Category: World Culture

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People Talk About What Needs to Stop Being Romanticized

Things always look better through rose-colored glasses.

You know that’s the truth!

Some things just seem to get better with time…even if they really don’t deserve it. And we’re about to get an earful about what people think about this!

AskReddit users talked about things they think should stop being romanticized. Let’s take a look.

1. In reality…

“Depression.

There’s nothing romantic about not showering for three days and forgetting what it’s like to be able to feel things.”

2. Don’t be a creep.

“Stalkers.

When a person says they are not interested in you, walk away. They are not playing hard to get. They are not pretending. They are not sending mixed-messages.

Don’t follow them around. Don’t call/message/email them. Don’t “accidently” run into them at different places. Don’t make them socialize with you.

No matter how hard Hollywood tries to sell it, there is nothing romantic about a guy who can’t take rejection or understand and accept the word “no”.”

3. Too much work.

“Overworking.

The people at my job seem to make it a contest of who sacrifices more for their job. Who works the most overtime? Who does things off the clock for work more? Etc.

It’s bullsh*t.

I have a life and a family I want to prioritize.”

4. It’s not real life.

“Many romance stories focus on a male character who is ‘broken’ and is ‘fixed’ by the female protagonist.

Women craft a relationship standard from this – a man cannot be for her if he is not damaged.”

5. Not fun for everyone.

“High school.

There is so much more bullsh*t in high school but the media decides to romanticize one TEENSY part of it.

Take it from a high schooler, romance is such a tiny part of it that it’s barely even recognized anymore.”

6. So true.

“Alcoholism.

I am thankful I never made it such a habit that it ever became a problem, but between the commercials urging you to buy beer and liquor, the movies and television that treat binges as always fun and always s*x-filled, and the general cultural passivity with it (the fact I can drink with my parents no problem but will likely never, EVER smoke weed with them) is just painfully misleading.

I think of the people who truly struggle with alcoholism and how much it must pain them to watch TV or even just be out anywhere it is served. Maybe someone with that sort of perspective here can correct or enlighten me, but it just seems like a very difficult world to recover from alcohol dependency.

To clarify, I’m not anti-drinking. I used to drink on a weekly basis, whereas now it’s on special occasions only. Idk, so many things about it just don’t appeal to me anymore.

The emotional and relational problems…the trauma drunk behavior can bring, the wake-up headaches that make your head feel split in half, the vast amount of car accidents and fatalities inebriation causes, the numbing of your emotions (for better or worse), the amount of weight it makes you gain, the number of people who feel they cannot have fun without it.

To me it’s legitimately tragic just how much society encourages us, whether culturally or economically, to drink. I would argue cigarettes in the same vain, however I think society has generally embraced the anti-cigarettes mantra much more in recent years, though it’s still bad.”

7. Toxic.

“”Struggle love” or whatever you wanna call toxic relationships that slowly suck the life out of you and ruin your mental health. Relationships are not the misery olympics where you get a gold medal in the end if you put up with the most bullsh*t.

Your partner should make you happy at least 95% of the time, if it’s the opposite then you need to get the hell out of there instead of endlessly trying to ‘make it work’.

There’s nothing romantic or glamorous about wasting the only life you have with a loser who lies, cheats, uses, and abuses you.”

8. Not a good life.

“The Mafia.

Media makes them out to be bad*sses who are making money hand over fist.

Go watch Donnie Brasco and Al Pachino’s character. A life-long mafioso who drives a sh*tty car, has an average at-best apartment, and is constantly wondering if he’s going to get killed every day he wakes up.

Who the hell would want that life? But, a lot of these guys are Neanderthal morons who only know crime.”

9. Bad boys.

“The whole concept of “bad boys”.

Why is manipulative and abusive portrayed as hot? If anyone abuses you in any way, it’s not hot, it’s a serious problem.

For some reason, many movie/book plots overly romanticize the concept and it’s sick. Same thing goes for Stockholm Syndrome.”

10. Enough of this.

“The tortured artist.

I hate the idea of “only those that suffer can make great art”. Yes, there are people who have a rough life and make amazing things but that is a small percentage of people who actually get noticed. You can be smart, passionate, sincere, dedicated, or creative and make amazing art.

If we promote the idea that true art only comes from people who have suffered then that promotes the idea of self inflicting suffering while detracting from those who have made really amazing art but haven’t “truly suffered” for it.”

11. Yikes.

“Public marriage proposals, where the other party is basically shamed into accepting.

I heard someone on a podcast years ago telling their story about being proposed to on a cruise ship in front of hundreds. She said she leaned in, kissed the man, whispered in his ear “no but keep smiling”.”

12. Stay home.

“Working while sick.

JUST STOP! It’s not tough of you. You’re not taking one for the team. You’re probably about to take the whole team out.

I get it. Some workplaces have punitive policies for taking sick days (scary sidenote: like every single hospital I’ve ever worked). Some of us can’t afford not to work that shift.

But those are policy questions we should be pushing back on as soon as this administration is in the history books and we can finally get back to boring policy making again.”

13. Glamour and glitz.

“Celebrities. Fake people living fake, manufactured lives, yet the media insists that we care what they think, what they wear, who they’re voting for, who they’re f*cking.

All because they were born with some genetic gift, or born into the right family, or some other twist of fate thrust them into the limelight. It used to just be Hollywood types.

Now we have this whole generation of insta models, reality stars, and other “influencers” whose only contribution to society is their shameless self promoting bullsh*t. And people eat it up.

Meanwhile we have skyrocketing rates of teen depression and suicide because kids are bombarded with these impossible standards of beauty and popularity in their formative years.”

Now we’d like to get your thoughts.

In your opinion, what do people need to stop romanticizing?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

The post People Talk About What Needs to Stop Being Romanticized appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share Their Opinions About What Never Stopped Being Cool

Some things are cool and they always have been.

Bruce Springsteen. The Ramones. Martin Scorsese. Converse All-Stars. Also a whole lot of little things in life, too!

It’s just the way it is!

So let’s learn about some more eternally cool stuff.

AskReddit users talked about what was, is, and always shall be cool.

1. Nice and wholesome.

“Being the guy out of the group that waits for you when you have to stop and tie your shoe.

I LOVE that guy!”

2. Kindness.

“Being the type of person who is kind without trying to get recognized for it.

My whole family tries to be this way. As a kid, there were always strange people by the house……I asked my parents when I got a little older why they had a bunch of whacky friends.

They were nice to everyone unless you gave them a reason not to be. That lead to all the strangers and outcasts that were always dumped on by *ssholes feeling like they had a home and a friend.

I try to live by the same code because “normal” is nothing more than a setting on the dryer.”

3. That’s right.

“Sticking up for people in need.

I went to school with a mentally challenged girl from preschool through high school. She always said hi to me and I would ask her how she was, almost every single day.

One day in middle school she started walking across the street without looking and got hit by a car. She wasnt badly injured, just a few scrapes and bruises. Well a couple weeks after that she was trying to cross the street to get to school but the traffic was bad and she was scared to try to cross.

I had just parked my car and started walking to the school. I heard her yell my name from across the street and start waving. I yelled back and asked if she was ok. She asked if I would help her cross the street. I didn’t think anything of it and just kinda started walking across the street and stopped traffic.

I got to the side she was on and took her hand and I helped her across the street. She said thank you many times and we went about our day. I never thought it was a big deal but it must have been to her because throughout the rest of our school years she would randomly tell me thank you for helping her across the street.”

4. The best.

“Tony Hawk.

I’m not even into skateboarding and I think he’s cool.”

5. I agree.

“Finding money.

On the ground, in a pair of pants.

Doesn’t matter. Finding money is always cool.”

6. All ages.

“For me it’d be LEGO.

It sparks a joy in most/all people, no matter the age.”

7. Better with age.

“Bob Ross and Mister Rogers get cooler with age.

Both MUCH cooler now than when I was a kid.

They are never going to hit maximum coolness.

They’ll just keep expanding.”

8. Be gentle about it.

“A gentle but witty comeback.”

9. The good stuff.

“A cold beer after a long day of work.

Pizza and beer after helping someone move.

Makes an average beer, average pizza, taste Godly.”

10. Lookin’ sharp.

“Leather jackets.

I wouldn’t mind having one if I could pull it off.”

11. A classic look.

“Jeans, a white t-shirt and some black boots.”

12. Darn right!

“Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton.”

13. American icon.

“Converse will be cool until the end of time.

This is the hill I will die on.”

14. Skate or die!

“Skateboarding.

It’s still absolutely awesome to watch and super fun to practice.”

15. Pretty awesome.

“Electric guitar.

The Les Paul is like 60 years old and still cool.”

What do you think has never gone out of style and will always be cool?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Please and thank you!

The post People Share Their Opinions About What Never Stopped Being Cool appeared first on UberFacts.

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What’s Illegal but People Act Like It Isn’t? Here’s What People Said.

We sure live in a weird world, huh?

Some people obey the law and some don’t.

And then some folks choose WHICH laws they choose to obey, which is a whole different issue…

What’s actually illegal but people act like it isn’t?

Let’s see what folks on AskReddit had to say about this.

1. Not cool.

“Teenagers with leaking each other’s nudes.

I’m a teen myself and seen it happen to many classmates.

Lots of kids don’t realize you can get charged with CP as a minor.”

2. Interesting…

“In the US, telling non-managerial employees not to discuss wages. The National Labor Relations Act — which was passed in 1935 — makes it illegal for an employer to prohibit you in any way from discussion of your wages with others.

Nnless you’re management; as in, actually have control over others’ salaries. Then they can tell you not to disclose those.”

3. Pick it up!

“Not picking up after your dog.

There’s an awful lot of doggie landmines in the dog walking trails where I take my dogs.”

4. It’s not free.

“Stealing artwork and photos from the Internet and using it for commercial purposes without permission (logos, t-shirts etc.).

I’m talking artwork done by currently living artists who are most likely trying to make a living off their work.

Too many people think that just because it’s on the
Internet, means it’s free to use.”

5. Not good.

“I work in downtown Seattle a lot.

So heroin and having your d*ck out.”

6. This scares me.

“Texting while driving.

I live in a college town, and I take a mile walk every morning, and I like to people watch while waiting at crosswalks. It’s infuriating how people can just stare at their phones while driving.

I could understand if it was just when stopped (though you shouldn’t do it even then) but these people roll up to a light, head tilted 90 degrees to the side, one hand on the wheel and it drives me nuts.”

7. Out of the road!

“Jaywalking.

I always wondered where this was actually enforced. Thought it was big cities like New York.

Then I went to New York and realized you cross the street whenever you think you can do so without dying.

Still wondering where it’s actually a thing.”

8. Litterbug.

“Dropping the cigarette butts on the ground.”

9. People do it.

“Recording a baseball game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.”

10. Pretty trashy.

“Stealing.

Holy sh*t, the amount of people that I saw when I had Tiktok actively encouraging and giving tips for shoplifting was f*cking insane.”

11. Gross!

“”Sampling” bulk candy in grocery stores.”

12. A dumb move.

“Drinking and driving.

It’s actually frightening how many people drink and drive regularly.”

13. Too much red tape.

“Giving a homeless person a place to sleep.

Incredible amount of regulation involved in putting someone in a sheltered bed for the night, yet the general public assume it’s an easy process.”

14. Sounds bad.

“In South Africa, literally everything.

It’s not illegal if nobody important sees you and even if they do see you they either dont care or you can probably bribe them.”

15. Weird.

“In the Netherlands, scaffold theft.

It is insane how much scaffolds get stolen.

Worth of thousands of euros.”

What do you think?

What do people not think is illegal, even though IT IS.

Talk to us in the comments!

The post What’s Illegal but People Act Like It Isn’t? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

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Hilarious Posts That Could Only Have Been Written by Canadians

If there’s one thing people know and can count on without a doubt, it’s that Canadians will continue to be delightfully kind and strange in equal measure.

They’re not frighteningly strange, you know…just a bit off.

And they’re not sickeningly sweet, they just try to be nice when they can.

All of which is abundantly clear in these 14 posts, who really couldn’t have been written by anyone else.

14. That’s one brave shopkeep.

Moose are so big.

https://fanndists.tumblr.com/post/48813883416

13. The wallet got the souvenirs?

Or maybe the were for the wallet’s owner…

https://bettiebloodshed.tumblr.com/post/51975511242/awellkept-secret-this-guy-in-my-class-said-his

12. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

Think about it.

https://fressssssssssh.tumblr.com/post/73272270736

11. “Illegal maple syrup dealer.”

Things that only exist in Canada.

https://littleorphanammo.tumblr.com/post/82918806735/myanonymouslove-the-vashta-nerada-i-was-with

10. There’s no need to fight it.

We love y’all just the way you are.

https://albinwonderland.tumblr.com/post/118175722807/i-really-try-to-challenge-canadian-stereotypes-at

9. Wait, Canadians get divorced?

I was unaware.

https://dorian-gray.tumblr.com/post/158747671750/everydayisllkeabattle-sometimes-i-think-canadian

8. It’s the only thing that makes sense honestly.

I’ve known this is the case for awhile.

https://ladamania.tumblr.com/post/94000083642/factsofcanada-the-reason-canadians-are-so-nice

7. That still seems pretty innocent, though.

He just wanted to teach school!

https://royalturkeyz.tumblr.com/post/79376861570/illea-you-guys-all-think-that-canada-is-so

6. It’s a lesson they learn in infancy.

Backed up by actually encountering Canadian geese.

https://vestorthedestroyer.tumblr.com/post/110188552621/sometimes-i-get-mad-at-canadian-steroetypes

5. I have so many questions.

I honestly don’t even know where to start.

https://cheerupqueerup.tumblr.com/post/55638090572/akinators-boyfriend-can-town-mayor

4. They’re like American midwesterners on steroids.

And that’s saying something.

Image Credit: Tumblr

3. I need to know if this really happened.

I want to believe this could save the world.

https://taahko.tumblr.com/post/71481930278/eatsleepandfangirl-sometimes-i-get-offended-by

2. I mean sure, why not?

Can you think of a better one?

https://foreverfangirlingalways.tumblr.com/post/68009317421/lumos5001-brittanias-77-million-people

1. Pics or it didn’t…

Oh. Okay then.

https://pissvortex.tumblr.com/post/60044502452/shinymaplesquid-shinymaplesquid-i-just-got-a

 

I’ve really got to get back to Canada as soon as possible!

Do you have a Canadian in your life that you know and love?

Tell us the best thing about them in the comments!

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This is Why the Whole World Can’t Agree on a Single Time Zone

If you have loved ones who live in different time zones, you know it can be tough to keep things straight. When is too early to send a text? Too late? Do they do Daylight Savings? When?

It’s enough to make you want to tear your hair out – or, in my case, just give up and send texts whenever you feel like it and figure they’ll get to it whenever they’re awake next.

So, why can’t the whole world just get it together? We could agree on a single time zone and all stay in it, for better or worse, don’t you think?

Well, listen. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but it’s not all that simple.

Solar time, which is what creates time zones, is meant to keep clocks consistent wherever we happen to lay our head, and even though it can be a pain sometimes, most experts agree it’s a necessary evil.

Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics, talks about why they were implemented in the first place.

“Time was only measured by placement of the sun, so the sundial dictated what time it was.

Noon in London, for example, came 10 minutes earlier than noon in Bristol, 120 miles (193 kilometers) to the west.

Even after people started using mechanical clocks in Europe in the 1300s, the inconsistencies persisted.”

Things started to get complicated with the advent of railways, and rail travel, in the 1800s. People were suddenly able to travel relatively quickly from one place to the next, and Hanke says that was trouble.

“People were missing trains, and you began to have near misses and train collisions occurring.

In the U.S., every city had a different time standard.

You had 300 local time zones in the U.S., though the railroads eventually condensed it down into 100.”

It was a Scotsman, Sir Sandford Fleming, who missed a train in Ireland and decided to fix things once and for all.

He divided the world into 24 time zones spaced at 15-degree intervals across the planet, and eventually, convinced the world to adopt his system.

Image Credit: Public Domain

Now, time was based not on the local solar day, but on how many time zones separated a location from the Royal Greenwich Observatory in the U.K. Greenwich Mean Time was determined by the average time of day when the sun passed over the Prime Meridian there.

On November 18, 1883, the North American railroads converted to a system of just four time zones – the same ones that remain today. Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time quickly became the standard across the United States.

The advent of air travel, then the internet and mobile devices brought us all closer together, regardless of what time is was here, and in our 24/7 culture, the whole time zone thing is again complicated.

That’s why Hanke and one of his colleagues, physics and astronomy professor Richard Conn Henry have proposed doing away with time zones all together, putting the world on universal time. They’re proposing that it be the same time everywhere, whether it’s dark or light.

Image Credit: Joe Smack

They say their system would make it easier to adjust to travel, for one, and would also mitigate issues of communication in businesses that operate on a global scale. Not only that, but the negative health effects of sleep deprivation and other issues for those who live on the western edges of time zones would also be eliminated.

Some people are already living on universal time, or “zulu time,” as pilots refer to it. Others, like financial traders and others who have to timestamp transactions, also find it easier to use a universal time.

Hanke and other proponents think that, though the idea would be an adjustment for sure, it would be brief. Within a generation, children would no longer associate a certain time with starting work or having breakfast. It might be more like it was when people rose, ate, and rested with the rise and fall of the sun, and nothing more.

When you put it that way, it makes sense. No matter what the clock says, it’s morning when the sun rises, lunch when it crests in the sky, and dinner when it sets.

A world that revolves around mealtimes is definitely something I could support.

How about you?

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Futurists Weigh In on What Our World Might Look Like in 500 Years

Barring any significant scientific advancements, none of us alive today are going to be around in 500 years. That doesn’t mean we can’t harbor some curiosity about whether or not our planet will look the same for our descendents, or different?

If it’s going to look different, how will it look different? It can be a crazy thing to consider, and not just from a technology point of view, either.

Image Credit: Pexels

500 years ago, after all, the world barely resembles the one we see all around us today. It was in the midst of a small Ice Age, and a period of vast European exploration and discovery.

When looking ahead several centuries, it’s hard to say for sure, largely because we remain unsure how the relationship between humans and the natural world is going to develop. We’ve been leaving our mark on the Earth since the Neolithic Age, manipulating the evolution of domestic plants and animal species, transforming the landscape, and of course, burning fossil fuels to our heart’s consent.

We’ve altered the planet’s climate, which continues to change and affect everything around us. Carbon dioxide levels are up to 412 parts per million as of the end of 2019, and global temperatures and sea levels are also on the rise.

Our planet is warming, and scientists have been warning for decades that natural disasters, food shortages, and other catastrophic events will eventually lead to social unrest, mass migration, and increased conflict.

Will the 26th century humans be dealing with the fallout of our lack of action? Or will they be looking back and thanking us for changing course while there was still time?

Image Credit: Pexels

Technology will surely continue to advance, and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku predicts that, by then, humans will be a civilization that’s learned to harness the entire sum of a planet’s energy. That means they would be able to use any clean energy technology we’ve imagined, and probably some that we haven’t.

Other theoretical futurists disagree, citing political and economic forces being likely to thwart any real steps toward progress.

Machine learning will be AMAZING, though. Stephen Hawking weighed in, proposing that by the year 2600, we would be publishing theoretical physics papers every 10 seconds. Moore’s Law says computer speed and complexity double every 18 months, so some of this work would surely be done by machines, without assistance.

Chew on that for a minute.

Other ideas include the average human lifespan stretching to 140 years, and that the digital storage of human personalities will let humans achieve a sort of immortality. We’ll be farming oceans, traveling in starships, and living on the moon and on Mars while robots take on the great frontiers.

Image Credit: Pexels

If any or all of that sounds pretty cool to you, I suggest you start calling your representatives today and pushing for action on climate change.

Otherwise we’re just going to be fighting over land and food instead of living on Mars.

And you’ve gotta agree that one of those things sounds way cooler than the other.

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Learn About the World’s Deepest Underwater Trench, and 5 Other Facts About the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire”

There are few things as fascinating as the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. We have no idea what’s down there, for one, and the mythology and lore surrounding spots like the “ring of fire” in the Pacific are enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

The “ring of fire” is a vast loop of volcanoes, trenches, and other seismically active delights that run all through the in-aptly named Pacific Ocean. Those 24,900 miles are where the majority of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic events take place.

If you’re chomping at the bit to learn more, don’t worry – we’ve got 6 great facts for you below!

6. It could help set up a new “supercontinent.”

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The Pacific has so many subduction zones that it should shrink significantly over the next 250 million years, bringing Asia, Australia, and both Americans together again.

As with most far-off science, there’s no consensus – others think the Atlantic or Artic Oceans will disappear first.

5. It touches more than 15 countries.

Image Credit: Public Domain

The “ring of fire” touches the western coasts of South, Central, and North America, sweeping up toward Alaska before ambling by Russia and through Japan.

From there, it lines up to hit the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand on its worldwide tour.

It ends in a number of volcanoes near northwestern Antarctica.

4. It produces a ton of geothermal energy.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The interior of our planet is a source of nearly endless renewable energy, none of which emits greenhouse gasses.

The United States, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines have all capitalized on these natural hot water reservoirs for years.

3. It all comes down to plate tectonics.

Image Credit: Public Domain

The planet is divided into 15-20 tectonic plates that drift over molten lava-like stuff that exists deeper inside the earth. There are three types of boundaries between them, and the “ring of fire” are home to all three.

Divergent boundaries occur when two neighboring plates move in opposite directions, generating new crust in the process.

The huge Pacific Plate is bring pushed away from four others by the another type, the East Pacific Rise.

And in California we have the transform boundary, where two plates sideswipe each other horizontally. The friction is what causes earthquakes.

2. Volcanoes and earthquakes abound.

Image Credit: Public Domain

There are around 452 active and dormant volcanoes through the “ring of fire,” which accounts for around 75% of the world’s volcanic activity.

90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in the general area, with some of history’s most shocking natural disasters all originating around the area’s volatile tectonic boundaries.

1. It’s home to the Mariana Trench.

Image Credit: Hussong, Fryer

A convergent boundary appears when plates collide head-on, and an excellent example sis how the Nazca plate is currently being driven underneath the South American continental plate. The ensuing subduction zone is setting off earthquakes like crazy, while lifting mountains and causing volcanoes to erupt at the same time.

The giant Pacific Plate is being overridden by the Philippine Sea Plate and creating the Mariana Trench, a yawning underwater chasm that’s deeper than Mt. Everest is high. The deepest part of the Mariana Trench, the “Challenger Deep,” has been measured at 36,070 feet below sea level.

The more you know, right?

Good luck to your opponents at your next night of Trivial Pursuit – they’re gonna need it!

The post Learn About the World’s Deepest Underwater Trench, and 5 Other Facts About the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire” appeared first on UberFacts.

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This is Why the Ocean Changes Color, Depending on Your Location

There are few things that attract people the way the ocean does. We’re not natural water-going beings, and yet, the lure of the sea’s vastness, the calming sound of its waves, has drawn us in since the beginning of time.

If you’re someone who has gone out of their way to visit the ocean whenever and wherever you’re in the vicinity, you might have noticed that it’s not always the same color.

Image Credit: Pexels

It makes sense, to some extent, that the ocean is an ever-changing beauty, and you probably guess that it has something to do with the depth in certain regions, but is there more to it?

Hold on – let’s find out together!

First, let’s dispel the notion that the water is – or is even supposed to be – blue. NASA oceanographer Gene Carl Feldman explains:

“The water of the ocean is not blue, it’s clear.

The color of the ocean surface for the most part is based on depth, what’s in it and what’s below it.”

Basically, if a body of water is deep enough that light can’t reflect off the bottom, it appears blue. When the sun’s rays strike the ocean, they interact with water molecules and can be either absorbed or scattered. Light of shorter wavelengths – which looks to the human eye blue or green – is most likely to hit water molecules and scatter.

The depth of the water, as well as the composition of the ocean bottom, will affect whether we see the dusky, dark blue of large parts of the Atlantic, or a sapphire-blue as in the tropics, says Feldman.

“In Greece, the water is this beautiful turquoise color because the bottom is either white sand or white rocks.

What happens is the light comes down and blue light gets down, hits the bottom and then reflects back up so you make this beautiful light blue color in the water.”

Complicating matters is the fact that the ocean isn’t empty – it’s full of small plant and animal life, along with sediment or other, man-made, contaminants.

Image Credit: Pexels

Feldman studies images of the ocean’s surface taken by satellite, and can analyze the color patterns to assess where sediment and runoff are an issue (the water will appear brown) or where phytoplankton, a microscopic plant, turns the water green.

Phytoplankton use chlorophyll to convert water and carbon dioxide into organic compounds, generating about 50% of the oxygen on the planet. They give ocean water a green tint most of the time, though they can also cause us to see yellow or reddish brown in some situations.

Feldman says green water should make us smid
As with everything in this world, balance is key – and both a decrease or increase in phytoplankton is not a good thing. It’s one more sign that our planet’s climate is out of whack.

Image Credit: Pexels

In the ocean’s least-touched, least-polluted sector – in the water off the coast of Easter Island – the water is deep and remarkably clear. It appears to the naked eye a pure, deep indigo.

“The light just keeps going down, down, down; there’s nothing that bounces it back.

Here is the deepest blue you’ll ever see.”

Just one more reason to love the ocean, y’all.

And if you do, with the depths of your heart, it’s long past the time to join in the fight to save it.

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This is How the “Green Book” Made Travel Less Scary For Black People

You might have seen the movie Green Book a couple years ago – with an amazing cast and more than a couple of Oscar nominations (including a win for Best Picture), there’s a good chance you know at least something about this topic by now.

Like with everything that comes out of Hollywood, though, the facts were skimmed and not always completely, well, factual. The family of Dr. Shirley, the Black pianist in the film, has denounced the truth of much of the movie.

So, if you want to know more about the green book and how it was an absolute lifeline for Black travelers once upon a time.

Image Credit: Public Domain

In the 1950s, traveling was hard on Black families. They would often leave early, even in the middle of the night, in order to drive straight through to their destination and not have to worry about finding a motel. They packed their own foods, peed on the side of the road, and if they had to stop to sleep, always arranged to stay with friends, family, or acquaintances.

Black families had no way of knowing if or where they would be able to stop for gas, or if there were any restaurants willing to serve Black customers.

Enter Victor Hugo Green, a Black mailman from Harlem. In 1936, he decided to draw inspiration from Jewish publications that listed safe places for Jewish travelers to eat and sleep on the road, and set out to write The Negro Motorist Green Book.

Image Credit: New York Public Library

He did his research and his due diligence, filling the pages with state-by-state listings of hotels, private homes, restaurants, barber shops, service stations, and more where Black business was welcome.

Green relied on a network of fellow Black mailmen across the country to compile his information, which meant his publication was always expanding and changing. A new edition was published every year between 1936 and 1964.

For travelers who had horribly traumatic memories of humiliation in the face of white business owners, and who surely couldn’t memorize which cities, even in the North, employed Sundown Laws, the book was truly a lifeline.

Image Credit: Public Domain

Black business owners paid for advertisements in the book, too, and in some places – like South Dakota, where there was only one service station and one private tourist home in the entire state – options were extremely limited.

The Green Book also included things like advice on keeping your car up and running, and things to bring with you in case of a breakdown – organizations like AAA didn’t accept Black members at the time, either.

In 1964, the Civil Rights Act made it a crime to discriminate on the basis of color. The road trip became a more pleasant experience for Black families, too, who could now stop at any service station or hotel that was convenient at the time.

Until then, a man with an eighth grade education but plenty of smarts used his connections and intelligence to open America to Black people who wanted or needed to travel through her. Since he died in 1960, he never lived in a world where his book wasn’t necessary.

Image Credit: Public Domain

In the introduction to his 1949 edition, he wrote:

“There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment. But until that time comes we shall continue to publish this information for your convenience each year.”

While things in the United States remain unequal and unfair in so many ways, I think Mr. Green would be happy to see that at least some progress has been made – but he surely would have been all in to keep fighting until equality is a reality for everyone.

A Vice President who is a Black woman is, though, a fantastic piece of the puzzle.

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Orchid and More Words With Surprisingly Risqué Origins

Unless you’re an etymologist, I highly doubt you spend your days thinking about the history and evolution of language.

With bills to pay, errands to run, and work to get done we don’t all have the time to consider how and why our language has evolved over the centuries.

However, some words are worth taking the time to investigate. You’d be surprised at which ordinary, every day words actually have a naughty history.

They may seem innocent enough but these 9 words each have a risqué origin that might leave you blushing.

1. Patridge

Image Credit: Unsplash

You might be familiar with a partridge in a pear tree or even the Partridge Family, but did you know the word partridge comes from the Greek word perdesthai, meaning “to break wind”?

This references the whirring sound its wings make when it takes to the skies.

Think about that the next time you’re singing 12 Days of Christmas.

2. Gymnasium

Image Credit: Unsplash

When you read the word gymnasium you might recall memories from your younger years of dodging balls, enduring the Presidential Fitness Test, or enjoying a pep rally.

What probably doesn’t come to mind is… nudity.

Gymnasium comes from the Greek gumnazein, which means to exercise or play sports in the nude.

According to National Geographic, we’re not sure exactly why the Greeks were so keen on letting it all hang out, but it probably had to do with the Mediterranean climate and an abundance of body confidence.

3. Porcelain

Image Credit: Pexels

What could be naughty about porcelain? It’s so delicate and dignified.

Porcelain in and of itself is not a naughty word, as it translates simply to “cowrie shell.” Cowrie shells (remember “puka” shell necklaces?) are small, delicate and pretty.

However, the shell’s name in Italian is from porcella meaning “young sow,” or “young pig.” It is thought the shells were named for their resemblance to a cow/pig’s outer genitals.

Not so dignified now, huh?

4. Mastodon

Image Credit: Snappy Goat

Mastodons are the ancestor of our modern day elephant. These large beasts roamed North and Central America during the late Miocene period up to their extinction 10,000-11,000 years ago.

In Greek, masto translates to “breast” and odon translates to “tooth,” so mastodon really means “breast-tooth.”

It was Georges Cuvier, a 19th century French naturalist who coined the name in 1817, after discovering nipple-like projections on fossils of the mammal’s molars.

5. Punk

Image Credit: Unsplash

When you read the word punk, you might imagine a band of rock and roll music artists or a group of their leather-clad fans thrashing in a most pit.

Though it describes a particular genre of music and style, the word punk originally meant something was “worthless” or a “worthless person” of a “criminal” background.

It was also used to describe female prostitutes, as seen in Shakespeare’s Alls Well that Ends Well.

6. Musk

Image Credit: Pixabay

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, musk comes from the Sanskrit word muṣka, which translates to “testicle.”

You’ve probably heard of “man musk,” in reference to a particular smell associated with the male of the species (whether it’s a good smell or not is up to you). But did you know male musk deer actually secrete musk in the form of a reddish-brown substance? (gag!)

It’s produced in a gland that was originally thought to look like a scrotum, although it is not directly tied to reproduction.

7. Forlorn

Image Credit: Pexels

We all experience lows in our life, but to be forlorn is to be more than just sad.

According to Dictionary.com, forlorn means to feel desolate, unhappy, lonely, or despairing.

Forlorn comes from Old English loren, meaning “to lose” or to be “depraved of.”

Those who are forlorn are destitute and godforsaken, abandoned by those they love.

And it’s hard to bounce back from a place like that.

8. Pasta Alla Puttanesca

Image Credit: Unsplash

Pasta alla puttanesca is a delicious Italian dish consisting of anchovies, olives, tomatoes, capers, and pasta. You may recognize it as the dish the Baudelaire orphans cooked up for Count Olaf in the first book of A Series of Unfortunate Events, but did you know the word puttanesca literally translates to “in the style of a prostitute”?

Some have theorized that courtesans and sex workers used the dish to lure in potential customers, or that it was a simple dish to cook up between services.

However, Italians use the word puttana like Americans might use “sh^t,” she the real origin of the name is most likely that someone just threw together whatever sh^t was on hand and called it dinner.

9. Orchid

Image Credit: Unsplash

I know what you’re thinking, but no, the origin of orchid is not related to the female anatomy. The name actually comes from the Greek orkhis, which literally translates to “testicle.” Yet another word whose origins are associated with male genitalia.

The orchid was named so for the shape of it’s root which resembles a testicle. The more you know!

Aren’t words fun?

My personal favorite of these saucy origins is pasta alla puttanesca. I can’t wait to see the look on my mother’s face the next time we have dinner and I tell her I’ve made pasta “in the style of a prostitute.”

Do you have a favorite world of indecent origin? Let us know in the comments!

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