Category: life

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A Police Department Warned Against Abbreviating ‘2020’ When Signing Important Documents

While you’re focusing on remembering to write “2020” instead of “2019” for the rest of the year, don’t forget to write out all four digits of the year instead of abbreviating it.

Reports warn that if you abbreviate “2020” to “20,” scammers could easily modify it to become any other year by adding two more numbers onto the end.

The East Millinocket Police Department in Maine warned folks about the potential for fraud on their Facebook page.

“When signing and dating legal documents, do not use 20 as the year 2020. March 3rd, 2020 being written as 3/3/20 could be modified to 3/3/2017 or 3/3/2018. Protect yourself. Do not abbreviate 2020,” their post says.

This is sound advice and should be considered when signing any legal or professional document. It could potentially save you some trouble down the road.Meme credited to George E. Moore Law Office, LLC.

Posted by East Millinocket Police Department on Wednesday, January 1, 2020

The post went viral, with many people thanking the police department for a simple bit of cautionary advice. It only takes a couple extra seconds to write the full year, after all!

Others were more critical of the post, pointing out that there are many other ways to alter the dates on documents. Some also pointed out that artificially post-dating a check wouldn’t help a scammer very much.

The police department followed up on their post to respond to the critics.

“There seems to be a lot of criticism here for a simple cautionary post. Please understand that we handle scam and fraud calls on a regular basis so we try to provide our small community with tips to avoid potential problems. Of course we understand that all dates can be altered, however I believe that most here would agree that if a document of any kind, either legal or professional, is brought to our attention as being forged or fraudulent, it would likely raise far more red flags, depending on the circumstances, if it had a date of 1999 as opposed to 2019 or 2021.”

Photo Credit: iStock

They added: “Again, we shared this meme with a simple cautionary post, giving the citizens of our small community information to consider. Criminals are always looking for ways to take advantage of people.”

Very true.

The post A Police Department Warned Against Abbreviating ‘2020’ When Signing Important Documents appeared first on UberFacts.

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American Girl Introduces a Doll With Hearing Loss

It’s really important for children with disabilities to see themselves in pop culture, whether it’s movies, music, TV – or even the toys and dolls they play with. That’s why this announcement from American Girl should make a lot of kids and parents very happy. American Girl rang in 2020 with a new doll, and this one, for the first time ever, has a hearing impairment.

And the new doll is also American Girl of the Year.

Meet Joss Kendrick. Joss’s story is that she hails from Huntington Beach, California, and that she is “a fierce athlete born with hearing loss and a passion for surfing and competitive cheer.”

Joss was born deaf in her left ear and she wears a hearing aid in her right ear. The company said about Joss, “Whether she’s on her surfboard or in the gym, Joss shows girls the importance of trying new things, pushing past stereotypes, and being a good team player.”

The new doll was introduced with the help of Caroline Marks, a 17-year-old surfer who is looking to make a mark at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as part of the U.S. Women’s Surfing team (I didn’t even know surfing was an Olympic sport). Marks said, “I’m so excited to be a part of the Joss launch and share her message that passion and hard work can really take a girl places—even to the Olympics.”

View this post on Instagram

Happy times ?

A post shared by Caroline Marks (@caroline_markss) on

As part of the launch of the new doll, American Girl donated $25,000 to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).

This is a great move by Mattel and American Girl!

Congratulations and good luck to Caroline Marks at the 2020 Summer Olympics!

The post American Girl Introduces a Doll With Hearing Loss appeared first on UberFacts.

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American Girl Introduces a Doll With Hearing Loss

It’s really important for children with disabilities to see themselves in pop culture, whether it’s movies, music, TV – or even the toys and dolls they play with. That’s why this announcement from American Girl should make a lot of kids and parents very happy. American Girl rang in 2020 with a new doll, and this one, for the first time ever, has a hearing impairment.

And the new doll is also American Girl of the Year.

Meet Joss Kendrick. Joss’s story is that she hails from Huntington Beach, California, and that she is “a fierce athlete born with hearing loss and a passion for surfing and competitive cheer.”

Joss was born deaf in her left ear and she wears a hearing aid in her right ear. The company said about Joss, “Whether she’s on her surfboard or in the gym, Joss shows girls the importance of trying new things, pushing past stereotypes, and being a good team player.”

The new doll was introduced with the help of Caroline Marks, a 17-year-old surfer who is looking to make a mark at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as part of the U.S. Women’s Surfing team (I didn’t even know surfing was an Olympic sport). Marks said, “I’m so excited to be a part of the Joss launch and share her message that passion and hard work can really take a girl places—even to the Olympics.”

View this post on Instagram

Happy times ?

A post shared by Caroline Marks (@caroline_markss) on

As part of the launch of the new doll, American Girl donated $25,000 to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).

This is a great move by Mattel and American Girl!

Congratulations and good luck to Caroline Marks at the 2020 Summer Olympics!

The post American Girl Introduces a Doll With Hearing Loss appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Think up the Scariest Messages That Aliens Could Possibly Send Us

If we ever make contact with aliens, it’d be arguably the most major event in our entire species’ history so far. But depending on how that first meeting goes, it could either be a revelation or a terror.

On AskReddit, a user asked what the “scariest” message would be to hear from aliens from outer space. Here are 14 of the spookiest ideas.

1. A cry for help.

“A species more advanced than us screaming for help would imply something much worse is already after them…”

“A cry for help originating from millions of light-years away. By the time the message reaches us, its been floating through space for millions of years. We’ll never know if we just heard the last words of an alien civilization or if it was saved by another civilization. Regardless, it would be a harrowing message.”

2. Earth is a video game.

“Sorry guys; dinner’s ready and mum says I should turn you off.”

3. Earth is a simulation.

“Experiment’s goals accomplished. Simulation scheduled for termination on January 1st.”

4. Just “hello.”

“A random hello would scare the fuck out of everyone at NASA let me say that.”

5. A warning to run.

“RUN.”

“There’s something just so viscerally terrifying about receiving just that one-word command: run. It doesn’t say what’s coming. It doesn’t say when. It doesn’t say where to go. All you know is that you cannot stay where you are and that whoever sent the warning was only able to get out a single word to communicate the impending threat to the rest of the universe.”

6. A warning not to run.

“Do not leave your star system. Trust us.”

7. A countdown.

“…14…13…12…11…10…”

8. Deja vu.

“Hm. Your race was just like this last time too.”

“Don’t try this again… after the 5th time we’re tired of sending your planet back to the stone age…”

9. They’re among us.

“We’re coming to pick up the 2 billion members of our species living on your planet.”

10. Pyramids.

“Radio…? Why aren’t you using the Pyramids?”

11. God didn’t make them.

“God created you, he didn’t create us.”

12. We’ll be harvested.

“CHOOSE HALF OF YOUR HUMANS FOR HARVESTING. IF YOU DO NOT CHOOSE WE WILL.”

13. Taxes.

“You now have to pay galactic taxes.”

“Can’t wait for the Boston tea party 2.”

14. Literally anything.

“I honestly think any communication with extraterrestrial life with freak us out, even if it was totally benevolent or even benign, like we accidentally picked up a communication (don’t tell me this can’t happen. A LOT of accomplishments and discoveries were made entirely by accident).”

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When You’re Stressed About Money, This Is What Happens to Your Body and Your Brain

I think a lot of us can say that we’ve felt this kind of stress before: stress about being broke or very close to it. But how does this stress affect us, physiologically speaking?

We all have a fight-or-flight response system in our bodies that developed when our ancestors were roaming the land trying to avoid the many threats that could literally kill them at any time. Stress hormones are released when we’re presented with what we interpret as these kinds of situations – times when we humans have to decide whether to stick it out and fight or to run for our lives.

Stressed

But there are fewer saber-tooth tigers these days, and your fight-or-flight reflex is much more likely to be triggered by social issues – including dealing with money problems. When it does happen, the fight-or-flight reaction is very hard on the body. It can tense up our muscles until they hurt and mess up how our immune systems work, leaving us more vulnerable to getting sick. It can also cause constant stomach aches and headaches.

Stress

Another bad side effect: you might make bad decisions, even though, deep down, you know better. Aimee Daramus, a clinic psychologist, said, “Under stress, blood flow and electrical activity are reduced in the frontal and prefrontal lobes and increased in the survival parts of the brain, such as the amygdala.”

Since the parts of the brain where blood flow is reduced influence impulse control and planning, your decision-making process might get thrown for a loop, causing you to do things you normally wouldn’t do. Basically, you start to feel the walls closing in, which pressures you to act in ways that actually hurt your situation.

Daramus added, “We act quickly and decisively, but not always as accurately as usual.”

Depressed

On top of that, frequent stress reactions – whether caused by money issues or not – may cause anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Chronic stress might even lead to long-term physical ailments such as heart disease and diabetes. Finally, the stress may lead you to take comfort where you can find it – and that can sometimes mean in alcohol and drugs, which may lead to substance abuse problems.

Money problems are hard – really hard – but try to take care of yourself.

Remember, your only real wealth is health.

The post When You’re Stressed About Money, This Is What Happens to Your Body and Your Brain appeared first on UberFacts.

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You Might Not Realize These Phrases and Actions Are Seen as Microaggressions to the Disabled Community

Listen up, people.

When we know better, we do better. And to know better, we have to listen when marginalized communities tell us that something is offensive, hurtful, dismissive, or all of the above.

So read through this list of 14 phrases that can be taken as ableist, then do your best to remove them from your vocabulary – it won’t hurt you to quit using them, but it might hurt another person’s feelings if you choose not to.

Easy decision, no?

14. Why on earth would anyone think this is okay?

13. Promise.

12. That last one, though.

11. Maybe they just think the other person is awesome?

10. I want to shout this from the rooftops.

9. None of these are at all helpful.

8. Maybe just skip the labels.

7. They’re not there so you can have a moment.

6. This makes me sick to my stomach.

5. Stop thinking fair and equal are the same thing.

4. Strictly speaking, vegetables aren’t that helpful of a suggestion any time.

3. I promise it’s not Jesus.

2. Chances are they realize that fact already.

1. It’s not “nice.” And while we’re at it, neither is saying “I don’t see color.”

Now that you know better, do better!

The post You Might Not Realize These Phrases and Actions Are Seen as Microaggressions to the Disabled Community appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Who Were Obsessed With a City or Country Share How They Felt About It After Moving There

Have you ever been totally obsessed with a place, but you had never been there? Like you had some totally romantic and idealized version of what it would be like even though you’d never been there?

I felt this way about New York City when I was growing up. I finally went for the first time when I was 21, and I did – and still do – love it, so no big letdown there for me.

But for some folks, the places they’ve fetishized in their minds don’t turn out to be so wonderful.

In this AskReddit thread, people discuss how they feel about the places they were obsessed with that they actually moved to. If you’ve ever done this, tell us about your experience in the comments.

1. At least the summer is nice.

“Into the Wild was my introduction to Alaska. I’m from the tropics.

Met an Alaskan man.

Visited in the summer. Loved it!

Married the Alaskan man.

Moved in the summer after.

Finally found out what an interior Alaskan winter was like.

Hated it, but husband will not move.

Became a reverse Persephone, my cold-weathered husband sends me back to the land of hot weather for a month of the year.

Still completely in love with the Alaskan summer.”

2. A mixed bag.

“Paris, France. I studied French for a long time and eventually moved here to do my master’s degree. I do love the city itself – always something to do, amazing museums/art/culture/architecture – and even though like all cities it can be crowded/dirty sometimes, I still enjoy it. The thing that gets me is how hard it is to get to know and become friends with the French (Parisians in particular).

They are perfectly polite but if I didn’t have a strong foreign student friend community here it would be much more difficult. There are always exceptions of course – I have a handful of good French friends – but a big factor in why I don’t think I can stay in Paris in the long term to settle down (maybe somewhere else in France would be better) is that the coldness can really wear you down. That, and also the bureaucracy. It’s unreal.”

3. Living the dream.

“I dreamed of living in NYC as a teen. I was drawn to the theater, the fashion, the excitement. Now I’ve been living in NYC for about 13 years, basically my entire adult life, and I still love it but my appreciation has changed. A lot of the things that initially attracted me require lots of money, but I’ve discovered so many new things and met so many wonderful people that I don’t miss the loss of that fantasy. I still feel a thrill when I go running over one of the bridges and see the skyline.

I love not driving, and being able to find practically any food or specialty shop I want. I am very plugged into the arts here and love to go to live music, readings, lectures, art shows, and performances, so many of which can be enjoyed for little or no money!

I definitely see how city life doesn’t appeal to many people but whenever I think of leaving I can’t imagine anywhere I might like better.”

4. The good and the bad.

“I’m a small town Midwesterner who really romanticized California (particularly coastal California.) I had the opportunity to move there right after college and it was probably one of the best decisions I’d ever made.

Things I liked: the weather was always perfect (even on rainy days, the temperature was still mild.) There was always something to do. There were so many different beaches and I never got tired of seeing the ocean. I did more hiking in the first year I lived there than I’d ever done in my home state. Lots of good shows and music around the Santa Cruz and SF area. SO MANY GOOD RESTAURANTS. Plus, it felt good to go back to my tiny ass town and tell people I moved to California.

Things I disliked: It’s expensive. The traffic is as bad as they say. There also seems to be an air of ignorance with (not all, but some) people native to the area. For instance, when I told people I was from Iowa, someone asked if we had electricity and running water, another person chimed in that they had a cousin who lived in Montana (which is no where even close to Iowa,) and most people had no idea where to even find Iowa on a map. When you’re from a fly over state, you automatically learn which are the “superior” states because they get a lot of coverage in media and entertainment.”

5. Won’t live there again.

“I’m an American, was a serious Irish dancer my whole childhood. I also play music. I wanted to move to Ireland and go to university there — and I did. Overall, it was a great experience especially in terms of local music / dancing and opportunities to learn more. But also I hated my degree program and ended up studying abroad and then transferring to a school in Canada, where I’m much better settled. I still pinch my pennies to go back to Ireland and visit my friends and stuff, but I’d never ever live there long term again.

Also, I hate cold rainy weather and have asthmatic reactions to mold, so Ireland’s climate was actively trying to kill me the entire time I was there. Good times. No regrets, but also wouldn’t repeat.”

6. The Big Easy.

“New Orleans is deeper and broader than I imagined. 20 years later I have no regrets, only memories that I reflect upon and smile. When I tell stories I have to leave things out, because the reality is unbelievable.”

7. Not in love with London.

“Moved to London with stars in my eyes. A year later, all I think now is how is no one speaks to each other and there’s pigeons everywhere.”

8. Seoul.

“Seoul, South Korea!

It’s my first experience in a big city, and I’m not disappointed! Public transportation is great, food is amazing… i eat a lot of Japanese food here tbh. Depending on where you are in the city, night life is crazy. And i find the older parts of the city to be absolutely beautiful. I know for those born and raised in the system it’s a whole different story, but for a 20 year old foreign student, i can say it’s not half bad.

As far as the negatives go however, the lack of nature can be hugely depressing, i pay $400 a month for a 50 sq ft room, dining alone can be difficult, and there’s always trash everywhere in the streets. Honestly though I think i had a decent grip on reality before coming here. People expect these places to be like an instagram-esque dream world. But at the end of the day, it’s just another place you wake up, do your groceries and pay your bills in. All that fun real life stuff.”

9. Finland = Paradise.

“It was Finland for me. Rather weird country to obsess about, but I started learning the language in high school and fell in love with the culture. Went there for an exchange and was shocked at how close to paradise it was! Beautiful nature, friendly and helpful people, good-quality food and more humane pace of life. It helped that I lived with a wonderful host family in a small town – the people you meet are a huge part of your experience in a place. Best part was getting to learn more Finnish!”

10. Spoiled it…

“Hawai’i. It is absolutely gorgeous. Had land there and spent time there during the downturn.

The tourist thing wears off though, and although it is still an absolutely gorgeous place, the cost of living, the corruption in government, and seemingly like every contractor is trying to rip you off spoiled it for me as a long term relocation.”

11. The old country.

“Not as popular but Greece. My maternal grandparents are Greek. It’s a big loud friendly group and had been my entire life. I had a several month long gap before grad school and a great aunt willing to house me so I moved to Patras. The first few weeks were wonderful I did all the tourist things then I realized how forced all of it was. You can’t just ever have a friend over it has to be a major production.

The food was wonderful but every contractor or small business I interacted with took it at a point of pride to tack on added fees or try to scam me. I was stolen from multiple times. The older people particularly the men had no personal boundaries at all and their wives would hand wave off anything. Everything public that wasn’t intended for tourists was falling to pieces. It was just very sad considering how proud I had been of my Greek roots until then.”

12. Everything they wanted it to be.

“Seattle WA. Spent my first 30 years living up and down the eastern seaboard from PA to GA. I was in grad school in SC and inexplicably Seattle just popped in my head one day – no trigger or anything. For the last 6 months of school (2003) it just consumed me – sight unseen I needed to be there. So that’s what I did. Got my degree, packed up my car with no job, place to live or contacts and drove to Seattle.

It could very well be a self-fulfilling prophecy but it was everything I wanted it to be. The city has changed quite a bit with the Amazon explosion but I’m glad I got to live some “old Seattle”. There’s still plenty of treasure to be mined. Sure the luster is gone but I have a family now and still love to explore the city with my daughter. All my old haunts are gone but the fun now is finding new haunts! It’s what we make of it.”

13. Chicago is a great city!

“Probably not a city that people dream about moving to but for me, Chicago. I loved Chicago from age 6 (saw Ferris Bueller), visited a couple times, loved it even more and then moved here three years ago. It feels like home, I absolutely love it here. Sure the winters can suck but I appreciate the nicer days so much more.”

14. New Zealand is A-OK!

“I wanted to go to New Zealand since I was ten and my best friend moved there, I finally went when I was 25 and got a 1-year working visa. It was awesome, I met my husband there, and saw my old friend again.

It’s still great, I would live there if they’d have me!”

15. Doh!

“Tampa, FL. I’m from the Midwest and we ALWAYS associate Florida with spring break and the beach and happy fun times…

Turns out I live an hour from the beach, traffic is the WORST (largest US city without a commuter rail), and the humidity is always 110% and about to kill me. You can’t really be outside and it sucks.

Edit: because first of all I came back after work to a billion notifications, who knew Tampa would get this much conversation started?

AND SECOND OF ALL because someone remind me about THE DRIVING and I just have to add that to this comment that the driving is the wwwwoooorrrrssttt maybe even worse than humidity, read my comment below for passionate rage about pulling over for emergency vehicles (or the lack thereof I suppose).”

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Some Guys Asked Their Neighbor If They Could Walk Her Dog…They Got a Letter Back From the Dog…

If you’ve had a dog before and got used to all of the ways they bring joy and meaning to your daily life, living without one can be hard. Like REALY hard.

But if you find yourself living somewhere pets are not allowed, what can you really do?

Well, these four young engineers decided to take action, as desperate as it may sound. They reached out to their neighbor – a perfect stranger up til now – to offer their petting/playing/walking skills to their neighbor’s dog, who they’d seen through a window.

They sent this message to their neighbor, which was very polite and also showcased how very much they would enjoy spending time with the pooch.

Image Credit: Twitter

Dear Neighbour,

We are four engineers that have recently moved into the area in the past 3-4 months. Our house is comprised of an Englishman, two Scotts, and a Welshman. Diversity.

The other day we noticed a four-legged friend looking at us out the window when we arrived home from work. He or She looked like the good-est boy/girl there is. If you ever need someone to walk him/her, we will gladly do so. If you ever get bored (we know you never will, but we can dream), we are more than happy to look after him/her. If you want to come over and bring him/her to brighten up our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do.

We hope this doesn’t come on too strong, but our landlord won’t allow pets, and we’ve all grown up with animals. The adult life is a struggle without one.

We look forward to hearing from you. Or not.

Yours Sincerely, 

The Boys from number 23.

xx

They waited and waited, until finally they received a response.

But it was from the dog herself!

Image Credit: Twitter

Once they saw the pawprint on the back, they suspected that good news was enclosed – and it was!

Image Credit: Twitter

Stevie Ticks and “the boys” have now met up twice, once for an introduction and once to play at the local park. Since they all got on well, more outings are definitely in the future!

Image Credit: Twitter

Her owners say she’s a 2.5-year-old sheprador (a lab/german shepherd mix) originally from Cyprus, but rescued from a local shelter. She loves playing tug-of-war, chasing birds, and licking feet.

She’s obviously the good-est girl, and now she has four more friends.

Everyone’s life is better, so this is just a happy ending all the way around.

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