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The Most Heartwarming Use Of Duct Tape You'll Ever See
It doesn't get much more inspiring than this, folks.
07.03.13
"We didn't want a freeloader."
Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.
But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.
The mom says Rhubarb has chores because “we didn’t raise a freeloader.”
@rhubarbthedoggo No freeloaders on my watch 🙅🏻♀️ #pittiesoftiktok #dogtiktokers #dogsoftiktok #pitbulllove #pibblelove #pibbles #pibblemixesoftiktok #pitbullmix #dogfluencers #doggotiktoker #dogmomsoftiktok #dogmomlife #dogmoms #dogtiktokviral #dogmomma #prettypitty #prettypittie #prettypitties #dogrelatable #relatabledogmom #relatabledog
Here are 5 “chores” that Rhubarb has mastered.
1. Makes sure the laundry doesn't get cold
Translation: Sits on top of the clean laundry, ready to be folded.
2. Unlicensed therapist
Translation: Gives us kisses when we're tired or feeling down.
3. Supervise repairs
Translation: She gets in the way when you're in a compromised, uncomfortable position with a wrench in your hand.
4. Alerts us when there's an intruder
Translation: Stands at the window and barks furiously at the mailman.
5. Keeps mum's spot warm
Translation: Lays in her spot on her favorite chair in the living room.
The video inspired some funny responses in the comments.
“He’s carrying that household on his back. Give him a raise,” Tatiana, Esq. wrote. “Obviously the most valuable member of the household,” DJTrainor51 added.
In an act of true sportsmanship, the Vandal band learned Yale's fight song, wore their gear and cheered them on.
Yale University and the University of Idaho could not be more different. Ivy League vs. state school. East Coast vs. Pacific Northwest. City vs. farm town. But in the first two rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, extenuating circumstances brought them together as one, with the Bulldogs and the Vandals becoming the "Vandogs" for a weekend.
When Yale made it to the March Madness tournament, members of the school's pep band had already committed to other travel plans during spring break. They couldn't gather enough members to make the trek across the country to Spokane, Washington, so the Yale Bulldogs were left without their fight song unless other arrangements could be made.
When University of Idaho athletic band director Spencer Martin got wind of the need less than a week before Yale's game against Auburn, he sent out a message to his band members asking if anyone would be interested in stepping in. The response was a wave of immediate yeses, so Martin got to work arranging instruments and the students dedicated themselves to learning Yale's fight song and other traditional Yale pep songs.
Idaho band members even reached out to Yale band members via social media to get tips and asked the spirit squad for suggestions for making their "Vandogs" performance the best it could be. Yale also sent spirit gear with the big yellow Y for Yale for them to wear.
The Idaho Vandals called themselves the "Vandogs" for two NCAA tournament games.
Courtesy of University of Idaho
“Everyone was really enthusiastic about covering for the Yale students who couldn’t make it,” Martin told the Yale Daily News. “Universities help universities, and bands help bands.”
That genuine act of sportsmanship and camaraderie touched people across the nation, much to the delight of the students.
“'Look Mom, I’m on ESPN,’” Martin told The Spokesman-Review, quoting his students. “You’re a farm kid in the middle of a farm town. How often do you get that? Never.”
And people loved seeing it as well.
"Kudos to the University of Idaho band! Band kids are the greatest!" wrote one commenter.
"Awesome job Idaho..this is a perfect example of true sportsmanship!!" shared another.
"This is such a great show of collegiate athletics and why they are important! Well done!" shared another.
It's hard not to catch the energy of the tournament, as the Vandogs found out.
"It was awesome watching them play," Idaho grad student Cody Barrick, who plays the tenor saxophone, told ESPN. "We were right on our feet with everyone else at the end there cheering them on for sure."
And as it turned out, the pep in Yale's step did seem to be extra "on" during that first game. The Bulldogs went into the tournament as an underdog, with #4 Auburn being their first competitor, but they pulled off a dramatic upset that moved them to the next round.
So not only did Idaho's band play for them that first Friday game, but they also drove the 90 miles to Spokane again the following Sunday night for Yale's second round game against San Diego State.
The Bulldogs were eliminated from the tournament in that game, but memories were made for life. And Martin says the Vandals would do it anytime, for any school, a testament to the program.
“If you choose the Vandal band, you know that it’s going to come through,” he told the Spokesman-Review. “It always has. That’s the tradition. There was no doubt that we would come through for them.”
This may change how much water you drink.
One of the most popular health trends over the last few years has been staying as hydrated as possible, evidenced by the massive popularity of 40-oz Stanely Quencher cups. The theory among those who obsess over hydration is that, when you pee clear, you’ve removed all the waste in your body and are enjoying the incredible benefits of being 100% hydrated. Congratulations.
However, according to Dr. Sermed Mezher, an NHS doctor in the UK, peeing clear isn’t always a sign of being healthy.
“If you’re peeing clear, that means you’re having more than 2.5 liters (85 ounces) of fluid per day, which means your kidneys are working overdrive to keep that water off your brain,” Dr. Mezher said. He goes on to add that when kidneys can't keep up with their water intake, it can cause water intoxication, which can lead to dangerous, even lethal, brain swelling.
@drsermedmezher Stop Trying to Get Your Pee Completely Clear #hydration. The daily water intake recommendation for adults is crucial for maintaining proper hydration levels, which are essential for overall health and well-being. While there is a common guideline suggesting eight glasses of water per day, equivalent to around 2 liters or 64 ounces, individual hydration needs can vary based on several factors. Age, weight, activity level, and even climate all play roles in determining the appropriate amount of water intake. For instance, someone who exercises regularly or lives in a hot, humid climate may need to consume more water to replenish fluids lost through sweat. Listening to the body's thirst cues is also important in determining hydration needs. Thirst is the body's way of signaling that it needs more fluids. However, it's worth noting that by the time you feel thirsty, you may already be mildly dehydrated. Therefore, it's beneficial to drink water regularly throughout the day, even when not feeling thirsty, to maintain adequate hydration levels. In addition to water, other beverages such as herbal teas, fruit-infused water, and low-sugar electrolyte drinks can contribute to overall fluid intake. However, it's essential to be mindful of the sugar and caffeine content in some beverages, as excessive consumption of these substances can have adverse effects on hydration levels and overall health. Certain factors can increase the need for hydration beyond the standard recommendation. For example, individuals who engage in intense physical activity or exercise may lose significant amounts of fluids through sweat and increased respiration. In such cases, it's essential to drink water before, during, and after exercise to prevent dehydration and maintain performance levels. #kidneys #water
According to Dr. Mezher, it's all about finding balance when it comes to hydration and the goal shouldn't be to pee clear all the time. "Of course, like most things in life, too much is not great, and too little isn't either," he continued. Two liters (68 ounces) [of water] is good for a healthy adult, and babies under six months shouldn't be given any water at all."
The news came as a bit of a shock to some folks in the comments. "One minute it's not enough water, the next it's too much... I'm tired," Tiyana wrote. "I always thought the goal was clear," Mountain Witch added.
If you have concerns about the color of your urine, please consult a doctor.
1796. That's when we invented vaccines.
An English doctor named Edward Jenner took incredible risks to try to rid his world of smallpox. Because of his efforts and the efforts of scientists like him, the only thing between deadly diseases like the ones below and extinction are people who refuse to vaccinate their kids. Don't be that parent.
Unfortunately, because of the misinformation from the anti-vaccination movement, some of these diseases have trended up in a really bad way over the past several years.
Wellness involves a lot of personal choices and the tradeoff between personal liberty and shared public good.
Measles is the starkest example. There were about 61 cases of measles in all of 2012, but in just the first seven months of 2014, there have been nearly 600.
As this chart shows, vaccinations are not like taxes rates or even freedom of speech. The impact of one's personal health choices can have a significant impact on the population around them, in their communities and even on a national level. It makes that trade-off all the more complicated and one not easily distilled into one convenient political or religious ideology.
Obviously, the topic of vaccinations has become immensely more complicated since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. But history teaches us valuable lessons and information is power. No matter how you feel about vaccines today, this chart is a reminder that medical science can be used for incredible good. Without breakthrough vaccinations in the past, many of us would likely not be here to have the debate about our personal choices now and into the future.
This article originally appeared on 11.21.14 and this infographic is based on data from 2012.
"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going."
There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.
A team of researchers at UCI had been experimenting with nanowires for potential use in batteries, but found that over time the thin, fragile wires would break down and crack after too many charging cycles. A charge cycle is when a battery goes from completely full to completely empty and back to full again.
But one day, on a whim, Thai coated a set of gold nanowires in manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel.
"She started to cycle these gel capacitors, and that's when we got the surprise," said Reginald Penner, chair of the university's chemistry department. "She said, 'this thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it's still going.' She came back a few days later and said 'it's been cycling for 30,000 cycles.' That kept going on for a month."
This discovery is mind-blowing because the average laptop battery lasts 300 to 500 charge cycles. The nanobattery developed at UCI made it though 200,000 cycles in three months. That would extend the life of the average laptop battery by about 400 years. The rest of the device would have probably gone kaput decades before the battery, but the implications for a battery that that lasts hundreds of years are pretty startling.
"The big picture is that there may be a very simple way to stabilize nanowires of the type that we studied," Penner said. "If this turns out to be generally true, it would be a great advance for the community." Not bad for just fooling around in the laboratory.
This article originally appeared 12.22.22
Pam's brother doesn’t quite grasp the concept of half-siblings.
Pam has a little brother, who recently learned that he is actually her half-brother.
Of course, half-siblings are still very much siblings, but Pam's brother doesn't quite grasp the concept yet and seems upset about having to part with 50% of his sister.
So when she came home recently, she found this letter he'd written. It will make you cry, so have off-brand tissues on hand:
Letter with love from her brother.
via PamTina_/Twitter
OMG.
As if this letter isn't enough to turn your heart into a soft pile of oatmeal, he also left her some of her (presumably) favorite snacks, like Chips Ahoy and Takis (excellent choices!).
Pam, being a human with a soul, was deeply moved and tweeted out a photo of her little brother's letter:
My little brother found out I\u2019m not his fully sister and I came home to this.. I\u2019m crying..pic.twitter.com/DAC0yUUBt4— \ua9c1Pam\ua9c2 (@\ua9c1Pam\ua9c2) 1532413776
It quickly went viral. And now the whole internet is now welling up with tears.
— LUNA (@lilialunav) July 25, 2018
And others are sharing their own sibling stories:
These are so, so sweet.
I was introducing my kids to my new wife and stepson. When I explained that she was their new Stepmom, My Stepson (5) said to my kids Mom "Well if my Mom is going to be their Stepmom, you're going to be my new Stepmom!"
— Disco Stu (@wharrrgarrbl) August 28, 2021
When I found out my oldest brother wasn’t my full brother I said and I quote “I thought he was different. But I like him more anyway”
— Liy (@Its_Montana_) July 25, 2018
Don't say we didn't warn you about the tissues.
Remember this next time you get into a fight with your sibling. Half or whole, doesn't matter. Love/hate is love/hate!
This article originally appeared on 11.04.22