Content for Wednesday, July 21
People Are Sharing The Life Hacks They Live By
Here are some of the best life hacks from redditors and BuzzFeed readers: "Try to get on good terms with the secretaries at your company. They are the people who can most easily help cover for you when you make a mistake. Secretaries, tech support, and janitors are the true power in office buildings.Make friends, remember birthdays, and you can get pretty much anything you need." "Respond with a friendly and polite attitude even when someone is being rude or a jerk. It shuts them down 90% of the time." "When you are angry with someone, write down the reason why and sleep on it for a night. If you are still angry in the morning, talk to them. This technique has saved me from making a big deal out of relatively small issues." "Before you start any household repair, search it on YouTube. At best, you may discover you can fix it yourself. At worst, you’ve gained some knowledge so you can explain the trouble to a repairman and make sure you don't get taken advantage of." "Use a slice of bread to pick up shattered glass. The consistency and texture picks up even the smallest shards." "There are hundreds of free certifications and classes you can take online and add to your résumé. Take a few that are relevant to your career, and throw them on your résumé. They'll make you stand out from the other candidates and serve as a conversation starter during your interview." "If you leave a website with items still in your cart, you'll likely receive an email offering up to 20% off to complete your purchase." "Make friends with people who look different from you. They will introduce you to other cultures and things you might not have been exposed to otherwise." "Don't ask your significant other where he/she wants to eat. Instead, tell him/her to guess where you're taking them and go to the first place they guess.” "Hide chocolate in a tampon box. No one ever goes in there but me. Not only do I not have to share my chocolate, but I have it exactly when I need it to help with the hell that is PMS." "If you're in school and need sources for a paper, just go to the Wikipedia page of whatever topic you're writing about. At the bottom of the page, you'll usually find over 50 sources already in the proper format." "Slow cookers are like magic. I toss everything in before I leave for work, and I have a delicious meal ready when I get home. Even when I don't feel like cooking, dinner is already made." "Cut out toxic people from your life. It has zero negative consequences and will make your life 100% better."
PARENTING: TikTok Trend Has Moms Sharing ‘Ugly Baby Challenge’ Photos
A new TikTok trend has mothers sharing their babies' worst photos. Each video follows the same formula: Backed by the comical piano track from ABBA’s “Chiquitita,” the women either post a photo of themselves pregnant or with their spouse, with a captioned variation of the question, “Would you tell me if you thought our baby was ugly?” The spouse then basically responds, “Yes, but our child will be beautiful,” which is followed by a quick montage of their baby as a newborn, and their not-so-cute in appearance. Not only are the children’s mothers roasting them, but TikTok users are commenting how they wholeheartedly agree with the mothers — and take the opportunity to poke even more fun at the babies. Some of these mothers are getting upwards of 1 million likes and views.
1 in 5 Spouses Uses SPY Gear On Their Partner Prior to Divorce
A law firm (Maguire Family Law, with offices across England and Wales) says that about 20% of exes are engaging in potentially illegal spy activity against their partners. Anecdotally speaking, one in five out of 400 recent clients are snooping on their spouses. And the proportion of peeping Toms has increased by 60% since a decade ago, suggesting that the sorts of tactics once employed by espionage agents have become increasingly accessible to civilians. “Back then it was VHS or camcorders, but nowadays it’s much easier... Spouses use tracking devices, dashes cams, and are putting spying software on mobile phones." Their methods “quite sophisticated” and this is “just the tip of the iceberg.” More men than women are willing to violate their partner’s trust in this way. As women have increasingly risen in the ranks in the workplace, their husbands have struggled to “accept” their wives’ absence. Women certainly do also surveil their partners, but more often “to actually protect themselves,” such as recording for evidence of domestic abuse.
NBA Finals: Bucks Capture First Title Since 1971, Defeating Suns in Six Games
Giannis Antetokounmpo has led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years, closing out the Phoenix Suns in the Finals on Tuesday night, 105-98. Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, recorded five blocks and dished out two assists in the win. He is the first player since Shaquille O’Neal to record 40 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in any playoff game. O’Neal did it in 2001. He's also the first player to have a 50-10-5 stat line since blocks were first tracked in the 1973-74 season. He was awarded the NBA Finals MVP. Only five Bucks players contributed to the scoring. Each of those five players were in double figures. Khris Middleton had 17 points, added five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Jrue Holiday had 12 points in 46 minutes. He had 11 assists and nine rebounds as well as four assists. Brook Lopez added 10 points. Bobby Portis had 16 points and three rebounds off the bench. Milwaukee won the series in six games. It’s the first Bucks championship sine 1971. It was their third year of existence and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the star center for the team. The Suns’ title drought now extends to 53 years. Chris Paul led the Suns with 26 points on 11-of-19 from the floor. Devin Booker added 19 points. Jae Crowder had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
NFL: Tom Brady Makes Election Cracks at White House
President Biden hosted Super Bowl champs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at the White House yesterday. Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady said a few words, and cracked some jokes about the election: "Not a lot of people think that we could have won. In fact, I think about 40% of people still don't think we won.You understand that, Mr. President?" Brady also joked about the ‘Sleepy Joe’ nickname Biden was given by President Trump. He recounted a game last season during which he lost track of downs, and said: ”I lost track of one down in 21 years of playing, and they started calling me ‘Sleepy Tom.’ Why would they do that to me?”
'Risk-Taking' Up As People are Becoming Desensitized to COVID-19
The public is starting to tune out coronavirus updates. Researchers from the University of California-Davis say society is becoming desensitized to the health crisis, especially when it comes to following pandemic-era safety measures. Their study looked at both COVID-19 news articles and reaction to these updates on Twitter to see how the public’s attitudes are changing since early 2020. Researchers say people are generally showing less concern about COVID-related news. The findings reveal that people are shifting back to risky social behavior and are less fearful of ignoring pandemic measures like social distancing. Study authors looked at the effect of early fear-based health messages in the news. They found that such reporting motivated many people to change their behavior to help curb COVID’s spread. That includes social distancing and quarantining indoors. Researchers also found over-exposure to the constant stream of fear-based reporting is desensitizing people to the message.
Couple Makes $111K in Less Than a Year by Renting Out Their Pool
A Portland, Oregon couple has made $111,000 in less than a year after hosting 2,700 guests who booked stays at their home through a site known as “the Airbnb for backyard pools. The couple managed to generate the 6-figure income using Swimply, which offers homeowners a chance to rent out their swimming pools at an hourly rate. They offer up their 15,000-gallon pool for rent at a fee of $75 per hour for a minimum of 5 guests. They also charge an additional $10 per hour for each guest above five. The pool allows for a maximum of 23 guests. The couple’s pool measures 26 by 18ft and is custom designed on their 2 acre property. Not only do they keep the pool at 90 degrees, there’s a dressing room with a toilet and sink. MORE: Their pool, which cost $110,000 to build, was not being used in the last 2 years ever since their youngest daughter moved out. They heard of Swimply and decided to list their pool for rent. The platform currently numbers around 13,000 pool owners in 125 cities nationwide. For each booking, Swimply takes a 15% cut from the hosts and another 10% cut from the guests. Swimply also offers its hosts liability insurance that covers as much as $1million. The service also offers a property damage protection policy.
For Real? Or HOAX? Video Seems To Show A Man's Failed Marriage Proposal That Took Place In Front Of Fans At Baseball Game
A video appears to show a man’s failed marriage proposal at a minor league baseball game in Massachusetts. The man and woman are shown standing on what looks like one of the team's dugouts while fans watch from the stadium seats. While the man waits on one knee and fans cheer on the couple, the woman looks shocked. He pulls out a ring but the woman shakes her head no, and dashes up the stadium stairs repeatedly saying “I have to go.” He then ran after her with his two friends.
‘Baby Shark’ The Movie
Nickelodeon has renewed "Baby Shark’s Big Show" for a second season and is also in the early stages of developing a feature film based on the pop culture phenomenon. The preschool series is midway through its 26-episode first season and was the second most watched show among kids 5 and under in the second quarter of 2021, behind only Nickelodeon’s "Paw Patrol". The movie will be co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and SmartStudy, the company behind Pinkfong — the kids’ entertainment brand that made the “Baby Shark” song a pop culture phenomenon. Though it’s in the early stages, producers want to further expand the Baby Shark character’s world in the film.
Oops! Retailer Stuck With 10,000 Misspelled 'Free Brittany' Shirts
A retailer in the UK is stuck with 10,000 misspelled “Free Brittany” shirts. The owner of Wholesale Clearance UK, wanted to help support the movement behind freeing Britney Spears from the conservatorship she’s been placed under. His company purchased a lot of t-shirts it thought was in support of the "free Britney" movement and hoped to donate a portion of the profits to help with the “Toxic” singer’s cause. But the shirts actually read "#freebrittany” spelling her name with two t’s an “any” at the end instead of one t and “ney” at the end. The owner said he caught the mistake after it was too late and he’s now stuck with 10,000 of the shirts.