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

Change demands more than just protests.

How To Start A Revolution: Think Small

If I’m just online screaming, what am I not doing in physical reality?

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Hillary Clinton in 2015. Image: Wikipedia.

Top 5 Political Happenings To Watch For In 2016

The year ahead promises to be a whopper of political intrigue, events, and (probably) scandal. Here are the top stories to watch as we head into the hype that comes but once every four years: A presidential election.

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We don't all love it.

Call Me A Killjoy: A Case Against Medical Marijuana

But the way I see it, concerning the issue of legalizing pot we have two questions: 1) Whether a person has the right to get high, and 2) Whether that right supersedes the rights of other potentially affected parties.

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The nightmare that is Aleppo defies description. (Image Credit: Freedom House via Flickr)

How To Help Syria

With Twitter awash in letters of goodbyes, 140-word final messages from “collateral damage,” my heart broke last night. That doesn’t mean anything, and neither does this: I want to say I’m sorry to Syria.

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A recent poll found a whopping 58% of voters disapprove of their presidential choices.

3 Independent Party Candidates That Could Win The White House And Why

All this means that, for the first time since 1992, a third-party candidate has a very strong chance of impacting election results. And if something truly wild were to happen (say, no candidate broke the 270-electoral vote mark needed to win the presidency), then there’s an outside chance that a third-party could actually win the White House.

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By appealing to a particular brand of “true Texan,”certain Republicans managed to move the party from its business-oriented, pragmatic red-state vibe to a social cause-focused, fundamentalist new version of itself.

Is America's Future Really Texas?

Wright’s argument is that the way super conservative Texas Republicans have taken control of the political agenda could replicate itself on the national scale.

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Given their unfair and potentially exploitative access to the personal life details of millions of voters, in an ideal world, social media tycoons wouldn’t run at all. (Image Credit: Instagram/@zuck)

Is The Next President Coming Out Of Silicon Valley?

Americans deserve to vote without being unwittingly “nudged,” “tweaked,” or otherwise manipulated by those with the most power and most incentive to do so. Ergo, any candidate from Silicon Valley needs to be treated with an excess of skepticism.

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 Alanis Morissette. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

We've Got Your '90s Music For The Autumn Lover Here!

Millennials know the '90s were the best decade for music in our lifetime (arguably, best decade EVER). But it’s easy to forget just how many un-freakin-believably kick-butt-love tunes were packed into that 10 years. Let’s rehash the '90s for the autumn lover.

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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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My mom has been an invaluable mentor — not just to me, but to many of my friends.

A Mother's Wisdom: Why Everyone Needs A Mentor And A Friend

Back in my early twenties, I struggled financially. But more so in that much-mocked Millennial quest of “finding myself,” I made a number of questionable decisions.

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