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'God' asked people who should be sainted next. Here are the top 20 most popular responses.

Who do you think should become a saint?

saints, canonization, god, modern-day saints

Bernie Sanders, Steve Irwin, Dolly Parton.

It's hard to pin down the exact number of people who have been canonized or beatified by the Catholic church, but scholars say the number may be beyond 10,000. The most recent canonization by Pope Francis was Margherita della Metola in April of this year.

Margherita della Metola was an Italian Roman Catholic and professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic who lived 1287 to 1320.

A satirical Facebook page for God a.k.a. The Good God Above has nearly 4 million followers and he asked them an important question on November 1: "I have not canonized any new saints in a while. Any suggestions?"

via God/Facebook

The post received more than 9,000 responses of people debating which modern-day heroes are so holy they deserve to become saints. We decided to rank the top 20 vote-getters based on how many likes they received after being nominated by a commenter.

The number one vote-getter won by a landslide.

(Note: Some people were mentioned multiple times, so the numbers on the posted comments aren't the only numbers that we considered.)

Here are the top 20 people "God's" followers believe should become saints.



Alex Trebek (1940 - 2020)

via Facebook/The Good God Above

"Who should be a saint?" for $800, Alex. Trebek was the host of "Jeopardy!" for 37 years and one of the most recognizable TV personalities of all time. He should be canonized for his calm presence on one of TV's most tense game shows.

Lemmy Kilmister (1945 - 2015)

Ian Fraser Kilmister was known worldwide by one name: Lemmy. The lead singer and bassist of Motörhead should be canonized for partying as hard as he rocked. "I don't do regrets," Lemmy once said. "Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it."

George Takei (1937 - )

Takei has had one of the greatest second acts in American life. He became a sci-fi legend and one of the first Asian-American TV stars in the late '60s as Sulu on "Star Trek." In the social media era he's become one of the most popular faces of trending content. He should be canonized for the incredible work he's done for the LGBTQ community.

Pope Francis (1936 - )

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis has been one of the most popular and controversial Popes of the modern era for his unapologetically progressive views. He should be canonized for his work on climate change reform.

Sir Terry Pratchett (1948 - 2015)

Pratchett was an English humorist, satirist and author of comic fantasy novels, including the "Discworld" series. He should be canonized for celebrating all of the quirky and strange things that happen in "real life."

Brandon Stanton (1984 - )

Stanton is an American author, photographer and blogger best known for "Humans of New York," a photoblog and book. He should be canonized for his portraits of strangers who share intimate stories of strength, addiction, redemption, regret and love.

David Bowie (1947 - 2016)

Bowie is one of the most enigmatic performers of the past century whose work highlighted the concept of the outsider, whether it was an astronaut in space or someone living outside of traditional gender norms. Bowie should be canonized for showing humanity that there are no limitations on who they can be and how they can change.

Sir David Attenborough (1926 - )

Sir David Attenborough is the undisputed father of the nature documentary. Throughout his eight-decade career, his gentle, awestruck voice has served as humanity's guide to nature. He should be canonized for "Life on Earth," his series that examined the role of evolution in nature.

Dr. Anthony Fauci (1940 - )

Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Health, has come to the forefront of American life for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. He should be canonized for not losing his mind during former president Trump's long, rambling and factually inaccurate COVID briefings in 2020.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933 - 2020)

The "Notorious RBG" became a liberal, feminist icon for championing women's rights as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1993 to her death. She should be canonized for her strongly worded dissents in women's rights cases.

Robin Williams (1961 - 2014)

Williams was one of the most unique performers the world has ever seen. He completely changed American comedy with his intense, high-energy improvisational comedy performances on stage, TV and in film. He was also a talented actor, winning critical acclaim in films such as "Good Morning Vietnam," "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Dead Poets Society." He should be canonized for his child-like love of whimsy.

Bob Ross (1942 - 1995)

Ross was the creator and host of "The Joy of Painting," an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS. His infectious love of art, distinctive hair and gentle voice made him the ultimate calming presence. He should be canonized for teaching the world how to paint "happy little trees."

Elon Musk (1971 - )

Musk is the closest we'll have to a living Bond villain. He's a visionary billionaire who isn't shy about wanting to change the world, from how we travel to spend money. Like him or not, he should be canonized for creating the Tesla, a high-performance electric car that brought EVs into the mainstream.

George Carlin (1937 to 2008)

Carlin came to prominence as a counter-culture comic in the '70s where he was famous for outlining the "seven dirty words you can't say on television." However, clips of him from the late '90s and early 2000s where he eviscerates American greed, materialism and entitlement have made him still relevant to this day. He should be canonized for this incredible clip where he discusses the fact that there's a big club and "you're not in it."

"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."

George Carlin - It's A BIG Club & You Ain't In It!

Fred Rogers (1928 - 2003)

Rogers touched the lives of countless children from 1968 to 2001 as the host of PBS' "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." The puppeteer, songwriter and Presbyterian minister revolutionized children's television and should be canonized for changing the way we think about the inner lives of young children.

Jimmy Carter (1924 - )

Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and his biggest accomplishment was the Camp David Accords that ended the Israeli-Egyptian disputes. His post-presidency life has been dedicated to humanitarianism causes through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Carter should be canonized for his humility and commitment to service.

Steve Irwin (1962 - 2006)

The "Crocodile Hunter" wowed audiences by fearlessly tangling with deadly snakes, spiders, lizards and crocodiles. But at his heart, he was a true lover of nature and wildlife, and an educator who shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for animals with millions. Irwin should be canonized for his many contributions to the field of wildlife education and conservation.

Dolly Parton (1946 - )

Parton is such a national treasure that when they began pulling down Confederate statues in Tennessee a few years back, there was a petition to have them replaced with statues of Dolly. As a musician, Parton has sung some of the biggest hits in country music history, including "I Will Always Love You" and "Islands in the Stream." But she has also been a generous philanthropist, helping charities that benefit children and veterans.

If you got the COVID-19 vaccine you should thank Dolly. In 2020, she donated $1 million to help fund vaccine research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dolly should be canonized for creating the Imagination Library that has donated more than 100 million books to children.

Bernie Sanders (1941 - )

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is one of the most beloved political figures in the United States because he has always stood on the side of the oppressed and the working class regardless of whether it was popular. He's refused to be bought by Wall Street and has stood up against the Department of Defense, the fossil fuel industry, drug companies and private prison industries.

He should be canonized for his relentless quest to provide healthcare for all Americans.

Keanu Reeves (1964 - )

Reeves is a beloved figure in Hollywood because of his kind, down-to-earth nature. There are countless anecdotes around the internet of Reeves going out of his way to please a fan or inviting a member of the paparazzi to his table to sit with him during dinner. "The internet's boyfriend" is also a gentleman who never touches women when taking a photo with them.

Reeves should be canonized for quietly donating millions to children's hospitals.

This article originally appeared on 11.5.21

via James Breakwell / Twitter

Raising kids is tough, but there's a lot of laughs along the way. Comedy writer James Breakwell has four daughters under the age of eight and shares their hilarious conversations on Twitter. And, from Breakwell's tweets, it looks like his five year old has a future in comedy. Here's a sampling of some Breakwell's funniest kid-inspired tweets.


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His 5-year-old isn't the only (often unintentionally) hilarious child in the house; the 7-year-old and 3-year-old turn up from time to time. There's also a 2-year-old, but she hasn't been the subject of many tweets yet.


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This article originally appeared four years ago.

Men try a period simulator.

Imagine how different the world would be if cis-gendered men had the ability to give birth? Would the state of Texas attempt to ban abortions after six weeks or would they be available on-demand? Would we live in a country without mandatory paid maternity leave? How much more affordable would childcare be? Would there be a tax on period products? How would we treat people experiencing period pain?

A few brave men decided to see what life was like for people who have periods in a funny but enlightening video that's gone viral on TikTok. In a video posted by Benz Trap House that has over 1.4 million views, a group of guys tried a period simulator to experience what menstrual cramps really feel like. Period simulators are essentially the same as labor simulators. They're called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machines that are designed to relieve pain. But when turned up a notch can create intense, debilitating discomfort.

The group took a semi-scientific approach to the experiment with a woman acting as a control subject. At the beginning of the video, she attaches the simulator to an area near her ovaries and turns it up to ten, the highest setting. In the clip, the group looks impressed as she endures the extreme setting without showing any discomfort.

The men would not do as well.

@benztraphouse

The boys tried a period simulator #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #funny #periodcramps #periodsimulator #viral

When the first guy attempted to wear the period simulator he was shocked by the discomfort. "Is it supposed to hurt like that?" the second guy says before erupting in nervous laughter.

The third guy said that he felt the pain all the way down to his knee caps.

At one point in the video, the period simulator is attached to a woman and a man at the same time. When the device is turned on, the guy is in extreme pain while the woman stands still, claiming the feelings created by the machine are "not even as bad as a cramp."

"Yeah, my cramps hurt worse than this," she added.

A lot of people who menstruate felt validated after seeing the guys experience their first period.

"'You feel that in your back, boi?' every month, friend," a commenter named Crystal said.

One of the most popular comments was from Candyce, who said: "I'm convinced if men could get pregnant they'd have abortion clinics on every corner and paid maternity leave the whole pregnancy."

Another commenter, S DeMarco, pointed out that women have to go through an entire day in pain without a break.

"When he said 'it's stabbing me what do I do?' You go to work, clean the house and continue on bb," she wrote.

Shellz took reality up a notch. "Let's add headaches. And period poops. And bloating. And the feeling of blood leaving you. And the nausea," she wrote.

It's cool that the lighthearted video has gone viral because it'll give some people newfound respect for the pain that people who have periods go through. Some who watched the video thought that period simulators should be mandatory in sex ed classes.

Imagine how different the world would be if everyone experienced menstrual pain just once in their life?


This article originally appeared four years ago.

A dad got a sweet note from a fellow father after camping with his kids.

One of the hardest parts of being a parent is never being sure whether you're doing a good job or totally bombing it. If you're conscientious enough to even wonder if you're a good parent, you probably are, but parenting entails a million little choices and interactions, and there's always a lingering voice in your head saying, "What if you're really screwing this whole thing up?"

Reassurance and encouragement are always appreciated by parents, but not always received, which is why a note from one camping dad to another has people celebrating the kindness of anonymous strangers.

"You are killing it as a dad."

Someone on Yosemite Reddit thread shared a photo of a handwritten note with the caption, "To the man who left this thoughtful note on my windshield at Lower Pines Campground this weekend, I extend my heartfelt gratitude; your acknowledgment of my efforts to be a good father means a great deal to me."



The note reads:

"Bro,

I camped in the spot behind you last night. Let me just say, you are killing it as a dad. First off, I watched your wife guide you in as you backed up your trailer and nailed it on the first try without any yelling. Then your kids unloaded from the truck and were mild-mannered and well behaved. You told stories around the campfire and I had the pleasure of listening to the sounds of giggles and laughter.

From one dad to another, you are killing it. Keep it up.

P.S. Whatever you cooked for dinner smelled delicious!"

How often do we share these thoughts with strangers, even if we have them? And who wouldn't love to get a surprise bit of praise with specific examples of things we did right?

Everyone needs to hear a compliment once in a while.

So many people found the note to be a breath of fresh air and a good reminder to compliment people when we feel the urge:

"That would make any daddy's eyes water."

"It’s always nice, as a guy, to get a compliment."

"I complimented a guy's glasses at work (I'm also a guy, and btw they were really cool glasses, I wasn't just being nice) and now he keeps trying to tell me where he got his glasses and how I should get some. But I'm just having to be polite because I already have glasses and I'm not in the market. I finally had to tell him I'm not going to buy them lmao I just like them on him.

Made me feel like that's the first compliment he's had in years because he can't stop talking about it. Also I mainly liked the glasses because I think he's cute but he really thinks it's just the glasses haha jokes on him that cute bastard."

"I was in the store with my wife and one of our 'adopted nephews' yesterday (we’re close friends with his parents and we’ve known him and his brother since they were newborns and 2yo, respectively). A woman came up to me at checkout while my wife was running out to the car and said 'I’m not sure what your family relationship is here, but I just have to tell you how nice and refreshing it is to hear all the laughter and joy from the 3 of you. You both seem like such a good influence on him and it warms my heart.' It’s such a small thing but as a dude, I can’t remember the last time someone gave me a compliment in public and it made my freaking day."

"10/10 letter. The and not yelling part gave me a good chuckle lol."

"We need so much more of men getting such heartfelt and sincere compliments. Thanks for sharing. ❤️"

"I’ve never considered leaving a note, but when I see a harmonious family with good parenting, it’s healing for me. My childhood was awful."

"Such an awesome compliment! Even though I don't have children myself, I like to remind my friends too that they're doing great & it brings them happy tears."

"This made me cry. I love that you are getting your 'flowers.' My dad sucked, I’m so glad you are one of the good ones."

"This made me cry too. It’s so hard to be a human. Let alone a parent. Getting a good job sticker every now and then really means a lot these days."

"I'm a big bearded guy and I would cry if I got this note. More people like this, please."

The best part of this story is that no one knows who the dad who wrote the note is, not even the dad who shared it. It wasn't written for clout or notoriety, it wasn't to get attention or make himself look good. No name or signature, just an anonymous act of kindness to uplift a stranger whether he needed it or not.

We all need to hear or read kind things said about us, and sometimes it means even more coming from an anonymous stranger who has nothing to gain by sharing. A good reminder to share it when you feel it—you never know how many people you may move and inspire.

This article originally appeared last year.

Photo from Upworthy Library

A proud sloth dad was caught on camera.

Teddy the two-toed sloth has become a proud papa and thanks to a video posted by the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, we all get to witness the adorable reunion with his newborn son. Mama sloth, aka Grizzly, gave birth to their healthy little one in Feb 2022, which delighted more than 3,000 people on Facebook.

The video, posted to the Florida zoo’s YouTube page, shows Grizzly slowly climbing toward her mate, who is at first blissfully unaware as he continues munching on leaves. Typical dad.


Teddy quickly kicks into love mode once he sees his precious cub, however. Pretty soon it’s nothing but a sweet nose nuzzle fest. Be still, my sloth-loving heart!

As with most mammals, male sloths don’t typically care for their young. Usually a sloth mama will go it alone, spending up to six months with the little one clinging to her chest as she traverses the trees. Eventually she’ll spend time teaching the cub to climb, forage and even do the “poop dance” (yes, it’s a real thing with sloths). But still, it remains a solo job.

It seems that Grizzly and Teddy are looking to do more of a modern family approach, and the zoo plans to respect their wishes. In a follow-up video, Sarah, one of the zoo’s bird and mammal curators, praised Teddy for “very smartly” knowing when to give Grizzly and baby their “much needed space.” Healthy boundaries at its finest.

It looks like this sloth family of three will continue cuddling away at their sanctuary, and the internet is here for it.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

Pets

Family brings home the wrong dog from daycare until their cats saved the day

A quick trip to the vet confirmed the cats' and family's suspicions.

Family accidentally brings wrong dog home but their cats knew

It's not a secret that nearly all golden retrievers are identical. Honestly, magic has to be involved for owners to know which one belongs to them when more than one golden retriever is around. Seriously, how do they all seem have the same face? It's like someone fell asleep on the copy machine when they were being created.

Outside of collars, harnesses and bandanas, immediately identifying the dog that belongs to you has to be a secret skill because at first glance, their personalities are also super similar. That's why it's not surprising when one family dropped off their sweet golden pooch at daycare and to be groomed, they didn't notice the daycare sent out the wrong dog.

See, not even their human parents can tell them apart because when the swapped dog got home, nothing seemed odd to the owners at first. She was freshly groomed so any small differences were quickly brushed off. But this accidental doppelgänger wasn't fooling her feline siblings.

Once the dog was in their house, they noticed that their cats started behaving strangely towards their canine sibling. The cats started attacking the dog, likely trying to get it to tell them what they did with their real dog sister. Cat slaps and a house full of strange people didn't dampen the imposter's spirit though, in fact, that's what helped reveal the switcharoo.

This dog kept handing out face kisses and had no interest in seeing her favorite neighbor. After putting all of those things together, the owners decided to hightail it to the vet's office to scan the dog's microchip. Alas, they indeed had the wrong dog.

"We just never even thought that that would happen, and of course we thought we would know right? Like we're her parents, we would know something was wrong, we would know right off the bat that it wasn't Emmy," Kebby Kelley told Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Seems both golden retrievers got to go on a really strange adventure that deserves a lifetime of delicious dog treats for the confusion.

See both sweet pups below:

This article originally appeared two years ago.