever used context clues in your life and it shows. However, others accuse Carpenter of not paying attention to context. A common refrain is that Carpenter is acting oblivious to America’s current political climate and the deep misogyny that runs through it. One TikToker said the album cover was giving the same vibes as Dr. Squatchs giveaway of the soap called Sydneys Bathwater Bliss. (Allegedly, the soap is infused with actress Sydney Sweeneys actual bathwater.) The user also cited the social media trends of tradwife life, the clean girl aesthetic, and the promotion of white thinness as signs of a slide back into conservatism. Read the room, the user said in her video. Its using dark humor in a situation thats not appropriate whatsoever.”
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E-Commerce
From family photos in the cloud to email archives and social media accounts, the digital lives of Americans are extensive and growing. According to recent studies by the password management companies NordPass and Dashlane, the average internet user maintains more than 150 online accounts. Individuals produce hundreds of gigabytes of data each year. But few people have plans for what happens to that digital legacy after they die. Unlike physical possessions, online assets often dont pass smoothly from one generation to the next. Loved ones struggle to access important accounts or recover treasured photos. Many families face these challenges while already overwhelmed with grief. Most tech companies havent kept up with this reality. Fewer than 15% of popular online platforms have clear systems for handling a users death, and customer support is often limited, according to our new study. As peoples digital footprints expand, the lack of planning has become both a practical and emotional burden for families. This is especially true for older adults who may not be aware of the steps required to manage their digital estate. We are an associate professor of information science and a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. We are researching how to design technologies for people engaged in end-of-life planning for their data. First clinic of its kind We realized there was no organization or comprehensive website to help people navigate the technical, privacy, or practical challenges they were facing. In response, we launched what we believe is a first-of-its-kind solution: the Digital Legacy Clinic. Just as writing a will helps manage physical possessions after death, planning your digital legacy ensures that your online life is handled according to your wishes. Our clinic opened in late 2024. The free clinic offers support both to people planning for the end of their digital lives and to those managing the digital estates of loved ones who have died. Led by students and housed in the University of Colorado Boulders information science department, the clinic operates much like a pro bono law clinic. Community members in the Denver and Boulder areas, as well as from across the country, can contact the clinic for help. First, a person interested in getting support fills out a simple form. Then, a member of the clinic will send a follow-up email to clarify and offer preliminary advice. Since every case is different, often clinic workers will then meet via Zoom with a client to create a personalized plan for them and their family. How the clinic helps The clinic offers guidance on a wide range of digital estate concerns, including setting up digital legacy tools such as trusted contacts on Google and Apple or legacy contacts on Facebooksomeone you choose to manage your main profile after youve died. People can also get guidance on how to memorialize or delete social media or other online accounts after a loved one has died. For example, Facebook allows you to either memorialize an account or request its removal. To memorialize it, youll need to submit a form with the persons name; date of death; proof of passing, such as an obituary; and verify your relationship to the deceased. Including these steps can help your loved ones manage a digital legacy with clarity and care. The clinic also helps people recover and preserve digital assets. That includes photos, videos, emails, and other important documents, such as legal documents stored on a Google Drive. For those who are planning for after they die, the clinic can guide them in creating a digital estate plan. That plan might include inventorying online accounts, documenting login credentials, and leaving instructions for account closure, or determining steps to email the documents to your lawyer. Students supporting their community The ongoing work of the clinic is run entirely by undergraduate and graduate students, who build and maintain the clinics website, manage the client intake process, and research solutions tailored to each case. For the students, its a hands-on learning opportunity that connects academic work to real-world needs. The experience is also professionally valuable. Students learn how to communicate complex tech topics with empathy, navigate privacy laws, and manage sensitive data responsibly. A resource for older adults While the Digital Legacy Clinic is available to people across the country, its location in Boulder makes it especially accessible to older adults in the Boulder and Denver areas who may prefer or benefit from in-person support. For older adults, the clinic can play a crucial role in helping them organize their digital lives while theyre still alive. This can reduce confusion for loved ones later and even help prevent issues such as identity theft or account misuse. Many older adults now maintain extensive online presences, but they may not have the tools or knowledge to ensure their accounts are secure and accessible to people they trust. Dylan Thomas Doyle is an information science researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. Jed R. Brubaker is an associate professor of information science at the University of Colorado Boulder. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump‘s administration looks to follow through on work by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk. The package targets foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as thousands of public radio and television stations around the country. The vote was 214-212. Republicans are characterizing the spending as wasteful and unnecessary, but Democrats say the rescissions are hurting the United States’ standing in the world and will lead to needless deaths. Cruelty is the point, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said of the proposed spending cuts. The Trump administration is employing a tool rarely used in recent years that allows the president to transmit a request to Congress to cancel previously appropriated funds. That triggers a 45-day clock in which the funds are frozen pending congressional action. If Congress fails to act within that period, then the spending stands. This rescissions package sends $9.4 back to the U.S. Treasury, said Rep. Lisa McClain, House Republican Conference chair. That’s $9.4 billion of savings that taxpayers won’t see wasted. It’s their money. The benefit for the administration of a formal rescissions request is that passage requires only a simple majority in the 100-member Senate instead of the 60 votes usually required to get spending bills through that chamber. So, if they stay united, Republicans will be able to pass the measure without any Democratic votes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the Senate would likely not take the bill up until July and after it has dealt with Trump’s big tax and immigration bill. He also said it’s possible the Senate could tweak the bill. The administration is likening the first rescissions package to a test case and says more could be on the way if Congress goes along. Republicans, sensitive to concerns that Trump’s sweeping tax and immigration bill would increase future federal deficits, are anxious to demonstrate spending discipline, though the cuts in the package amount to just a sliver of the spending approved by Congress each year. They are betting the cuts prove popular with constituents who align with Trump’s America first ideology as well as those who view NPR and PBS as having a liberal bias. In all, the package contains 21 proposed rescissions. Approval would claw back about $900 million from $10 billion that Congress has approved for global health programs. That includes canceling $500 million for activities related to infectious diseases and child and maternal health, and another $400 million to address the global HIV epidemic. The Trump administration is also looking to cancel $800 million, or a quarter of the amount Congress approved, for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation, and family reunification for those forced to flee their own country. About 45% of the savings sought by the White House would come from two programs designed to boost the economies, democratic institutions, and civil societies in developing countries. Democratic leadership, in urging their caucus to vote no, said that package would eliminate access to clean water for more than 3.6 million people and lead to millions more not having access to a school. Those Democrats saying that these rescissions will harm people in other countries are missing the point, McClain said. Its about people in our country being put first. The Republican president has also asked lawmakers to rescind nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which represents the full amount its slated to receive during the next two budget years. About two-thirds of the money gets distributed to more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations. Nearly half of those stations serve rural areas of the country. The association representing local public television stations warns that many of them would be forced to close if the Republican measure passes. Those stations provide emergency alerts, free educational programming, and high school sports coverage, and they highlight hometown heroes. Advocacy groups that serve the world’s poorest people are also sounding the alarm and urging lawmakers to vote no. We are already seeing women, children, and families left without food, clean water, and critical services after earlier aid cuts, and aid organizations can barely keep up with rising needs, said Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America, a poverty-fighting organization. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said the foreign aid is a tool that prevents conflict and promotes stability, but the measure before the House takes that tool away. These cuts will lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, devastating the most vulnerable in the world, McGovern said. This bill is good for Russia and China and undertakers, added Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Republicans disparaged the foreign aid spending and sought to link it to programs they said DOGE had uncovered. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said taxpayer dollars had gone to such things as targeting climate change, promoting pottery classes, and strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Other Republicans cited similar examples they said DOGE had revealed. Yet, my friends on the other side of the aisle would like you to believe, seriously, that if you don’t use your taxpayer dollars to fund this absurd list of projects and thousands of others I didn’t even list, that somehow people will die and our global standing in the world will crumble, Roy said. “Well, let’s just reject this now. By Kevin Freking, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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