Category: World Culture

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Here’s How Even a 5% Increase in Rent Would Affect NYC’s Homeless Population

Homelessness is a major issue in modern urban socities, and even though a lot of folks are slow to admit it, there’s actually a strong connection between gentrification an increase in homeless populations in those same locales.

One byproduct of gentrification is a hike in rental rates for the area. Recently, economists estimated that a mere 5% rise in NYC rent prices could cause more than 3,000 people to end up on the streets.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Los Angeles models generate a similar number, with around 2,000 people being forced from their homes over a 5% rent increase.

There are ways that cities can combat their homeless issue if they choose to make it a priority, and positive results are being seen in Houston, Tampa, Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, and Saint Louis. All of those cities saw a decline in their homeless population from 2011 to 2016.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Many cities choose to implement voucher programs that cover rent for a few months at a time, which does seem to work to an extent, though underlying causes like access to mental health and substance abuse care and counseling still need to be addressed for the problem to be considered mended long term.

Responses have to be comprehensive, long-term, and committed, which means not only controlling rent prices and new development, but increasing affordable housing and shelter beds and helping people access the healthcare they need to keep their jobs and be able to pay rent.

Image Credit: Pixabay

With so many cities working on it and setting good examples, it seems as if there’s a good chance others might follow their lead, and that the working poor and lower class earners might not be the victims of “progress” in the future the way they have been in the past.

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17 Awesome Responses to the #Trashtag Challenge

When it comes to internet challenges, I think it’s safe to say many of remain skeptical. On the one hand, there are challenges like the “Ice Bucket Challenge” that raised millions for ALS research, and on the other, there are things like the Tide Pod challenge – which I think we can all agree is a collective low for humanity.

The latest trend is called the #Trashtag challenge, and it’s definitely in the “score one for humanity” column. The goal is to save the planet, one bag of garbage at a time, and with 1.3 billion tons of household waste being generated every year, it’s far past due.

The challenge is simple: take a before photo of an area littered with trash and put it next to an after photo of the same area once you’ve cleaned it up.

The hashtag blew up after a Reddit user posted a screenshot of someone who had completed the challenge with the caption “Here is a new #challenge for all you bored teens. Take a photo of an area that needs some cleaning or maintenance then take a photo after you have done something about it, and post it here.”

Image Credit: Reddit

And post they did! Below are 17 amazing before-and-afters that you’re just going to love.

#1. Yes.

Image Credit: Twitter

#2. This brought a bit of a tear to my eye.

Image Credit: Twitter

#3. Such a nicer walk now!

Image Credit: Twitter

#4. I fear he might have bagged up his shirt on accident.

Image Credit: Twitter

#5. That’s a lot of trash.

Image Credit: Twitter

#6. An hour well spent.

Image Credit: Reddit

#7. If a 70-year-old retired school teacher can do it, what’s your excuse?

Image Credit: Reddit

#8. A big job, well done.

Image Credit: Twitter

#9. A South African #trashtag

Image Credit: Reddit

#10. Cleaning up a tourist area in Vietnam.

Image Credit: Reddit

#11. Many hands make light work.

Image Credit: Reddit

#12. Look what 10 people and 1 Sunday morning can do!

Image Credit: Reddit

#13. Hard to believe people let such a beautiful place get so messy.

Image Credit: Reddit

#14. Actually makes you want to sit there now.

Image Credit: Reddit

#15. Manila Bay after a judge ordered it cleaned up. Wowzers.

Image Credit: Reddit

#16. In their school unis and everything.

Image Credit: Instagram

#17. I’m sure the horse helped.

Image Credit: Instagram

It’s not too late to do your part – get out there and clean, people!

 

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These 10 Cities are the Hardest-Working Spots in America

Americans pride themselves in being hardworking people. We work hard, we play hard. But which American cities stand a cut above the rest in rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done?

The finance website Wallethub calculated the work ethic of American cities by looking at a bunch of data, including employment rate, length of the average workweek, unused vacation days, and how many people work multiple jobs.

Wallethub rated cities on a 100-point scale, and the highest-ranking city (which you’ll see at the bottom) scored a 79.

Explore this interactive map and see the 116 cities ranked in order by clicking this link to see how your city sizes up.

10. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

9. Cheyenne, Wyoming

Photo Credit: Flickr,Michel Rathwell

8. Austin, Texas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

7. Aurora, Colorado

Photo Credit: Flickr,Ken Lund

6. Denver, Colorado

Photo Credit: Max Pixel

5. Plano, Texas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

4. Virginia Beach, Virginia

Photo Credit: Flickr,Jason Pratt

3. Irving, Texas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

2. San Francisco, California

Photo Credit: Pixabay

1. Anchorage, Alaska

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Did any of these findings surprise you?

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Sexist Guy Posts His “12 Rules for Beautiful Women,” Gets Destroyed by the Internet

What is it with sexist jerks trying to tell other people how to live? It’s absolutely ridiculous. The only solace I have is that the internet tends to put them back in their place pretty quick.

Take Alexander J.A. Cortes, for example. The self-proclaimed “trainer”, “writer”, and speaker recently took to Twitter and laid out his 12 rules for “How to be a Beautiful Woman.”

Photo Credit: Instagram

Cortes has a history of tweeting out misogynistic views so this was really nothing new, but it caused a lot of people to respond nonetheless.

Here’s the tweet heard ’round the world that set off such a firestorm.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Cortes continued…

Photo Credit: Twitter

“Only a man can tell a woman how act.” Wow. And then he ended on this note.

Photo Credit: Twitter

As you can probably imagine, women were pretty livid.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Cortes obviously is a Grade A-level troll and he replied to his haters with another Tweetstorm.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

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Photo Credit: Twitter

This “roadmap” he mentions was a retweet from this guy.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Unless you’re blind, you can see that this guy is quite the catch. And the ladies let it loose once again.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

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And, finally…

Photo Credit: Twitter

THE END.

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English Man Becomes the Second Person Ever to Be Cured of HIV

Nearly 10 years ago, scientists used a stem cell transfusion to functionally cure someone of HIV. Unfortunately, it’s been difficult to replicate that success… until now. A second individual has been found to show no signs of the virus after 18 months, and the results could bring hope to people affected by HIV around the world.

The idea for curing these people via blood transfusion is born from the fact that people who receive a Δ32 mutation of the CCR5 gene from both parents are naturally resistant to HIV-1. The mutation is rare, however, so the chance that both of your parents are carriers is something like winning the genetic lottery – but what if we could inject stem cells from those lucky people into those already infected?

Image Credit: Pixabay

The approach is what led to Timothy Ray Brown, the “Berlin Patient” being functionally cured in 2007 – he has stayed that way since – after effectively having his immune system transplanted.

The treatments are expensive and dangerous, however, and the fact that Brown already had one Δ32 mutation played in his favor. This time around, with the “London patient,” a double Δ32 stem cell transfusion was needed.

Both patients also had cancer diagnoses, which led to the out-of-the-box treatment idea and is why it hadn’t been conceived of or tried before 10 years ago.

Image Credit: Pixabay

A functional cure is different from what’s known as an eradicated cure in that the former means copies of the virus could still be in the body unactivated and undetectable at current levels.

That said, there is reason for hope, according to Professor Ravindra Guptra, one of the study’s authors.

“By achieving remission in a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly, and that it really was the treatment approaches that eliminated HIV in these two people.”

Image Credit: Pixabay

The problem with celebrating is that currently, this treatment approach will be difficult to repeat on a wide scale. Doctors believe that the chemotherapy played a role in the gene therapy success because the process temporarily destroys fast-dividing cells, leaving space for replacement. People who do not have cancer are typically treated with antiretrovirals, and for now, that’s more effective than short-term chemotherapy and a stem cell transfer.

Also, there aren’t enough stem cell donors that have the Δ32 mutation to make it a viable option on a wider scale – there are currently 37 million people infected with HIV.

That said, drug-resistant strains of HIV are becoming more widespread, so having alternative options may be live-saving news in the near future.

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15 Baffling Unsolved Mysteries That Simply Defy Explanation

I’m the type of person who NEEDS answers to things. I absolutely hate leaving questions unanswered. I actually have to keep myself away from mystery documentaries, because I will start yelling at the TV. I just love a good mystery (possibly too much).

These AskReddit users feel the same way I do and they shared mysteries that are so confounding that they have no possible explanation.

What are some of your favorite true unsolved mysteries? Share them in the comments.

#1. A strange situation

“When I was 7 or 8, we had this neighbor who was a super nice old lady that would give us snacks and talk to us through her window. She was agoraphobic and never, ever, ever left the house. Her kids would come by every other day or so to check up on her and everyone in the neighborhood knew them. One day me and my friends were outside playing like always, when her son comes to bring her groceries like always.

He comes out and asks if we’ve talked to his mom and we say we havent seen her in a day or 2. That sweet little old lady vanished from her house. Apparently no trace of her. Family was around alot after that was obviously was freaking out. I moved away a few years later but they never found out what happened. It wasn’t till I was an adult that I realized how f*cked that whole situation was.”

#2. The stranger

“Kind of personal, and I’m a bit late, but here goes:

While visiting Rome a few years back, the group I was with decided to tour the Vatican. One of our friends had a friend who was a brother studying to be a Priest. He was going to get us past the tourist barriers for a closer look at everything while we participated in a small mass at one of the numerous altars.

When we met up with this fellow, he immediately struck me as someone that I had met before. Almost someone that I had a good friendship with, but couldn’t explain where or why I had known him. I didn’t mention anything, as I was too busy hiding the pocket knife that I’d accidentally left in by bag before trying to get into the basilica.

The tour was interesting and the mass was a unique experience, but the whole time this feeling like I knew the man was haunting me. He invited us out to a coffee shop afterwards, and I took the time to retrieve the pocketknife I hid under a trash can.

When I returned, there was a seat for me right in front of the brother. I sat down, apologized, and started to listen to the conversations. Yet as soon as this guy has the chance to talk to me directly, he says, “Have I met you before? I have this strange feeling that we know each other but I can’t place it.”

I was blown away. We both were. This was the first conversation we had, and we both believed we had know each other personally. But when he explained his life over back in America, I couldn’t think of any reasonable explanation as to where we met. And even if we did, the feeling was that of close friends, not of a “I shook hands with you once.”

#3. Utterly confused

“I have a personal mystery. When I got home from uni and before I found a job I had a period of time where I stayed at my family home. Due to being home alone often during this time I tended to be the one who collected the mail and did odd home jobs. One day we had a particularly large amount of letters and parcel (for my brother’s birthday) and because two trips are for weak people I struggled and carried them all into the house. I managed to throw the letters onto the table but about half slipped onto the floor (this is important).

Thinking screw it, I carry the box upstairs to the office and come back down to pick the letters up. Yet, when I come back into the kitchen there are no letters anywhere. Confused, I check every downstairs table and eventually the mail box. Nothing at all. Finally I go back into the kitchen and notice one of the kitchen chairs is slightly pulled out from under the table. I pull it all the way out and under the cushion on the seat is a neat pile of the letters. There was no one but me at home for a few hours before this. Utterly confused till this day.”

#4. Wizardry

“I once did a magic trick in front of 20 people as a teenager. We had orchestrated it, so there were 2 of us.

So the trick is, I ask someone from the audience to pick a card, hold it above their head in front of the crowd, but card back facing me, so the entire crowd sees the card. Now someone on the other side of the window behind the crowd also sees the card, and with the crowd facing forwards, they don’t see him. So he plasters the card from another deck, on the window, and when he’s done doing that, I throw the entire deck at the window, and lo and behold, their card is now stuck on the other side of the window.

What happened surprised not only the crowd, but myself and my co-magician as well.

I throw the deck and the EXACT card is not only plastered on the other side of the window, it is also stuck on OUR side of the window, right next to it. My mind was blown and I still can’t explain it to this day. We played it as a part of the trick, so nobody in that crowd knows what sort of black wizardry went down that day.”

#5. A personal mystery

“Personal mystery: 20+ years ago I had a very brief job selling gas services door to door (side note, I’m not good at selling things, especially those I don’t truly believe in). Anyway, as dusk just started to arrive, near 5 pm, I knocked on a door and an old woman answers. I gave her my standard “ we can save you $$ by switching to xxx gas, my we look over your latest bills and our offerings to compare?” She tells me “I’m sorry, honey, I don’t live here, this is my son’s house, let me get him for you” and I politely accept.

After maybe 5-7 10 of waiting, I think maybe they’d forgotten me or were trying to blow me off so I have one last knock and this time a younger man, mid-40’s I’d guess, answers and asks if he can help me. I give him the same sales speech and he stops me midway and says “now is not a good time, we just buried my mother today”. I’m apologized and quickly backed away. I tell myself it was a nice way to mess with the door to door guy but I really don’t know to this day.”

#6. That is strange

“Two days before the space shuttle Challenger blew up I dreamt I was at the launch. The shuttle took off and caught the gantry. It started to veer off and I could hear the occupants screaming. Two days later I was having s home haircut and my daughter came in to tell me the news on the tv. It sent shivers down my spine. Of course it was coincidence but very creepy.

The strangest thing was that I wouldn’t have attended the launch – I live in UK and such a visit was unthinkable.”

#7. No idea how that happened…

“When I was in high school, my aunt gave me a t-shirt for my birthday. It was kind of sparkly and not something I ever would buy for myself, but I sometimes wore it. One day I realized I had two of this shirt in my closet. No idea how that happened. I could never think of a good explanation, although there must be one… Still seems strange.”

#8. A true mystery

“I was late for an appointment one day and was speeding up a hill with a big curve to the right, the direction I was going. Almost as soon as I got around the curve I saw there was an accident in front of me, blocking both lanes on my side. (Since there were only one or two other cars stuck behind it it must’ve just happened, because there were no emergency vehicles there yet.)

To the right of me was a sidewalk where people were standing gawking, and to my left was oncoming traffic in the other two lanes, so I couldn’t go around it, and I was going too fast to be able to stop in time. I knew if I relaxed I was less likely to be as severely injured, so I quickly shut my eyes and relaxed as much as I could.

And absolutely nothing happened.

When I opened my eyes, I could see the crash behind me in my rear view mirror and I was continuing along an empty (on my side) road.

This happened about 35 years ago, and to this day I have no idea how that happened.”

#9. Never figured it out

“When I still lived at home and came back from a night out my mother would often be up reading & if I wasn’t too tired I’d sit with her a bit and chat before going to bed. This was regular occurrence for years.

A couple years after I moved out I get a text from my mom one Sunday morning asking where I’d gone.

Was a little surprised as I was just in my apartment.

She tells me that last night I came home late and we chatted for a bit and she was surprised that I had left the house so early in the morning.

Now occasionally, I would still stop by my parents place to crash for the night depending on where I was in the city but I’d always let them know first.

Figured my mom has just dreamt this. So I call her and explain that I wasn’t there & ask what we talked about.

She summarizes the conversation and gives me details about things she shouldn’t have known about my night out eg. What was going on in the lives of the friends I had seen that night.

Never figured it out but now my mom teases and says she knows what I’m up to all the time.”

#10. They never turned up

“We lived in a bi-level house with a chest freezer in the basement and the kitchen on the second floor.

When I was younger I was a teenager I was asked to bring tatertots upstairs so my mom could make a casserole. I went and grabbed them and came upstairs.

When I got upstairs the tater-tots were no longer in my hands, and my mom asked where they were, I thought I had just spaced out and forgot them. So I went back downstairs and they weren’t in the freezer anymore. Searched literally every square inch/nook and cranny between the chest freezer and the kitchen and they were not anywhere.

They never ever turned up. To this day my mom thinks I was playing a dumb prank on her. My most plausible explanation is that we live in a computer simulation and they got accidentally glitched out of it.”

#11. The watch

“I bought my husband a watch for his 30th birthday engraved with his name. Not long after he lost it somewhere in the house. We searched everywhere for it but it couldn’t be found. Fast forward 13 years and my husband has a heart attack and dies instantly.

Two weeks later our 2 yo son walks out of the bathroom holding his watch. There are no cupboards in there- just a shower and bath. He’s very excited to have it and to this day, I have no idea where he got it from.”

#12. The ring

“Lost my class ring when I was 20. About 8-10 months later I move 1000 miles away. Only brought a few clothes and my car. Someone hit me and totaled my car while there…twice, be careful driving in Florida. Bought a new car (twice). Lived there for a year. Then moved about 200 miles away. A month after moving to the new town I receive a call from a church. They received a donation of clothes. While sorting them out they found a class ring with my name etched inside the band. My new home number came up when they searched my name. The church was about two miles from where we just moved.

My wife didn’t get rid or donate any clothes. I thought it must be a mistake, but decided to go take a look. Sure enough, it was mine. I looked through the clothes they found it in and they weren’t mine or my wife’s. Still no idea how it could have ended up 1,100 miles from where I lost it.”

#13. No glass…anywhere

“A little late but this story still makes me sleep with the lights on whenever I think of it. My sister and I were upstairs at my grandparents house where we lived. We were playing some Disney princess game on our TV. All of a sudden we hear a loud piece off glass shatter. It seriously sounded like someone dropped a chandelier.

My uncle who was visiting at the time came sprinting up the stairs because he thought we were being assaulted. He checked in the next room that the sound came from and nothing had fallen. There were no glass shards anywhere. Kinda creeped him out as well.”

#14. That is creepy

“Personal story and a something that still bothers me till this day.
I’m a soccer/football coach of kids (great way to earn money when you’re a student) and each year we have a couple of ‘open’ practices where parents bring their kids to see if they like soccer etc. After one of these practices a kid walks up to me and says ‘I’m sorry that you lost your grandma’. I was a bit confused and I said ‘Ooh no, you must think of someone else’ and I just shrugged it of.

The next day I woke up for school and my parents told me my grandma died in her sleep and that her nurse found her in bed that morning.

The kid might have mistaken me for someone else but it still bugs me. Also; he never showed up at practice again.”

#15. We thought so

“I was in NYC near Grand Central Station, and a pair of Hasidic Jews came up to my wife and me and pointedly asked me whether my last name was “Igor”. I said uh, yeah? They said “we thought so.” and walked away. I still have no idea what the context was nor how they knew my last name among a busy commuting crowd.”

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This Doc’s Decision to Write His Name on His Scrub Cap is Making Hospitals Everywhere Safer

Most of us only have experience in hospitals and operating rooms as the patient, and between the whirlwind of prep and our own nerves it’s all but impossible to remember the names of the dozen or so people littering the room, never mind why they’re there in the first place.

It turns out that the surgeons, nurses, anesthetists, et al have similar issues with remembering each others names and roles, as well, which can slow them down and even cost patients their lives in extreme situations.

The World Health Organization surgical safety checklist requires all staff to introduce themselves before surgery, but Dr. Hackett noticed that the section of the checklist was ticked without being completed – and even when it was, names and duties would go in one ear and out the other.

“When it’s done properly,” he says, “there are a few giggles from people, which tells me it’s not done regularly.”

This is why Australian anesthetist Dr. Rob Hackett started wearing a scrub cap that said “Rob Anaesthetist” on it when entering an operating theatre. He challenged others to do the same through #TheatreCapChallenge, an initiative from the PatientSafe Network in response to concerns over how avoidable mistakes and poor communication can contribute to poor outcomes for patients.

Image Credit: Twitter

Dr. Hackett says he’s faced pushback from some doctors but hopes that in the future a wider range of professionals will jump on board.

“There were some snide remarks, like ‘can’t you remember your name?’ …While there’s been support for name & role caps from anaesthetic and obstetric societies, it’s interesting to observe that we’re yet to receive any active support from a surgical college. Here’s a golden opportunity for them to face up to the bullying nature they’ve been tarred with.”

Even though the movement has room to grow, medical professionals from across the globe are showing their support by making their own caps and tweeting selfies using his hashtag #TheatreCapChallenge. Others agree with Dr. Hackett that knowing everyone’s name can save vital, life-and-death seconds in an operating room.

While it may sound crazy to think just having to repeat something or ask someone’s name, when seconds literally count, no positive change is too small.

“I went to a cardiac arrest in a theatre where there were about 20 people in the room,” Dr. Hackett recalls. “I struggled to even ask to be passed some gloves because the person I was pointing to thought I was pointing to the person behind them. It’s so much easier to coordinate when you know everyone’s names. It’s great for camaraderie and it’s great for patients as well.”

His movement is picking up steam and the data suggests there are benefits that reach beyond his original intent.

“UK studies have shown increased name recall amongst staff from 42 to 85%, increased name and role introductions during the surgical safety checklist from 38 to 90%. Simulation studies at Stanford University in the US demonstrated greatly increased communication and theatre efficiency.”

Women who have c-sections and are generally awake in an operating theatre also benefit from being able to address the people around them and have an awareness of why they’re there, as well.

An unintended benefit of writing on a scrub cap could also be people choosing to purchase re-usable caps as opposed to single-use ones – as of now, a 20-theatre hospital discards over 100,000 of them every year and spends about $10k of its annual budget on disposable caps. The material they’re made from is harmful to the environment and takes forever to break down, so there’s an environmental and financial upside to switching.

Hackett believes that being forced to admit that they’ve been hurting – even killing – patients for years can be one reason people struggle with accepting his simple fix for the problem.

“Cognitive dissonance is one of the challenges that #TheatreCapChallenge has faced. It’s most likely to affect those who feel defined by their decisions, often those further up the chain of command – in accepting change they’ll need to accept that what was happening previously, on their watch as it were, was not as good.”

Here’s hoping our healthcare providers – all of them – can check their egos at the door in order to forge a better, safer future for everyone who finds their lives in a hospital’s hands.

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10+ Little-Known Facts About Hollywood Actors from the Golden Age

Back in the Golden Era of Hollywood, actors weren’t under nearly as much scrutiny as they are today. Sure, there were some tabloids and paparazzi around, but not to the degree they are today and certainly without nearly the surveillance capabilities that today’s snoops have.

That means that actors back then actually had secrets they could keep… until now.

#1. Lana Turner’s daughter Cheryl was a murderer.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

She stabbed Turner’s abusive boyfriend to death when she was just 14.

#2. Katharine Hepburn did accept second billing once.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

She agreed to be the maid of honor at Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier’s wedding.

#3. Greta Garbo was Hitler’s favorite actress.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

He used to invite her to visit Germany, but the feeling wasn’t mutual – she used to tell people that if she had met him, she would have killed him and gotten away with it.

#4. There were rumors that Shirley Temple was a dwarf.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

People believed there was no way a child could be that talented, and the Vatican even sent someone to investigate.

#5. Lucille Ball was told to give up acting.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Her coaches said she wasn’t talented enough to make it.

#6. Rock Hudson had affairs with both of his Giant co-stars.

The rumor was that Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson had a bet to see who could sleep with James Dean first, and apparently Rock won. —bravetyper

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

The bi-sexual actor had flings with both Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean.

#7. Elizabeth Taylor once saved someone’s life.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

You already knew she was a badass, but she saved Montgomery Clift’s life after he smashed his face during a car accident. He was choking on his teeth and she pulled them out while they waited for the ambulance.

#8. The boy who voiced Peter Pan died penniless and alone.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Bobby Driscoll died unclaimed and unidentified in an abandoned apartment building at the age of 31.

#9. Hedy Lamarr invented the precursor to Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

She helped develop a radio guidance system for torpedoes at the beginning of WWII.

#10. Rita Moreno knew how to make Marlon Brando jealous.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

She dated Elvis. As one does.

#11. Joan Crawford became a recluse at the end of her life.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Why? She was afraid of unflattering photos surfacing like they had once before.

#12. James Dean did a PSA urging young people not to drive recklessly.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

A month later, he died in a car accident.

#13. Audrey Hepburn lived through the German invasion of Holland during WII.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

She survived by eating tulip bulbs.

I’ll never look at their pictures the same!

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10+ Words Most Americans Aren’t Pronouncing Properly

We know we’re not perfect, but if you want to pronounce foreign words and brands correctly, scroll through this list – I know I’ve been saying most of these 12 wrong for a while!

#1. Bayer

Image Credit: Bayer

It’s a German label from a German company, and in Germany they would say it BUY-er. That said, BAY-er is probably going to serve you best here in the USA, since no one would have a clue what you were talking about otherwise.

#2. Adidas

Image Credit: Adidas

No, the name of this German shoe brand doesn’t stand for “All Day I Dream About Sex,” and it’s also not pronounced uh-DEE-duhs, either. It’s AH-dee-DAHS, named for founder Aldoph “Adi” Dassler.

#3. Bokeh

Image Credit: HD Wallpaper

It’s been put into common English use because of the photo apps that use it as an effect, but the recent iPhone ad promoting their Depth Control feature is pronouncing the word wrong.

It’s not BOH-KUH but boh-KAY. Yeah, like the bunch of flowers.

#4. Moschino

Image Credit: Moschino

The letter C is confusing in Italian (in Latin, there are only hard C’s, fun fact), so while most people say mo-SHEE-no or moss-CHEE-no, the correct way it to substitute a hard K sound for the ch – mo-SKI-no.

#5. Ellevest

Image Credit: Ellevest

The female-centric investment firm isn’t pronounced EL-VEST but EL-uh-vest, according to founder Sallie Krawcheck.

#6. Ralph Lauren

Image Credit: Ralph Lauren

For anyone who didn’t watch Friends, this French brand is pronounced Ralph LO-ren, not Ralph Lo-REN.

#7. IKEA

Image Credit: IKEA

You love their cheap-but-stylish furniture and Swedish meatballs, but I have some news for you – according to Swede and LA Galaxy player Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it’s not pronounced eye-KEY-uh, but ee-KAY-uh.

Huh.

#8. Zagat

Image Credit: Zagat

The guide to all things restaurants is named after Tim and Nina Zagat, who pronounce their last name as zu-GHAT, not ZA-gut.

#9. Nutella

Image Credit: Nutella

The actual pronunciation – NUT-el-uh – makes sense, because the yummy spread is made of hazelNUTS not hazelNEWTS.

That said, for some reason Americans insist on referring to it as NEW-tell-uh.

#10. Porsche

Image Credit: Porsche

Save a German’s ears and say this one Poor-shay (and roll the R in the back of your throat) and not Porsh (with your drawl included).

#11. Hyundai

Image Credit: Hyundai

You’re probably pronouncing the car company as HUN-DYE, but in reality, the world (which comes from the Korean word for modernity) is pronounced HUN-DAY (rhymes with Sunday).

#12. Balmain

Image Credit: Balmain

French is hard, y’all, so if you want to sound smart go with Bahl-mah in stead of BALL-MAIN.

The more you know!

The post 10+ Words Most Americans Aren’t Pronouncing Properly appeared first on UberFacts.

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8 Delightful Facts about the Late, Great Alan Rickman

Did you fall in love with Alan Rickman for his role as Snape in Harry Potter, for his iconic part in Dogma, or are you a Hans Gruber-head a la Die Hard?

No matter what your favorite Alan Rickmoment may have been, we can all agree that he was taken from this world far too soon.

At least we have the internet to give us comfort, and today that comes in the form of 8 great facts about an even greater guy.

#1. He has the “perfect male voice,” according to science.

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

In 2008, linguist Andrew Linn and sound engineer Shannon Harris analyzed voice samples from more than 50 people to determine what makes the perfect human voice  – and the answer turned out to be a mixture of Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons.

Helen Mirren’s quote following his death sums that fact – and him – up perfectly:

“Alan was a towering person, physically, mentally, and as an artist. He was utterly distinctive, with a voice that could suggest honey or a hidden stiletto blade, and the profile of a Roman Emperor.”

#2. His first career was in graphic design.

Image Credit: Universal Pictures

Rickman was interested in drama as a teenager, but after studying graphic design at Chelsea College and Royal College of Art, he and a few friends started their own graphic design business called Graphitti. After several successful years he began doing theater and then enrolled at RADA.

#3. He met his longtime partner when he was a teenager.

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

When Alan Rickman was 19 years old he met 18-year-old Rima Horton, and that was it – though they didn’t marry until 2012, they were a couple for 50 years. Rima served as Labour Party councilor on their local council for two decades and worked as an economics lecturer at Kingston University.

#4. He auditioned for Return of the Jedi.

Image Credit: Sony Pictures

It was for the part of Admiral Moff Jerjerrod, who oversaw the construction of the second Death Star. The part went to Michael Pennington.

#5. He made his feature film debut in Die Hard.

Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

Sam Neill turned down the role of Hans Gruber, which turned out to be a stroke of luck for Rickman – though the fact that the casting director for the film loved him on Broadway didn’t hurt.

#6. He was supposed to star in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Image Credit: Sony Pictures

The role of Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral was a breakthrough part for Hugh Grant, but the part was originally supposed to go to Rickman. The man pretty much owes Rickman his career.

#7. He almost turned Gruber down.

Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

He was hesitant to make the leap from stage to screen, as he explained himself in an interview.

“I didn’t know anything about L.A. I didn’t know anything about the film business…I’d never made a film before, but I was extremely cheap.”

And the script?

“What the hell is this? I’m not doing an action movie.”

But after more consideration he realized it was “quite revolutionary, and quietly so.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

#8. His first big break was on the stage.

Image Credit: Universal Pictures

He played Vicomte de Valmont in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985. When he moved to Broadway in 1987, he won both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for the role.

Time for a rewatch…Colonel Brandon will always be too good for Marianne Dashwood.

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