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This Just In: Pumpkin Spice Is Nothing New

This time of year, “pumpkin spice” is in everything you see. Lattes, beer, dog treats…the list goes on and on. It seems to be a national obsession. But if you think this trend is something from the last decade or so, you’re way off. In fact, pumpkin spice has been around for an incredible 3,500 years.

Pumpkin spice is a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. On an Indonesian island called Pulau Ay, archaeologists discovered nutmeg residue on ceramic pottery that they estimate to be 3,500 years old. So a key ingredient in pumpkin spice has been around for much longer than previously thought.

The thousands-of-years-old spice trade was a global link from Africa to the Middle East to Asia to Europe. Spices were used in food and medicine (think about how bland European food probably was before the introduction of various spices) and were highly sought after commodities.

In the 1300s, traders went to Pulau Ay and other nearby islands seeking various spices – including nutmeg, which was only known to be grown in that region. And it was very big business.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Nutmeg was so desired that in the late 1600s, the Dutch traded their colony of New Amsterdam (now known as a little place called New York City) to Britain in exchange for the nutmeg-rich island of Pulau Run. So nutmeg literally changed the course of history.

Just in the past year alone, nearly half a billion dollars of pumpkin spice-flavored products were sold in the U.S. So next time you’re sipping on your pumpkin spiced latte, remember that you’re carrying on an ancient tradition that’s been cultivated over many, many generations. Cheers!

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Drone Footage of Utah’s Fall Foliage Is Absolutely Breathtaking

Unless you live there, Utah may not be the first state that jumps to mind when you think of beauty, but this new video from a drone near Snowbasin Resort shows that it’s just as beautiful as anywhere else in the country.

Photo Credit: YouTube

The bright, bursting colors don’t even look real from high above the forest – it has to be seen to be believed.

Take a look at this magnificent video from Justin McFarland.

What do you think? Pretty unbelievable, right?

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15+ Tweets About What It’s Really Like Living with Someone You Love

Your significant other is wonderful and perfect in every single way, right? Of course they are!

… and then you move in together.

The things that used to delight you are now driving you insane. You still love your partner, of course, but now they’re a bit more … human.

Here are 17 tweets that perfectly capture the joys of living with someone you love:

17. Bedtime is fun

Photo Credit: Twitter

16. Ugh, snoring

Photo Credit: Twitter

15. Be careful?

Photo Credit: Twitter

14. Forever

Photo Credit: Twitter

13. Stay classy

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. A litmus test

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. This pro tip could save your marriage

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. It’s a valid question

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Keep that spark alive

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. You can be there for each other

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. How are we defining junk?

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. It’s a sad moment

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. So romantic

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. I will end you

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Sometimes it’s about winning

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. There’s a right way and a wrong way

Photo Credit: Twitter

1. Finding lost things is what brings us together

Photo Credit: Twitter

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10 Sets of Twins Who Achieved Yearbook Greatness

When you’ve got a twin, it must be pretty tempting to get into some mischief.

Here are 10 times twins took their yearbooks to the next level:

10. Okay, they’re technically triplets…

Photo Credit: Imgur

9. Channeling SpongeBob

Photo Credit: Imgur

8. Unintentional? Sure…

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. He was just being helpful

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. It chose me

Photo Credit: Imgur

5. It would have been wrong

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. Jinx!

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Not smiling made all the difference

Photo Credit: Instagram

2. Savage

Photo Credit: Twitter

1. Well played

Photo Credit: Twitter

I always wished I were a twin – now I know I missed out.

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Girl Scouts vs Personality Posters

The most controversial poster of 1969, which prompted the Girl Scouts to file suit. Although a judge threw out the case, citing no evidence that the organization had suffered any damages. via weirduniverse.net 00

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15+ Product Packages That Are the Absolute Worst

Companies are constantly coming up with new ways to package their products. The ideal product package reflects the brand and appeals to customers, all while keeping an eye on convenience and safety.

But if you’ve literally ever bought something in your life, you know that packaging is often frustrating, needlessly wasteful, and sometimes downright dangerous.

From shrink-wrapped fruit to oversized cardboard boxes, scroll through these images of the times packaging is the absolute worst.

#1 Why are we packaging bananas, folks?

Photo Credit: Foodbeast.com

#2 Same with avocados.

We are perfectly capable of halving our own avocados.

Photo Credit: Worksdesigngroup.com

#3 This ginormous box shipped a ruler.

Maybe the person in charge of shipping should have measured it first.

Photo Credit: Packsize.com

#4 Again, with the produce.

Just let everyone pick their own. They could even put them in bags they bring from their homes. It will all be okay.

Photo Credit: Financialtribune.com

#5 This gas can of tea makes me think I could probably brew my own using a teeny biodegradable tea bag and some hot water.

Photo Credit: Walmart

#6 Cheese wrapped in plastic wrapped in plastic.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

#7 Okay, this is too much packaging for some crackers and bologna.

Photo Credit: Designtos.com

#8 This is a hell of a lot of packaging for ONE PILL.

Photo Credit: Klyker.com

#9 All this packaging for a light bulb?

Photo Credit: Klyker.com

#10 Not impressed.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

#11 On the other hand, no one needs tea bags individually wrapped in plastic.

Photo Credit: Klyker.com

#12 Because chips must lie in a tray inside a tube.

Photo Credit: Nikdaum.com

#13 That time you only needed one egg.

Photo Credit: Packworld

#14 Oftentimes, choice cuts of meat are available for purchase at the butcher case where it will be wrapped in paper and a piece of tape or string.

Photo Credit: mirror.co.uk

#15 Tic-tac boxes of boxes of Tic-tacs.

Photo Credit: Hankermag.com

#16 Why does whatever this is get its own pallet?

Photo Credit: Scribol

#17 This over-packaging makes me crabby.

Photo Credit: Scribol

Scroll further for 3 bonus images of worst ever packaging designed to make you cringe!

Bonus #1 How juvenile.

Photo Credit: Works Design Group

Bonus #2 Look, both products are “quality assured.”

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

Bonus #3 Finally! We’ve needed our own soup for quite a while.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

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How Much Money You Need to Make to Afford the Average Home in Each State

Owning a home is a dream for many Americans, but the high price tag and unpredictable market can make it seem more like a nightmare.

People who want to learn how to better manage their finances may be familiar with the website HowMuch. This useful resource recently put together a colorful infographic that shows what salary you need to make in order to afford the average home in each state, and let’s just say you might need to ask your boss for a raise…

Photo Credit: How Much

Though the east and west coasts may have their cultural differences, both share an unfortunate characteristic: expensive homes. According to the graphic—which factors in a 30-year mortgage with a 10 percent down payment—you would need to make about $120,120 to afford the average home in California. It doesn’t get much better across the country in Massachusetts, where $101,320 will put you in a position to buy a house.

The situation is not all doom and gloom, though. For instance, you only need a salary of $47,960 to afford the average home in Pennsylvania. Strangely, midwestern states like North Dakota ($56,000) and Wyoming ($58,000) require a more substantial salary.

Of course, the cost-of-living index will vary based on your specific location. Generally speaking, living in a major city will lead to a more expensive lifestyle, whereas purchasing a home in suburban or rural areas can dramatically lower your cost of living.

So if you’re looking for a home, maybe think a little outside the box.

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The term and concept…

The term and concept of “jay-walking” was introduced in the 1920’s by the auto industry as part of a propaganda campaign to claim the roads for cars and shift the blame in accidents from cars to pedestrians. At the time “Jay” was a slur with a similar meaning to “redneck” or “hillbilly.” 00

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15 People Share Their Experiences of “First World Torture”

“First world problems” usually refers to an issue that grates on people who live pretty healthy, wealthy lives, all things considered – a problem that is clearly totally minor compared to the problems you might have if you were living somewhere that lacks, for instance, clean water and electricity.

Now, we head into “first world torture” which is along the same line.  Maybe it’s standing in line at the DMV or having to check that bag that won’t fit in the now overcrowded overhead bins.

So, we hope you enjoy this list of things that are so annoying we would appreciate if the world could please correct them. K, thanks.

#15. Amen

“Sitting near those guys who talk through the entire movie in the theater.”

#14. Netflix

“Netflix not adding every season of a show.”

#13. Obligated to talk

“Stumbling into someone you know well enough to feel obligated to talk to in public when you really just want to buy your stuff and go home.”

#12. Waiting is the worst

“Buying a new game and immediately having to download an update before you can play.”

#11. Wet socks

“Stepping unto something wet while wearing socks.

Then, after you’ve changed to fresh socks and cleaned up the mess, finding another small puddle… with your freshly replaced socks.”

#10. You know this blows

“When you leave a safe following distance between you and the car in front of you, but the asshole waiting to pull out from a side road ignores safety and merges into the too-small gap they perceive as an opening then proceeds to go 5 miles below the speed of traffic in a no passing zone.”

#9. Special sort of talent

“Working in retail and listening to the repetitive, really bad music track.

Tuning it out is a special sort of talent I’m glad I’ve developed.”

#8. Incessantly

“Driving behind another vehicle that stays 5 MPH below the speed limit, touches the brake incessantly for no reason whatsoever, on a road with no passing zones.”

#7. But really friendly and sweet

“Getting that ancient (but really friendly and sweet) cashier who scans your items at a rate of 10 per minute, and you just happen to be in a rush.”

#6. Obligated to talk

“Stumbling into someone you know well enough to feel obligated to talk to in public when you really just want to buy your stuff and go home.”

#5. Bad ideas

“Missing your train narrowly enough that you can physically see it pull away.

Talking politics with someone that you really want to get along with, but disagree with on pretty much every level. It’s a tightrope you walk where you don’t want to give anyone the impression you support this Thing, but at the same time you don’t want to disagree with them too strongly, or you might get into an actual argument, and ruin the vibe of the party and man you’re a cool guy to hang out with as long as we don’t discuss this can’t we get back to drinks and a good time?

Or they have some kind of power over you and disagreeing would be a bad idea.”

#4. Long ad buffers

“Having a long ad that buffer before a video.”

#3. If you’re lucky

“When you pay for expedited shipping (ex. Amazon Prime) and the item doesn’t arrive on time. Now you’re stuck waiting for your cat calendar for another day, if you’re lucky.

Edit: Spelling”

#2. Why wouldn’t everybody else?

“Sitting on Greyhound bus next to someone who thinks “I love this music, why would’t everybody else”.

Fuck you public music listeners. With a rusty shovel.”

#1. The worst

“I’m hungry. I have plenty to eat but it’s all in the freezer. I don’t want any of it. I don’t feel like cooking.”

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10 Photos of the Most Dangerous Roads in America

Some of the most treacherous stretches of road in the U.S. are on this list and span all the way from Alaska to Florida.

If you find yourself on one of these highways, keep your eyes on the road!

1. The Million Dollar Highway – Colorado

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

While the scenery is very beautiful, this highway is also dangerous. Drivers must negotiate three different 10,000 passes with tight turns and NO GUARDRAILS.

2. Interstate 4 – Florida

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This highway stretches 132 miles in the Sunshine State, but it is anything but pleasant for many people. It’s been ranked the deadliest interstate in the U.S. and has been ranked in the top 10 deadliest interstates for the past 6 years.

3. The Dalton Highway – Alaska

This 400-mile highway cuts through very remote areas in Alaska. There is a 240-mile stretch of the Dalton Highway that is completely barren: no gas, no restrooms, no restaurants, nothing. There are also steep sections and avalanche risks.

4. Highway 2 – Montana

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Montana is sparsely populated, so accident victims regularly have to wait an average of 80 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Highway 2 has a 70 mile per hour rate through mountain roads, often leading to accidents.

5. I-45 – Houston, Texas

Photo Credit: Flickr,Ken Lund

This highway was ranked the second deadliest in the U.S. in 2016. There were 51 fatal wrecks on I-45 in Houston between 2011-2015.

6. I-10 – Arizona

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

If you’ve ever driven through the desert on I-10 from Arizona to California, you know how desolate it is. One year saw 85 deaths alone on this highway in Arizona.

7. I-15 – Nevada

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The route between Las Vegas and Los Angeles was judged to be the most deadly stretch of road in the nation in 2010. Over the course of 15 years, 1,069 died on this highway.

8. Highway 1 – Florida

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Remarkably, over 1,000 people have died on this stretch of highway in the last 10 years. It’s been ranked as having the highest fatal crash rate in America.

9. Interstate 285 – Atlanta

Atlanta traffic is legendary, and Georgia ranks 7th in the U.S. for fatal car accidents. This particular highway had 3.5 fatal crashes per every 10-mile stretch in 2013.

10. Highway 17 – South Carolina

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The road is very picturesque, but very dangerous. Highway 17 cuts through rural areas and has sharp turns and many wild animals wandering near the roadway. The highway was named the 4th most dangerous road in the U.S.

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