Category: life

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Girls Won the Five Top Prizes in National STEM Contest for Middle Schoolers

As people say, “The future is female.” And that trend was certainly on display recently at the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS competition. The competition, “Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars,” highlights very bright middle-schoolers and is run by the Society for Science & the Public.

This year, girls won all of the top five prizes awarded at the competition in Washington, D.C. What makes it even more extraordinary is that the five winners were out of a total pool of 2,348 applicants from 47 states. A total of 18 boys and 12 girls were then brought to D.C. to take part in the competition.

While in D.C., the middle-schoolers were given STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) projects to work on in teams. The youngsters were judged on leadership, teamwork, problem solving, and communication. The last 20% of their score was based on the science projects that the kids had applied to the competition with. The panel of judges included engineers, scientists, and educators.

The five winners were:

The Samueli Foundation Prize: $25,000
Alaina Gassler, Improving Automobile Safety by Removing Blindspots

Lemelson Award for Invention: $10,000
Rachel Bergey, Spotted Lanternflies: Stick’em or Trick’em

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation: $10,000
Sidor Clare, Bound and Bricked

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement: $10,000
Alexis MacAvoy, Designing Efficient, Low-Cost, Eco-Friendly Activated Carbon for Removal of Heavy Metals from Water

STEM Talent Award, sponsored by DoD STEM: $10,000
Lauren Ejiaga, Ozone Depletion: How it Affects Us

Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public, said,”We are just so thrilled that the top five winners were girls this year. This is the first time in our history that it was a sweep for girls. It’s also the first time in our history that we had more girl finalists than boy finalists.”

Way to go ladies! Keep your eye on these kids, because they’re going places.

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A Woman Was Stung by a Scorpion on a United Airlines Flight

Oh great, can’t wait to fly during the holidays!

A woman was stung “multiple times” by a scorpion while on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Atlanta. The passenger felt a stinging sensation on her leg during the flight, and when she went to the toilet, a frickin’ scorpion fell out of her pants and crawled away.

Horrifying, we know.

The woman spoke to TMZ about her experience, and even shared a photo of the creature. Her name has not been released.

United Airlines said in a statement to USA Today that the plane crew “responded immediately” to the incident.

“After learning that one of our customers on flight 1554 from San Francisco to Atlanta was stung during flight, our crew responded immediately and consulted with a MedLink physician on the ground who provided medical guidance,” the airline said.

“The customer was transported to a local hospital. We have been in contact with our customer to ensure her well-being.”

While it’s great that the passenger is okay, the airline didn’t explain how the hell a scorpion got onto the flight in the first place.

Photo Credit: iStock

Even more horrifyingly, this isn’t the first time that this has happened on a United Airlines flight. A scorpion also stung a man on yet another flight with the same airline in 2017 (was someone on both of those flights? Is there a person bringing scorpions with them when they fly and just letting them go???)

A second airline, EasyJet, had to delay a flight after a scorpion was found onboard in 2017.

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These Newspaper Headlines Really Missed the Mark

Nobody’s perfect. Everyone is bound to make mistakes here and there, even newspaper editors, but these 17 headlines are so bad it makes me wonder whether they were paying attention at all.

If they were, their bosses might want to think about hiring someone who knows what they’re doing because these are…bad.

Just saying.

17. Is it, though?

Photo Credit: deMilked

16. Short and sweet.

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15. Ummmmm that’s not the right layout.

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14. It almost works as internet speak?

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13. Talk about insensitive.

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12. As long as the hunters are decent, anyway.

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11. Those darn babies.

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10. You’ve cracked the case!

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9. I’m going to guess this is a Mississippi newspaper.

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8. I’m sure he does, but is that really newsworthy?

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7. You’re sure it’s not the wind?

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6. Maybe Thor tossed it down?

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5. That page layout needs some work.

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4. I don’t know…spring?

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3. But not by singing?

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2. It was a delicious meal.

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1. That explains quite a bit, actually.

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I can’t cringe hard enough. Yikes!

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15 Funny Memes About Airports

Most people love to travel, even though the process can be tedious at best, and stressful at worst. We’re late, transportation is late, there are tons of rules to follow, and on and on – so maybe the best way to get through it is to be able to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

To that end, here are 15 memes to get you through the most challenging of travel days.

15. What if someone put it there? Just ask Bridget Jones!

14. Good clean living.

Image Credit: Bored Panda

13. Are you sure that’s correct?

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12. It really is beautiful up here.

11. Yes, I’m sure that took care of it.

Image Credit: Bored Panda

10. This would have freaked me out, too.

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9. They’re a dystopian reality.

8. Huh. I guess it really does fix everything.

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7. They should lodge a complaint.

No one should have to wait 458 days for their luggage. from funny

6. When you realize true evil exists in the world.

5. Well played, madam.

4. Seriously, do you want people to hate you?

Image Credit: Bored Panda

3. And getting shorter every day.

What airlines think humans look like from funny

2. I also might need three pairs of underwear every day.

Image Credit: Bored Panda

1. It’s a good idea so they’ll never do it.

I know it can be a lot to deal with, but I still can’t wait until the next time I can get away!

What’s you favorite (or worst) story about traveling? Share it with us in the comments!

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15 People Share the Things They Regret Finding out in Their Lives

Sometimes, you find out things that you wish you hadn’t…

Have you ever discovered something in your life that you really wish you hadn’t? Something that changed the way you thought about things or people?

I know I have, and I wish I could turn back the clock and erase those certain things from my mind. But…that’s life…

AskReddit users shared the things they wish they’d never learned in their lives.

1. Robbing the cradle.

“My mum was 14 when she met my dad. He was 24.”

2. Sad…

“That my best friend took her own life. She told me she was moving and gave me all her stuff because she said she had a furnished room where she was going. I hadn’t heard from her in awhile and she never answered my texts so i looked up her name to see if she had an accident. Nope, it was suicide. The kicker is she had talked me out of it back in 2014 and i wasn’t able to be there for her.”

3. She knew…

“That my mother knew she had cancer a year before she told anyone or rather, a year before she was “diagnosed” after I literally forced her to see a doctor for her then extremely distended stomach.

I was under the impression that we told each other absolutely everything because up until that point, we did. I found out the truth a month after she died when I’d requested all of her cancer-related paperwork from her oncologist.”

4. Uh oh…

“That my younger sister has a high rank in a local BDSM club…”

5. That’s a lot to handle.

“My dad informed me when i got back from Iraq that I was the reason he and my mother got a divorce. I never really wanted to join the military anyways, and it fucked me up big time. They had financial troubles and my mom sent me care packages quite a lot. Apparently, that put them into bankruptcy, and if I hadn’t joined it wouldnt have happened. I just wanted to get out of that house because it was like I didnt exist.

Edit: I’ve never received this much support regarding this issue. Thank you. For the first time I think I really believed it when I told myself it wasn’t my fault. I’m smiling so hard through the tears. Seriously thank you.”

6. Way too young for that…

“Mom telling me on regular basis when depressed that she wishes she would fall asleep and never wake up. Don’t tell a six year old this, damn.”

7. Family history.

“I didn’t meet my dad until i was 15. It was in secret since my mother wanted nothing to do with him. Within the first 3 sentences exchanged, he felt the need to tell me that i was conceived on a beach in July during the last time they had sex. I was the product a going-away fuck in a relationship doomed before my conception. He followed it up with “We were good at two things, me and your mom. Fightin and fuckin. Unfortunately we were fighting more than we were fucking so it stopped being worth it.”

10 years later and this is still how i get my family history.”

8. Didn’t need to hear that.

“When I was about 14 my mom took me to a tattoo shop to get her nipples pierced. While the procedure was happening, she turned to me and said “your Dad bites harder then that”……I could have lived without that info.”

9. Bad news.

“That my father cheated on my mother on a regular basis, I discovered he even went in an orgy while with my mom which is not a cool thing to learn when you’re 15 and don’t know if you’re mother knows or not.”

10. Awful.

“That my grandmothers fiancé is a convicted pedophile, she doesn’t care and has moved in with him. He was a teacher at a middle school and sexually abused and violently assaulted 3 handicapped children.”

11. Wow…

“That I’m possibly inbred. My dad had a kid with his first cousin and the kid had down syndrome and a hole in his heart (sweet as can be and really good at videogames). Apparently that was a little common on my dad’s side so it’s possible I’m slightly inbred.”

12. Terrible.

“My mother died in a car accident when I was three. I found out from a newspaper article years later that it was her fault. She wasn’t paying attention and crossed the yellow line and ended both her life and that of the person in the other car.”

13. Defrocked.

“I regret finding out that a priest I used to admire was a pedophile and has since been defrocked.”

14. That’s pretty classy.

“Finding out my ex had slept with my uncle and 3 of my friends…”

15. Totally gut wrenching.

“Looking on my ex gf’s phone when we were on a trip to Ithaca NY. I would take any physical pain I’ve had so far over that I felt when I saw the things on there. Totally gut wrenching. I wanted to marry her.”

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Study Finds That Poorly Wrapped Gifts Make People Happier Than Perfect Ones

Are you stressed out about getting your gifts perfectly wrapped for the holidays? A new study says: don’t be.

Researchers at the University of Nevada found that poorly wrapped presents make people happier than perfectly wrapped ones. This is because, in part, perfect-looking presents look so great on the outside that whatever’s inside may not live up to expectations. If a gift looks sloppy, though, the recipient is likely to be pleasantly surprised by the actual gift. They also appreciate the effort that was made. The gratitude and surprise leaves them feeling happy and joyful.

Photo Credit: iStock

One of the study’s co-authors, Jessica Rixom, Ph.D., got her idea for the study from her time working at a chocolate shop. She explained,

“They offered a wrapping service, so I learned how to wrap very neatly with crisp edges, just the right amount of paper, etc. I started wrapping my own gifts that way and many years later, when wrapping presents with a friend, I noticed that all of the gifts in my pile were neat while all of theirs were messy, even though they were trying. This made us wonder whether the way the gift was wrapped would have any influence on how the gifts themselves were perceived and that’s how it started.”

The study tested what Rixom and the other researchers call “expectation disconfirmation theory.”

Photo Credit: iStock

“Based on participants’ answers to various questions, it suggested that the reason why this happens is because the neat wrapping sets higher expectations for the gift inside, which makes it harder for the gifts to live up to those expectations. When the gifts are unwrapped, the recipient is a bit disappointed whereas when it’s wrapped sloppily, expectations are lower so the gift is more of a pleasant surprise.”

So, don’t worry at all if your gifts look like they were wrapped by a five-year-old. It doesn’t take away from the power of the gift—it might even make it stronger.

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People Born in December Have Advantages over Others, Studies Show

We all like to to give a shout-out to the month we were born (February, what up!). But is there really any advantage to being born in one month as opposed to any of the others?

Surprisingly, studies point to YES. And I’m talking about multiple studies that suggest December is the best month in which to be born.

Let’s look at the evidence.

First, one study showed that babies born in December fall asleep faster and earlier than babies born during the summer months. Furthermore, another study suggested that December babies are more likely to be “morning people” than people born in any other month, and we all know that is a MAJOR life advantage.

Bebe durmiendo.

Second, research shows that people born in December have a better chance to live to the age of 100. The study also showed that an impressive number of December-born folks actually lived to be 105 or older.

Studies also show that those born in the twelfth month of the year have lower rates of cardiovascular disease than those born in the other eleven months of the year.

Elderly couple

What about the brains of December babies? Well, because they are usually the youngest in their classes, they often benefit academically. It can be hard being the smallest kid in the class when you’re younger, but think about how ahead of the curve you’ll be when you apply to colleges.

One more thing: if you’re worried about what kind of career your kiddo might have, consider this: people in December are the most likely to work as dentists, for some reason, which is definitely a good thing.

dentist

Now I’m kind of bummed I was born in February…thanks for nothing, Mom and Dad!

What month were you born? Share with us in the comments!

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Here Are Some Great Gifts for Grandparents That They’ll Actually Use

(Quick note: This is a sponsored post, but we never write about stuff that we don’t love. So yes, somebody paid us to write this post, but they didn’t tell us what to write or how to write it. Click here to learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners.)

Have you ever seen something and thought, “I wish I would have thought of that!” Maybe you haven’t, but a grandparent you know sure has! And you’ve undoubtedly heard one of them say, “That’s the best thing since sliced bread!”

Yeah, bread didn’t used to be sliced. It was just a whole loaf. That was a thing.

Today we’re taking a look at 5 awesome gifts for this holiday season that will get your Mamo and Bampo talking like there’s no tomorrow. “What a handy gift!” they’ll exclaim. And they’ll be right. Because these are pretty darn great!

#1. Bug Bite Thing

Photo Credit: Bug Bite Thing

This handy, dead-simple tool has been a fave product of ours for many years, and the sharks on Shark Tank apparently agree!

Check out what happens when all five sharks are fighting over one product!

So why were they so excited?

Because the Bug Bite Thing actually works.

Listen, literally every single person on this planet has to deal with bug bites or stings.

And if you’re a grandparent and you have grandkids… you want to make sure they’re always taken care of when those bites strike!

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We love it!! ??

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Do you want to use expensive creams and ointments?

No, of course not. Because they don’t treat the actual cause of the bug bite.

But the Bug Bite Thing does. It sucks the irritant or venom out the wound with simple suction.

Plus, it’s completely reusable. Just wash it with soap and water, dry it off, and it’s ready to use again.

It’s so easy, we even made a meme about it! Because if there’s one thing grandparents love… it’s memes!

Click here and grab a couple today at their website or click here to pick one up on Amazon! The grandparents in your life will thank you!

#2. Oasis Diffuser – Waterproof Aromatizer

Photo Credit: Oasis Diffuser

As we get older, the one thing we all pay attention to is our health. That’s where essential oils can help. They aid in reducing stress, inflammation and all kinds of conditions you wouldn’t expect.

Oil diffusers have been growing in popularity, but what about when you get in the shower? That’s where the Oasis Diffuser – Waterproof Aromatizer comes in.

It’s a very simple idea. You fill up the bottles, turn on the diffuser and take a shower. All that beautiful smelling mist does the rest!

So what kind of essential oils should you use? You can go grab ANY kind really, but some of our favorite essential oils are blends from Zum.

Photo Credit: Indigo Wild

Put those two together, and those grandparents in your life will look at shower time in a whole new light!

Click here to pick one up today, and click here to check out those oil blends from Zum!

#3. 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service

Photo Credit: 23andMe

Where did we come from? How did we all end up here? These are questions we ask our elders, but sometimes they either don’t know or can’t remember. You’ll give them insight into their ancestry and the traits that come along with that.

Photo Credit: 23andMe

Plus, you’ll give them reports about their health that may reveal things that they never saw coming.

Photo Credit: 23andMe

Click here to grab a kit for the grandparents in your life.

#4. Letters to My Grandchild

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

Are you ready to cry? Yeah you are! Because what’s more weepy than thinking of a grandparent writing a letter to their grandkids that they’ll read in the future?

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

Answer, nothing!

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

This book includes 12 prompted letters for grandparents to fill in with their memories, wit and wisdom.

And there are other books in this series too…

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

Click here to check out all the titles! You may want to pick up more than just one!

#5. Did You Know 2020 Desk Calendar

Photo Credit: Did You Know

What do grandparents like more than hugs from their grandkids? Reading a new, fun fact every single day of the year! Like this one!

Photo Credit: Did You Know

Okay, we kid. Hugs are clearly better, but who in your life do you know who would be more inclined to look at a desk calendar every single day than grandma and grandpa?

For instance, did you know this about ghost peppers?

Photo Credit: Did You Know

Yeah, stay away from those ghost peppers! Yikes!

Click here and grab at Did You Know? 2020 Desk Calendar today!

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Anti-Vaxxers Tried to Come up with a New Name for Themselves and It Didn’t Go Well…

Anti-vaxxers have a pretty bad reputation in the media. At this point, when you see the word “anti-vaxxer” in a headline, you can pretty much guarantee that you’re about to read an off-the-wall story. That’s why anti-vaxxers are sick of being called that name. They’d like to go by a new name now…

But Twitter is not having it.

The anti-vaxxer website Crazy Mothers posted a demand for media outlets to “please retire the use of the term ‘Anti-vaxxer.’” They say that the term is “derogatory, inflammatory, and marginalizes both women and their experiences.”

“It is dismissively simplistic, highly offensive and largely false,” the statement read on Instagram.

Their new name of choice? “Vaccine risk aware.”

Interesting! The post went viral, and not in a good way. People all over Twitter are mocking the statement and the new name.

Many have chimed in with their own new names for anti-vaxxers, which are decidedly less polite.

“If you don’t want Anti-vax, the only thing left is Self-Indulgent And Irresponsible Crazyperson,” one immunologist wrote on Twitter.

“Would Pro-Diptheria be better?” another person quipped.

Other suggestions included Pro-Epidemic, Pro-Death-From-Preventable-Illness, Plague Enthusiasts, Child-Death Enthusiasts, Pro-Disease, and Clown.

And that’s just the beginning! The new nicknames were endless.

We’re guessing this is the exact opposite outcome that the anti-vaxxers were aiming for. Whoops!

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15 Times Newspaper Copy Editors Probably Regretted Not Taking a Closer Look

Most of us expect the news to be at least revised and edited. When headlines like these 15 pop up, though, you almost hope the editors were out to coffee when things went to print – because that’s better than thinking they saw these and didn’t think there was a problem!

15. I mean, as do teenagers.

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14. This had to have been a purposeful play on words.

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13. Alert the media.

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12. Including the people who wrote this headline.

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11. You’d have a whole other problem if they did.

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10. Yes. In fact that’s what it’s typically called.

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9. What were they expecting to find?

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8. Someone was really out to lunch.

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7. And therein lies the rub.

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6. As opposed to…?

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5. Maybe change at least one of those.

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4. You won’t believe this, but that’s why we build them!

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3. Did they tell you that themselves?

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2. And they’re bugs that fly!

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1. Now THAT’S a story!

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As a writer, I can’t cringe hard enough! Gah!

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