When You Ban Women From Driving, They'll Not Only Defy You — But Record Songs Like This Too
In 2011 in Saudi Arabia, courageous women — supported by men and children — protested the ban on female drivers by getting behind the wheel and blaring out some bad-ass tunes. To celebrate and support the protest, Rotana Tarabzouni — a Saudi-raised, California-based singer — has recorded a song that I imagine would be one of those tunes they'd blare out of their cars when they protest. In a country where singing is restricted, this makes Rotana's protest song even more of a powerful statement for her sisters back at home.
To clarify: There's no formal law banning women from driving, but the nation refuses to grant licenses to women, and so they are essentially blocked from driving.
A woman named Jackie pulled a move straight out of a romantic comedy recently, and it has the internet rallying around her potential love interest. Jackie met a guy at a bar and liked him so much that she gave him her phone number. Well, 80% of her number, that is.
The world heard about it on January 17 when Twitter user Henpecked Hal and shared a picture of the napkin with her partial phone number written on it. "My 22-year-old cousin met his dream girl at a bar and it's going pretty well,” Hal wrote in the tweet.
“Call me! 512-3*1-2*04,” the message read, along with "I'm worth it." The 512 is an area code in Austin, Texas.
After congratulating his cousin on meeting his “dream girl,” he asked: "Did you get her number." The cousin replied, “most of it.” The Tweet also attached a photo of a list of phone numbers the cousin called to try and get in touch with the elusive Jackie.
\u201cMy 22 year old cousin met his dream girl at a bar and it's going pretty well\u201d
The tweet has gone insanely viral, racking up nearly 60,000 retweets, 85.6 million views and 776,000 likes.
The next day, Hal revealed that the woman reached out to him. In the screenshot of her message, she wrote: “Heeeyyy, so you likely won’t see this but I’m Jackie from the tweet!”
"Tell your cousin that next time I see him I'm going to...” she continued, but Hal blurred out the rest of the message to conceal her identity.
“I just talked to him! WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER????” Hal replied. “He said he’s halfway through the list, which means he’s actually like 10 per cent of the way through it.”
“He may not be as clever as he thinks,” Jackie responded, “give me HIS number, I’m taking over this operation.”
A lot of people in the comments said they thought Jackie was cold or arrogant for playing hard to get and making poor Hal’s cousin try 100 different numbers to find out which one was her. But Hal says that it’s all an extension of the conversation the two had at the bar.
"For the people saying she's arrogant, high maintenance or whatever: these kids talked for an hour about a shared interest in true crime, mysteries, etc,” Hal tweeted. “My cousin bragged that he always solves the case before the show ends (editor's note: not this time). I think she's awesome."
So, all Jackie did was give him another mystery to solve. If he’s such a great amateur detective then he should be able to reach her, right?
Some people in the comments have suggested that the story is fake. One person noted that the notebook page with the phone numbers on it had an indentation at the top which could be the “5” in Jackie’s phone number from the napkin. The implication is that Hal wrote on the napkin while it was on top of the notebook, leaving an indentation. But other people pointed out that the writing didn’t match.
“The programmers who sent scripts and code, the excel junkies who sent me docs to share with my cousin, y’all are wild,” Hal tweeted. “I couldn’t come close to getting back to everyone, but I appreciate it.”
Nearly 90 million people have followed the story of Hal’s cousin and Jackie. Let’s hope there’s a happy ending or at least they get to meet up and see each other again to talk about the mystery that brought them both together.
Students at Washington State University created a life-size Operation game.
Anyone who has ever played the game Operation likely feels a teensy bit of anxiety just thinking about it. The experience of painstakingly trying to extract the Charlie Horse with those tiny, wired tweezers with a steady hand, only to accidentally touch the metal side and get the lightning-like jolt of the buzzer is hard to shake. That's the stuff of core memories right there.
But what if you had a humongous game board the size of a real human, with life-size bones and organs to extract? What if instead of tweezers, you had large tongs as tools to perform your operation? What if instead of Pavlovian-style fail buzzers, the game produced a much less traumatic womp womp womp sound when you mess up?
Students took on the project after Pullman Regional Hospital’s Center for Learning and Innovation approached WSU engineering professor Roland Chen about the idea. Chen took the concept to his senior-level design class and they created an initial plan, which was then passed on to the engineering club.
WSU senior Joel Villanueva, who served as a team leader on the project, tells Upworthy that approximately 15 students were involved in the game's creation over the two years it took to complete it. The project was quite complex as it involved translating the computer-aided design to a real table, creating multiple prototypes, figuring out the right level of challenge and making sure it was safe for kids to use.
In terms of gameplay, Villanueva says it's very similar to the original board game, but obviously much larger and with a few key differences. "We have tongs that aren't connected to wires, which was a safety concern, so we found a way to increase that safety factor," he says. "And it also has sound. So when it's triggered, a red light is emitted and an error sound is also emitted."
The life-size version of Operation uses tongs instead of tweezers.
Villanueva says they didn't want the fail signal to be too alarming, which makes sense since the game was made for kids at the local science center. So instead of the buzzing of the original game, touching the sides of the organ or bone opening results in a sad trombone sound—womp womp womp wommmp.
The game is officially referred to as the Surgery Skill Lab and is now a part of the EveryBODY exhibit at the Palouse Discovery Science Center (PDSC) in Pullman, Washington. It's ultimately a learning tool, and Villanueva says they put the bones and organs in their appropriate locations in the body to help kids learn about human anatomy.
"We worked with the BMES [Biomedical Engineering Society] student section who created some fact sheets about the project," adds Villanueva. "For example, 'The heart pumps this much blood at a given time'—small fun facts like that."
The bones were 3D printed, then coated with silicone (so the tongs can grip them), and the soft organs were molded out of silicone using 3D-printed molds.
The game was unveiled at a Family Night event at the PDSC on January 19, so Villanueva and his team got to see how it was received.
"It was an eye-catcher," says Villanueva. "There were many kids playing with it and it seemed like they were having lots of fun with it."
Jess Jones, who is part of the education team at PDSC, tells Upworthy that there was also a real doctor at the exhibit during the opening to talk with kids about medicine. She says the game has been a hit with kids so far.
"They're loving it," she says. "The organs are 3D printed so they feel kind of realistic. The kids are loving the texture."
The life-size 3D-printed brain kids can remove in the Surgery Skill Lab.
The project is a win-win for both the university students and the local community. The students got to put their engineering skills into practice using various software and technologies and also gained valuable life skills such as time management, documentation, leadership and more. And the community gained a fun and educational exhibit both kids and nostalgic adults can enjoy.
Three cheers for innovation and collaboration that helps us all learn. (And good riddance, stress-inducing buzzer.)
Flight attendant sits on floor to comfort passenger
Not everyone enjoys flying. The level of non-enjoyment can range from mild discomfort to full blown Aerophobia, which is defined as an extreme fear of flying. While flying is the quickest way to get to far away destinations, for some people being that far off the ground is terrifying and they'd rather take their chances on the ground.
A passenger flying from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina to JFK International Airport in New York confronted that fear while flying with Delta. The woman, who is currently still unidentified expressed that she was nervous to fly according to Molly Simonson Lee, a passenger seated behind the woman who witnessed the encounter. Tight spaces don't make for much privacy, but in this case, the world is better for knowing this took place.
According to Lee, who posted about the exchange on Facebook, the Delta flight attendant, Floyd Dean-Shannon, took his time to give the nervous traveler his undivided attention. Lee told Upworthy the unidentified passenger, "was very nervous and even before the plane took off, she was visibly shaken by each sound."
Approximately 25 million people in the United States have Aerophobia according to the Clevland Clinic and most of them probably wish Dean-Shannon was on their flights. "He took notice and began explaining what each [sound] was, with the warmest, calmest tone," Lee said. That wasn't even the most amazingly sweet part of the story.
While the explanation of noises helped, Lee said about halfway through the flight the passenger was fighting back tears, which prompted Dean-Shannon to sit on the floor and hold the frightened passenger's hand. He comforted her for the rest of the flight while sitting on the floor. "His tone was so kind and soothing," according to Lee.
Dean-Shannon's kindness didn't stop there. Lee explained, "the woman next to me was celebrating a birthday and he sang to her and made her a 'cake' with all of the goodies he could round up."
I'm not sure what Delta pays him but he needs a raise immediately and it seems the people of the interwebs agree.
Commenter, Miranda Anderson, tagged Delta Airlines and wrote, "I hope you see this! These are the types of people that deserve raises and make your company worth flying with. This is what pits [sic] you above the others so show these employees this is what you want and what you need."
"I love this. This is what society is lacking. Empathy and kindness towards people in time[s] of need" wrote Diane Lawrence.
While Mary Beth Acker Ford, said, "I was on a flight with him today. He exudes joy and is intentional about making a connection with each person!"
This level of engagement with passengers is not a common experience but clearly people are happy to see this type of connection between humans. Flying anywhere can be stressful for any amount of reasons. From leaving the house late and having to participate in an involuntary 5k to catch your flight, to making your way through the devil's backyard, also known as Atlanta International Airport...just for them to change your gate 10 minutes before boarding.
So having a flight attendant like Dean-Shannon is just the breath of fresh air people need. "The way he's looking at her...letting her know she's safe!!! This is just one of the many reasons I will always fly Delta Air Lines," Liz Martin wrote in the comments.
"It was obvious he is just a good, kind soul who shares that generously with everyone he encounters. Such kindness is rare and a true gift when encountered," Lee remarked. That level of kindness is rare indeed and we sure are happy someone thought to capture it.
Alabama farmer paid strangers' pharmacy bills in secret
There are still good people in the world, and a farmer in Alabama left a legacy of kindness in his small town. Hody Childress lived in Geraldine, Alabama, which is about 40 miles outside of Huntsville and for the last 10 years of his life he made anonymous donations to the local pharmacy. No, the pharmacy isn't a charity, so donations aren't something they're accustomed to receiving.
But Childress was on a mission to help his struggling townspeople with access to medications that may be essential. Pharmacies likely run into many people during the week or month that can't afford the pricey cost of some of their prescriptions. I've personally seen pharmacists look up prices from other pharmacies to find the cheapest cost for the customer, or use a GoodRx card to help offset the cost.
Medications aren't only designed to make you feel better, some are there to keep you alive. But if the price tag is $600 and you're on a fixed income of $1,000 a month, survival becomes infinitely more difficult. Childress didn't want anyone in that position if he could help it, though he himself was on a fixed income.
A decade ago Childress walked into his local pharmacy, Geraldine Drugs and spoke to the owner, Brooke Walker to find out if anyone in town had difficulty paying for their pharmacy bills. When Walker confirmed that it was a regular problem, Childress handed her a hundred dollar bill and told her to use it for those that couldn't afford their medicine.
Walker told Good Morning America, "he handed me a bill and it was folded up. I couldn't see what it was. He said, 'the next time that happens I want you to use this to help them out and I want it to be anonymous. I don't want to know who you use it for and I don't want them to know my name. I just want you to tell them it was a blessing from God.'"
In fact, Childress was so serious about keeping it a secret that he didn't even tell his own children until shortly before he died earlier this year, and they weren't at all surprised.
“He told me he’d been carrying a $100 bill to the pharmacist in Geraldine on the first of each month, and he didn’t want to know who she’d helped with it — he just wanted to bless people with it,” Tania Nix, Childress's daughter revealed to The Washington Post. Nix told the news outlet that it was simply who her father was, saying, “He didn’t spend a lot of money in life, but he always gave what he could.”
Childress was an Air Force veteran and eventually retired from Lockheed Martin in Huntsville but always found joy in farming. “Every time he went to the post office, he’d take the postmaster an apple, or some sweet potatoes, squash or okra he’d grown on his farm,” Nix told The Washington Post.
Kindness isn't an act done in front of a crowd. It's the small things that add up to big things and the things you do when no one is watching. Childress was a kind man and through his monthly donation, thousands of dollars went to helping his neighbors.
Reaction of these twins when one gets into Harvard is wholesome
You know how you are scrolling through your favorite social media app and you come across a video that just makes you do that big cheesy grin at your phone? Come on, you know that dorky grin I'm talking about. The one that makes your cheeks hurt and eyes swell up for a bit before you realize you're pushing your cart through the grocery store and people are looking at you weird. Yeah, that one - this video will do that to you.
You've been warned so you can't say you were unaware of the delight it would bring. Two teens, Matthew and Magdalena Myslenski, who just happen to be twins were doing the stressful ritual of opening up "the mail" to see if Matthew got accepted into his dream school. The mail is in quotes because teens don't receive paper acceptance letters anymore, they receive emails. Bonus points for no paper cuts.
Matthew applied to Harvard, his top choice and you could practically see the two holding their breath while he worked to click the button. Getting accepted into the ivy league school is something the teen has been working on since elementary school and is currently the top 10 of his class according to NBC Connecticut.
The teen's twin sister has already been admitted into Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, so all eyes were on Matthew. Since Matthew has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement, balance and posture, getting prepared to apply to a big name school like Harvard took work. "Not only did I have to challenge myself academically, I had to physically work to get to a point that I can do what I want to do," Matthew told NBC Connecticut.
Magdalena is also proud of her brother's hard work, she told NBC, "I get so excited every time I get to talk about it because obviously Matthew worked so hard for this." The moment is so dang wholesome that you can't help be be excited for him. If you're ready to smile like a jack-o-lantern lit up for Halloween, watch the video below.
Teachers earn their own A's through this act of encouragement.
This article originally appeared on 10.06.16
Thinking back, I'm sure we can all recall having a tough day at school.
Maybe you got a bad grade on a test or weren't picked for a team you desperately wanted to be on. Or maybe there was a day (or days) where you just didn't feel like your presence at school mattered.
While you may no longer be in school, feeling unimportant can absolutely trickle back from time to time. I happened to be experiencing some of those feelings myself when I stumbled upon an amazing video by Jamie McSparin, a teacher at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri.
McSparin recognized the students at her school go through tough times on occasion, and she wanted to do something to show them how important they are to their teachers.
So she gathered several other teachers at Oak Park together and asked them to pick one student and share why that student inspires them to come to work every day. On camera.
The teachers were a little apprehensive about doing it at first, but that was before they got these incredible reactions:
A bright smile cultivated through a teacher's motivation.
McSparin asked each teacher to record the experience. In order to catch the students off guard, the teachers looked up their schedules and momentarily pulled each student out of class.
"EVERY student we pulled from class thought they were in trouble," wrote McSparin in an email. Of course that's the natural reaction when a teacher takes you out of class, but once they realized what was going on, they were overcome with gratitude.
And the teachers didn't just choose overachievers. The students picked fell on a wide academic spectrum to show their abilities don't dictate their significance.
The initial goal of the "Oak Park Positivity Project" was to remind the teachers how much of an impact they have on their students, but it's obviously worked to bolster students' confidence as well.
It's not rocket science that encouraging the future has value.
Since the video launched, McSparin has received inspiring messages from educators across the country who are eager to bring the project into their schools.
And McSparin plans to keep the positivity going all year long. "Several students have approached me about things THEY want to do to keep it going," she said.
Everyone can have a tough day now and again, but movements like this prove there's always someone in your corner to gladly remind you how much you matter.
