TOP FOUR

Santa Claus, Gifts And A Tree – How Christmas Became An American Holiday Tradition

18Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIETY, TOP FOUR

Santa Claus, Gifts And A Tree – How Christmas Became An American Holiday Tradition

Each season, the celebration of Christmas has religious leaders and conservatives publicly complaining about the commercialization of the holiday and the growing lack of Christian sentiment. Many people seem to believe that there was once a way to celebrate the birth of Christ in a more spiritual way. Such perceptions about Christmas celebrations have, however, little basis in history. As a scholar of transnational and global history, I have studied the emergence of Christmas celebrations in German towns around 1800 and the global spread of this holiday ritual. While Europeans participated in church services and religious ceremonies to celebrate the birth of Jesus for centuries, they did not commemorate it as we do today. Christmas trees and gift-giving on Dec. 24 in Germany did not spre...

18Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TOP FOUR, WHAT'S GOOD

3 Smart Fall Sweets Swaps And Tips

(BPT) - As the leaves begin to change color and the temperatures get a little cooler, it can be challenging to stay on track with your nutritional goals. Cooler months often come with less outdoor activity as you begin to hunker down indoors. But the change in seasons doesn’t have to mean giving up on your wellness — or sacrificing a sweet treat you enjoy. “There are many ways to follow a balanced lifestyle that allow you to live your best healthy life,” said Colette Heimowitz, vice president of Nutrition and Education at Simply Good Foods Company. “All it takes is a little planning, and snack options without a ton of sugar — that still taste delicious and fit into your lifestyle.” Heimowitz offers a few easy and tasty ways to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle this fal...

3 Hearty, Fall Desserts That Don’t Involve Making Pie Crust

18Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TOP FOUR, WHAT'S GOOD

3 Hearty, Fall Desserts That Don’t Involve Making Pie Crust

Fall baking is about more than just pumpkin and apple pies. When we’re planning the dessert course for weekend dinner parties (or hey, just Thursday night’s treat), we glean inspiration from fall colors and cooling temperatures just as often as fall ingredients. Caramel, warm spice and golden brown toppings all make an appearance in our favorite new fall desserts. Cast Iron Apple Cobbler Fewer dishes are more comforting in fall than a warm apple cobbler. In our cast iron skillet version, we use tart Granny Smith apples to offset the sweetness of the sweet, caramel-y filling. Granny Smiths also maintain some of their texture throughout the baking process, so you won’t end up with applesauce cobbler. We like to saute our apples to cook out some of their moisture, then we build the filling ...

So Few People Are Born On Christmas, New Year’s And Other Holidays, Why?

18Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIETY, TOP FOUR

So Few People Are Born On Christmas, New Year’s And Other Holidays, Why?

Christmas and New Year’s are days of celebration in many parts of the world when people gather with family and friends. One thing many typically don’t celebrate on those days is a birthday. That’s because Dec. 25 is the least popular day in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand to give birth. In England, Wales and Ireland, it’s the second-least popular, behind Dec. 26, when Brits celebrate Boxing Day. So why do people have fewer babies on holidays like Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s – the second-least popular birthday in the U.S.? I am personally interested in the question because my wife was a New Year’s Day baby. And as an economist, I find these data puzzles fascinating. Least and most popular birthdays All of the least-favored days in the U.S. are tied to holidays, wheth...

If President-Elect Trump Dismantled The US Department Of Education What Would It Mean

8Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

EDUCATION, TOP FOUR

If President-Elect Trump Dismantled The US Department Of Education What Would It Mean

What would it mean if President-elect Trump dismantled the US Department of Education? In her role as former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, Linda McMahon oversaw an enterprise that popularized the “takedown” for millions of wrestling fans. But as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, the Trump loyalist may be tasked with taking down the very department Trump has asked her to lead. If Trump does dismantle the Department of Education as he has promised to do, he will have succeeded at something that President Ronald Reagan vowed to do in 1980. Just like Trump, Reagan campaigned on abolishing the department, which at the time was only a year old. Since then, the Republican Party platform has repeatedly called for eliminating the Education ...

8Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Bluesky’s Resemblance To The Old Twitter Is Drawing Millions Of New Users

Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new users. What would you say at Twitter’s funeral? That’s the question my collaborators and I asked over 1,000 people on social media as part of a broader research project on Twitter migration. Responses ranged from the profane to the poetic, but one common theme was that despite its significant flaws, Twitter at its best was truly great … until it wasn’t. “The world is a better place for it having existed, and a better place now that it’s gone.” “It takes so little to destroy so much.” “I will miss it for what it could be in its best moments, but I will be happy that we can finally move on to healthier spaces.” For many, it was time to leave in the hopes of finding greener pastures. Since El...

7Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA, TOP FOUR

TikTok Ban Upheld

Appeals court upholds TikTok ban: 5 essential reads on the case and its consequences. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Dec. 6, 2024, upheld a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the video app by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban on the app. The court rebuffed TikTok’s claim that the law violates its First Amendment rights. The appeals court ruling is the latest development in a lengthy saga over the fate of an app that is widely popular, especially among young Americans, but that many politicians in Washington say is a security risk. The ruling is unlikely to be the end of the story. TikTok is expected to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, though the court could refuse to hear the...

AI-Generated Images — The Latest Form Of Social Media Spam

8Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA, TOP FOUR

AI-Generated Images — The Latest Form Of Social Media Spam

From shrimp Jesus to fake self-portraits, AI-generated images have become the latest form of social media spam. If you’ve spent time on Facebook over the past six months, you may have noticed photorealistic images that are too good to be true: children holding paintings that look like the work of professional artists, or majestic log cabin interiors that are the stuff of Airbnb dreams. Others, such as renderings of Jesus made out of crustaceans, are just bizarre. Like the AI image of the pope in a puffer jacket that went viral in May 2023, these AI-generated images are increasingly prevalent – and popular – on social media platforms. Even as many of them border on the surreal, they’re often used to bait engagement from ordinary users. Our team of researchers from the Stanford Inter...

4Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

ASTROLOGY, TOP FOUR

The Definition Of Sagittarius

The placement of the planets and the moon are known to be some of the major factors on the zodiac signs. The minute that someone is born, their zodiac sign is determined according to the day and month they are born in. Astrology is given its meaning by the planets. The positions of the planets are constantly changing. The outer planets move slower than the inner planets, which is why some signs are more influenced by one planet than another. In this article, the meaning of the Sagittarius zodiac sign is explained. Sagittarius is one of the twelve zodiac signs. For those who are born between November 22 through December 21, their zodiac sign is Sagittarius. The two characteristics of the Sagittarius sign are the hunter and the centaur, a mythological creature that is half-man and half-hors...

Holiday Parties – “AKA” The Office Party

4Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism, TOP FOUR

Holiday Parties – “AKA” The Office Party

Everybody has been to the office party where Sally has a little too much to drink and ends up sitting on the boss's lap while his wife watches in horror. And nobody wants to repeat that event. In fact, many professionals will avoid attending office parties because of the opportunity for such embarrassing events to happen. But the office party doesn't have to become a horrifying and embarrassing experience for anyone. Here are a few fun options that don't include over imbibing in the spirits of the season: 1 - Present a Dance and Cover Band Challenge Hire two bands, schedule them to play two sets, and have the attendees decide which band is the best. You'll want to do this event early in the season with plenty of dance time, food and tables for conversational discussions amon...