15 Incredible Books by Stonewall Book Award Winners
The Stonewall Book Award celebrates LGBTQ+ literature and includes standouts from authors like Alison Bechdel, Rivers Solomon, and Michael Cunningham.
2023-06-14 07:24
Woman who was pronounced dead for three minutes due to heatstroke describes what experience felt like
A woman who says she was pronounced dead for three minutes after battling with heatstroke has reflected on the experience, and the “strange anomalies” she has experienced since. When Jade, 36, visited a friend during a summer afternoon in Green Bay, Wisconsin, she didn’t expect for her life to be hanging in the balance only hours later. According to Jade, on the day in question, the temperature reached 89.6F, and with the high humidity, it made it feel “unbearable.” Soon after, she started experiencing frequent bouts of nausea, dizziness, dry mouth and exhaustion, which caused her to collapse on the living room sofa. As Jade was rushed to the hospital, medics pronounced her dead for three minutes and said the culprit was heatstroke. Now, in a bid to raise awareness, she’s shared her story on TikTok, where she’s received more than 191,000 views and over 20,000 likes, and where she said the experience has made her “unafraid” of death. “I had experienced an extreme fear of dying prior to this incident, but when it actually happened, I had zero fear,” the content creator, from Wisconsin, told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “I remember feeling consistently yucky and really gross. I was rundown, lethargic and sick to my stomach, with my mouth bone dry. “I went out to smoke and the moment that I finished and stood up, I knew I was in trouble. My priority immediately became getting back inside and I don’t think I understood at this point that I was dying, but I did understand that I was going down.” Jade recalls stumbling into the apartment and slumping onto the couch, before making a gurgling sound. She said: “Everything must have happened in a matter of moments, but it felt like much longer and this profound feeling of utter sickness hit me like a tonne of bricks. My head felt like it was inflating, yet my entire body as if it was shrinking. I had never known anything like it before. “It made me completely okay with dying because I wanted to sleep forever. Then, everything went black and that was the moment I knew I was about to pass away.” Jade was rushed to St Vincent’s hospital via ambulance, where she was revived via a defibrillator. As she arrived, she fell in and out of consciousness, but imaging tests of her head were carried out, along with blood tests and electrocardiograms, a test to check the heart’s rhythm. Over the next four days, she received injections to prevent blood clots and soon, medics told her she had been pronounced “dead” for three minutes on arrival with heatstroke. In the clip, she reflects on the experience and the “weird” occurrences which have happened to her since. Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many detailing their own similar experiences. “I fainted TWICE that summer,” one person said, while another said: “I was pregnant that summer. The heat was HORRIBLE!!!” “Your story was very interesting. Glad you’re safe,” another person added. “Was it scary? What did you see? I really panic about the thought of death,” someone else asked. Jade was born with Wolff Parkinsons’ White and postural tachycardia syndrome, which both cause abnormalities with increased heart rate. Often, she feels like she’s going to “throw up” her heart and sometimes experiences extreme shakiness as well as fainting spells. Due to this, she finds intense heat triggers these episodes and while her near death experience in July 2011 hasn’t made these worse, she believes they were a contributing factor. “My symptoms are still mild, but I have been getting new ones, such as a low grade fever and muscle weakness,” she said “I’m not sure if these are related to the heatstroke. “I’m still waiting for a final diagnosis, as this has only occurred after my incident, but I will always fight for myself and my life.” Since then, Jade has also suffered with frequent seizures, which she had never had prior to the incident. She said: “At first, I thought it was heatstroke again, but I just passed out and doctors believe it’s because I’m still so exhausted from all the anxiety of almost dying. But, I have been admitted a few times for these and I’ve had tests such as MRIs and more blood work done, as well as seeing a neurologist and I’ve been diagnosed with epilepsy. “Now, I don’t have them so much, but I’ve been in touch with other near death experience survivors who said they had seizures for a while after, but then they suddenly stopped.” Jade has also experienced other “strange anomalies” such as not being able to wear regular watches, as they would stop working once she put them on. She said: “It wasn’t something that happened before and the only watches that are safe are expensive smart watches. I’ve given up on them entirely, but vape pens also shut down even with a full battery. “I’ve also had a lot of spooky things happening, such as hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t there. Sometimes it’s been whispers or dark hazy figures and I began recording my home because I was petrified that I was losing it. I believe this is telling me that life continues after death.” She continued: “I feel like I’m in a special club and it’s made me learn how to take better care of myself, as well as valuing life more. I don’t live in fear of death and I know that when my time comes, any fear will melt away like it did before. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that it is absolutely true what they say - the fear itself is always worse than the thing we actually fear.” Read More What is the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke? How to keep your pet cool and healthy during a heatwave How to tell if you’re seriously dehydrated, as UK temperatures soar
2023-06-14 06:59
Biden to host Jennifer Hudson, Wu-Tang's Method Man at Juneteenth concert
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden will host the White House's first big Juneteenth celebration, a concert featuring
2023-06-14 06:22
How to Combine PDF Files
Knowing how to combine multiple PDFs into a single file is easy and can make
2023-06-14 05:23
Verizon Gizmo Watch 3 Review
The $149 Verizon Gizmo Watch 3, a GPS-tracking smartwatch for kids ages 3 to 11,
2023-06-14 04:59
Woman who went from size 18 to size six shares surprising things ‘no one tells you’ about weight loss
A woman who went from a size 18 to a size six has shared some of the surprising things “no one tells you” about losing weight. Meg Stier, an actor and motivational speaker living in New York City who goes by the username @megmackenzies on TikTok, revealed some of the things she wishes she’d known “before [she] lost a bunch of weight,” such as that she would be cold “literally all the time,” in a video posted to the platform on Sunday. In the candid clip, Stier began: “[These are] things no one tells you when you go from a size 18 to a size six. And to be clear, there was nothing wrong with me when I was a size 18, and there’s nothing wrong with me at a size six.” Stier then reflected on the changes, many of which were negative, that she’s experienced as a result of her weight loss, with the TikToker revealing that, in addition to constantly being cold, she’s realised that “losing weight didn’t solve all of [her] problems,” there are days where she liked her body more when she was “bigger,” and that there’s a “lot of skin”. “I’m literally cold all the time. I’m just cold, always,” Stier said, before telling viewers: “Some days, I liked my body a lot more when I was bigger.” According to Stier, she’s also found that “people treat you differently” when you lose weight, and “skinny privilege is a thing”. “People started to respect me a lot more when I lost weight, which is just disgusting,” she continued, before moving on to some of the physical changes. “There’s a lot of skin. There’s a lot of skin,” she said. @megmackenzies It’s a learning curve #nyc #bodypositivity #weightloss #bodyacceptance #broadway #lifestyle #performer ♬ original sound - Meg Mackenzies Stier said she’s also found that her weight loss has become “the main topic of conversation” everywhere she goes. “Instead of my successful career, my education, or anything else about me,” she said. The TikToker concluded the video with a final surprising change to her body, with Stier expressing her surprise to find that her feet got “smaller” after losing weight. “My feet got smaller. I’m almost an entire shoe size smaller than I was,” she said, before adding: “Make it make sense.” In the caption of the TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 2.8m times, Stier acknowledged that her weight loss has been a “learning curve”. The video has resonated with viewers, with many praising Stier for talking candidly about the topic, while others shared their own similar experiences with weight loss. “Size 18 to two here. You forgot jewellery, rings and watches had to be resized. But yes to everything else!!” one person wrote, while another said: “Everyone thinks it’s so weird when I say my feet shrunk when I lost weight!! Always cold here too!” “I have literally experienced ALL of this! I went from a 22 to a two. So. Much. Skin.” someone else wrote. Many viewers also revealed they can relate to Stier’s experience with “skinny privilege,” with one person writing: “Girl same. I went from a size 20 to a size four. I RELATE. The skinny privilege blew my mind.” Another person wrote: “It is fascinating how I was ignored in stores when I was heavy but greeted enthusiastically when thin.” In a follow-up video, Stier opened up more about the concept of “skinny privilege,” with the TikToker sharing examples of the ways she is treated now as a size six versus when she was a size 18. @megmackenzies Anyone else experince these things? #bodyacceptance #nyc #bodypositivity #performer #lifestyle #weightloss ♬ original sound - Meg Mackenzies After clarifying that the video was not an “attack on skinny people,” Stier said that “skinny privilege” has meant that “people look me in the eye when they talk to me,” and that she can buy clothes in her size at any store. According to Stier, she’s also noticed a change in how people react when she speaks. “When I speak, people tend to listen more,” she said, before adding: “Well, I’m a woman, so men still talk over me, but, in general, people listen to me more than when I was larger.” Stier also revealed that she began to experience success in her career “the moment [she] lost weight,” despite not becoming “more talented, smarter or better at [her] job”. “I just looked different,” she said. The TikToker said she is no longer “judged” by what food she orders in a restaurant, or when she eats in public, and can go to the gym without others giving her a “‘good for her, she’s trying’ face”. “People considered me unmotivated, unhealthy and generally just lazy because I was bigger,” Stier said, before adding: “Those are three words that no one would ever use to describe me now and my lifestyle really hasn’t changed that much.” In the video, Stier then acknowledged that there is a “serious bias against fat people” that is “hard to fully grasp” unless you’ve “lived on both sides of the spectrum”. “Skinny privilege is a thing and even I find myself taking advantage of it. We need to change the way we view people because fat doesn’t mean bad and skinny doesn’t mean good,” she said. “People are just people. Their actions and their intentions are what make them good or bad, not the way they look.” Speaking to The Independent about her decision to make the initial TikTok, and whether she expected the viral response, Stier revealed that she has created the video “so many times over the last few months but never posted it because [she] didn’t want to be judged”. However, Stier was ultimately encouraged to share the video after seeing the number of people on TikTok “struggling with body acceptance and weight loss”. “After seeing so many people on TikTok struggling with body acceptance and weight loss I figured it would be worth sharing!” she explained. In regards to the viral reaction to the video, Stier said she was “most shocked” by the number of people the TikTok resonated with. “What I am most shocked about is how many people are saying ‘YES! ME TOO!’ It’s a conversation that has been needed for a long time and I’m grateful the online community has been so positive in letting me join that conversation,” she said. As for what she hopes viewers take away from the video, Stier said she wants to impart a “sense of community and honesty”. “It’s SCARY to talk about your own body on the internet. We spend so much time being told not to post things that don’t show us in a positive way (Photoshop, bad angles, no makeup etc.) But I want to encourage people to share the good and the uncomfortable,” she said. “Making these conversations more normal is how we stop the negativity that is constantly being thrown at people for the way they look or the number on the scale.” Read More Amy Schumer says she stopped taking Ozempic because of side-effects I tried anti-bloating pills for two weeks, and now I know the gassy truth Influencer calls out advertisements for weight-loss drugs in New York City subway stations: ‘Dystopian’ Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat
2023-06-14 04:59
US: Yes, We're Buying Data on US Citizens, Including Their Embarrassing Secrets
The US has been buying “large” amounts of commercially available data on internet users for
2023-06-14 04:57
Buyer of former Starbucks assets in Russia says he paid about $6 million -TASS
Restaurateur Anton Pinskiy paid around 500 million roubles ($6 million) for assets formerly licensed by Starbucks in Russia,
2023-06-14 04:52
The Best Pre-Prime Day Smartwatch Deals
Smartwatches have grown from a novelty for early adopter cyborgs to a robust and diverse
2023-06-14 03:57
Hoda Kotb, 58, admits she ‘sometimes’ worries if she’ll see her daughters get married
Hoda Kotb has opened up about her fears of ageing and missing out on parenting milestones as she raises her two daughters: Haley Joy, six, and Hope Catherine, four. The 58-year-old NBC anchor discussed her anxieties about getting older during a recent episode of Bethenny Frankel’s Just B podcast. While speaking to the entrepreneur and former Real Housewives of New York City star, Kotb detailed her approach to parenting as an older mother to young girls. “I do have it sometimes,” Kotb said, when asked by Frankel if she has “anxiety” about ageing. “My dad died when he was 54, 55. I always think that the foundation he laid down was good for me. It helped me in my life.” Kotb was a junior in college at Virginia Tech when her late father, Abdel Kotb, died of a heart attack in 1986 at age 51. The Emmy-winning journalist became a first-time mother in 2017 when she adopted her eldest daughter Haley with ex Joel Schiffman. However, Kotb admitted that she “sometimes does the math” when thinking about being present for her daughters getting married or having children of their own. “I look at my mom, who’s 86, and I think to myself, ‘OK, what’s the difference here between me and her? 30 years. OK, that’s kind of good,’” Kotb said. “So I add 30 to Haley and I add 30 to Hope. And I think to myself, won’t that be spectacular? I can do that.” The Today host added, “Wouldn’t that be amazing? Do I get to see them get married? Maybe. That would be really good. Or do I get to see them have a child? Maybe. That would be really good.” While Hoda Kotb admitted that she sometimes has anxiety about watching her daughters grow up, she ultimately decided to not look at the future in a negative way. Rather, she explained how she chooses to focus on how “special” it would be to witness her daughters’ milestones. “I think about it, but I don’t think about it on the end of, ‘Oh, no, I won’t be able to…’ I would be delighted if all those things were possible, and I think that would be special,” she said. Kotb then recalled writing her mother’s age minus her age on the glass in the shower one day. “And I looked at the number and I was like,” she shared, clapping her hands. “What if you get that many years? That’s more than I got with my dad.” Meanwhile, Frankel, 52, opened up about her anxieties of getting older and missing out on moments with her 13-year-old daughter, Bryn. The Skinny Girl founder shared that it’s her daughter who tends to “do the math” on their age gap. “I watch her make the connection and then I watch her get distracted because it’s anxiety for her,” Frankel told Kotb. “We’re very close. It just keeps getting better, it’s so beautiful.” Elsewhere during the podcast, Hoda Kotb detailed the moment she learned she was going to become a mother for the first time. In the episode, the Today star shared the text she received from someone named Ashley at the adoption agency after her daughter Haley was born. The mother of two said that, after she saw the adoption agent’s number displayed on her phone, she took out a yellow pad of paper and wrote the time, 11:55. “This is the moment everything changes,” Kotb recalled thinking. “I knew it.” “And I took a deep breath and dialed the number, and I said, ‘Ashley?’ and she said two words to me. She said, She’s here.’” “I don’t know what birth feels like, and I bet it was amazing, but this was really close,” she added. Hoda Kotb adopted her second child, Hope Catherine, in April 2019. Earlier this year, Hope experienced health complications that caused her to spend time at the hospital. Upon returning to the Today show after a two-week absence, Kotb revealed that her then-three-year-old had been in the hospital’s intensive care unit. “My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week,” Kotb told Today co-host Savannah Guthrie. “I’m so grateful she’s home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy.” The journalist then expressed her gratitude for all those who helped her daughter and provided support for her family during the scary experience. “You know what I realised too, Savannah? It’s like, when your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have for people who helped you out,” she said. “So I’m grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell, who were amazing and the nurses. And I’m grateful for my family and I’m grateful to friends like you who were there every single day. So I want to say thank you for that. I love you.” Read More Hoda Kotb reveals ‘terrible’ letter criticising her for being an older mother Hoda Kotb returns to Today show after three-year-old daughter Hope is discharged from hospital ICU Jenna Bush Hager discusses body image after revealing her grandmother once called her ‘chubby’ Keke Palmer says she faced ‘breast milk discrimination’ at airport Colin McFarlane diagnosed with prostate cancer 7 tips and tricks for hay fever relief
2023-06-14 03:29
The Best Productivity Apps for 2023
Talking about personal productivity has never felt as tasteless as it does now. After many
2023-06-14 03:27
TikToker cooks rack of ribs in hotel bathroom using only items from his room
A TikTok influencer managed to cook a rack of baby back ribs in his hotel bathroom using only items found in his room. User @barfly7777 showed off the ingredients he bought - including char siu rub - before getting to work. He was seen putting the ribs in his makeshift oven - a pillow case - before heating it with a hairdryer. After tying the pillowcase closed, the “chef” suggests roasting the ribs for four hours, before adding honey glaze and cooking for a further three hours. He then shows off the finished meal - complete with corn and a jacket potato - after checking the temperature of the meat. Read More Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat
2023-06-14 03:19