Lifestyle Archives - Page 20 of 23

Utah Senator Dismisses Non-Contraceptive Uses of Birth Control

10Jul

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Lifestyle

Utah Senator Dismisses Non-Contraceptive Uses of Birth Control

A controversial Supreme Court ruling earlier this week allows employers to deny women health insurance plans that include birth control, if they object on religious grounds. A Utah Senator expressed his support for the Supreme Court decision, stating that women -- from his point of view -- use birth control for "largely recreational purposes." Many, however, believe that it is unfair to say that women use birth control for recreational purposes only. "The overwhelming of women report using contraception for economic and medical reasons. Sixty-two million women in the U.S. are currently in their childbearing years and most -- 99 percent -- use birth control to prevent pregnancies, the National Women’s Law Center finds," ThinkProgress.org writes. Another study concludes, "Sixty-three perc...

Students Express Relief at UF’s Decision to Add Central Air Conditioning to Dorms

10Jul

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Lifestyle, Local

Students Express Relief at UF’s Decision to Add Central Air Conditioning to Dorms

Florida is one of the hottest states in the U.S., with average summer temperatures in the 80s and 90s throughout the summer months. It might seem like Florida is one of the few states where you can expect air conditioning to be in every building, especially for places like schools and stores. For many University of Florida students, though, relief has only just arrived. According to The Alligator, a local Gainesville paper, all UF residence halls will have finally received central air conditioning by 2015. For many students, the change will provide welcome relief from the high temperatures that frequently drive students into cooler libraries and halls to study. "If these dorms change, their popularity would change because they would cater to today’s living," reflects Sara Wedemeyer, a 19...

For $4,000, You Can Kick Back with a “Cuppa” at This Jane Austen-Inspired Cottage in Devonshire

9Jul

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Lifestyle

For $4,000, You Can Kick Back with a “Cuppa” at This Jane Austen-Inspired Cottage in Devonshire

If you've ever wanted to take a vacation like an aristocrat, one estate in England is offering the chance. The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have 24 cottages on their 35,000 acre estate, with the newly renovated Gardener's Cottage opening up at the end of June. This newest cottages, like the other 23, can be rented weekly, and depending on the season the cost to stay in Gardener's Cottage ranges from £1,197 to £2,391 per week (or $2,035 to $4,065 USD). (The cheapest option on the property, the Stone Annexe, sleeps two for four nights at £188 or $300 total.) Gardener's Cottage is considered the most luxurious cottage on the estate. It was built in the late 19th century and can sleep six. The inspiration from the decor, according the Duke and Duchess, comes from author Jane Austen....

U.S. Landmarks Set to Be Damaged, Wiped from the Map as Sea Levels Continue to Rise

7Jul

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Lifestyle

U.S. Landmarks Set to Be Damaged, Wiped from the Map as Sea Levels Continue to Rise

A recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that is best known for its fight to end humanity's acceleration of climate change, has found that as many as 30 American landmarks will be damaged or completely destroyed if climate change is left to continue at its current rate. Between now and the year 2100, water levels across the world's oceans are set to increase by an average of three feet. In Jamestown, that number jumps to six feet, a number most believe spells the complete destruction of one of the United States' most important historical landmarks. Other sites, most notably the Statue of Liberty National Monument on Liberty Island, NY, won't disappear quite so quickly, but as increased erosion eats away at the park that forms its foundation, the stability and longevi...

7Jul

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Lifestyle

The Benefits of Buying a Luxury Condo

A record breaking sale happened in Queens recently. One upscale condo sold at an impressive $3.35 million dollars, which speaks to the growing trend in luxury condo popularity. Part of the appeal of this particular condo is the waterfront view, which is only one of benefits of living there -- the complex that this condo is in also features a swimming pool, doorman service, and cinema and fitness centers. The benefits of buying a condo are beginning to far outweigh buying a single family home or something similar. Condominiums are not just found in Queens; they are often found in places that have good weather all year round, which makes them an ideal place to settle. Condominiums are also in complexes that usually have amenities that you do not get from buying a single family home. Like...

New Movement in Yoga Involves Lots of Strange Poses and Selfies

7Jul

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Lifestyle

New Movement in Yoga Involves Lots of Strange Poses and Selfies

Are we experiencing a major shift in the way American yoga is practiced? Some would say so. There's a growing phenomenon underway in the U.S. yoga community. No longer is yoga simply done in the studio, and made a part of quiet contemplation -- now, it's hitting the streets, and more importantly, the social media accounts. Hilaria Baldwin, wife of actor Alec Baldwin, is part of this new movement. With 37,000 followers on Instagram, Baldwin updates once a day with a yoga contortion in public as part of her "365 Days of Yoga Craziness" campaign. One example image is her performing a Warrior 3 pose in the aisle of a packed plane. The new trend of turning yoga into a visible event and promotional moment isn't just limited to any one celebrity, studio or website -- participants range from...

Rental Demand Continues to Surge Across United States

2Jul

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Lifestyle

Rental Demand Continues to Surge Across United States

2014 is shaping up to be the year when renting an apartment became a more popular choice than owning a home. According to a June 20 CNBC article, the national apartment occupancy rate continued to soar throughout the month of May, reaching its highest level in six years. An amazing 95% of apartments across America are currently occupied -- and developers are rushing to construct more to meet demand. Americans' gravitation toward renting an apartment rather than buying a home marks an important shift away from the traditional "American dream," in which everyone was expected to own a home to be considered successful. “The American people believe that the country’s housing environment is changing,” a MacArthur Foundation report called “How Housing Matters: The Housing Crisis Continue...

Unicode Updated to Include 250 More Emoji Symbols for Phones and Computers

2Jul

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Lifestyle

Unicode Updated to Include 250 More Emoji Symbols for Phones and Computers

Unicode is getting an update which will include 250 more "emoji" symbols, as well as other updates for languages around the world. Smartphone users around the world, rejoice. Among the many updates are a hammer, a spider, an arriving airplane, a hot pepper, and a satellite. The update release is Unicode Version 7. Unicode is a system that came into existence during the early 90s as a way to provide a uniform code for different character and letters. Years ago, many countries and languages used their own systems for text encoding. Before the internet, this worked out fine. After the introduction of the World Wide Web, however, a problem quickly became apparent. When a page was written on one standard but seen by a web browser as another standard, the page would appear on the screen as tota...

In the Latest Bout of Technology Meets Art, Drones Become a Medium for Photography

1Jul

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Lifestyle

In the Latest Bout of Technology Meets Art, Drones Become a Medium for Photography

Drones are typically associated with military invasions. But can they be used for something more innocent -- artwork? Two military aviators who work with drones had the idea to use their machines to take photographs that no human would be able to capture. Their remote-controlled aerial devices were able to create unique shots. One of their photos, "Lost" -- which features a woman walking alone along sand dunes -- won an aerial photography prize. The prize made them think that their work might be more than just a passing hobby. "We realized that some of the stuff we were creating was really, really aesthetically pleasing," said one pilot. Right now, the pilots only wish to be known by their pseudonym, DroneArt31 -- since they are still in the military, security is a likely concern. Th...

Selfie Culture Making Kids More Aware About Their Options for Orthodontia

27Jun

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Lifestyle

Selfie Culture Making Kids More Aware About Their Options for Orthodontia

According to several dentists, "selfie" culture could be bringing increased popularity to orthodontia. As kids are becoming more aware of the way their teeth look through self-shot camera photos, many are choosing to opt in for teeth-straightening orthodontia earlier in life, rather than waiting until later."I think that soon I'll be able to take a selfie and show off my teeth, so its okay," said Jessica Corona, a rising sophomore in college, in an interview with PIX11. Many teenagers say they look forward to taking better photos in the future that they can share with their friends. Of course, selfies aren't the only reason children, teenagers, and young adults decide to get orthodontic treatment. The health benefits of having teeth that are properly aligned are explained to children...