Author: Archit Tripathi

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When Facebook and Instagram Went Down, Twitter Naturally Had Jokes About It

As just about EVERYONE is aware, we had a Facebook and Instagram blackout recently. Both networks were down for an entire day!

So, how did people deal with it? By going on Twitter to joke about it, of course!

Isn’t social media wonderful?!?!?

Here are some of the best tweets from that infamous and tragic day…

1. A team effort?

2. Oh hi, Mark

3. That is an evil laugh

4. It’s happening!

5. I’ll be here now

6. Tantrums everywhere

7. Just keep hitting refresh

8. That’s not cool, Cardi B

9. The world is on fire

10. She’s not doing well with this

11. That’s what it’s for

12. Gotta love Tommy Wiseau

13. It’s getting ugly

14. Pure hatred

15. This is crucial

How did you deal with this humanitarian crisis?

Stay strong everyone! We’ll get through the next blackout, too!

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Sorry, Parents: Your Sleep-Deprivation is Here to Stay At Least Until Your Youngest Hits Kindergarten

Everyone knows that part of being a parent is not getting nearly enough sleep. When you bring a baby into your home you can kiss your regular 8 hours of beauty rest a night goodbye.

While some may think they’ll catch up on sleep eventually like once the baby starts sleeping all night, the science is in and…that’s just not true.

In fact, the science says it will take six whole years before parents get a decent night’s sleep after having a baby.

Image Credit: Pixabay

It seems hard to believe – sure, night feedings end fairly quickly (in retrospect), but kids are sick and they have nightmares and they wake up for no apparent reason and need a drink or to come sleep in your bed. Parenting is 24/7, and we know that, but researchers were still caught a bit off guard.

Study co-author Sakari Lemola, a psychology professor at the University of Warwick, commented in The Guardian:

“We didn’t expect to find that, but we believe that there are certainly many changes in the responsibilities you have.”

Previous research estimated that parents lose about 44 days of sleep during their child’s first year of life, with mothers being hit harder than fathers. That said, more and more fathers are accepting larger parenting roles and, as they often go back to work sooner, have fewer opportunities to nap during the day.

Image Credit: Pixabay

This study tracked the sleep of 2541 moms and 2118 dads over the course of six years. They parents reported births of children, as well as how well they slept on weeknights versus weekends. Women experienced the most lost sleep during baby’s first year, reporting a 1.7 point decline in sleep quality after their first children and another 1 point decline after the birth of each subsequent child. On average, moms lost about 40 minutes of sleep per night in that first year, and in the first three months they lost over an hour. Comparatively, dads lost only 13 minutes of sleep per night during their first year of parenthood.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Regardless of the differences, it took up to 6 years for both men and women to return to their normal sleep schedule after having a child. The results were also similar regardless of income, whether or not both parents worked, and single parenting.

There is a reason that sleep-deprivation is used as a torture device, and more than a few health reasons parents should be concerned – and take care to minimize the effects of a poor night’s sleep on their life and body.

Insufficient sleep is associated with car accidents, poor concentration and performance at work, increased illness, weight gain, and a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it when you’ve got small children; if your little one needs you in the middle of the night you can’t really tell them to go piss up a rope and roll over.

But researchers did make a few suggestions.

“For parents, lifestyle management strategies might include stress management, exercise, enlisting help from family and friends and seeking the guidance of professionals such as therapists or physicians when needed.”

“Families benefit from prioritizing healthy sleep – this can be accomplished through limited caffeine intake, having a consistent and calming evening routine, keeping the bedroom dark, and reducing exposure to bright screens such as cell phones, tablets, and TVs close to bedtime.”

And take heart, mamas and daddies – six years will go by in a flash.

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This Man Has Determined That It’s Cheaper to Retire to a Holiday Inn Instead of a Nursing Home

These days, there are so many senior citizens who are unable to retire because of the ridiculous cost of housing as well as dwindling/nonexistent savings.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, households that are 65 years or older spend, on average, $45,756 per year, or roughly $3,800 per month. That’s only $1,000 less per month than all U.S. households on average. We all know how the economy has swung back and forth since the 2008 meltdown, so many Americans have had a hard time retiring or haven’t been able to at all.

Because of all this uncertainty, one man from Texas has come up with a brilliant plan for his twilight years. Terry Robinson has decided that, instead of opting for the traditional retirement home, he’ll spend his remaining years in a Holiday Inn hotel.

And to top it off, the Holiday Inn will be cheaper.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Robinson wrote a lengthy Facebook post about his plan and as of this writing, the post has been shared 132,000 times. Robinson’s post says:

“No nursing home for us. We’ll be checking into a Holiday Inn!
With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble.
I’ve already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it’s $59.23 per night.

Breakfast is included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.
That leaves $128.77 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc.

Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.

$5-worth of tips a day and you’ll have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

They treat you like a customer, not a patient.

There’s a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free.

The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).

To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.

For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there.

While you’re at the airport, fly somewhere. Otherwise, the cash keeps building up.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

It takes months to get into decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today .

And you’re not stuck in one place forever — you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city.

Want to see Hawaii ? They have Holiday Inn there too.

TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a mattress replaced? No problem.. They fix everything, and apologize for the inconvenience.

The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok. If not, they’ll call an ambulance . . . Or the undertaker.

If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

And no worries about visits from family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days mini-vacation.

The grand-kids can use the pool.

What more could I ask for?

So, when I reach that golden age, I’ll face it with a grin.”

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me.

What do YOU think? Let’s get some retirees to weigh in on this predicament in the comments.

The post This Man Has Determined That It’s Cheaper to Retire to a Holiday Inn Instead of a Nursing Home appeared first on UberFacts.

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Men of Twitter Share Instances They Took a Stand Against Misogyny and Predatory Behavior

Gentlemen: pay attention. It’s up to us to end misogyny, so if we see another man acting inappropriately towards a woman in any way whatsoever, it’s our duty to speak up and take a stand. Period.

If you need inspiration, take a look at these guys. It all started when a Twitter user threw out this question to all the good guys out there.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And here were some of the best responses.

1. Role model

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. He needed to hear it

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Explain why they’re wrong

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. It’s not hard

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Stare ’em down

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. Teaching moments

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Some good advice

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. Ugh

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Get involved in one way or another

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. It’s okay to look like an idiot

Photo Credit: Twitter

To all the guys out there: it’s our responsibility to step up and say something when you see something inappropriate happening. Do the right thing!

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15 Animation Mistakes in ‘The Little Mermaid’ That Most People Miss

Back in the days of handpainted animation, filmmakers just had to do their best to keep every frame consistent with the last. If there was the occasional mistake, they probably just figured it would be small enough to go unnoticed.

These 15 tiny mistakes are all in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Fair warning, though – after you read this post you won’t be able to unsee them!

#1. Ariel is crying on a rock next to a piece of broken wood and a broken vase. But in the wide shot, everything is different – even the rock formation.

Photo Credit: Disney

#2. Max’s paws are white…except that one time they’re gray.

Photo Credit: Disney

#3. When Ariel meets Max, he licks the right side of her face, but she wipes the slobber off of the left side.

Photo Credit: Disney

#4. This porthole changes from the time Scuttle lands on it to when he flies away.

Photo Credit: Disney

#5. The perfume bottle Vanessa steps on and breaks wasn’t on her vanity in the wide shot.

Photo Credit: Disney

#6. The handles on the plate covers change between the closeup and wide shots.

Photo Credit: Disney

#7. When Ariel first sees the “dinglehopper” it has four tines, but only three after she picks it up.

Photo Credit: Disney

#8. When Ariel swims out to stop the wedding and climbs onto the ship, she’s shoeless – but when she gets her voice back a moment later, she’s wearing shoes.

Photo Credit: Disney

#9. During Eric and Ariel’s date, her hair is half-up, half-down, but her shadow in the water reflects a ponytail.

Photo Credit: Disney

#10. Sebastian is thrown into a brown sauce…that somehow turns white by the next shot.

Photo Credit: Disney

#11. When Flounder gets stuck in the pothole, his fins are stuck on the outside and the inside, somehow.

Photo Credit: Disney

#12. King Triton blows up the Eric statue in the grotto, and we see the cracks and lines going through the entire thing…but somehow his face is intact?

Photo Credit: Disney

#13. King Triton’s crown has 5 peaks while he’s wearing it, but 7 after she turns him into that shriveled little sad thing.

Photo Credit: Disney

#14. The bookmarks in the priest’s bible change colors.

Photo Credit: Disney

#15. Gold buckles appear on Chef Louie’s shoes halfway through his song and dance number.

Photo Credit: Disney

One thing is still true – The Little Mermaid has the best songs (and the hottest prince).

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This New Way to Eat Pineapples Is the Biggest News of 2019

Pineapples are absolutely yummy (unless they’re on a pizza, but that’s a whole other story). Sadly, they’re also kinda hard to eat if you’re actually trying to do it from scratch and not get the syrupy canned versions. Do I peel, then cut? Do I cut, then peel? What’s the best knife for it, and how do I not chop my hand off in the process?

Even if you’re a pineapple-slicing professional, it’s a whole elaborate process. Your other options are to buy pre-sliced pineapple or just… give up on this delicious fruit.

But wait. THERE IS A BETTER WAY. You can apparently just eat pineapple with your bare hands, and honestly, this is the biggest development of the year, as far as I’m concerned!

Photo Credit: TikTok

This pineapple hack comes to the world courtesy of a TikTok user. @dillonroberts22 posted a video that shows someone ripping off individual pieces of pineapple and (really loudly) chomping on them. It’s about 2 seconds long, and those 2 seconds basically changed the world.

The video spread like wildfire on Twitter, where people were genuinely shocked that there is a whole other way to eat pineapple that nobody knew about WTF.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Some people even ventured to try the trick at home, sure that the TikTok video was a hoax. But nope – it’s 100% real, folks.

A few wise Twitter users took everyone else to Pineapple School, where they explained that pineapples actually consist of a whole bunch of berries fused together. Each individual piece is a berry, which is why they can be torn off like that.

Mind blown. It’s almost too good to be true.

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Denver Airport Startles and Amuses Fliers with a Talking Gargoyle Statue

Ever since the Denver Airport opened back in 1995, it’s been the center of all kinds of conspiracy theories. People have found all sorts of supposedly sinister symbols all over it, and some even think it might be the Illuminati Headquarters. Then there’s the famously terrifying “Blue Mustang” sculpture that actually killed the artist who made it.

 

Photo Credit: Twitter

The airport has long had stone gargoyles guarding the baggage area. Although the original statures are currently in storage due to the construction, the airport has installed a new gargoyle to delight and amuse visitors (and discuss various conspiracy theories).

From far away, the gargoyle looks like a traditional stone statue. When you get close, he might just strike up a conversation. Check out the Denver Airport’s video of this amusing fellow:

A quick side note: the gargoyle says he’s 243 years old. Guess how long ago the Illuminati was founded? Yep, 243 years ago. Coincidence?

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The U.K. is Seeing a Sudden Resurgence of Ancient Diseases

As we here in America battle with the comeback of diseases like measles, the United Kingdom is also struggling with the reemergence of old-school, Dickensian diseases gout and scarlet fever.

Data from the UK National Health Service shows a 52% increase in four key “Victorian diseases” since 2010/2011 – many of which were assumed to have disappeared along with chamber pots. The rise of sanitation, vaccinations, and modern science seemed to have these diseases on the run, but the recent data shows that they’re not going down without a fight.

Cases of scarlet fever have increased by 208% in the past decade, going from 429 cases in 2010/11 to 1321 cases in 2017/2018. The disease was the leading cause of death in children in the early 20th century and presents with a sore throat, fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and a pink-red rash.

Scarlet fever rash
Image Credit: Wikipedia

A vaccine nearly wiped out whooping cough in the 1950s but hospital admissions are up 59%, and the instances of people experiencing gout are up 38% – almost 2000 more cases in 2017/2018 than there were 10 years before. Gout is associated with a poor diet, heavy drinking, an a general lack of concern over one’s health.

Whooping cough bacteria
Image Credit: Wikipedia

Life expectancy is stalling in the UK, too, and hospital admissions due to malnutrition are up 54%. Infant mortality rates are also on the rise, and as with everything else, the poorer people are suffering the most.

The culprit? Well, the data suggests large cuts to healthcare, social services, and other public services could be to blame. That said, the study was commissioned by a political party that is against the austerity programs, which should be taken into consideration.

The data is solid and from independent sources, however, so the truth can’t be denied – people in the UK are sicker than ever, dying younger than they were ten years ago, and generally struggling to stay well as people in Western Europe face none of the same challenges (in general).

I don’t know about you, but I hope to avoid all of these diseases in the modern world. All I’ve got is a vaccination and a prayer.

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Corn Flakes Were Made to Get You to Stop Masturbating (+7 More Weird Facts About Cereal)

We all know that Frosted Flakes are “Grrrrrreat” and that Lucky Charms are “Magically delicious,” but I’m willing to bet that a lot of you have no idea what the real story behind some of your favorite cereals.

#1. Alpha-Bits were a concentrated effort to market cereal to children.

Image Credit: Post Cereals

Post Cereals worker Thomas Quigley, a father of seven, rose to a challenge to design a new cereal to market to kids – that combining fun, education, and sugar would be just the ticket.

He was right, of course, and the tradition of selling sugar to kids and calling it a healthy breakfast was born!

#2. Wheaties were the result of an accident.

Image Credit: Wheaties.com

In 1921, a clinician at a sanitarium accidentally spilled wheat gruel onto a hot stovetop. It dried into flakes and, inspired by the preparation of Corn Flakes, a miller and his employees tried 14 times and 36 varieties of wheat to find the perfect combination of wheat, salt, sugar, and malt syrup.

They became popular due to the first radio commercial jingle.

#3. Cap’n Crunch is designed to make you want more.

Image Credit: Quaker Oats

By the 1960s, some of the best-selling cereals marketed to kids had lots of sugar, and research showed that kids preferred cereal that floated and stayed crunchy (duh), so Quaker came up with a combination of corn and oat cereal that fit the bill.

Flavorist Pamela Low brought the key ingredient to the table, though, with a favorite combination from her childhood: brown sugar and butter sauce over rice. She called it a “want-more-ishness” and people couldn’t get enough – especially kids after the introduction of their seafaring mascot.

#4. The history of Chex is…not very nice.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Chex came from a pet food company called Ralston Purina that was led by one William Danforth and self-help author Webster Edgerly (who was looking to promote whole grains as people food). Edgerly was the founder of a cult-like movement that, in addition to promoting a healthy diet, was into mind control and racial supremacy (he advocated for non-whites to be castrated and believed watermelons were toxic to Caucasians?), but the diet piece made Edgerly interested in creating yummy sources of whole grains to his followers.

Together, the two first came up with Shredded Ralston, which was bite-sized squares of shredded wheat, changing it to “Chex” in 1950 to honor the brand’s checkerboard logo. Danforth continued to make pet food under the name Purina while Chex was sold off to General Mills.

#5. Your Corn Flakes were meant to curb sexual desire.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who worked as a physician in a Michigan sanitarium, believed (along with the rest of the Seventh-Day-Adentists) that irritating foods (like too much meat at breakfast) led to an increase in sexual desire, and that masturbation could lead to worsening illness.

He experimented until he came up with bland, grain-based breakfast flakes after he left boiled wheat out for too long and then decided what the heck, I’ll toast them and feed them to my patients anyway. Luckily, it worked out for all involved!

#6. Cheerios are the perfect result of over 500 test products.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Puffed cereals made from rice and wheat were all the rage in the 1930s and 1940s, and General Mills wanted to see if it worked with oats. Food science innovator Lester Borchardt and his team tested the oat-based recipe (and a variety of shapes) – over 500 formulas in all – before the winning donut shape won out.

It was originally called CheeriOats but the name was shortened after Quaker Oats filed a lawsuit over the use of the word ‘oats.” It was rebranded in 1945 and has been a top-selling cereal ever since.

#7. Honey Bunches of Oats combines the trifecta of popular cereal ingredients.

Image Credit: Post Cereals

In 1989, long-serving Post employee and cereal lover Vernon J. Herzing took his three favorite cereals – Toasties, Grape-Nuts Flakes, and Sugar Sparkle Flakes – and tried combining the three. Together with his daughter, Kimberly, they combined products until they landed on the perfect mix.

Its success has led to other flake-and-cluster cereals and myriad spinoffs.

#8. Rice Krispies are the product of an experiment and a gun.

Image Credit: Quaker Oats

In 1901, botanist Alexander Pierre Anderson wanted to know what might happen if he heated starch granules – he thought the water inside the granules would turn to steam and result in small puffing explosions (and of course, he was right). He then used a gas pipe and a sledgehammer to form a gun-like device that simplified the process.

He debuted his cool little trick at the 1904 World’s Fair and Quaker Oats snapped it up, marketing it as “food shot from guns.”

Interesting, right? You just never know what you’ll find online!

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Mom Accidentally Discovers How to Finally Help Kids Clean Their Rooms Properly

Everyone who’s ever taken care of children knows that getting them to clean up after themselves is quite a hassle. In fact, this single task can often be so difficult that many caregivers just give up and clean up the mess themselves.

But one mom has had a lot of success with a method that you may not have tried with your gremlins already. It’s called the “Mountain Method,” and it arose out of sheer desperation.

Photo Credit: iStock

Writer Kristen Mae‘s son was around 9 years old when she couldn’t handle another second of helping him clean up the mess that he’d created. So, she swept all of his toys from their various hiding places into the middle of his room. She informed him that he couldn’t enjoy any screen time until everything in the pile was in its proper place. Then she left the room.

Kristen says she didn’t expect the trick to actually work – the mountain was more-so to make a point about how much mess really existed.

Amazingly enough, though, her son slowly chipped away at the pile until it was all cleaned up. Now, the Mountain Method is a regular part of her family’s cleaning routine.

Photo Credit: iStock

If you’re familiar with Marie Kondo’s philosophy of cleaning, the Mountain Method makes a ton of sense. Like Kristen, Marie recommends first piling all of your mess into one place so you can see everything – then starting to organize.

“Having everything in one place turned what felt like a thousand tasks into one single task,” Kristen explained.

A mountain of a task, sure. But a doable one. It’s worth a try!

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