Jess Lahitou

Jess Lahitou

Bio

Jess is a literature lover, former teacher, new(ish) mother, and politics junkie. Currently in Miami, this Colorado native is embracing the culture shock. Art Basel? Wynwood? Ropa Vieja? Yes, please.

Jess Lahitou Articles

Why are female-voiced bots responding so passively - or even gratefully - to sexual harassment?

Sexism Programmed Into Bots Like Siri? Yeah, It's True

Digital assistants such as Siri are not people. Yet, the way these female-voiced bots are programmed to react when being sexualized or sexually harassed paints a pretty bleak picture of how Silicon Valley organizes its values.

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Democratic Debate: Winners And Losers

The five 2016 Democratic candidates for President met in Las Vegas for their first debate last night, and this writer’s prediction is that the field will be down to three for the next matchup. (Barring Joe Biden’s entry into the race, which remains a distant possibility).

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"Wayne Tracker" was Rex Tillerson's alias email account while he served as CEO of Exxon Mobil.

"Wayne Tracker:" Cowboy GPS OR Exxon Mobil Alias For U.S. Secretary Of State?

Wayne Tracker. When I first came across this made-up alias, it didn’t speak to me like someone’s first and last name.

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(Image Credit: By TechCrunch via Wikimedia Commons)

John Oliver's Non-Tribute To 2016 = Post-Election Catharsis

If you're one of the seven people in the universe who foresaw Donald Trump's victory and were prepared for the events that went down — can it be ju

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No trigger warnings in here.

Are We Too Triggered?: The Challenge Of Creating “Safe Spaces” On College Campuses

Students at the University of Missouri and Yale have recently grabbed media attention for their protests against administrators and professors who fail to create a safe space for them on campus. In the latter, an email questioning the prudence of restricting Halloween costumes stirred uproar, causing this video of a student publicly berating her professor to go viral.

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Carly Fiorina: Serious Aunt At The Dinner Table

Republican Debate: 8 Republicans Come To Thanksgiving Dinner

Last night, the saga continued. Fox Business Network hosted the fourth Republican Primary debate, with a slightly winnowed set of contenders: the top eight candidates were on stage, compared with ten in the previous showdown.

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If you don't know what this is, we can't help you.

Recap Of The GOP Debate: High School Yearbook Style

Most Likely To Succeed: Carly Fiorina. One word: Yowza! On top of being the only candidate to move up from Fox’s conciliation debate to CNN’s main stage, Carly Fiorina kicked absolute butt. She went after Donald Trump, Chris Christie, every prominent Democrat, not to mention political pandering to women. Pundits agree: Fiorina won it.

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Image: Starbucks.com

WTF Was Starbucks Thinking When They OK’d 2015’s #RedCup?

A tradition dating back to 1997, starting each November 1st, Starbucks introduces their holiday cup. So after 10 long months of waiting, forgive me for experiencing childlike letdown over this year’s Red Cup.

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Is it worth it to you?

Should You Support The Salvation Army?

If you’ve heard recent Internet claims that The Salvation Army doesn’t deserve your money, and you are now wondering whether or not to toss a few coins in the red can on your way to stock up on Christmas goodies, here’s a thought experiment:

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For teens, there's never a real "off" time.

Is The Internet Ruining Teenagers' Lives? Um... It Might Be

As the headline article (“Anxiety, Depression and the American Adolescent”) points out, depression has been replaced with anxiety as the leading mental health struggle of today’s adolescent. The one possible cause that stood out to me most was the impact of social media. With smartphone in hand, teens can be reading harmless texts, or – as was the case for one young female interviewed – they could be viewing disturbing Instagram posts, or reading about distant tragedies, or scrolling through hateful Facebook comments. Maybe even comments about them.

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