Monday, March 31

LIFESTYLE

A Nation Of Homebodies?
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LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

A Nation Of Homebodies?

America is becoming a nation of homebodies. In his February 2025 cover story for The Atlantic, journalist Derek Thompson dubbed our current era “the anti-social century.” He isn’t wrong. According to our recent research, the U.S. is becoming a nation of homebodies. Using data from the American Time Use Survey, we studied how people in the U.S. spent their time before, during and after the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic did spur more Americans to stay home. But this trend didn’t start or end with the pandemic. We found that Americans were already spending more and more time at home and less and less time engaged in activities away from home stretching all the way back to at least 2003. And if you thought the end of lockdowns and the spread of vaccines led to a revival of partying an...
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St Patrick’s Day – Celebrating Green
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LIFESTYLE

St Patrick’s Day – Celebrating Green

While you may or may not want to be "wearing of the green" on St. Patrick's Day, you may still bring the best of luck to you and yours with any type of celebration to welcome and open the door to Spring, which is part of the St. Pat's Day festivities. It is just so enjoyable to go from the lackluster bland colors of Winter to the vibrant and enticing shades of green and Spring. One of the staples of a St. Patrick's Day dinner is Irish Soda Bread. There are so many different recipes available on the 'net that you can pick and choose to your heart's delight. This bread is so named because "baking soda" is the leavening agent and the "X" cut into the top of the loaf is a sure fire way to ward off any evil spirits that may be lurking around. Watching the St. Patrick's Day parade from New Yo...
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3 Strategies To Transform The Daily Grind And Make Life More Interesting
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LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

3 Strategies To Transform The Daily Grind And Make Life More Interesting

Transform the daily grind to make life more interesting – a philosopher shares 3 strategies to help you attain the good life. Imagine it’s Monday morning, too cold and too dark, but once that alarm goes off, you know you’ve got to rally. The kids have to get to school. You’ve got to get to work. And, of course, your ever-growing to-do list hangs over your head like a dark cloud, somehow both too threatening to ignore and too threatening to start its tasks. On days like this, you may be grateful simply to make it through. But then it begins, all over again. While you can’t escape the grind, you can transform it. The latest psychological research on the good life points the way: By shifting your mindset, you can make your day-to-day more interesting and create psychological richness wit...
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What Is A Life Coach And What Makes A Good One?
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LIFESTYLE, SELF

What Is A Life Coach And What Makes A Good One?

Finding a Life Coach: What Is a Life Coach and What Makes a Good One? Finding a life coach can be a simple step that changes many of your outcomes in life. Before venturing out to find one, however, you may be asking "What is a Life Coach" and "What Makes a Good One?" WHAT IS A LIFE COACH? A competent coach offers a variety of skills and resources from which to draw. As you experience different stages in your life, you may use a coach for different functions and needs. You may also use a coach for a completely different reason than someone else would use one. Following our premise that a coach can mean different things to different people, here are a few reasons why people differ on their reasons for finding a life coach: YOU NEED HELP WITH MOTIVATION If you are looking for a coach...
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Uncovering The Reasons Behind The Astonishing Rise In LGBTQ+ Romance Literature
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LGBTQ, LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

Uncovering The Reasons Behind The Astonishing Rise In LGBTQ+ Romance Literature

What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature? A major transformation is underway in Romancelandia. Once upon a time, romance novels from major U.S. publishers featured only heterosexual couples. Today, the five biggest publishers regularly release same-sex love stories. From May 2022 to May 2023, sales of LGBTQ+ romance grew by 40%, with the next biggest jump in this period occurring for general adult fiction, which grew just 17%. The data from 2023 extends a boom that began in 2016: In the five years from May 2016 to May 2021, sales of LGBTQ+ romance grew by a jaw-dropping 740%. It’s tempting to see this trend as a sign of the times. After all, same-sex couples now populate TV shows, commercials and even Hallmark Christmas movies. Surely it was only natural for books su...
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What Are The Implications Of The Big Tent Philosophy Of Free Speech?
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LGBTQ, LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

What Are The Implications Of The Big Tent Philosophy Of Free Speech?

In the ‘big tent’ of free speech, can you be too open-minded? People often extol the virtue of open-mindedness, but can there be too much of a good thing? As a college dean, I regularly observe campus controversies about the Israel-Hamas war, race relations and other hot-button issues. Many of these concern free speech – what students, faculty and invited speakers should and shouldn’t be allowed to say. But free speech disputes aren’t merely about permission to speak. They are about who belongs at the table – and whether there are limits to the viewpoints we should listen to, argue with or allow to change our minds. As a philosopher who works on “culture war” issues, I’m particularly interested in what free-speech disputes teach about the value of open-mindedness. Talking together in the...
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Exploring Cardio And Weights First: A Kinesiologist’s Perspective
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HEALTH & WELLNESS, LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

Exploring Cardio And Weights First: A Kinesiologist’s Perspective

Cardio or weights first? A kinesiologist explains how to optimize the order of your exercise routine. When you enter the gym, which way should you head first? Toward the treadmills and spin studio to get your sweat on with a cardio session? Or toward the free weights and strength-training machines to do some resistance training? The American College of Sports Medicine suggests doing both types of exercise to take advantage of their unique benefits for improving health and daily functioning and reducing chronic disease risk. But what is the optimal sequence to get the best results? The answer to this question is … it depends. I’m an exercise physiologist. Recently in my lab we have been studying the effects of combinations of aerobic and resistance training on improving health-related fitne...
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This Coming June LGBTQ+ Workers Want More Than Just Pride Flags
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LGBTQ, LIFESTYLE

This Coming June LGBTQ+ Workers Want More Than Just Pride Flags

LGBTQ+ workers want more than just pride flags in June. Every year, more and more companies seem to recognize Pride Month. But a recent analysis shows that LGBTQ+ workers expect more than this once-a-year acknowledgment from their employers. In fact, some employees actually criticize such behavior as mere pinkwashing. So, what do LGBTQ+ workers want? In 2023, the jobs website Indeed conducted a survey of LGBTQ+ full-time workers from across the U.S., and the results provide a clear picture of their needs. As a lesbian transgender woman and a queer studies scholar, I wasn’t surprised by what Indeed found. Even so, non-LGBTQ+ workers – particularly managers – can learn a lot from this survey. It may help them realize what LGBTQ+ workers already know: Employers must do better if they want to ...
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Get Sexy Underwear And Have A Great Time – Throw A Lingerie Party
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LIFESTYLE

Get Sexy Underwear And Have A Great Time – Throw A Lingerie Party

You must have got more than one invite to a lingerie party so far because these parties are becoming increasingly common these days. This is hardly surprising because they give ladies a chance to have a great deal of fun while selecting beautiful lingerie in the comfort of a home. These parties are organized by retailers as a way to get customers to try out their products and hopefully make purchases. When these parties were first launched they were organized in lingerie stores but it now more common to have them in people's home because guests feel more comfortable here. The retailer usually provides a very comprehensive selection of undergarments as well as a consultant who will advise women about which style will suit them the best. As the host of a lingerie party you have a lot to gai...
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Maintain Your Sobriety: The Holiday Season In Recovery
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LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

Maintain Your Sobriety: The Holiday Season In Recovery

Here are 5 tips to help you maintain your sobriety as the holidays approach. If you are an alcoholic, getting sober is one of the hardest things you may ever do, staying sober will be the hardest, and you need all the help you can get. Read these tips, one of them may just save your life. 1. Stay out of slippery places. Only attend a function with alcohol being served if you have a legitimate reason to be there. 2. Don't depend on someone else to get you home from the occasion. Drive your own car, and make sure you park in a way that you won`t be blocked in. If you don't have a car, make sure you have cab fare and a cell phone. You should also have your sponsor's phone number. 3. Know what you are going to drink before you get there, and order something that comes in a can or bottle t...
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