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Resilient Children, Struggling Parents: Mapping American Parenting

By Tony Hicks
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There was a time when parenting advice fit on a refrigerator magnet: love them, feed them, don’t let them lick electrical outlets. Now it’s a full-time research project with competing schools of thought, algorithmic judgment, and the constant suspicion that you are already screwing everything up. American parenting today is less a philosophy and more a battlefield—one where children somehow emerge adaptable, witty, digitally fluent, and emotionally articulate while their parents look like sleep-deprived graduate students trapped in an endless group project. The paradox is everywhere. Kids show surprising resilience—navigating complex social worlds, absorbing new technologies faster than adults can pronounce the app names, developing empathy and awareness at earlier ages. Meanwhile, parents report record levels of exhaustion, anxiety, and guilt. The result is a cultural landscape where childhood appears more intentional than ever, and adulthood feels increasingly unprepared. This isn’...
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Delaware Opens the Door: A Lightly Irreverent Look at Youth Careers, Job Fairs, and the Mystery of Adulting

By Tony Hicks
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The idea behind Delaware’s youth-focused career fair is simple: bring students and young adults face-to-face with employers, mentors, and agencies that can show them concrete pathways into employment — especially in public service. Instead of abstract advice like “network more,” attendees got direct access to: State employers explaining entry-level roles Information about internships and apprenticeships Guidance on training programs and career development Conversations about career mobility and long-term growth These events matter because state jobs often sit in an awkward branding space. They’re stable, meaningful, and full of advancement potential — yet they’re frequently overshadowed by the louder narratives around tech startups or corporate glamour. But public-sector work includes everything from environmental science to data analysis, transportation planning, health services, communications, IT, finance, and community outreach. In short: real careers that support entire communitie...
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The $20 Billion Irony: Perplexity’s Big Bet on Not Selling Your Attention

By Tony Hicks
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There’s a certain kind of irony that only the tech industry can produce — the kind where a company shoots toward a multi-billion-dollar valuation by saying no to the thing that made the internet rich in the first place. That’s where Perplexity AI currently stands: reportedly valued around the $18–20 billion range, and now making a very public pivot away from advertising — even though advertising is what built giants like Google into empires. On paper, it’s simple: ads might damage user trust, so Perplexity wants to build a business model where the answers feel unbiased and the money comes from subscriptions instead. In reality? That’s where the story gets weird, ironic, and extremely interesting. This isn’t just a business decision. It’s a philosophical gamble on the future of the internet. And like all big bets in tech, it comes wrapped in contradictions. Chapter 1 — The Anti-Ad Revolution (From a Former Ad Experimenter) Let’s start with the part that makes this twist deliciously ir...
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10 New Beauty Products Our Pros Are Obsessed With This Month

By Tony Hicks
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There are two kinds of beauty launches: the ones that look good on a press release, and the ones that quietly take over makeup bags, bathroom counters, and professional kits within weeks. This month, our beauty pros have spoken with their brushes, blotting papers, and overworked cuticles—and these ten new arrivals have officially earned permanent residency. From skin care that behaves like a facial in a bottle to makeup that survives long days, hot lights, and real life, here’s what industry insiders can’t stop using right now. 1. Fenty Beauty Soft’Lit Radiance Foundation When a new base drops from Fenty Beauty , pros pay attention. The Soft’Lit Radiance Foundation has quickly become a go-to for artists who want glow without greasiness. What makes it stand out? The finish. It delivers a lit-from-within luminosity that looks like skin—not shimmer, not oil, not highlighter disguised as foundation. It blurs pores, evens tone, and still lets freckles peek through if that’s your thing....
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What They’re Saying: “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” — And Other Things You Only Hear at a Press Conference

By Tony Hicks
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When President Donald J. Trump stood beside Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy to unveil the new “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” initiative at the U.S. Department of Transportation , the message was simple: Regulations are expensive. Freedom is cheap. And somewhere in between sits your next car payment. Let’s unpack what they’re saying — and what they’re not. The Pitch: Roll Back the Rules, Lower the Price Tag Donald J. Trump Sean P. Duffy United States Department of Transportation At the heart of the announcement is a reset of federal fuel economy standards — the rules that determine how far your vehicle must travel per gallon of gasoline. The administration’s argument goes like this: Stricter fuel economy rules force automakers to build more expensive cars. More expensive cars mean fewer Americans can afford new vehicles. Therefore, easing those rules equals “freedom.” In this framing, freedom isn’t philosophical. It’s priced at MSRP. The initiative claims...
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