79 years ago she quit high school when her husband went to war. Today, she got her diploma.
It took 79 years, but Grace Lee McClure Smith was able to walk on stage and accept her high school diploma on Wednesday. Smith dropped out of Hazel Green High School in Alabama at the age of 16 in 1942 to marry her husband Calvin B. Smith who was then sent off to fight in…
It took 79 years, but Grace Lee McClure Smith was able to walk on stage and accept her high school diploma on Wednesday. Smith dropped out of Hazel Green High School in Alabama at the age of 16 in 1942 to marry her husband Calvin B. Smith who was then sent off to fight in World War II.
Calvin passed away in 2005, just a few days shy of his 80th birthday.
Even though she never graduated from high school, Grace still kept education close to her heart. She was a bus driver for the Madison County School Systems for over 30 years.
“She came back and for more than 30 years, she drove a school bus in Madison County, she served our students and got them safely to school and safely home for 30 years,” school official Tim Hall told CBS affiliate WHNT.
“She was a role model for a lot of kids and she’s always telling the stories,” Erin Wilson, Grace’s granddaughter said according to People. “She may not remember faces, but she will remember names and addresses of where she picked them up and dropped them off.”
So on June 2, 2021, Grace was given an honorary diploma at a special ceremony at Hazel Green where she became Madison County’s oldest high school graduate at 94 years old. Grace didn’t complete her degree, but her decades of service to the district were enough for her to receive a diploma.
She can now count herself among the 302 fellow members of the class of 2021 who also received a diploma that day. She’s probably the only member of the class of 2021 that can boast of having seven children, 16 grandchildren, and 26 great-grandchildren.
“It’s better late than never, isn’t it?” said Grace.
The ceremony was put together by one of her grandchildren and included officials from the school district including Director of PR Tim Hall, Hazel Green principal Quinn Headen, and superintendent Allen Perkins.
“I feel like I don’t deserve it,” she said. “There’s a lot more people that are much more deserving than me. I’m just doing my job, love it. I love most of it most of the time. Good times!”
Grace may not feel like she deserves it, but she sure does. She gave up her pursuit of education to support her spouse who was sent overseas to risk his life to fight against the Axis powers. Who knows what opportunities she may have missed out in life because she didn’t have a diploma.
As time goes by there are fewer and fewer people still living that understand the true sacrifice that many of the “Greatest Generation” made during World War II. Let’s hope that more people like Grace are shown true appreciation for their sacrifice while there’s still time.
A recent estimate by Pew Research found that approximately 300,000 of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II are still alive. It’s believed that we will lose the last of the veterans between 2040 and 2045.
In a small village in Pwani, a district on Tanzania’s coast, a massive dance party is coming to a close. For the past two hours, locals have paraded through the village streets, singing and beating ngombe drums; now, in a large clearing, a woman named Sheilla motions for everyone to sit facing a large projector screen. A film premiere is about to begin.
It’s an unusual way to kick off a film about gender bias, inequality, early marriage, and other barriers that prevent girls from accessing education in Tanzania. But in Pwani and beyond, local organizations supported by Malala Fund and funded by Pura are finding creative, culturally relevant ways like this one to capture people’s interest.
The film ends and Sheilla, the Communications and Partnership Lead for Media for Development and Advocacy (MEDEA), stands in front of the crowd once again, asking the audience to reflect: What did you think about the film? How did it relate to your own experience? What can we learn?
Sheilla explains that, once the community sees the film, “It brings out conversations within themselves, reflective conversations.” The resonance and immediate action create a ripple effect of change.
MEDEA Screening Audience in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
Across Tanzania, gender-based violence often forces adolescent girls out of the classroom. This and other barriers — including child marriage, poverty, conflict, and discrimination — prevent girls from completing their education around the world.
Sheilla and her team are using film and radio programs to address the challenges girls face in their communities. MEDEA’s ultimate goal is to affirm education as a fundamental right for everyone, and to ensure that every member of a community understands how girls’ education contributes to a stronger whole and how to be an ally for their sisters, daughters, granddaughters, friends, nieces, and girlfriends.
Sheilla’s story is one of many that inspired Heart on Fire, a new fragrance from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection that blends the warm, earthy spices of Tanzania with a playful, joyful twist. Here’s how Pura is using scent as a tool to connect the world and inspire action.
A partnership focused on local impact, on a global mission
Pura, a fragrance company that recognizes education as both freedom and a human right, has partnered with Malala Fund since 2022. In order to defend every girl’s right to access and complete 12 years of education, Malala Fund partners with local organizations in countries where the educational barriers are the greatest. They invest in locally-led solutions because they know that those who are closest to the problems are best equipped to solve and build durable solutions, like MEDEA, which works with communities to challenge discrimination against girls and change beliefs about their education.
But local initiatives can thrive and scale more powerfully with global support, which is why Pura is using their own superpower, the power of scent, to connect people around the world with the women and girls in these local communities.
The Pura x Malala Fund Collection incorporates ingredients naturally found in Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil: countries where Malala Fund operates to address systemic education barriers. Eight percent of net revenue from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection will be donated to Malala Fund directly, but beyond financial support, the Collection is also a love letter to each unique community, blending notes like lemon, jasmine, cedarwood, and clove to transport people, ignite their senses, and help them draw inspiration and hope from the global movement for girls’ education. Through scent, people can connect to the courage, joy, and tenacity of girls and local leaders, all while uniting in a shared commitment to education: the belief that supporting girls’ rights in one community benefits all of us, everywhere.
You’ve already met Sheilla. Now see how Naiara and Mama Habiba are building unique solutions to ensure every girl can learn freely and dare to dream.
Naiara Leite is reimagining what’s possible in Brazil
Julia with Odara in Brazil. Captured by Luisa Dorr for Pura
In Brazil, where pear trees and coconut plantations cover the Northeastern Coast, girls like ten-year-old Julia experience a different kind of educational barrier than girls in Tanzania. Too often, racial discrimination contributes to high dropout rates among Black, quilombola and Indigenous girls in the country.
“In the logic of Brazilian society, Black people don’t need to study,” says Naiara Leite, Executive Coordinator of Odara, a women-led organization and Malala Fund partner. Bahia, the state where Odara is based, was once one of the largest slave-receiving territories in the Americas, and because of that history, deeply-ingrained, anti-Black prejudice is still widespread. “Our role and the image constructed around us is one of manual labor,” Naiara says.
But education can change that. In 2020, with assistance from a Malala Fund grant, Odara launched its first initiative for improving school completion rates among Black, quilombola, and Indigenous girls: “Ayomidê Odara”. The young girls mentored under the program, including Julia, are known as the Ayomidês. And like the Pura x Malala Fund Collection’s Brazil: Breath of Courage scent, the Ayomidês are fierce, determined, and bursting with energy.
Ayomidês with Odara in Brazil. Captured by Luisa Dorr for Pura
Ayomidês take part in weekly educational sessions where they explore subjects like education and ethnic-racial relations. The girls are encouraged to find their own voices by producing Instagram lives, social media videos, and by participating in public panels. Already, the Ayomidês are rewriting the narrative on what’s possible for Afro-Brazilian girls to achieve. One of the earliest Ayomidês, a young woman named Debora, is now a communications intern. Another former Ayomidê, Francine, works at UNICEF, helping train the next generation of adolescent leaders. And Julia has already set her sights on becoming a math teacher or a model.
“These are generations of Black women who did not have access to a school,” Naiara says. “These are generations of Black women robbed daily of their dreams. And we’re telling them that they could be the generation in their family to write a new story.”
Mama Habiba is reframing the conversation in Nigeria
Centre for Girls' Education, Nigeria. Captured by James Roh for Pura
In Mama Habiba’s home country of Nigeria, the scents of starfruit, ylang ylang and pineapple, all incorporated into the Pura x Malala Collection’s “Nigeria: Hope for Tomorrow,” can be found throughout the vibrant markets. Like these native scents, Mama Habiba says that the Nigerian girls are also bright and passionate, but too often they are forced to leave school long before their potential fully blooms.
“Some of these schools are very far, and there is an issue of quality, too,” Mama Habiba says. “Most parents find out when their children are in school, the girls are not learning. So why allow them to continue?”
When girls drop out of secondary school, marriage is often the alternative. In Nigeria, one in three girls is married before the age of 18. When this happens, girls are unable to fulfill their potential, and their families and communities lose out on the social, health and economic benefits.
Completing secondary school delays marriage, and according to UNESCO, educated girls become women who raise healthier children, lift their families out of poverty and contribute to more peaceful, resilient communities.
Centre for Girls’ Education, Nigeria. Captured by James Roh for Pura
To encourage young girls to stay in school, the Centre for Girls’ Education, a nonprofit in Nigeria founded by Mama Habiba and supported by Malala Fund and Pura, has pioneered an initiative that’s similar to the Ayomidê workshops in Brazil: safe spaces. Here, girls meet regularly to learn literacy, numeracy, and other issues like reproductive health. These safe spaces also provide an opportunity for the girls to role-play and learn to advocate for themselves, develop their self-image, and practice conversations with others about their values, education being one of them. In safe spaces, Mama Habiba says, girls start to understand “who she is, and that she is a girl who has value. She has the right to negotiate with her parents on what she really feels or wants.”
“When girls are educated, they can unlock so many opportunities,” Mama Habiba says. “It will help the economy of the country. It will boost so many opportunities for the country. If they are given the opportunity, I think the sky is not the limit. It is the starting point for every girl.”
From parades, film screenings to safe spaces and educational programs, girls and local leaders are working hard to strengthen the quality, safety and accessibility of education and overcome systemic challenges. They are encouraging courageous behavior and reminding us all that education is freedom.
Experience the Pura x Malala Fund Collection here, and connect with the stories of real girls leading change across the globe.
Everything old is officially new again after mathematicians determined that trends tend to resurface “every 20 years or so.” So, while a de-cluttering organizer might tell you to pitch those low-rise skinny jeans, these researchers might say, not so fast!
The team of mathematicians, led by Emma Zajdela at Northwestern University, took a look at well over 150 years of women’s clothing styles and determined that they could calculate trends resurfacing about every 20 years, calling it, “the 20-year rule.”
In an article for Popular Science, Andrew Paul writes, “Clothing trends come and go, but in some cases, they don’t stay away for too long. For decades, both the fashion industry and its devotees have referenced the so-called “20-year rule,” which suggests society is liable to see certain styles return at semi-regular intervals. However, without any hard data to back up the claim, that “rule” has long remained more of a hypothesis.”
This is where the research comes in. Zajdela shares, “To our knowledge, this is the first time that someone developed such an extensive and precise database of fashion measures across more than a century.”
The research
Here’s how they did it. The Northwestern research team took a look at runway collections dating all the way back to 1869 and combined those trends with information from the commercial pattern archive. Explained on their site, “The Commercial Pattern Archive (CoPA) at the University of Rhode Island is both an extensive collection of commercially produced paper sewing patterns and a unique scholarly database used by costumers, fashion designers, museum professionals, scholars, and vintage aficionados the world over.”
What they then were able to do is measure waistlines, pant legs, skirt length, etc., to determine the formula. Paul writes that the study found the pendulum is always swinging. “Basically, the fashion industry is constantly fluctuating between originality and tradition. Once a clothing style is too popular, designers begin changing their new apparel just enough to stand out while still remaining desirable to potential wearers.”
Fashion is evolving
Plenty of Redditors have weighed in on the topic. On a thread entitled “Fashion stopped evolving 20 years ago…what do you think?”
A commenter proves that perhaps we’re about to shift trends. “Yes and no. 20 years ago was the last signature defining aspects of fashion that characterized it, but otherwise no. Fashion is still evolving as normal, we just haven’t hit a point where we get a shift that makes past fashion seem alien, and we shouldn’t expect it to happen anytime soon. No one walks around in a Victorian wardrobe today, and Victorians wouldn’t walk in ours. People keep craving a shift that makes the fashion landscape itself change, which simply isn’t going to happen.”
This person shares, in part, that indeed everything comes back in style. “There’s been actual change though, with tons of ebb and flow. The 90’s / early 00’s was really influenced by the 60’s & 70’s as well. 2010’s felt very 80’s with their own twist. I feel like we’re in the 60’s again (as in what people actually wore in the 60’s, not the media), with clean girl, beige, minimalism, whatever. But if you follow trends, you’ll see there’s been a lot of pushback against that now, especially since fashion is political. Give it a few years and we’ll be in the 70’s / 80’s. That whole (The) Devil Wears Pradaspeech about fashion trickling down is true.”
The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929-1939, caused economic turmoil worldwide. Families struggled to feed themselves, and went to extreme lengths to stretch food and utilize all available ingredients.
From soups and stews to cakes, these are 17 Great Depression recipes to try.
Soups, Stews and More
Beef and Noodles
“My grandmas go to: Bag of egg noodles 1 can of creamed corn 1 can Campbells chicken noodle soup 1 lb ground beef. Salt and pepper to taste. Brown ground beef, add all other ingredients, add enough water or light chicken stock to cover noodles if needed. Bring to boil, and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes, take off the heat and let it rest 10 minutes before serving with buttered white bread. I still make this to this day. My kids loved it too. Basically homemade Hamburger Helper.” – -__Doc__-
Hoover Stew
Ingredients
1 box noodles A can of tomatoes 1 package of hot dogs, or 1 can of sausage or meat A can of corn, peas or beans 2-4 cups water
Instructions
“Mix all ingredients together in a pot until boiling. Then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the noodles are tender. If you have aromatics, onion and garlic would be a great addition. If not, the recipe is great as is.” – Josuaross54
Zaprezna soup
“Depression soup… make a roux, add salt pepper and caraway seeds. Add water to make a thick soup texture. Use an egg or two mixed with flour and salt pepper and mix together to make dumplings.. drop into the soup to cook.. This was called zaprezna soup or depression soup. We ate it often in the 60’s after my dad abandoned us. Money was short but this soup was good.” – User Unknown
Chipped Beef On Toast
Ingredients
8 oz. dried beef jerky 2 tbsp butter or oil 4 tbsp flour 4 cups milk Salt and pepper to taste Sliced homemade bread, for serving
Instructions
“Add jerky and oil to a pan over medium heat. Cook until the meat softens, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in your flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and bring to a low boil. Allow sauce to thicken for up to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if you have it. Serve over homemade bread, toasted if desired.” – Josuaross54
Rivel Soup
“In Ohio…My mom would cook Rivel Soup when I was a kid in 80s and 90s. She still makes it. It’s milk based with flour dough balls in it. I hate it. Sometimes they would fry potatoes and put them in the soup.” – Vegetable_Record_855
Potato Soup
Ingredients
4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced (or 2 cans of potatoes) 2 garlic cloves, chopped One carrot, sliced A can of meat, sausage, or hot dogs (optional) 3 cups water or stock 3 cups milk Any herbs you have on-hand Salt to taste
Instructions
“Slice all your potatoes, garlic, and carrots. Add to a soup pot with the meat, water, and milk. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, keeping the mix at a low simmer. Then, cook for 30 minutes until all veggies are tender. Add herbs and salt, if using. Serve hot.” – Josuaross54
Tuna Fish Stew
“My mother’s family always made tuna fish stew. It is celery, potatoes, canned tuna fish, milk, and hard boiled eggs. Sautee the celery until half way cooked, throw in some chopped potatoes and water. Cook until the potatoes are done. Thin the stew with some milk. Throw in chopped hard boil eggs. Salt and pepper to taste Serve over stale bread. It was cheap, quick, and really filling.” – RoseNoire4
1 package soaked dried beans, or 2 cans of beans One tomato, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tbsp lard Two tbsp molasses One cup water
Instructions “Soak your beans, if using dried, overnight and drain the liquid. Prepare your veggies by chopping. Omit any vegetable that you do not have on-hand. Add lard to a stock pot and cook your vegetables until tender. Add the beans, molasses, and water. Cook all together with a lid on for 2-3 hours or until the beans have your desired consistency. Add more water if needed.
Milk Potatoes
“Milk potatoes. Fry sliced potatoes with salt, pepper and a bit of onion until almost done. Pour milk over potatoes and simmer until potatoes are cooked through.” – kms811•6y ago
Ash Cakes
“Ash cakes got their name because different renditions are cooked in the hot white ash of your campfire. These are only 3 ingredients but are filling and have a great texture.
Ingredients
½ cup cornmeal 1 cup meat stock or water 2 tbsp lard or grease
Instructions Mix both ingredients together in a bowl and allow to sit overnight to hydrate the cornmeal. Pat into a bread pan and refrigerate or add to your cool storage before allowing to set up. The next day, slice into 1-inch slices and fry in melted lard. Serve hot and crispy.” – Josuaross54
Sweets
Potato Donuts
“Potato donuts from depression era cooking with Dylan Hollis.” – BainbridgeBorn
Wacky Cake
“If you have interest in baking, make a wacky cake. It’s a chocolate cake that has no milk, butter, or eggs, because those items were scarce during the Depression, but it is so good! The recipe I linked has more steps, but I’ve known a lot of people to literally just dump and mix everything in the baking dish.” – gwhite81218
1 cup rice 2 cups milk 2 tbsp butter 3 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or molasses Pinch of cinnamon
“Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste for doneness and cook an additional 5 minutes, tasting until desired consistency. Serve warm.” – Josuaross54
“There was a thing for ‘apple’ pie made with Ritz crackers my grandmother made some time ago (she was born 1901 so def Depression life).https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9545/mock-apple-pie/ That recipe looks more complicated than the one grandma made, but there are a number of recipes online for it, including one made by Ritz, on the box.” – User Unknown
Hard Time Pudding
“Batter: 1 cup flour 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup raisins (Optional, I hate them) 3 tsp Baking powder 1/2 cup water Syrup: 1 1/2 cup Brown sugar 1 TBSP. butter/marg. 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 – 2 cup water
Mix together flour, sugar, raisins, Baking powder, and water. Pour into a baking dish. In a sauce pan combine brown sugar, butter, water bring to boil then add vanilla and pour over the batter. Bake at 300 º for 1/2 hour.” – MsBean18
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since the great Robin Williams left our world. The man left a fantastic legacy of laughs, from his time on TV’s Mork and Mindy to his performances in comedy hits such as Mrs. Doubtfire and Disney’s Aladdin.
Williams was also an incredible dramatic actor, giving memorable performances in films such as Dead Poets Society and Good Morning, Vietnam.
But the Comic Relief star always shined brightest when he improvised on stage, whether on talk shows or in stand-up comedy. One appearance on Martha Stewart Living from 2004 resurfaced last year because of how quickly he improvised jokes while cooking with Stewart. It’s also great because Stewart plays the perfect straight woman to Williams, although she has a tough time holding it together.
Their chemistry was spicy
Whenever Stewart mentions an ingredient, whether cumin or brown sugar, Williams turns it into a comedic riff. He also jokes in Spanish and does a few accents that feel off-color over 20 years later, but they’re delivered with the best intentions. Williams also walks a bit of a tightrope during the segment while he tries to keep his humor appropriate for daytime TV while reacting to Stewart, who is “rubbing the meat.”
“I feel incredibly honored to have grown up in an era where we had this wonderful man,” the most popular commenter on the YouTube video wrote. “His ability to change characters on the fly is remarkable,” another added. “His spontaneous humor is unmatched! He was an incredibly smart, kind and funny man. He is sorely missed!” another commenter said.
Who were Martha Stewart’s favorite guests on her show?
Years later, Stewart would admit that Williams was one of her favorite guests on the show. “We had so much fun because he was the fastest wit and the fastest mind and his mind was like a computer,” Stewart told AOL in 2022. “No matter what I said, he had a retort and he was so quick. I was marinating meat and he loved that—can you imagine what he did with ‘marinating meat’ and ‘rubbing the meat’ and ‘ooh la la?’ Watch the segment; it’s really good.”
Martha Stewart relationship advice hits different.
MARTHA, the definitive documentary on the life of the self-made icon, is now playing. pic.twitter.com/wJ55XHZiZU
What’s The Many Lives of Martha Stewart film about?
Although Martha Stewart has rarely been out of the spotlight over the past five decades, she was in the news after releasing the 2023 Netflix documentary about her life, The Many Lives of Martha Stewart.
The film follows Stewart’s journey from teen model to Wall Street stockbroker to the queen of entertaining and good taste. Eventually, she would become America’s first self-made female billionaire. The documentary also discusses the insider trading scandal that sent her to prison in 2004.
The film also reveals Stewart’s guiding philosophy. “I have two mottos. One is: Learn something new every day. And the second one is: When you’re through changing, you’re through,” Stewart says in the film. “Change that garden if you don’t like it. Rip it out and you start all over again.”
If you want to relive the hilarious moments between Stewart and Williams in your kitchen, here’s a recipe for the Chili Espresso Steak Rub.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
An X user from Japan shared a photo of a glass with peanuts floating atop what appears to be cola, writing (auto-translated from Japanese):
“About 30 years ago, I read in a Haruki Murakami essay that in America, it’s popular to drink cola with peanuts in it. I was like, ‘Huh,’ and a long time has passed since then, but I finally tried it. What the hell is this? It’s ridiculously delicious, damn it. It’s on a level where I won’t want to drink cola any other way anymore.”
Peanuts in Coke is one of the most accidentally perfect food pairings in history, and the chemistry explains why this guy can't go back.
Coca-Cola sits at pH 2.5, roughly the same acidity as stomach acid. When you drop roasted peanuts into that, the phosphoric acid partially… https://t.co/viykRGEwaJ
Are peanuts and Coke really an American tradition?
Apparently, this “American” tradition has been gaining traction in Japan, with people sharing their experiences on social media. But many Americans may be surprised to see Coke with peanuts described as a “popular” combo. It’s not really a common or widespread snack choice. For some, however, it’s a flash from the past.
“Southern kids did this all the time,” wrote one commenter. “Our folks would buy us an ice cold Coke in a bottle and a bag of peanuts, we’d drink some Coke, then funnel in some peanuts. Delicious and fun.”
“I learned this from my father, but it was Dr Pepper. He was stationed in Texas when he was in the Army. That’s where he learned about it.”
“My very southern high school AP US History teacher swore by peanuts and Coke but was adamant that the only way to do it was in the little glass bottles that you only really now see at weddings and other functions. Not sure if there’s science to back that up.”
According to a few commenters, the combo also became popular in parts of Norway after people emigrated to the U.S. and then brought the idea back to Norway with them.
Where did peanuts and Coke come from?
How did it get started? According to The Local Palette, which explores the food culture of the South, the combo was known as “farmer’s Coke” and was a workingman’s beverage:
“Its fizzy refreshment bore sweet and salty satisfactions that could be savored during a work break. Some trace it back to the early decades of the twentieth century when ‘dope wagons’ roamed the grounds of textile mills before the advent of the vending machine. These food and beverage carts sold bottles of ‘dope,’ a nickname for Coca-Cola that was perhaps a reference to the days when the popular soda contained trace amounts of cocaine.“
Have you ever heard of salted peanuts in Coke? This Japanese guy just introduced me to this Southern tradition. I’m in Southern Florida and I’ve never heard of it. I looked it up and it’s a real thing from the 1920s among Southern farmers and workers for a quick sweet-salty… https://t.co/tAPt2DvtgSpic.twitter.com/gcXYuFCf1d
For farmers, pouring the peanuts into the soda bottle made sense. For one, it kept them from touching the nuts with dirty hands. It also meant they could eat and drink with just one hand.
There are multiple variations on the theme. Many people insist on taking a few sips from a bottle of Coke and then dumping the nuts straight into the bottle. Some say it has to be Mexican Coke, since it uses sugar instead of corn syrup. Others swear by RC Cola or Dr. Pepper instead of Coke. People disagree on whether the peanuts should be roasted or boiled.
Why peanuts and Coke make such a delicious combination
Sweet and salty is generally known to be an irresistible combination of flavors, so there’s that. But according to X user’s Aakash Gupta’s analysis, the chemistry that happens when you drop the nuts into the soda provides another layer of flavor:
“Coca-Cola sits at pH 2.5, roughly the same acidity as stomach acid. When you drop roasted peanuts into that, the phosphoric acid partially denatures the surface proteins on the nut, releasing free glutamate. You’re generating umami in real time inside the glass.
The salt on the peanuts suppresses bitter taste receptors on your tongue, which amplifies your perception of sweetness without adding a single gram of sugar. Coca-Cola already has 39g of sugar per can. Your brain registers it as even sweeter because the salt is clearing the noise from competing flavor signals.
Then carbonation does two things. CO2 dissolved in liquid forms carbonic acid, which triggers pain receptors (TRPA1), not taste receptors. That mild irritation resets your palate between sips so you never get flavor fatigue. Every sip hits like the first. Second, the bubbles physically agitate the peanut surface, accelerating the protein breakdown and glutamate release. The longer the peanuts sit, the more umami you extract.
The fat content seals it. Peanuts are 49% fat by weight. Fat is the only macronutrient that activates CD36 receptors, which your brain interprets as richness and satisfaction. Mix that with sugar, salt, acid, umami, and carbonation and you’ve accidentally triggered every major reward pathway in the human taste system simultaneously.“
Sounds fancy. Perhaps it’s worth a try. If nothing else, the trend is creating some fun intercultural exchanges with our fellow humans on the other side of the world.
There are bad bosses, good bosses, and sometimes, there are even great bosses. LinkedIn, infamously, is home to all three, and when scrolling through the randomly curated feed, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get.
That’s why Stephanie Barney, CEO of Girls on the Go, raised some serious eyebrows with one of her recent posts.
CEO “doesn’t allow” mental health days
Barney spends her days running Girls on the Go, a health and wellness community for women that focuses on in-person, girl-only events that help members “combat loneliness, stay active, socialise and make new friends.“
As CEO, Barney is in charge of a small but growing team. And she recently took to LinkedIn to share one key element of her management style.
“I don’t allow my employees to take mental health days,” she wrote in the post. That provocative opening line is what the kids would call textbook “rage-bait.”
People were ready to go off on Barney in the comments. That is, of course, until they kept reading.
“I don’t care if you need a break. I don’t care if you can’t get out of bed. I don’t care if you have a doctors appointment,” the post continued.
And then came the punchline: “Because I TRUST my employees.”
The Gen Z CEO went on to explain that her wording was very intentional and not purely there to grab eyeballs. “I don’t ‘allow them’ to do anything. I trust that they know when they feel most productive and when they work the best.”
Read the whole post here:
Approach has yielded great results in a short amount of time
Barney is only in her early twenties and doesn’t have the management experience of a lot of her peers on LinkedIn, but her bona-fides are already beginning to speak for themselves.
The founder of the award noted at the time, “What Stephanie has built in such a short time and at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable. Not only has she built a safe, inclusive and diverse community of women and girls that is actively tackling the issue of loneliness and isolation, she has made it financially sustainable [while], delivering social impact.”
There’s more going on here than just the Gen Z passion for better work-life balance. Turns out, trusting your employees is a strong management style.
Thousands of people Liked Barney’s post, with hundreds more chiming in in the comments section:
“Congrats on being a fabulous boss and striving to create work environments and experiences empowering your team”
“Most bosses throughout my 35 year career haven’t gotten it. No latitude. “
“When people feel safe to manage their own time and energy, they don’t just survive at work, they thrive.”
“Reminds me of high school vs college where the professors were like you’re all adults don’t ask to use the restroom just go. Be a post-college workplace, not a high school workplace”
The stigma of mental health days
Barney’s post taps into an unspoken stigma about “mental health days.” Sometimes, we all need one to be at our best. But asking for one feels weak and vulnerable, even though one in five Americans receive treatment for their mental health, according to MIT’s Sloan School of Management. It’s not uncommon, weird, or unnecessary. And yet, the stigma persists.
“In reality, talking about mental illness or asking for a mental health day at many offices is risky,” writes Talkspace. “Only the most progressive companies provide mental health days or create an environment where it is safe to ask for one.”
An incredibly innovative solution: Don’t make anyone ask, or worse, lie.
Research is conclusive that vacation, or even just a rest day at home, makes us better and more productive employees. Barney is right: CEOs shouldn’t “allow” this time off. They should trust their colleagues to know when it’s needed and act accordingly.
Remember the time shortly before the internet, when “scrolling” looked like flipping channels on the TV to see what was on? After passing up news, reruns, game shows, an old movie, and the public access station, you’d land on The Weather Channel. Suddenly, you’d find yourself checking the forecast and zoning out to whatever smooth jazz tunes accompanied the text on screen.
If that description triggered some cozy, comfy nostalgia for you, you’re in for a treat. The Weather Channel has launched a “retro forecast” option on its website that lets you see your local forecast as it looked way back when.
Go to weather.com/retro and click on the “START RETROCAST” button. This is what it looks (and sounds) like, customized to your local area:
It almost feels like time travel, doesn’t it? People who remember this simpler time are expressing how much they love the RetroCast:
“That scream you just heard was millions of millennial hearts reawakening to sounds we haven’t heard but missed.”
“Ohh… that makes me miss my grandpa. He had that channel on 24/7 when it first came out. It was the theme song to ‘Staying with Grandpa and Grandma.’”
“I used to like during Christmas time, they would play the entire album of A Charlie Brown Christmas by The Vince Guaraldi Trio. They’d also play classic Christmas Tunes as well but I will always remember them play Charlie Brown Christmas.”
“The only way my 1999 baby would sleep. Now we are getting ready to welcome her baby.”
No this is not a joke…Retro Weather Channel is officially back! 🎶 Head to https://t.co/sJgpOSHVgR enjoy RetroCast Now for your forecasts in the way you know and love. 💙🎷☀️
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) April 2, 2026
“World needs more of this. I love seeing history being respected and represented this way.”
“That was a nostalgic feel-good ride if I do say so myself!! Thank you for that whoever found this!!! Weather channel needs to make this an app lol.”
“This is also a time-traveling machine. It instantly took me back to my junior year in high school in South Bend, IN, a place where keeping track of the weather matters more (out here it’s just hot, slightly cold, and maybe a few drops fall now and then). All sorts of good time memories came ‘flooding’ in. Peak nostalgia!”
“If you brought this back as a TV channel, you’d have the highest-rated channel with Gen X and Millennials.”
Today, The Weather Channel is…different. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it’s definitely busier. Weather forecasting has come a long way in the last 30 years, but so have television production, graphics, visual effects, and even fonts. Sometimes, that can be great. But it can also be a lot.
There’s something to be said for simple utility, and that’s what this retro forecast provides. No fancy graphics and multiple chyrons. No commentary. Just some cheesy music and dropshadowed fonts informing us about current conditions, sunrise and sunset times, and the local forecast.
The enthusiastic response to the retro forecast echoes the growing movement toward slower, more analog experiences. The digital age has its benefits, no doubt. But digital fatigue is real, our attention spans have taken a beating, and there’s a sense that something has to change. For many, that change looks like revisiting the habits of a simpler time, which this retro weather forecast offering represents.
Obviously, watching a retro Weather Channel forecast isn’t going to solve anyone’s issues with technology overwhelm. But the desire for it is a signal that deserves our attention. Nostalgia isn’t just a sweet feeling of remembrance in the modern era, after all. It’s also a yearning for simplicity in an increasingly complex world.
And perhaps zoning out to smooth jazz for a bit gives us a much-needed respite from the digital storm we’re living in.
When the Apollo 11 space shuttle launched in 1969, millions of people gathered around their TVs to watch it live. The idea that humans could land on the moon a mere 66 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight here on Earth inspired awe around the world.
Since then, we’ve seen countless rocket launches. But that doesn’t make a historic mission any less awe-inspiring to witness in person, as evidenced by BBC Science Editor Rebecca Morelle’s giddy reaction to watching the Artemis II shuttle launch in person.
Morelle reported on the launch as it happened with refreshing, childlike joy. Journalists are trained to be dispassionate, and Morelle is a seasoned professional. But her spontaneous “Oh my goodness, that is spectacular!” and the tears in her eyes as she described what she was seeing revealed the emotion of the moment.
Morelle’s awe and wonder were palpable. They were also understandable. The historic Artemis II mission will take astronauts around the moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone before. And as Morelle said, Artemis is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built. That’s worth getting excited about, especially if you love science as much as she does.
However, some can’t help but question the authenticity of moments like this. Some have become cynical from the chaos in the world. Younger generations may see such emotional expression as “cringe.” Some may be skeptical of taking this science reporter’s emotions at face value.
But the tears in her eyes and her gasps of wonder tell a story of genuine joy. And many of the comments demonstrate people’s need for positivity:
“They sent the right reporter! 👍👍 Love her excitement.”
“I’m glad they sent someone as excited as her to be there.”
“Her excitement is literally so amazing during these dark dark times.”
“She is the sweetest. Life needs more joy.”
“Adorable. Protect her at all costs.”
“Agreed. I like watching people who enjoy their job. Makes me enjoy it more!”
“Yeah, it is important to always align work with people’s passions. She loves being there. Good work, BBC.”
I’m so glad the BBC sent her to be the reporter on this! She appreciated every moment of the #Artemis launch so much!! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Rbh6rXcn91
“Having watched a rocket launch in person from the Saturn V center (which is where they’re at) it’s honestly impossible to NOT get excited. The feeling is electrifying and you really feel the force of your rocket through your bones.”
“Watching any launch is insane, being there is an event. She’s 1000% justified and I love her not being modest for performance sake.”
“Dear world. It’s okay to celebrate and be happy.”
“Sadly, it’s a sign of the times we live in. People have lost their joy and view everything through a lens of negativity. Unfortunately, we’re bombarded with assaults against humanity on a daily basis and people have become desensitized to their natural emotions and have become guarded. It is what it is unfortunately.”
Oh I love reaction it’s infectious!! That’s how excited you should be!!
It’s also so nice to see someone speaking and acting in a positive way on the news ❤️🙏👏
So many people are weary of negativity and thirsty for genuine joy. Seeing Morelle’s pure, wholesome display of emotion feels like a balm for our battered spirits. Indeed, joy is good for both our physical and mental health, so indulging it makes good sense. If cynicism is a poison, this video is the antidote.
Thank you, Rebecca Morelle, for letting this moment take you for an emotional ride, and for bringing us all along with you. So many of us needed that.
Fashion designer Betsey Johnson was punk rock before punk rock was even a thing. In the 1960s, she won the Mademoiselle Guest Editor contest. By 1969, she had her own store with Andy Warhol favorite Edie Sedgwick as one of her top models. By the ’70s, Johnson was the go-to for many rockers, and by the 1980s…she was a household name.
Turning 83 does not seem to have slowed her down. In a fabulous speech posted recently on Advanced Style’s Instagram page, Johnson does the splits to prove that age really is just a number. She stands in her signature black and white striped low-waisted dress, with punk golden blonde spiky bangs and red lipstick, while she dives deep into what it means to be over 80.
In hot pink lettering, the chyron on the video reads, “Betsey Johnson on aging and acceptance at 83.” Johnson begins by sharing that one’s 80s are an amazing time. “You finally gel. Whatever, you’re cooked! You’re done. And hopefully, you have the confidence to enjoy the cooking process all the years.”
We hear a gasp as Johnson then flings herself into her signature splits. (Note: she has often been known to do these at the end of fashion shows and on red carpets.) Of the fact that she can do them with such ease, she says, “Of course I do, darling. I swore that I always would. I was an aerialist. I never wanted to stiffen up. So I promised, I just said ‘ya know, if you can do the splits every year, that would be a good thing.’”
She then confesses that one of her signature looks is an absolute must for her to function. “Everyone knows I can’t work, I can’t talk, I can’t think, I can’t do anything but sleep without lipstick. I’m always putting lipstick on.” She admits, however, that there’s not much more to her youthful vibe. “But I have no beauty regime. No nothing.”
What’s the secret?
The interviewer asks what the secret is to “looking so fab.” Johnson is now wearing a gold crown and begins to pull on her face. At first, she mentions needing a lot of “work,” but then she stops herself. “I have to live with what’s happening now.” While she says she tweaked a little in her 60s and 70s, she’s “finally at the point where I have to accept I feel good. That to me is the major thing. I really feel great!”
She reiterates that she doesn’t “feel” old. “I don’t feel my age at all. I feel maybe 32, 35, something like that. And 80 doesn’t mean that I can’t wear anything that I wouldn’t wear at 20.”
Betsey’s closet
Speaking of, she shows off her incredible closet. “I have the designer closet from hell,” she says, confessing that she only wears about five outfits and no longer “bothers with clothes.” In a sense, this is how it’s always been. “I’ve always liked what I’ve liked, and if it’s fashionable, great, if it isn’t, great! That’s why my favorite stuff is years old.” She holds up an oddly shaped, colorful dress. “This is from 1983,” she shares.
She continues, “I think there’s a real need for ‘weird.’ You know, just off-center. You just don’t expect it. You’ve never seen it. It’s brand new, it’s a surprise! You feel young again. You’re seeing something new. Well, weird is something great on top of ‘new.’”
Johnson then shows off some incredible items from the closet, one of which is a dress made out of old hair extensions! There are also blue sequined ’60s vintage vests, and an old Vivienne corset. It all makes sense when she explains she always wanted to be a Rockette. “All my dancing costumes were my entire inspiration for all my stuff.” “
She finishes by reiterating how important it is to own who you are. “If you don’t celebrate now, it’s a different kind of celebration. I like that I’m free from the memories. It’s not this, it’s not that, I can be brand new. Whatever!”
Her fans adore her
There are over 185,000 likes and 11,000 comments from other celebrities and fans. Musician Annie Lennox enthusiastically shares, “Absolutely BRILLIANT, Betsey!”
Another fan writes that Johnson continues to serve as an inspiration. “She’s always so kind and full of excitement for life. It’s no surprise she’s in such great health. I aspire.”
And this fan is moved by Johnson’s sentiment, writing, “Besides loving your over-the-top sense of fashion, and the products you have created, seeing this raw interview of you is absolutely priceless and SO INSPIRING! My mother is a spry artist 84 years young. Her positive outlook is what keeps her going. My job is to keep her looking fabulous at every time. Doing splits at 80? I will definitely share this with her! – Your Drag Queen Fan”
