Category: World Culture

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Travel Blogger Shares Her Best Tips for Women Traveling Alone

Traveling is an essential experience that expands your horizons in ways you could never have experienced at home. Traveling with people to share that experience is definitely awesome, but traveling alone is a great experience too!

That said, traveling solo isn’t without its challenges – particularly if you’re a woman. Let’s face it, if you can get harassed walking the block in your own neighborhood, you certainly should trust fate in places where you don’t know the lay of the land or speak the language.

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 of the Most Badass Names for Street Gang Names of the 19th Century

You may not know it, but street gangs have been around for a long, long time. They were even the central theme of Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York.

While the main gang featured in that film was called The Dead Rabbits (which is an awesome name), they were hardly the only ones running the streets at the time. As a matter of fact, there were plenty of 19th-century gangs with colorful names, many of whom operated in New York’s notorious Five Points neighborhood.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Here are 10 that roamed the streets many years ago.

1. Crazy Butch Gang

A gang of teen pickpockets.

2. Molasses Gang

These boys used to bet a shopkeeper he wouldn’t fill up a hat with molasses. When the poor fool did, they’d slap the hat on his head and take all his money.

3. Tub of Blood Bunch

Photo Credit: Public Domain

This gang made the Tub of Blood bar their headquarters and they worked the East River waterfront.

4. Yakey Yakes

The leader was called him “Yake” (mistaken for “Jake”) by a German immigrant and the name stuck.

5. Plug Uglies

Photo Credit: Public Domain

The Plug Uglies were active in New York City and Baltimore and played a prominent role in the 1863 Draft Riots in New York.

6. Kerryonians

Made up of Irishmen from County Kerry.

7. Boodle Gang

They were known to hijack wagons and raid food stores.

8. Corcoran’s Roosters

This crew was known to rob cargo ships. Also known as the Charlton Street Gang.

9. Daybreak Boys

Possibly the coolest name ever for a gang. Like many other gangs of this time period, they worked the waterfront in New York.

10. Baxter Street Dudes

Photo Credit: Public Domain

This gang of thieves consisted of teenagers who formerly worked as newsboys or shoe shiners. They also ran a theater where they performed. You could say they were multi-talented.

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Mysterious Skeleton of Powerful Viking Warrior Confirmed to be Female

Back in 1878, archaeologists came across a Viking burial chamber in an important trade center known as Birka. Judging by the way the body had bee placed into the grave, they assessed that it must have belonged to a prominent Viking warrior.

The body was found buried with their weapons, fancy clothes, and two horses. The assumption at the time was that the remains must have been those of a man,but a DNA study concluded that the remains were biologically female.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Critics of the findings argued that the weapons could have belonged to her husband or that there could have been two skeletons in the grave and the analysis was done on the wrong one. They argued that thinking that women were Viking warriors is wishful thinking and that we don’t have enough historical evidence to support the claim.

Researchers, though, are defending their findings in the journal Antiquity, saying the remains buried in the chamber are “unassailably female.” They confirm that there was only one skeleton in the grave, so they couldn’t have mixed up the remains, and asserted that all documentation was correct.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

“Grave Bj.581 had only one human occupant,” confirms Professor Neil Price to IFLScience. “An extra thigh-bone in the Bj.581 museum storage box – much hyped by our online critics – is clearly labeled as coming from another grave and had just been misplaced in the wrong box (the possibility of which is why bones are labeled to begin with!).”

He also continues to make an even finer point:

“To those who do take issue, we suggest that it is not supportable to react only now, when the individual has been shown to be female, without explaining why neither the warrior interpretations nor any supposed source-critical factors were a problem when the person in Bj.581 was believed to be male.”

Ideas about gender, of course, are not set in stone and vary between cultures, so it’s fair to say the skeleton could belong to a person who was both a female and a warrior, and also to accept the fact that being a woman might not have meant the same thing in that culture as it does in ours today.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Professor Price agrees.

“The body’s XX chromosomes revealed in the genomic study provide an unambiguously female sex determination, but the gender of the Bj.581 individual is a different matter. There is, of course, a broad spectrum of possibilities, many of them involving contested contemporary terminologies that can also be problematic to apply to people of the past.”

The archaeologists on the study expect that, in the future, we’ll probably find more and more Viking Age female warriors, whether they’re new finds or reassessments of remains already catalogued.

The future – and the past – is female, it would seem.

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New Research Reveals Sleep Deprivation Can Actually Damage Your DNA

Tough news for anyone who’s having trouble getting enough sleep (so, basically all of us): a recent study published in Anaesthesia confirms that lack of sleep is so bad for your health, it can actually f*** up your DNA. This, in turn, can cause serious health problems down the road. It’s the first study to “quantify DNA damage directly in young adults who are required to work overnight shifts.”

The research team was out of Hong Kong and studied 49 healthy doctors. 24 of them worked overnight shifts between 5 and 6 times a month. The participants gave blood when they were rested and also after they pulled all-nighters, and gave other health information as well in order to rule out factors that could influence the study.

Image Credit: Pixabay

What they found was that even when the doctors who regularly went without sleep were well-rested, their DNA had lower gene expression, more DNA breaks, and generally appeared more damaged than those doctors who never stayed up all night.

Why does it matter? Well, DNA damage has been linked to a host of health issues, like heart attacks, diabetes, and certain types of cancer – a meta-analysis of 2 million people found a link between working night shifts and the incidence of breast tumors.

Dr. Siu-Wai Choi of Hong Kong University and senior author of the study, said in a statement:

“Although this work is very preliminary, it is clear from the results that even a single night of sleep deprivation can trigger events that may contribute to the development of chronic disease.”

This is, of course, just one single study, and more research is needed to determine the significance of the relationship between the DNA damage and the sleep deprivation. The sample doctors who were often pulling overnighters tended to be younger than the other group and all of the participants were of Chinese descent. A much wider study would need to be conducted to confirm findings.

Image Credit: Pixabay

“This study is important in that it will allow future researchers to study the impact of changing the way we work and other interventions by evaluation DNA breaks in the same way as the authors of this groundbreaking study have done.”

There are other factors that could come into play, like shift workers having a greater predisposition to suffering from chronic illness, changes to activity and eating patterns, and disruptions to circadian rhythms and sex hormone balances.

Even though the findings need to be confirmed, it seems safe to say that if you take care to do everything you can to stay healthy in the future, don’t skimp on the sleep – it’s as important as anything else you do with your body.

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China Had to Close their Everest Base Camp Because It’s Basically Just a Pile of Garbage

That’s gotta be humiliating!

China recently had to tell tourists that their Mount Everest base camp is closed… because it is too full of trash.

Photo Credit: Twitter/PretoriaRecord

According to Xinhua Net, that not only are tourists prevented from entering the zone, but climbing permits will be limited to only 300 per year. That’s a third fewer than normal.

So, is this China’s fault?

Nope.

This has been a problem that has been happening for YEARS.

According to South China Morning Post, Nepal has implemented a $4,000 trash deposit cost per team due to all the trash that climbers leave behind.

Only problem with that are climbers are usually rich, so they don’t care about the deposit. Only half the climbers in recent years have been bringing down the required amount of garbage.

And that doesn’t even take into account the fecal matter. Because, yes, people go to the bathroom on the mountain. 12,000 lbs. worth every year.

Here’s hoping that China can figure out how to get their camp clean, and then help work on the rest of this mess.

Yuck.

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Does Having Children Before Marriage Raise Your Risk for Divorce?

Divorce is pretty common these days but it was actually less common as recently as just a few decades ago.

That said, many people find the idea of committing to a child easier than committing to another full-grown adult, and are choosing a partner for parenting before they go all-in with a wedding.

The good news? If you do decide, after having kids, to pull the trigger on an ‘I do,” your odds for ending up divorced are no better (or worse) than if you married before getting pregnant.

Image Credit: Pixabay

While divorce rates are on a decline, it’s important to point out that the number of people getting married in the first place is also 25-30% lower than it was during the boomer generation. Fewer people (and couples) are having children at all, as well, and for the first time ever there are more unmarried than married women under thirty giving birth.

Kelly Musick from Cornell University was the study‘s coauthor, and she told Live Science that she and her team analyzed data from the CDC to compare families who had babies between 1985-1995 and those who had babies between 1997-2010. The result?

Since 1997, couples who had children first were likely to get married eventually, and no more likely to get divorced than people who married before having kids.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Why? The study says there is more than one factor at play.

“They’ve got marriage on the back of their minds, but wait to take that step until they feel they’ve met these pretty high standards. The increasing stability of relationships involving cohabitation and the declining importance of marriage timing relative to parenthood is consistent with waning social pressure to marry and the blurring of boundaries between marriage and cohabitation.”

The study did not compare planned pregnancies to unplanned ones, which could make a difference since unexpected surprises can be a huge challenge for couples to navigate. Unexpected pregnancies can make couples feel more pressure to commit to each other even if they have a sense that it won’t work.

Sexologist and author Nikki Goldstein told Fatherly “…there might not have been a long term commitment made before the baby is born, for some there might be questions. Like if they did not have a child together would they have stayed together.”

Issues like that can breed resentment, but in couples who are already living together and plan to bring a baby into the mix, it’s not a consideration.

Image Credit: Pixabay

So, as long as your pregnancies are planned, you don’t have to say “I do” before little ones come along.

But don’t think that means you don’t have to work on your marriage and make it a priority when you can – kids or not, married first or not, the chance for divorce is always lurking.

I’ll leave you on that happy note!

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Santa-holics Will Want to Live at This Gorgeous Inn Where It’s Christmas 365 Days a Year

Sure, Christmas has been over for months now, but there are some people whose Christmas spirits never die. These are folks who are always wearing a reindeer shirt underneath their regular clothes, who have a shrine dedicated to Santa Claus, and who drink eggnog year-round (ok, that last one I can get on board with).

If that’s you, then you may want to visit 119 Christmas Tree Lane in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, also known as The Inn at Christmas Place. There, nestled at the foot of the Smoky Mountains, Christmas lovers will find that all of their wildest dreams have come true – it’s Christmas every single day of the year.

It’s basically Disneyland for the people who count down the days until they can put up their tree every year.

No matter what month it is, no one at the Inn at Christmas Place will shame you for reveling in holiday magic – in fact, they go out of their way to create it. The lobby features a year round, fully decorated tree, there’s a glockenspiel playing Christmas carols, every room comes with a wreath, and a Singing Santa has been serenading guests for more than a decade (he even reads stories in the lobby a couple of days a week!).

The inn also offers modern amenities like an indoor pool and spa, a business center, and an on-site gym (all of which appear decorated by someone with the holiday enthusiasm of Buddy the Elf, of course), but for the most serious celebrators among you, the Santa Suite is where you want to be.

It comes complete with over-the-top decor, a balcony that overlooks the courtyard, a two-person whirlpool, a fireplace, and your own personal Christmas tree.

Oh, and Santa Claus himself will hand-deliver you a special present sometime during the night (make sure you’re asleep, or no dice!).

As if you needed further enticement to book your trip, the inn hosts several special events during the year, like Christmas in July and Mountain Fest (make your own soap and apple butter while dancing to mountain music and blowing way too much cash on homespun crafts), and it offers special packages, like one that includes tickets to Dolly Parton’s nearby Dixie Stampede.

Everyone knows a country Christmas is the best kind of Christmas, after all, and there’s no better place to find one of those than deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains.

I could keep going, but we both know I had you at Santa Claus. Happy travels!

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60 Years Later, Russia Re-Opens Investigation into Deadly Incident at Dyatlov Pass

For most people, the most horrifying thing to happen on a hiking/camping trip would be too many bugs or running out of toilet paper.

For nine Russian skiers on a short trip through the Ural mountains in 1959, however, it got much worse. Sometime in the middle of the freezing winter night, something absolutely destroyed their tents and left their bodies strewn at various distances – up to a mile – from the campsite, half dressed and shoeless.

Most of them froze to death – their bodies were only discovered once the snow thawed months later. But for others, the cause of death was more of a mystery. One of their heads was bashed in, two had shattered ribs, and one – get this – was missing his tongue and eyes.

Image Credit: Public Domain

Yeah.

So, at this point, you’re thinking it’s got to be either a Yeti or an Ice Dragon to blame, right? Maybe the Russian government was thinking that too. The Soviet military opened an investigation into what happened, but abruptly closed it after three months, claiming “The spontaneous power of nature” was the culprit. Then, the investigation was classified and kept locked down until the 1970s.

Image Credit: Dyatlov Pass.com

It’s vague conclusions like this that get the conspiracy theorists worked up, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m one of them. After all, there was absolutely no evidence of foul play, so some theories had already posited it could have been a hurricane, an avalanche, or a freak wind storm that had caused all the devastation. If the report had found that it was any of those things, frankly, you’d think that it would have said, “These nine people were killed by an avalanche.”

But instead, we’re getting “The spontaneous power of nature” ripped this guy’s eyeballs out and left all of these half-naked skiers for dead in the snow?

Image Credit: Public Domain

If that’s what nature does, I’m never leaving my house again. Thanks, Russia.

It seems like the explanation wasn’t good enough for modern researchers, either. The investigation was reopened in 2019, but only to investigate the three “most likely [theories],” all of which are “somehow connected with natural phenomena.” That’s fine if you really still think it was an avalanche, but if you’re one of the theorists who think it was aliens, or that it was all staged to cover up an advanced weapons program? Well, no contemporary technology in the world is going to uncover something the Russians want to keep secret.

Including Ice Dragons.

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10+ Hotel Hacks to Remember on Your Next Trip out of Town

I love to travel, but I have to admit there are definitely parts of that I kind of dread. From less-than-stellar hotel sites to long plane rides, there’s a lot that can mess your day up.

While there isn’t a fix for all of those woes, we do have some pretty handy tips about getting the most out of your hotel stay. Read on!

#1. Those hospital corners are good for something after all.

Image Credit: Reddit

I might even start using them at home.

#2. Sneaky…

Image Credit: Reddit

As long as someone doesn’t pilfer your Chapstick. Or you don’t lose it (I’m always losing it).

#3. They may not give you a fridge, but they give you a bucket.

Image Credit: Reddit

And free ice.

#4. This is a game-changer for international travel.

Image Credit: Reddit

One adapter plus a power strip instead of half a dozen adapters? Yes!

#5. Blackout curtains in a flash.

Image Credit: Reddit

Because hotels should be good for sleeping in, if nothing else.

#6. Another phone hack!

Image Credit: Reddit

And this one keeps the germs off in the process.

#7. Instead of buying those expensive little travel containers that break, use something you probably already have…

Image Credit: Reddit

An old contact lens case.

#8. This hack has saved a suitcase full of clean clothes more than once.

Image Credit: Reddit

Seriously, it’s worth the time.

#9. When you just can’t be bothered to hold your phone.

Image Credit: Reddit

And you’re too cheap to pay for a flight with television.

#10. Need more counter space?

Image Credit: Reddit

There’s a hack for that!

#11. No bottle opener? No problem!

Image Credit: Reddit

Your door might be able to do double duty.

#12. Never leave your phone charger behind again.

Image Credit: Reddit

Just attached your car keys to it and problem solved.

Happy travels!

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People Share Stories of Times They Got the Help They Needed, and We Can All Learn from Them

While the narrative of the “self-made man” is one that’s been pushed a lot over the last few decades, the fact of the matter is that everyone needs a helping hand now and then. Even the world’s most powerful CEO is helpless if his sports car breaks down on a remote country road. There’s no shame in it, and it’s important that we give people the help they need when they need it, because you never know how much it might mean to the person you’re helping.

These 10 Twitter users shared their personal stories about when they were in dire straits and received a helping hand that they haven’t ever forgotten about.

1. “It is never wrong to help someone.”

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. It gets better.

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Everyone deserves a chance. 

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. A little goes a long way…

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. “…more than many will ever know.”

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. “Quite well” ain’t too shabby.

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Teach your children well.

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. “You can’t teach a hungry child.”

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Pay it back x 100.

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. Hard work.

Photo Credit: Twitter

This is why it is important to never assume anything about anyone, because you never really know where they’ve been and what they are going through unless you’ve walked in their shoes. And if you know someone is in need, help them out in any way you can. Paying it forward is real.

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