LGBTQ Representation In Movies Hits 3-Year Low, GLAAD Finds

This handheld fan kept me from fainting at a concert on one of the hottest days of the year — and it's currently 28% off

Tom's Guide

44 minutes ago

Tom's Guide

This handheld fan kept me from fainting at a concert on one of the hottest days of the year — and it's currently 28% off

No one likes a heatwave. I enjoy the sun being out, sure, but I hate it when temperatures reach 30°C / 86°F. It's uncomfortable, and I'm usually sweating buckets at that point. Look, I grew up in India, so I'm used to temperatures reaching 43°C / 109°F, but the heat in the U.K. hits different. Our apartments are designed to trap heat, which is great in the winter but downright awful in the summer. So yes, despite my Indian blood, I do not cope well in the British summer, both indoors and outdoors. However, the thing is, I love attending concerts, and most of them take place outdoors. And when you're amongst thousands of other concert-goers, the heat feels even worse. I had to come up with a solution before I went to see Linkin Park play a sold-out Wembley (I'm aware I have elite music taste), so I bought myself a handheld fan... and it's currently 28% off at Amazon! The Timorn portable handheld fan features up to 100 speeds for various situations, and it's compact enough to slip into your pocket or bag. It's also extremely easy to use with just two buttons! If you're based in the U.S. and aren't looking forward to another week of scorching heat, I'd grab the Timorn 100 Speed Hand Held Mini Fan now, as it's down to just $17 from its retail price of $24. In the U.K., you can grab a handheld fan for the low, low retail price of £16 at Amazon. At its highest speed (100), Timorn's offering is powerful, delivering a maximum wind speed of up to 7m/s. It isn't very loud either, so you can enjoy a meal or still listen to an artist perform their greatest hits without being disturbed. It's also rechargeable, with a single charge lasting up to 10 hours, and if you want more, I'd recommend carrying one of the best power banks for on-the-fly charging. The Jsdoin USB Rechargeable Fan with 5 Speeds is fantastic, and it's powerful enough that when you hold it to your face, the sweat evaporates and you feel refreshed. It can also be angled on a desk for when you're eating food at a table, for example. The Jsdoin 5-speed handheld fan for my British comrades is just as good, if not better. It lasted me the entirety of a four-hour-long concert, an hour-long commute on the subway, and three hours spent eating and drinking too. I then put the fan on charge for two hours and et voilà! I had a full battery ready for the next day. The fan is also extremely comfortable to hold with one hand, as it weighs next to nothing. If you want to get through this heatwave with a bit of style and lots of cooling, I can't think of a better recommendation than a handheld fan — and you can grab one for just $17 / £16 at Amazon. It kept me from fainting (apt, since it was a Linkin Park concert), and it might save you, too!

Chicago Tribune

2 hours ago

Chicago Tribune

Daywatch: A more defensive Pride

Good morning, Chicago. Christopher Colwell of Valparaiso, Indiana, teared up a bit as his grandmother sang with her church choir during Northwest Indiana Pridefest earlier this month, calling the moment a haven of acceptance in a state and nation that's become increasingly hostile to queer men like him. The grandson and grandma briefly embraced after her performance on a stage adorned with rainbow-colored balloons and a giant Pride flag. 'I can't stand the current climate in this state. It don't represent its people anymore,' said Colwell, 25, at the June 8 event at Riverview Park in Lake Station. 'I have a really poor outlook on the country as a whole.' While Pride events in the past were largely celebrations of the rights the LGBTQ community has secured — as well as promotions for greater representation and acceptance — many activists say the focus this year has been on girding protections and freedoms that are being actively rolled back on the federal level as well as in many Republican-led states such as Indiana. Read the full story from the Tribune's Angie Leventis Lourgos. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including CPS eliminating more than 200 positions, violent crime dropping to levels not seen in a decade in Chicago and which restaurant Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu says is one of the best in the city right now. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Dozens of Bikes and Mics motorcyclists revved their engines, leaning forward on their handlebars as the crowd cheered. After a final countdown from parade organizers, they rolled down North Halsted Street, heralding Chicago's 54th annual Pride Parade forward. This year's theme was 'United in Pride,' as the Pride Chicago organization emphasizes community solidarity in an uncertain political time for the LGBTQ+ population in America and celebrates 10 years of legalized same-sex marriage. Across Illinois, millions of people are anxiously awaiting the next move on a bill that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid across the country. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' would slash the program, which provides health care coverage to people with low incomes, in order to help pay for tax cuts and border and national security. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans say the bill would cut waste, fraud and abuse from Medicaid, providing coverage only to those who truly need it. In a cost-cutting move to plug a $734 million shortfall, Chicago Public Schools officials on Friday said they laid off dozens of workers in the district's central office and citywide staff. In all, CPS laid off 161 employees, according to district officials. Throughout 2019, Chicago police officers made nearly 80,000 arrests before scaling them back significantly during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the following spring. Now five years later, that drop appears not to be just a COVID-era blip: In recent years, arrests have rebounded slightly, but annually police still are recording tens of thousands of fewer arrests than they did in 2019. Major cities across the country, including New York and Los Angeles, have seen significant dips in violent crime since the unrest of 2020, when protests, riots and looting followed the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis and the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold. Now Chicago finds itself firmly in that group. A $24 million lead paint lawsuit payout. Dissatisfied residents. Staff members who have seen the vast majority of executive leaders turn over in the last 10 months. The Trump administration's priorities to slash the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's programs and staff. These are just some of the issues the next CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, the third largest public housing authority in the country, will face coming into the role. Record high nighttime temperatures, a dangerously high heat index and intense humidity swept through Chicago from June 21 to 23, marking the city's first major heat wave of the summer. Ahead of the heat wave, Mayor Brandon Johnson told residents at a June 20 news conference that the city was 'prepared to demonstrate the full force of government' by offering city-run cooling centers. The city's website promotes 288 cooling center locations across the city, which are intended to 'offer residents air-conditioned refuge' during extreme heat advisories. Of those, 110 are outdoor 'splash pads' — water features operated by the Chicago Park District that don't offer any indoor cooling space. In addition, only two-thirds of the indoor cooling centers were open at least part of the day every day during the three-day heat wave. It was a hot start to summer in Chicago for our legacy sports teams, writes Paul Sullivan. Up was down, down was up and our downtown streets buckled just in time for the Chicago Street Race. A unique comedy game show is coming to Chicago, and while anyone can watch, the show's contestants share one commonality: Divorce. 'The Big D' (you can guess what the 'D' stands for here) is a matchmaking show that allows divorced singles in the 40-60 age range to meet people in the real world and, hopefully, spark a connection. While the Italian American restaurant Void does whimsy well, most evident with its Spaghetti Uh-O's and No-Lört, it's become one of the best restaurants in Chicago right now, writes Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu. The Route 66 road trip ended at the beginning, at East Jackson Boulevard and South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, where a brown sign hanging 12 feet high on a light post tells people they've reached the venerable road's threshold. While the route often conjures images of quaint small towns, its foundation, said historian and author Jim Hinckley, has always been rooted in Chicago. The existing roads and trails that would eventually become Route 66 nearly 100 years ago largely followed the railroad, with Chicago as its hub. Read the series:

Chicago Tribune

2 hours ago

Chicago Tribune

Daywatch: Pride under attack

Good morning, Chicago. Christopher Colwell of Valparaiso, Indiana, teared up a bit as his grandmother sang with her church choir during Northwest Indiana Pridefest earlier this month, calling the moment a haven of acceptance in a state and nation that's become increasingly hostile to queer men like him. The grandson and grandma briefly embraced after her performance on a stage adorned with rainbow-colored balloons and a giant Pride flag. 'I can't stand the current climate in this state. It don't represent its people anymore,' said Colwell, 25, at the June 8 event at Riverview Park in Lake Station. 'I have a really poor outlook on the country as a whole.' While Pride events in the past were largely celebrations of the rights the LGBTQ community has secured — as well as promotions for greater representation and acceptance — many activists say the focus this year has been on girding protections and freedoms that are being actively rolled back on the federal level as well as in many Republican-led states such as Indiana. Read the full story from the Tribune's Angie Leventis Lourgos. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including CPS eliminating more than 200 positions, violent crime dropping to levels not seen in a decade in Chicago and which restaurant Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu says is one of the best in the city right now. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Dozens of Bikes and Mics motorcyclists revved their engines, leaning forward on their handlebars as the crowd cheered. After a final countdown from parade organizers, they rolled down North Halsted Street, heralding Chicago's 54th annual Pride Parade forward. This year's theme was 'United in Pride,' as the Pride Chicago organization emphasizes community solidarity in an uncertain political time for the LGBTQ+ population in America and celebrates 10 years of legalized same-sex marriage. Across Illinois, millions of people are anxiously awaiting the next move on a bill that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid across the country. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' would slash the program, which provides health care coverage to people with low incomes, in order to help pay for tax cuts and border and national security. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans say the bill would cut waste, fraud and abuse from Medicaid, providing coverage only to those who truly need it. In a cost-cutting move to plug a $734 million shortfall, Chicago Public Schools officials on Friday said they laid off dozens of workers in the district's central office and citywide staff. In all, CPS laid off 161 employees, according to district officials. Throughout 2019, Chicago police officers made nearly 80,000 arrests before scaling them back significantly during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the following spring. Now five years later, that drop appears not to be just a COVID-era blip: In recent years, arrests have rebounded slightly, but annually police still are recording tens of thousands of fewer arrests than they did in 2019. Major cities across the country, including New York and Los Angeles, have seen significant dips in violent crime since the unrest of 2020, when protests, riots and looting followed the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis and the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold. Now Chicago finds itself firmly in that group. A $24 million lead paint lawsuit payout. Dissatisfied residents. Staff members who have seen the vast majority of executive leaders turn over in the last 10 months. The Trump administration's priorities to slash the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's programs and staff. These are just some of the issues the next CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, the third largest public housing authority in the country, will face coming into the role. Record high nighttime temperatures, a dangerously high heat index and intense humidity swept through Chicago from June 21 to 23, marking the city's first major heat wave of the summer. Ahead of the heat wave, Mayor Brandon Johnson told residents at a June 20 news conference that the city was 'prepared to demonstrate the full force of government' by offering city-run cooling centers. The city's website promotes 288 cooling center locations across the city, which are intended to 'offer residents air-conditioned refuge' during extreme heat advisories. Of those, 110 are outdoor 'splash pads' — water features operated by the Chicago Park District that don't offer any indoor cooling space. In addition, only two-thirds of the indoor cooling centers were open at least part of the day every day during the three-day heat wave. It was a hot start to summer in Chicago for our legacy sports teams, writes Paul Sullivan. Up was down, down was up and our downtown streets buckled just in time for the Chicago Street Race. A unique comedy game show is coming to Chicago, and while anyone can watch, the show's contestants share one commonality: Divorce. 'The Big D' (you can guess what the 'D' stands for here) is a matchmaking show that allows divorced singles in the 40-60 age range to meet people in the real world and, hopefully, spark a connection. While the Italian American restaurant Void does whimsy well, most evident with its Spaghetti Uh-O's and No-Lört, it's become one of the best restaurants in Chicago right now, writes Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu. The Route 66 road trip ended at the beginning, at East Jackson Boulevard and South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, where a brown sign hanging 12 feet high on a light post tells people they've reached the venerable road's threshold. While the route often conjures images of quaint small towns, its foundation, said historian and author Jim Hinckley, has always been rooted in Chicago. The existing roads and trails that would eventually become Route 66 nearly 100 years ago largely followed the railroad, with Chicago as its hub. Read the series:

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This handheld fan kept me from fainting at a concert on one of the hottest days of the year — and it's currently 28% off

Daywatch: A more defensive Pride

Daywatch: Pride under attack

LGBTQ Representation In Movies Hits 3-Year Low, GLAAD Finds

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This handheld fan kept me from fainting at a concert on one of the hottest days of the year — and it's currently 28% off

Daywatch: A more defensive Pride

Daywatch: Pride under attack

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