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This artist brilliantly tackles the concept of 'being offended' in a colorful comic.

Maybe we need a new word for 'offended.'

comic, art, offensive words
All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

Here’s a thought.

This article originally appeared on October 19, 2016


Self proclaimed feminist killjoy Rebecca Cohen is a cartoonist based in Berkeley, California.

Here’s what she has to say about her role as an artist taken from her Patreon page.


She says:

"In these trying times, the world needs a hero to resist the forces of tyranny.

That hero is definitely not me.


I just draw funny pictures and like to share my opinions. I'm Rebecca, also known as @gynostar."

Enjoy one of her comics below.

friends, discrimination, hurtful words

An all to common exchange.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

comics, jokes Rebecca Cohen

It’s only words.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

power of words, conversation, hostile environments

Simple jokes contain implicit ideas.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

equality, community, inclusive

Discussing the impact of words.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.



True

After over a thousand years of peaceful relations, European semi-superpowers Sweden and Switzerland may finally address a lingering issue between the two nations. But the problem isn’t either country’s fault. The point is that the rest of the world can’t tell them apart. They simply don’t know their kroppkakor (Swedish potato dumpling) from their birchermüesli (a Swiss breakfast dish).

This confusion on the European continent has played out in countless ways.

Swedish people who move to the United States often complain of being introduced as Swiss. The New York Stock Exchange has fallen victim to the confusion, and a French hockey team once greeted their Swiss opponents, SC Bern, by playing the Swedish National Anthem and raising the Swedish flag.

Skämtar du med mig? (“Are you kidding me?” in Swedish)

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Identity

75-year-old ‘hip-hop granny’ impresses and inspires with her dance moves

Ms. Stephanie didn’t even start formal dance lessons until she was almost 30.

Ms. Stephanie bringing it at her hip-hop class.

Stephanie Walsh isn't your average hip-hop dancer. At 75, "Ms. Stephanie" is still able to hold her own on the dance floor, popping and locking with people a third her age, and she loves it.

When you see her dance—and her enviable muscle tone—you might think she'd been a trained dancer all her life. But she actually didn't take any formal dance lessons until she was almost 30.

Walsh told Growing Bolder that she had wanted her daughter to dance when she was little, so she got her ballet lessons, which the daughter hated. Realizing that dancing was her dream and not her daughter's, Walsh took her kiddo out of ballet and started classes herself right away.

She had always loved to dance and developing her skills only led to more and more dancing.

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Never underestimate what a border collie can do.

Border collies may not officially have the title of the smartest dog breed, but no one can deny their intelligence. While some dogs are lovable oafs with seemingly few marble rolling around in their heads, border collies will amaze you with what they can do.

Recently, a video of a border collie creating its own ball fetching game by dropping a ball repeatedly at the top of the stairs and then running down to catch it at the bottom had people impressed. But another video of a border collie shows a whole other level of brain power—and jaw-dropping ability to dance.

That's right. Dance. With specific choreography and everything.

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@urbannic/TikTok

Trader Joe's customers love the stores iconic items and laid-back vibes.

Few grocery stores have achieved a full blown culture quite like the retail fan-favorite Trader Joe’s, where folks can always count on an adventure filled with cookie butter, cheap wine and conversations with an Hawaiin shirt-clad employee.

And while there are some perhaps obvious reasons behind TJ’s loyal following—the eclectic seasonal food items, the relaxing atmosphere—one woman is taking an in-depth look at some of the lesser known “psychological tricks” that keep shoppers coming back time and time again.

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Canva

We asked the Upworthy community if trick-or-treating should have an age limit

Should Halloween trick-or-treating have an age limit?

Some seem to think so, arguing that anyone past the age of thirteen has less sincere joy for the holiday, and merely uses trick-or-treating as a candy grabbing “scam”…thus potentially ruining the experience for the littles.

Certain cities have even implemented laws to enforce an age cut-off somewhere between 12-16-years-old, depending on the location. Punishment for breaking these rules vary, but in Chesapeake, Virginia it included up to six months of jail time up until 2019.

And yet, when we asked the Upworthy community this question, there was a very different answer.
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via Google

Bob Rohloff gives a haircut at his new barber shop.

The old saying goes, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life," and it’s true. When you love what you do, a job isn’t work at all. It can be as enjoyable as your favorite hobby while making money at the same time.

Loving what you do is also great for your health. Studies show that people who love their work live longer, and those who are constantly stressed at their jobs have a significantly higher risk of heart disease.

Bob Rohloff is a beautiful example of the benefits of having a job you love. At 91, he opened a new business, Bob’s Old Fashioned Barbershop, in Hortonville, Wisconsin.

Rohloff started cutting hair in 1948, and 60 years later, he retired with his wife, Marian, in Arizona, but it didn’t last long. After a few months, he “unretired” and went back to cutting hair. In 2010, the couple moved back to Wisconsin, and Rohloff cut hair at the Hortonville Family Barbershop.

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Pop Culture

Watch a musician turn a basic drinking straw into an incredible medieval-sounding flute

Peter Bastian combined his training in physics and the bassoon to make this simple yet impressive instrument.

The sound Peter Bastian can pull from a straw is amazing.

Humans have been making music since before recorded history. Phoenix, Arizona's Musical Instrument Museum has over 4,200 musical instruments from around the world on display, and it's fascinating to see all the creative ways people have figured out how to make music over millennia. From turtle shell drums to animal bladder-based wind instruments, the ingenuity humans display in the pursuit of melody, harmony and rhythm is remarkable. It seems we can make music out of almost anything.

Case in point: Danish composer Peter Bastian's plastic straw flute.

When you hear that someone made a flute out of a straw, you might think, "Yeah, I've done that, too." But you've likely never seen one like this. Bastian played it like a double reed instrument, and it's surprisingly enjoyable to hear the sound he could pull out of it.

In this video, Bastian displays several different sounds and styles, which range from oboe-like to medieval flute to bagpipes, so be sure to watch to the end to get the full range. Watch:

"Here is an extraordinary example of the quality of the musician being more vital than the quality of the instrument. Outstanding contrast in timbre!" wrote on commenter on YouTube.

"Not only is it a straw, it's absolutely beautifully played, almost an oboe from nothing! Wonderful, I love the sound and the music," wrote another.

"In 1995 I sat a few meters from him in an auditorium at my music conservatory, listening to him playing on a straw," shared another. "It's hard to understand how Bastian could fill up the entire hall with such incredible resonance. And at the same time making it so beautiful."

According to IMDB, Bastion, who died in 2017, spent nine years studying physics but found himself increasingly drawn to music. Both of his parent were opera singers, and while he played multiple instruments, he primarily played bassoon and clarinet. His book, "Ind I Musikken" ("Into the Music" in English) became a bestseller and he was known for his passionate lectures on music—as well as the folk tunes played on his straw flute.