People Share the Absolute Creepiest Things They’ve Seen While Driving at Night

I’ve always been creeped out by scary movies and true crime books and articles that revolve around driving at night in a lonely place.

Maybe it’s on a remote stretch of highway, or maybe it’s an old country road where there isn’t another person around for miles.

Either way, it’s scary stuff and it makes you think about what you’d do if you saw something strange on the road or you encountered a terrifying situation.

And those creepy things really DO happen out there on the highways and byways.

Here are some interesting stories from folks on AskReddit.

1. Road kill.

“A fucking owl standing on the carcass of a large buck in the mountains at 3-5am.

All you see as you approach are two glowing red orbs, then slowly a becomes huge dark form standing on the edge of the road with eyes of fire. Then you get close enough and this massive fucking owl just gives you the death stare as you go past. You realize it was just a large ass owl standing on the remains of fresh road kill.

Freaked me out for the rest of the dark part of the drive.”

2. Bad accident.

“I was following a grey Toyota Tundra in a massive blizzard through Montana on McDonald pass. He was going pretty quick most of the way but must have been unfamiliar with how steep the final few miles are.

He got away from me as I slowed down to about 35. Not 5 min later I passed his tire marks in the fresh snow that went off the side of the mountain. Pulled over and looked down to see his truck upside down and on fire about 300 yards down.

Called 911. He didn’t die but was burnt up pretty bad. Sad and scary and don’t go 50 in the snow just because you have a truck or 4wd!!!”

3. Scooters.

“I had just finished driving for Uber and was driving down the access road to my home around 3am when I saw a body lying completely lifeless next to one of those motorized scooters.

I pulled over and flagged down his buddies who were drunk and kept going without realizing their friend was lying on the ground. Ambulance arrived and took the kid away, but I never came to find out if he made it.

F*ck those scooters man.”

4. Freak out!

“Not me but a friend.

After dropping me off at my house around 2 am, my friend calls me and tells me to pick my doors. He said he saw a man standing in the middle of the road and that as he passed him the man kept staring through him. Not at him really, but like their was something behind him in his back seat. He also said he could barely make out anything about the man other than his large eyes and trench coat.

What really terrified me is that this happened on a street that only my family lives on and no one would have been out that night. Also we’re a solid mile and a half from the nearest neighbor. Freaked me the hell out.”

5. Poor animal.

“A dead, butchered horse laying in the road. Someone had completely skinned and butchered a horse, took the choice pieces of meat, and just dumped it on the highway.

I almost crashed into it.”

6. Don’t pick him up.

“3am on a lonely road and I was the passenger. An old man only wearing a bra, panties and high heals was casually walking down the road.

My friend who was driving didn’t believe me and went back around. Sure enough, he saw him and we were like WTF.”

7. Better safe than sorry.

“I was on I-70 in Colorado going towards Utah, pulled over at a gas station at 8pm. Fueling up I noticed a couple of attractive women pumping gas, on the other side of the pump was the man in his late 40s, just staring at these young women without notice of anything else going on around him.

I walk inside to go grab some food for the next few hours of driving, when I come out I see both the younger women’s car and the older man’s truck are gone. I decided to hang out at the gas station for the next hour to catch a little sleep before hitting the road again.

After driving for a few hours (I was speeding heavy) I pull over at yet another gas station, the young women are there getting gas and eating some food on a picnic table. Looked like they had been there for a while. I didn’t see any sign or the man in the truck but can’t say I was looking very hard for it. Well here is where it got creepy as hell….

Can’t say I didn’t stare at them a bit, I mean they were good looking women. As I am watching them leave I see in the next parking lot over some headlights turn on and it’s the same man as before…. He leaves when the women leave once again.

Okay that’s a bit weird but could just be a coincidence as there weren’t many places to pull over. I leave a few minutes later and catch up to them…now this guy is riding there ass with his high beams on.

I decided to slow down and stay a distance behind the truck. 10 minutes or so later the women pull over once again to most likely get this guy off their ass…

With a sign of relief the truck keeps going and I continue on my way. About 1 mile down the road the guy just pulls off to the side of the highway…. So I pull off a mile or so down the road again.

Sure enough the women drive by and the guy is still following them. At this point we are out in the middle of nowhere and too many coincidences have happened. I called the cops to alert them and about 15 minutes the cops pulled the guy over.

I could have just seen too many horror movies that started like this and over reacted but ya never know. Better safe than sorry.”

8. That’s terrifying.

“Driving down a 2 lane divided highway. I came up to a couple semi sand went into the left lane to pass. I did a shoulder check to get back into the right lane when I saw headlights in front of me.. in my lane. The car was going the wrong way.

I managed to swerve into the ditch, felt like i was mere centimeters from death. Thought my wife’s scream would be the last thing I ever hear… And I never want to hear it again. The semis I passed all pulled to the shoulder to come check on us. Didn’t see the car anywhere.. I think they just kept going.

Had to pull into a gas station after and collect myself.”

9. On a dark road…

“A hitchhiker almost leaping out in front of my car on a dark forest road late at night. The woman literally popped out of nowhere. Had to drift into the oncoming lane. Read a police report that she ended up getting hit  minutes after I drove by. She was intoxicated and running  from the police. Pretty f*cking creepy.

I hope she’s alright. I can’t imagine what the driver that hit her was thinking.”

10. OH MY GOD!

“When I first started learning to drive I was working for my dad, and one day after work he asked if I wanted to drive home, I was like alright! So I got on the highway headed for home, and while driving, I looked in the rearview and a guy on a crotchrocket was coming up behind me, I thought nothing of it I was sure he would pass or slow down.

I look ahead again and a few moments later I hear this sound, like metal scraping against the ground. I look around and then look back into the rear view, and the bike was on its side, spinning down the highway, and behind it I could see the biker on his back, legs and arms flailing kind of like a baby on its back in a crib, then I watched as he dissapeared under the vehicle behind him.

I was so freaked out driving after that I didn’t want to drive for weeks following the incident. Then eventually got over it. Still I can see the guy in my mind just sliding along the ground flailing about then being swallowed under another car.”

11. Scary stuff.

“I was driving on the expressway around 2am and a semi hit a car and it went into the median. The car basically folded into itself and was beyond smashed. I can’t imagine that person survived.

It was incredibly sad and terrifying to see.”

12. About to get jacked.

“I was a very young woman driving home after clubbing, about 2 am through Hollywood. I was pulling up to a stop sign on Cahuenga, about 3 blocks from Hollywood Blvd., when a bunch of guys begin to casually stroll onto the crosswalk, coming from both sides.

I hit the gas and ran the stop sign without even thinking. They cursed and ran after me, but those boys were ready to jack me. My instincts took over before I even realized what was happening.”

13. Close call.

“Driving home one night from my fiancé’s house, normal night on the Florida highway.

It’s pretty dark, not too many lights, cruising at around 75 headed over a slight hill, just big enough that you can’t see the other side.

Get to the top and start making my way down the hill, and very suddenly in my headlight view I get a giant construction vehicle with all of its lights TURNED OFF, AND PARKED IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE HIGHWAY.

I really, seriously, pray to god that no one hit that parked construction vehicle (it was one of the ones that digs up dirt I think?) on the highway that day. I very, VERY narrowly avoided smacking right into the back of that thing.

I don’t know how the Cherokee I was driving at the time handled the sharp turn I made into the right lane to avoid the vehicle. Needless to say I was very nearly dead.

Immediately called Florida highway patrol and told them about it. I hope they got to it before someone got hurt, and I REALLY hope someone at that construction company lost their job. Because they could have killed multiple people.”

14. Funny/scary.

“Scariest and funniest at the same time.

I was working at a restaurant as a cook. We did full menu till 11:00 PM, then apps and burgers till 1:00 AM. I tended to pull the solo night shift, because I would walk out the door at 1:05 AM and the kitchen was stocked, clean, and perfect.

It was a long night. Stupid FoH kept sending back food orders after 1:00 AM, I didn’t leave till 2:00 AM. 30 minute drive home, and I was exceptionally tired.

I lived in the boonies of Wisconsin, at the time. A good 5km outside of town, which was 500 people, 2 churches, and 9 bars. I hit the little 24/7 truckstop just at the edge of that town for some munchies and smokes, and made the final trek home.

Encountering deer was not uncommon out there, so I was going slow. When what appeared before me, to my tired eyes, was a monster.

It had a huge, round body. This crazy long neck, a pointy head, and only 2 legs. Right in the middle of the road. Scared the ever loving fuck out of me in that state.

Thankfully, it stood there for a second. Brain re-engaged. It’s an ostrich. Ok, not a monster, heh, just… an…

What the fuck is an ostrich doing wandering around in Central Wisconsin?!?

I looked at it, it looked at me. I blinked. Nope, still there. Pretty sure it’s real. Finally, it trundled off into the forest.

What.

I grabbed my cellphone, and called the tiny little police station in town (non-emergency number).

“So… I’m really tired, so please laugh at me and tell me to go home and sleep and ignore the call… but I’m pretty sure I just saw an ostrich on Highway xx just outside $town.”

She started laughing hysterically, then assured me that:

No, I’m not hallucinating.

There’s an ostrich and emu farm on the other side of town, guy raises them for the kitch places in town for meat.

Some drunk driver felt that “turns are for pussies”, went up, over the berm, through the fence, and through most of the barn.

There’s still 4 animals, including the one I just spotted, unaccounted for.

Where are you exactly, and which way did it go so we can round it up?

I gave her the info, finished the last few miles home, and died in bed. Wild night, man.”

15. This is crazy and sad.

“Someone I knew locally came across a jeep that had just crashed into the ditch on a highway at night, flipped on it’s top, wheels still turning kind of thing.

He was the first on scene so called 911 and ran down into the ditch. The driver, who was badly mangled, had been tossed from the car and was dying. This guy held him and the driver died in his arms.

The weirdest part of it all was that he found out the next day that it was his cousin, but he hadn’t been able to recognize him.”

Shudder…

Now we want to hear your stories!

In the comments, please tell us about the creepy stuff you’ve seen when you’ve been driving at night.

Thanks in advance!

The post People Share the Absolute Creepiest Things They’ve Seen While Driving at Night appeared first on UberFacts.

People Share the Absolute Creepiest Things They’ve Seen While Driving at Night

I’ve always been creeped out by scary movies and true crime books and articles that revolve around driving at night in a lonely place.

Maybe it’s on a remote stretch of highway, or maybe it’s an old country road where there isn’t another person around for miles.

Either way, it’s scary stuff and it makes you think about what you’d do if you saw something strange on the road or you encountered a terrifying situation.

And those creepy things really DO happen out there on the highways and byways.

Here are some interesting stories from folks on AskReddit.

1. Road kill.

“A fucking owl standing on the carcass of a large buck in the mountains at 3-5am.

All you see as you approach are two glowing red orbs, then slowly a becomes huge dark form standing on the edge of the road with eyes of fire. Then you get close enough and this massive fucking owl just gives you the death stare as you go past. You realize it was just a large ass owl standing on the remains of fresh road kill.

Freaked me out for the rest of the dark part of the drive.”

2. Bad accident.

“I was following a grey Toyota Tundra in a massive blizzard through Montana on McDonald pass. He was going pretty quick most of the way but must have been unfamiliar with how steep the final few miles are.

He got away from me as I slowed down to about 35. Not 5 min later I passed his tire marks in the fresh snow that went off the side of the mountain. Pulled over and looked down to see his truck upside down and on fire about 300 yards down.

Called 911. He didn’t die but was burnt up pretty bad. Sad and scary and don’t go 50 in the snow just because you have a truck or 4wd!!!”

3. Scooters.

“I had just finished driving for Uber and was driving down the access road to my home around 3am when I saw a body lying completely lifeless next to one of those motorized scooters.

I pulled over and flagged down his buddies who were drunk and kept going without realizing their friend was lying on the ground. Ambulance arrived and took the kid away, but I never came to find out if he made it.

F*ck those scooters man.”

4. Freak out!

“Not me but a friend.

After dropping me off at my house around 2 am, my friend calls me and tells me to pick my doors. He said he saw a man standing in the middle of the road and that as he passed him the man kept staring through him. Not at him really, but like their was something behind him in his back seat. He also said he could barely make out anything about the man other than his large eyes and trench coat.

What really terrified me is that this happened on a street that only my family lives on and no one would have been out that night. Also we’re a solid mile and a half from the nearest neighbor. Freaked me the hell out.”

5. Poor animal.

“A dead, butchered horse laying in the road. Someone had completely skinned and butchered a horse, took the choice pieces of meat, and just dumped it on the highway.

I almost crashed into it.”

6. Don’t pick him up.

“3am on a lonely road and I was the passenger. An old man only wearing a bra, panties and high heals was casually walking down the road.

My friend who was driving didn’t believe me and went back around. Sure enough, he saw him and we were like WTF.”

7. Better safe than sorry.

“I was on I-70 in Colorado going towards Utah, pulled over at a gas station at 8pm. Fueling up I noticed a couple of attractive women pumping gas, on the other side of the pump was the man in his late 40s, just staring at these young women without notice of anything else going on around him.

I walk inside to go grab some food for the next few hours of driving, when I come out I see both the younger women’s car and the older man’s truck are gone. I decided to hang out at the gas station for the next hour to catch a little sleep before hitting the road again.

After driving for a few hours (I was speeding heavy) I pull over at yet another gas station, the young women are there getting gas and eating some food on a picnic table. Looked like they had been there for a while. I didn’t see any sign or the man in the truck but can’t say I was looking very hard for it. Well here is where it got creepy as hell….

Can’t say I didn’t stare at them a bit, I mean they were good looking women. As I am watching them leave I see in the next parking lot over some headlights turn on and it’s the same man as before…. He leaves when the women leave once again.

Okay that’s a bit weird but could just be a coincidence as there weren’t many places to pull over. I leave a few minutes later and catch up to them…now this guy is riding there ass with his high beams on.

I decided to slow down and stay a distance behind the truck. 10 minutes or so later the women pull over once again to most likely get this guy off their ass…

With a sign of relief the truck keeps going and I continue on my way. About 1 mile down the road the guy just pulls off to the side of the highway…. So I pull off a mile or so down the road again.

Sure enough the women drive by and the guy is still following them. At this point we are out in the middle of nowhere and too many coincidences have happened. I called the cops to alert them and about 15 minutes the cops pulled the guy over.

I could have just seen too many horror movies that started like this and over reacted but ya never know. Better safe than sorry.”

8. That’s terrifying.

“Driving down a 2 lane divided highway. I came up to a couple semi sand went into the left lane to pass. I did a shoulder check to get back into the right lane when I saw headlights in front of me.. in my lane. The car was going the wrong way.

I managed to swerve into the ditch, felt like i was mere centimeters from death. Thought my wife’s scream would be the last thing I ever hear… And I never want to hear it again. The semis I passed all pulled to the shoulder to come check on us. Didn’t see the car anywhere.. I think they just kept going.

Had to pull into a gas station after and collect myself.”

9. On a dark road…

“A hitchhiker almost leaping out in front of my car on a dark forest road late at night. The woman literally popped out of nowhere. Had to drift into the oncoming lane. Read a police report that she ended up getting hit  minutes after I drove by. She was intoxicated and running  from the police. Pretty f*cking creepy.

I hope she’s alright. I can’t imagine what the driver that hit her was thinking.”

10. OH MY GOD!

“When I first started learning to drive I was working for my dad, and one day after work he asked if I wanted to drive home, I was like alright! So I got on the highway headed for home, and while driving, I looked in the rearview and a guy on a crotchrocket was coming up behind me, I thought nothing of it I was sure he would pass or slow down.

I look ahead again and a few moments later I hear this sound, like metal scraping against the ground. I look around and then look back into the rear view, and the bike was on its side, spinning down the highway, and behind it I could see the biker on his back, legs and arms flailing kind of like a baby on its back in a crib, then I watched as he dissapeared under the vehicle behind him.

I was so freaked out driving after that I didn’t want to drive for weeks following the incident. Then eventually got over it. Still I can see the guy in my mind just sliding along the ground flailing about then being swallowed under another car.”

11. Scary stuff.

“I was driving on the expressway around 2am and a semi hit a car and it went into the median. The car basically folded into itself and was beyond smashed. I can’t imagine that person survived.

It was incredibly sad and terrifying to see.”

12. About to get jacked.

“I was a very young woman driving home after clubbing, about 2 am through Hollywood. I was pulling up to a stop sign on Cahuenga, about 3 blocks from Hollywood Blvd., when a bunch of guys begin to casually stroll onto the crosswalk, coming from both sides.

I hit the gas and ran the stop sign without even thinking. They cursed and ran after me, but those boys were ready to jack me. My instincts took over before I even realized what was happening.”

13. Close call.

“Driving home one night from my fiancé’s house, normal night on the Florida highway.

It’s pretty dark, not too many lights, cruising at around 75 headed over a slight hill, just big enough that you can’t see the other side.

Get to the top and start making my way down the hill, and very suddenly in my headlight view I get a giant construction vehicle with all of its lights TURNED OFF, AND PARKED IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE HIGHWAY.

I really, seriously, pray to god that no one hit that parked construction vehicle (it was one of the ones that digs up dirt I think?) on the highway that day. I very, VERY narrowly avoided smacking right into the back of that thing.

I don’t know how the Cherokee I was driving at the time handled the sharp turn I made into the right lane to avoid the vehicle. Needless to say I was very nearly dead.

Immediately called Florida highway patrol and told them about it. I hope they got to it before someone got hurt, and I REALLY hope someone at that construction company lost their job. Because they could have killed multiple people.”

14. Funny/scary.

“Scariest and funniest at the same time.

I was working at a restaurant as a cook. We did full menu till 11:00 PM, then apps and burgers till 1:00 AM. I tended to pull the solo night shift, because I would walk out the door at 1:05 AM and the kitchen was stocked, clean, and perfect.

It was a long night. Stupid FoH kept sending back food orders after 1:00 AM, I didn’t leave till 2:00 AM. 30 minute drive home, and I was exceptionally tired.

I lived in the boonies of Wisconsin, at the time. A good 5km outside of town, which was 500 people, 2 churches, and 9 bars. I hit the little 24/7 truckstop just at the edge of that town for some munchies and smokes, and made the final trek home.

Encountering deer was not uncommon out there, so I was going slow. When what appeared before me, to my tired eyes, was a monster.

It had a huge, round body. This crazy long neck, a pointy head, and only 2 legs. Right in the middle of the road. Scared the ever loving fuck out of me in that state.

Thankfully, it stood there for a second. Brain re-engaged. It’s an ostrich. Ok, not a monster, heh, just… an…

What the fuck is an ostrich doing wandering around in Central Wisconsin?!?

I looked at it, it looked at me. I blinked. Nope, still there. Pretty sure it’s real. Finally, it trundled off into the forest.

What.

I grabbed my cellphone, and called the tiny little police station in town (non-emergency number).

“So… I’m really tired, so please laugh at me and tell me to go home and sleep and ignore the call… but I’m pretty sure I just saw an ostrich on Highway xx just outside $town.”

She started laughing hysterically, then assured me that:

No, I’m not hallucinating.

There’s an ostrich and emu farm on the other side of town, guy raises them for the kitch places in town for meat.

Some drunk driver felt that “turns are for pussies”, went up, over the berm, through the fence, and through most of the barn.

There’s still 4 animals, including the one I just spotted, unaccounted for.

Where are you exactly, and which way did it go so we can round it up?

I gave her the info, finished the last few miles home, and died in bed. Wild night, man.”

15. This is crazy and sad.

“Someone I knew locally came across a jeep that had just crashed into the ditch on a highway at night, flipped on it’s top, wheels still turning kind of thing.

He was the first on scene so called 911 and ran down into the ditch. The driver, who was badly mangled, had been tossed from the car and was dying. This guy held him and the driver died in his arms.

The weirdest part of it all was that he found out the next day that it was his cousin, but he hadn’t been able to recognize him.”

Shudder…

Now we want to hear your stories!

In the comments, please tell us about the creepy stuff you’ve seen when you’ve been driving at night.

Thanks in advance!

The post People Share the Absolute Creepiest Things They’ve Seen While Driving at Night appeared first on UberFacts.

People Discuss Advice They Disregarded as Useless Until They Actually Gave It a Shot

Imagine that! Actually listening to peoples’ advice and trying it out!

Who would’ve thought?

I have to admit that I’m guilty of letting advice from people go in one ear and out the other sometimes, but I’m working on it, okay? So get off my back!

AskReddit users shared their own stories about advice that they ignored for a long time but were pleasantly surprised to discover actually works.

1. It’ll be fine.

“This too shall pass.

On those days when I just feel like I can’t take it I think of that, and I know tomorrow will be different.

Someone once told me, “tomorrow may not be better, but at least it’ll be different.”

In a strange way that too is comforting.”

2. It worked!

“My therapist told me the next time I’m going to have a panic attack to just give in and tell myself it was ok to have one.

I told him he was crazy. After a couple tries it started working to my amazement. I haven’t had a panic attack in 3 years.”

3. It’s good for you.

“Keeping my shoulders back.

It was a suggestion I saw for preventing panic/anxiety. Idk what it is, but when your shoulders are in that position it gives some strange feeling of control.

I also read somewhere that during panic attacks the body basically wants to curl into fetal position for protection, so I feel like focusing on keeping your arms down and shoulders back is a conscious way to go against that and stay grounded in reality.

Works for me, could work for you too.”

4. A good idea.

“TheForest app.

It grows a tree for up to 2 hours and during that time, you can’t access any apps you think will distract you. If you wanna open a distracting app, you’d have to kill your tree. All your trees, dead or alive, appear in a little forest.

I have always had trouble motivating myself to focus on homework and not look at Reddit/YouTube, but this app is just enough guilt to not open them. I haven’t killed anything yet and I’m surprised at how much I can care about a small virtual tree.

People told me about it and I just completely assumed that I’d never use it or it wouldn’t work for me considering how distractible I am, but it works wonders.”

5. Father knows best.

“My dad always told me ‘Ask anyway, the worst they can say is no’ when buying something or when I needed something from another person.

Seemed stupid to ask if I was sure they would say no but I was also a socially anxious kid. Turns out that advice has helped me with school, with raises, with people in general, with plans with new friends…”

6. Listen up.

“”There’s what you need, there’s what you want, and there’s what you can’t afford.”

My Dad says this all the time, and I never though of it as useless–I just never used it. Now I have, and my money is far easier to manage.”

7. I’m gonna try this!

“Putting cold water on freshly shaved skin will make it so you don’t get ingrown hairs.

Some of the best advice I’ve ever received.”

8. Just get started.

“Once begun is half done.

I am a terrible procrastinator by nature. I have totally done the “well now it 5:02 so I have to wait until 6:00 to start cleaning” and I like making things seem like so much work that I can’t possibly do them unless I take time off of work.

In reality if you just start a project without thinking about it you can get everything done in like fifteen minutes  a day and it’s never really that bad.”

9. Get flossing!

“”Your gums bleed when you floss because you don’t floss enough”

Turns out if you floss enough, your gums won’t be inflamed so they don’t bleed when you floss.”

10. Stop “what if’ing.”

“Don’t suffer future pain.

In other words, worrying about all the stuff that could happen stops you from doing things and worse, turns potential pain into actual worry and mental pain.”

11. Works wonders.

“Exercising helping with depression and anxiety.

It’s not a cure all and I needed to be on meds to get to the point where I could do it, but it really does help me. I’ve been off my meds now for over a year (under doctors supervision don’t stop taking your meds unless you run it by your doctor) and when I can’t exercise for a few days, I can feel the depression and anxiety coming back.

Now instead of going through a million things I did wrong in my head, I run for 3 miles or lift some heavy shit.”

12. Always!

“Cleaning your house before leaving for more than 5 days.

Nothing is better than coming to a clean house.”

13. Lo and behold…

“Fans on my old MacBook died. Saw a YouTube video that said to simply take your fist and bang on the part of the computer that housed the fans.

Thinking it was a troll, I gave it a shot out of pure frustration, and lo and behold, they purred back to life and I never had another issue with them for the rest of the time that I owned that computer.”

14. Relieve that tension.

“Unclench your jaw, open your hands, drop your shoulders, and breathe in.”

15. Bribe yourself.

“Bribe yourself with fun things to do the not so fun things.

Today I was tired after work but got a little care package in the mail, so I made myself go on the 2.5 mile run I didn’t want to do before I could open the package.

Now I’m refreshed and happy that I did the thing I was pseudo dreading, and I have a fun care package to open.”

16. Put that thing away for a while.

“Not taking your cellphone into bed with you.

After awhile you will sleep much easier without the distraction and blue light shining straight into your eyes before bed.”

Now it’s your turn.

In the comments, tell us about some advice that turned out to be good once you actually followed it.

Please and thank you!

The post People Discuss Advice They Disregarded as Useless Until They Actually Gave It a Shot appeared first on UberFacts.

This is How Palm Oil Damages the Environment and Why You Should Care

It can be tiring to learn about everything we do and use on a daily basis that harms the environment. It’s a lot – sometimes it can seem like there’s nothing we can keep if we want to be responsible global citizens.

There are plenty of alternatives, though, and some problems are too big to ignore, and there are a few arguments that palm oil is one of them.

There are all kinds of vegetable oils available at the store – olive (which I guess is actually a fruit), vegetable oil, canola oil, palm oil – as well as oils from seeds.

Palm oil isn’t as popular as a cooking oil as the others, but with its high saturated fat content, and it’s complete lack of trans fats, make it popular with food manufacturers, according to a Guardian report.

“In the 1960s, scientists began to warn that butter’s high saturated fat content may increase the risk of heart disease. Food manufacturers, including the British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever, began to replace it with margarine, made with vegetable oils low in saturated fat.”

Oil palm trees are prevalent in Southeast Asia, where they were transplanted from their native West Africa in the mid-19th century.

Now, the region exports over 75% of the world’s palm oil, which is used in thousands of packaged foods and by big-name brands like Luna, Pepperidge Farm, Little Debbie, McDonald’s, and Quaker. Two-thirds of all palm oil goes into food.

Manufacturers like it because it gives foods like chocolate, cookies, and ice cream a smooth, creamy texture – there’s a good chance it’s also lurking in your sliced bread.

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Artificial beauty ?✨ . Palm forests held the most symmetric layout I’ve ever seen in nature, except, it wasn’t natural. These vast acres were created by cutting down the forest to create palm oil farms. There’s nothing natural about what we saw, rather, just another example of exploiting the environment and developing countries. Best way to help stop these farms from continual expansion? Be a conscious consumer and reduce your palm oil use. . Survive and Thrive my Friends ?? . . . #keepitwild #seekthetrails #wanderlust #adventureculture #passionpassport #artofvisuals #lensbible #uniladadventure #wildernessnation #roadtrip #earthofficial #moodygrams #beautifuldestinations #earthfocus #costarica #instagood10k #palmoilfree #roadtriplife #agameof10k #natgeoyourshot #thisweekoninstagram #earthoutdoors #earthoutdoors10k #yourshotphotographer #ontheroadagain #whplookup #main_vision #palmoil #depthobsessed @sonyalpha @stayandwander @artofvisuals

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You’ll also find it in soaps and lipsticks, says The Guardian.

“Unlike other oils, it can be easily  and inexpensively ‘fractionated’ – separated into oils of different consistencies – which disposes it to multiple uses.”

The fact that it holds color, it doesn’t melt at high temperatures, and is completely tasteless doesn’t hurt, either.

It’s easy to see why businesses and consumers love palm oil, but according to the World Wildlife Fund, there are far more reasons to cut way back on its production and use.

“Palm oil grows in tropical rainforests, and the uncontrolled clearing of these forests for conventional palm oil plantations has led to widespread loss of these irreplaceable and biodiverse-rich forests.”

Between the years of 1990 and 2008, palm oil production was responsible for 8% of the world’s deforestation.

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HOW YOU CAN AID WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FROM YOUR HOME: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ♥ Be conscious of what you buy! This applies to food, fashion, beauty, physical products and more. Are they contributing to deforestation, death, pollution etc? (Make sure you think about Indigenous communities and local people too) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Avoid unsustainable Palm Oil (I have an entire blog post on this – link in my bio)! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Plant native flowers, trees and shrubbery in your backyard to help wildlife and bees thrive! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On hot days, put out a shallow water dish (in a safe place) for thirsty wildlife to access. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Be cautious of what you feed birdlife — human foods can harm their stomachs and encourage bad behavior. Avoid it all together if not necessary, and DO NOT feed other animals either! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Donate to genuine organizations and programs that are working to save lives, protect endangered species and aid in intersectional conservation (if you have the ability to). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ♻ Pick up trash! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⌨ Email companies and encourage them to reconsider any harmful practices. Sign petitions, contact government officials and get loud for our furry, feathered, scaly friends who don’t share our voice. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Keep a contact list of local wildlife rescuers/carers so that you can quickly contact them if you see an animal in need. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Educate yourself on any issues surrounding your local wildlife and how you might be able to help. Knowledge is power! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There are so many more, but this is already super long. Maybe a blog post is in order… ???????

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Palm oil plantations also steal habitat from many endangered species, like Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinos, and orangutans. The tigers, in particular, have dwindled to just 400 animals in the wild.

In 2003, the World Wildlife fund established a group called the “Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil” with the goal of encouraging the industry to work together to find ways to stop the production from damaging important ecosystems. The European Union joined the fight in 2013, changing their labeling laws so that concerned consumers can easily choose products that don’t contain palm oil.

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How to identify palm oil in the products you buy? . Palm oil can be found in nearly 50% of the packaged goods we eat from cookies, peanut butter, breakfast cereal to cleaning products, laundry detergent, lipstick, and body lotion. . However, you won't always find the words "palm oil" in the ingredients. Palm oil or its derivatives can be hidden under many different terms. . To make things even more confusing, ingredients like “vegetable oil,” are likely to contain palm oil, although it's not always the case. . Why is it important to avoid palm oil? . Palm oil is NOT bad in itself, but because it is used in so many products, the demand is huge and it drives deforestation because huge areas of tropical forests and other ecosystems are being stripped to plant palms. . Avoid products with palm oil. There are plenty of other options, or look for sustainably grown palm oil through labels like RSPO. . For more ideas on how to be more eco-friendly, visit our profile and find hundreds of easy eco tips?? . . . #easyecotips #recycled #tips #ecofriendly #ecotips #greentips #ecology #savetheplanet #zerowaste #zerowasteliving #zerowastelifestyle #zerowastelife #greenliving #sustainableliving #climatechange #globalwarming #reuse #reducereuserecycle #zerowastetips #savetheplanet #savethebees #savetheearth #ecofriendlyproducts #ecofriendlyliving #environment #environmentallyfriendly #food #palmoilfree #palmoil #foodporn #deforestation

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If you’re moved to do the same, there are consumer sites like Products Without Palm Oil that can help you make good choices on the products you buy, from food and coffee to personal are items. There are plenty of companies who make delicious products without using palm oil, thank goodness, and I was personally most relieved to see Ben & Jerry’s on that list.

A world without Half Baked is not a world I want to see, although I suppose I could have done it for the tigers.

Carole Baskin would be so proud.

The post This is How Palm Oil Damages the Environment and Why You Should Care appeared first on UberFacts.

This is How a Lack of Alone Time Affects Mom’s Mental Health

If you’re a mother and you have young kiddos, or you remember what it’s like to have young kids, then there’s a good chance you already know what science and therapists are about to confirm – that burnout is real, and the toll that never having any time to yourself takes a mental toll that can grow into real trouble.

Kids need us. The smaller they are, the more they need us.

Image Credit: Pexels

Partners need us, too, and so do bosses and our parents and siblings and churches and friends…it honestly never ends, so unless you’re able to establish some firm boundaries and stick to them, there’s a good chance you’ve had a complete meltdown at least once since having a baby.

Licensed therapist Emma Bennett basically confirms what we all instinctively know when she says “I consider alone time a necessity, not an indulgence,” and maintains that mothers who don’t get enough can and do experience burnout, resentment, overwhelm, anger, and a loss of sense of self.

If you think you can manage those things, though, psychotherapist Eric Djossa says you could be taking a big risk.

“Lack of emotional or physical support can put mms at higher risk of developing a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder and lack of support/understanding can exacerbate these symptoms.”

At least one study has pointed to a lack of friend and family support as a risk factor for developing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders as well.

Image Credit: Pexels

This surprised even me – a 2018 survey of 2000 parents found that we only have an average of 32 minutes a day of “alone time.”

No wonder aw all need more!

Djossa says we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it, and we shouldn’t feel guilty taking it, either.

“When moms are communicating they want time alone it usually means they want a break. I think that moms don’t get time alone when these connections and supports are lacking. They may feel both isolated and burnt out all at the same time. A remedy to this is ramping up supports and connections in order to have the ability to take a break. They need help. They are tired of being touched by tiny hands. They need a breather. But I think that this breather looks different for different moms.”

Watch a television show alone, read your book, talk to your partner, see a friend for coffee, take a bath – whatever it is for you, make sure you fit it into your daily schedule – but it should be something that nourishes and replenishes you to dig back in.

Moms, especially first time moms, can also be wary of leaving their babies with other people, but that’s something we can learn to let go of (to some degree) in time. It’s important to remember, Bennett says, that it can even be a positive thing for our kiddos, too.

Image Credit: Pexels

“Giving our children the opportunity to build other loving attachments to additional caregivers can be a good experience for children. It is OK to accept those feelings of nervousness and also try to work with them so you can have some separation.”

So, ladies, insist on some time for yourself. Even if it’s only a couple more hours a week, it’s better than nothing.

And, speaking from experience, absence really does make the heart grow fonder – and it also refills those wells of patience, too.

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A Black Officer Shared his Personal Account of How He Walks the Line Between Black and Blue Every Day

In America, it seems as if we are, many times, asked to choose a side. Even if there shouldn’t be a side, like when it comes to wearing a mask during a public health crisis, and even when it seems like there’s only one right side, when it comes to holding police accountable when they wrongly take someone’s life while on duty.

But what of the people who are asked, every day, to straddle one of those lines?

Sadaka Kedar of Albany, New York, begins his essay with these words:

“I am a black man.

I am a police officer.

But I am not Derek Chauvin.

And I am not George Floyd.

I am ME.

Photo Credit: Facebook

In the world today, there doesn’t get more “right on the line” than being black, and being a police officer. It’s got to be complicated to be out there, policing marches and riots when you might agree that both are necessary.

Kedar talks about all of the good he believes he does as a police officer, and how people judge him by his uniform.

I am compassionate and I am caring, and I will always have a very big heart….so why do you hate me?

I’ve given the socks off my feet to a homeless drunk who had no shoes.

I’ve prevented a woman from going to jail for stealing laundry detergent by paying the store for it so they wouldn’t prosecute after I her next door at a laundromat washing her children’s clothes; she was desperate and had no money.

The other day, an elderly man’s car broke down on the side of a busy road and he had no phone, so I drove him to the gas station up the block and paid for his gas.

I’m a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a friend….so why do you want to hurt or kill me?

Photo Credit: Facebook

Then, he talks about how he wears his Blackness even inside his blue uniform, and how people want to judge him for that, too.

I’ve stepped in and arrested the man that assaulted your grandmother. He knocked her down and snatched her purse and we chased him down and took him to jail.

A lady called 911 in a panic and told the dispatchers her 4-month-old baby wasn’t breathing. We got there before the paramedics and started compressions. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, that baby is now a happy, bright kindergartener.

A crazed man began opening fire on a large crowd. In the mass hysteria of people running away, we ran towards the gunfire to stop it.

I speak slang. Instead of hello I say, ‘Whats good yo?’ Some say I have an inner city accent, and I may not spell everything correctly or use perfect grammar…but why do you undermine me and assume I’m not smart and ignorant?

I have a high school and a college degree. I love to read books and I constantly do research to learn new skills. I graduated head of my police academy class and went on to become a course instructor for the department.

Photo Credit: Facebook

He wishes that people didn’t see one thing and assume many other things. That he could be Black and compassionate, a police officer and care for his community.

He believes he walks the walk.

I have spoken at public forums, community meetings, and in news interviews, all very well articulated, clear, and concise. I’ve put together evidence, facts and leads and helped solve and close cases. I AM BLACK AND I AM INTELLIGENT.

I listen to rap music, wear baggie jeans, and backwards fitted hats off duty. I have tattoos all across my body. But why do you profile and stereotype me?

On Thanksgiving I volunteer with Equinox, handing out dinners to families in need.

Around Christmas, I buy hats, gloves, and meal cards with my own money and hand them out. I also prepare hot meals and distribute them down by the City Mission and at a Senior Public Housing Building.

I volunteer my own time as a youth mentor. I love to visit schools and talk to the kids. I walk up and down these neighborhoods. I live in my community. I CARE ABOUT MY COMMUNITY.

He ends his essay much as he began, rejecting the idea that there are more bad guys than good, no matter their color, no matter their uniform.

Photo Credit: Facebook

I am ME.

I am not like Derek Chauvin.

I WILL NEVER treat you like George Floyd.

And there are many many more just like ME.”

The point being, I think, that we should strive, no matter what, to see people as individuals.

To care less about sides and more about people.

And I think that’s a message we could all get behind, don’t you?

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A Sweet Little Girl Taught Her Cats How to Draw Flowers and It’s Adorable

We all love a good cat video, and mix that with a cute little girl? You’ve got internet gold that won’t be slowing down, traction-wise, for awhile.

And honestly, y’all…I think this girl is a witch or something, because who can get cats to comply in this manner without drugging them? If you can even drug a cat, which mostly you can’t because they will not take their medicine?

Also, as the mother of two toddlers, I just want to know how she got these cats to sit still at a table for that long.

She’s teaching the cats to draw a flower.

Little girl teaching her cats how to draw a flower from aww

The cats are sitting upright, in their chairs, papers and drawing implements at the ready, and appear to be listening intently to the entire lesson.

You. Guys.

Some of the comments are as cute as the video, like this one that gives hilarious voice to the cats.

Image Credit: Reddit

And this one, that pointed out we never get to see the cats draw the flowers! Talk about a cliffhanger!

Image Credit: Reddit

This person echoed my sentiment (at least I know I’m not alone!).

Image Credit: Reddit

You know they will, too. Not a doubt in the mind of a cat-lover anywhere.

Image Credit: Reddit

I mean, it’s definitely both.

Image Credit: Reddit

Have you ever seen cats sit and listen like this? Is she a cat whisperer? If I didn’t see them move and their ears change directions here and there, I’d think they were stuffed!

I don’t know if she can teach them how to draw flowers, but this little chickadee definitely has some kind of future working with animals.

If she can get cats to do this, she can literally do anything.

 

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10 Times That Text Messages Went Hilariously Wrong

There’s a subreddit you should absolutely not visit unless you want to cringe yourself into such a condensed state that you actually become a black hole and devour the entire solar system. But you should really check it out…

It’s called r/sadcringe and it is what it sounds like; user submitted cringe content that is sad. That said, it’s also frequently really funny, as evidenced by some of the better text exchanges that get regularly get added to the gallery of failure.

Check out these 10 examples of conversations that that did NOT go well.

10. Ready, aim, fired

This is the most compelling short story of a generation.

Yea just got fired no big deal. Wanna hangout though from sadcringe

9. *sweats A LOT*

Anime is not real life, my guy.

*cringe nervously* from sadcringe

8. What a twist!

Your deductive powers know no bounds.

Damn feels bad. from sadcringe

7. For not your eyes only

…what exactly are you trying to pull off here and how did you fail at it so hard?

Yikes from sadcringe

6. Glub glub

Come on friend, there are other fish in the sea.

Smooth Operator from sadcringe

5. Stonks are down

These are the wonders modern technology has brought us.

Found on reddit. Thought it belonged here from sadcringe

4. Hell-no

Even if I wanted to talk to this person I wouldn’t because this is too entertaining.

Persistence is the key to success from sadcringe

3. Man hunt

I’m not sure this is the most efficient way to go about that.

F from sadcringe

2. Night of the living dead

Yeah generally texting random numbers isn’t cute.

Oops from sadcringe

1. Trust issues

I feel like I know what’s going to be the first topic of discussion at that session.

Oh boy from sadcringe

Looking at how terrible all those conversations went makes me feel slightly better about the fact that I work from home and don’t talk to people enough. Obviously, talking to people is dangerous. That’s the lesson here, for sure.

What’s the worst text exchange you’ve ever had?

Make us cringe in the comments.

The post 10 Times That Text Messages Went Hilariously Wrong appeared first on UberFacts.

Check out This Facebook Group Where Millennials Pretend to Be Boomers

A lot of hay has been made about the “war” between Millennials and Boomers. But in the end, it’s really all about the memes. At least that seems to be the philosophy of a private group on Facebook called a group where we all pretend to be boomers.

It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like, and it’s rapidly gaining popularity, with nearly 15k members at the time of writing and likely far more by the time you see this. The bit is simple: a bunch of people young to youngish people do an impression of the online habits and styles of their older counterparts. That’s it. That’s all. And it’s kind of hilarious.

A thread on this latest lob in the generational war picked up a lot of attention when Twitter user @manhattanna posted a series of screenshots from within the group alongside commentary explaining that she might actually die from laughter.

Here are some examples of the kinds of things she unearthed. (All screenshots are from @manhattanna’s thread here and were presumably taken within the Facebook group. Names and faces have been removed to protect the innocent.)

10. Dinner With Tom

The vicious face at the end of the comment thread is what kills me here.

9. A Trip to the Mall

I know it’s a joke but I genuinely feel sorry for the pretend person that posted this.

8. Off Color

WHY oh WHY do Boomers love minions so damn much?

7. Twinkie Time

The classic “Boomer shares a dirty meme without realizing it” bit.

6. Red Lobster Dates

So many of these are about death and loss and I shouldn’t be laughing but dammit I kinda am.

5. Engojis

LOL

4. Ant Man Returns

The way this person never uses a period correctly is just masterful.

3. Custody Battle

This was one of a series of “really tragic post on inappropriately lighthearted background.”

2. Ghost Phone

I have seen legitimate listings like this I swear to God.

1. My Dinner with Bob

Just type that text into whatever box, I’m sure it’ll get where it’s going.

If I’m being honest this sort of stuff fills me with a mix of unbridled joy and deep guilt. I know full well that, if I’m lucky to live long enough, I will eventually be totally baffled by whatever new thing society throws at me. And when that day comes, a group of kids will get together and make memes about it which I will also not understand. And then I’ll just get in my rocket powered recliner and go to my moon retirement estate, I don’t need this mess.

Which of the posts is your favorite?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Check out This Facebook Group Where Millennials Pretend to Be Boomers appeared first on UberFacts.

Can You Find the Cat in These Five Images?

Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that there’s a fun game you can play at home – and it’s called “find the cat.”

Even if your cat is in the same room as you, even if you technically know whereabouts they leapt and settled, there’s a good chance it could take you a good five minutes to actually spot your feline friend.

I don’t think the cats know we’re playing, but that’s okay. When you own a cat, you have to get your kicks and giggles where you can, because they make up for that morning you woke up and immediately stepped in cat barf in your bare feet.

Here are five cats who probably aren’t hiding…but I’m betting it’s going to take you more than a couple of minutes to find them, anyway.

#5. So, I know there’s a mirror…

But I’m still not really sure how many cats/kittens there are.

#4. This one seems easy…

But in my experience, if there’s more than one cat, there’s usually more than two, as well.

#3. Show this to your kids and brew a cup of coffee.

You’ll have time to drink it while it’s still hot, even.

#2. Find the cat, Christmas Edition!

These people are brave, decorating that pretty tree with a cat in the house,

#1. One messy closet, one cat.

Have they become one? You decide!

I’m not going to lie to y’all…I’m still looking for the cat in that entertainment center/bookcase area.

…okay, I cheated. In case you need to cheat, too, it’s behind the television.

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