If you’re not a cisgender man and you’ve ever used public transit, chances are pretty high you’ve been sexually harassed, assaulted or at least made to feel very uncomfortable at some point. As someone who has spoken and writtena lot about subway sex crimes, I was intrigued by a new initiative to curb the problem in Mexico City.
It’s called the “penis seat,” and is a typical subway seat molded to include a protruding male chest and penis. It comes with a “men-only” label and reads: "It is uncomfortable to sit here, but that is nothing compared to the sexual violence that women suffer on their daily journeys."
This won’t be a permanent fixture of their transit system, but it’s part of a campaign initiated by U.N. Women and the Mexico City government called #NoEsDeHombres, which is attempting to shed some light on sexual harassment on public transportation.
According to figures provided by the Mexican government, 65 percent of women have been sexually harassed on the city’s trains, while 90 percent have experienced some form of sexual violence in general. There have been a few attempts to address this problem in recent years, including offering women city-branded whistles to blow when they felt threatened. In addition, some trains have separate cars for women.
Is the penis seat the most efficient way to handle subway sex crimes? I don’t think it is, but I am appreciative that Mexico City is doing something that’s attracting attention to highlight this incredibly common urban problem. Clearly, New York City’s MTA announcements that a crowded subway is no excuse for inappropriate touching isn’t working — 458 sex crimes were reported in the first half of 2016.
If you think that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that these are just the crimes that are reported. I know firsthand that going through the process of reporting a sex crime — at least to the NYPD — can be frustrating, tedious, triggering and full of victim-blaming. They certainly don’t make it easy or comfortable and I know that because of this — and the pervasive culture surrounding not believing women — so many sex crimes go unreported.
While I don’t think adding more penises — plastic or otherwise — to my commute would be in any way beneficial, at least Mexico City’s unconventional tactic has gotten people talking.
There ain't no shame in a Harry Potter fan's game. We're totally down to name all of our kids after characters from the movie. Call us nerdy if you want, but we really don't care — especially since the names are all pretty amazing.
From the halls of Hogwarts comes this list of very cool baby names, where headmasters, professors, students and everyone they interact with are fair game. These names have appeared in a Harry Potter book, but some may not be easily recognizable unless you are a hardcore fan. That’s what makes them so appealing — naming your daughter Hermione may remind folks of Harry Potter’s world, but naming her Hannah will not be such an easy clue to uncover.
Some of these names have origins in classic literature or mythology, which makes them interesting and fully unique, while others are more common names.
So you want to pick a cute name for your baby girl, but coming up with one that's feminine and original is proving to be a challenge.
We took inspiration from flowers, gems and even a couple of celebrities to help you narrow down your search for the perfect name. These names totally hit the sweet spot — they're dainty and gorgeous, yet still not totally over-used. We guarantee you'll fall in love with at least a handful, and your new baby girl's name might even be on this list.
If you are still searching for the perfect pretty girl's name, why not consider searching for names straight from the Romance languages? You can use our Advanced Baby Name Search to narrow down your choices to French baby names, Spanish baby names or Italian baby names, for example.
Think about your favorite characters from romance novels or movies for inspiration when searching for a pretty baby name. You can even think of objects you think are pretty and determine if this could be translated into a romantic and unique name.
Charles is right in the middle of a 9-day European tour that brought him to Bucharest's Old Town this week, where he met 11-year-old Valentin Blacker, the son of a local conservationist. And he was all smiles as he broke protocol to give the boy a hug — not even just once, but twice throughout the day.
Prince Charles hugs a young boy in Bucharest's Old Town
Prince Charles hugs a young boy in Bucharest's Old Town
Both adorable hugs happened during a walking tour of Bucharest. After it was over, Charles headed for Hospices of Hope, a U.K. charity that's supporting terminal patients and their families in Romania. There, he met with some of the patients being helped by the charity, and more cuteness ensued.
At the organization, Charles met with patients, including terminally ill children, to do crafts and chat. He held one little girl's hand in an adorable shot. Who even knew he was such a softie?
Charles isn't the only royal who blows our minds with cuteness whenever he's around kids. Prince Harry has a reputation for being great with kids, and he spends as much time with them as possible on official royal business, resulting in some pretty adorable photo opps of his own.
Charles will continue his European tour for the next week, with stops in Italy, Vatican City (where he'll meet with the Pope!) and Austria.
There seems to be no end to the madness of the whitewashing controversy currently plaguing the Ghost In The Shell reboot. This time around it was a well-meaning effort from Scarlett Johansson to quell the disgust when she said her Ghost In The Shell character is "identity-less," but that claim did little to subdue the backlash that she whitewashed a beloved character.
The major problem (no pun intended) here is that it appears, to the reader, that Johansson is attempting to neatly explain away her casting in a role that is very clearly originally Asian. To claim that Major is "identity-less" because they're an android is pretty problematic. To this claim, I would tell Johansson that it's a nice try, but no cigar when it comes to convincing me that her casting remains a big issue. I'm not the only one who thinks Johansson's explanation is bunk, either. There's been an incredibly vocal response to her comments on Twitter already.
ScarJo Twitter Critique 1
ScarJo Twitter Critique 1
ScarJo Twitter Critique 2
ScarJo Twitter Critique 2
First of all, in the original film as well as the manga the film is based on, Major is clearly acknowledged to be a woman. She was made in the image of a woman and is referred to with female pronouns in both versions of the story. There's even an implication that when she has sex in the film and the manga, it's either a lesbian encounter or she is having sex with her boyfriend. Nevertheless, in both instances, she is regarded as a female android. All of this implies gender identity.
ScarJo Twitter Critique 3
ScarJo Twitter Critique 3
While this was never the part of Major's identity that Johansson was referring to, it's important to understand that the claim can easily fall apart when you start to pick apart the meaning of "identity." If Johansson meant to say that she was simply playing an "identity-less" android when, more often than not, films love to specifically code robots and androids with a gender, what must she have been referring to when it comes to an "identity-less" Major? There appears to be no attempt to change her hair or physique to appear less feminine.
Secondly, that "identity-less" claim falls way the hell apart when we can very clearly (I cannot state this enough) ascertain that both Major and the world she lives in is of Asian origin, specifically — where the original film and manga are concerned — the fictional Japanese city of Niihama. From the Ghost In The Shell trailer, there is Japanese imagery throughout: From the neon Japanese billboards to geisha robots to dining rooms set in a Japanese style to, yes, those crucial character names, this is a Japanese world.
ScarJo Twitter Critique 4
ScarJo Twitter Critique 4
There's been attempts to explain away this severe lack of Japanese or, thinking broadly, Asian actors despite clearly retaining Japanese aesthetics as a choice to portray a future society which is more international and diverse as a result. Ghost In The Shell producer Steven Paul, as a way of justifying this choice, said that "there [are] all sorts of people and nationalities in the world of Ghost in the Shell. We’re utilizing people from all over the world... There’s Japanese in it. There’s Chinese in it. There’s English in it. There’s Americans in it... I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. Ghost in the Shell was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world." This certainly stays in line with Johansson, but they both managed to reductively erase the bigger problem.
I get that the entire Ghost In The Shell team is trying to do damage control here and keep one foot on either side of the fence. The fence is the public outrage that they would so blatantly whitewash a well-known character and franchise. One foot is on the side which acknowledges the Japanese origins while the other foot is firm denial of any wrongdoing.
As lovable and talented as Johansson is, she must have known this was always going to be an issue. The outrage at her casting has been going on for a majority of this film's production; it was going to come up in the press tour. Listening to Johansson — a smart, woke, well-meaning woman — explain away a seriously poor casting choice with potentially sweeping negative effects in terms of representation of Asians on film just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
"I had a couple of rehearsal sessions with Sienna [Miller], but I didn’t spend any time with Tom [Holland] or Robert," Hunnam said. "I wanted these relationships to evolve naturally on screen, through the work. I don’t think I said more than ten words to Robert off camera. I didn’t know if he was just 'in that zone' or if he genuinely didn’t like me. There was a real distance between us."
Hunnam did admit though, that the chilliness between them made for the "right dynamic onscreen," so while he makes Pattinson sound like a little bit of a jerk, it all worked out for the best. And after filming wrapped, Hunnam said, Pattinson warmed up to him just a little bit.
"He’s reached out to me subsequently, making overtures for us to be friends now," Hunnam explained. "So I think it was about the work."
As People magazine reports, though, it could be that Pattonson was just really hangry. While acting in the film, portraying explorers lost in the Brazilian jungle, he and his co-stars lived on as little as one meal a day, he said.
"I had literally eaten nothing for the entire time," Pattinson added. "I loved it afterwards, for like a week in London, where I have a 28-inch waist. I was like, 'Ooh! Skinny jeans!'"
"Blindfolds are the number one bedroom prop for good reason," says Jessica O'Reilly, Ph.D., author of The New Sex Bible. "The sensory deprivation you experience when you eliminate the sense of sight only heightens the perception of other senses, making every touch and every whisper all the more titillating. But blindfolds are also popular as a tool to reduce inhibitions and reduce performance pressure. By blindfolding your lover, you can let loose and forget about any self-consciousness that might interfere with pleasure."
There's another perk, too: "Sex play that incorporates a blindfold can also help to shift the power differential in a relationship," says clinical sexologist and relationship therapist Kat Van Kirk. "If the guy is the one to usually initiate, it can be a great way to allow her to take the reins and control the action."
Below are four sex positions that are even better with a blindfold. Start practicing your double knot now.
1. The Private Dancer
Image: SheKnows Design
How you do it: Think of this position as the best, most straight-to-the-point lap dance ever. Ready? Now blindfold him. "He sits on the edge of a couch and she stands in front of him [facing away from him]," O'Reilly says. "With her feet (preferably in heels) on the floor, she squats down over his entire length, allowing her body weight to rest in his lap for the ultimate in deep penetration. She leans into him on the upstroke for full-body contact, but bends forward on the downstroke to press his bulging head into her swollen G-spot. She can tug on the blindfold depending on how much she wants him to see."
Why it's especially awesome with a blindfold: "This position gives her ultimate control of pace, rhythm and speed," O'Reilly says. "By blindfolding her partner (partially or fully), she can comfortably ease herself into the exhibitionist role."
2. Rock 'n' Roll
Image: SheKnows Design
How you do it:
"Both partners wear a blindfold for this move," O'Reilly says. "He sits on the bed with his back against the headboard and his legs outstretched with a slight bend in the knee. She sits on his lap, facing him, with her legs on either side and her feet planted on the mattress next to his hips. He helps to pull her hips into him as she rocks against him."
Why it's especially awesome with a blindfold:
"This position offers a balance of intimacy, as you're face to face in a vulnerable position, as well as unpredictability, as the blindfolds force you to feel your partner's rhythm in order to stay in sync," O'Reilly says. "This is a minimal-movement position. You can use dirty whispers, pelvic squeezes and deep breathing to heighten the sensations."
Originally published November 2014. Updated March 2017.
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3. The Splitting of a Bamboo
Image: SheKnows Design
How you do it: Blindfolded, the woman places one of her legs on her lover's shoulder and stretches out the other leg (you can alternate as you go if you'd like). He kneels, straddling her outstretched leg. Hence the name "splitting of a bamboo." Get it?
Why it's especially awesome with a blindfold: The large amount of skin-to-skin contact will deliver big-time sensation. "Any of the Kama Sutra positions could work with a blindfold, but the best ones are those of a more tactile nature," says Eland Sparklers, author of Kama Sutra Connect-the-Dots.
4. X Marks the Spot
Image: SheKnows Design
How you do it: "Have your partner lie spread eagle on their back on your bed," Van Kirk says. "Blindfold your partner. Begin various licking and kissing all over his or her body. Then break out silk arm restraints and use them to tie wrists and ankles to the bed. Switch up between oral and penetration. To really change sensations, include other props like feathers, ice, sex toys and even food."
Why it's especially awesome with a blindfold: "There is something about lying this open and vulnerable," Van Kirk says. "This will create a smorgasbord of sensation that your partner wouldn't have experienced relying on their sight."
Flip or Flop star Christina El Moussa broke the hearts of HGTV fans everywhere when she and now-ex Tarek announced their decision to split in December. After watching them work together and witnessing their cute little family grow over the course of more than six seasons, loyal El Moussa followers were kind of devastated to learn that viewing Flip or Flop would never be the same.
Divorce for anyone — celeb or not — is rough, but Christina seems to be handling the situation with grace. Here are some things to know about the realty reality star as she begins a new chapter in her life.
1. She ain't too proud to ask for help
Christina El Moussa insta 2
Christina El Moussa insta 2
It's no secret that the El Moussa divorce has been a little messy, and Christina made the decision to bring in a third party to help her through the split in the form of celeb life coach, Tim Storey. Storey has worked with Robert Downey Jr., Kanye West and Charlie Sheen — so he probably doesn't come cheap. It seems like he might be worth every dime, though, because Christina has been posting Instagram pics of her and Tarek happily co-parenting together.
HGTV stars have been super under the microscope as of late (just ask Fixer Upper's Chip and Joanna Gaines) and that means the brutal social media comments are coming fast and hard. Christina seems to let some commentary roll off her back, but when Instagrammers start questioning her parenting skills, you better believe she's going to stand up for herself.
"OMG 1. It’s a beach entry if he fell in it’s only a foot high, he would be ok 2. It’s not his first time in or around the pool,but thanks for your 'concern' aka judgement 3. AND most importantly I am right there and could be to him in 3 seconds SMH at this…..!!!!" she fired back.
Christina was a real estate agent in California when she met Tarek. In addition to their TV show, the couple owns The El Moussa Group.
5. She has a second talent to fall back on
Christina El Moussa yoga
Christina El Moussa yoga
Now that she and Tarek are divorcing and Flip or Flop is dunzo, Christina is going to need a side gig to keep bringing in the cash. Luckily, she has another talent: She's quite the yogi! In fact, Christina already released a prenatal yoga video during her second pregnancy called Prenatal Power Yoga.
6. She opened up about her fertility struggle
Christina El Moussa baby
Christina El Moussa baby
Heartbreak struck when Christina tried to conceive her second child. After Tarek's thyroid cancer treatment led the couple to try in vitro, their first attempt failed and their second resulted in miscarriage.
"They said that if you go through radiation, which Tarek had too, then you should not get pregnant from that sperm from six months to a year. So, right away, we did sperm banking and [tried] IVF," she told People. "I had to be super strict... I had to do one full week in bed. For 13 weeks after that, I couldn't go for a walk and couldn't lift anything over a gallon of milk. We planned it during Christmas break so I wasn't working. We did everything we could to make sure this one worked."
7. She may already have a new boyfriend
The ink barely had time to dry on the tabloids reporting her split from Tarek when rumors started flying Christina already has a new boyfriend: Gary Anderson, a contractor who did some work on the couple's backyard. However, there's also been recent reports that Christina is already done with Anderson and moved on to other men, and yet other reports make it seem all of the guys she's been spotted on "hot dates" with are just friends.
Despite the earth-shattering divorce news, Christina was a trooper and finished filming new episodes of Flip or Flop Season 7— but that was probably curtains for the show. It sure doesn't look like Season 8 will be in the cards.
9. Her own home reno was very personalized
Christina El Moussa home gym
Christina El Moussa home gym
When Christina and Tarek renovated their own family home — which was neither a flip nor a flop — they gutted two bedrooms and in their place created one big home gym. It's unclear what will happen to their dream gym when their divorce is settled.
Welcome back to Parental Advisory, where I answer all of your social media and IRL parenting etiquette questions. This week, let's talk about so-called car seat warriors. Are they superheroes... or super-annoying?
Question:
A friend of mine is a "car seat warrior" who is always leaving comments on other people's photos on Facebook and Instagram (even people she doesn't know, I've noticed) about how they're using their car seats incorrectly. She considers herself an "expert" on car seat safety, so she freely doles out advice and will tell people they're strapping in their kids wrong or their toddler should still be rear-facing, etc. Stuff like that. I've noticed most parents either ignore her or acknowledge her comments by saying "thanks for the advice" or something else short and polite, but recently, another (mutual) friend confessed to me that she thinks this woman is actually trolling for random car seat photos so she can dispense her "wisdom." I'm all for saving kids' lives and offering up advice where it's needed, but when does being helpful cross into obsessive territory?
Do you think she's in the right for telling people what they're doing wrong, or is she being inappropriate by commenting on car seats so much? The first couple times I saw her comments on friends' photos, I thought she was being constructive, but now I think she's just being fanatical about car seat safety and it's too much. I probably won't say anything to her, but I'm wondering your thoughts. Also, I think I'd feel differently if she was giving people suggestions in real life in a parking lot or something instead of just commenting on people's photos online. The internet isn't always the most accurate representation of reality, you know?
— M.
Answer:
Unsolicited advice is almost always rude, even when it's constructive. The reason "car seat warriors" — a group that by my observation is made up mostly of moms and which has been on the rise in the age of social media — often get away with telling parents what to do or what not to do is because they blur the lines between personal interest and personal safety.
It would be unwelcome for a friend to suggest that her obese cousin stop eating fast food, for instance, if her cousin checked in at a McDonald's on Facebook. No one would find it charming to read the comment, "Fast food is processed garbage and is a big contributor to heart disease — check out these statistics!" with a link to several articles because everyone can agree that it's wrong for adults to police other adults' diets.
Even if someone purchased an item with a poor consumer reports score, like a particular mattress brand, it wouldn't make much sense for friends to "call out" their peers (or strangers) online for making a "bad" purchase. Most of the time, it's understood that people should be, and in fact are, free to make their own choices, whether positive or negative, without fielding outside interference from nosy friends and relatives.
In the case of car seats, all of those rules go out the window (usually at a speed of 85 mph).
Image: STFU Parents
The primary reason car seat warriors (or "worriers," depending on your perspective) get on people's nerves is that they're so damn proud of themselves, they can't even see how sanctimonious they're being. They see themselves as taking up a noble cause that will save lives, and nothing you or I or anyone else can say will get in the way of that mission.
That's probably because car crashes continue to be "the leading cause of death for children older than 3 in the U.S. and cause another 179,000 child injuries each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child safety seats cut death risk by 71 percent for infant passengers and 54 percent for toddlers between the ages of 1 and 4 — if they are used properly." Those numbers show that with safety education and careful instruction (or in the case of car seat warriors, constant reminding), kids' lives can actually be deeply impacted by the correction of car seat straps, rear-facing positioning and other adjustments that some parents simply don't know to make. Or maybe they know, but they don't adhere to the guidelines. Or maybe they want to adhere to the guidelines, but they don't know seasonal facts like "don't strap in your toddler with his puffy coat on."
For car seat enthusiasts, social media provides the broadest platforms for promotion of these "fun facts," but it also provides people with an opportunity to ride their friends' — or strangers' — asses about car seat safety. In other words, some people use social media to run pages dedicated to all things car seat-related, providing updated regulations, recommended manufacturers and suggestions for how to keep kids safe, while other people just nit-pick and troll photos to find something to criticize.
Image: STFU Parents
As you can see in the screen-grab above, Amanda sees herself as a do-gooder, which is fine, but she also sees herself as being slightly superior to others, which is not so fine. As you mentioned in your question, M., photos on Facebook aren't always the most accurate representations of reality. And even if they are, we don't know the situation. Maybe a picture was taken while the car was parked and the straps hadn't been tightened yet. Maybe the child isn't rear-facing but is older than you think he is. Maybe parents should be able to post pictures of their kids sitting in their car seats without getting lessons from Amanda and 20 other Amandas.
Image: STFU Parents
Policing people's behaviors, actions, belief systems and language may be considered "helpful" by some people's standards, but not everyone likes being told what to do. Parents in particular don't enjoy being told how to parent because they're already catching so much shit about everything that comes with having a baby from the moment a pregnancy is announced. Women are told what they can and can't eat, and what they should or shouldn't do during birth; by the time the baby is in the world, there are virtual lists of unsolicited instructions and waves of advice coming from friends, relatives, doctors, nurses and complete strangers.
Sometimes it seems like since car seat warriors put all of their energy behind one big effort, they're not really taking parents' feelings or day-to-day experiences into account before scolding them about how they're doing it all wrong. For some parents, the immediate response, even if it's not uttered aloud, is always, "Mind your own fucking business." But somewhere between that reflexive parental rage and car seat warriors' obsession with safety could very well be a space of warm guidance. It may be that the warriors should take a step back and examine their approach in order to achieve their goals and start the right conversations.
Image: STFU Parents
So with regard to your question, M., I can see why you wouldn't want to say anything to this friend. There is probably no stopping her from analyzing pictures of kids in car seats and commenting on other people's photos. But if you see her commenting on a certain image and you get the impression that she's off-base, I think you can gently tell her so. Or send a direct message to the parent instead, letting her know you think she's doing a good job and you're sorry some people are so judgmental. If you can't change the constant flow of critiques coming from the car seat warrior, it's possible you can counter some of the comments with praise for what the parents are doing well.
Car seat safety can be a matter of life or death, but that doesn't mean parents should be condescended to every time they post a picture on the internet. There are effective methods to communicate safety guidelines to parents, but prodding them online in response to a photo probably isn't one of them.
Do YOU have a question about parents on social media? Send whatever is on your mind to stfuparentsblog AT gmail.com!
All right, so we won’t pretend that green nail polish is the most fashionable, chic or even most-loved nail color in the history of ever, unless, of course, it’s St. Patrick’s Day. But we’re here to tell you that green is officially spring’s biggest nail trend — namely, mint green — and you’re about to see it all over your social feeds.
But we’re not talking the gaudy, frosted, got-it-from-a-gumball-machine green polish that you wore in elementary school. We’re talking about pale, sea foam mint that’s just bright enough to make your nails look fresh, yet subdued enough to be considered a neutral. And thankfully, it’s one shade that really does look good on every skin tone.
But rather than have you stare wistfully down the beauty aisle of the drugstore trying to find the best mint green to try today, we rounded up our five favorite below.
Who’s going to be the newest celebrity dad? If you’re asking Chris Kirkpatrick, he’ll tell you, “It’s Gonna Be Me.” As of today, the former 'NSYNC member and his wife Karly are expecting a baby boy in October.
Kirkpatrick expressed his joy along with his wife, telling People, “Karly and I are over the moon excited that we are welcoming a new addition to the family.”
The couple, who got engaged in 2012 and said their “I do’s” officially in November 2013, are both very excited to start growing their family together. Their wedding, which was a gathering of around 300 family members and friends, took place in Orlando, and all four of the other 'NSYNC members were in attendance as ushers. Talk about a '90s dream come true.
The singer and his wife have been planning to expand their little family. “Karly wants to have kids really quickly,” Kirkpatrick mentioned earlier on in 2013, including how they’re “definitely ready to have children — we both want them.”
Karly Kirkpatrick — formerly Karly Skladany — also posted on Facebook an image of the couple standing next to a subway ad for the upcoming movie The Boss Baby with the words "Baby Kirkpatrick" and their due date edited onto the image. She captioned the image, “There is a new boss coming to town in early October ... ”
Two things are totally in right now: Revivals and live-action remakes of animated films. Think Fuller House, Girl Meets World, the live-action revamps of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. Almost nothing is hotter than nostalgia right now.
Get Out writer/director Jordan Peele appears to be jumping on that train. He's in early talks with Warner Bros. to direct the studio's live-action adaptation of the classic Manga Akira, according to The Wrap.
Akira has been stuck at a production dead end for 15 years, since Warner Bros. bought the rights to develop Katsuhiro Otomo's series back in 2002. The studio has approached numerous directors for the job, but they've all backed out, including Star Trek and Beyond director Justin Lin. If Peele signs on, the film could finally move forward.
Source say that Warner Bros. has been eyeing Peele since he became a household name for Get Out, which has seen critical and box office success — it crossed $150 million at the box office last weekend after being lauded in headlines as the horror film to see.
Akira follows a pair of bikers in the dystopian city of New Tokyo, after the old Tokyo was destroyed in an attack, though sources say Warner Bros. adaptation will move the story to the U.S., to a city called New Manhattan. The bikers become government targets after one of them develops psychic powers, and they go on the run not only from their own leaders, but from Akira, the psychic who destroyed the city in the first place.
Studies have shown many times over that people with a family history of alcoholism may be predisposed to be at a greater risk of developing drinking problems. But what if genetics also impacts how you remember hangovers? At Keele University, psychologist Dr. Richard Stephens looked into exactly that.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has reported that people with a family history are “four times more likely to develop a drinking problem.” Stephens based his research on that statistic, but focusing more on whether hangovers have some sort of impact on this.
Stephens and his team conducted two studies to test this theory. His first study included 142 people, with a small portion of them having a family history of problem drinking, where he had them complete a survey about their hangovers in the past year. This study found that those with alcoholism in their family background recalled more frequent hangover symptoms than those who didn’t have any family history of problem drinking.
His second study was designed in the same way, except the participants were asked about hangover symptoms the morning directly after a night of drinking. The results showed that there were no greater signs of hangover symptoms in the participants with a family history of alcoholism than in those who did not.
While the findings may seem cloudy, Stephens is relatively positive toward his research. To him, it seemed that “people who [were] predisposed to develop problem drinking are no more susceptible to developing a hangover… however, we found that such people appear to remember their hangovers more lucidly.”
So, while the amount of hangovers experienced did not change, the results showed that individuals who have a family history of problem drinking or alcoholism are more clearly able to remember their hangovers or what those hangovers felt like than those who do not have that kind of background. Stephens hopes that this information can be used to help curb excessive drinking and facilitate the means to create programs or plans for managing alcohol consumption.
If you’re sexually active, chances are you have had good sex and you have had bad sex.
But what separates the two? How do you know if it’s good or bad? Usually, good sex happens when both partners get what they want, and bad sex happens when they don’t.
In some cases, the difference between good sex and bad sex is communication. If you want your partner to fulfill your desires, you usually have to tell them what those desires are. But, asking for what you want can be scary, especially if you’re sleeping with someone for the first time or if you really like the person. Putting all of your likes and dislikes out there for someone to judge can leave you feeling extremely vulnerable, so it’s no surprise that a lot of people would rather go through the motions of bad or mediocre sex just to avoid what they fear could be an awkward conversation.
However, this tendency to lie about or omit information about how you’re feeling to your partner isn’t just bad for your sex life, it can be bad for your whole relationship. Oftentimes, issues in the bedroom can bleed into other aspects of your relationship.
Talking about sex can help you and your partner communicate elsewhere since you already know that you can trust and confide in that person in the most intimate way.
1. Write a list
One way to approach a conversation about sexual desires is to make “want/will/won’t” lists. This list will break down what you want to do, what you are willing to try and what you definitely do not want to do. The lists could act as a conversation starter as well as a safe place to aggregate all your desires without any outside influence or interruption.
It also lets you work through the things you have thought about doing so you can decide what you really want and what you need to explore a little bit more before you make a decision. Once the two of you sift through your lists, you may find items that overlap or items that will be deleted because they’re in your partner’s “won’t” column. Although want/will/won’t lists often get associated with BDSM relationships, they’re actually useful for any situation in which partners struggle to verbally communicate, whether it’s about sex or not.
Another technique that may work is to start with smaller desires and then work your way up. For example, if you’re interested in masochism, you might try out spanking before you move onto whipping or bondage. This tactic could also benefit you if you’re experimenting for the first time, as it will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and jumping into something you may not be ready for yet.
3. Keep communicating
It’s important to remember that the conversation doesn’t stop once you’ve tried something out, whether the act was successful or not. Even if the experience was a good one for both of you, talking about it could still be beneficial — especially if it’s left any residual feelings that you feel need to be discussed out loud before moving forward.
Sex is a chance to explore, to have fun and to connect with your partner, but in order to make sure all of those things happen, you have to communicate. It might be awkward, but chances are if you have things you want to try out, your partner probably does too. The secret to good sex is not to have secrets, and if you face your fears and just ask, you might be surprised at how simple that is to do.
On Thursday, the network sent out a cryptic press release that seemed to hint at a new, half-hour show featuring only Trump-related content. The release was branded with the presidential seal and read, "Late night TV is broken. A TOTAL DISASTER. I alone can fix it," seemingly in the style of the president's erratic Twitter feed. It also included a link to a Twitter handle for The President Show.
The Twitter bio for The President Show reads, "#1 show on television, many many millions of viewers. Hosted by @LateNightDonald. Bringing AMERICAN JOBS back to late night."
The @LateNightDonald account is also active, with tweets dating back about a week that seem to spoof things Trump says, intermixed with dissing existing late-night TV.
The President Show at twitter war w other late night 1
The President Show at twitter war w other late night 1
The President Show at twitter war w other late night 2
The President Show at twitter war w other late night 2
So clearly this show is going to be hosted by a Trump impersonator, something the real Trump is sure to love. But is it possible to fill a nightly lineup with jabs at just one politician? Actually, thinking back on how the first couple of months have gone for Trump, yes. Yes it is.
Which is totally wrong, because there's no way Gavin Rossdale could be rebounding right now — he and his ex-wife, Gwen Stefani, split up two years ago. Sure, he's dating someone else for the first time since then, but it's definitely not a rebound. Stefani is practically married to another man already. Furthest thing possible from a rebound.
According to a source close to Rossdale, "It’s very early days but Gavin is really taken by Sophia. They met on the touring scene and there’s plenty of chemistry. They’re having fun and the relationship has the potential to turn serious if that continues."
Rossdale and Stefani were together for 20 years and had three kids together before they split in 2015 amid rumors that he cheated. She's been dating Blake Shelton since soon after the split, and Rossdale has stayed single until now, even though his friends tried to set him up with Tiger Woods' ex, Elin Nordegren (it didn't work out).
Rossdale told Bizarre earlier this month that he wasn't actively looking for romance, but was open to it if it happened naturally.
"Any relationship is so much about a degree of compromise, so my boys ask me more than I think about it, when am I going to get a girlfriend?" he said. "But I’m so busy that I just think, those things anyway, they just happen. It’s the kind of thing that when you’re not looking is when Cupid strikes."
Remember when Russell Brand and Katy Perry broke up? And it was really ugly? And Brand said a lot of flippant things about Perry? For example, there was this: “Marriage is a bond that can last up to 14 months,” he said on XFM London. “This is a sacred, 14-month arrangement. Begins on an elephant. Ends in a newspaper.” Cool, cool.
Well, as it turns out, Brand has apparently had a bit of a change of heart. Perhaps it’s because there has been some distance between him and the divorce, and time heals all; perhaps he’s grown up a bit; perhaps he’s just feeling more magnanimous these days. Whatever the case may be, Russell said some rather nice things about the whole marriage/divorce situation in an interview with John Bishop on the W Channel this week.
Russell Brand Talks Affectionately About Marriage To Ka
Russell Brand Talks Affectionately About Marriage To Ka
"Katy was obviously very, very occupied and very busy,” Brand said of his ex-wife during their marriage. “I was very occupied and very busy—not to the same degree, I recognize.” That business meant the pair had to be super protective of their marriage. “But it meant, I think, that [for] the sanctimony of marriage, which is a very private thing really ... I supposed we perhaps—intuitively or explicitly I don't know—understood that we better protect this thing,” he said.
He blames the dissolution of their marriage on fame. “The marriage didn't last for a very long time, and I think that is to do with the undulated nature of fame and that, living in those conditions and what was happening,” he said.
But rather than feeling animosity, Brand feels genial about the whole thing now. "But I have come away from that experience," Brand said. "I still feel very warm towards her. I feel like, when I hear about her or see her, 'Aww, there's that person. There's that person in the world.'" Well—that’s nice, we guess.
Image: Getty Images
Brand said he doesn’t see the marriage as a mistake or anything like that: "I sort of recognize it as a part of my life that was for a clearly delineated piece of time,” he said.
That’s good, because there was a time when both parties told a very different story. Brand was super negative about their connection in a trailer for his film, saying the milieu around his marriage added up to a “vapid, vacuous celebrity”; Perry said Brand informed her of his desire for a divorce when he “texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.” Eek.
Well, we’re glad to hear everyone’s chill about this now. Maybe Brand has relaxed now that he’s a father. Anyway, this news comes just as John Mayer announced publicly that he wants Perry back, so—that’s cool? One big happy complicated love triangle.
Charli Howard is a British model who raised major eyebrows when she confronted her former agency in a Facebook post that went viral. Dropped for being “too big” at a size 2, Howard went on to found the All Woman Project and become one of the first models to ever be signed to both the straight-size and plus-size boards at her agency. “When you surround yourself with agents who care about your well-being, their opinions don’t matter. I starved myself for over ten years, giving me irregular periods (if any), bad skin, a bad back, bleeding gums, hair loss etc, and I’m never going back to that place to meet somebody else’s ideas of perfection,” she said in a recent post on Instagram. We recently caught up with Howard to get the truth on what it’s really like to be considered a plus-size model at a size 6.
“I used to fight my natural curves with every ounce of my being. Models, as I knew them, did not have boobs or thighs. I thought fat was evil. I look back at that mentality now and wonder why I fought my shape for so long. If I’d known I could work and be this happy before, I would’ve laughed.
“It does feel odd, being a U.S. size 6-8 and being considered a ‘curve’ model. I’m only curvaceous in modeling terms, not in the real world. I know I will never be plus-size, as my bone structure is quite small. My only concern is that young girls might look at me and question their own sizes, thinking something like, ‘If Charli’s considered curvy at a size 6 or 8, then what does that make me?’ Fashion is not reflective of the real world, so I try to make it as relatable as possible with the All Woman Project that I co-founded.
“My only concern is that young girls might look at me and question their own sizes. For example, 'If Charli’s considered curvy at a size 6-8, then what does that make me?'”
“I guess I became a plus-size model without realizing it. I began to be asked how it felt to have gone from being a straight-size model to a curve model, and my initial reaction was just, ‘Huh?’ I knew my measurements had gotten bigger and that I’d filled out, but I didn’t know that made me ‘curvy.’ I’m often too small for some clients, and then too big for others. I sit right in the middle of the conventional model categories. So instead of fighting it, I just do my own thing.
“Up until I moved to New York, I had no idea the plus-size industry really existed or that you could make money from it. It sounds like a dream to most people — getting to eat whilst still being able to model. And I’m living it!
“In my ignorance, I used to assume plus-size models were girls who couldn’t compete with us ‘straight-sized athletes’ — the girls who starve themselves every day, almost competitively, as a step closer towards accomplishing their dreams — and in the U.K., curve models are not taken seriously at all. But when I came to the United States, I was amazed by it. The industry turns over billions a year, and the women are just as beautiful and aspirational as ‘regular’ models — just more relatable to the consumer. I only wish more countries would realize how profitable and successful this side of the industry is.
“I’ve had comments saying curve modeling isn’t ‘real’ modeling, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Some people compare modeling to athletes, saying that if you can’t maintain the measurements, you’re not model-worthy. I just don’t understand why society has become fixated on thinness and measures that as success. Beauty doesn’t come in one dress size.
“When I tell people I’m a curve model, a few people seem shocked. I know that I’m not plus-size in real life, but I am as a model, and that has taken some getting used to. I still wish women weren’t divided into categories based on their body type and that they were all on a single board, just so fashion has to cater to every body shape.
“Becoming a curve model has allowed me to live again. I was trapped in a cycle of self-loathing and restricting. I was constantly miserable, with bad skin and a mood even worse. I’m happy being part of a team of people within fashion that want to see change happen. I truly believe that had I seen women of various sizes growing up in fashion and in magazines, I doubt I would have had half the body issues I did. Diversity is important not only for fashion, but for society and young girls, and so it’s my mission that they are represented too.
“I remind myself daily that I am more than my measurements. I’m a good friend, a good sister, a good daughter. I love animals and I don’t set out to hurt people. Those parts of me are far more important than what I weigh. I genuinely believed weighing less would make me more likable, but once I stopped focusing on what others thought about me, I truly began to live life.”
In honor of World Autism Awareness Day, which is on Sunday, April 2, Chuck E. Cheese’s has announced the launch of an initiative to help make their establishments much more autism spectrum-friendly and accessible.
They released a press statement on Tuesday, March 28 introducing a national expansion of Sensory Sensitive Sundays, an effort to create a more inclusive environment for children on the autism spectrum, while partnering with the Center for Autism Related Disorders to help create the new approach. This comes with apt timing, right after Legoland Park released a similar announcement as a welcome update to their park’s policies.
Sensory Sensitive Sundays aims to give children with autism spectrum disorders the opportunity to experience all the fun of visiting Chuck E. Cheese’s in a much more sensory-friendly environment. This will be offered two hours before the restaurant opens for its normal hours, and it involves “smaller crowds, dimmed lighting, the show and music turned down or off, and limited appearances of costumed characters, all of which makes for an environment more suitable for children who face sensory challenges,” according to their press release.
The initiative was first introduced earlier this year as a test-run for a span of three months at locations in the Northeast, and it received an immense amount of positive feedback. “The reaction from parents impacted by this program has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Ami Anderson, the senior director of advertising and media at CEC Entertainment, adding, “we’ve heard over and over again from families that it’s so rewarding to be able to watch their children enjoy Chuck E. Cheese’s.”
While Sensory Sensitive Sundays will be a staple program at 355 participating locations all around the country, Chuck E. Cheese’s is still thinking of ways to improve upon the great work that’s already been done. Through their partnership with CARD, the company will continue to look for ways to expand and grow the program in order to reach and include as many families as they can.
This is a huge step in the right direction, and Anderson agrees that creating initiatives like this is very important. “Chuck E. Cheese’s has always been a place where a kid can be a kid," she says, "so it’s really important to us to ensure that children with autism spectrum disorder or other special needs have the same opportunity to enjoy the experience of visiting Chuck E. Cheese’s and other establishments as their peers do.”
Why is July so far away? What will we do for the next 15 weeks until Season 7 premieres, other than stare at the Game of Thrones countdown clock? Even though we don’t face the constant peril that many of the GoT characters do, I’m not sure how we will make it another day.
But we can try. While you’re waiting, here’s a Game of Thrones trivia quiz to get you through to, well, perhaps the next five minutes. Are you as sharp as Arya or as thick as a Stone Man? Let’s find out.
And if you want to make another few minutes go by, here's the Season 7 teaser:
