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People from states with harsh winters are sharing tips with Texans for staying safe and warm

A polar vortex swept through the southern United States this week, bringing snow and ice storms and record low temperatures that have debilitated the region. Texas in particular has been hit hard, and with an energy infrastructure that’s not designed or prepared for such weather, millions of people have been without power for days. People…

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Annie Reneau

Array
Photo credit: Photo: Canva, @mixbecca/Twitter – Array

A polar vortex swept through the southern United States this week, bringing snow and ice storms and record low temperatures that have debilitated the region. Texas in particular has been hit hard, and with an energy infrastructure that’s not designed or prepared for such weather, millions of people have been without power for days.

People who aren’t used to cold weather, who live in homes that aren’t designed to retain heat, who don’t have winter gear to keep them warm, are struggling to stay warm without power and heat. Some don’t have water, either.

While politicians bicker over who is to blame for the dire situation, Americans are doing what they can to help. For those of us in the north, that means sharing knowledge and experience for how to stay warm when the heat goes out.

Several viral threads on Twitter have proven incredibly helpful as people offer their best tips for handling the frigid temperatures while staying safe. (Sadly, we’ve seen several deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning—running a car in a garage and heating a home with a charcoal grill are things you should avoid at all costs.)

Twitter user from Michigan @mixbecca shared this bullet list of advice:

https://www.twitter.com/mixbecca/status/1361696077330722826

“Okay southern friends / people without power — as someone who has lived through many, many power outages in negative temps, while the priority is to get somewhere warm if you *can* if you’re trapped at home — here of some of the things that can help:

– Layers of loose-fitting clothes will keep you warmer than layers tight.

– Put towels / blankets / etc over windows, and if you can, choose a “warm room” for all of you to stay in that you can insulate. Shove towels under doors, tape over door frames if possible.

– Keep your hands and feet warm. Put them under your armpits, wrap them if you have to. Wear a hat indoors if needed to keep your ears warm.

– If you still have water, bottles of hot water at the foot of your bed under your sheets will help warm them up / create a “cave” of warmth.

– Turn on ALL your faucets so a teeny, tiny drip is going. Trust me. You DO NOT want your pipes to burst in negative temps. It is an actual nightmare. Someone on my tl was worried about wasting water but you will waste a lot more if you flood your house.

– If you still have gas you can use, a hot pot of water on the stove will help with heat and humidity; dry air indoors in the winter is the worst. Boiling pots of water will help on both ends also.

– Pantyhose are a godsend for layering. Those bitches are WARM. Wearing them under baggy sweatpants or something will make a world of difference. We did this when Michigan got hit with an ice storm and we had no power for a week.

– If you’ve never had to layer in the cold before, some of the best things you can wear are wool, flannel, silk, and fleece. Moisture-wicking fabrics and natural fibers are ideal for under layers; wool and flannel for top, bc they insulate you but they can’t wick moisture away.

– If there are multiple levels to your house, just accept that the top floor is going to be the warmest. Heat rises, cold air sinks. If you have a particularly toasty bedroom it’s easier to convert that to a ‘warm room’ instead of trying to heat the entire house.

– Shut doors to any rooms you don’t absolutely need. Stuff towels under the doors. Got an office, a spare bedroom, etc? Seal it off so you’re not “wasting” warm air on that room.

– DO NOT: Bring a generator inside. Ever. EVER. And don’t run it in your garage, either. Generators have to run 30 ft away from your home; most northerners know this, but we can’t expect southerners to.

– During the day, you can pull towels / etc down from windows if you have bright sunlight in and — this is going to sound silly — sitting in the sun in dark-colored clothing is a godsend when you’re stuck in a freezing ass house.

– Make sure you recover windows at night if you’re able to heat foods — hot foods like tea, soups, etc will help. There’s a reason ever ~idyllic~ Christmas movie has folks coming in from the snow to drink hot cocoa and broth, lol. now is the time to live your greatest tea / soup / chili aesthetic dreams.

– If you have pets, you need to monitor them when they’re outside. Dogs can get frostbite on their paws; let them out to do their business and bring them back in. Animals are good at letting you know when they’re cold, but don’t be afraid to make blanket nests / etc for them

– If you’re desperate to block drafts and you have them, pool noodles are a godsend. Cut them in half (length-wise not like….down the middle) and wrap them in fabric and jam that shit under your door.

– For bedding, fluffy stuff goes closest to you (goal is to have pockets of warm air!). The thinner and denser the layers of bedding are, the closer they should go to the top. So if you’re sleeping with, say, a fluffy duvet and two blankets, duvet touches your skin, blankets on top.

I am literally so sorry for everyone stuck in this position. Being without power in the cold is a nightmare. You’ll feel like you’re losing your mind, and cold /hurts/.

(tldr: Multiple loose layers, block the drafts, block off as many rooms as possible, and hot drinks, if you can.)”

Others added to the list with their own tips, such as holding hot drinks against your heart to keep your core warm. Limbs will feel the coldest, but keeping the center of your body warm is more important than you’d think.

https://www.twitter.com/KimberlyBlack/status/1361701810591862788

Movement warms you up, but you don’t want to break a sweat since the moisture will make you colder.

https://www.twitter.com/corylwrites/status/1361706388481835010

Other tips include:

– Melt snow in buckets to use for flushing toilets if your water is shut off.

– Your hot water tank holds a lot of fresh water. If your water is shut off, you can drain it from your water heater

– Line windows with cardboard for insulation. Saran wrap window edges. Bubble wrap works as insulation as well.

– Depending on the outdoor temperature, you can put food in plastic bins or coolers out in the snow.

– Stay hydrated. Your body uses a lot of energy just to stay warm, and your body regulates its temperature more effectively if it’s properly hydrated.

– Hats are a must. You lose a lot of heat out of your head.

– If you must drive somewhere, go slower than you think you should, and don’t slam on your breaks. If you lose control, don’t turn the wheel sharply. Try to stay along the rumble strip on the side of the road where you have more traction.

– Check on neighbors, especially if they live alone and/or are elderly.

– Again, don’t run the car in the garage and don’t use a barbecue indoors. If you have a gas oven, don’t use it to heat the house. Carbon monoxide poisoning is real.

People in Texas have expressed gratitude for the tips, in addition to being thankful for people not making fun of those who are struggling.

It’s heartening to see people coming together virtually to help strangers who live thousands of miles away, reaching out with sympathy and solidarity.

https://www.twitter.com/CNoyes1/status/1361850148859617282

Anyone who’s experienced a power outage during the winter knows how brutal the cold can be. And since folks in Texas and other southern spots aren’t used to or prepared for it, handling that situation is even harder.

Hang in there, southern friends. We’re hoping this crisis passes soon for you all.

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  • The surprisingly mysterious reason we use the $ symbol for the U.S. dollar
    Photo credit: Canva – Why do we use $ to represent a dollar?
    ,

    The surprisingly mysterious reason we use the $ symbol for the U.S. dollar

    The U.S. dollar and its symbol have an international origin story.

    Annie Reneau

    We see many symbols in our everyday lives that we likely don’t pay much attention to: the @ in our email addresses, for instance, or the % in our weather forecasts. But do we ever wonder where these symbols came from? Why they look like they do? Or how they came to mean what they mean?

    One of the most commonly used symbols that most of us are clueless about is the dollar sign ($). Why does it have an “S” if there’s no “s” in “dollar”? Is there supposed to be one line or two? And where did the $ symbol even originate?

    As educator and etymology enthusiast Rob Watts (better known as RobWords on YouTube) explains, the answers to those questions are surprisingly complicated.

    The first written use of the dollar sign as we know it appeared in a handwritten letter sent by a man in New Orleans in 1778. Some may be under the impression that the $ is an amalgamation of “U” and “S,” as in United States, but nope. Its origin isn’t actually from the United States at all.

    The international origins of the U.S. dollar start in Spain

    In fact, we have to take a whole international tour through hundreds of years of currency history to arrive at what we think is the origin of the $. As Watts shares, we don’t know with 100% certainty.

    The story begins with the Spanish real, the silver coin that served as the currency of Spain in the 14th century. A larger coin, worth eight times the value of the real, became known as a “piece of eight” in English. Those pieces of eight made their way to the Americas through colonialism in the 15th and 16th centuries.

    “The discovery of huge, gleaming reserves of silver in Central and South America meant that they could also be made there, too,” Watts shares. “At the local mints, they took on a new name as well, based on the fixed weights of  silver they were made from. They became known as the ‘peso,’ meaning ‘unit of weight.’”

    spanish dollar, piece of eight, peso, coin
    A Spanish piece of eight dating between 1651 and 1773. Photo credit: Portable Antiquities Scheme/Wikimedia Commons

    Because of their reliability and divisibility into smaller units, these pesos started being used not just in the Spanish-speaking colonies, but in British colonies in the Caribbean and North America as well.

    Hold the peso thought. We’ll come back to it momentarily.

    The word “dollar” can be traced back to the German Joachimsthaler coin

    In the meantime, another coin of similar value from the German town of Joachimsthal had gained traction in Europe.

    “In precisely the same way that a round slab of beef from Hamburg became known as a hamburger, this round slab of silver from Joachimsthal became known as a Joachimsthaler,” Watts explains. “And in exactly the same way that a hamburger is sometimes just called a ‘burger,’ a Joachimsthaler was sometimes just called a ‘thaler.’”

    Joachimsthaler, thaler, german dollar, coin
    A Joachimsthaler coin from 1525. Photo credit: TommyG/Wikimedia Commons

    “Thaler” became “daalder” in the Netherlands, “daler” in parts of Scandinavia, and “dollar” in the English-speaking world.

    But that dollar wasn’t the dollar we ended up with.

    “By 1700, the thaler had been adapted to have almost exactly the same silver content as another coin that was competing for usage in Europe: the ‘piece of eight’ or peso,” says Watts. “And so, to help differentiate between the two similarly valued coins, people started referring to the peso as ‘the Spanish dollar.’ This Spanish dollar was the de facto currency of the Americas right up until the American Revolution.”

    spanish dollar, piece of eight, peso, coin
    A Spanish dollar from Mexico circa 1771. Photo credit: Heritage Auctions/Wikimedia Commons

    The dollar sign actually comes from the peso symbol

    Prior to declaring independence from Britain, the U.S. used the British pound for accounting. But the Spanish dollar, or peso, was the coin most often used as currency, so post-Revolution, the U.S. adopted the dollar as its own. (The first official U.S. dollar coin was minted in 1792.)

    So, long story short, the Spanish dollar, or peso, was the basis for the U.S. dollar. Which finally leads us to where the $ came from.

    The symbol used for pesos way back when was “ps,” with the “s” written like a superscript. When written with a pen in one stroke, the “s” ended up with a line through it. And when someone wanted to indicate plural pesos, they would write the symbol twice. The second instance, written more quickly, ended up blending the “p” and “s” together to look more like a $.

    Essentially, the evolution looked like this:

    dollar, dollar sign, peso
    Theories of where the dollar sign came from. Photo credit: JesperZedlitz/Wikimedia Commons

    What about the double-lined dollar sign?

    How did the $ with two lines come about? As shown in the image above, the two lines often lead people to the “U” plus “S” theory. However, Watts points out that the first printed version of the dollar sign appeared in 1797. That dollar sign actually had two lines, with no indication that “U” and “S” were the reason. Both versions of the symbol were in use by the close of the 18th century.

    Watts goes into some of the other theories about where the double-lined dollar sign comes from. However, there doesn’t seem to be solid evidence to back any of them up.


    Isn’t that wild? Who knew that our currency had such a complicated origin story? Or that we don’t even really know for certain why we use $ for the almighty dollar?

    Thanks, Rob Watts, for making us all a little bit smarter. You can follow him on YouTube for more word fun.

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  • Woman lives on a cruise ship for free, but says there are 4 things she’s not allowed to do
    A woman looks out over the ocean while standing on a cruise ship.
    ,

    Woman lives on a cruise ship for free, but says there are 4 things she’s not allowed to do

    Living the high seas life.

    Tod Perry

    Upworthy Staff

    Upworthy has covered a few stories about people who decided to live permanently on cruise ships because it’s cheaper than living on land or in a nursing home. These stories have connected with millions because they say a lot about the modern cost of living but are also aspirational.

    Christine Kesteloo has become popular on TikTok with over one million followers because she shares what living on a cruise ship is really like. Kesteloo is the wife of the ship’s Staff Chief Engineer, so she gets to live on the boat for free. She only has to pay for alcohol and soda, which she gets for half off according to Business Insider.

    So what is life actually like on board?

    “I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it’s often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Business Insider. “After all, I don’t cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

    Kesteloo’s life seems pretty stress-free. After all, she’s basically on a permanent vacation. However, even though she lives on a cruise ship as a “wife on board,” there are a few things she either can’t or shouldn’t do.

    Here are the four things she cannot do

    She shared these four things in a TikTok video with nearly 10 million views.

    @dutchworld_americangirl

    I go through four things I can, and cannot do it while living on the cruise ship with my husband #weliveonacruiseship #4things #alaskacruise #cruiseship #cruiseshiplife #cruise #alaska #caribbeancruise #cruiselife #livingstsea #getreadywithme

    ♬ Chill in a good mood, calm and fun(1263486) – zukisuzuki

    1. Gambling

    Kesteloo says she cannot sit at a slot machine and “play my heart out until I win.” She believes it would “look a little weird if I, as the wife of the staff chief engineer, won a big jackpot.”

    2. Leaving the ship with the guests

    When the ship arrives at a destination, she can’t get off with the guests. She must wait about an hour and exit the vessel with the crew. When returning to the ship, she also has to be on time. “No, they will not wait for us,” she says. And the same goes for her husband, if they “miss the ship, someone else will take over the role.”

    3. Sitting in a crowded pool

    Although Kesteloo has access to the pool, gym, and all the ship’s amenities, she’s cautious not to interfere with the guests’ good time. She’ll exit the pool if it’s busy because “it’s just the right thing to do.”

    4. Traveling without international traveler insurance

    She must have insurance in case of a misfortune on the ship. But as a citizen of the Netherlands, they already have coverage and just have to pay a few extra dollars a month.

    The comments had one big question

    Though folks generally welcomed Kesteloo’s advice, some of the most popular commenters on the video were from women regretting that they married men who aren’t chief engineers on cruise ships or those who want to know where to find a single one.

    “OK, can you explain how to marry a cruise ship engineer?” one female commenter wrote.

    “How. in. the. H E double hockey sticks do I become the wife of a cruise ship engineer???? I don’t have to work AND cruise for free!” another added.

    “Does he have any single friends with same job??? Asking for me,” one more asked.

    For even more tips on living this charmed life, follow Kesteloo on TikTok. Who knows, by now she might even have some advice for landing your own cruise ship engineer spouse.

    This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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  • Comedy rock band use 38 songs to prove how ‘every pop song’ uses the same four chords
    Photo credit: random804/YouTube – Axis of Awesome on stage.
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    Comedy rock band use 38 songs to prove how ‘every pop song’ uses the same four chords

    The Beatles, U2, and Maroon 5 are all guilty of the same crime.

    Tod Perry

    Upworthy Staff

    Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was found not liable on April 4, 2023 in a lawsuit where he was accused of stealing elements of the Marvin Gaye classic “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud.”

    Since then, a federal appeals court also upheld that ruling in November 2024, affirming that the two songs only share basic musical building blocks that copyright law does not protect. A separate, related lawsuit remains ongoing.

    The case called attention to the fact that there are motifs and musical structures common in pop music that no one owns, and all are free to use. When it comes to chord progressions, the 12-bar blues and basic I, IV, V, I progressions you hear in country and folk have been used and reused since people first picked up the guitar.

    In the wrong hands, the progressions can result in music that is boring and formulaic, but in the right hands, they can be a springboard for fresh ideas.

    guitar, music, chords, chord progression, songs, axis of awesome
    Guitarist playing their instrument. Photo credit: Canva

    A comedy group proved the point perfectly

    In 2009, Australian comedy group Axis Of Awesome did a funny sketch showing how one four-chord progression, famous for being the basis of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” has been used countless times by musicians to great effect.

    They played a medley of 38 major hits using the same progression to prove their point. For musicians, it’s known as the I–V–vi–IV progression, and when played in the key of C it would be C, G, Am, F.

    Warning: Video contains strong language.

    Here are all 38 songs in the medley

    “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey

    “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt

    “Forever Young” by Alphaville

    “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz

    “Happy Ending” by Mika

    “Amazing” by Alex Lloyd

    “Wherever You Will Go” by The Calling

    “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John

    “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5

    “Pictures Of You” by The Last Goodnight

    “With Or Without You” by U2

    “Fall At Your Feet” by Crowded House

    “Not Pretty Enough” by Kasey Chambers

    “Let It Be” by The Beatles

    “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

    “The Horses” by Daryl Braithwaite

    “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley

    “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground

    “Land Down Under” by Men at Work

    “Waltzing Matilda” by Banjo Paterson

    “Take On Me” by A-ha

    “When I Come Around” by Green Day

    “Save Tonight” by Eagle Eye Cherry

    “Africa” by Toto

    “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé

    “Self Esteem” by The Offspring

    “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid” by The Offspring

    “U + Ur Hand” by Pink

    “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga

    “Barbie Girl” by Aqua

    “You Found Me” by The Fray

    “Don’t Trust Me” by 30h!3

    “Kids” by MGMT

    “Canvas Bags” by Tim Minchin

    “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia

    “Superman” by Five for Fighting

    “Birdplane” by Axis of Awesome

    “Scar” by Missy Higgins

    And the official video has even more songs

    It’s quite an extensive (and, as they prove, accurate) list, but that’s not all. In the summer of 2011, Axis of Awesome released an official music video of “4 Chords” on their YouTube channel, which included even more songs such as Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister,” The Black Eyed Peas’ “Where is the Love?”, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and even Men at Work’s “Land Down Under” in addition to many, many, many more.

    Check it out:

    Axis of Awesome officially broke up in August 2018 after a year-long break in 2017. Though the trio is no longer performing together, the impact of “4 Chords” goes on and on…much like the use of that musical progression. And, while all these songs may use the same four chords, you’ve got to admit they’re all bangers, so we’re not mad at it.

    This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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  • How does an election with no electioneering work? A peek inside the Bahá’í electoral process.
    Photo credit: Annie Reneau – The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, left, and the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, right.
    ,

    How does an election with no electioneering work? A peek inside the Bahá’í electoral process.

    Around the world, the nine-member governing bodies of the Bahá’í Faith are democratically elected with no nominations, campaigns, or even mention of individual names.

    Annie Reneau

    While doing research for her 2021 book, High Conflict, investigative journalist Amanda Ripley posed a question: “Are there examples of institutions that do conflict better, institutionally, sort of enshrined in what they do?”

    That question led Ripley to the Bahá’í Faith and the process it uses to elect its governing bodies. Ripley specializes in exploring “depolarization” and found the faith’s electoral process to be a solid example of how to avoid polarization while electing the most qualified people.

    Elections with zero electioneering? How?

    Imagine a democratic election process with no nominations, no campaigning, no parties or factions, and no electioneering of any kind. Not a whisper of “You should vote or shouldn’t vote for so-and-so.” Not even an “I’d like to humbly put myself forward for consideration.” That’s what Bahá’í elections are like.

    “It’s literally the opposite of elections today in the United States, in every way,” Ripley told the Society Builders podcast. “And yet, it’s happening all around the world, so it’s very encouraging.”

    As a Bahá’í myself, seeing Ripley explain the Bahá’í electoral process from an outside perspective is fascinating. I’m so used to it, having participated in dozens of elections, that I sometimes forget how unique it is. But when contrasted with nearly every other democratic voting system, I can see why it drew Ripley’s attention.

    Bahá’í elections at the local level

    At the local level of administration (town, city, or county), Bahá’ís elect nine-member bodies called Local Spiritual Assemblies. The elected members of a Spiritual Assembly have no individual authority, but function as a collective, consultative institution that tends to the affairs of the community.

    Here’s how these institutions are elected: Throughout the year, we spend time getting to know the members of our community, keeping in mind that we will elect some of these people to serve on the Local Spiritual Assembly each spring. No names are ever mentioned when discussing the Assembly election, though. We only discuss the combination of qualities necessary to serve, which include selfless devotion, a well-trained mind, unquestioned loyalty, recognized ability, and mature experience.

    At election time, after prayer and reflection, every adult member of the community votes by secret ballot for the nine people they believe are best qualified to serve on the Assembly.

    The way ballots are handled ensures that even the tellers who tally the votes don’t see who voted for whom. The nine people who receive the most votes overall are called to serve on the Local Spiritual Assembly.

    Serving on a Spiritual Assembly is viewed as a sacred, selfless duty, not as a personal victory or promotion. As Ripley shared, “If you get asked to serve, you gotta serve. And the ego is really subverted in that process.”

    How Bahá’ís conduct national elections

    The electoral process looks slightly different at the national level, where we use a delegate system. I participated as a delegate in helping elect the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States this year, so I can share an insider’s view of what that process looked like.

    Last October, a total of 171 delegates were elected (again by secret ballot, with no electioneering) from electoral units around the U.S. Every adult Bahá’í has the opportunity and responsibility to participate in their local delegate election. And again, whoever receives the most votes serves.

    Baha'i temple, Baha'i house of worship, Wilmette, Illinois
    The Bahá’í National Convention was held at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. Photo credit: Annie Reneau

    In April, those 171 delegates gathered for the Bahá’í National Convention at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. The purpose of the convention was twofold: to elect the National Spiritual Assembly and to consult and share what we’ve been learning through our community activities over the past year.

    It may be hard to imagine, but the admonition against electioneering is taken to heart in elections at every level. The convention began on Thursday morning, and the election took place on Saturday. The delegates were together all day Thursday and Friday, and there was not a single conversation about who should or should not be elected to the National Spiritual Assembly.

    Instead, we consulted about what’s been happening in our communities, sharing triumphs and challenges, heartening stories and heartfelt concerns. We discussed the qualities necessary to serve on the Assembly, but never names. Not even the slightest indirect hint about any particular individual.

    Baha'i, delegates, election
    Bahá’í delegates from around the U.S. gathered in Wilmette, Illinois, to elect the National Spiritual Assembly. Photo credit: Nancy Wong

    What the actual voting looks like

    The morning of the election, the delegates gathered in the sanctuary of the House of Worship for prayer and meditation. Then we returned to the meeting hall downstairs to vote. Each of us silently filled out a paper ballot with the names of nine people we felt were most qualified to serve. Then we placed our ballots into plain white envelopes. Once all delegates had finished voting, we deposited the envelopes, one by one, into a box at the front of the room. The atmosphere was peaceful, calm, and reverent.

    Our votes are secret and private—no one will ever know who we voted for unless we choose to tell someone. (In 30 years of participating in elections, I’ve never had another Bahá’í tell me who they voted for.) As delegates, we represent our local areas at the convention, but we are elected to vote according to our own consciences. No one from our electoral unit talks to us about who they want us to vote for.

    The process is about as pure as an election process can be. And the result is a high-functioning administrative body that beautifully reflects our national community.

    Baha'i, National Spiritual Assembly, election
    The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States elected in April 2026. Photo credit: Annie Reneau

    (Every five years, the world’s National Spiritual Assemblies from every country gather to elect the Universal House of Justice, the nine-member body that guides the international Bahá’í community. Again, no electioneering—just prayerful, conscientious voting by secret ballot.)

    Bahá’í consultation: A low-conflict approach to making decisions

    The other low-conflict element of Bahá’í administration that Ripley found in her research is the process of decision-making, simply referred to as “consultation.” As Ripley shared with the Aspen Institute, the ideal way to deal with conflict is to avoid it in the first place. Bahá’í consultation, she said, is designed “to keep the ego in check and keep high conflict less likely.”

    When the Assembly needs to discuss an issue or make a decision, all members are encouraged to voice their thoughts and opinions frankly and openly. But as soon as an idea is presented, it becomes the idea of the group to discuss. It is no longer associated with the individual who shared it. Discussion centers on the idea itself and the spiritual principles that need to be applied to the situation. Ripley says this method aligns with how humans naturally function, helping “reduce the odds of the kind of binary, us-versus-them dynamic that we know tends to lead to high conflict.”

    Of course, we are ever-evolving humans doing our best, not perfect beings. I have occasionally seen personal conflict arise over the years, and I’ve seen it handled well and not so well. But considering the inherent complexities of human dynamics, the Bahá’í system works remarkably well as designed and intended. Compared with how elections and institutions so often function, it’s truly a beautiful thing to witness and participate in.

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  • After touring the globe, Mark Twain listed 60 American dishes he sorely missed
    Photo credit: The Guardian/Wikimedia Commons & Cary Bass-Deschênes/Wikimedia Commons – A raccoon, left, and Mark Twain, right.
    ,

    After touring the globe, Mark Twain listed 60 American dishes he sorely missed

    Baked apples ’n’ cream? Yum. “‘Possum”? Not so much.

    Tod Perry

    Mark Twain is often seen as the quintessential American novelist, having penned classics such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But he was also a popular travel writer who wrote six books about his adventures abroad. In 1867, he was sent by a newspaper to travel throughout Europe and the Holy Land via the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the popular book The Innocents Abroad.

    In 1880, Twain wrote an unofficial sequel to The Innocents Abroad called A Tramp Abroad, a fictionalized account of himself, his traveling companion “Harris,” and their attempt to walk through Europe. The book is both a travelogue from a time when it was rare for most Americans to travel to Europe and a satire of how clueless they can be when encountering new cultures.

    Twain didn’t care much for European cuisine

    One unforgettable passage in A Tramp Abroad has Twain critiquing European food and longing for his favorite comfort foods. He refers to European fare as unsatisfying, to say the least. “The number of dishes is sufficient, but then it is such a monotonous variety of UNSTRIKING dishes. It is an inane, dead-level of ‘fair-to-middling.’ There is nothing to ACCENT it,” Twain wrote.

    mark twain, twain relaxing, mark twain book, mark twain suit,
    Mark Twain relaxing. Photo credit: The Guardian/Wikimedia Commons

    In the book, he jokes that when he returns to the States, he will have a “modest” meal of his favorite foods prepared for him and will send his requests ahead of time so they are ready when he arrives. The menu contains 60 of his favorite American comfort foods.

    Twain lists his favorite comfort foods

    “It has now been many months, at the present writing, since I have had a nourishing meal, but I shall soon have one, a modest, private affair, all to myself,” Twain wrote. “I have selected a few dishes, and made out a little bill of fare, which will go home in the steamer that precedes me, and be hot when I arrive, as follows:

    Radishes. Baked apples, with cream

    Fried oysters; stewed oysters. Frogs.

    American coffee, with real cream.

    American butter.

    Fried chicken, Southern style.

    Porter-house steak.

    Saratoga potatoes.

    Broiled chicken, American style.

    Hot biscuits, Southern style.

    Hot wheat-bread, Southern style.

    Hot buckwheat cakes.

    American toast. Clear maple syrup.

    Virginia bacon, broiled.

    Blue points, on the half shell.

    Cherry-stone clams.

    San Francisco mussels, steamed.

    Oyster soup. Clam Soup.

    Philadelphia Terapin soup.

    Oysters roasted in shell-Northern style.

    Soft-shell crabs. Connecticut shad.

    Baltimore perch.

    Brook trout, from Sierra Nevadas.

    Lake trout, from Tahoe.

    Sheep-head and croakers, from New Orleans.

    Black bass from the Mississippi.

    American roast beef.

    Roast turkey, Thanksgiving style.

    turkey, thanksgiving turkey, cooked turkey, stuffed turkey, roast turkey,
    A Thanksgiving turkey. Photo credit: Canva

    Cranberry sauce. Celery.

    Roast wild turkey. Woodcock.

    Canvas-back-duck, from Baltimore.

    Prairie hens, from Illinois.

    Missouri partridges, broiled.

    ‘Possum. Coon.

    Boston bacon and beans.

    Bacon and greens, Southern style.

    Hominy. Boiled onions. Turnips.

    Pumpkin. Squash. Asparagus.

    Butter beans. Sweet potatoes.

    Lettuce. Succotash. String beans.

    Mashed potatoes. Catsup.

    Boiled potatoes, in their skins.

    New potatoes, minus the skins.

    Early rose potatoes, roasted in the ashes, Southern style, served hot.

    Sliced tomatoes, with sugar or vinegar. Stewed tomatoes.

    Green corn, cut from the ear and served with butter and pepper.

    Green corn, on the ear.

    Hot corn-pone, with chitlings, Southern style.

    Hot hoe-cake, Southern style.

    Hot egg-bread, Southern style.

    Hot light-bread, Southern style.

    Buttermilk. Iced sweet milk.

    Apple dumplings, with real cream.

    Apple pie. Apple fritters.

    Apple puffs, Southern style.

    Peach cobbler, Southern style

    Peach pie. American mince pie.

    Pumpkin pie. Squash pie.

    All sorts of American pastry.

    Fresh American fruits of all sorts, including strawberries, which are not to be doled out as if they were jewelry, but in a more liberal way. Ice-water—not prepared in the ineffectual goblet, but in the sincere and capable refrigerator.”

    mark twain, twain relaxing, mark twain book, mark twain suit, mark twain pool
    Mark Twain playing pool. Photo credit: The World’s Work/Wikimedia Commons

    Twain’s list of favorite foods is notable because he spent much of his life in different regions of the United States, including Hannibal, Missouri (his boyhood home), Hartford, Connecticut (his adult home), and Elmira, New York (his summer retreat).

    His career as a writer also took him to places in the West, including San Francisco and Sacramento, California, as well as Carson City and Virginia City, Nevada. This led him to develop a taste for many regional cuisines, which he referenced specifically on his list. The oysters should be from San Francisco, and the black bass from Mississippi.

    Some may recoil when they see a few items on his list, namely “’coon” (short for raccoon) and “’possum,” short for opossum. These days, most Americans would shudder at the idea of eating them for dinner, but in the 1800s, they were seen as delicacies. Both were commonly roasted or stewed and served with sweet potatoes.

    Twain’s over-the-top menu is a fun look at the types of food that were popular in the late 1800s, and it’s also a charming example of how every region of the U.S. has its own specialty. Whether it’s fish in the Sierras or duck in Baltimore, Maryland, every place has its own flavor, and to a man who lived just about everywhere, they were all something to savor.

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  • Brendan Fraser surprised everyone at a screening of ‘The Mummy’ by showing up in costume
    Brendan Fraser dressed as Rick O'Connell.
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    Brendan Fraser surprised everyone at a screening of ‘The Mummy’ by showing up in costume

    Now we want a “Mummy 4.”

    Heather Wake

    Upworthy Staff

    Brendan Fraser might be making the greatest career comeback ever, having won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his dramatic, transformative role in “The Whale.” But the OG Fraser fans (the ones who watch “Doom Patrol” solely to hear his voice and proudly pronounce his last name as Fray-zure, for this is the proper pronunciation) have known of his remarkable talent since the ’90s, when he embodied the ultimate charming, dashing and slightly goofball Hollywood action lead.

    Let us not forget his arguably most well-known and beloved ’90s character, Rick O’Connell from the “Mummy” franchise. Between his quippy one-liners, Indiana Jones-like adventuring skills, and fabulous hair, what’s not to like? During a double feature of “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” in London, moviegoers got the ultimate surprise when who should walk in but Brendan Fraser himself, completely decked out in Rick O’Connell attire. The brown leather jacket. The scarf. Everything.

    stephen colbert, brendan fraser, montclair film festival, red carpet,
    Stephen Colbert and Brendan Fraser at the Montclair Film Festival 2022. Photo credit: Montclair Film/Wikimedia Commons

    What Fraser said to the crowd that night

    “I am proud to stand before you tonight,” he told the audience. “This is a film that was made in Britain. You should know that! Even the second one, too. Be proud. Thank you for being here.”

    He continued, “We didn’t know if it was a drama or a comedy or a straight-ahead action or romance, a horror picture, more action, all of the above. No idea until it tested in front of British audiences. Thank you for that.”

    Fraser then asked the crowd if anyone hadn’t actually seen the movie yet, before shouting, “Outstanding!” when somebody raised their hand. He then quickly made a polite plug, encouraging people to go see “The Whale” before whisking himself away, saying, “I won’t take up any more of your time.”

    Uh, yeah…I don’t think any time spent with Brendan Fraser is a waste. Do you?

    Watch:

    Mummy 4 is officially happening

    The answer to whether we’ll see Fraser back as Rick O’Connell is now a resounding yes. The Mummy 4 was officially confirmed in early 2026, with Fraser and Rachel Weisz both set to reprise their roles, and a release date of October 15, 2027. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are attached to direct.

    This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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  • The ‘Knight Rider’ car somehow got a speeding ticket even though museum owners swear it hasn’t moved in years
    Photo credit: Morn, NBC Universal, Wikimedia Commons – David Hasselhoff, left, and his car KITT from "Knight Rider."
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    The ‘Knight Rider’ car somehow got a speeding ticket even though museum owners swear it hasn’t moved in years

    There are only a handful of KITT replicas still in existence.

    Cecily Knobler

    “Give me every ounce of turbo boost you’ve got,” Michael Knight often demanded of his black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, KITT.

    If you didn’t grow up glued to television (like much of Gen X), this is a reference to the NBC hit show Knight Rider, starring David Hasselhoff as Knight. Its first incarnation ran from 1982 to 1986 and featured the crime-fighting Knight alongside his well-ahead-of-its-time talking car, KITT, short for Knight Industries Two Thousand. (In a later reboot of the series, KITT stood for Knight Industries Three Thousand.)

    So imagine everyone’s surprise when KITT was allegedly spotted by traffic cameras driving 36 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone in Brooklyn on April 22. Or was it KITT? A car was seen zipping through a New York City intersection with a California plate that read KNIGHT.

    Where is the real KITT?

    The only issue? The speeding ticket was sent to the Volo Museum in Illinois, which has a replica of the KITT car on display. A spokesperson for the museum took to Facebook to share the mix-up:

    “Well, this is a new one… we got this in the mail today. This is 100% legit. A traffic camera captured Knight Rider’s KITT speeding down the streets of New York City. The camera captured the novelty license plate (not a real plate…and also a California plate). Their official system ties the novelty plate to Volo Museum and we got a bill for $50! You can’t make this up! Our KITT hasn’t moved from our museum in years! Does anyone have Hasselhoff’s number? He owes us $50!!!!”

    WABC-TV reports that the “summons, complete with a picture from a traffic camera, was sent to the Volo Museum in Volo, Illinois, where a black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am replica of the TV show car is on display. It linked the KNIGHT license plate to the museum’s display vehicle. The museum has requested a hearing to dispute the ticket.”

    Turbo boost

    Of the more than 20 KITT cars built for the series, only five remain. According to Road & Track:

    “KITTs were made out of 1982, 1983, and 1984 Trans Ams, as well as base Firebird hardtops. Transmissions got swapped for Turbo 350 3-speeds, brake line locks were added, as well as some additional bracing, while the team used as much body filler as the panels would take.

    The second-to-last KITT ever built started out as an ’84 base hardtop before taking up the role of a disposable stunt car. Yet after the show, NBC chose this example to be retrofitted with their sound stage dashboard, T-tops, and all the things children would expect to see once they put it on display at their theme park.”

    “KITT’s been out traveling and breaking the law”

    So why was Volo Museum in Illinois on the hook for a California-plated car? Theories and jokes abound. One Facebook user commented under the museum’s post, “You THINK that KITT hasn’t moved in years, but you forget KITT can drive anywhere he wants without Michael Knight. KITT’s been out traveling and breaking the law.”

    And this case of mistaken identity isn’t unique. Another commenter added, “There’s a guy in southern Indiana who drives his KITT on a novelty plate while going through a toll bridge into Kentucky. Since I have a legitimate Indiana KNIGHT plate, they charge his tolls to my EZ-Pass.”

    KITT conspiracy theories

    On a Reddit thread titled, “Museum’s ‘Knight Rider’ replica car got a speeding ticket. It hasn’t gone anywhere in years,” commenters were quick with the nostalgic jokes. “I think there is an obvious answer. This car is a Brum, and every night it drives out into the big city on adventures,” one user wrote.

    This Redditor shared the story of someone reportedly trying to evade speeding tickets: “There’s a story about an engineer who tried to be clever and got the plate ‘NULL’ in the hopes of avoiding tickets (if you’re not aware, NULL is used in some databases as a way of saying ‘no data’). He ended up with every ticket that didn’t have a plate number attached to it.”

    Another user jokingly quoted KITT, writing, “I do not understand how you’ve managed to get us a speeding ticket without even being in motion, Michael.”

    Will the real KITT please stand up?

    As for the real KITTs? The remaining five cars used in the series have been spread among various museums and private owners. One famous car enthusiast, Jay Leno, got to take a ride in Joe Huth’s fabulous ride and even featured it on his show Jay Leno’s Garage.

    It’s possible that if KITT were asked for comment about this whole affair, he might repeat one of his more memorable lines: “Really, some people are simply too much.”

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  • 9 fascinating Colonial-era words to brush up on for America’s 250th birthday
    Photo credit: Canva – Signing of the Declaration of Independence.
    ,

    9 fascinating Colonial-era words to brush up on for America’s 250th birthday

    The word “vulgar” had a different meaning than it does today.

    Emily Shiffer

    On July 4, the United States of America will celebrate its 250th birthday. Called the “semiquincentennial,” the day will commemorate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed.

    Of course, English was spoken by colonial Americans, and they had a distinctive accent that was unique to the newly formed country.

    Surprisingly, they did not sound British. That’s because by the time of the Revolutionary War, two new generations had been born on American soil, according to JSTOR.

    British English and American English began to develop separately. An English tourist commented on the colonial American dialect in 1770:

    “The colonists are composed of adventurers, not only from every district of Great Britain and Ireland, but from almost every other European government…Is it not therefore reasonable to suppose that the English language must be greatly corrupted by such a strange admixture of various nations? The reverse is however true. The language of the immediate descendants of such promiscuous ancestry is perfectly uniform, and unadulterated; nor has it borrowed any provincial, or national accent from its British or foreign parentage.”

    9 interesting Colonial American words

    Many words from colonial America have faded from the modern-day lexicon. But a book from 1785 titled The Vulgar Tongue by author Francis Grose documented slang used during colonial times. The book was reprinted over the years, including an updated version titled 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

    The word “vulgar” had a different meaning than it does today. “Vulgar” meant “common” or “ordinary,” according to Merriam-Webster.

    Here are nine fascinating colonial-era words to add to your lexicon:

    Adam’s ale

    This is another word for water. According to Merriam-Webster, its origins are “after the biblical Adam; from its being provided by nature and thus presumably being the only drink in the Garden of Eden.” The term’s first known use was in 1643.

    Altitudes

    This is another word for drunk. According to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, it means “the man is in his altitudes, i.e. he is drunk.”

    Arsy yarsey

    According to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, it means “to fall arsy varsey, i.e. head over heels.”

    Merriam-Webster defines it as “backside forward; head over heels; topsy-turvy.” It goes on to add that the word is “a non-reduplicative (yet still very cheeky) equivalent of arsy-varsy would be the expression ass over teakettle. However, arsy-varsy may be used as both adverb (modifying an action, as in the first example below) or an adjective (modifying a noun, as in the second) meaning ‘topsy-turvy’ or ‘disordered.’”

    Calibogus

    Surprisingly, this is the name of a colonial drink. According to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, it means “rum and spruce beer, American beverage.” It may also have been sweetened with molasses, according to Merriam-Webster.

    Carroty-pated

    This is another word for a redhead. According to the Collins Dictionary, “carroty” means “a reddish or yellowish-orange colour; having red hair.” The word “pated” means “having a (specified kind of) pate, or head.”

    Caudge-pawed

    This is another word for left-handed, according to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

    Flam

    According to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, it means “a lie, or sham story: also a single stroke on a drum. To flam; to hum, to amuse, to deceive. Flim flams; idle stories.”

    While it was used in colonial times, its history dates further back. Merriam-Webster explains:

    “‘Flimflam’ first entered English as a noun meaning ‘deceptive nonsense’ in the second half of the 16th century. A sense meaning ‘deception’ or ‘fraud’ soon developed. The verb use didn’t show up until well into the next century. In addition to general deceiving or tricking, the verb ‘flimflam’ is often used specifically to refer to swindling someone out of money. The ultimate origin of ‘flimflam’ is uncertain, but the word is probably of Scandinavian origin and may be related to the Old Norse flim, meaning ‘mockery’.”

    Huzza

    This celebratory word was chanted during colonial times. According to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, it means “said to have been originally the cry of the huzzars or Hungarian light horse; but now the national shout of the English, both civil and military, in the sea phrase termed a cheer; to give three cheers being to huzza thrice.”

    American colonists also adopted the word. According to Dr. Tyler Putman at the Museum of the American Revolution, it also had a surprising pronunciation: hu-ZAY (like “hooray”), not hu-ZAH (like “hoorah”).

    Oyster

    This word had a second meaning besides the shellfish. According to the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, it means “a gob of thick phlegm, spit by a consumptive man; in law Latin, UNUM [one] VIRIDUM [green] GOBBUM [lump or mass].”

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