A German Town Came up with a Genius Plan to Deprive a Neo-Nazi Music Festival of Beer

This might be the best story of 2019… so far.

Recently, a neo-Nazi rock festival took place in the small town of Ostritz, Germany. Attendees descended on the small town of just over 2,000 people for the Sword and Shield (SS) music festival to do what neo-Nazis do: get drunk, listen to terrible music, and find like-minded boneheads to act like idiots with.

But the far-right folks were in for a surprise when they found out that a court had recently ruled that no alcohol was to be served or consumed at the event due to the fear of potential violence.

Police kept an eye on the festival to make sure that the ban was upheld.

But the best part?

Locals even chipped in and bought more than 100 crates of beer to really make sure that the far-right festival attendees wouldn’t have any brewskies for the weekend.

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

A local activist named George Salditt said,

“The plan was devised a week in advance. We wanted to dry the Nazis out.

We thought, if an alcohol ban is coming, we’ll empty the shelves at the local supermarket.”

An estimated 2,000 people also gathered for anti-racist demonstrations in Ostritz during the weekend as well. An estimated 500-600 people attended the Sword and Shield festival and were outnumbered not only by protesters but also by police, who numbered roughly 1,400.

The mayor of Ostritz, Marion Prange, said,

“There are people here in Ostritz who do not tolerate the event, who stand for different values and who try to be role models,” Prange said.

Now this is what I call teamwork, and this is what I call community.

Cheers!

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Did You Know the 16th Century Had Its Own Version of Facebook?

In the 16th century, young people in the Netherlands and the Rhineland might not have had Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter, but they were way ahead of their time. Instead, they had what they called alba amicorum, which means “friend books” in Latin.

In the books, the nobility of 1560 and later traded thoughts, commented on others’ opinions, sought advice, and celebrated their favorite songs. The books also doubled as both yearbooks and as a sort of LinkedIn recommendation, as young men traveled abroad and met scholars, philosophers, scientists, and other students to complete their education. They would ask these people to write a quick entry in their alba amicorum, or sometimes, if the new friend was an artist, to draw an illustration.

margarethahaghen

Women of the 16th century didn’t have much opportunity for travel or education, which tended to make their friend books more personal and, for us, more revealing. They drew in each other’s books, traded secrets, gossip, and inside jokes, and the women’s books were generally less organized and pretty than those kept by the men. But, I’m guessing, they are a lot more fun to read.

album_amicorum_van_jacob_van_bronckhorst_van_batenburg_8077131573

“The alba kept by women are mostly full of ugly, busy pages on which up to 15 people scribbled down their name, motto, or a short saying,” says Sophie Reinders, a Dutch Ph.D. student specializing in the alba amicorum.

So, they may not have contained links, hilarious GIFs, or daily memes, but they did often include song lyrics, poetry, pictures, memories of great events, and things of the like. When two people married, they would announce their union with new, joint entries. Kind of like changing your relationship status, I suppose.

album_amicorum_of_michael_van_meer_004

Basically, these were prettier, more personal ways to show off your popularity, as well as the status and stature of your friends around the continent. I, for one, would love to bring this back even if it would mean forcing people to interact again face-to-face.

A real-life Facebook. What a concept.

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These 15 Surprising Jobs Pay Much Better Than You Probably Think

I think you’ll be surprised by this list. I know I was.

The list below that Redditors shared has a little bit of everything, but the thing they have in common is that you’ll probably be shocked by the salary tag!

15. A tough skill to learn.

Court reporting.

Stenography is a tough skill to learn, but plenty of court reporters earn over $100k.

And no college degree required (although most CRs will need to be certified).

14. You don’t even need a degree.

Garbage collectors in New York are paid up to $112k, a solid salary considering you don’t even need a degree.

Sounds like a nice fallback plan for me.

13. Technical writing.

If you have the ability to take complex technical information and simplify it according to the reading audience, you can make well over $100K annually.

People ridicule English degrees until they find out how much can be earned as a technical writer.

12. Absolute cake.

Longshoremen.

If you are a senior member of a union you make absolute cake.

$180k plus a year.

11. Blew me away.

UPS drivers can make close to 100k if you stay there long enough

Blew me away when I first heard that

10. One that’s all operator.

Boiler operator.

Get paid $35/hour to play skyrim on switch while watching Netflix.

Just have to find one that’s all operator and no maintenance.

9. Secretly you’re on Reddit.

An office job but you’re secretly on reddit

8. Easy on the body.

Mobile crane operator.

Union guys pull over $200k and its a trade thats pretty easy on the body.

7. Not a lot of people even know about it.

Power lineman make bank. Not a lot of people even know about it.

6. Full control over my hours.

I fix hospital beds.

Will be making $100k within my first two years with full benefits.

I also have full control over my hours.

5. Significantly worth the payout.

I work at home as a closed captioner broadcaster for the News. I make my own schedule and make between $35-$65 per hour depending on the job. Large investment to get started but significantly worth the payout.

4. A lot of options to advance.

Airline dispatcher.

A girl I dated many years ago I met because she was living in my town training to be an airline dispatcher. There are just a handful of schools that teach it.

I had no idea what an airline dispatcher was, let alone how much money they get paid. Dispatchers at FedEX can make $150,000 per year or more. It also gives you a lot of options to advance at an airline, like being station chief at an airline.

The girl I dated had a dream to one day be Air France Station Chief in Tahiti. I don’t know if she made it or not.

3. And I work in recruiting.

I don’t know if this is true in other cities but T and bus operators in Boston make bank. I’ve rarely met a higher paid, less engaged group of employees in my life and I work in recruiting.

EDIT: Since this seems to have attracted some attention, here is an article on the subject of MBTA salaries.

https://www.masslive.com/news/boston/2018/02/mbta_employee_salary_database.html

2. Something brag-worthy.

Self employed cleaning services (i don’t know exactly what to call it)

My parents started getting paid $35 an hour cleaning a community center to ~$50 from cleaning offices.

My mom started it then my dad joined in to help her with the hours and taking care of the house and kids.

Eventually my mom got good contacts, and started cleaning the offices of managers from factories, Sacramento politicians, and stuff alike.

Can’t express how proud i am of my mom. She turned all those shitty Hispanic cleaning lady jokes into something brag worthy.

#1. Easy money for sitting on your arse.

I drive machinery in a coal mine in Australia.

I make about 170k. Even our new trainees are paid pretty well, about $48 per hour.

I think it ends up being close to 90-100k.

Easy money for sitting on your arse in an air conditioned cab.

Which one surprised you the most?

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People Share the Things They Didn’t Know Were “So American” Until They Traveled Outside the U.S.

You ever travel outside of the U.S. and people immediately have you pegged as an American? I personally think most Americans get a pretty bad rap as travelers due to a very select few who are ignorant and obnoxious. But I also think we are not nearly as bad as some other travelers abroad.

Here are 15 things you might not realize make you stand out as “totally American” in countries across the pond.

#15. Ketchup isn’t free.

“At a buffet in Germany, I had to pay for ketchup.”

#14. The size of cars.

“I did an art history course in Italy. What really stood out to me was the size of cars over there. Over here you have a mix of mid sized sedans and pick up trucks/SUV’S, with the occasional compact car (back when I went compact cars here were incredibly scarce). Over there, it seemed like most everyone drove a compact car, with the occasional sports car. I remember counting six pickup trucks in the 10 days I was there (for comparison, I can name more than 6 people I know with a pick up here).”

#13. The whole of Ireland.

“Massively wide roads/lanes. The whole of Ireland made me feel claustrophobic, but when I got back home the roads felt like way too much wasted space.”

#12. Constantly refilled.

“Having your drink constantly refilled ay restaurants. I just wanna drink a ton of water alright?”

#11. Violently American.

“Tailgates. I’ve lived in the states my entire life, but when my Spanish girlfriend came to visit I wasn’t sure what I could show her that really exhibited American culture. There are plenty of American stereotypes you see on TV, but it wasn’t until I took her to a tailgate that I realized how violently American the whole experience is. A huge parking lot full of drunk twenty year olds bouncing on trucks bigger than most European apartments, with half the trucks blaring country, and the other half blasting rap. Solo cups and beer cans all over the place, grills, corn hole, etc. I’ve traveled to quite a few different countries, and I can’t really see a tailgate happening most other places.”

#10. American flavored.

“Ranch flavor Doritos in the Netherlands are called “Cool American” flavor.”

#9. Drive-thrus.

“I’m from northern europe but have visited USA couple of times. Their love for SUV cars and drive-thru is unreal, like there is a dunkin, subway and three kinds of fast food place next to each other and all of them have a drive-thru.

Edit: meant drive-thru, not drive-in.”

#8. A made-up crime.

“Jaywalking. The rest of the world thinks this is a made-up crime you only see in movies with corrupt cops.”

#7. Yes it is.

“I’ve never been abroad. Is that American enough?”

#6. Portion size.

“Portion sizes.

My high school senior trip to London, as a typically ravenous appetite 18 year old, I couldn’t get over how small everything was standard.”

#5. I think you underestimate the size of our avocados.

“Small avocados.

Went to puerto rico. Was like, ‘yo ill have like 6 of those stuffed avocados’. Buddy was like, ‘yo gringo, i think you underestimate the size of our avocados here. Just have one and ill being you more if you want after’.

I had half of one. It was like a football.”

#4. Types of soda.

“Getting to choose from like 50 different types and subtypes of sodas.​

Hearing commercials advocating you to go to the doctor and demand a prescription for whatever fantasy pill is new to the market on the radio like it is no big deal.”

#3. How large grocery stores are.

“how large grocery stores are here. My wife is not american and we lived in China and were in HK all the time… they had large international stores that were great and she didnt really grasp the size of american grocery stores till our first week in the USA and there’s 150 feet of cereals on one aisle”

#2. Being loud.

“The stereotype about us being loud is true. I never thought of myself as being loud until I went abroad and would hang up the phone after speaking in what I thought was appropriate volume to find everyone around me was staring at me, and realized how much more quiet they were lol whoops”

#1. Smiling and being friendly.

“I moved to England from Texas about six years ago. One of the major things that I noticed was that smiling and being friendly towards strangers was considered bizarre. This is a bit true in any metropolitan area, but especially in the UK. In Texas I was used to smiling at people, asking for directions if I needed them, and being friendly towards strangers. I learned very quickly that smiling at someone on the tube, or asking someone for directions on the street immediately makes someone think you’re trying to scam/rob them or you’re crazy.”

Go ahead and travel anyway. People are generally forgiving.

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15 Zookeepers Share the Weirdest Things They’ve Seen Animals Do

I’ve always wondered what goes on behind the scenes at zoos. After reading through this list, I’m not surprised by animals anymore. Ever. Nope.

#15. Chimps love treats.

“I would bring the chimps treats each week. I once brought a bag full of lychee, which they thought was only “meh” but the keepers loved them. Surprised me, since I thought they would go nuts for them so I picked a whole tree’s worth.

One day I bring a dozen kiwi, and it was clear they had never seen them before. Watching them peel the kiwi so delicately with their lips was amazing.

Also, given watermelon, they will eat it all the way through to the skin. I’m talking all the rind down to one millimeter of tough green skin.

They’ll chomp a banana tree stalk like candy… anyway, chimps love treats.’

#14. Howler monkeys are weird AF.

“Male teenage red howler monkeys that grab their asshole while pooping, and taking all the shit out with their hands.

Seriously, howler monkeys are weird AF.”

#13. Like nothing was happening.

“I’m a zookeeper!

We had a lone, male Marabou stork that found a water bottle, picked it up and put it in his nest, then proceeded to incubate it for a while. He got mad when we eventually had to take it away from him.

I’ve seen adult giraffe attempt to nurse from lactating females and seem peeved when she wouldn’t let them.

I’ve seen a Nyala get a whole square of sod skewered upside down on his horns that eventually slid down and completely covered one of his eyes. He acted like nothing was happening.”

#12. Check mate, kid.

“Not a zookeeper, but a few years ago we were vising the Berlin zoo and some kids that were in our group were really fascinated by the chimpanzees.

After a few minutes of making faces and trying to get the chimps attention – one of the kids shows the monkey his middle finger.​

The chimp responded with lifting both its arms and showing the kid TWO middle fingers.

Check mate, kid.”

#11. What the people are doing.

“Generally, the weirdest stuff you’ll see at a zoo is what the people are doing.”

#10. Planet of the Apes.

“Ex zookeeper here, I remember once there was a period of a few days where one of the chimps had this stick and was spending hours at a time just rubbing it on the ground. Some of the keepers tried to give it other toys to play with etc but it wasn’t interested. Anyway, long story short, it was sharpening the stick and then tried to stab a keeper through the bars of their indoor part of their enclosure.”

#9. She ate a skunk.

“Volunteer (former), not keeper. I liked to show up early before my shift to watch the big cats get let out into their space. One morning, one of the lionesses was already out and she was sitting there, like the famous NY library lions, only with a Calvin face. Her tongue was hanging out and her eyes were squinched up. I asked the lead cat keeper what the deal was. “Oh, she ate a skunk yesterday, so we decided it’d be a good idea to let her stay outside overnight instead of stinking up the night house.”

They opened the doors to the lions’ night house and her brother and sister came bounding up to her in what appeared to be great concern (“Where WERE you last night?!?!?). Her sister took one whiff and bounded to another place in the exhibit. Her brother started to sit close to her, thought better of it, walked about six feet away and then settled down and watched her.”

#8. Every damn day.

“I work at an aquarium, not a zookeeper though. We have one male sea otter who likes to play with his dick right in front of the glass in the most prominent spot. His dick is bright red and he just strokes it and nibbles at it in front of everybody. Every damn day. I’m the one who stands by the exhibit, so I’m the one who has to field all the awkward questions.”

#7. Absolutely distraught.

“I was a zookeeper and worked in animal care in various capacities for a long time. One of the weirdest things I’ve seen is when a reptile “drops” their tail. It’s only happened to me once with a Lemon gecko I was transferring from one terrarium to another. I had a poor grip on him and as he was wiggling loose I desperately grabbed on to his tail which he promptly dropped and I was left holding a dismembered, writhing tail while the gecko escaped.

Also, two of the lions at one of my jobs were afraid of a raccoon. I could hear them (the lions) making the most pitiful, pathetic bellowing sounds. I went to check on them and lo and behold a raccoon was up one of the trees in their enclosure. These two large alpha predators were absolutely distraught over a little raccoon. For it’s part, the raccoon was completely unbothered and just observed them for a bit before going on it’s way.”

#6. A little too frisky.

“Super late, but actual Zookeeper. I was once charged by a very large male Sulcata Tortoise who apparently thought I got a little too close to his female. Fortunately I was able to step over the foot high fence in time so that I was viciously mauled. Our tortoises are characters. I’ve also had to flip the male over by myself, who mind you, is on the upper end of his life span and about as big as they get, because he got a little too frisky with the female and fell off.

edit: I did not in fact step over the fence to be mauled, but to avoid being mauled. spell checking is for squares.”

#5. Off the steep hill behind her enclosure.

“I worked at a private zoo for a while and the weirdest was probably the female baboon rescue we had. She was very well tempered but she would beckon new workers over to her cage with a gesture and if you had anything in your hand, she’d reach out and rip it from you then throw it off the steep hill behind her enclosure.”

#4. The pickiest eater.

“Been a zookeeper for almost 2 years now. We have a giraffe that has a couple meds he has to take daily, but the little shit will NOT take the same food from you two days in a row. He knows exactly what we’re up to and also happens to be the pickiest eater ever so sometimes it takes an hour to get five pills, the size of A TYPICAL ADVIL PILL, into this 2,000 lb animal.

Also was watching lions in their inside enclosure once, mom and dad we’re laying down and daughter was just walking around trying to find a spot. The daughter is notorious for bugging any other lion with her to play by sitting on them. She walks over to mom and starts to sit, or so I thought, and just starts PISSING ON HER. I’ve never seen a lion double take but that second I swear to god I saw mom look at what was falling on her and then just DISGUST on her face and she jumped up and swatted at daughter. It was pretty freaking hilarious.”

#3. Licking the beaver.

“I’m a zookeeper! I work in a small department with lots of random animals that we take on programs to show guests. In our department, the cages are made of mesh, so the animals can sometimes be housed next to each other where they can reach each other and interact. One time, the beaver was housed next to the tamanduas (lesser ant eaters), and we went over and saw the tamanduas licking the beaver ALL OVER! By the time the beaver went back to his own enclosure he was soaking wet with tamandua spit.”

#2. Flossing baboons.

“Not a zookeeper but primatologist. During my masters I did a study on spontaneous tool use in captive baboons. The weird bit? They were flossing. Literally flossing with hair and broom bristles like we do with toothpicks and…well dental floss. You can Google ‘Flossing Baboons’ and you’ll pretty quickly get a photo of Georgia.”

#1. Then repeat.

“I once saw on gorilla poke another in the butt then sniff his finger.

One gorilla was laying in a hammock and the other was sitting on the ground beneath him. He would reach up, poke the gorillas butt, look at his finger, sniff it then repeat.”

If it’s your dream to become a zookeeper, you’re a better person than I.

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Here Are Expert Tips for Traveling Alone as a Woman from a Travel Blogger

Traveling alone can be really scary, especially if you’re a woman. Simply walking down the street in a city in your home country is a challenging experience (hello, street harassers!), let alone in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language or have cell phone service.

That’s why Ciara Johnson, a popular Black travel blogger on Instagram, shared a series of solo travel tips for women.

Photo Credit: Twitter

“I’m a woman and I travel the world alone, from Mexico to Morocco to Cuba to Bosnia to many other countries. Here’s a thread on how I stay safe,” Ciara wrote on Twitter.

First, Ciara is “hyper aware” of her surroundings. “Scan your surroundings,” she said. “Is someone walking close to you? Does someone appear to be watching you? Did that car just pull beside you & slow down?” If you notice something awry, don’t hesitate to get out of there. Always trust your gut.

As Ciara writes: “It’s better to look a little paranoid than to be harassed, robbed, or worse.”

Photo Credit: Ciara Johnson

Second, Ciara recommends doing a lot of research before you go. You can never be too prepared, so look up “cultural norms, customs, how to dress, scams, natural disasters, political climate, etc.,” she writes. She also recommends looking for accounts by other solo female travelers, and checking reviews for hotels.

Third, Ciara uses technology wisely. She avoids pulling her phone out randomly on the street. But she does use Google Maps, translation apps, Uber. She makes sure to have access to data to keep her family and friends aware of her location.

“Make sure someone, anyone… knows where you are & where you’re staying,” she said.

Photo Credit: Ciara Johnson

Fourth, Ciara trusts other women before other men. Solo travelers have to rely on strangers to some extent, but don’t trust just anyone. “If I need directions, I usually ask a woman. This is not to say all women can be trusted, but I feel more comfortable trusting a woman on first instinct.”

And fifth, Ciara avoids giving out information that could be used against her. She doesn’t let her massive social media following know exactly where she travels until after she’s left, for example. She lies if someone asks if she’s travelig alone.

Armed with these tips, there’s nowhere you can’t go – and the experience is totally worth it!

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10 Ghost Tours That Will Seriously Give You the Creeps

I really, really love all things creepy. I’m talking about scary movies, scary books, scary everything.

If you like to dabble in scary tourism, this is just the list for you.

Today we take a look at 10 real-life, creepy tours recommended by the Buzzfeed community that are guaranteed to give you a good scare.

1. The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

“The Stanley Hotel (where The Shining was filmed) offers guided tours, and you can even spend the night in specific rooms that are reported to have ‘higher than usual activity.’ The guide said many people died building the hotel, and their ghosts will often come out to ensure guests are enjoying it.

While on the tour, one of the guides encouraged me to take a picture in this one dark hallway. When I had the film developed, there were two orbs, one on each side of me, clear as could be. So spooky.”

2. The Jennie Wade House – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

“After taking pictures on the Jennie Wade House tour, a bunch of my friends and I had photos turn out really strangely— there were giant clouds and shadows in weird spots.

At one point, we also heard footsteps upstairs and thought it was the other tour group, but then we found out they were in the basement.

A chain that was blocking off a section began to swing in circles with nobody touching it — scary!”

3. Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum – Las Vegas, Nevada

“Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum is located in a mansion that the state of Nevada deemed haunted after they found a pentagram, human flesh, and streaks of blood in it in the ’70s.

It contains 30 rooms of artifacts from Zak’s personal collection, including an allegedly demonic chair that was used during the Ed and Lorraine Warren exorcisms!”

4. Jack the Ripper Tour – London, England

“Last Halloween, a few friends and I went on the Jack the Ripper guided tour in London. Our host was amazing — she took us on a walk to all the spots where the murders had happened and the victims were found. She had photos and went into a LOT of detail about the killings.

The night itself was freezing cold, which literally added to the chill of everything!”

5. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, Kentucky

“I did an overnight paranormal investigation at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium just for fun, not believing I’d experience anything paranormal. It was life-changing!

I saw and heard things that night that I never thought could happen. It was both terrifying and fascinating.

I’d do it again any day.”

6. Manly Quarantine Station – Sydney, Australia

“Q Station is by far the scariest tour ever!! There’s so much amazing history to the place, which has pitch black buildings, cold spots, and decontamination showers.

Oh, and a couple of jump scares thrown in for good measure!”

7. French Quarter Ghost & Legends Tour – New Orleans, Louisiana

“This tour in the French Quarter of New Orleans is such a fun and interesting tour of all of the crazy happenings down there. It is especially terrifying to go see the Lalaurie Mansion, home of serial killer Madame Lalaurie.

Nic Cage used to own the home but he would never spend the night because of what had happened in it!”

8. The Crescent Hotel – Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Its National Paranormal Day! ? So let's throw it back to 2012 when me and my uncle were into Ghost Hunting and he took us on a road trip from Missouri to the infamous Crescent Hotel located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Honestly, a really beautiful place with a chilling history. The Crescent Hotel is known to be one of the most haunted hotels in America. It was first a resort for the rich that became a hospital for cancer patients. Unfortunately, the "doctor" Norman Baker was running scams and likely performing dangerous experiments on the patients leading to their death. He was found to not have any medical training and was eventually arrested. When we went, we only caught a few orbs (seen in a few of the pics) on the haunted tour and my mom's arm got yanked while she was sleeping. Yes, we stayed overnight! What's crazy is that recently there has been an unearthing of jars filled with body parts. This discovery happened after the recent Ghost Adventures visit in February! Creepy! • • • #nationalparanormalday #Horrorjunkie #GhostHunting #GhostAdventures #EurekaSprings #Arkansas #TheCrescentHotel #MostHaunted #Haunts #Ghosts #Mansion #Roadtrip #Scary #Hotel #Missouri #Travel #GhostTown #Supernatural #Paranormal #Creepy

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“On the Crescent Hotel tour, they talk about many different ghosts that stay in certain rooms and areas.

Plus, they even have a cat ghost!!!”

9. The Sorrel-Weed House Tour – Savannah, Georgia

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#noghostswereseen

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“The Sorrel-Weed House Tour is all fun and games until you descend into the basement.

It’s hands down the creepiest place I’ve ever set foot in. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.”

10. The Joshua Ward House Tour – Salem, Massachusetts

“When I went on a tour of the Joshua Ward House — which was once the home of a High Sheriff in the Salem Witch Trials — I was suddenly overwhelmed by a chilling feeling when I was standing by the basement.

The next day, a bruise in the shape of a bite mark from HUMAN TEETH showed up on my ankle!”

Are your bags packed yet?

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It’s Too Bad We Can’t Use These 20 Irish Words in English

There aren’t too many Irish speakers out there. It’s a Celtic language that’s a cousin of other ancient languages like Welsh, Scots, Manx, and Breton. One reason is that it’s particularly tough for native English speakers to master because of complex grammar, varied inflection, and other linguistic constructs that don’t really exist in English.

Image Credit: Pixabay

In addition, the Irish alphabet is comprised of just 18 letters, and the pronunciation is…difficult. If you’re looking to be able to pronounce the words below, check out the University of Dublin’s online Irish speech synthesizer.

 #20. AITEALL

The fine spell of weather between two showers of rain.

#19. BÉALÁISTE

A drink or toast used to seal a deal.

#18. CLAGARNACH

Literally it means clatter, but it refers to the sound of heavy rain on a rooftop.

#17. LADHAR

The gap between your fingers and toes – a ladhar bothairis is a fork in the road.

#16. RAGAIRE

It’s derived from the word for late-night wandering, or for sitting up talking long into the early hours – a ragaire is someone who enjoys those things.

#15. ADUANTAS

The feeling of unease or anxiety caused by being somewhere new or being in a crowd of strangers.

#14. ASCLÁN

The amount of something that can be carried under one arm.

#13. BEOCHAOINEADH

An “elegy for the living,” or a sad lament for someone who is gone but not dead.

#12. CODRAISC

A riff-raff or rabble of people, but also a random collection of worthless or useless objects.

#11. MAOLÓG

The part heaped above a too-full container. Also, someone who sticks out from a crowd or a small knoll or hill.

#10. AIMLIÚ

Something that is ruined or spoiled by exposure to bad weather – plants, soaking clothes, or even one’s health.

#9. BACHRAM

Rambunctious behavior, but also a sudden or violent downpour of rain.

#8. BOGÁN

An egg without a shell; soft, unsteady ground; mushy, overcooked food; or a spineless person.

#7. FOISEACH

Grass that can’t be easily reached to be cut, like the longer grass at the edge of a field or lawn.

#6. PLOBAIREACHT

Trying to speak while crying and being unable to make yourself clear.

#5. AIRNEÁNACH

Someone who takes part in the traditional custom of “night-visiting,” in which everyone in a village or area would go to a local’s home for an evening of music and entertainment.

It can also be used to describe someone who likes working or staying up late into the night.

#4. BACACH

It can mean lame or limping, but also a beggar or someone who outstays their welcome or drags their heels.

#3. BOTHÁNTAÍOCHT

The practice of calling on all your neighbors to catch up on all the gossip.

#2. IOMBHÁ

A sinking boat half submerged in water, or a place where there is a danger of drowning.

#1. POCLÉIMNIGH

It literally means “buck-jumping,” but could also refer to an energetic, excitable leap into the air – a jump for joy.

If I ever have time to learn a new language I know which one I’m choosing!

The post It’s Too Bad We Can’t Use These 20 Irish Words in English appeared first on UberFacts.

It’s Too Bad We Can’t Use These 20 Irish Words in English

There aren’t too many Irish speakers out there. It’s a Celtic language that’s a cousin of other ancient languages like Welsh, Scots, Manx, and Breton. One reason is that it’s particularly tough for native English speakers to master because of complex grammar, varied inflection, and other linguistic constructs that don’t really exist in English.

Image Credit: Pixabay

In addition, the Irish alphabet is comprised of just 18 letters, and the pronunciation is…difficult. If you’re looking to be able to pronounce the words below, check out the University of Dublin’s online Irish speech synthesizer.

 #20. AITEALL

The fine spell of weather between two showers of rain.

#19. BÉALÁISTE

A drink or toast used to seal a deal.

#18. CLAGARNACH

Literally it means clatter, but it refers to the sound of heavy rain on a rooftop.

#17. LADHAR

The gap between your fingers and toes – a ladhar bothairis is a fork in the road.

#16. RAGAIRE

It’s derived from the word for late-night wandering, or for sitting up talking long into the early hours – a ragaire is someone who enjoys those things.

#15. ADUANTAS

The feeling of unease or anxiety caused by being somewhere new or being in a crowd of strangers.

#14. ASCLÁN

The amount of something that can be carried under one arm.

#13. BEOCHAOINEADH

An “elegy for the living,” or a sad lament for someone who is gone but not dead.

#12. CODRAISC

A riff-raff or rabble of people, but also a random collection of worthless or useless objects.

#11. MAOLÓG

The part heaped above a too-full container. Also, someone who sticks out from a crowd or a small knoll or hill.

#10. AIMLIÚ

Something that is ruined or spoiled by exposure to bad weather – plants, soaking clothes, or even one’s health.

#9. BACHRAM

Rambunctious behavior, but also a sudden or violent downpour of rain.

#8. BOGÁN

An egg without a shell; soft, unsteady ground; mushy, overcooked food; or a spineless person.

#7. FOISEACH

Grass that can’t be easily reached to be cut, like the longer grass at the edge of a field or lawn.

#6. PLOBAIREACHT

Trying to speak while crying and being unable to make yourself clear.

#5. AIRNEÁNACH

Someone who takes part in the traditional custom of “night-visiting,” in which everyone in a village or area would go to a local’s home for an evening of music and entertainment.

It can also be used to describe someone who likes working or staying up late into the night.

#4. BACACH

It can mean lame or limping, but also a beggar or someone who outstays their welcome or drags their heels.

#3. BOTHÁNTAÍOCHT

The practice of calling on all your neighbors to catch up on all the gossip.

#2. IOMBHÁ

A sinking boat half submerged in water, or a place where there is a danger of drowning.

#1. POCLÉIMNIGH

It literally means “buck-jumping,” but could also refer to an energetic, excitable leap into the air – a jump for joy.

If I ever have time to learn a new language I know which one I’m choosing!

The post It’s Too Bad We Can’t Use These 20 Irish Words in English appeared first on UberFacts.

Flight Crew Members Reveal the Things That Happen Mid-Flight That Passengers Don’t Know About

You might actually not want to know this stuff if you don’t like flying in the first place. Fair warning if you want to take the chicken exit now!

#15. Weekend at Bernie’s.

“Not sure if it’s been mentioned already. I was learning to be cabin crew at college and in the event that someone dies onboard, the CC (Cabin Crew) make it less obvious that they have passed. Put glasses on them, maybe a hat. Essentially dress them up as subtle as possible to not alert and or panic the other passengers.”

#14. We’re just as annoyed as you are.

“Pilot here.

We only get paid when the doors are closed and the push back has commenced. If we’re delayed or sitting with the door open, we’re just as annoyed as you are.

At altitude we’re constantly in contact with air traffic control and change to different “center frequencies” (or control for other than US locations)

We’re also doing fuel checks to make sure the fuel burn isn’t abnormal, dodging weather, and probably bitching about scheduling”

#13. Temperature control.

“Ex airline employee here. Often we’d have someone on board with terrible body odor. You can set the temperature in one end of the cabin hotter and it localized the smell to one part of the plane. If you see coffee filter bags hanging anywhere its because someone smells like open ass somewhere on the plane.

FAs often talk about the “hot guy in 23B” or whatever seat he’s in.

Pilots fuck around a lot up front. They’ll take pictures, post on FB, watch movies, automation has taken over a lot of the work on long flights.

Edit: Not really on topic, but don’t ever walk barefoot or in socks on an airplane. The same mop that mops the lav, mops the galley.”

#12. Dodging thunderstorms.

“Not an airline pilot yet (just got hired by my first airline and start class next month) but I’ve been a pilot for 6 years. I primarily teach Chinese airline pilots how to fly but I’ve done some passenger operations in business aircraft on the side.

First of all, all the comments about pilots making cat sounds and Chewbacca noises is 100% true. Also, whenever someone leaves an area and switches frequencies, they yell “SEE YUH” and then a dozen other pilots will key up yelling “SEE YA” one after another. We also enjoy talking shit about people who say “with you,” “got em on the fish finder,” “any traffic please advise,” and “tree” and “fife.”

Also, the things that scare passengers don’t phase the pilots one bit. We don’t give a shit about turbulence or having to do a go-around. The things I don’t like are things you generally won’t know about – thunderstorm dodging, microburst alerts, ice, maintenance issues, etc.”

#11. You’re not being given the full answer.

“Pilot here, most of the time the passengers are not given the full answer on why a flight is delayed or cancelled. Airlines will typically blame cancellations on unrelated events (weather) instead of mechanical issues so they don’t have to pay for hotel rooms/meals etc…

Also, chemtrails are not real. For those of you who believe they are real, give your head a shake.”

#10. Constantly swearing.

“As an Air Traffic Controller we are constantly swearing and yelling at pilots when we’re not on the frequency and then when we key up we use our nice guy voices.”

#9. Gets me every time.

“The scariest moment of my day is when the FA opens the internal bag door (the closet we all throw our overnight bags in) without calling us in the flight deck first. That ding and master caution gets me everytime….”

#8. All the time.

“Pilots are on their phones or reading the newspaper all the time.”

#7. A dead body in the cargo hold.

“As said before in the last thread, there is a large list of things that can be broken but the aircraft can still fly.

Often there will be a dead body in the cargo hold.

There is a crash axe just laying around in the cabin. It’ll spilt open your skull (not tested) but it won’t actually get through the aircraft skin or windows (tested).

Lavatory doors can be opened from the outside by lifting the metal plate saying “lavatory” and pulling the pin under it.

Both pilots may not eat the same meal, but they might be eating at the same time while the plane flies itself.”

#6. In quarantine.

“This started off with us blissfully unaware…ended with mild pant shitting.

I was flying to France in one of those planes with the TV screen up front to show the flight path and where you currently are. I was just about to fall asleep when the captain asked over the PA if there was a doctor on board and if they could go to seat #. I knew this was bad. The flight path changed to Canada and we had to make an emergency landing. We were stuck there for 2 hours. When we finally got to France his entire row was quarantined off. I have no idea what the fuck happened”

#5. Mid-flight mess.

“A lady who was feeling very ill crapped her pants mid flight. A very kind FA managed to get her covered in a blanket and into the bathroom with barely anyone noticing and then gave her a pair of her own pants to wear so she wouldn’t be embarrassed.”

#4. You’re on guard.

“I’ve got an original one for you all. There is a radio frequency we all are required to monitor. Its called Guard. It’s for emergency use and is designed for maydays, and for Air Traffic Control to reach aircraft that may have lost radio contact, or to relay messages from aircraft to other aircraft, etc. every day this frequency is abused. You will hear hundreds of professional aviators meowing, yelling obscenities at each other, and making fun of one airline or another. Often times what will start it is some poor guy accidentally transmitting his PA announcement to passengers on the guard frequency, followed by the very “mature” outbreaks for about 5-10 minutes.

It’s the worst on the east coast.

Edit: just today I heard an airline aircraft trying to relay info about a medical emergency on this frequency through one of their fellow company aircraft. They couldn’t finish any of their sentences without people yelling “YER ON GUUUARD” “HEY NOBODY CARES ABOUT YER PASSENGER” “HEY YOU’RE ON GUARD TOO EH”

#3. Emergency backup.

“I was only a month or two out of IOE (initial operating experience) at my first airline job, flying right seat in a Regional Jet. I had just come back from the bathroom, when the captain pointed that several flight instruments on his side had failed, and he had reverted to using data from my side (basically told his main flight display to start using data from the second independent system).

Soon, however, THAT went bad too, the autopilot disconnected, and here we were at 25,000 ft or so, in icing, hand flying off a tiny little combined last-ditch backup instrument called an IESI (integrated electronic standby instrument, if memory serves).

We declared an emergency, asked ATC to point us in the direction of better weather, and tried to figure out what the hell was happening. Icing on BOTH primary pitot tubes maybe, though that shouldn’t happen (they are heated).

In any case, we ended up making a perfectly safe landing after a diversion, and the passengers never had any idea that, for a few minutes, I was really concerned that things were about to turn very, very bad and that we were down to our emergency backup gauge.

That’s the shortened version without most of the techno-babble anyway.”

#2. We weren’t hired for people skills.

“Pilot here. Late to the party as usual. But, sometimes the passengers may be having a nice quiet flight in the back while the pilots are upfront dodging thunderstorms and yelling their heads off.

We will not only transport dead bodies, but also live transplants, like hearts and lungs. I particularly like the live transplants because we get to cut to the front of the line for takeoff and we get all the short cuts to our destination.

Tip for those who get motion sickness: try not to move your head around. Pilots move their eyes instead of their heads to look at the instruments in the flight deck. Also try to sit in a seat over the wing. This area of the plane doesn’t rotate as much during climbs and decents.

Flight attendants can’t do pilot’s job, but pilots can’t do flight attendant’s jobs for sure. We aren’t hired for our people skills.

Don’t take off your shoes to go to the bathroom. People pee on the floor all the time.

Edit: Wow y’all rock! Thanks for the gold guys! Blue skies and tail winds!”

#1. The pilots are necessary.

“My uncle was a pilot. He says that most people don’t understand how much of the airplane is run by computers. The pilots are necessary but a lot of the elements of flying are automated nowadays.”

I never would have guessed!

The post Flight Crew Members Reveal the Things That Happen Mid-Flight That Passengers Don’t Know About appeared first on UberFacts.