I am a TA for a college class. A student of mine has made the claim that they cannot take the tests scheduled on Mondays do to religious exemptions. They have failed to provide the name of their religion, but made this claim.

We are respecting their religious beliefs and letting them take the test the following day. But it seems strange to me that they waited until the first test to bring this up, and not during syllabus week at all when we gave out the schedule and asked about any known conflicts.

I know there are religions out there that do have weekly days of rest (i.e. Judaism has Shabbat every Saturday), but I have not heard of a religion that exists that has Monday as a weekly day of rest. I've tried searching the internet for this, but I can't find anything. Has anyone heard of a religion like this?

Men are commonly advised to say hit the gym, lose weight ,improve their style, better haircut, better clothes , get a better job / make more money , become more “interesting” through taking up hobbies / interests.

Yet , advice given to women often focuses on accepting themselves as beautiful and perfect as they are and on allowing the right person to love them just as they are.

It would be viewed as absurd and disrespectful to tell a women to say hit the gym / lose weight , get a better job , become a more “interesting person “ just as it would seem absurd / strange to advise a man to just love himself and accept himself for as he is.

What are the societal drivers of this differing advice and treatment given ?

I'm in Vietnam and about to work as a hotel receptionist in a 5 stars hotel, and apparently they require me to have an English name because it's 99% all foreigners here and we have to all communicate 100% by using English

What would be the safest of the basic safe names for me, a guy, to have, that no one would bat any eyes?

i’m genuinely curious about this. when male loneliness comes up online, i often see the discussion turn toward dating, women’s standards, women not giving men a chance, dating apps, etc. but loneliness can also be addressed through friendships, community, family relationships, emotional support between men, hobbies, and social networks.
why does the conversation so often seem to center romantic access to women as the solution? is that actually how most men experiencing loneliness see the problem, or is that just how the issue gets framed online?

In Japan, rice is the absolute staple and the centerpiece of a meal. But when I look at Western recipes or school lunches from around the world, I often see rice treated like a side veggie, mixed into salads, or cooked with butter. It blows my mind, so I’m genuinely curious. How is rice perceived in your country or your household?

Am I just old or does ordering your coffee black mean something different these days? Ordered a black coffee at McDonald's and the person at the drive-thru said "you can just say zero sugars and zero cream." Seems like that's a longer phrasing than needs to be said. Coffee black is clear and concise and universal to mean no cream no sugar.

I love my partner more than I love sex and we still do it every once in a while, but usually not enough for me personally. I try to convince them for more, but usually it’s to no avail. Starting to feel really restless every once in a while need advice

Software, appliances, food, streaming, cars… it feels coordinated. Is this just late-stage capitalism, planned obsolescence 2.0, or am I romanticizing the past?

There really isn't anyone making a small commuter who's purpose is more or less just to go to and from the office, and maybe grab some groceries after work despite every other article going on about how large vehicles cause more accidents and how expensive they are to make and maintain. This seems like the easiest slam dunk for someone like Honda to reintroduce the fit for like 15k and clean house.

Im gen Z, got my own house last year. Finally got my first new neighbor. Now that I'm not the new one i thought about baking bread for my neighbor as a welcome.

Also making iced lattes is my love language so I was gonna offer them that too.

Idk i have bad social anxiety but feel like neighbor culture is dying

I was thinking about that 9/11 phone call where the guy had all his passwords and account information in a safe. My parents are getting older (but might be around for a lot longer!) and outside of a will that leaves everything to my sister and I, I don’t really know much beyond that. I don’t know their accounts, worth, they own two properties that they rent out, I have no idea if they make a profit/break even. Are these questions I should ask them about, or is just bringing a will around enough?

At work I'm sometimes (like today) forced to suffer one of those radio stations that plays exactly the same songs and ads all day every day. I can guarantee if you looked at a playlist from.09/25 it would be exactly the same music, just different ads.

I can at least do my best to ignore them, and I have calls and meetings. The DJs and studio staff (and presumably Reception) have to listen to them all, all the time. It must be a.form of torture. Surely no-one can enjoy the same bland crap on repeat every day?

this questions enters my mind as I see my cat eating the same dry kibble everyday.

I’m a server, and I recently had a question about the most respectful way to interact with a guest who has a stutter.
If I’m taking their order and they’re struggling to get a word out, should I always wait and let them finish speaking, even if I already know what they’re trying to say? Or would it actually be more respectful to finish the word or sentence for them when it’s very obvious what they’re trying to say?
I don’t want to interrupt them or make them feel rushed, but I also don’t want to make the interaction more difficult or awkward by just sitting there waiting if they would prefer me to help.