Last year I told everyone who would listen about a book I was reading—Breath by James Nestor—and how radically it had impacted my thinking. Most of us breathe poorly, and it’s a real problem. Another excellent, easy-to-browse resource to get your breathing back on track is Jean Hall’s Breathe: Simple Breathing Techniques for a Calmer,
Month: January 2024
Like his mentor Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis had a dream. Amid the turmoil and violence of a segregated South and a nation embroiled in the struggle for racial reconciliation, Lewis envisioned and championed what he called a “Beloved Community” in America, “a society based on simple justice that values the dignity and the
The protagonist of Temim Fruchter’s remarkable debut novel, a queer grad student studying Jewish folklore, describes her work as collecting scraps. In the wake of her father’s death, 30-year-old Shiva decides to get her master’s, hoping to unravel the family mysteries her mother has kept hidden from her all her life. Shiva eventually travels to
Behind You Is the Sea, Susan Muaddi Darraj’s debut novel, brings readers into the lives of three Palestinian families in and around Baltimore: the Salamehs, the Baladis and the Ammars. Generational disputes form the core of the novel’s action, which unfolds through weddings, graduations, unplanned pregnancies and funerals. Women’s issues are also at the fore,
Almost from the moment it docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama, much has been written about the Clotilda, the schooner that brought 110 captive Africans to the U.S. in 1860, more than five decades after the slave trade had been outlawed. The illegal voyage was conducted with stealth, but the arrival of the ship was an
Some of Ben Guterson’s most treasured childhood memories center around two now-defunct grand old department stores in downtown Seattle: Frederick & Nelson and The Bon Marché. They “were absolutely places of magic for me,” the author reminisces in a call from his home in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. “At Christmastime, I would go
Christian nationalist Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers (R) has introduced a bill that would fine and imprison adults for consensually creating or sending sexual images or text messages. Deevers included the provision in S.B. 1976, a bill banning child pornography. It prohibits unmarried individuals from producing or sending any “obscene” sexual content found “patently offensive”
Republicans are panicking over a potential Joe Biden endorsement from Taylor Swift, and now Donald Trump is dialing up the drama by reportedly declaring a “holy war” against the pop superstar, a Trump insider told Rolling Stone. Swift endorsed Biden in 2020, and her massive influence has only grown since then. As reports spread that
Pekka Haavisto is not your typical DJ. He’s also Finland’s former minister for foreign affairs. And there’s a massive chance he’ll be elected president next month. Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb won the first round of the presidential election, advancing to a runoff election with Haavisto. The margin between the two candidates was tiny; by
Anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing broadcaster Jason Whitlock has praised, platformed, and promoted E. Michael Jones, an antisemitic author whom Whitlock recently interviewed for the right-wing outlet Blaze Media. In the interview, Jones said that Jews “took over the Blacks early on,” are “undermining the moral fabric of the American people,” and are “running the Biden administration.” His
Florida has threatened to punish any transgender person who tries to change the gender listed on their state-issued driver’s licenses. Such individuals would be charged with trying to make a false ID and face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The threat appeared in a January 26 letter signed by Florida
Christian nationalists and Republicans nationwide have been banning books they don’t like. If they fail, they try to shut down entire libraries – and small towns make for an easy target. Washington state legislators are working to make it harder for religious activists to shut down public libraries. Activists have been trying to use a
It’s no secret that Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) simply do not like each other, despite their shared far-right views and anti-LGBTQ+ extremism. But Greene seems to be taking a certain amount of joy in the prospect of Boebert losing her reelection bid and getting booted from the House. Greene was
A Christian pastor with a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ comments was invited to be the guest chaplain of the House of Representatives yesterday. Rev. Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California, gave the opening prayer at the House yesterday morning. In his prayer, he called the Constitution God’s “great gift to all freedom-loving
Aimenn D. Penny, the 20-year-old member of an Ohio White Lives Matter group who attempted to firebomb an LGBTQ+ friendly church last March, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. In October, Penny pleaded guilty to violating the Church Arson Prevention Act—a federal hate crime—and to using fire and explosives to commit a felony.
Charli XCX has announced her return to Boiler Room, complete with an incredible line-up of guests. The popstar announced the news on her social media, revealing that A.G. Cook, George Daniel (The 1975) and Easyfun were set to join. She also teased more special guests were soon to be unveiled. Charli XCX’s Boiler Room rave
(L to R) Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre talk ‘Genius: MLK/X.’ Premiering February 1st on National Geographic, and streaming February 2nd on Disney+ and Hulu, with the first episode also airing on ABC February 1st is the fourth season of the anthology series ‘Genius,’ which is entitled ‘Genius: MLK/X’ and follows the lives of
From humble beginnings in Hollis, Queens, to the world stage of Live Aid, it has been more than 40 years since Run-DMC first changed hip-hop forever. Now Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell are having their story told through a new three-part documentary series Kings From Queens: The
View gallery Image Credit: Marechal Aurore/ABACA/Shutterstock Mommy-daughter moment! Kylie Jenner, 26, and her daughter Stormi Webster, 5, had a super cute moment in matching red outfits as they attended the Les Sculptures show by Jacquemus at Paris Fashion Week on Monday, January 29. The fashion icon and her daughter looked like they were having a blast as
Who is Giannis? The on-screen boyfriend of Chantel Everett remains an unknown to most fans. This year, Chantel joined the cast of 90 Day: The Single Life for Season 4. Eager to leave Pedro and many related mistakes behind, she took off on a trip to Greece. And has immediately fallen for a new guy.
Anna Sinjari is a Kurdish woman dealing with both office drone existential dread and the lingering trauma of the violence she escaped when she immigrated to America. Ssrin is an alien on the run, who immediately bonds with Anna when they encounter each other in Central Park. As a cosmic crisis looms, the pair’s uncanny
Anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) scored an “embarrassing” fifth finish in a recent straw poll ranking the eight Republicans running in her new congressional district. While the poll was unscientific, her unpopularity in it suggests that “she’s finished,” one Republican group said. Boebert, who switched congressional districts late last December when it became clear that
Out Reps. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Chris Pappas (D-NH) have asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to expedite the process for former LGBTQ+ soldiers still seeking to upgrade their less-than-honorable discharges after being kicked out of the military under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) and other historic bans on out queer military
After years of sniping and planning meetings, a sculpture honoring Alan Turing was finally unveiled at Cambridge’s Kings College in England, where he studied math, the foundation of his illustrious career. Turing, a gay man, is widely considered the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. He is most famous for his work on breaking
Maine lawmakers have abandoned a measure that would have helped protect transgender youth’s access to lifesaving health care after a firestorm of unhinged conservative criticism online, led by hate influencer Chaya Raichik. The state’s Judiciary Committee voted unanimously – with one member absent – to stop L.D. 1735 from progressing. The bill would have protected
As Taylor Swift continues to rise to even higher levels of superstardom, Republicans are terrified that it could be all over for them if the pop star publicly endorses President Joe Biden. A recent New York Times article reported that Biden aides see Swift as “the endorsement of their wildest dreams,” and her massive influence
A Utah dad was banned from his high school-aged daughter’s future junior varsity basketball games after he became belligerent at a recent game, alleging that a player on the opposing team was transgender. Jeff Haney, a spokesperson for Canyons School District, told The Salt Lake Tribune that at a January 19 game, the dad “was
Out Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is catching flak for spending around $210,000 of taxpayer money to travel on private jets since 2020, which is a lot more than her peers usually spend on the luxury. U.S. senators have annual budgets to fund their offices, and Sinema spending a large part of hers on charter flights
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson, the brilliant author of the historic Declaration of Independence, affirmed specifically in writing what must be
In Seattle over the weekend, two gay bars were raided by a task force looking for “lewd conduct” by patrons and staff. Investigators discovered a bartender’s exposed nipple at one venue. Patrons wearing jock straps were observed at another. The raids – conducted by Seattle’s Joint Enforcement Team (JET), a coalition of Police and Fire