Welcome to Nollywood Times |
- How To Make A Rim Job The Best New Addition To Your Hot AF Sex Life
- 16 Simple Ways to Be Healthier
- Here's What Lesbian Sex Dreams REALLY Mean
- What Is Reef-Safe Sunscreen?
- Funny 50 Questions To Ask Your Friends To Strengthen Your Bond
- Dr. Pimple Popper Mistakes Cyst for Blackhead
- How to Successfully Work from Home, According to People Who Do It
- The Things Women Wish Men Would Do More in Bed
- Tom Holland on the Possibility of a Gay Spider-Man
- Idia Aisien channels Kim Kardashian in sultry new photos
- This Man Left Corporate America for the Wild Carier
- How 'Midsommar' Star Reacted to Movie's Ending
- Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' 4
- July 2019 Mercury Retrograde, What it Really Means For Your Sign
- These Diet Changes Helped This Guy Lose 60 Lbs
- Funny Toheeb recreates Toke Makinwa’s pantless pose, Media users react
- This Gym Uses Tech to Supercharge NBA Players
- Keanu Reeves Proves He Hasn't Aged a Day in First Set Photos From 'Bill & Ted 3'
- This is How Not to Choke Under Pressure
| How To Make A Rim Job The Best New Addition To Your Hot AF Sex Life Posted: 08 Jul 2019 12:00 AM PDT Long before Nicki Minaj made rim jobs famous by rapping about "tossing salads" (yup, that's what that meant), many people were licking a** and taking names. And now that butts are having a major cultural moment (thanks, Instagram!), rimming-literally licking around and in another person's anus-has become even more mainstream.  And for a ton of good reasons. "There are a lot of erotic nerve endings in the anus, so people can really find themselves having a different, better orgasm from rimming," says Joe Kort , PhD, a certified sex therapist in Royal Oak, Michigan. Plus, you can even get more aroused than usual because the area's typically unexplored, he adds. \"There are a lot of erotic nerve endings in the anus, so you can have a different, better orgasm.\" "It's definitely a legitimate source of sexual pleasure for many people," affirms Kimberly McBride , PhD, Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Toledo, who's extensively researched anal sex. In fact, she encourages people not to "shy away from that kind of an exploration because it can be very pleasurable." Oh and btw, it's totally possible to orgasm from analingus without penetrative sex , according to both Kort and McBride. But if that seems out of reach, McBride says that rimming can definitely make a vaginal orgasm more intense. So...ready to give or get a rim job? Here's everything you need to know before you and your partner go down that hole (pun intended): 1. Talk it out. Surprise parties can be fun, sure, but not when they're happening around your under-exposed anus. So yeah, consent is essential to giving a rim job-and, obviously, receiving one, too. Your bedroom beau isn't a mind reader, which is why McBride says "sexual partners need to have clear communication about their wants and needs." If you're interested in rimming, she recommends being candid and fully clothed when you first suggest 'tossing salads.' "It's always better to talk about a new sexual act in a non-sexualized moment," she explains. (It feels less intimidating that way.) In fact, McBride recommends having this discussion well in advance of getting naked, so your partner has enough time and space to make an informed decision and can prepare to do it safely (more on that in a sec). Once you've found the right moment, it's all up to you on how you approach the topic . According to McBride, some people will just come out and ask for a rim job (major props to y'all), but if that's not your style or comfort level, she suggests saying something a bit less blunt. Try: "Oh, my friend was talking about this experience, and she really enjoyed it. It's something I might like to pursue." Or: "I saw an article about rimming. What do you think about trying it?" (I mean, it's the truth...) 2. Know that you might get turned down. Whenever you try to shake up your sexual routine, "there can be a fear of rejection," Kort says. To get ahead of that, he recommends sharing that fear with your partner and asking them to withhold judgment until after you explain exactly why you're interested in adding a new dish to the sexual menu. "I never support a conversation stopping just because one person says that they don't want to do it," explains Kort. Instead, he suggests asking your partner, "How are we going to negotiate this in a way that respects both of our boundaries?" If they're not okay with rimming, maybe they are okay with watching an erotic movie that features rim jobs or talking through a rimming fantasy together. Whatever you end up doing, the goal is not to get the other person to eventually cave in to your desires, Kort says. "The goal is to allow you to share your sexual interests with your partner." 3. One word: shower. At the end of the day...a butt's a butt. And considering you've probably spent plenty of QT with your own, you know what it does. So if you're worried about cleanliness or smell (fair), both McBride and Kort recommend showering ahead of time. Or to get in the ~mood~, shower together. However you decide to suds up, McBride advises "washing gently with warm water and soap." She also recommends staying far away from any cleansers that are too astringent "because that can actually draw moisture away from the anus and make the tissue more prone to contracting STIs." Look for body wash or bars labeled "soap-free," since traditional soaps (meaning the ingredient, not an actual bar of soap) fall into that heavily astringent category. While you're there, why not warm up with these tried-and-true shower sex positions? 4. Come prepared. Again, you know what butts do, but I'm just gonna come out and say it: They poop. And that poop is loaded with bacteria that gets moved around when you wipe-which could increase your risk of contracting an STI if you forgo protection. "Oral transmission of bacterial (e.g. gonorrhea and chlamydia) and viral (e.g. HIV and HPV) STIs can and does happen," explains McBride."If you add other factors, such as the use of certain lubricants, a lowered immune system, microtrauma to the skin or mucus membranes, or an existing STI, the chances increase." To make things less risky, she recommends using a dental dam. ICYDK, dental dams are a thin square, typically made of latex, that you put over genitalia, tush included. (Polyurethane ones are also available if you're allergic to latex.) In a pinch? You can also DIY a dental dam by cutting the bottom and top off of a male condom and then cutting it lengthwise to create a square shape, she says. Really, really in a pinch? Just tear off a piece of cellophane (as long as it's not microwavable, because that's porous and can allow for STI transmission), according to McBride. I know, I know, dental dams don't exactly scream sexy...but safe sex definitely does. So pro tip: Make the dam add to your experience-rub some water-based lube on and around the anus before covering it with the dam to enhance pleasure, says McBride. 5. Beware of teeth brushing. Apparently, giving a rim job is kind of like getting fluoride at the dentist (emphasis on "kind of"). By that, I mean that you don't want to brush your teeth for two hours before or after rimming, according to McBride. "If you get tiny microtears in your mouth from brushing, that can facilitate STI transmission," she explains, as tears give an entryway to infected cells. (The same applies for regular oral sex , too, btw.) 6. Don't lick from back to front. If you're a vagina owner, you (hopefully) already know the daily dangers of wiping back to front. (In case you don't: UTIs galore .) Same goes for oral-anal contact if you're not using a barrier-like, ya know, said dental dam. If you're with a trusted partner and you choose to go cheek-to-cheek (hehe), just make sure you don't immediately switch to going down on a vagina or penis. That also makes spreading an STI more likely. 7. Be open to trial and error. Unless you're ridiculously talented, chances are, your first time ever having sex wasn't your best. So don't be surprised if you don't exactly nail your first rim job, either. Practice makes perfect. That said, Kort has a few recs to help you along. First, he says, "The person who's getting the rim job should stay stationary, and the person giving it should experiment with how much they want to do, how little, and how deep they want their tongue to go in." Both partners should embrace that experimentation-by constantly communicating with words (and sounds) about what feels good, says McBride. Plus, the more open you are, the hotter it'll be. Trust. 8. You can get off (sorta) just by thinking about rim jobs. Sex is often more than just a physical experience. And rimming is no exception: Because it's so intimate in nature, experiencing one with your partner can significantly deepen your connection. Case in point: McBride's research uncovered that many participants across multiple studies think "breaking taboos is sexy and adds to the erotic experience." So don't be afraid to ask for a rim job, or offer to give your partner one, if the thought of it turns you on. It's trendy for a reason, after all-and it's much bigger than Nicki Minaj. (Sorry, Nicki.)  | ||
| 16 Simple Ways to Be Healthier Posted: 07 Jul 2019 11:30 PM PDT
Smile for your flu shot The flu vaccine lowers your risk of the illness by only 40 to 60 percent, the CDC reports. But cheer up: Being in a positive mood on vaccination day may boost the vaccines effectiveness by tweaking your immune system to enhance its antibody response, a 2017 study suggests. Before rolling up your sleeve, watch a funny video or peruse vacation photos. Eat this "dessert" To stabilize postmeal bloodsugar, try eating carbs last. In one study, people with type 2 diabetes ate a chicken sandwich: (1)in its entirety, with 10 minutes between halves; (2) bread first, chicken/veggies 10 minutes later; (3) chicken/veggies first, bread 10 minutes later. Option 3 reduced blood sugar spikes and insulin response for up to three hours. Improve balance To improve his balance and joint health, strength coach Jeff Watters ends workouts with a variation on the field sobriety test: Stand with arms extended and eyes closed. Lift one foot and hold, up to a minute. Switch sides and repeat. This strengthens tendons and ligaments in your ankles, knees, and hips. One-leg balance predicts longevity too. Try a meal replacement shake A daily meal-replacement shake is among the least utilized tools for weight management, says Spencer Nadolsky, D.O. Blend 30 grams vanilla protein powder, cup blueberries, and a small handful of chopped walnuts with water or milk. No blender? Mix the protein with water and eat the rest on the side. Its just 300 calories, but quite filling. Improve your marriage Researchers followed married British men for 19 years to see how their relationship ups and downs affected their risk factors for heart disease. Improving marriages were linked to lower LDL cholesterol and weight loss, while deteriorating ones were linked to higher diastolic blood pressure. To keep yours on the upswing, see the next tip. Bond with your partner Sit facing your partner with your knees touching and look into each others eyes, without talking, for two minutes. Experiments with couples show that this increases feelings of bonding, even among strangers, says Alexandra Katehakis, Ph.D., director of the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles. When you have time, go for four minutes. Eat healthy when dining out Menu engineers (yes, they exist) know that most diners tend to scan the middle part of a menu first; then they move from top right to top left. So thats where restaurants tend to put items with the highest profit margin, says Aaron Allen, a restaurant consultant. Dont be fooled: Think outside the triangle to make better nutritional choices. Learn the best way to sneeze Taking a couple of minutes to teach your children the vampire sneeze will go a long way toward protecting you from the multitude of germs those little buggers carry. Make a game of it, by having them sneeze and cough into the crook of their arm-like Dracula ducking his face behind his cape-instead of into their hands, the air, or onto you. Maximize the benefits of garlic To maximize the immunity boosting benefits of garlic, mince a few cloves and let the bits sit for a few minutes. This encourages the formation of allicin, which has antioxidant properties. Mix garlic into salad dressing or stirfry, or blend it with cream cheese to use as a spread, says Victoria Maizes, M.D., of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Burn extra calories In the early 20th century, the average winter temperature in a U.S. home was 64F. By centurys end it was 76. The price we pay for T-shirt temps is looking a lot worse in T-shirts. By dialing back to the mid-60s, youll make your body work harder to stay warm, increase its energy expenditure by up to 10 percent, and burn up to 300 extra calories a day. Learn pull ups To build big muscles, you gotta lift heavy. But theres a bad side effect: compressed spinal discs from heavy squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses. Hanging from a pullup bar stretches back muscles and creates space for bloodflow between the discs, says strength coach Lee Boyce, C.P.T. Hang for 30 seconds at a time, or anytime you feel tight. Choose the right salad dressing Iowa State scientists found that our bodies are better at absorbing eight nutrients (including beta carotene and vitamins A, E, and K) when we eat vegetable salads with soybean or canola oil. And the more oil (up to about two tablespoons), the more nutrients were absorbed. Look for organic non-hydrogenated oils as a base in dressings, or mix your own. Avoid overeating at restaurants Worried youll overeat at the sports bar? MH nutrition advisor Alan Aragon suggests fixing a two-minute snack before you leave home: Mix 20 grams of whey protein with 16 ounces of water. It can help you cut your calorie intake at restaurants, where meals tend to be hyperpalatable and high in calories-a recipe for overconsumption, he says. Forget about kale The hype surrounding kale is getting a bit stale. For a newer, fresher meal-picker-upper, sub out kale or similar greens and sub in watercress, says Chef Ming Tsai of Blue Dragon restaurant in Boston. Watercress is also packed with nutrients and provides a snappy, peppery bite that takes salads, stir-frys, and even smoothies to another level. Use hand sanitizer One of the smartest things you can pack in your carry-on for travel is a packet of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes On The Go. Use them to sanitize your three square feet in coach by swiping disease-carrying microbes from high-threat areas like tray tables, seat buckles, air vent dials, seat pockets, and, of course, when its time, bathroom door handles. Be thankful Its hard to be anxious or angry when youre feeling thankful, according to research by Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at UC Riverside. Lyubomirsky advises writing a list-once a week is most effective-of recent things youre grateful for and then referring to it for a couple of minutes whenever youre feeling down or upset. In This Story: #16 #Simple #Ways #Healthier Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Here's What Lesbian Sex Dreams REALLY Mean Posted: 07 Jul 2019 11:00 PM PDT
But, wait, you're straight...right? It's a question that makes total sense to ask, especially if you're one to interpret dreams on a literal basis. I get it: You enjoyed the dream-a lot-but you've never really thought about women that way before. Sure, you've helped your friends pick their best thirst trap and ogled actresses' fit bodies, but you've never, in the words of Katy Perry, kissed a girl and liked it. (Obvs, you're cool with lesbian relationships, you've just never felt the desire to be in one.) But before you go texting every one of your friends to find out if you're the only one who's had an unexpected girl-on-girl fantasy (P.S. you're so not) and spiraling into crisis mode, let experts decode what a lesbian sex dream really means. Since you're already thinking about sex, might as well try these hot AF positions: First, know what a lesbian sex dream is not. "Women are often anxious about their lesbian dreams, and they needn't be," says Gayle Delaney , PhD, a dream specialist, clinical psychologist, and founding president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. "It's the rarest of possibilities that you turn out to be a lesbian." (Not that there'd be anything wrong with you if you come to that realization, but it's very unlikely the case.) FWIW, gay men and women have the same horrified reaction when they have a straight sex dream, Delaney says, so it's not about any stigma but rather the element of surprise. In all her years of analyzing dreams, shes never encountered someone who identified as straight suddenly realize that they were actually gay (or vice versa) by way of a sex dream. Psychologist Rubin Naiman , PhD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and the sleep and dream specialist at the University of Arizona, hasnt either. "It's my experience that dreaming doesn't smack you in the head. I've never seen that happen," he explains. "I think a woman who has an opening in her heart toward sex with other women or a lesbian relationship would probably have some awareness," he says. "The dream might surprise her, but it probably wouldn't shock her." Delaney agrees: "People generally aren't that repressed." Still, you might be a bit closer to lesbianism on the sexuality spectrum than you originally thought. "Most people are on somewhat of a sexual continuum," Naiman says. "But that doesn't mean that a woman having this dream is a lesbian." (ICYDK, tons of straight women get off to lesbian porn , but that doesn't impact who they choose to date.) Okay, so what does it mean to have a lesbian sex dream? I hate to break it to all you dream-dictionary owners, but there "are few, if any, universal meanings to a dream," says Naiman. The only way to figure out what your imaginary lesbian encounter really means is to ask yourself what it means to you. The first step is interviewing yourself about your dream. Delaney recommends asking these questions:
Of course, the answers will depend on your individual experience. That said, Delaney has noticed striking similarities in womens responses whenever shes conducted this type of dream interview. "Almost always, women say it feels wonderful," she explains. "Some have a more erotic dream, and some have it more loving. But in both cases, the sex goes really well." As for your dreams costar, its "likely a woman you know and whom you admire, says Delaney. Often, shes further advanced in her career-and might even be your boss. Again, dont freak out-your dream isnt an HR violation. "This dream means you\'re accepted and liked by a woman who plays a role in your life goals." "The relevant part is what this figure plays in your life. She's usually someone more along your path, whatever that is," Delaney explains. "This dream means you really have come a ways to be accepted and liked by a woman who plays a role in your life goals." There are exceptions to this dream interpretation, of course, but "the vast majority" of lesbian dreams Delaney has heard actually reveal a womans career aspirations-not her sexuality. If that seems ironic, or weird, it isn't. "One of the mistakes we make about sexual dreams is that we reduce it to the anatomical, physical act of sex," Naiman says. "Symbolically, a sexual connection is a connection of love." So, regardless of whether or not your dream reflects your personal goals, it might also be about how you connect to women-and womanhood itself. "Dreaming is not just about our personal unconscious, it's also about our shared, social, and collective unconscious," Naiman explains. He believes the evolution of pro-women movements over time, most recently with #MeToo and Time's Up, have made their way into that collective unconscious. And get this-you don't even have to be actively aware of or involved in these movements to have their underlying effect on society influence your dreams. Translation: Your dream about making love to another woman could simply mean you love women. (I mean, why wouldn't you? They're the best.) Regardless, however your confusing dream went down, don't overthink it. "We have to come at the dream-even difficult and frightening dreams-with the presumption that it's friendly," Naiman says. "If we don't, we're going to lose some of the personal meaning that's hidden in the dream." So, the next time you have a lesbian sex dream (hey, if it happened once, it can happen again), just embrace it. Then maybe tell a boss lady in your life how much you admire her. Spread the love! In This Story: #Lesbian #Sex #Dreams #REALLY #Mean Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:30 PM PDT
A 2008 European study found that approximately 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in oceans each year. The highest concentration of high-risk sunscreen ingredients (more on that below) were found near coral reefs that are most popular with tourists. This means the sunscreen you put on before surfing, kayaking, or swimming in the ocean doesn't just stay on your skin and protect you from UV damage, it washes off and remains in the ocean, causing serious damage to coral reefs and marine life. How exactly are sunscreens messing with the ocean? A 2015 study study in the journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology found that the popular sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone is directly linked to coral bleaching, the top cause of coral death worldwide. This phenomenon happens when coral loses or lacks the nutrients they typically receive from algae and eventually turn white and die. Not only do oxybenzone and octinoxate (another high-risk sunscreen ingredient) cause bleaching in existing coral, they are also damaging the DNA of young coral, therefore stunting their growth. And it doesn't take a lot of these chemicals to do irreparable harm. That 2015 study also found that they start causing damage to corals at concentrations as low as the equivalent of one drop of water in six-and-a-half Olympic-sized swimming pools. The scary part is, concentrations more than 10 times that amount have been measured at popular swimming beaches in Hawaii. Coral reefs are the worlds most productive marine ecosystems and support commercial and recreational fisheries and tourism, John Fauth, one of the researchers behind the study, told UCF Today. In addition, reefs protect coastlines from storm surge. Worldwide, the total value of coral reefs is tremendous. And they are in danger. Heres the thing: Oxybenzone and octinoxate are super-common ingredients found in more than 3,500 sun protection products, according to NPR . They also pop up in many moisturizers, primers, and foundations that contains SPF. So it's crucial to look for a reef-friendly option. What is a reef-safe sunscreen? If you're looking for a chemical sunscreen (sunscreens that sink into skin and work by absorbing UV rays and converting them to heat), any version that does not contain oxybenzone or octinoxate are considered safe for ocean use. Flip over the bottle and look at the drug facts. The sun-protection ingredients will be listed at the top under "active ingredients." If you do not see these two listed, you are good to go. As for mineral (aka physical) sunblocks, these are powered by the minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide . Tiny mineral particles sit on top of your skin and deflect UV rays, says Gary Goldenberg , MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Not to make matters more complicated, but just because they don't contain oxybenzone or octinoxate, doesn't mean all mineral sunscreens are ocean-safe. Because zinc and titanium tend to leave a grey cast on skin (you can thank the minerals' white color for that one), brands have been utilizing nano-sized particles to minimize the discoloration. Problem is, those microscopic minerals can be easily absorbed by and harm coral and marine life, says Whitney Bowe , MD, a dermatologist in NYC. According to the New York Times, any particles smaller than 100 nanometers can be consumed by coral. So if you'll be spending time in the ocean, look for key words like "non-nano" or "reef friendly" on the label of your mineral SPF. Do they work as well as "regular" sunscreens? If you're going the mineral route, rest assured: Mineral-based sunscreens that contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are just as effective as chemical sunscreens, says Joshua Zeichner , MD, a New York City dermatologist. But there is a catch: They take a bit more work to blend it because they're not designed to absorb into the skin. "You might also have to apply it more often since it can rub off easier," says Dr. Goldenberg. Still, when it comes to sun protection, its better for your skin to look white from sunscreen than to look red from sunburn, Dr. Zeichner advises. What else is being done to protect coral reefs? Hawaii passed a groundbreaking law early in 2018 that will ban the sale of any over-the-counter sunscreen containing either oxybenzone or octinoxate. The bill will go into effect on January 1, 2021. "Amazingly, this is a first-in-the-world law," state Sen. Mike Gabbard told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser . "So Hawaii is definitely on the cutting edge by banning these dangerous chemicals in sunscreens." And late in 2018, the nation of Palau followed suit with a ban on sunscreens containing ingredients they define as reef toxic. Those prohibited sunscreens can be confiscated from tourists entering the country, and shops selling them can be fined up to $1,000. In 2019, Key West also jumped on board , voting on a sale ban that will also go into effect in 2021. Others are taking matters into their own hands. The outdoor retailer REI will stop selling oxybenzone laden sunscreens by 2020 . And Turks & Caicos touring operation Big Blue Collective , which offers ocean activities like snorkeling, diving, and kayaking, posted this on their website: Big Blue will ONLY ALLOW the use of 100 percent biodegradable sunscreen on all of our trips. Non-biodegradable sunscreen IS NOT TO BE USED on Big Blue trips. The company's co-founder Mark Parrish spoke to The New York Times about the ban . We make it mandatory, which is easier said than done, he said. The key is telling people well in advance, putting it on the website and saying this is our policy, and giving them a chance to shop at home. Reef-Safe Sunscreens You Need To Try  | ||
| Funny 50 Questions To Ask Your Friends To Strengthen Your Bond Posted: 07 Jul 2019 10:00 PM PDT
Why? Well, imagine what hidden gems you might learn about your friends after they confess some of their biggest guilty pleasures, or show off their best dance move. "The value is not so much in the question itself, but in the conversation that the question sparks ," says Anna Akbari , PhD, a sociologist and former professor in the department of media, culture and communication at New York University. No matter what the answer is, you now have the opportunity to ask more questions and uncover deeper layers, she explains. Because, while asking those silly questions might seem insignificant on the surface, they ultimately reveal something about your friends . "The question and its answer is a starting point for a conversation journey that maybe you wouldnt be having with that friend," says Akbari. So, gather your squad (preferably over a bottomless mimosa brunch), and try injecting a few of the following questions into the conversation to see where it gets you: 1. Who was your first celebrity crush, and are you still crushing on them? 2. What's your go-to dance move, and can you show me? (Pleeeeease.) 3. If you got to choose your name, what would it be and why? 4. If you could use magic to do one mundane task for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Bonus question: What would you name the spell?) 5. Whats the weirdest item you keep by your bed? 6. What TV show would you want to be in? Which one would you not want to be in? (Not The Handmaids Tale, please.) 7. Whats the strangest purchase youve made or almost made on Amazon? 8. What is the best excuse for being late youve heard or used? 9. Do you have a secret talent? Can you do it right now? 10. When you were a kid, what name did you give your favorite toy or stuffed animal? Want more reasons to bust a gut with your besties? Check out these hilarious friend fails: 11. If you had a pet parrot, what would you teach it to say? 12. What is one band or musician you would love to party with? 13. Whats the best pick-up line you know? 14. What is your go-to movie when you need a pick-me-up? 15. What is your go-to guilty pleasure song? 16. If you could make the ultimate sandwich, what would be on it? 17. What is the worst fashion decision you've ever made? Do you have a picture of it? 18. If you could invent a holiday, what would it be? 19. What book or series did you wish you could live in? 20. If you could be the best in the world at something, what would it be? 21. What is your favorite room in your home? 22. What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? 23. What item do you think (or tbh, hope) will be obsolete in 20 years? 24. If you could choose a lifetime supply of anything, what would it be? 25. What's the weirdest thing you wanted to be when you grew up? 26. If you were the ruler of the world, who would be your top adviser? 27. Whats the worst date you've been on? 28. If you had to eat the same meal at least once a day, what would it be? 29. What would be the tagline to the sitcom of your life? 30. What's your most unpopular food opinion? 31. Which piece of clothing do you no longer wear but can't throw away? 32. Do you like pineapple on pizza? Make the case why or why not. 33. What word do you want added to the dictionary, and what is its definition? 34. What two normal activities would be really weird if you did them back to back? 35. Have you or someone you know seen your doppelgnger? 36. What food do you think would represent each U.S. state? 37. If you opened a store, what would you sell and what would be its name? 38. Whats the funniest thing youve read recently? 39. If you were famous, what would your stage name be? 40. What character from a movie/book/show do you relate to the most and why? 41. Who do you think will be playing on "oldies radio" in 30 years? 42. What is a food combination that people eat that you just cant get behind? (For example: dipping french fries in Frosties.) 43. Where is the coolest place you've ever pooped? 44. What is something you do that would be embarrassing if everyone found out? 45. What celebrities would you want to play your parents in a biopic about your life? 46. If you were arrested, what would it be for? 47. What's the worst (fake) brand name you can think of for items you use every day? 48. Who is the one celebrity you would want to be friends with? Who would you not want to be friends with? 49. What is your favorite line from any movie? 50. Is a hot dog a sandwich? In This Story: #Funny #50 #Questions #Friends #Strengthen #Bond Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Dr. Pimple Popper Mistakes Cyst for Blackhead Posted: 07 Jul 2019 07:30 AM PDT
In the world of viral pimple popping videos, not everything is as it seems. Case in point, this hugely popular video in the archives of Dr. Pimple Popper's YouTube account, where the dermatologist and TLC star mistakes an epidermoid cyst for a blackhead on a patient's back. In the 2015 video, which has amassed over 33 million views, Dr. Sandra Lee, MD-aka Dr. Pimple Popper-uses her comedone extractor to drain what appears to be a very big blackhead. As she clears out its crusty contents, she discovers a sac-proof that the growth is actually an epidermoid cyst! In the caption of the YouTube video, Lee described how the patient came to realize there was something growing on her back, and how they came to realize what it actually was: "This patient had a pretty big 'blackhead' on her upper back which she just started to notice over the last few months. I believe its been there for much longer, but just got large enough to catch her attention. Of course, its on an area of her body she cant reach which is why it got so big. And actually, this is a cyst and not a blackhead it just had an enlarged opening which made it look more like a blackhead. The growth was larger than it appeared and had a cyst sac wall, so I had to convert the extraction into a punch removal in order to with good effort try to remove all the internal contents." In This Story: #DrPimple #Popper #Mistakes #Cyst #Blackhead Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| How to Successfully Work from Home, According to People Who Do It Posted: 07 Jul 2019 07:00 AM PDT
How to stay focused when you work from home Chuck Vadun, 51, communications director at Fire Engine RED, father of two, Carlsbad, California figured out how to work his new flexibility-and do great work in the process: My wife wasnt sure I could stay focused and productive working at home. That was almost five years ago, and Im doing well. She even admitted it. I wish Id recorded her saying that. Im in marketing, collaborative work, so I was used to saying, Lets go to the whiteboard and sketch it out. I cant do that now, so I use Google Docs and Sheets, Slack, and other tools to share ideas. It works very well. When I started, I stuck to my morning routine: breakfast and a shower. My breaks include lunch, walking the dog, yoga, and playing the drums. Im also a neat freak, so another break may be tidying up one area or doing one cleaning task, but then getting right back to work. In my last job, my office was next to an open-plan area with music blaring and Nerf guns going off. Now its easier for me to focus and actually think about what Im doing. This has made for better results. Isolation is a problem, Ill admit. But if you acknowledge it, thats half the battle, and you just do something to counteract it. I meet friends for coffee or lunch. Sometimes Ill take a yoga class in the afternoon and then make up the work time later that night. If I dont have phone calls to make, I sometimes take my laptop to the library or the coffee shop. Just having a few micro-interactions with people-even if theyre complete strangers-goes a long way toward keeping me balanced. All in all, this has been great, especially for my family life. When I worked in an office, people who left at 5:00 because they had kids got the side-eye a lot. Here, its not about when your butt is in your seat. Its about deadlines and results. So Im fortunate to see my two daughters at 3:00 in the afternoon when theyre done with school. I get a hello from them, and my wife is supportive of my workday boundaries. She waits until my quitting time before asking me to do something. That said, Im part of the after-school and sports carpool system. Our CEO is a big fan of this: Remote workers can leave whenever for that kind of stuff. As long as youre doing good work, its all fine. Use Chucks crush-it-from-home strategies Must-have equipment: a door on your office. You have to be able to shut out a barking dog or crazy kids. Its best if that office is a separate room. Psychologically, having a designated work area reminds me-and everyone else-that in there is where work is done. And being out of the office means Im done with work. Boundary worth pushing: overcommunicating with colleagues. We spend lots of time interacting via Slack, instant message, and conference calls. Im out of sight but dont want to be out of mind. So I overcommunicate. Not annoyingly so, but enough to compensate for the lack of office drop-bys. Best body-and-mind stretchers: yoga and drumming. I started practicing yoga about three years ago, so I keep a mat handy for a five- to ten-minute mini-session. I also have a drum kit in the garage and grab my headphones and play along for a song or two. Short breaks help my creativity. If I take my mind off a task Im struggling with, my subconscious often provides the answer when I get back to the keyboard. How to take advantage of work-from-home flexibility Heres how Mike Gutman, 37, director of marketing at FlexJobs, Fort Collins, Colorado aces it: About ten years ago, I negotiated for some time to work remotely. I had been commuting an hour each way, and I wanted that time back to live the life I wanted. Suddenly those hours were mine. That meant morning runs and afternoon bike rides. Even though the whole idea is to escape the office routine and the meetings (and maybe some of the people), I found that you need both a routine and some social interaction. I dont wear pajamas all day long. It helps to shower, brush your teeth, and dress as if youre going someplace. That sets the tone for the workday. And I plan my day-work assignments, errands, workouts. That structure helps set a routine, and a routine leads to productivity. One of my tricks is reading in bed-something unrelated to work-for 20 minutes as I gradually wake up. That stimulates my mind, and then I do 20 minutes of calisthenics. Then I brush my teeth. The time I wouldve spent commuting I invest in myself. Its a form of self-love, and its hugely important. I dont miss the political jockeying of an office. With working from home, quality talks the loudest. Im proactive, setting up phone calls and virtual meetings. Im also my own IT support, my own research institute. You have to problem-solve by yourself. Thats a skill that pays dividends down the road. Once your home becomes your home and your office, youll get sick of it really quick. Getting out is crucial, even for a short walk. Of course I have Slack and video calls, but I actively schedule recurring team meetings, just for the sake of connecting. I also feed off the energy at coffee shops. That said, I have to put up a virtual wall between me and friends and family. Its all about expectations and priorities. Its essential to set expectations with your loved ones. If they need something, they have to tell you its absolutely urgent. If its not, it gets pushed off. Coping with loneliness is a critical life skill. I say embrace it. You feel comfortable with your own thoughts and learn to become your own best friend again. Use Mikes make-it-work-from-home strategies Tally your time: For one week, write down exactly how you use your time. It can help you focus not just on what youre doing for work but also around your home. You get a sense of where you need balance, and you can adjust. Resistance is fruitful: When you wake up, resist the urge to check your cell phone. Create boundaries between the life you want and your work. Dont let that stuff infiltrate your mindfulness every waking hour. Youve built time back into your day, and its valuable. Find your happiest place: I work from my laptop and have noise-canceling headphones with a microphone, so I can have distraction-free meetings. And I will set up shop from my couch, my kitchen table, my office. That freedom to work throughout my house is my happy place. In This Story: #Successfully #Work #Home #According #Guys #DoIt Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| The Things Women Wish Men Would Do More in Bed Posted: 07 Jul 2019 06:30 AM PDT
A large number of women said that they really enjoy the way neck kisses feel, but one commenter did specify a pretty important caveat. "Neck kisses WITHOUT leaving hickies," she said. "Were trying to have some feels here guys, not wake up the next day looking like a hungover 16 year old." Neck kisses are just the tip (so to speak) of the iceberg; in general, women just wish that their male partners would pay more attention to foreplay, instead of just treating penetrative sex like the main, or indeed only event. "Its kinda boring when the dude just pounds away and thats all," said one commenter, while another channelled Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones, saying: "You need to be patient, give her time. Your cock shouldn't go near her until she's slick as a baby seal." "[Foreplay] really gets overlooked," said a woman elsewhere on the thread. "You can't just pounce and expect us to already be on your level. You gotta warm us up first to get us ready. Think of us like a bbq grill. That's right, a GRILL. You can't just slap your meat on there when the coals aren't even hot." And finally: make some noise! Women on the thread said they loved it when their partners were vocal during sex. "It's so attractive when guys growl or hiss or pant or what have you," reads one comment. "Talk sexy! Whisper in my ear! All of these things make it so much better than someone who's too cool to make any noise at all." "I love when he makes a lot of noise!" Said another. "The moaning and groaning gets me going." "Research finds that, regardless of gender, people who moan and groan a lot in bed tend to be more sexually satisfied," says Dr Justin Lehmiller , a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute. "Why? Because its a form of sexual communication. It conveys to your partner what feels good, which increases the odds of them doing it again. It also shows appreciation for a job well done." And a guy commenting on the thread was able to confirm this: "This is 100% true and makes it more enjoyable for EVERYONE," he said. "I never really used to moan or make expressions but now sex is so much more passionate and enjoyable. Let alone is a massive turn on for her, which in turn is one for myself." In This Story: #Things #Women #Wish #Men #Do #Bed Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Tom Holland on the Possibility of a Gay Spider-Man Posted: 07 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT
Speaking to The Times ahead of the film's release, the Spidey star spoke about the possibility of Peter Parker (or some other version of Spider-Man) coming out as gay in future films, and said he would "of course" be fine with such a development. "I cant talk about the future of the character because honestly I dont know and its out of my hands," he said. "But I do know a lot about the future of Marvel, and they are going to be representing lots of different people in the next few years." He was referring, of course, to the news that Marvel is actively seeking an openly gay actor to play the lead in the upcoming The Eternals, which promises to be a more diverse, Avengers-style lynchpin of Marvel's Phase Four. The box office successes of Black Panther and Captain Marvel were definitive proof that there is an audience out there hungry for stories anchored by characters they can identify with - a financial incentive which will also fortunately serve to enrich the storytelling of the MCU as it moves forward. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, has promised that more diversity is "coming soon," telling i09 back in June: "We havent been shy about saying that thats coming and that theres much more prominent LGBT heroes in the future." "The world isnt as simple as a straight white guy," said Holland. "It doesnt end there, and these films need to represent more than one type of person." In This Story: #TomHolland #Possibility #Gay #SpiderMan Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Idia Aisien channels Kim Kardashian in sultry new photos Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:30 AM PDT
Idia Aisien is a Nigerian and Cameroonian model and TV presenter who has taken Lagos by storm. Idia Aisien returned back to Nigeria in 2015 where she started off her career as a TV presenter but all that was just a stepping stone as she discovered herself fulfilling her destiny as a philanthropist, dedicated to the betterment of Nigeria and Africa as a whole. She unveiled the international initiative in Africa, The IDIA Project, an NGO whose main objective is to change the way the Africa continent is portrayed. Idia is proud to have graced the catwalk for African designers like Maki Oh, Ituen Basi, Deola Sagoe and Lanre Da Silva. To celebrate her birthday, Idia drew inspiration from pop culture icon Kim Kardashian and imitated her wet look glam and metallic look. Idia shows off her sensational figure in these pictures. Check them out!   In recent months, Idia's career has gone from strength to strength with the stunning star being named the face of Lancome's new fragrance. Idia Aisien, was recently unveiled as one of the faces for Lancome's new fragrance, 'La Vie En Rose.' Speaking about this milestone, Idia said, "Being welcomed into the Lancome family is a dream come true! I strongly identify with the brand's ethos of individuality and excellence in all its endeavors. These are qualities that I consciously try to apply to projects I take on in my everyday life. During its over 78 years of success, Lancôme has become the #1 brand in the luxury cosmetics market. I am proud to be associated with such a successful enterprise." Credits: Hairstylist: @ceezystyling Make up: @dorannebeauty Photography: @FelixCrown In This Story: #IdiaAisien #channels #KimKardashian #sultry #new #photos Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| This Man Left Corporate America for the Wild Carier Posted: 07 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  Robert Field had owned a kayak for all of five months and paddled it into the open ocean just twice. Both times he had tagged along with more experienced anglers and ventured 4 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico, where the water was as flat as a millpond and the fish practically jumped into his boat. King, mackerel, red snapper-they were bitin like crazy, Field says. And Im thinking, This offshore stuff, everyone acts like its hard. Clearly, Im a natural. For his third Gulf outing, he decided to head out alone and fish for sharks off the shore of Galveston, Texas. Undeterred by high winds and rough seas, Field paddled out and hooked a 6-foot black tip, which towed him a mile and a half before he reeled it in. After releasing the shark, Field began the paddle back to shore, scanning the increasingly turbulent water for the float attached to the anchor hed released when the shark started running. He was leaning in one direction when a rogue wave hit the other side of the kayak, ejecting him and upending the cooler of chum everywhere. Thus did Field find himself thrashing in this pool of mullet blood in the sharkiest waters in the Gulf. He tried repeatedly, and in vain, to flip his capsized vessel while keeping his knees tucked up against his body. By shrinking his profile, he hoped the sharks would be less likely to notice him. A tropical storm was brewing, Field later learned, and the water was pulling him into one of the inlets dividing the barrier island near Gilchrist. The current in those passes is crazy, he says. Im hanging on to a $2,500 kayak with all this gear on it, but I thought, Fuck it, I dont want to die. And I started swimming to shore. Fifty feet from the kayak, and about a quarter mile from land, he had a change of heart and turned back. With one final surge of adrenaline, Field threw himself over the middle of the 12-foot boat, grabbed the opposite gunwale, hucked his weight backward, and flipped it right side up. Upon returning safely to shore, he was approached by a pair of coastguardsmen. Through binoculars, a woman had been watching Field struggle from her sea shell shop on the beach and called for help. I apologized for wasting their time, he recalls, and they were super cool about it. He was humbled, scared, embarrassed . . . and exhilarated, which helps explain the decision he made a few years later to upend his life. The saying "Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that its not fish they are after has been famously misattributed to Thoreau. But another (and actual) Thoreau quote best captures Fields frame of mind in his 20s: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Field went to college with the expectation that hed follow in the footsteps of his father, a successful oil and gas engineer. But after five semesters at Texas A&M, he switched his major to psychology, with a minor in business. I couldnt stand engineering, Field says. I kept thinking, I dont want to work with these people for the rest of my life. He went to work as the marketing director for a financial-advisory firm after college, attending night and weekend classes for his masters in finance. But he spent nearly every waking hour daydreaming about being on the water. He had discovered kayak fishing in 2013, following a breakup with his girlfriend. I had a lot more free time, he says. I wanted to do something outside, something that could help me stay fit, something adventurous. He stumbled upon a video shot by Drew Gregory, an established angler with a signature line of Jackson kayaks and a web series called Hooked on Wild Waters. In this particular episode, Gregory chronicled his journey down the Devils River. Hes out there on the TexasMexico border, theres rattlesnakes, hes catching bass, and Im like, I want to do that. Following unapologetically in Gregorys wake, Field undertook an expedition down the Devils. His documentary of that adventure, distilled from 80 hours of video to 38 taut minutes, won Online Video of the Year in Kayak Angler magazines 2014 Choice Awards, and he was on his way. For two-plus years, he juggled a full-time job, his time-consuming hobby, grad school, and his girlfriend, once they got back together. Then came the week when it all fell apart. The universe wasnt out to get me. It was trying to tell me something. In a span of five days in December 2016, Fields girlfriend broke up with him again, instructing him to clear his ass out of their apartment; he lost his job as vice president of a start-up fishing-rod company; and his favorite uncle, an exaircraft mechanic and military buff, walked into a park on Pearl Harbor Day and shot himself. For a few days, I sat around, felt sorry for myself, probably drank more than I should have, says Field, a contemplative 30-year-old redhead. With the help of friend and fellow fisherman Rex Guzman, he realized the universe wasnt out to get me. It was trying to tell me something. That message: Burn your neckties and live your dream. He decided to turn his avocation into his vocation. And what better time to try? You have no dependents, Guzman pointed out. So if you go broke, youre the only one who starves! Field devoted himself to filming, producing, editing, and starring in Field Trips, his heart-pounding, white-knuckle YouTube fishing show, which reaches tens of thousands of viewers weekly. In 2018 he doubled down on his bold decision, moving out of his south Florida home and into a 22-foot Grey Wolf trailer that he refers to as his toy hauler. Hes now on a quest to catch a fish in all 49 continental states, an epic journey that combines elements of Homers Odyssey, Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea, and Kerouacs On the Road. I didnt want to spend my life chasing money, building a bank account so I can be happy when Im 65, he says. Id rather be broke and wake up every day stoked about what Im about to do. Fishing's great appeal, to hear Field tell it, is that it engages all his brain: "It forces you to become an amateur biologist, understanding the fish and why theyre doing what theyre doing; to be a botanist, under-standing how the plants in the water affect what the fish are doing. You have to be an amateur geologist-rocks and the layout of the earth around the water, that all matters. Fishing enforces a meditative connection to nature thats at the heart of its timeless appeal. It explains why Norman Maclean discerned no clear line between religion and fly fishing in A River Runs Through It, and why Sir Izaak Waltons The Compleat Angler, or the Contemplative Mans Recreation has ranked third, since its publication in 1653, as the most printed text in the English language (behind the Holy Bible, which has some epic fishing scenes, and Shakespeare). Its also why fishing has been shown to ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Operation WetVet, based in Miami, is a nonprofit founded by former Marine Osvaldo Martinez, who takes PTSD-scarred veterans fishing to help them recognize good adrenaline rushes from bad ones, according to a recent story in Anglers Journal. I want to replace the nightmare of the roadside bomb with catching a sailfish, Martinez told AJ. \"When people ask me what my favorite species of fish is, I tell them: something I\'e never caught before.\" Operation WetVets anglers were among the more than 51 million Americans to wet a hook last year. Where does Field, in terms of expertise, fall on that continuum? Near, but not at, the top. I dont pretend to be the best out there, he says. Some guys are bass fishermen, and thats what they do. Some guys go after red fish. They've mastered that, and I've got a ton of respect for them. When people ask me what my favorite species of fish is, I tell them: something I'e never caught before." No matter the species, there might not be a purer way to fish than from a kayak. When youre blazing down the lake 60 mph in a boat, Field says, youre not exactly stopping to smell the roses. Youre also scaring off a lot of wildlife. Dolphins and sea turtles have swum right up to his vessel, and wild mustangs met him on the banks during a trip down the Pecos River in west Texas, where he spent a week sleep-ing amidst cacti and scorpions as he traveled down 60-odd miles of the river. And when it comes to the actual fishing, kayaks can reach remote and shallow waters that larger boats cant, meaning you have a better chance of landing fish that havent been harassed by other anglers. All the while youre building muscle, burning calories, and getting a hell of a core work-out. It doesnt take a 6-foot shark to pull you around on a so-called Nantucket sleigh ride, but the amount of fun is often proportion-al to the size of the fish. When I hook in to a 100-pound alligator gar, Field says, I dont have the upper hand. While a typical day of angling is eight hours, Field often finds himself on the water for 12 to 14, trying to catch enough fish for a video. Every so often, he says, I have to remind myself not to let the pressure of making a living take away my whole reason for doing this in the first place." Income for food, gas, bait, and sundries comes from a variety of sponsors, including NRS (technical apparel), AccentPaddles, Railblaza (kayak accessories), YakGear (kayak rigging), and Fishbrain (a fishing social app). He earns revenue from YouTube, which pays on a per-thou-sand-views basis, and he holds out hope for the kind of major sponsor, like a truck or a travel-trailer company, that he says would be life-changing. A new episode of Field Trips goes up every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, with behind-the-scenes episodes, or vlogs, airing some Thursdays at the same time. For those vlogs, hell spend time hiking and backcountry camping in national parks and monuments. He does not miss those neck ties. And yes, Field makes occasional use of a dating site as he ranges across the republic, leading a friend of his to remark, over a recent lunch, Dont come knockin if the Grey Wolfs rockin... An embrace of the unknown is the ethos underlying Fields journey. This is about a lot more than just the fish, he says. So may people feel like they're stuck in life, but that's usually not the case. A lot of people are scared because theyre afraid of failure. Everyone says Im living the dream, but this is much harder than 8-to-5 ever was. Theres more to it than sunshine and hook-sets, but this is my idea of success. Although not prosperous-he still eats ramen and makes frequent use of Boondockerswelcome.com to find free RV parking-Field is happier than hes ever been. His videos are full of what Walt Whitman would have called barbaric yawps-Whoa! Woohoo! What?!-unleashed when a sturgeon or roosterfish or bull shark hits his line and sends adrenaline coursing through his body. If those joyful noises count as a kind of currency, he isnt just happy. Hes rich. In This Story: #Man #Left #Corporate #America #Wild #Carier Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| How 'Midsommar' Star Reacted to Movie's Ending Posted: 07 Jul 2019 04:30 AM PDT How Midsommar's Jack Reynor Reacted to the Movie's Brutal Ending  Warning: The following post contains massive spoilers for Midsommar . From Hereditary director Ari Aster, Midsommar is his equally-disturbing new film. Star Jack Reynor shared his thoughts on the movie's ending with Men's Health. Midsommar is in theaters now. Carrying a movie as utterly insane and off the rails as Midsommar had to be quite the task for it's lead actors, Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor . But still, the ending certainly provokes a reaction-Reynor had one, and he thinks it may slightly differ from the way audience reaction has veered in early screenings. First, let's take a quick moment to recall how the movie wraps up: as more and more hallucinogenic drugs are taken by the (remaining) lead characters, things start to go really crazy (which, for this movie, is definitely saying something). After a dancing ceremony leads to Dani (Pugh) being named the 'May Queen,' Christian (Reynor), also on mind-altering drugs, is taken, separately, to a sex ritual , where he's been approved to 'mate' (the movie uses terminology like this) with the younger sister of Pelle, his friend who invited the group to the ceremony in the first place. When Dani eventually walks in and witnesses Christian in the midst of this sex ritual, she's horrified. Christian is later paralyzed by another unknown substance, before the people running the ceremony place him in a chair in front of Dani. At this point, she's required to select someone from a group-which includes the incapacitated Christian-for sacrifice. She never says it aloud, but angry at his part in the ritual, along with everything else that's gone so completely off the rails, chooses Christian to die. This brings on perhaps the most brutal part in the movie, where Christian, still unable to move or speak aloud, has his legs cut off, and is stuffed inside the corpse of a dead bear (yes, a bear), and put in a temple alongside other corpses (those of their friends, whose bodies have been stuffed), where he's eventually burned alive. According to Reynor, there were additional scenes filmed that depicted Chrsitian being a more compassionate boyfriend to Dani, that might've changed the way audiences react to this ending. "I think the film is more divisive with an audience as a result of those scenes being cut," he said. "I think if that compassion had been included, categorically, people would probably feel like, oh no, maybe he shouldnt have died the way that he died." Instead, at least in the early goings, reaction has tipped in the other direction. At an early screening, Reynor checked in with the audience about how they reacted to his character's end. "I asked the audience, and almost 50% of the people put their hand up," he remembered. "They were like, Yup, you deserved to die that way. I was like, OK!" Given his connection to the material, having played what we saw in the final version of the movie, in addition to the extra scenes mentioned that were cut, how does he feel? Earlier in our conversation, he showed awareness that Christian was not a good boyfriend, and also noted that he certainly had dick-ish qualities to him. But, did he really deserve all that? "No! I dont think anybody deserves to die like that. Its horrific!" he says, noting that Dani still never explicitly pointed his character out as the choice to be sacrificed, saying that the decision, in the context of the movie, came as something of an "unspoken understanding." While Christian certainly left some to be desired, Reynor certainly didn't come away from the movie with the thinking that everyone got what they deserved. And, really, that's where the horror of Midsommar comes into play-from the movie's opening sequence, where Dani's mentally ill sister commits a murder-suicide on her parents, the theme is undeniable: life isn't fair. Here, at least, whether someone, or something, deserves something, isn't really relevant. "I think everybody in the world makes bad choices. None of us are perfect. None of us have a perfect moral code about how we deal with difficult relationships, or with whatever," he said. "Do we deserve to have our legs chopped off, and get stuffed inside a dead bear, and burned alive for it? Probably not!" In This Story: #Midsommar #Star #Reacted #Movie #Ending Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' 4 Posted: 07 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Warning: This post contains spoilers for the third season of Stranger Things! Stop reading now if you haven't seen it yet. You probably just got done binge watching the third season of Stranger Things, and we 1. want to congratulate you and 2. offer you a snack...or a pillow. The third season was just as intense as the cast hinted, and there are so many storylines that we need resolved: Are Eleven and the Byers ever going to move back to Hawkins? Can Eleven ever regain her powers? And what about the Starcourt Mall (RIP)? The new season of the hit Netflix show hasn't been announced yet, but we're pretty sure it will be in the next coming weeks or months. Here's what you need to know about season 4 of Stranger Things. The release date for Stranger Things 4 could be in 2020. Season one of Stranger Things premiered on July 15, 2016, and the second season followed on October 27, 2017. If the show continues to follow the July/October schedule, season 4 could release in October 2020. While the fourth season hasn't been greenlit yet, The Express notes that Netflix usually renews its original programming in the weeks after the previous seasons release. Additionally, Shawn Levy, the show's producer and director, told Collider that, "I mean I will say we have a good sense of stuff that happens in Season Four. Season Four is definitely happening." The fourth season may be the show's series finale. As Digital Spy reports, the Duffer brothers previously told Vulture that they envision four seasons for the show. "Were thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out," Ross explained. However, Levy also told Collider that, "Theres very much the possibility of a season beyond that one [season four]. Stranger Things 4 will probably take place in 1986. As Popbuzz reports, each season of Stranger Things has taken place a year apart from each other. Season one was set in 1983, then 1984 in season two, and 1985 for season three. So, barring a time jump, season four will be set in 1986. Most of the cast will be back for Stranger Things 4. We can expect to see our favorite kids - Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Sadie -back in the fold for season 4. And even if Eleven and Will don't move back to Hawkins, we suspect that they'll be part of the storyline either way. Hopper will almost definitely be back, although Joyce's future is a bit iffy right now. However, one character we can expect not to see is Billy. He was killed at the end of season three after being possessed by the Mind Flayer. So sad. Kind of.  | ||
| July 2019 Mercury Retrograde, What it Really Means For Your Sign Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT 
Mercury in retrograde is kind of like Luke P. on The Bachelorette -the universal villain that people love to blame for practically everything that goes wrong in life. (Not that they're wrong... #TeamMike forever!) Unlike the infamous Luke P., however, Mercury in retrograde actually isn't the worst thing ever-or even close to it. In case you forgot (or more likely blocked it out), Mercury went retrograde back in March and yup, its happening again-on July 7, to be exact. Heres everything you need to know about the zodiac's most "dreaded" event, according to Donna Page , a certified astrologer in Atlanta. What does it mean when Mercury goes retrograde? A little astrology 101: When a planet goes retrograde, that means it seems to be moving backward in the sky, Page explains. Every planet goes retrograde at some point, but Mercury just happens to be best known for it. Each retrograde is different, though, and thats even true when youre talking about the same planet, Page says. This Mercury retrograde is happening in Leo , which means it's bringing strong vibes encouraging you to enjoy life and have fun. Good so far, right? Yeah... not so fast. Since Mercury is the planet of communication , you might be a little over the top with what you say around this time. Page specifically recommends being a bit cautious about bragging or "feeling like you have to one-up people when you communicate" because that won't win you any popularity contests. So, take a pass on the urge to insist your sister acknowledge the fact you were the first one in your family to get pastel highlights, TYVM-it really doesnt matter. Plus, this retrograde is "extra intense" because its happening at the same time as a Mars retrograde . "Theres a tendency for something to come out of your mouth suddenly that doesnt help the situation," Page says. Yikes on yikes. Its not all bad, though. While this Mercury in retrograde might make you put your foot in your mouth, it's also a great time for being funny and thinking on your feet, Page says. "Its [all about] thinking outside the box, and brilliant thinking," Page says. "Allow yourself to think of creative ways of doing things." How will this affect your zodiac sign? Mercury in retrograde will affect every zodiac sign on some level (sigh), but Page says Cancer, Leo, and Capricorn will feel it the most. Dont panic if youre one of them. Just try to keep yourself in check when youre talking or texting with people to make sure youre not humble-bragging about that time you helped pull a group of kittens out of a burning building or whatever. Cool story, but still... How will Mercury retrograde impact your life going forward? This Mercury retrograde starts in Leo and ends in Cancer, which focuses on emotions and feelings. Suddenly, youll find yourself thinking hard about whether you still enjoy all the things you used to. Sure, it was fun to do Jello shots at your summer BBQs a few years ago, but maybe you want a more ~chill~ vibe this year-and thats totally fine. "Youll get in touch with emotions and what makes you feel a sense of pleasure, joy, and fun," Page says. Speaking of chill vibes, check out these legit chill ice cream options for every zodiac sign: So don't sweat the small stuff-just try to think before you speak. (And remember: If you can't something nice, don't say anything at all.) Otherwise, you could end up having to put out some fires and calm emotional tensions. Let's be real, that's best left to the professional drama starters, anyway.  | ||
| These Diet Changes Helped This Guy Lose 60 Lbs Posted: 07 Jul 2019 03:00 AM PDT
Greg Woods, a 31-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the life of the party in his 20s. He gave in to his every whim, no matter how detrimental it was to his health, including everything from fast food to drugs and alcohol. It wasnt until a friend challenged him to a $700 New Year's health bet that Woods decided to turn his life around for good. He won the money-and as a bonus, he lost 70 pounds in the process. As a younger man, Woods diet consisted mostly of over-eating a very unhealthy standard American diet full of bad carbs, sugar, and processed foods. His lifestyle, he explains, made him pack on weight until he had 230 pounds on his 5'7" frame. But just because he seemed to be in a downward health spiral didnt mean he didnt want out. I had been building my mental game up for a while and was definitely ready for a change, Woods says. So when a friend of his started a weight loss challenge New Years Day of 2016 with a chance to win $700, he was eager to take it. This was just the catalyst I needed to get my life back on track, he says. In 2016, as he was closing in on the age of 30, Woods began his transformation with a three-day fast and switched things up by committing to the . This meant forgoing carbs and increasing his fat and protein intake instead. I also made drastic changes to my lifestyle all at once because it felt easier to have a clean start, Woods says. I changed my diet, quit drinking alcohol, quit doing drugs, began intermittent fasting, stopped eating out at restaurants, and started exercising. All of these changes were necessary if I was going to succeed. It was very challenging socially but I found comfort and pleasure out of taking care of myself. Within the first week, Woods lost ten pounds. It was an amazing feeling and a huge confidence booster, he says. Within three months, Woods had lost 60 pounds total and won that $700 bet. He was able to keep that weight off for two years. However, he still struggled with being in his midsection no matter how much he exercised. So, he decided to change up his diet-this time, no more keto. Instead, he tried the carnivore diet. This beautifully simplistic way of eating has been monumental in helping with my body composition while simultaneously healing my body from 30 years of damage, he says. For the uninitiated, the carnivore diet is just as it implies- . The carnivore diet is, of course, as old as human history. Its stem from the diet of indigenous peoples like the Inuit, who survive primarily by eating their animal kills. The diet works a little like keto, forcing your body into ketosis to use fat for fuel. It should be noted the diet is extremely (and some argue unhealthily ) restrictive-no fruits, vegetables, or grains. (As always, you should consult your medical professional before starting any diet.) But the diet change worked for Woods. It helped him not only lose the last 10 pounds to reach his current weight of 160, but also to improve nearly every aspect of his life. Reaching my current weight only makes me want to continue to improve my health, physique, and fitness, he says. Its important to appreciate how far youve come, but the journey never really stops. Mentally, I am stronger than ever. My determination, focus, and discipline are steadfast. I am also able to enjoy social situations more while continuing to stay committed to my lifestyle. As for what advice hed give to other guys interested in trying his approach, Woods says it helps to set macro and micro goals and keep them at the forefront of every decision. "Let each win fuel you to the next. Build discipline like a muscle. Take everything as a challenge. Failure is just another opportunity for success. In This Story: #Diet #Changes #Helped #Guy #Lose #60Lbs Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Funny Toheeb recreates Toke Makinwa’s pantless pose, Media users react Posted: 07 Jul 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Popular Nigerian Comedian, who is known for recreating celebrity photos in cheap versions, Toheeb Adedoku Akorede, also known as Nylon Boy or Funny Toheeb is at it again. He recently recreated a photo of media personality, Toke Makinwa, flaunting her surgical enhanced backside without any underwear. Although, he had earlier told his fans and followers that he didn't want to recreate the photo. He, however, changed his mind. The outfits were quite similar but he used nylon to mimic her strapless bra. The internet sensation took to Instagram to share the hilarious photo which has since garnered over 22, 000 likes and 3, 000 comments. He jokingly called himself, Toheeb Makinwa. See the funny photo below and reactions:   In This Story: #FunnyToheeb #recreates #TokeMakinwa #pantless #pose #Media #users #react Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| This Gym Uses Tech to Supercharge NBA Players Posted: 07 Jul 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Nearly half the players in the NBA spend part of their offseason in an unassuming building in Santa Barbara, California, looking to gain an edge. This is the home of P3, Peak Performance Project, and Marcus Elliott, M.D., a Harvard-educated physician who's worked with Olympians, is helping NBA players realize their goals. The NBA is midway through its free agent frenzy right now, but once it settles, expect the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and many other players to visit P3. They'll do so in the hopes of honing the finer points of their athleticism, focusing on weakness and strengths alike, aiming to take cosmic leaps in their games come the season. P3 will analyze the little things players don't think about, like knee positioning and core positioning when they jump, looking to squeeze a few more inches out of every vertical. Dr. Elliott is at the vanguard of a trend toward truly personalized training. Hard data and high tech, like 3D-motion analysis, can hone athleticism in the pros and will eventually help regular people too. A host of NBA players have used this, including Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon. Perhaps the biggest name to come through P3 has been Houston Rockets superstar James Harden. Harden's rarely been known for his athleticism, but P3 analysis found that Harden actually had special strength when it came to stopping on a dime. In a few years, Dr. Elliott plans to bring a scaled-down version to the public. An infrared sensor will record your movements, and you'll leave with a personalized program. I tested this version in P3's facility. In 20 minutes, a motion-sensing computer told me I had old-man ankles and also needed cardio. This isn't Moneyball, but it helped P3 trainers design moves to address those specific issues. When this system gets closer to the one Dr. Elliott uses with athletes, it could do more for you. Dr. Elliott pulls up a video of a college baller doing what looks like the perfect vertical leap . . . except it's not. "See that?" he says, pointing to a spike in a graph on the screen. The spike represents the force of the athlete's right foot striking the floor. "In a few years, that's a knee injury." The P3 team hopes to correct issues like these. The system may also reveal the anatomy of true athletic greatness. Flash back to 2016, when Harden first showed up at P3. Harden didn't test brilliantly in any area. But then analysis revealed his ability to cut and stop, which just happens to be what Harden does often against NBA defenders. "He built his entire game around that one trait," says Dr. Elliott. When P3 comes to the masses, you'll get chances to do that too. Three Moves for More Athleticism Try these three drills that you can do anywhere to build athleticism and hoops ability like James Harden. Do them every other day for best results. Pogos What it does: Improves ankle stiffness and knee health and stability How to do it: Jump repeatedly upward on both feet as if on a pogo stick, aiming to get off the ground quickly on each rep. keep your toes pulled up as much as possible. Land on the balls of your feet. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps each. Single-Leg Iso Calf What it does: Improves sprint speed, ankle stability, and flexibility How to do it: Set up as you would for a barbell squat, but lift your left foot off the ground and raise your right heel. Hold for 3 seconds, then switch to your left foot without letting your left heel touch the floor. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per leg. Complexes What it does: Improves explosiveness and overall athleticism How to do it: Do 3 to 5 half squats, with a heavy weight, then immediately do 3 to 5 broad jumps. Do 3 to 5 sets like this, resting fully between each set. The half-squat, a strength move, is a great way to improve jumping performance.  | ||
| Keanu Reeves Proves He Hasn't Aged a Day in First Set Photos From 'Bill & Ted 3' Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:30 AM PDT
Alex Winter, who is reprising the role of William "Bill" S. Preston, Esq., marked the first day on set by sharing a photo in a Wyld Stallions shirt - in case your memory is rusty, that's the name of Bill and Ted's rock band. The third film catches up with the characters in their mid-50s, when they are visited by a mysterious stranger from the future who tells them they are destined to save the world with their music, leading to them dusting off their guitars. Naturally, it wasn't long before a handful of photos from the set of Bill & Ted Face the Music made their way onto the Internet, getting fans of the original films even more stoked for this next adventure. And perhaps unsurprisingly, the thing that pretty much everyone is talking about is how Keanu Reeves, aka Ted "Theodore" Logan, doesn't appear to have aged a day since last playing the character in 1991. Photographed on set next to that iconic time-travelling phone booth, Reeves is as fresh-faced as ever, thanks in part to his new clean-shaven look. Ted might have gone from high school slacker to suburban dad, but Reeves is currently enjoying quite the career resurgence. In addition to the wildly popular John Wick action franchise , he's recently taken roles in Pixar's animated family flick Toy Story 4 and Netflix's rom-com Always Be My Maybe, and it turns out there's even the possibility of a Marvel movie on the horizon. And now with Bill & Ted Face the Music, he is revisiting the character which helped launch him to stardom; a nice pit-stop on the continuing excellent adventure that is Keanu Reeves' career. In This Story: #KeanuReeves #Aged #Day #First #Set #Photos #Bill&Ted3 Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| This is How Not to Choke Under Pressure Posted: 07 Jul 2019 01:00 AM PDT
Sian Beilock, Ph.D., president of Barnard College, remembers her biggest choke. She was a gifted soccer player with Olympic aspirations until one game when she was goalkeeping for California State. I was playing well until I realized the national coach was standing behind me, and then I had one of the worst games of my life, she recalls. I was so frustrated, I never recovered. It took me out of soccer at the highest level. The experience also nudged her to become one of the leading researchers of the phenomenon at the University of Chicago and inspired her to write How the Body Knows the Mind. Since researchers first began looking at choking in the 1980s, the most commonly accepted culprit has been thinking too much-coping with anxiety by obsessing over body movement in an attempt to be flawless. Its termed explicit monitoring, and cognitive and neuroscience have since proved that this tendency does indeed interfere with the brain processes that fluidly glide you through well-learned tasks. If youre shuffling down the stairs and I ask you to think about whats happening with your knee, theres a good chance youll fall on your face, says Beilock. In recent years, however, more researchers have begun pointing to another cognitive quirk as a more frequent cause of choking-namely, anxiety and fear of failure, which distract your mind and take critical brain resources (especially working memory) away from the task at hand. Its thinking too little, in a sense. Thinking too much and thinking too little both strangle your brains ability to tap ingrained motor-control skills. In effect, you revert to a bumbling rookie. Broadly speaking, both explicit-monitoring chokers and distraction chokers suffer similar brain break-downs. Simplified somewhat, thinking too much and thinking too little both strangle your brains ability to tap ingrained motor-control skills. In effect, you revert to a bumbling rookie. Though noting the differences in these two choking mechanisms may seem like splitting neural hairs, they matter when it comes to potential fixes. Most common anti-choking strategies are designed to intentionally sidetrack explicit-monitor chokers, such as humming or focusing on a neutral object. But these tips can actually be harmful to distraction chokers and make it even harder for them to perform under stress. Although different people have different choking vulnerabilities and various triggers, the following strategies tend to work for both types of chokers in adrenaline-soaked moments: Forget about being clutch The idea of clutch performance is a myth, says performance psychologist Rob Gray, Ph.D., program chair of human systems engineering at Arizona State University. Many guys think they can consciously get serious in a stressful situation or marshal their strengths to perform better than usual. Its false. You cant raise your game under pressure; the best you can reliably do is deliver your typical performance. If you havent rehearsed your pitch until it flows, or practiced a layup enough to make it 19 out of 20 times, expect to be mediocre or worse when it counts. Great athletes do the same thing under pressure that they doin other situations, not something radically different, he adds. Audition with an audience Practice under the conditions youre going to perform in, says Beilock. This usually means having an audience of people who will be honest and whose opinion you value. This could mean asking a neutral coworker or your attorney brother-in-law to critique your practice pitch. If thats difficult to re-create, try videoing yourself. Chokers hate to be watched, says Denise Hill, Ph.D., a sport and exercise psychologist at Swansea University in Wales. Rehearsing in front of an audience can help inoculate against that fear. The same goes for time pressure. Set a buzzer when practicing any timed task or exam. Rehearse variation Monotonously doing drills like sinking free throws invites choking. In most sports, performance conditions are always changing, says Gray. The key is to add variability into practice. This means scrimmaging, changing angles and pace, performing tasks at different levels of fatigue, asking your test audience to react differently to your pitch, etc. At the driving range, Ill pretend Im playing 9 or 18 holes, says Paul Sullivan, author of Clutch: Excel Under Pressure. Im not just hitting the same shot again and again. Develop a preroutine Whether its bouncing the ball three times at the foul line, adjusting your feet in a certain way over a putt, or doing power poses in the mirror, come up with a preroutine. Pair it with trigger words that keep you calm and focused on a task or a positive sensation. (Loose hands . . . Make these three clear points, and so on.) Feeling out of control is a key contributor to choking, says Hill. Trigger words in practice and games help maintain this sense of calm. Make a fist Use your left hand and hold it for 30 seconds. Or squeeze a ball. This activates the right brain hemisphere, which directs visual-spatial processing and, in turn, suppresses the left hemisphere, which governs verbal and analytic processing. German researchers found it prevented choking in soccer players and tae kwon do experts in an experimental setting. Have quiet eye Focus intensely on the target, or the absolute center of the audience. Skilled performers keep their eyes still right before they start moving, says Gray. For example, good golfers look at the ball longer, and good free-throw shooters look at the rim longer. We call this quiet eye because youre quieting everything down and focusing on one thing. Hum a song (but only if youre an explicit-monitor choker) If the fateful act would be insultingly easy-say, sinking a ten-inch putt or knocking in a hanging billiard shot-if only your manhood werent riding on it, try humming a song you like as you bead in. Secondary-task distraction is a popular anti-anxiety strategy in sports and is worth a try if you know youre an explicit monitor and your mind starts over focusing on body control during quiet eye. Most sports chokers are likely in the distraction camp, so their minds are screaming about the horrors of failure, not their pinkie angle. If youre not certain that youre an explicit monitor, lasering in on the hole is probably a wiser strategy than hum-ming Back in Black. In This Story: #Choke #Under #Pressure Sharing is caring. Share this story  |
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