R Magic Brow

This fall, when our senior softball season ended, a league-wide email went out, announcing the beginning of winter bowling league.It seems the softball guys like to have these extracurricular activities available year-round.Last summer, on my softball team, I heard a guy tell the coach he would miss the next week’s game because 'I gotta drive my missus to her cancer treatments.'The reason seems to be: They have families. And they’re committed to their families. They are good family men.Which means they also get bored with their families. They get tired of their wives, and their kids, and their relatives. They can’t putter around in their tool sheds forever; they need to spend some time with their boys.So they form sports leagues: softball, bowling, whatever. Or they join fraternal organizations: the Knights of Columbus, the Elks Lodge.In short, they need to get out of the house. And they need to do it regularly, for the health and sanity of themselves and their loved ones.The last of the old guardThe guys in my softball league range in age from 60 to 85. They are Boomers. These men might be the last generation that consciously organize their lives in this way.The generations that followed have a different solution to getting bored with your wife and needing some space. They call it “divorce.” Or “conscious uncoupling.” After which, they “co-parent.” Or they never get married in the first place.Society and popular culture have discouraged Gen X and Millennials from taking their wedding vows too seriously. Being married today is almost considered a temporary arrangement. Hence the idea of “starter marriages.”Everyone likes to criticize the Boomers, for their self-centeredness and lack of sympathy for the hardships of the generations that came after.But one thing Boomers got right is they know how to create families and maintain them.Serious businessThe Boomer generation took marriage seriously. They entered into it early, while still young and malleable — and when being part of a family was still fresh in their experience.They married people who shared their basic values, who lived where they lived, who went to the same schools and churches.When they had children, their parents, friends, and relatives helped raise them.And they went all in. Your wife wasn’t just your sexual partner for a few years. She was your flesh and blood. She was the cornerstone of your life.Acts of loveLast summer, on my softball team, I heard a guy tell the coach he would miss the next week’s game because “I gotta drive my missus to her cancer treatments.”Probably someone else could drive her. A friend. An adult child. But he would do it himself — of course he would — because he was the husband and she was the wife.I’m guessing this is how they have lived their whole lives. It wasn’t a question of loyalty. That was decided decades ago. This was a matter of who is the person who is closest to you. Who has been with you through everything else and will stay with you to the end.Trendy condosNowadays, a typical excuse to escape such commitment is: “We grew apart.” But there’s no such thing in a real family.Sure, people change. Sometimes they change a lot. But fundamental relationships don’t change. Do you grow apart from your parents? From your siblings? From your dog?How much do you have to change so that your cousin is no longer your cousin?It sounds reasonable that you could grow apart from your third wife if she wants to study Thai massage in New Mexico.But you don’t “grow apart” from real family. You’re stuck with them. Your wife is your wife. She’s not your girlfriend.RELATED: My parents ‘arranged my marriage’ at 16; maybe I should have taken them up on it Harold M. Lambert/Getty ImagesGen X and beyondI feel like my age group was the beginning of the end of this way of thinking. Ours was the first generation of no-fault divorce. Of older guys dumping their wives for women 20 years younger. Of women getting sick of picking up their husband’s socks and opting for a trendy condo, a corporate job, and the chance to meet someone new. Like they see women do on TV.Where’s the sign-up sheet?I’m not a big bowling guy. But I might sign up for winter bowling league. Because I like being around these Boomer guys. I look up to them. I admire their concepts of commitment and duty.How many younger men ever think about their “duty”? The word barely exists in their vocabulary.And I include myself in this group. I’m a Gen Xer, and society told me that marriage was a trap, a hindrance, a burden I would be foolish to take on. A family would prevent me from following my dreams. And I believed it.I’m not proud of that. But I can at least spend some time in the company of men who took the more selfless path and eventually reaped the rewards.When it’s my turn for my late-life medical treatments, I’ll probably be taking an Uber. And I won’t be the only one.

For a mom whose first birth was traumatic, preparing for another delivery can become about much more than bringing a baby into the world.And one woman is asking BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey how to pursue a vaginal birth after a C-section while resisting the temptation to view it as a chance to redeem her first birth experience.Stuckey, who has gone through two C-sections before a successful VBAC, knows firsthand how complex and emotional it can be.“I had two C-sections and then I had a VBAC,” Stuckey, who is over halfway through her fourth pregnancy, answers, noting that she did not expect her first or second C-section, only one of which was “necessary.”Stuckey’s first C-section was “unnecessary,” as her doctor was “too C-section-happy” and didn’t like the idea of her going over 40 weeks in her pregnancy.“I don’t think all C-sections are unnecessary,” she explains. “I’m not that kind of person that’s like, ‘Every single time your body always knows what to do, and natural is always better.'”“No, I believe that modern medicine can be a wonderful gift of common grace and it can be absolutely lifesaving,” she continues, pointing out that before the C-section, she was “pressured" into an induction.“My body was not ready to give birth. And so I tried to induce, and it just didn’t work. My body was not ready; baby was not ready,” she explains.“It’s very stressful, and it’s such a whirlwind, and you’re already so vulnerable. You don’t yet, most of the time, when you’re a first-time mom, know how to advocate for yourself,” she continues. “You’re trusting this doctor and these nurses that you’ve gotten to know."“You think you’re making the best decision as a mom when they say things like stillbirth and all of that, which wasn’t actually on the table for us. That wasn’t something that was about to happen,” she adds. After the C-section, she explains, is the “worst part.”“Even though you can’t feel much, there is something that is so painful about this. You have a nurse who comes and presses on your stomach as hard as possible,” she says.“I was so emotional, maybe postpartum-depressed after my first. It was really, really tough, and so I knew that I didn’t want that again. I wanted a VBAC for my second birth. I did all of the things. I listened to all the podcasts. I did all of the different exercises and classes and everything that you’re supposed to do,” she continues.“And I just wanted so bad to redeem the first birth,” she adds.But that’s not how it panned out, and Stuckey ended up getting another C-section.“I think it’s important just not to have the expectation that God is going to use this VBAC to redeem something of the past,” she says. “That might not be what he uses to redeem your past traumatic birth. He might use something totally different.”“So how he wants to heal,” she continues, “how he wants to redeem, is totally up to him.”“I think that is how we let go of the idolatry of birth,” she adds.Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

President Donald Trump generated waves over the weekend with his apparently tongue-in-cheek announcement on Saturday that "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States."The White House press secretary role has been vacant since Katie Zacharia's five-day trial run concluded on Oct. 16.'I was kidding, of course.'The president suggested further that he had asked the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO to bring with him a cadre of mixed martial arts fighters, including Russia's Khabib Nurmagomedov and Brazilian native Amanda Nunes, noting that "we need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left.""Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other," added the president.Shortly after Trump's announcement, Dana White shared to Instagram an AI-generated image depicting himself behind the podium at the White House briefing room with the caption, "On to the next chapter," reported CBS Sports.When asked about the supposed offer at a boxing event later on Saturday, the UFC CEO laughed and told reporters, "I'm flying to Washington, D.C., right now. ... Right now."RELATED: Stephen Miller has the keys. Now what about the deportations? White HouseWhite, who said that he had a meeting scheduled with President Trump on Monday, added, "I've got a lot of jobs already."There was some speculation that Trump may have mixed up UFC's Dana White with Dana W. White, the former assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs.However, Dana W. White said in a post on her LinkedIn, "To everyone texting me congratulations: thank you, but you have the wrong Dana White. I've stood at a podium and taken questions from the Pentagon press corps. I have never stood in an octagon. I'd like to keep it that way.""It is nice for once that, that Dana White is being confused with this Dana White," she continued. "Best of luck to the next White House Press Secretary!"UFC CEO Dana White responded to W. White's post on Instagram, writing, "You are a class act."On Sunday, President Trump addressed the question of whether he had been kidding, pointing out that his announcement contained big clues that it was all in jest — namely his request that White bring with him several foreign champion fighters."If you saw the assistants I put — I posted the greatest wrestlers and UFC fighters in the world, right? Like Khabib, like Justin Gaethje who's phenomenal. And you see a lot of rough faces there," said Trump. "And you would have thought that people would have said, 'He's having a good time.'""I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea," continued the president. "And there's only one Dana. He's great, I don't know. You wouldn't mess around with him so much. ... I was kidding, of course."Trump appeared to confirm a meeting on Monday with White, noting that the UFC CEO was "coming tomorrow."Blaze News did not immediately receive a response from the White House.Chatter about Dana White possibly taking the position of White House press secretary comes just weeks after White House communications director Steven Cheung teased Trinidadian native Nicky Minaj as a contender.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Everything is connected to the internet these days. Devices that you wouldn’t expect to have a Wi-Fi signal latch onto your router to provide connected features. Unfortunately, as AI pokes holes in our legacy cybersecurity infrastructure, these devices are now vulnerable to attacks. Here’s what to look for and what you can do about it.Smart devices come in all shapes and sizes. Every day, you reach for your phone, tablet, laptop, maybe a wearable. But what about the other gadgets strewn throughout your house? There’s an entire category of smart home devices — dubbed broadly as the internet of things — that connect to your Wi-Fi, giving rogue AI bots and threat actors a direct route to the systems that run your humble abode.Even if only one or two of these smart devices are connected to your home network, you could be providing hackers with a pathway to access all of your devices and take down your digital life.The worst part is that many IOT devices aren’t safe and secure by design. With a few exceptions, most of them lack account authentication or encryption, and their software isn’t maintained for maximum security. These devices are sitting ducks, waiting for even the most inept hacker to come along and exploit them.Once inside, a hacker could cause all kinds of trouble in your home. He could spy on you through the security camera in your living room, eavesdrop on conversations through microphones embedded in smart thermostats, or, as Europe recently found out, spoil the food in your fridge with an unauthorized temperature change. Even worse, hackers can use one IOT device to hack into other devices and compromise your entire Wi-Fi network.The internet of things is a huge market spanning tons of different products. We couldn’t possibly list all of them, but we rounded up some of the biggest ones to look for in your home.Kitchen appliancesSmart kitchen appliances are all largely built around convenience.Smart fridges, like those made by Samsung, use AI to track which items come in and out of your fridge to help you put together meal plans and know when to replenish your food stock.Smart ovens, like the June Oven, use an internal camera to scan the food put inside to generate an optimal cooking plan, complete with timing, temperatures, and more.Virtually every appliance these days offers smart options — toasters with touch screens, dishwashers with voice assistant support to start and stop a cleaning cycle, smart washers and dryers that do the same. There are even coffee makers that can schedule your morning cup of brew.All of these are convenient, yet a single compromise can cause a fire, invite water damage, or spoil your food, all of which would take thousands of dollars to fix.RELATED: How to protect yourself and your data during the PHP web meltdown amgun/Getty ImagesHome securityAnother huge segment of the IOT industry is home security. We like to think that security devices — including indoor cameras, doorbell cameras, and smart locks — are all safe, but these can provide a treasure trove of data and opportunities for hackers.Indoor cameras from companies like Ring, Nest, and more capture everything that happens in your home. All it takes is a sophisticated hacker to break in and steal private footage of you and your living room, bedroom, or wherever you have a camera set up. If any of the footage is compromising, you could be made a victim of blackmail or extortion.Smart locks, on the other hand, are the gateway to your home. Hackers could easily unlock your front door so that anyone can come inside — or lock your home to keep you trapped within. Pair this with a fire hazard caused by a hack on your oven or toaster, and you could ultimately lose your life in a tragic incident.Lighting, cleaning, climate, and comfortHow much do you value the convenience of changing the temperature in your house from your smartphone, or flipping on a light without getting up, or cleaning the floors without touching a vacuum?Modern innovations like smart thermostats, smart lights, and robot vacuums remove the hassle of maintaining a home, freeing you up to do other things with your time. Unfortunately, if any of these systems are compromised, they could cause some serious trouble.For instance, a hacked thermostat could lock your temperature at an uncomfortable setting, either so hot or so cold that it drives you out of your home, leaving it vacant and unprotected. A hacked smart light can prevent bulbs from turning on or cause them to flicker. Many robot vacuums today come equipped with cameras and microphones that can record video and audio of you in your home.Even seemingly innocuous smart devices, like air purifiers, toothbrushes, and smart weight scales, can all provide pathways to hack other devices on your network.Smart accessoriesThere are other smart items in your home that you could easily forget are smart at all — electrical plugs, phone chargers, Bluetooth speakers, home hubs, and displays. All of these are susceptible to attacks.How to tell if you have smart devices in your homeAt this point, you might wonder how many smart devices you actually have in your house. If it’s been a while since you set them up, you may not remember which appliances have connected features and which ones don’t.Luckily, there are a couple of telltale signs to look for.First, if you regularly use any of your home appliances or accessories through an app on your phone, those devices are likely connected to your Wi-Fi. Even if the devices only provide limited functionality, they’re still part of your system, and you should treat them as potential vulnerabilities.Second, the companion app to your Wi-Fi router can show a list of all the devices connected to your network. If you know how to view this list, you can quickly identify your IOT devices and even block them from network access.Finally, if you’re still not sure which devices are connected to your Wi-Fi, you can take the nuclear option by changing the password to your Wi-Fi router. This will kick all of your devices off of your network, and the only way to reconnect them is to set up the devices with the new password.RELATED: Another major AI attack hits the internet — this time targeting the backbone of American capitalism Black_Kira/Getty ImagesWhat you can doEven if only one or two of the smart devices above are connected to your home network, you could be providing hackers with a pathway to access all of your devices and take down your digital life. Take steps now to make sure that doesn’t happen.First and foremost, when you choose an IOT device and connect it to your network, make sure you only buy products from established, trusted companies that take security seriously. These include the Big Tech giants like Apple, Google, and Amazon.Second, update your IOT devices often to make sure they have the latest security patches in place. Consider setting a monthly reminder to check all of your IOT devices via their apps for new software.Some Wi-Fi networks allow you to create a guest network aside from your main home network. If this is an option for you, it’s a good idea to set up IOT devices on the guest network to ensure that hackers can’t reach your main system during a device attack.The settings that control your Wi-Fi network may be accessible to third parties on the web. Disable remote management now to ensure that only people inside your home can adjust your router’s settings.Unplug any IOT devices that aren’t currently in use or that you rarely use. This way, they’re disconnected and offline most of the time so that hackers have less of an opportunity to break in.Finally, if you’d prefer the nuclear option, the safest thing you can do to protect your home is to turn your IOT devices back into dumb devices. Disconnect them from your Wi-Fi network, forget the network entirely, and use them as simple gadgets. This way, hackers have fewer targets to access your Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, this may break the functionality of some of your IOT devices, but it’s better to be safe than sorry in the age of AI-compromised cybersecurity.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!