Meet the Midwestern dad who asked Trump and Clinton to compliment each other.

It was one of the defining moments of the second 2016 presidential debate, and it almost didn’t happen. At the very end of the second “town hall” debate, after roughly 90 minutes of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ripping into each other’s policies, scandals, and character in front of a small audience, one man stood…

Evan Porter

Oct 19, 2016

It was one of the defining moments of the second 2016 presidential debate, and it almost didn’t happen.

At the very end of the second “town hall” debate, after roughly 90 minutes of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ripping into each other’s policies, scandals, and character in front of a small audience, one man stood up to ask the evening’s final question.

His name is Karl Becker. He is a father of two from Washington, Missouri. And he had a simple request:

“Would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?”

Trump and Clinton enjoy a rare, friendly moment. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

The candidates laughed warmly. The audience let out an audible “Aww!” And people around the world quickly declared that Karl Becker had “won” the debate.

Little did they know Karl was also prepared to ask a second potential question, one they’d never hear.

“My other question had to do with executive powers,” he said. “I guess in retrospect that was pretty lame.”

Trump and Clinton face off again in the election’s third and final debate on Oct. 19, 2016. So I chatted with Karl about the origin of his now-famous question and what he’ll be watching for as the election comes to an end:

Q: Who is Karl Becker?

Karl asks his question. Image via MSNBC/YouTube.

Karl: Who am I? Gosh. I’m a 49-year-old dad in Washington, Missouri. That’s a suburb of St. Louis. I have two kids, Darcy and Shane, who just turned 16.

Q: How did you come up with “the question”?

Karl: My son and I volunteer at a little league football association where I live, and I ran it by him that morning. He said, “Oh yeah, that’s a pretty good question.” My daughter didn’t like it. She wanted something that was more directed to Mr. Trump in regards to the “Access Hollywood” hot mic, Billy Bush scenario. But I explained to Darcy, the questions … had to be questions that could be asked of either candidate.

Q: You’ve gotten a lot of attention from the media, but like your fellow debate-goer Ken Bone, you don’t really seem to care for the attention. What’s it like being a minor celebrity?

Karl: Most things don’t excite me. It’s been interesting. I tried to involve my daughter. She is somewhat focused on the journalism side of her schooling, and I want this to be an opportunity for her to meet folks who may be a help to her as she figures out what she wants to do with her life.
***
But I wasn’t looking for the spotlight, and I’m not looking to continue the spotlight. Let [Ken Bone] ride the wave. I’m just taking this as it comes.

Q: I have to ask, have you decided who to vote for yet?

Both candidates seemed delighted by Karl’s question. NBC/YouTube

Karl: There seems to be more, for lack of a better word, “crap” coming out on both candidates. And unfortunately, I don’t know if I’ll make a decision prior to November 8th.

Q: OK, so if you haven’t decided, what’ll be going through your head when you eventually step inside the voting booth?

Karl: I know their platforms. I can go on websites and read their policies. But what is that going to mean for the bigger picture? How is this going to really affect my kids?
***
It’s going to come down to who do I think is more morally and ethically solid? … Who’s going to survive the mud being thrown the best?

Q: Will you be watching the final debate? And if so, what will you be looking for?

Karl: I’m going to watch the debate. I have parent-teacher conferences at my son’s high school from 6 to 8 p.m., but then a film crew from St. Louis wants to send a crew to wherever I’m going to be watching. I’m up in the air about that.
***
I would like to believe that there will be more discussion between the two candidates of some worthiness. However, I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Q: If you could ask the candidates another question tonight, what would it be?

Karl: You stumped me. I honestly don’t know. Maybe “Do you think we could speed up the debate and end it sooner?”

In the end, I left the conversation thinking that Karl Becker was a genuinely nice dude.

He even said he doesn’t get why anyone would care what he thinks about the candidates.

Trump and Clinton go in for the handshake. Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images.

“There was a person over my shoulder (at the debate). He’s a neurosurgeon … The gentleman sitting to my left, he was a Ph.D. student in neuroscience.”

No one interviewed those people, Karl said.

But there’s a reason his debate question elicited such a response two weeks ago.

In the midst of one of the nastiest and most shocking presidential elections in recent history, we all yearn for the days when the candidates actually respected one another and where the choice ultimately came down to substantive policy differences — not which candidate you thought was more or less likely to destroy the country.

We care what Karl thinks because he reminds us that after this massive dumpster fire of an election burns out, we’ll all need to find a way to coexist with one another again.

The Shane and Darcy Beckers of the world deserve that much.

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In Partnership With Habitat For Humanity →

Homeowners celebrate the completion of their new home in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province alongside Habitat for Humanity volunteers and staff.

Culture, Family

A safe, stable home can change lives for the better. Here’s how Habitat for Humanity wants to make that possible for everyone.

Better health, better jobs, and a brighter future all start with access to a safe, affordable home.

Sarah Watts

3/25/2026
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.

Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.

Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.

Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
- Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
- Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
- Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
- Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
- Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today.
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Photo credit: Champja/Canva & Towfiqu barbhuiya/Canva – Why does an itch on your face feel so different from one on your arm?

Making Sense of Science, Science

Why does a facial itch feel a lot different than one on your arm? Science just figured it out.

If you suspected something was different, you weren’t wrong.

Tod Perry

5/8/2026

An itch on the tip of your nose can feel different from one on your rear end—and possibly a bit more painful. Why is that? Shouldn’t your body treat an itch like an itch, no matter where it pops up?

According to a new study from North Carolina State University, your body treats itches on your face much differently than it treats them on the rest of your body.

The study found that your body sends itch signals from the face and the rest of the body along different routes to your brain, where they are processed. It’s as if your body has two different “itch phone lines” communicating with the brain—one from the face and another from the rest of the body.

Itches travel to your brain differently throughout the body

An itch on your arm starts with irritation of the skin—perhaps from dryness—then travels through the dorsal root ganglia, the spinal cord, and finally to the brain. An itch on your face goes from the spot of irritation to a different system called the trigeminal ganglia, and then to the brain.

An itchy forearm. Photo credit: Canva

Here’s the straight science:

“You can think of itch being transmitted from the skin to the brain as a series of switches that get flipped,” Santosh Mishra, associate professor of molecular biomedical sciences at NC State, said in a statement.

“On the body, itch signals go from neuronal projections in the skin through the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) – which are clusters of sensory cells located at the root of the spinal nerves – then to the spinal cord. But on the face and head, those signals travel to the trigeminal ganglia (TG) – which are clusters of sensory cells located in a small structure below the brain where it sits atop the skull,” Mishra added.

A woman scratching her arm. Photo credit: Canva

Your body sends mixed signals to your face

The researchers also discovered why an itch on your face may feel different from one on your torso. Studies showed that when histamine, an itch-inducing substance, was applied to the neck and cheek, the cheek itched less than the neck. Researchers initially assumed this was because there are fewer nerves in the cheek, but they were wrong: the cheek actually has far more. Instead, the face sends itch and pain signals simultaneously, and pain often overrides the sensation of itching. In the rest of the body, those signals are separated. That’s why an itch on your face feels different and may even be more painful than one on your arm.

A woman scratching her neck. Photo credit: Canva

Now that we know why an itch on your cheek feels different from one on your stomach, researchers can work on therapies that better address skin irritation on different parts of the body. One day, you may have a separate cream for a facial itch and another for one on your torso—not because of marketing, but because of real science.

“Understanding how itch perception in the face differs from itch perception in the body could give us better molecular targets for future therapies,” Mishra said.

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Photo credit: @toriefowler/TikTok, used with permission – Florida Teacher Torie Fowler explaining why course recovery is used to play the system.

Family, Parenting

Florida teacher says she’s quitting her job because of school’s ‘course recovery’ shortcut

She explained how many students use course recovery to play the system.

Heather Wake

5/8/2026

There are plenty of reasons teachers across the country have listed for why they are leaving their jobs. But whether it’s burnout or battling against artificial intelligence, there’s one common denominator: the classroom is, by and large, no longer the haven of learning it once was.

One teacher recently gave a prime example of this when she explained “course recovery,” and why that alone has led to her quitting.

What is course recovery?

In a now-viral Tiktok clip, Torie Fowler, an English teacher in Florida, shared that course recovery was originally intended to help struggling students stay on track for passing a class. Essentially it works by offering a semi-condensed make-up curriculum, primarily via online modules, rather than forcing students to repeat the full semester.

However, as Fowler explained, things have gone too far.

@toriefowler
Do you know what course recovery is? I’m positive it’s a public school thing, but what exactly is the child learning from this concept? #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #teaching #teacher #publicschool
♬ original sound – Torie Fowler

For instance, one of her seniors who earned an 18 percent in her class (which is already bonkers considering the student didn’t ever show up to class, apparently) was assigned course recovery. Somehow, this student was able to complete the entire nine weeks of recovery assignments in a single day, magically passing the class with a 75.

“What are we doing?” Fowler said at the end of her clip.

Granted, course recovery does have its uses. In an interview with Today, Fowler noted that students burdened with illness, family instability, or learning challenges can greatly benefit from it. Still, the students who know how to play the system use it as an easy workaround, forfeiting the opportunity to actually learn. And so far, the system encourages that kind of behavior.

“We are teaching them that there are no consequences for their actions,” she said. “It’s becoming more about getting them through and walking across the stage than actual learning.”

@toriefowler
You can read the full article at the link in my bio, but in terms of public education, do you agree? #teachersoftiktok #teacher #teacherlife
♬ Self Aware – Temper City

Teachers across the country share the same concern

Fowler is far from the only educator experiencing this frustration. Down in the comments, many fellow teachers sounded off.

“We have the same here in RI. It’s so unfair to the teachers, admins and other students.”

“I’ll do you one better: in my district a student who fails a class can do course recovery and change the whole grade for that class. That F becomes an A on the transcript as fast as the student can find answers to everything online, and they can do that in a day.”

“Credit recovery is a joke. I had a student fail on purpose bc CR was easier. If they can complete an entire semester of Algebra in 3 days (I’ve seen it), they aren’t learning the content. Why are we allowing this?!?”

Fowler’s video is just one of many worrying examples of how modern schools are prioritizing graduation rates over meaningful education. Many teachers say they entered the profession to help students grow, think critically, and build real skills for the future. When that mission starts feeling impossible, it’s no surprise that so many educators are deciding they can no longer stay.

@toriefowler
In all my feels as I realize my time in this room is coming to an end this month. Some of it was more than I could dream of, while the reality of a system we can’t change is more than I want to carry. #publicschool #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachersbelike #teacherlife
♬ original sound – Breezee Talk – Breezee Talk

However, as Fowler put it, it’s important to talk about what’s not working, because with enough conversation, “change can begin.”

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Photo credit: Levi Kelly Tours/YouTube – Levi Kelly's tiny house.

Innovation, Science

Man builds the ‘world’s smallest tiny house’ and somehow makes it work in 19 square feet

“The absolute coziest house ever conceived.”

Cecily Knobler

5/8/2026

Levi Kelly wanted to go small. Very small. As someone who loves building and touring tiny homes, along with unique Airbnbs and cabins, he wanted to create something truly special. Though the idea of a tiny home isn’t new and certainly began picking up steam in the early 2000s, Kelly wanted to raise— or, in this case, lower—the bar and make a statement about just how efficient he could get.

In an Instagram clip originally posted just over a year ago, but now making the rounds on social media again, Kelly shows viewers this extraordinary tiny home. Reminiscent of a tree house, its dark brown exterior and cheery windows look genuinely inviting. The most shocking part? It’s only 19.46 square feet.

View this post on Instagram

19.46 square feet

The quick tour begins with an exterior view of the home, which is hitched to a two-wheeled trailer. Kelly explains, “I built the world’s smallest tiny house by square footage. It’s 19.46 square feet. Totally off-grid. You can see the solar panels up there. And it’s on a trailer. Take it anywhere you want to go.”

He then pulls open the door and says, “Walking inside, let’s see how I fit everything in here.” The door opens to an extremely narrow hallway. On one side is a small sitting area with wooden drawers underneath. Straight ahead is a sink beneath a rather large window, at least relative to the size of the space.

Kelly’s tour continues: “There is a seating area here to the left. Underneath, we have your AC and heating units, and it comes out of this little vent right there. And then on the other side is a battery bank for the solar panel. And that’s how everything in here gets plugged in.”

Running water, too

Blink and you’re in the kitchen, where a tiny fridge sits atop the counter. “Up here is your kitchen. We have a mini fridge up here for some drinks.” He removes a light brown cover from a square opening, almost like a jigsaw puzzle piece, revealing that the countertop also doubles as a sink. “Here’s your sink. Open this up and it unfolds.” He turns on the water. “Check that out. Running water. So we’ll shut that back up for more countertop space.”

He opens a cabinet beneath this area. “Underneath, we have our water tanks, and you can have a little electric grill to take out and put there if you need to.” He then points to another tiny space on the counter.

Can’t be taller than 5’10”

Some, at this point, might wonder where someone would sleep in this house. “You’re wondering about the bed situation. Well, it’s up here.” He then points upward, where a platform is hooked to the ceiling. That is indeed the bed. He explains, “It folds down and can fit somebody that’s 5’10” or shorter.”

As for the bathroom? Kelly has that covered. Once again, he takes the camera outside and shows a small shower head attached to the corner of the house. “You’re probably wondering about the bathroom situation. The outdoor shower is right here. Set this up and turn on the water and you’ve got yourself a little shower.”

And what about the toilet? Off to the side, there’s an even smaller “storage area.” He explains, “You can take the lid off. The storage is stored in there, which is now right behind me.” The camera then cuts to a fresh white toilet sitting on the lawn. “You can go use the bathroom in nature anywhere you want. And it does flush.”

Only a month and $5,000

In a more detailed tour of the tiny home posted on YouTube, Kelly shares additional details:

“This took over a month and $5,000. It’s a truly functioning tiny house. It has power, running water, kitchen, separate seating, separate bed, shower, flushing toilet, AC, and heating—everything a modern house has, just in the size of 19.46 square feet (1.8 square meters). The nicest tiny house of this relative size I have ever seen.”

He also shares more details about the materials used, including the padauk wood on the window sills and the walnut kitchen countertops. He even demonstrates what it’s like to have three people sitting in the bench area at the same time. “Here’s a clip of me, Weston (his son), and my wife.”

We also get a full look at how the “bed” works, which Kelly admits was his one slight miscalculation. There isn’t much space to climb up to the bed, but he demonstrates how to do it by stepping onto the countertop and hoisting himself into the small cubby.

One YouTube commenter joked that if the bed doesn’t work, “you can sleep on the roof like Snoopy.”

Another commenter was a big fan, even imagining what it could look like during the holidays: “Imagine adding tiny picture frames or minuscule paintings to the walls, and Christmas decorations outside in winter. The absolute coziest house ever conceived.”

A few commenters were concerned about the complete lack of storage, joking that someone might have to keep their belongings in their car. But if you like the idea of the tiny house and don’t necessarily want to break any records, Kelly has other tiny homes with a bit more room. One can even be packed up and “unfolded in a single day.”

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Photo credit: Wikipedia/YouTube/British Movietone – Winston Churchill turned to bricklaying to combat depression.

Culture, Identity

Winston Churchill battled his depression by staying busy, laying ‘200 bricks’ every day

“…200 bricks and 2000 words a day,” Churchill wrote about his antidote to depression.

Emily Shiffer

5/8/2026

Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, referred to his depression and dark moods as the “Black Dog.” He never hid his struggle, and those close to him knew about it.

In a personal letter to his wife, Clementine, Churchill wrote:

“Alice [Guest] interested me a great deal in her talk about her doctor in Germany, who completely cured her depression. I think this man might be useful to me—if my Black Dog returns. He seems quite away from me now. It is such a relief. All the colours came back into the picture. Brightest of all your dear face—my Darling.”

Churchill turned to physical activity to help subdue the “Black Dog,” including painting. Another pursuit that helped him was bricklaying.

Churchill becomes a bricklayer

His passion for bricklaying took center stage at his family’s estate, Chartwell, where he constructed many new additions. His daughter, Mary, wrote:

“While my father was constructing the red-brick walls which now surround the garden, he had the delightful idea of building a little one-roomed cottage in the line of the wall for Sarah and me: it was meant for us both, but Sarah, who had started at boarding school in 1927, outgrew its pleasures fairly soon, and this charming dwelling became known as the Marycot.”

Churchill became such a prolific bricklayer that he officially joined the Amalgamated Union of Building Trades Workers in 1928 while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, according to The New York Times.

Churchill also wrote in September 1928 about his bricklaying at Chartwell: “I have had a delightful month building a cottage and dictating a book: 200 bricks and 2000 words a day.”

He continued bricklaying through the 1950s, according to the International Churchill Society.

Winston Churchill fought his depression with bricks. He'd lay them for hours at his country home in Kent. He joined the bricklayers' union. And in 1921 he wrote about why it worked. It took psychology another 75 years to catch up.

He called his depression the "Black Dog." It… https://t.co/QfAsWvT9KB
— Anish Moonka (@anishmoonka) May 5, 2026

Churchill’s mental health theory

In December 1921, Churchill wrote an essay for The Strand Magazine titled “Painting as a Pastime.” Churchill also used painting as a way to cope with depression, and he created more than 570 paintings during his lifetime.

He fully explained his theory on restoring the mind through activity in this excerpt:

“Many remedies are suggested for the avoidance of worry and mental overstrain by persons who, over prolonged periods, have to bear exceptional responsibilities and discharge duties upon a very large scale. Some advise exercise, and others, repose. Some counsel travel, and others, retreat. Some praise solitude, and others, gaiety. No doubt all these may play their part according to the individual temperament. But the element which is constant and common in all of them is Change. Change is the master key. A man can wear out a particular part of his mind by continually using it and tiring it, just in the same way as he can wear out the elbows of his coat. There is, however, this difference between the living cells of the brain and inanimate articles: one cannot mend the frayed elbows of a coat by rubbing the sleeves or shoulders; but the tired parts of the mind can be rested and strengthened, not merely by rest, but by using other parts.”

The modern-day phrase “depression hates a moving target” was certainly something Churchill would have subscribed to.

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Photo credit: Canva – Here's what dog people need to know about cats.

Nature, Pets

8 things dog people need to know about cats before interacting with them

Don’t treat them like a dog.

Annie Reneau

5/8/2026
Have you ever watched a person who has only ever had dogs try to interact with a cat? When dog-only people encounter cats, the result can be a mix of entertaining, bewildering, and, occasionally, a bit dangerous.

Obviously, cats are not dogs, and treating a cat as if it was a dog may or may not go well for you. So, if you’re one of those dog lovers who find themselves at a loss for what to do with a cat when you’re around one, here are some things to know that may save you some scratches or humiliation.

Ditch the high energy, embrace a sense of aloofness

Dogs are often eager. Cats are usually aloof. With many dogs, the more excited you act, the more they’re like, “Hey, you my friend! We best buds! Let’s play and hang out!”

Cats don’t react to energy the way dogs do. Photo credit: Canva

Cats do not play like that.

Approaching a cat with high energy puts them on edge. They might see you as a threat and become aggressive. Or they will simply “peace out” and leave the room. The best thing you can do if you want to make them comfortable is ignore them.

Let them come to you

If you absolutely must approach a cat (because they’re just irresistibly cute), do so very slowly. But it’s really best to just sit on the floor and wait for them to come to you. Don’t try to force it. They might ignore you completely at first, or they might immediately come right up and start rubbing on you. There’s no way to know, so just wait.

Rubbing on you might mean ‘go ahead and pet me.’ But it might not.

If a cat rubs up against you, that’s a good sign. If you’re new to them, it means they’re already comfortable with you. But it’s not necessarily an open invitation to pet them, either. Cats are fickle. Before you get too excited and go in for some pets…

Cat rubs are usually a good sign. Photo credit: Canva

Offer them your fingers

Cats are big on smell. Before your hand touches their fur, they want to know what they’re dealing with. Try holding out a finger or two for them to sniff, preferably coming from below their head instead of above. After they’ve smelled you, they might stick around for pets, or they might not. If they do…

Don’t pet them like a dog

No to head pats. Yes to chin and cheek scratches. No to belly rubs unless their human gives you the green light. (Most cats will destroy your hand if you try to rub their belly, but some love it.) No to hard strokes down their back, at least at first. Cats all have different touch preferences, so gently trying around their chin, cheeks, shoulders, and back is the best way to start.

Happy Cats Haven shared these signs to watch for that indicate a cat might not like the way you’re petting it:
- Restlessness
- Skin rippling
- Ears flattening or flicking
- Tail thumping or thrashing
- Turning head toward the petting
Your hands are not toys

Playing with cats can be a blast. They are predators with excellent hunting skills, so play involves stalking, chasing, and attacking. But to save yourself some painful scratches, use a laser pointer or a cat toy on a string, not your hand. (They’re not likely to actually play with your hand anyway. And if they do, you might regret it.)

@ellie_thetabby
Her new toy obsession #cats #pets #trending
♬ original sound – bojackeats

Don’t put your face near a cat that doesn’t know you

Even if the cat is lying perfectly contentedly next to you. Even if you’ve had some positive interactions. Not even if the owner says, “Oh, he doesn’t scratch.” The only time our generally docile cat has scratched or bit someone was when a child put their face up to his when he was curled up on a chair. This is one place where the advice for dogs goes equally for cats. Faces and unfamiliar animals don’t mix.

Don’t try to pick it up

Some cats are fine being picked up. Many cats are not. Most cats will not take kindly to some stranger trying to manhandle them, which is (probably) how they view you trying to pick them up. Bodily autonomy is important for our feline friends. Don’t violate it. Sit on a chair or sofa and see if they’ll climb onto your lap, but don’t pick them up to make it happen. Very few cats will respond well to that.

Cats blink slowly to tell you they like you. Photo credit: Canva

Don’t stare. Blink slowly.

Staring a cat in the eyes can be a sign of aggression, which can stress them out. However, if you do make eye contact, try a very slow, sleepy-eyed blink or two and then look away. Slow blinks are a sign of affection.

But honestly, not looking at them at all might make them more likely to approach you. Again, cats like aloofness.

If a cat deigns to let you pet it, scratch it, play with it, or otherwise interact with it, you may feel like you have been specially chosen. Embrace the feeling, because that’s exactly what has happened.
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Photo credit: Youtube – Sally Field and Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire.

Culture, Pop Culture

Sally Field recalls Robin Williams trying (and failing) to make her laugh on ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’

Their onscreen dynamic makes even more sense now.

Heather Wake

5/8/2026

Robin Williams was notorious for making his scene partners crack up and break character with his off-the-cuff antics. However, one costar remained eternally stone-faced: Sally Field.

In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Field recalls working with Williams on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire, where he would constantly try, and fail, to elicit even a polite giggle from her.

Much to his disappointment, “I would never laugh, ever,” quipped Field, even when “ everybody else was laughing and carrying on.”

One might assume that a consummate professional like Field perhaps felt the constant jokes were inappropriate or overly distracting. But no. They just weren’t her cup of tea.

View this post on Instagram

“It wasn’t funny. It just wasn’t funny,” she told Colbert while chuckling. “Robin was always trying something different to make me laugh. It was so unfunny. I can’t begin to tell you.”

The one joke that actually made Sally Field break

Field remained Williams’ white whale throughout the entire production, which “drove him mad.” And to really add insult to injury, Pierce Brosnan successfully made her lose it with a simple fart gag.

“We were sitting at a table at the restaurant, and [Brosnan] made a fart noise on his arm. And I was gone. That was it. I laughed so hard they had to redo my makeup.”

Why their chemistry in Mrs. Doubtfire still feels so real

Knowing their behind-the-scenes dynamic adds a whole new layer of authenticity to Mrs. Doubtfire, doesn’t it?

In the movie, Field and Williams are a divorced couple. Miranda, portrayed by Field, constantly feels like she is having to bear all the responsibility of raising their three children while Daniel, played by Williams, seemingly never takes anything seriously.

That said, Williams and Field still seemed to have a genuine friendship.

In 2024, she told Vanity Fair that her father had passed away during filming.

The Mrs. Doubtfire movie poster IMDB

“I was of course beside myself,” Field shared. “I came on the set trying with all my might to act. I wasn’t crying. Being extremely “sensitive and intuitive,” Williams picked up that something was wrong, and even made arrangements for Field to leave filming to make arrangements.

“Robin came over, pulled me out of the set, and asked, ‘Are you OK?’” she told Vanity Fair. When Field answered, Williams replied, “Oh my God, we need to get you out of here right now. And he made it happen—they shot around me the rest of the day.”

So, while Williams might have never made Field chuckle, it feels safe to say that he nevertheless won her respect and admiration.

Field stars in the upcoming film adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures. While she hailed her costar Lewis Pullman as “one of the best leading men” she’s ever worked with, she didn’t say anything about him making her laugh either. Regardless, her warmth, humor, and emotional depth are just as magnetic today as they were during her unforgettable run alongside Williams.

Watch the full interview below:

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Photo credit: Canva – The top Google queries are actually inspiring and helpful

Science, Technology

Google editor reveals the 3 most privately searched terms. And honestly, it’s the best of humanity.

“The data is unfailingly honest.”

Erik Barnes

5/8/2026

One thing many people believe is that you can truly know a person based on their Google history. Private searching is understandably on the rise, and given how negativity drives a lot of online news and social media, it can be easy to think the same way regarding our searches. However, a Google expert shared that the majority of searches on the platform are actually hopeful.

Google Data Editor and Journalist Simon Rogers reported that, while we do Google news information, the vast majority of Google queries were positive. In fact, Rogers says Google’s publicly available data set shows a counterbalance to the negativity often seen when scrolling on our feeds. The hard fact is that our Google searches show something different than the narrative on social media.

“The data is unfailingly honest,” Rogers wrote on CNBC’s Make It. “The way we search collectively is simply not the way we present ourselves on social media. There’s no such thing as a ‘dumb query,’ and analyzing these massive trends gives us a highly accurate reflection of our shared curiosities.”

Here are the surprisingly refreshing top queries he found on Google:

‘How to [insert life skill here]’

Rogers shares that the top searches start with “How to” and end with some form of life skill or task. “How to boil an egg”, “How to fix a door”, “How to cook spaghetti”, and so on. Google has turned to the go-to place for adults to learn many life skills.

Some folks may be concerned that adults have to learn basic life tasks they could or should have learned as children. However, it’s mostly agreed that it is good such information is readily available through a simple online search.

It’s also promising that the top Google searches are from people who want to independently learn their lives (and others) easier. If not a tutorial, they can also use Google as a resource to find classes or people who may properly teach them.

‘What’s a job that helps people?’

The other top trend Rogers indicated was occupation-oriented. While many top searches included queries like “high-paying jobs” and the like, Rogers noticed that those didn’t get the top spots. Searches for a “job that helps people” have surpassed searches for “jobs that pay well.”

The search for meaning at work has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic. Meaningful careers included therapists, social workers, and other vocations dedicated to health, wellness, and community building.

‘How to help [insert person, place, or thing here]’

Many see our current time as one of anger, tension, and incredibly high division, but Rogers says that couldn’t be further from the truth. Near the top end of Google queries in the U.S. and U.K. is some variation of “How can I help?”

This is backed up by a 2022 Stanford University report showing that more people are willing to help more than most realize. This echoes a study found that Americans are more likely to help a stranger now than they did in the 1950s or “the good ol’ days” as many frame it.

There are many reasons for a person to help, and not all of them are altruistic. However, the fact that so many do such a search that it towers over all others can feel inspiring.

These trends show and can back up the claim that people are still instinctively good. If you still don’t think so, well…just Google it.

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Photo credit: Image credit: @mrs.jamiesonskinders/TikTok (used with permission) – Mrs. Jamieson's reaction to her student's "secret good news" was so pure.

Culture, Identity

Student tells teacher her ‘secret good news’ and it’s delightfully unexpected

Teachers really do have to be prepared for anything.

Annie Reneau

5/8/2026

It’s no secret that teaching is tough, and educators deserve all the dollars we can throw at them. But that doesn’t mean the job doesn’t have its perks. Working with kids means witnessing all the wild, weird, and wonderful ways their brains work, which can result in some moments worth memorializing.

Case in point: this video from kindergarten teacher Mrs. Jamieson, in which a student told her she had some “secret good news” to share with her.

If you’ve spent much time with children, you might hold your breath waiting to hear what comes next. A phrase like “secret good news” could go in literally any direction, but no one expected the way this one would go.

@mrs.jamiesonskinders
This moment melted my heart!! 🥹🩷 #teachersoftiktok #kindergarten
♬ original sound – Katelynd

“Tell me your ‘secret good news,’ please,” Mrs. Jamieson said, undoubtedly bracing herself for whatever this little angel was about to say.

“I’ve never told you I was an African-American,” the girl said, her smile obvious even though we can’t see her.

Mrs. Jamieson, to her credit, made an incredulous face and said, “What?!”

“I was an African-American this whole time!” the student said, giggling. Oh, what a darling. And wow, what a “secret” for a teacher to respond to.

“Baby, I knew!” said Mrs. Jamieson. She asked the student if she had just found out she was African-American, and she said yes, her sister had told her. But the girl seemed utterly shocked that her teacher already knew.

“Yeah,” Mrs. Jamieson said. “You’ve been African-American the whole time! Beautiful! So beautiful. I knew. And I knew you were beautiful.”

Kudos to kindergarten teachers everywhere. Photo credit: Canva

The student giggled, then came around the desk for two big hugs. As the girl embraced her teacher, we can see her hands, which had some commenters cracking up. It was definitely no suprise to her teacher that she is African-American.

The delight in the video isn’t just this child’s innocence, though. It was the way Mrs. Jamieson filled this little girl up with so much love.

“I love you,” she said. “You bring so much joy to me. You fill my bucket, do you know that?”

A teacher’s words hold a lot of power, for better and for worse. What a prime example of using that power in the best way.

Kindergartners say the darnedest things. Photo credit: Canva

“I started recording when she first told me she had ‘secret’ good news because I didn’t know what was going to come out of her mouth, and I’m so glad I did!” Jamieson tells Upworthy. “This year has been a tough one, but in teaching, there’s always the ‘why’ moments. The moments that remind you why you do what you do, and the fact that I caught one on camera was amazing. When I watched it back, it brought me so much joy I couldn’t keep it to myself! The outpouring of love has been incredible.”

So many commenters praised Mrs. Jamieson for the way she handled the totally unexpected revelation:

“I was nowhere near prepared for that to be the secret. Your reaction was EVERYTHING though.”

“Small children are the best 😭😭😩 Thank you for telling her you seen her the entire time and that she’s beautiful. 🩷👏🏾”

Happy Teacher Appreciation! 🍎✏️⁠
Great teachers don't just teach. They show you how to think, how to grow, and how to believe in yourself! https://t.co/DGWtHeZTUp pic.twitter.com/UxGTiHigFW
— Natural Life (@Natural_Life) May 5, 2026

“Thank you for not pretending like you didn’t know and ‘don’t see color.’ Thank you for pouring into her by saying hey, I already knew that AND, I already knew you were BEAUTIFUL. As a darker skinned black woman who has been in these spaces, I would have killed to have a teacher pour into me this way at such a young age. I am also a former long time educator and have so much respect for how you loved on her, including the hug(s). Way to go!”

“Can I say I love that she called it ‘good news.’ When I was her age I was teased for being black and teased for my hair that for a while I wanted to be anything other than black. I love how proud she is and you affirming her.”

Little kids and excellent teachers really are the best of us, aren’t they?

You can follow Mrs. Jamieson on TikTok.

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