+
upworthy

The most convincing argument I've heard for raising the minimum wage. From a rich guy.

At first, I thought this was cool because here's a guy with nothing to gain from standing up for the less fortunate, but then he reveals what actually happens when our economy is more fair.

Even though most of us have probably never heard of him, Nick Hanauer is one of those famous/infamous rich dudes.

How rich?

He's so rich he could be a rap lyric.


He's so rich he's not just in the 1% — he's in the 0.01% wealthiest Americans.

He's so rich he and his friends own a bank.

He's so rich he could use ground-up diamonds for salt.

He's so rich he was one of the first investors in Amazon.

Is he ashamed of that? Not really.

"I'm a proud, unapologetic capitalist."


"It feels like it's time we had a chat."

He's made his fortune by being able to see into the future a little better than the rest of us.

And what does he see?

Again, he's totally into making lot$a money and capitalism:

"You see, the problem isn't that we havesome inequality.Some inequality is necessaryfor a high-functioning capitalist democracy.

The problem is that inequalityis at historic highs todayand it's getting worse every day.And if wealth, power, and incomecontinue to concentrateat the very tippy top,our society will changefrom a capitalist democracyto a neo-feudalist rentier societylike 18th-century France.

That was Francebefore the revolutionand the mobs with the pitchforks."
— Nick Hanauer





I guess he's just not that into pitchfork mobs.

"I have a message for my fellow plutocrats and zillionaires and for anyone who lives in a gated bubble world: Wake up."
— Nick Hanauer

Well, he's got my attention. And he has a very clear policy proposal for America:

Raise the minimum wage. Now.

In fact, he helped push for a way higher minimum wage in Seattle. And it passed!

Not only did they raise it ... they doubled it.

Now Seattle's minimum wage is $15 an hour.

...or else.

Nick gave his warning to plutocrats as an excellent TED Talk, and I can't recommend it enough!

But if you're short on time, you don't wanna miss out on the "near-insane" idea he published in Forbes (10:00) and what happened when the whole city of Seattle put that idea into practice (13:00).



Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Gen Xer explains sense of 'impending doom' that seems to define the Millennial generation

Somebody finally put it into words and a lot of Millenials are feeling seen.

A woman looks to the ground in dispair.

At the end of his YouTube video “Does Anyone Else Feel Like Everything Has Changed?” self-development influencer Stephen Antonioni makes a rather haunting observation: "In many ways, the world is a better place than it was yesterday, just judging by objective measures. But I can't help share the feeling that something is off and perhaps terribly so. And therefore, I have to ask the question: Does anyone else feel like everything has changed?"

The most popular comment on the video, which was liked over 28,000 times was written by a YouTuber named Tracy Smith. Even though, at 57, she’s a Gen Xer, her thoughts have resonated with thousands of Millenials.

“I am 57. Not only does it feel like ‘something wicked this way comes’ but there is also this feeling that the whole world is holding its breath. Almost as though we are all waiting for some catalyst or sign or event that puts an end to this feeling of being put on hold,” Smith wrote. “This vague, unexplained unease we feel. Something terrible lurking just out of our field of vision but we all feel it closing in. I cannot count the number of people who have told me they wish that whatever is going to happen would just get on with it. That this waiting for the thing in the darkness is unbearable.”

Keep ReadingShow less

Melissa Pateras explains how dry cleaning works.


Have you ever wondered what happens at the dry cleaners? Or are you like me, who just assumed the people at the dry cleaners were wizards and never questioned their magic? Turns out, dry cleaners aren't magic and there's actually a pretty interesting explanation of how they came to be and what they do.

Melissa Pateras is known on Tiktok for her laundry knowledge. Seriously, her ability to fold laundry is hypnotizing. This time, she created a video explaining what actually takes place at the dry cleaner and the internet is aghast.

Before Pateras explained what happens in the mysterious world behind the counter of a dry cleaner, she asked a few of her friends what they thought dry cleaning was. Their answers were...interesting to say the least.

One friend surmised, "You put it in a box, right...and then you let some wind, really fast wind, blow around on your clothes and it wipes off all the dirt." The friend, whose username is @unlearn16, continued with her working hypothesis, saying that the clothes are then blasted with infrared heat to sterilize the garments. While that is certainly an interesting theory, that's not what happens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Doberman's blissful reaction while getting pampered at bathtime goes viral

This "scary" dog's next-level beauty routine proves there's nothing scary about him at all.

Representative Image from Canva

May this adorable video show that Doberman's don't deserve their bad reputation.

Let’s face it, Hollywood has given Doberman’s a bad reputation. So often they are depicted as the canine henchman to the evil villain, that many people assume that’s their temperament in real life.

But the truth is: like just about every dog on the planet, Dobermans are sweet, loyal and affectionate canine companions. And, much like Pit Bulls, they are not nearly as inherently aggressive as pop culture makes them out to be—especially when properly trained.

I mean, just take a look at Atlas. This goodest of good bois recently went viral on TikTok while getting a nice, relaxing bathtime session. He proved that not only are Doberman’s capable of extreme levels of chill, they can have a deep felt appreciation for some good old fashioned pampering.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Gustavo Fring|Canva

Therapists explains being 'touched out' and gives tips to help

Just about every mother has experienced the feeling of being touched out. They may not know that's what it's called, or some may feel embarrassed to admit they're feeling that way due to fear of judgement. But when you think about it, being touched out, especially when you have younger kids seems inevitable.

The sense of your body not belonging to only you can start during pregnancy. Everything you do directly affects your developing fetus, and once the baby is born, it needs a lot of physical contact for proper brain, social, and emotional development. So babies are held a lot outside of feedings. Those babies turn into toddlers who then turn into early school agers, all of whom rely very heavily on co-regulation of their emotions and being physically near their parent to feel safe.

It's pretty much a constant state of being touched throughout much of the day. When psychologist, Dr. Raquel Martin reveals she too feels touched out in a video on Instagram, parents across the internet felt validated.

Keep ReadingShow less

No better time to grab a little shut eye.

For those in the military, sleep can mean the difference between life and death. But shut-eye can be very hard to come by, especially during active conflict.

According to Sharon Ackman, the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School developed a scientific method to help its pilots fall asleep. Through this technique, 96% of the pilots were able to fall asleep in two minutes or less.

Keep ReadingShow less