When trying to gain the faith and hope of a skeptical nation, it's best not to target the most diverse, most celebrated show currently on Broadway. Unfortunately, Trump didn't seem to get the memo. Either that or he doesn't care, because the president-elect didn't have any problem calling the Hamilton cast's heartfelt message to Mike Pence "harassment."
Vice President-elect Pence attended the smash hit on Friday night and, at the end of the performance, the cast had some words for him.
According to the New York Times, actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Aaron Burr, took the stage to read a statement written by show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail and lead producer Jeffrey Seller, with input from the cast members.
"We, sir - we - are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights," Dixon read. "We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us."
Hamilton message to mike pence twitter
Hamilton message to mike pence twitter
The statement was met with applause and cheers from the audience. It's important to note that the cast of Hamilton very vocally supported Hillary Clinton, even hosting a special performance to raise money for her.
While Pence did not respond to the statement, Trump voiced his unhappiness.
Donald Trump Hamilton response tweet 1
Donald Trump Hamilton response tweet 1
Donald Trump Hamilton response tweet 2
Donald Trump Hamilton response tweet 2
Dixon quickly responded to Trump with a message of his own.
Brandon Dixon response to Donald Trump twitter
Brandon Dixon response to Donald Trump twitter
I am personally horrified that our president-elect isn't more willing to hear the voice of the people. People are nervous about his presidency. People are scared that a man who has insulted minorities and women without a filter is about to run our nation. And, rather than assuaging their concerns, Trump is criticizing those who would let their voices be heard. A leader should not turn a blind eye to cries for equality. He shouldn't demand an apology from those admitting they fear for this nation. A president should understand that a house divided cannot stand, and he should work to mend the fractures.
Unfortunately, I have yet to see that from Trump. And it makes me sad. It makes me nervous.
All Trump and Pence had to do was respond with something like, "We know you're scared. We know you're nervous. We're committed to bringing the country together again."
I wasn't a Trump supporter during the election, but after he was elected, I was open-minded about giving him a chance. I'm still trying to be, but incidents like this are becoming a pattern and are slowly but surely crushing my hope.
Trump needs to learn how to be an inspiring leader, and he needs to learn it fast.
Do you think Donald Trump made the wrong move in responding to the Hamilton cast's message for Mike Pence?
Sister Wives star Kody Brown is learning the hard way that maybe one wife is better than four. As the future of his reality show remains uncertain, the father and husband is reportedly on the outs with all of his wives, including his legal wife, Robyn Brown, who is rumored to be seeking a divorce.
"She's quietly consulting with attorneys," family friend Kendra Pollard told Life & Style magazine. Robyn's reportedly waiting until she's "financially secure" to leave the marriage and move to Northern California.
Robyn never wanted to be in a polygamist marriage, according to the source, adding that her goal was for Kody to eventually part ways with his spiritual wives, Janelle, Meri and Christine. Unfortunately, Robyn apparently missed the memo that you can't change people. If you don't love someone for who they already are and their lifestyle, then they're probably not the person for you.
However, Kody's relationships with the other women reportedly aren't the only things driving Robyn towards a divroce. A comment he said to her after the birth of their latest daughter was reportedly the final nail in the coffin.
"He told her, 'You used to be considered the hot wife. Unfortunately, we can't really sell that anymore,'" according to Pollard.
While it sounds like Kody continues to worry about his future on television, Pollard says Robyn would be open to a spinoff series following the spilt.
"She's seeking a spinoff," the inside source told the magazine. "She's pretty close to the team that oversees Sister Wives production and she's told them, 'You can follow me anywhere I go.' She's very open about it."
Rumors that the family was falling apart surfaced back in September when a source revealed to Life & Style that Kody was contemplating bringing two new wives onto the show and into the family as a way to stay relevant to the network and keep his television show on-air. Without Sister Wives, Kody has no income to feed his wives and 18 children.
However, three out of Kody's four wives threatened to leave him if he brought any new women into the mix.
"TLC knows [Kody's] not well-liked by viewers," the source told Life & Style. "[He's] done so many messed-up things that it serves him right to be pushed aside."
Cornelius Ortiz is arguably the least-liked guy on the current season of Project Runway, and for good reason: He's abrasive, he's overly confident and he has a tendency to trash talk his fellow contestants. It's hard to cheer for somebody who throws that much shade, which is perhaps why, when both Mah-Jing Wong and Ortiz were mistreated by their respective teams during tonight's episode, viewers really only spoke out in Wong's favor.
Believe it or not, we're here to defend Ortiz. He was on top of this week's team challenge, which involved creating a collection for a pop-up street display, all while abiding by a specific color scheme. Ortiz was grouped with Dexter Simmons and Erin Robertson, and once again, it was obvious that he was the odd one out. His vision did not match the vision of his fellow contestants, who were way too into the head-to-toe red look.
Image: Lifetime
Ortiz voiced his concerns, but his opinion was disregarded. Not only did his fellow teammates fail to give his viewpoint the consideration it deserved, they were willing to sit back and let him do the bulk of the work while they goofed off together.
Despite all of Ortiz's hard work, the red group performed poorly both among pedestrians viewing the pop-up booth and with the judges. The judges didn't think the red group's looks were terrible; they just didn't live up to the other groups. The teammates were then given the opportunity to share who they thought should go home, and of course, both Simmons and Robertson threw Ortiz under the bus. Not cool - Ortiz's instincts were on point and he was clearly not responsible for the team's loss.
Image: Lifetime
Thank God for Tim Gunn, who came through with the save. Gunn can see past Ortiz's abrasiveness to the natural fashion instinct that he has consistently demonstrated. He delivered the good news backstage and put a stop to what could have been this season's most dramatic stand-off.
It's crazy how quickly contestant perception can shift on this show. Robertson was the darling just a few weeks ago, and Ortiz was the villain. Now, we're cautiously rooting for Ortiz, if only because he was so clearly wronged by his teammates and by the judges.
Do you think Cornelius Ortiz should have been on the chopping block? Did Tim Gunn use his save wisely? Comment and share your opinion below.
In 2012, there were over 20 million REGISTERED voters in the United States who did not vote - many of these people are probably your readers and followers.
Image: Letta Page via Flickr, Creative Commons license
With less than a week to Election Day, over 22 million Americans have already voted. In over 30 states, you can vote early as of October 31. In some states, you can even register to vote at the same time.
We're asking all blogs and tech companies to help your users vote.
Over the past few weeks, we've built a few tools to make it as easy as possible to get out and vote, and we could really use your help in getting them into your followers' hands.
This is personally my first presidential election, as it is for millions of young Americans. It is imperative that we work together and provide tools to make voting seem as easy as calling an Uber.
Please share these tools with your followers, and let's get out the vote!
'Tis officially the season to get down to business in the kitchen! It seems like the whole world has gone crazy with gourmet versions of old school favorites - which can be fun - but when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, there really is nothing like traditional candied yams (sometimes referred to as sweet potato casserole).
This recipe for candied yams from Kidsumers will remind you of being a child and the magical feeling you got when the whole family was gathered in a warm home, eager to go to town on the delicious meal grandma made. The best part? Candied yams are a cinch to master.
Love that Mexican skull face paint you see every Halloween? You may love the holiday and rituals that go with it even more once you learn about them. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated across the U.S., Mexico and Latin America on Nov. 1 and 2. The 3,000-year-old Aztec ritual is a time to honor loved ones who have passed in the most beautifully life-affirming way.
During this holiday, souls are welcomed to visit the families they left behind. Families decorate colorful altars with fresh flowers and bright tapestries. And of course, food is central.
That's why we've put together a full collection of our favorite traditional and modern recipes by Latina cookbook writers and bloggers just in time for the big day. You don't have to be Mexican to celebrate Día de los Muertos. We all have people in our lives who have passed on - people we miss very much. Welcome them back in spirit with your own Day of the Dead feast.
Image: Liz Smith/SheKnows
1. Pumpkin and ancho chili mole/mole de chile ancho y calabaza
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt (or more to taste)
3 tablespoons brown sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
Directions:
Place the onion and garlic in a baking sheet under the broiler. Char for 9 to 10 minutes, flipping once in between. Once they are soft and charred, remove from the heat. When the garlic is cool, peel.
In an already hot skillet or comal set over medium-low heat, toast the ancho chilies for about 15 to 20 seconds per side until they're brown and crisp but not burned. Place the toasted ancho chilies in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes until they are plumped up and rehydrated.
In the same skillet or comal, toast the cloves and allspice until aromatic, about a minute. Remove from the heat. Toast the almonds and cinnamon, stirring often, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
Place the onion, garlic, chilies, 1/2 cup of chili soaking liquid, almonds, cloves, cinnamon and allspice in the blender and purée until smooth.
In a soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil and pour in the puréed mixture. Add the salt and sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to help prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The color will darken considerably.
Add the pumpkin purée and chicken broth to the sauce. Stir well until the pumpkin purée has dissolved. It will have a silky consistency. Continue to cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use the mole sauce to pour over grilled, broiled or boiled chicken, meat or fish. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds for some added flavor and crunch.
Mexican hot chocolate, also known as "champurrado," is famous for its thick consistency thanks to Mexican chocolate and "piloncillo" sugar, or really dark brown cane sugar. Muy Bueno cookbook writer and blogger Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack has a growing collection of Día de los Muertos recipes on her website.
Another version of "atole," the corn-based drink, is this atole de vainilla that is brightened up with the inclusion of Mexican vanilla beans - some of the best vanilla in the world.
Taking the classic and traditional sugar skulls, these sugar skull cake pops are a modern twist and fun way of presenting skulls to young ones in the family.
Make these Día de los Muertos empanadas in specialty skull molds that can easily be found online, and stuff them with traditional ingredients like cotija cheese.
Slice into this skull chocolate cake, and explain how you're celebrating your loved ones, guiding them and sharing great stories from when they were alive.
I like my job. I want to get ahead and I work hard and fast.
This irritates two of my coworkers. When I pass their desks, I overhear them make comments like, “Don't get in the way of the speed demon.” I don't understand why they resent the fact that I work fast. I'm not doing it to make them look bad. I pretend I don't hear their comments.
Although I'm the youngest in the department, I thought doing a good job would be my route to a promotion to team lead. Two months ago, my supervisor told me that I was a front runner for the next opportunity since our current team lead is planning to move out of state in two months.
This morning, I heard through the grapevine that my supervisor is uneasy about promoting me because these coworkers dislike me, and team leads have to have good relationships with coworkers. I plan to go talk to my supervisor about this. What should I say?
If you go to your supervisor with this issue as a problem, you present him with an unresolved problem. If you instead try to first solve it or come to him with a potential solution, you increase your chances of gaining the promotion you seek.
Start by learning what you're up against. Do you irritate your coworkers with your speed or do they snipe at you because they dislike you for another reason? Do you threaten them with your youth or brains? Could part of the problem be you act superior because you speed through projects and thus infuriate coworkers who work more slowly?
In short, you need more information which these two coworkers possess. The next time you hear a comment, stop dead in your tracks and say, “OK, what am I doing that irritates you? Just tell me, so I can fix it.”
The good news, you have a month to figure this out as your current team lead is in place for the next two months. Also, you're learning two valuable lessons. First, while pretending to not hear comments works temporarily, it doesn't resolve anything. Second, it takes good relationships with coworkers as well as hard work to get ahead.
Finally, if you try to diplomatically figure out and resolve this problem, when you present the situation to your supervisor, he may realize the problem isn't with you, and it lies with your coworkers – and thus it is his issue to solve.
Image: 
