LIFESTYLE

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

28Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

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...

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

18Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

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...

Exploring Cardio And Weights First: A Kinesiologist’s Perspective

13Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

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...

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

13Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

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 ...

Maintain Your Sobriety: The Holiday Season In Recovery

27Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

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 bottl...

Students In This Course Take A Close Look At Addiction

13Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

Students In This Course Take A Close Look At Addiction

To better understand addiction, students in this course take a close look at liquor in literature. Title of course: Alcohol in American Literature What prompted the idea for the course? I got the idea for the course when I was writing a chapter on the temperance movement in American literature for my doctoral dissertation. I ended up reading a lot of fiction and poetry about alcohol and the anti-alcohol movement. I thought it would be fun to teach a class that surveyed American literature through a booze-themed lens. Since alcohol affects and disables people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or class, it is easy to find literature about the impact of alcohol from many points of view. What does the course explore? I pair my course with a medical doctor who teaches...

Where The Hell Have All The Wonder Women Gone?

1Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

Where The Hell Have All The Wonder Women Gone?

Where have all the wonder women gone? In the epilogue to Jill Lepore’s book, The Secret History of Wonder Woman, we learn about Wonder Woman’s importance to the American feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Lepore briefly notes Wonder Woman’s place in US television in the same period. But in skimming over the character’s TV life, she misses a key step in her cultural significance. In the history of Wonder Woman on television lies a story about the ways that popular culture in general – and representations of “wonder women,” in particular – seek to reconcile feminism and femininity at different historical moments. The New Original Wonder Woman premiered in 1976 alongside two other action-adventure series with female leads, Charlie’s Angels and The Bionic Woman. This super-women trif...

22Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

What Season Is It — Scorpio Season

Sun in Scorpio As the autumn leaves turn and the season of long shadows arrives, Scorpio's sun sign comes to life. Their planet is Pluto, their element is water, and they are at home in the Eight house of the Zodiac. People born between October 23 and November 22 are represented by the Scorpion, a symbol of the power to deal a fatal sting to those who betray their trust. Scorpios are constantly observing others---sizing up people, situations, and careers---as they're extraordinarily perceptive. They're also very clever---you can barely outwit a Scorpio! And they enjoy their privacy. It can be hard to break through their mask; this kind of control gives them power. Scorpios are complex and hard to understand. They possess a combination of empathy and deep, intuitive insight. What's just out...

As Their Meanings Change Terms Of Address Such As Ladies And Gentlemen, Guys And Dudes Can Be A Minefield

12Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, LGBTQ, LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

As Their Meanings Change Terms Of Address Such As Ladies And Gentlemen, Guys And Dudes Can Be A Minefield

Listen up, ladies and gentlemen, guys and dudes: Terms of address can be a minefield, especially as their meanings change. A male colleague could be forgiven for not knowing if using “guys” to refer to female co-workers is acceptable in the modern workplace. But should he address them as “ladies,” he risks a trip to HR, or at the very least being labeled a condescending creep. So what in the name of Messrs Merriam and Webster is going on with what us linguists call “address terms” – that is, the words we use to address individuals – and their gender? All languages have such terms, with the most common being “you,” or the second-person pronoun. But we have a host of alternative address terms commonly in use in the English language: “you guys,” “bro,” “dude,” “y'all” and “mate” – depending...

Bourbon’s Distinctive Taste And Color — The Complex Chemistry Behind America’s Spirit

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism, LIFESTYLE, SOCIETY

Bourbon’s Distinctive Taste And Color — The Complex Chemistry Behind America’s Spirit

The complex chemistry behind America’s spirit – how bourbon gets its distinctive taste and color. Few beverages have as rich a heritage and as complicated a chemistry as bourbon whiskey, often called “America’s spirit.” Known for its deep amber hue and robust flavors, bourbon has captured the hearts of enthusiasts across the country. But for a whiskey to be called a bourbon, it has to adhere to very specific rules. For one, it needs to be made in the U.S. or a U.S. territory – although almost all is made in Kentucky. The other rules have more to do with the steps to make it – how much corn is in the grain mixture, the aging process and the alcohol proof. I’m a bourbon researcher and chemistry professor who teaches classes on fermentation, and I’m a bourbon connoisseur myself. The complex...