The week of January 20, 2018 was falling back in love with Chamillionaire; embracing the Girther movement; and being inspired by Meredith Grey to get all the money. All. The. Money.

Mash-Ups In The News:

How Do You Rebuild Your Life After Leaving A Polygamous Sect? 

This is the extraordinary story of a group of women who gave up everything they know to pursue freedom. 

via Buzzfeed

A Record Number Of Women Are Running For Office

This is heartening! At every level, from local school board to the Senate, record numbers of women are running for office. See you at the voting booth, y’all.

via Time

“New California” Declares Independence From California In Bid For Statehood

The founders of “New California” might not be very creative when it comes to naming states, but these rural communities are serious about splitting from their coastal neighbors to escape the “tyranny” of the California government. If they’re really trying to be the 51st state, they better get in line.

via USA Today

Filet-O-Comfort: How An Immigrant Family Made Fast Food Their Own

“America as a melting pot doesn’t seem quite right to me, but it is a buffet of sorts.” When it came to McDonald’s, Melissa Hung’s immigrant family always ordered the Filet-O-Fish. What’s on the menu for your mash-up “buffet”?

via Shondaland

Most Terrorists In America Are White 

Thousands of immigrants are denied access to our country due to racial and religious profiling, but the real “profile” we should be worried about are the American-born white supremacists who are responsible for the majority of extremist-related deaths last year. 

via Forward

Aesha Ash Is Wandering Around Rochester In A Tutu

After an incredible career as at the New York City Ballet, Aesha Ash continues to inspire the little girls of her community by showing them, in person, what a ballerina looks like. Representation matters, and leaders like Aesha show our next generation everything they can become.

via Dance

Why You Should Never Ask Someone, “Where Are You From?”

“Right, but where are you really from?” This question isolates and haunts Mash-Ups. An American can look like anyone, but when fellow Americans question your place in the culture, it’s easy to feel like an outsider.

via CNN

Tea If By Sea; Cha If By Land: Why The World Only Has Two Words For Tea

Want to order tea in a foreign country? This map will show you which of the two Chinese words for “tea” that region adopted — and you might learn a little about Chinese trade and centuries-old globalization along the way.

via Quartz

L’Oréal Is Growing Chinese Skin to Test Products

You read that right. The company is using living cells from donors to create skin that can help customize makeup for Chinese faces. L’Oreal started growing Caucasian skin cells decades ago, but by focusing research toward their fastest growing market, we’re seeing all the ways our skin is different.

via Business Insider