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Fining fat people unless they exercise is a bad, offensive idea. Here are 10 reasons why.

"What's the key to tackling obesity? Fine fat people if they don't exercise, say experts," shouted a headline in The Daily Mail on Tuesday.

Photo by Anthony Hyatt/U.S. Air Force/Wikimedia Commons.


"FINE fat people if they don't exercise," is actually what it said. With "FINE" in all caps. When The Daily Mail yells, you better believe it yells.

But, um. Fine people for being fat? Like, charge them actual money? Seriously? This is a thing? Why?

The righteous declaration was based on the results of a single study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which looked at 281 people who had BMIs over 27 (around 27 is considered "overweight" on the Body Mass Index scale, although the actual usefulness of BMI as a measure of how fat or not fat someone is has been a source of much controversy). The researchers rewarded people in one group with $1.40 per day if they met a set goal of 7,000 steps. They gave people in the other group $42 up front, but docked them $1.40 per day if they didn't meet the goal.

Sure enough, the people in the group that was being fined met their step goal more frequently.

As a fat person who likes keeping all my money as opposed to forking an arbitrary percentage of it over to judgmental scientists, this didn't really sit right with me. So I did some digging to prove this idea is, in fact, as ridiculous as it seems.

Spoiler alert: It didn't take much digging.

1. The whole premise of the study rests on a really shaky assumption.

A money fan. Photo by Steven Depolo/Flickr.

Researchers tested their monetary loss/reward hypothesis specifically on fat people. And it's not surprising it worked! It's pretty well-established in psychological research that people are typically more motivated by fear of loss than possibility of reward. And, fat people are, of course, people.

The problem is that this particular experimental setup assumes that "obesity" is the opposite of exercise. Which is a bit like saying that going to a French restaurant is the opposite of going to a Mexican restaurant, or that kayaking is the opposite snorkeling, or that watching "The Bachelor" is the opposite of hitting yourself repeatedly in the head with a small hammer. The things are kinda-sorta related, but actually not directly opposed. You can do/be both!

It's hard to blame the experts for framing the study that way. The assumption that fat people are people who don't exercise and that people who exercise aren't fat is super-double-plus-infinity ingrained in our culture.

But that's not actually true.

2. Exercising doesn’t necessarily make people lose weight.

"With obesity levels reaching epidemic proportions. Global experts in the field are focused on one goal — reversing the trend. Key to the battle is encouraging people who are overweight or obese to exercise more." That's how The Daily Mail frames the study. Exercise more, shed pounds.

To that I say: This is Prince Fielder.

Prince Fielder. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

He's a professional baseball player. Not just any professional baseball player — a really, really good professional baseball player. One of the best, even. In order to be such a good baseball player, he has to exercise virtually every second of every day. He's constantly in the gym. He runs wind sprints after batting practice. He has to do that high knee thing.

If exercising reliably made people skinny, Prince Fielder's torso would look more like Trey Songz's torso.

Trey Songz x 2 = Prince Fielder. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.

But he doesn't. He's fat. Which is not surprising! And not a bad thing! Lots of researchers believe that exercise has little to nothing to do with weight loss.

"A lot of people probably think I'm not athletic or don't even try to work out or whatever, but I do," Fielder told ESPN in 2014. "Just because you're big doesn't mean you can't be an athlete. And just because you work out doesn't mean you're going to have a 12-pack."

"OK," you're probably yelling at your screen, "But that's just one guy! I am a casually professional statistician, and that is what we in the stats biz like to call an 'outlier.' Little statistics jargon for ya. Like what I did there? "

To which I say: Fine. Exhibit B, suckers.

Take a gander at Cecil Fielder.

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images.

Back in the '90s, he was one of the best baseball players alive. He hit over 300 home runs in his career, including 51 in 1990. He can probably lift three of you. And he was also fat.

He also happens to be Prince Fielder's dad.

What are the odds? Two men in the same family — a father and son! — both athletes who, when at the top of their game, were better than basically any of their peers, who also happen to both be fat.

It's almost as if how fat you are has a lot more to do with your genes (and environmental factors) than with the fact that you're a lazy bum who just lacks willpower and doesn't deserve respect or even love.

3. You can be fat and in good shape.

The premise of the study presumes the need to force fat people to do more physical activity. But not only is it completely possible to be fat and not in bad shape, it's possible to be fat and actively in good shape. Really good shape, even.

Like Mirna Valerio.

Photo by Mirna Valerio, used with permission.

She's fat. She runs ultramarathons. Ultramarathons are like marathons, but longer, and for people who are so physically superior to the rest of humanity, they think regular marathons are too easy.

There are fat people who are amazing at yoga. Fat people who kill it in endurance events. Fat people who pole dance (That takes work! You try that shit). Fat people who could beat you in any contest of physical supremacy known to man while still being undeniably, incontrovertibly fat.

Also, remember Richard Simmons?

Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images.

He was in amazing shape. Dude was in such good shape he got paid millions of dollars to yell at other people to get in shape. And he was kind of fat.

(Side note: Remember when the mere fact of Richard Simmons' existence was a joke that people would laugh at? Just "Richard Simmons!" That was the whole joke. That was all the work you needed to do. Because he was sorta fat and seemed gay? People 25 years ago were so dark!)

4. Who’s going to enforce this fat person fine and how?

Sir, please step out of the vehicle. I need to jiggle your tummy. Photo by Lennart Preiss/Getty Images.

OK, so let's say we take the conclusion of the study at face value and we start fining fat people. Who serves the fat people fines in this scenario anyway? Doctors? Personal trainers? Will cops start pulling fat people over on the street? What if a fat person is driving a car instead of jogging? That's not physical activity! Can you be pulled over for driving while fat? What if the fat person is riding a Segway? A fat person on a Segway! Is that exercise? Are enough muscles engaged? Some poor state legislator will have to miss his daughter's T-ball game to stay late at the office in order to game out the precise policy and legal status of a fat person riding a Segway.

It would be chaos! Bureaucracy will explode! Your taxes will go up!

But I'll give the paper the benefit of the doubt. The Daily Mail is published in the U.K., and the laws are different over there. Maybe they've figured out an easy way to go about this. “We’ll just bobby the carriage on the loo!” the Nottingham North MP might be saying right now.

And that's great. Perfect, even. Perfect British solution. Don't understand it, but maybe they know what they're doing.

Next question, though:

5. Let's back up even a little further. Who decides who is fat and eligible for a fine in the first place?

Your Aunt Caroline. Photo via iStock.

Is it your Aunt Caroline? Because it doesn't matter how skinny you get, she still thinks you're fat. (Except when you're truly fat. Then she thinks you've lost weight.)

6. Is this another thing that's for "our own good?" 'Cause lots of people like being fat and/or really don’t give a shit about how much they weigh.

Barney Frank, patron saint of not giving a shit. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Former congressman Barney Frank once quipped, "The day I die, I will either be fat or hungry." It's a sentiment that a lot of fat people relate to. Which makes a lot of sense, as life is finite and food is delicious! So even if you do care about how much other people weigh or how much you weigh, there's a good chance that other people don't and they really aren't all that interested in inane policy solutions to their non-problems.

7. And by the say, that study the Daily Mail was citing? It wasn't as conclusive as the article makes it seem.

All studies, even psychology studies, happen in test tubes. Photo by National Cancer Institute/Wikimedia Commons.

The researchers were actually measuring two things with the study — whether participants in the "fine" group would achieve their step goal more frequently and whether the fines would lead to participants taking more steps. The group that was being fined did meet their goal on more of the days, but their average number of steps didn't increase by a statistically significant amount over the required baseline.

You'll also notice that participants weren't really "fined," per se. They were rewarded in advance and docked portions of their reward for not meeting the goal. Which is less like paying a fine, and more like ... paying taxes. Which everyone loves to do and is no problem at all. Ever. Right?

8. Why does anyone care how much other people weigh?

Undoubtedly, there are many people in this world who are both fat and don't exercise. You might think this is unjust. You might experience a surge of anger at this thought. You might have half a mind to burst into the apartment where the fat and lazy people live (we all room together) and shove a bag of celery down their throats. You're just so mad!

"You! Stop it you! Stop being fat!" Photo by PourquoiPas/Pixabay.

It's an interesting outlook, and it raises a critical question...

Why?

Why do you give a shit?

Don't you think it's weird to care about what another human being weighs. I mean, when you think about it? Are you trying to distract yourself from something? Are you bored? Do you need an activity? What about skiing? I went skiing last February with my old boss, and it was actually pretty fun!

Of course, I'm fat and don't exercise, so I was pretty much done after 90 minutes, but you'll definitely do better.

9. Really?

Just, like, really? Fining fat people? This is a serious suggestion?

GIF from "Saturday Night Live."

10. How about we all just STFU about how much other people weigh.

Basically, the best way to get fat people to lose weight is to STFU and mind your own business. It may or may not actually have your desired effect, but it will help you not lose friendships and/or get punched in the face by people who already know they are fat and don't need you telling them that's a bad thing (which is not only unbelievably annoying and rude, it actually does not work to make people not fat anymore).

In conclusion, regardless of whether or not they exercise, don't fine fat people.

In special extra conclusion, here are some fine fat people:

Ooh, 2010 Chris Pratt, you're fine! Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Damn, Octavia Spencer! Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

William Howard Taft, you're not particularly fine, but you're so fat all the presidents after you stopped being even a little bit fat because why try? And that's just so much respect right there. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

Rebel Wilson. Nice work! Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images.

And of course...

Richard Simmons in the '90s. OG. Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images.

Visit Sweden
True

It’s no secret that modern life is stressful. Burnout is an epidemic. The World Health Organization boldly stated its dedicated efforts to help people improve their health and well-being through nature.

And thanks to a new initiative, Sweden is stepping up to offer a new holistic remedy: a physician-prescribed visit to Sweden, aka “The Swedish Prescription”.

“We have made great strides in making nature/social/culture prescription a more integral part of public health in the United States– but there is still so much more to be done,” said Dr. Stacy Stryer, Associate Medical Director for Park RxAmerica.“I welcome Sweden’s initiative and hope it will help break down institutional and organizational barriers, ultimately benefiting all patients.”

AdvertisementPatients can escape to Sweden’s pristine environment for true respite. Backed by scientific data and research from Yvonne Forsell, Senior Professor at Karolinska Institutet, healthcare professionals can prescribe Sweden as a destination where patients engage in non-medical treatments and outdoor activities to ease their ailments and offer a fresh reset.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Restore body and mind with the Swedish ritual of alternating ice baths and saunas. Swim, hike or forage through silent forests, lakes, parks and nature reserves – or simply sit in the stillness. Witness the Northern Lights dancing across winter skies, or soak up the calm of the summer midnight sun. In Stockholm, Europe’s clean-air capital, take a deep breath and feel the difference.

Or skip the great outdoors and spend time embracing Sweden’s unique cultural practices. “Our cozy fika tradition [Sweden’s daily pause for coffee and conversation], our “lagom”-balanced lifestyle [the idea of “not too much, not too little”] and our easily accessible nature are a soothing balm for body and mind,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO at Visit Sweden.

Sit back in front of a masterpiece in one of Sweden’s many art museums, or head out to a live music event after browsing concert options on Swedish-founded Spotify. You might catch chart-topping hits from producer Max Martin or discover the country’s thriving metal scene. Call it an early – or late – night, and enjoy restorative sleep in Sweden’s cool night air.

Sweden is the therapeutic destination your health has been craving. Learn more about “The Swedish Prescription” and its benefits for your mental and physical health here.

Image courtesy of Reddit/Slow-moving-sloth

Foods like casseroles were popular during the 1970s.

All things old are new again—and the same goes for classic recipes.

For those who grew up during the 1970s (that's Baby Boomers and Generation Jones), staple dishes that were served at the dinner table are being rediscovered on Reddit by newer generations looking for filling, comforting, and affordable meals.

According to JSTOR, actress Liza Minelli first coined "comfort food" back in 1970. Minelli told food columnist Johna Blinn, "Comfort food is anything you just yum, yum, yum."

Meals from the 1970s are nostalgic and also budget friendly. Try making one of these comforting recipes from Redditors that will fill you up and not break the bank.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Tuna casserole

"I LITERALLY made a tuna casserole last night & had the leftovers for lunch today." - Disastrous-Soup-5413, RogerClyneIsAGod2

Turkey (or chicken) tetrazzini

"Tetrazzini is a creamy pasta dish with turkey (or chicken) chicken, mushrooms, and cheese." - Disastrous-Soup-5413

Liver and onions

"Liver and onions, mashed potatoes and a green salad made with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes cut in wedges, cucumber slices .. peeled and miracle whip salad dressing." - Kaktusblute

Quiche Lorraine

"A family favorite quiche recipe from the 1970’s. The secret? Half a cup of mayonnaise and an unreasonable quantity of cheese. My mom uses sweet onion instead of green onion, but otherwise made as written:

1/2 c. real mayonnaise
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1 1/2 c. cubed cooked ham
1 1/2 c. (about 1/2 pound) chopped Swiss cheese
1/3 c. sliced green onion
Dash pepper
1 unbaked 9" pastry shell

Mix together real mayonnaise, milk, eggs and corn starch until smooth. Stir in ham, cheese, onion and pepper. Turn into pastry shell. Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top and knife inserted comes out clean." - banoctopus

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Cheese fondue

"For fondue, you can go in a few different directions. Cubed crusty bread is one of the classic ways to dip into cheese fondue, but you could use fruits, vegetables, chunks of cooked or cured sausages, so long as they will keep their structural integrity." - Bluecat72

Meatloaf and baked potatoes

"A basic meatloaf is ground beef, minced onions, bread crumbs, an egg and a squirt of ketchup for moisture, salt, pepper, garlic powder.. whatever you like. Get your hands in there and squish it all together until thoroughly mixed. Form into a vague loaf shape on a pan and bake at 350 for an hour. Poke a couple potatoes with a fork and cook them in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy a meatloaf sandwich with mustard for lunch the next day 😋." - yblame

Pork chops with rice and cream of mushroom soup

"Brown the chops, take them out of the pan, pour in rice, soup and water, stir to combine. Put the pork chops on top. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Tossed green salad: iceberg lettuce, chopped scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, Wishbone Italian Dressing." - hicjacket

Salmon croquettes

"Salmon croquettes were a staple of my childhood. Canned salmon, saltine crackers, and an egg. We called them croquettes but naw, they were shaped into salmon patties." - DazzlingBullfrog9, throwawaytodaycat

Mexican casserole

"Brown ground beef, stir in a can of tomato sauce and 1 sliced green onion. Mix together a cup of sour cream, a cup of cottage cheese and a can of chopped green chilies. In a 9x13 pan, layer crushed tortilla chips, meat, cream mixture and grated Colby-jack or Colby cheese. Repeat layers. Bake until hot and bubbly." - Open-Gazelle1767

Hamburger Stroganoff

"One pound ground beef, 1 package Lipton onion soup mix, 1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup, sour cream. Brown the ground beef, stir in the can of soup and soup mix. Stir in the sour cream until it looks right...I think it's a half pint, but maybe a whole pint. Serve over rice for the 2 kids who eat rice and egg noodles for the one kid who doesn't." - Open-Gazelle1767

Shake 'N Bake Chicken

"Shake’n Bake chicken or pork chops. 'And I helped!' Preheat oven to 400F. Moisten chicken with water. Place breasts in Shake-n-Bake shaker bag. Shake the bag vigorously to coat the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes if boneless, 45 minutes if it does have bones." - Karin58

@allrecipes

Where are all the Shake n Bake girlies? 🍗 Today @nicolesperfectbite is showing you how to make this classic bread coating at home—and dare we say better than the original? 👀 #instafood #food #foodie #shakenbake #bake #chicken #breadcrumbs #paprika #garlic #onion #powder #meat #breading #bread #easy #easyrecipe #recipe #quickandeasy #weeknightdinner

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

"Still my favorite thing to eat, but now I make my own tomato bisque, my own bread, and use Gouda or cheddar. Back then Mom made this for Friday lunch: Campbell's tomato soup (made with milk) and the grilled cheese was two slices of five-loaves-for-a-dollar white bread with Velveeta, grilled with Miami Maid margarine in the Revere Ware skillet." - Mindless_Pop_632, mulberryred

Pork sausage and rice

"I grew up in the 70s and my mother made this sausage and rice dish at least once a month. The recipe is from Peg Bracken's I Hate To Cook Book. Crumble 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of pork sausage (hamburger will do, but pork is better) into a skillet and brown it. Pour off the fat. Add:

1 green pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 or 3 celery stalks, chopped
2 c. chicken consommé or bouillon
1 c. raw rice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt

Put on the lid and let it simmer at lowest possible heat for 1 hour." - officerbirb

Sloppy Joes

"Classic Sloppy Joes. My family had these regularly in the ‘70s." - ThatPtarmiganAgain

via TED / YouTube

Angela Duckworth speaking at a TED event.

Why is it that some people are high achievers who have a track record of success and some people never come close to accomplishing their dreams? Is it talent, luck, or how you were raised? Is it that some people are just gifted and have exceptional talents that others don't?

The good news is, according to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the most critical factor in being a high achiever has nothing to do with talent or intelligence. It’s how long you can keep getting back up after getting hit. She calls it “grit” and, according to Duckworth’s research, it’s the common denominator in high achievers across the board, whether it’s cadets at West Point or kids in a spelling bee. Duckworth goes into depth on the topic in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

What personal traits make someone successful?

“The common denominator of high achievers, no matter what they’re achieving, is this special combination of passion and perseverance for really long-term goals,” Duckworth revealed on The Mel Robbins Podcast. “And in a word, it’s grit.”


“Partly, it’s hard work, right? Partly it’s practicing what you can’t yet do, and partly it’s resilience,” she continued. “So part of perseverance is, on the really bad days, do you get up again? So, if you marry passion for long-term goals with perseverance for long-term goals well then you have this quality that I find to be the common denominator of elite achievers in every field that I've studied."

When pressed to define the specific meaning of grit, Duckworth responded: “It’s these two parts, right? Passion for long-term goals, like loving something and staying in love with it. Not kind of wandering off and doing something else, and then something else again, and then something else again, but having a kind of North Star."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

For anyone who wants to achieve great things in life, grit is an attitude that one can develop for themselves that isn’t based on natural abilities or how well one was educated. Those things matter, of course, but having a gritty attitude is something someone can learn.

"I am not saying that there aren't genes at play because every psychologist will tell you that's also part of the story for everything and grit included,” Duckworth said. “But absolutely, how gritty we are is a function of what we know, who were around, and the places we go."

Why grit is so important

Grit is critical for people to become highly successful because it means that you stick with the task even when confronted with barriers. In every journey of taking an idea that you love and turning it into reality there is going to be what’s known as the dark swamp of despair—a place that you must wade through to get to the other side. It takes grit and determination to make it through the times when you fear that you might fail. If it were easy, then everyone could be high achievers.


Grit is what keeps people practicing in their room every night as teenagers and makes them an accomplished guitar player. Grit is what makes a basketball player the first one in the gym and the last to leave so that they make the starting lineup. Grit is knocking on the next door after 12 people have just slammed their doors in your face.

The wonderful thing about Duckworth’s work is that it presents an opportunity for everyone willing to do the work. You can no longer use the fact that you may not have specialized intelligence or a God-given talent as an excuse. All you need is perseverance and passion and you have as good a shot as anyone at achieving your dreams.

An angry man in front of the American flag.

America has never been a perfect place, but since the Civil War, it has been one where most people bought into the idea of the country and supported the institutions that keep it running. People may disagree on politics and culture, but when America was threatened, whether it was 9/11 or World War II, people came together to fight for the country they love, even though the reasons may have differed.

However, it’d be naive to say that sentiment is still as strong as it once was. Since The Great Recession, many people have felt that the vibes are off in America, and polls and research back those feelings. Right around 2012, when smartphones became ubiquitous, there was a considerable rise in the number of people who felt that America was on the wrong track and that racism and sexism were considerably worse than they were just a year before. There was also a big spike in mental illness.

So what happened in 2012? Did the world suddenly become drastically worse overnight, or had our perceptions been changed?

woman, dispair, smartphone, bad news, woman in kitchen, upset woman A woman is upset looking at her smartphone.via Canva/Photos

Why does it feel like America is on the decline?

Other developed countries have experienced similar vibe shifts since 2012, but it has hit America the hardest. Economics blogger Noah Smith explains why this feeling of malaise has hit America so hard, and he illustrates it perfectly in a viral Substack piece called “Social media destroyed one of America's key advantages.” Smith is an American blogger and commentator on economics and current events and former assistant professor of behavioral finance at Stony Brook University.

In his Substack post, Smith postulates that the technological change hit America the hardest because it punctured our geographical buffers. “A hippie in Oakland and a redneck in the suburbs of Houston both fundamentally felt that they were part of the same unified nation; that nation looked very different to people in each place,” Smith writes. “Californians thought America was California, and Texans thought America was Texas, and this generally allowed America to function.”

Why did America fundamentally change in 2012?

Here’s an excerpt from Smith’s piece. Please check out the entire piece on the Noahpinion Substack.

Like some kind of forcible hive mind out of science fiction, social media suddenly threw every American in one small room with every other American. Decades of hard work spent running away from each other and creating our ideologically fragmented patchwork of geographies went up in smoke overnight, as geography suddenly ceased to mediate the everyday discussion of politics and culture.

The sudden collapse of geographic sorting in political discussion threw all Americans in the same room with each other — and like the characters in Sartre’s No Exit, they discovered that “Hell is other people.” Conservatives suddenly discovered that a lot of Americans despise Christianity or resent White people over the legacy of discrimination. Liberals suddenly remembered that a lot of their countrymen frown on their lifestyles. Every progressive college kid got to see every piece of right-wing fake news that their grandparents were sharing on Facebook (whereas before, these would have been quietly confined to chain emails). Every conservative in a small town got to see Twitter activists denouncing White people. And so on.


protests, american protest, protest sign, demonstration, mass gathering A group of people protesting in the street.via Ted Eytan/Flickr

It may sound cynical to believe that America was a better place when people were less likely to talk to people with a different worldview. But, given how things have gone in the past 15 years, it’s fair to say that putting every American in a proverbial ring to fight it out just makes everyone feel under attack... and the fight never ends.

The problem with the Like button

Another development around the same time that many believe negatively affected the country was the development of the Like button on Facebook. The button made its debut in 2009, and it, along with the share button, which came in 2010, incentivized people to create content that their audience agreed with, creating echo chambers. The buttons also incentivized people to make outrage-provoking posts and create fake stories to go viral and increase advertising revenue.

maga, trump supporters, trump flags, trump rally, american flags Trump supporters at a rally.via Elvert Barnes/Flickr

The positive takeaway from Smith’s geographical sorting theory is that, quite possibly, many people’s perceptions about life in Amerca are wrong because we’re seeing it through the distorted, funhouse mirror of social media that shows us every bad deed in a country of 330 million people and amplifies the voices of the unscroupulous. By pinpointing the moment that America “went to hell,” as author Jonathan Haidt says, we also have a roadmap to get back to when people had greater faith in America’s institutions and people.

This article originally appeared in June.

Community

18 frugal soup recipes to keep you warm and full this fall

Spend as little as possible on these big soup batches.

Cheap soup recipes that are perfect for fall.

Chilly temperatures make a bowl of soup one of the best meals for fall. Not only is soup comforting in cold weather, but it is also one of the most economical meals you can make.

With multiple servings out of one big batch, you can keep eating it all week long—or pop it in the freezer and enjoy at a later date. And all you need is a big pot or slow cooker and some new recipes to try out.

Looking for cheap soup recipes? Soup lovers on Reddit shared their affordable and easy soup recipes that will save you money while still keeping you full.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Vegetable soups

"I purchase bottles and jars of various soup broth concentrate flavors (Shiro dashi; Udon; Pho; Tom Yum, etc) at my local Korean market; just add water, — or coconut milk—veggies of your choice; tofu (or shrimp or chicken, if you prefer); add whatever additional spices you prefer; add noodles — glass or rice or zoodles — spiralized zucchini noodles) and it’s very healthy, nourishing, filling and inexpensive." - Silverspnr

"Frozen peas soup. WARNING this recipe makes a ton of soup. I use a 12 oz bag of peas with a good amount of celery and onion, and enough broth to cover it all. I add some hard cheese (shredded or shaved) while blending. I find it thin, so I also add mashed potato flakes at the end as a thickener." - campbowie

"Roasted red pepper and tomato soup: cut up tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, drizzle with oil and roast on sheet pan for 20 min on 400°. Remove skins if necessary, put in pot with vegetable or chicken stock, salt and pepper, heat though. Blitz with blender. Optional ad ins: chili, grate in ginger root instead of garlic, herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary,) And ons: parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, Greek yogurt, pesto." - Glass_Maven

"Leek and potato soup. Peel and cut potato and leek in equal amounts (~225g/8 oz in weight each) into small pieces. Also peel and chop an onion. Melt a generous amount of butter in a pan. Add the veg, stir, season, stir again, cover and leave on a low fire 10 mins. Meanwhile, boil 500 ml/1 pint water with half a stock cube, or reheat your own stock if you have it. When it boils, add to the veg, cover again and simmer 5 mins more. Finally, take it off the fire and blend it (with an immersion blender if you have it) and add 70 ml/ 1/3 cup cream. Stir, serve." - zeptimius

"Butternut squash, potatoes, bit of onion/shallot/garlic broth. Boil and mash or puree. (I take some out, smash and puree the rest so there is some texture. Salt pepper or some herbs. Add some cheese if you like. Or cream but really its fine as is. (Crisp up some prosciutto and crumble it is my favorite). I've done it with fresh and with frozen squash and potatoes both are great and filling, and tasty." - anathene

Bean soups

"Black bean soup: olive oil to pot, heat and throw in cumin, salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, garlic, half chopped onion. Let it sizzle until onion soft, add 1 can black beans, one can water. Heat and eat. Mash beans or buzz with a blender if you like smooth soup. Optional Add ins: cubed sweet potato or squash, sausage, corn, tomatoes. Add ons to serve: cilantro, cheese, crema/sour cream/plain yogurt, avocado, hot sauce, salsas, pepitas, rice." - Glass_Maven

"HamBeens brand 15 bean soup, regular or cajun, is less than $3 for a bag. You can keep it meat free or add in some smoked sausage, which you can also get for about $3 when on sale. Only other ingredients needed are a can of diced tomatoes and an onion. So for about $10 you get a MASSIVE pot of soup that is low fat, high protein, and high fiber. You can freeze portions. You can spice it up as much or as little as you want. Just make sure that you soak the beans overnight to avoid, ahem, excess gas." - Fantastic-Dance-5250

"Lemon lentil soup. Zest and juice is added towards the end." - flipflapdragon

"This Pinto Bean Soup is pretty delicious! I made a big batch and froze some of it for later. You don't need to use fire roasted tomatoes, just use a can of the cheap stuff. Also, save your veggie scraps in the freezer to make your own broth." - Dependent_Top_4425

@nicolebrunelle__

Easy veggie packed fall soup that even the biggest vegetable haters will love! @Jamie Milne inspired recipe #soup #easyrecipe #fypシ゚

Chicken broth soups

"Easy Tomato Bisque Soup. One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes; one small sweet onion, diced small; 4 cups chicken broth (or water); one tablespoon minced garlic; one cup dry orzo pasta; half cup heavy cream (or milk); Olive oil, salt, pepper. In Dutch oven over low heat, sauté onion and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil until onion is tender and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add crushed tomato, chicken broth, and orzo and bring to a boil. Boil for about 6-8 minutes until pasta is cooked al dente.
Remove from heat and add heavy cream, stirring well to combine thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread, green salad, or grilled cheese sandwiches." - PotatoWithFlippers

"Broccoli or cauliflower (or combo) soup: sauté chopped onions until soft, add chicken or vegetable stock and same amount water to simmer. Cut up broccoli/cauliflower in small pieces, cook in broth until soft (don't boil it to death.) Add salt & pepper. Mash or blitz with blender. Optional Add ins: other vegetables (can do soup in carrot, potato, parsnip, celery, etc. versions too,) spices (i.e. curry powder or coriander,) Add ons: cheese, plain yogurt, flavored oil." - Glass_Maven

"Sauté 1/2 to one onion, garlic, water, almond milk or milk, bouillon, 2 bags of frozen broccoli. Blend. It’s my favorite easy breakfast soup - but I also add collagen or protein powder. Freezes great." - queenmunchy83

"Diced onion, tomato, potatoes, cheese, & Chicken Knorr. So delicious and filling." - User Unknown

"Sopa de Conchas! I’m making it tonight!" - Cosmic-Princesa

"I love the mason jar soup recipes on YouTube, especially for work lunch when all I need to do is add boiling water from the kettle. My pantry/ fridge staples: chicken bouillon powder (Knorr brand), soy sauce, shredded coleslaw veggie mix (in a bag), rice noodles or glass noodles, green onions, and tofu or a rotisserie chicken! These mason jar soups are so easy to prep if you shred all the chicken first and have it ready in a separate container in your refrigerator. All you do is add these to a mason jar: 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce Uncooked rice noodles (or glass noodles) Green onion (thinly sliced) Shredded chicken Coleslaw mix (it’s basically shredded cabbage and carrots). Add boiling water and let sit for about 3-5 minutes until noodles are cooked through! So easy. You can even level it up with ginger powder, a pinch of coriander/ cilantro, or sriracha sauce." - laterzmenjay

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Beef broth soups

"I like to make 'hamburger soup.' Ground beef, mushrooms, carrots, canned green beans, sometimes a can of corn, red potatoes, an onion, garlic, have added a can of beans for more protein, tomato sauce, beef broth (I use better than bouillon) and season how you like, I often use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder. It's surprisingly delicious, makes a LOT and is very cheap. It's pretty healthy too, full of veggies and you can change it up every time. I've added pasta before too to make it even more filling."
- valkyrie0921

"Here's one of my struggle meal soups: beef broth, canned mixed veggies, canned petite diced tomatoes (plus the juice), cut spaghetti (or any other small pasta). Season as desired (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, whatever else)." - KitsuFae

"Cook ground turkey little bigger pieces than if making taco meat. Dump it in a box of beef broth, one small can of tomato sauce. Worcestershire sauce to taste. Add fresh parsley, dried thyme and rosemary, garlic and salt. Chopped onions, can of green beans, corn, chopped up carrots, and zucchini. Let simmer til veggies are done. The turkey absorbs the beef broth, so it tastes like beef. Healthy way the avoid red meat while feeling like you ate some. I always use ground turkey as a substitute for beef. I make a pot and eat it all week for lunch." - Heebie-jeebies386

History (Education)

Someone stabbed a medieval biblical manuscript 20 times in the same spot, stumping historians

The 1,200-year-old Book of Kells is a gorgeous—and mysterious—work of art.

Photos courtesy of Annie Reneau

Images from The Book of Kells Experience

As the story goes, some 1,200 years ago, a handful of teen Celtic Christian monks on the island of Iona near Scotland painstakingly created an intricate, illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the Bible, now known as the Book of Kells. Created on sheets of vellum (thin sheets of calfskin), the book contains elaborate lettering and colorful depictions of scenes from scriptures that have inspired Celtic art for centuries. The book's 340 folios (680 pages) hold layers of symbolism, and some details in the artwork are so tiny they almost can't be seen with the naked eye.

The monks who created the manuscript used feather quills and natural pigments found in minerals and plants, which have held up beautifully for hundreds and hundreds of years. Exactly who the monks were is a mystery, as is one dramatic detail on one particular page of the manuscript—Folio 202v. On this page, the Temptation of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke is depicted, with a sinister black figure drawn to represent the devil. They say the devil's in the details, but in this case there's a detail in the devil that you can't see just looking at the artwork.

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Dr. Jane Maxwell, Manuscripts Curator at Trinity College Dublin, where the Book of Kells is kept and maintained, explained that the scene depicts Christ's 40 days in the desert and the interesting detail in the devil figure.

"The devil is supposed to have appeared to [Christ] to tempt him during this time," said Maxwell. "Now, one of the most recent discoveries about this page is that the figure of the devil within the book has been stabbed over 20 times. We can't say when this happened or who did it, but the one thing we do know is the damage did not take place in some kind of frenzied attack. It seems to have been quite calm, quite measured. Each stab could have occurred as a single event each time the person who did it saw the page."

book of kells, gospel of luke, medieval art, celtic art, irish history Folio 202v of the Book of Kells, depicting the Temptation of Christ from the Gospel of LukePublic Domain

Maxwell explained that historians are quite sure that the stabbing happened sometime after the book was bound, as the stab marks went through several pages of vellum, which are fairly thick. She does have one possible explanation for the stabbings, though it's purely conjecture.

"I would suggest that a person looking at the Book of Kells a thousand years ago understood it to be a very sacred object, a very embodiment of the Word of God," she said, "and when they were reading it, they would believe themselves to be in the presence of God. And therefore, if they see a picture of the devil, they could easily have believed that they were in the presence of real evil, which might explain why such a reader was so moved to respond so vigorously to the figure on the page as to leave these indelible marks behind."

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Possibly. There are all kinds of stories we could make up to explain the stab marks, since there's no way to know at this point. But that's not the only mystery of the Book of Kells. The story of the monks creating it on the island of Iona around the year 800 is a best guess, not a known fact. The monastery there was raided by Vikings in the early 9th century, killing 68 monks, and the survivors fled to a sister monastery in Kells in Ireland. Miraculously, the Book of Kells survived the raid and has managed to make it through another 1,200 years of human history largely unscathed.

book of kells, medieval art, celtic art, irish history, natural pigments Natural pigments used to make the Book of Kells (left), The Chi Rho monogram of Christ spelled out in Greek (right)Photos by Annie Reneau

Bishop Henry Jones presented the Book of Kells to Trinity College in 1661 for safekeeping due to threats to its safety. It has remained under the care of the university ever since, and can be viewed today from behind a display case in Trinity College's The Book of Kells Experience. The tourist attraction brings people from all over the world who are interested in learning about the book's history and seeing its beauty for themselves. The book can also be viewed in its entirety in a digital format on the Trinity College website. It's well worth looking at a few pages and zooming in on the details, imagining them being drawn with a quill and ink.