Have you ever noticed that there are two different bread sections in the grocery store? There's the aisle where you get loaves of sliced bread next to the hamburger buns and there's the bakery section where you get traditional crusty bread.
So why are both types of bread separated?
Adam Ragusea answers the question in a compelling video that has more than 2.2 million views on YouTube. Ragusea is a popular YouTuber who makes videos about recipes, food science and culinary culture. His channel has nearly 2 million subscribers
In the video, he breaks down the five things that distinguish these two types of bread. One of the main reasons they are made differently is because sandwich bread has to last a lot longer than the traditional bread you find in the bakery aisle.
Here are the five ways they are very different.
1. Added sugar and fat
Sandwich bread has additional butter and fat so that it doesn't mold as quickly.
2. Bread yeast
Sandwich bread manufacturers want to make the product quickly, so it has yeast accelerators to speed up the fermentation process.
3. Hard mix
Sandwich bread is made in aggressive mixers that allow more oxygen to enter the dough, which makes it rise faster. However, this reduces the amount of flavor in the bread so it’s not as tasty as traditional bread.
4. Dough helpers
Sandwich bread contains dough conditioners and improvers, a broad category of ingredients that inhibit mold, soften the bread and preserve it so it's edible for at least a week.
5. The bake
Sandwich bread is baked in a pan at a lower temperature than a traditional loaf, giving it a cakey texture.
There is certainly no shortage of stories from women highlighting the glaring disparity between society’s expected responsibilities of husbands vs. wives. Some are a bit more lighthearted, poking fun at the absurdity. Others reflect utter frustration and had-it-up-to-here-edness with partners not doing their share of the work.
However, self-proclaimed “Clueless Husband” J Fisher’s honest, thoughtful retrospection on the subject shows that it’s not just female partners noticing that things need to change.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Fisher describes how he used to consider himself the “main character” of his relationship.
What exactly did that look like? Early on in his marriage, it looked something like this:
“Say we'd be going on a trip. My partner at that point in time would be doing the laundry, vacuuming the house, making sure the dishes were done. I would think, I would literally think like, ‘Well, yeah, we don't have to do that. That's you wanting to do that. It's not what I want to do,’” he explained in the clip.
Fisher later shared how his wife would then get everything ready for said trip, while he would simply pack for himself. This continued even after they had kids. It became worse, actually.
“My partner would do all the work to get all of them ready to make sure they were bathed, snacks packed, and I would get myself ready.”
Looking back, Fisher can plainly see how this behavior was “not okay.” But how did he think this was acceptable in the first place? After some reflection, he realized that it was simply the standard being modeled to him from an early age.
“I saw my own father do this quite a bit where he would take care of his own needs. So, I know I didn't learn it from nowhere," he said. "But I also had to unlearn it because it never was okay. I thought that my role was to do all these things outside of the home and that the home was women's domain. I saw that modeled and even taught as the way it should be, but, oh my gosh, is that not partnership? And that sucks.”
After coming to this revelation, Fisher’s opinion is that if you approve of this division of labor, that you “shouldn’t be in a relationship.”
Hard to argue with that.
Hoping that he can further illustrate a better partnering mindset in a way that “may help it click for some guys,” Fisher has all kinds of insightful TikToks focused on taking accountability and expanding emotional intelligence. In them, he often names therapy, setting boundaries, finding community and accessing personal joy (rather than relying on a partner to fulfill all emotional needs) as major tools for creating a more equal relationship.
And perhaps the best part—there doesn’t seem to be so much shame around the subject. Fisher acknowledges his own goodwill while still admitting to displaying less-than-healthy behavior. It’s hard not to feel like if maybe this kind of honest, yet compassionate reexamination of gender stereotypes were more commonplace, we’d all collectively be a lot farther ahead.
Couple investigating noises accidentally awaken a bear.
It's not uncommon to hear something outside of your house, especially if it's close to trash pick-up day. Raccoons and stray cats treat an overflowing trashcan like a holiday dinner, and even if you weren't sure if you heard something or not, the torn trash bags confirm your suspicion.
This is a pretty universal experience in America, so hearing a rustle under your house typically conjures images of a trash panda that got stuck. But for one family, the noises weren't coming from a raccoon at all. In a viral video on TikTok that has over 10 million views, a couple is outside looking for the source of the noises they've been hearing. The woman is filming at a fairly safe distance, while the guy investigates their crawl space.
Everything is going well. They hear what sounds like a hiss and with relief exclaim that it's a raccoon.
They were wrong. Like pee your pants, everyone for themselves, wrong.
As the man tries to move whatever is blocking access to the crawl space, he stands back and sprays something into the small opening. Another man is seen holding a broom to help shoo the little mask-wearing friend on its way, when the panel that closes the area starts to move, right before it busts open from the inside.
In that moment, the man forgot he had a wife and a friend. He ran as he yelled, "Oh, it's a bear!"
If you live in an area that frequently has bear sightings, it's important to remember that bears like to hide in dark cool places, like crawl spaces or under a pool deck. So secure your crawl spaces and other areas around your home that might make a bear think it's a good place to take a long nap. No one wants to explain why they hurdled their kids and stiff-armed their grandma to get back into their house.
Sixty-one years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and probably the first to experience what scientists now call the "overview effect." This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.”
The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism.
In a compelling interview with Big Think, astronaut, author and humanitarian Ron Garan explains how if more of us developed this planetary perspective we could fix much of what ails humanity and the planet.
Garan has spent 178 days in space and traveled more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits. From high above, he realized that the planet is a lot more fragile than he thought.
“When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them. And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet's atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realization that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive,” Garan said in the video.
“I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life,” he continues. “I didn't see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it's obvious from the vantage point of space that we're living a lie.”
It was at that moment he realized that humanity needs to reevaluate its priorities.
“We need to move from thinking economy, society, planet to planet, society, economy. That's when we're going to continue our evolutionary process,” he added.
Garan says that we are paying a very “high price” as a civilization for our inability to develop a more planetary perspective and that it’s a big reason why we’re failing to solve many of our problems. Even though our economic activity may improve quality of life on one end, it’s also disasterous for the planet that sustains our lives.
It’s like cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Actor William Shatner had a similar experience to Garan's when he traveled into space.
"It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered," Shatner wrote. "The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna … things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind."
“We're not going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality,” Garan said.
However dire the situation looks from the surface of Earth, the astronaut has hope that we can collectively evolve in consciousness and wake up and embrace a larger reality. “And when we can evolve beyond a two-dimensional us versus them mindset, and embrace the true multi-dimensional reality of the universe that we live in, that's when we're going to no longer be floating in darkness … and it's a future that we would all want to be a part of. That's our true calling.”
Usually when we think of corsets, the words suffocation, fainting and shifting organs probably come to mind.
This is certainly what Bernadette Banner has come across in the comments section of her Youtube channel, where she shares all kinds of fashion history education. The general consensus is that Victorian women were either all incredibly tiny or that they went to extremely dangerous lengths to achieve the highly exaggerated signature silhouette of the era, which was to have the bust 10 inches larger than the waist, with the hips 15 inches larger. 34-26-36, for example.
This notion is certainly backed by Hollywood, where we normally see women of that time period being laced up so tightly they can barely breathe, suffering under the crushing weight of whalebone and the patriarchy.
As Banner breaks down in her video below, this is not entirely true. In reality, Victorian women deployed numerous different strategies that are nothing at all like we see in movies. One tactic is, dare I say, shockingly modern.
Tactic #1 Reduction
Okay, so first things first—some women did reduce their waste size through corset use alone. However, Banner notes that this really only worked for those who had a larger, softer, body type. By comparison, people with more athletic or thin body types wouldn’t be able to get much reduction in their waistline, and certainly not without effort, pain and discomfort.
“This is something that Hollywood very often misinterprets when it’s presenting historical periods,” Banner says, saying that normally a very thin actress is cast and then corseted down.
Having a naturally thin person in the role isn’t a problem, she adds, as “every body type existed all throughout history.” The real issue is that costume designers try to further reduce their waists with an uncomfortable corset to achieve an hourglass look, rather than augmenting the hips and the bust.
Which brings us to…
Tactic #2 Augmentation
Why cinch when you can stuff, amirite? This strategy is fairly straightforward
Banner demonstrates this by augmenting her own slim silhouette as she puts on a corset pre-padded at the hips and bust (though padding over the corset was also done…fashion is eternally nuanced). Since the corset is actually very flexible, she can also breathe and move easily.
From here, women would add in frills, fluffs, bustle and petticoats of varying sizes to get the desired ratio.
Tactic #3 Illusion
We’ve discussed clever placements of what goes on under the dress. But Banner explains that Victorians would also create an illusion of an hourglass with their outer garments as well. It’s not coincidence that this time period is when we had the “largest skirts in history,” Banner says. But it’s not just fluffy skirts—there were also puffy sleeves, elongated shoulder lines or shoulder padding, and special jackets, coats and belts to “trick the eye into seeing a very specific shape.”
Banner again demonstrates this scheme as she puts on her skirt with a tight waistband and wide, flat sash. Though with all the layering her waist is about an inch larger than it was before, it nonetheless looks smaller. The contrast is evident when she throws on the blouse and skirts sans the “sculptural understructures.”
Tactic #4 Image Manipulation
That’s right. You thought Photoshop was a new concept? Guess Again!
The ability to manipulate an image has been around almost as long as photography itself, and was “profuse in the late 19th century,” Banner says. Everything from waste shape to facial features to even skin texture could be altered.
Basically, just as you would never trust a too-perfect picture you see on social media, Banner warns you to similarly “never trust a picture of a Victorian. Especially when the waist looks absolutely impossibly tiny.”
And now the real question: Why do we think all Victorian women were tiny?
Banner answers that too. A major reason is the number of tiny garments that have survived from the time period. However, these pieces probably were only worn by young girls for a shorter amount of time, therefore endured less wear and tear.
In conclusion, Victorians were not ubiquitously impossibly small. They were simply masters of illusion, who created a mirage so convincing we still believe it today.
Heightened beauty standards still exist today—the rising popularity of cosmetic procedures is a clear indicator of that. While this might not inherently be a good or bad thing, more and more women are risking their health (not to mention their finances) in order to achieve that which is physically impossible. Banner argues that folks in the 21st century can perhaps take a lesson or two from Victorian women when it comes to achieving seemingly impossible aesthetic ideals without causing oneself harm.
As she astutely put it, “History teaches us that there are other options.”
You can find even more of Banner’s fascinating fashion history videos on Youtube.
A cat named Santos is an adorably supportive dad and partner.
You don't often hear about male cats hanging around much after kittens are born, but maybe it's because they don't live with the mama cat. It could also be because most indoor cats are fixed, so cat dads don't get to flex their parental abilities. But there's a cat family on TikTok that has been shattering the tomcat stereotype, because Santos, who recently welcomed kittens with his partner, Poppy, is showing people how it's done.
In the first video, Poppy is in labor, and Santos, the black cat, is right by her side. He climbs into the box and offers support through gentle touches with his paws. His attentiveness to the laboring mother of his kittens is making humans take notes. Santos looks to not only rub the orange tabby cat's back while she's laboring but give her snuggles when the babies are born.
If they weren't cats it would look like a supportive soon-to-be dad taking care of his laboring wife. The fact that they're cats just ups the "aww" factor.
But the cuteness overload didn't end with the first video. Santos and Poppy's owner uploaded a couple of updates that not only continued to show that Santos is an attentive partner, but an involved dad as well. Are there "how to be a dad" classes for cats that we don't know about? Judging by the comments, Santos may be needed to teach the class to some human dads out there.
"That kitty had more affection than ALL my exes put together," one woman wrote.
"Human fathers should be taking tips," another wrote, complete with a nail painting emoji.
While there are plenty of human dads out there that are extremely supportive partners, commenters were focused on how a cat could be more intuitive than those humans who are not.
Best dad award goes to Santos ❤️🐈⬛ PS My boy has been neutered (thanks for the correction) not too long ago, she will also be fixed whenever shes ready #catsoftiktok #fyp #babydaddy #dadcat
In a different video, the papa cat is left to make sure the kittens go potty while mama cat takes a break. The entire series of videos is beyond cute and a must watch for a serotonin boost.
🐈⬛ still the best dad (Dont worry, he is fixed now and its all under supervision) #catsoftiktok #babydaddy #kittensoftiktok #lovestory
And while the black cat makes an excellent dad, this will be his only chance at fatherhood. After many comments around getting the cats fixed, the person who runs the cat account reported that he is indeed fixed now and Poppy will also be spayed soon. For now, people can just enjoy the happy cat family content. Who knows, maybe Santos will pop the question and we'll get a cat wedding to look forward to.
Crooked teeth is a very, very common occurrence in our modern world. Nine out of ten people have at least some misalignment going on in their mouths. Over 4 million people wear braces in the United States alone. I don’t know about you, but I can still feel the utter sticker shock from my own teeth-straightening journey. (I call it a “journey” so it feels a little more whimsical and less devastating.)
And yet, this is not something our ancestors dealt with. Like…at all. How could it be that no one experienced this normal modern-day conundrum in a time when we had exponentially less technological advancement?
As it turns out, technology might be the culprit, and a video from Ted-Ed explains it all.
The prevailing theory in the scientific community is that millions of years ago, when humans were hunter-gatherers, their teeth had to work extra hard to grind down seeds, fruit, meat, etc., and make them digestible.
When humans began incorporating tools, food was broken down before it even entered the mouth. It only became more refined and easier to chew with the introduction of agriculture, followed by the innovations of the Industrial Revolution.
In a relatively short amount of time (12,000 years), teeth were basically relieved of most of their “pulverizing duties.” And while teeth were initially able to adapt to the gradual evolution of culinary changes, things simply changed too quickly to keep up. Over time, jaws have reduced in size much more quickly than our teeth have, leading to overcrowding and some…unique dental arrangements.
This also helps explain why wisdom teeth are such a pain. By the time these final molars come out, there is simply no room left in the mouth for them. This is why many people need them surgically removed in order to prevent discomfort or infection.
This theory has been tested on animals like spider monkeys and lyraxes, who were given naturally tough foods and artificially softened foods. Sure enough, the critters with the softer foods also developed narrower jaws, and more crooked teeth.
Bottom line: this issue has a lot more to do with lifestyle than anything genetic. Which is why different people in different parts of the world don’t deal with dental crowding at all, and even have room for wisdom teeth. Knowing this might not stop us from eating softer foods—it’s certainly not gonna make me give up warm gooey cookies any time soon, perfect smile and zero cavities be damned—but it’s certainly something to chew on.
You can watch the full video, based on a lesson by dental anthropologist G. Richard Scott, below:
