Review of Dystopia by Megadeth By Tort (TheAtomicBlade) "Holy shit." Those are the only words that came to my mind when I listened to thrash metal legends Megadeth's new album Dystopia. The 15th album by the legendary band formed by Dave Mustaine clocks in at a relatively modest 50 minutes. But every single one of those minutes counts. In my opinion, this album is a return to the classic thrash metal genre Megadeth helped pioneer back in the 80s, while maintaining relevance to the...
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Emotional abuse vs emotional neglect By Cassie (Cassado) While both equally damaging, emotional abuse and emotional neglect are two different things with their own set of characteristics. Both terms are related to emotional distress but the actions which cause the distress are different. Read on to learn more about the differences and effects of emotional abuse and neglect. The difference between emotional abuse and emotional neglect is that emotional abuse entails doing something and...
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Healing from an abusive relationship By Sammi (Orenda.) Leaving an abusive relationship is, without a doubt, a cathartic experience. Immediately following the end of the relationship, many people will experience feelings of relief brought about by the end of the situation, as well as a feeling of empowerment that comes with the realization that your life is once again your own. As the separation begins to sink in and feel more permanent, however, fears and hesitations may begin to set in....

Myelomeningocele Brittany (.Brittany.) Myelomeningocele is the most serious and common form of Spina Bifida, which occurs in 3-4 out of every 10,000 live births. Myelomeningocele is caused when the fetus’ spine isn’t fully formed during the first 28 days of gestation; this is usually before a mom finds out that she’s pregnant. Some research suggests that Spina Bifida may occur if the fetus doesn’t get enough Folic Acid during the first six weeks of pregnancy. Doctors...

My Brother's Husband: A Review Jenna (~Abibliophobe~ ) My Brother's Husband is a manga series written and illustrated by Gengoroh Tagame. It is set in Tokyo and it follows the story of Yaichi who is surprised when his estranged brother's widower, Mike, shows up at their doorstep. Mike arrives in hopes of being able to explore his late husband's past. The story takes off from there and explores a lot of misconceptions and prejudice that people have about the LGBTQ+...

New Year's Resolutions By Jenna M. (Fernweh.) Each November and December, we decide on our New Year resolutions, saying we will quit or change something that is detrimental to our well-being starting from January 1st. This seems like an easy thing to do, right? Telling yourself “I will begin doing…” or that “I will stop…” at the beginning of each year. Some people even stop doing one thing that might be harmful and begin something that is healthy or beneficial to them. ...

Exploring your gender identity By Chess (Narrative.) For most people, their innate sense of gender is consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth – in most cases, either male or female. This is known as being cisgender. Although this is often seen as the default, there is a lot more diversity in terms of gender than many people realise. In recent years there has been an increase in the visibility of gender diverse individuals, and an improvement in general knowledge of...

Discussing boundaries with your partner By Sammi (Orenda.) While it's no secret that understanding boundaries is a key factor in any healthy relationship, openly discussing them with your partner can sometimes feel awkward, especially when you're having the initial conversation about what is and is not okay with you. Questions may run through your mind such as "Is my partner going to be disappointed if I say I'm not comfortable with this?" or you might face concerns about whether or not...

Free Contraception: The Answer To Overpopulation Or The Cause Of Promiscuity? By Mollie Jose (guest author) Free birth control pills were made possible in the USA by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) way back 2012. This mandate has promoted women empowerment. In another positive perspective, the cost-free contraception has given women the chance to choose when to get pregnant. This freedom, furthermore, will help slow down the population growth. Although the intention of this...

Inexpensive holiday decor for a small space By Jenna (~Abibliophobe~) One of the activities that a lot of people look forward to during the holidays is being able to decorate their home. However, for many people decorating can be difficult to do because they are living in a small space or they are living on a tight budget and decorations are often expensive to acquire. Also, plenty of the typical decorations such as a tree can end up taking up a fair bit ...

Thirteen Reasons Why By Brittany (.Brittany.) and Oliver (anemoia) In 2007, the novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher was released. In July of 2011, Asher's novel became #1 on the New York Times best-seller list. In 2016, Selena Gomez teamed up with Netflix to produce an original series based on the book. The series was released on March 31, 2017. The release of the series has since sparked a debate all over the world. The series is about the suicide of Hannah Baker and the events...

How to make chocolate covered pretzel rods By Cassie (cynefin) Source] Chocolate covered pretzel rods are a relatively simple, yet fun treat to make for all ages. Pretzel rods can be easily dipped in any color chocolate and decorated with a variety of sprinkles and other baking decor. This article will give a step by step tutorial on how to make your chocolate covered pretzel rods into festive looking desserts. You will need

8 Simple Ways to Reduce Digital Eye Strain and Vision Problems by Aaron Barriga (guest author) Let’s be honest, we spend a LOT of time staring at digital screens. Unfortunately, exposure to electronic screens can have a major impact on eye health. A number of problems with vision occur due to excessive use of digital devices, giving rise to terms such as “digital eye strain” or “computer vision syndrome”. Follow these 8 tips to keep your eyes healthy:

Enjoying the Holidays when you are alone By Jenna (~Abibliophobe~) The holidays are quickly approaching and, for many people, this can be a dreadful time of year. There are numerous reasons that people struggle with the holidays but one of the issues a lot of people face during this time of year is not having anyone to celebrate the holidays with. This can be due to not having a good relationship with family, being away for school and not having the ability to come back or...