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Okay, let's dive into this whole "soft clubbing" thing. You've probably heard the term floating around, maybe seen it on TikTok, and are now thinking, "What the hell is that?" Don't worry, you're not alone. It's a relatively new concept, a response to our ever-evolving social lives, and honestly, it's pretty relatable. Basically, soft clubbing is the antithesis of the hardcore, all-night, raging club experience. Think of it as clubbing's chill, introverted cousin. It's about enjoying the vibe, the music, the atmosphere, but without the pressure to stay out until sunrise, get completely wasted, or force yourself into sweaty, overcrowded dance floors. It's clubbing, but… gentler. So, what exactly does a soft clubbing experience look like? Well, it's all about intention and moderation. In...

LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is a growing health risk, and not well understood. Millions of people across the Los Angeles area are being exposed to wildfire smoke as fires burn through homes and vehicles. The fires in January 2025 have burned thousands of structures, along with the building materials, furniture, paints, plastics and electronics inside them. When materials like these burn, they can release toxic chemicals with the potential to harm people breathing the air downwind. A 2023 study of smoke from fires in the wildland-urban interface – areas where urban neighborhoods bleed into the wildlands – found it contained a vast array of chemicals harmful to humans. They include hydrogen chloride, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins and a range of toxic organ...

Why people stay after local economies collapse − a story of home among the ghosts of shuttered steel mills. It was midday on a Saturday, and Simonetta led me from the open front door of her home in southeast Chicago to her sitting room and settled next to her husband, Christopher, on the couch. In the 1980s, Christopher had worked a few blocks away at U.S. Steel South Works, earning three times the minimum wage with a high school diploma – more than enough to buy a house near Simonetta’s parents before their first baby arrived. Like their neighbors in southeast Chicago, Simonetta and Christopher’s expectations for work and home were set by the steel industry. Between 1875 and 1990, the employment offered here by eight steel mills created a dense network of working-class neighborhoods ...

Inside the dark world of dognapping. It’s late at night, and a stranger walking down an alley sees your family dog sleeping on the porch inside your fenced yard. The stranger softly calls the dog over and begins to pet him. While checking to see if anyone is watching, he opens the gate, clips a leash to your dog’s collar and leads him away, never to be seen again. The next morning, your family is distraught; when a neighbor’s video surveillance reveals that your dog was stolen, you feel deeply violated. While the emotions described are implied, the circumstances are not: Reports suggest that dog thefts are on the rise in the U.S.. Losing a pet can be devastating, and it’s a crime that has repercussions that go far beyond the animal’s financial value. Many dog owners view their dogs ...

International students will offer a big boost to the US economy this back-to-school season. Of the millions of young adults heading off to college this fall, many will be international students. If trends continue, about 1 million students from around the world will come to the U.S. to pursue higher education this year. These young scholars make a big economic impact. Altogether, they pump more than US$40 billion into the U.S. economy and support over 368,000 jobs. That’s not just paying professors and buying textbooks – it includes everything from renting apartments to late-night DoorDash and Grubhub deliveries. And it’s near a record high. In fact, higher education is the 10th-leading export of the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis – except the exp...