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Why Sweden's Top Students Know Less About The World Than Chimpanzees
Big TED talk, great statistics, brilliant presenter ... it's like the nerd Super Bowl!
07.04.12
Sponsored
ACUVUE launches a new campaign to inspire Gen Z to put down their phones and follow their vision
What will you create on your social media break? Share it at #MyVisionMySight.
05.04.23
True
If you’ve always lived in a world with social media, it can be tough to truly understand how it affects your life. One of the best ways to grasp its impact is to take a break to see what life is like without being tethered to your phone and distracted by a constant stream of notifications.
Knowing when to disconnect is becoming increasingly important as younger people are becoming aware of the adverse effects screen time can have on their eyes. According to Eyesafe Nielsen, adults are now spending 13-plus hours a day on their digital devices, a 35% increase from 2019.1. Many of us now spend more time staring at screens on a given day than we do sleeping which can impact our eye health.
Normally, you blink around 15 times per minute, however, focusing your eyes on computer screens or other digital displays have been shown to reduce your blink rate by up to 60%.2 Reduced blinking can destabilize your eyes’ tear film, causing dry, tired eyes and blurred vision.3
ACUVUEhas been encouraging people to take time off social media and use their newfound time to see their vision, whether that's becoming a makeup influencer, focusing on athletics or embracing their unique talents.
Upworthy caught up with influencer, YouTube star and contact lens wearer Amber Alexander to talk about how she balances her social media use. Recently, she took a social media break while visiting her sister.
“I was able to slow down time and take in each moment,” she told Upworthy. “Being on social media 24/7 always puts me in a very overwhelmed and anxious state of mind, so it was so refreshing to put my phone down and see life from a clearer perspective. Every moment felt more meaningful.”
“As soon as I put my phone away, I was able to really connect with my family and cherish our time together. I saw how my peace of mind improved when I took a break from social media,” she continued.
Alexander understands how social media can have a huge effect on her self-esteem and productivity.
“Scrolling through social media often leads people to compare their own lives, achievements, and physical appearance to people they see online,” she told Upworthy. “It is unrealistic and discouraging to see so many attractive, successful people online 24/7. Also, being on social media takes up so much time from our day that could be used socializing with real people, going outside, and working towards meaningful goals.”
ACUVUE is challenging young people to take social media breaks to pursue their purposes, visions, missions, and dreams through its Where Vision Meets Sight campaign. But the campaign from ACUVUE is about a lot more than just personal development. They’d like you to inspire others by sharing what you’ve done during your social media break by using #MyVisionMySight.
Get inspired and learn more on ACUVUE’s Where Vision Meets Sight page.
1COVID-19: Screen Time spikes to over 13 hours per day according to Eyesafe Nielsen estimates, published 3/28/20, https://eyesafe.com/covid-19-screen-time-spike-to-....
2Tsubota K, Nakamori K. Dry eyes and video display terminals. N Engl J Med. 1993;328(8):584. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199302253280817.
3Patel S, Henderson R, Bradley L, et al. Effect of visual display unit use on blink rate and tear stability. Optom Vis Sci 1991;68(11):888-892. doi: 10.1097/00006324-199111000-00010.
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Health
Doctor explains how to do a simple physical test that can predict your longevity
People who fail are more likely to die in six years.
05.23.23
via Pexels
A woman sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat
Everyone wants to know how long they will live and there are many indicators that can show whether someone is thriving or on the decline. But people have yet to develop a magic formula to determine exactly how long someone should expect to live.
However, a doctor recently featured on the "Today" show says a straightforward test can reveal the likelihood that someone aged 51 to 80 will die in the near future.
NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar was on the "Today" show on March 8 and demonstrated how to perform the simple “sit to stand test” (aka sit-rising test or SRT) that can help determine the longevity of someone between 51 to 80.
The test is pretty simple. Go from standing to sitting cross-legged, and then go back to standing without using any parts of your body besides your legs and core to help you get up and down. The test measures multiple longevity factors, including heart health, balance, agility, core and leg strength and flexibility.
You begin the test with a score of 10 and subtract points on your way up and down for doing the following:
Hand used for support: -1 point
Knee used for support: -1 point
Forearm used for support: -1 point
One hand on knee or thigh: -1 point
Side of leg used for support: -1 point
A 2012 study published by the European Society of Cardiology found a correlation between the SRT score and how long people live. The study was conducted on 2002 people, 68% of whom were men, who performed the SRT test and were followed by researchers in the coming years. The study found that “Musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of mortality in 51–80-year-old subjects.”
Those who scored in the lowest range, 0 to 3, had up to a 6 times greater chance of dying than those in the highest scores (8 to 10). About 40% of those in the 0 to 3 range died within 11 years of the study.
Azar distilled the study on "Today," saying: "The study found that the lower the score, you were seven times more likely to die in the next six years.”
"Eight points or higher is what you want," Azar said. "As we get older, we spend time talking cardiovascular health and aerobic fitness, but balance, flexibility and agility are also really important," she stressed.
One should note that the people who scored lowest on the test were the oldest, giving them an elevated risk of death.
Dr. Greg Hartley, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist and associate professor at the University of Miami, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that we should take the study with a grain of salt. “Frailty, strength, muscle mass, physical performance—those things are all correlated to mortality, but I would caution everybody that correlation doesn’t mean causation,” he said.
And of course, the test doesn't take into account injuries or disabilities that may make doing the test impossible. But one of the study's authors says that the study is a call to take our mobility seriously.
“The more active we are the better we can accommodate stressors, the more likely we are to handle something bad that happens down the road,” Dr. Claudio Gil Araujo, told USA Today.
This article originally appeared on 3.10.23
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Pop Culture
Man's 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' lifeline call to dad is still thrilling 24 years later
This might be the greatest game show moment ever.
05.24.23
@Steve_Perrault/Twitter
Some moments never get old.
On November 19, 1999, a man named John Carpenter made game show history and quite possibly gave us all the greatest game show moment of all time.
Carpenter was a contestant on the very first season of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” shot in America. Hosted by the late Regis Philbin, the quiz show featured three "lifeline" options to help them with difficult questions, the most popular being able to “Phone-a-Friend.”
Carpenter had impressively not used a single lifeline for any of his questions. That is, until question 15. The million-dollar question, to be exact.
Philbin asked which U.S. President had appeared on the TV series "Laugh-In." The four options were Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.
That’s when Carpenter chose to call his father.
As soon as his dad answered the phone, Carpenter, all smiles, said:
“I don’t really need your help. I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna win the million dollars."
Cue uproarious audience applause and laughter.
Watch:
RIP to Regis Philbin. One of the best TV hosts ever. This is my favorite moment in game show history pic.twitter.com/9WA1OyejVh
— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) July 25, 2020
Looking back, you can see the exact moment Carpenter realizes he’s won the whole damn thing—and it’s before the answers were even shown. He would go on to (correctly) choose Nixon, becoming the first ever top-prize winner in the entire “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” franchise worldwide.
And even now, a little over two decades later, it’s still such a boss move. Game shows might not have the same widespread appeal that they once did, but it's iconic moments like Carpenter’s phone call that still make them so fun to watch today.
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Joy
18-year-old took her college savings and bought the restaurant where she was a dishwasher
Samantha Frye, the newest owner of Rosalie's restaurant, is proving there's more than one way to invest in your future.
05.22.23
Canva
There are many way to invest in your future
Eighteen year old Samantha Frye has traded college life for entrepreneurship, and she has no regrets.
Frye began working at Rosalie's Restaurant in Strasburg, Ohio at 16 as a dishwasher, working up the ranks as a kitchen prep, server, then line cook. All while working a second job, sometimes third job.
After graduating high school, Frye started college at Ohio State with plans of studying business or environmental engineering. But when she came back to work a shift at Rosalie’s for winter break, an opportunity arose—the owners had planned to sell the restaurant."I was thinking that maybe [buying] was something I wanted to do," she told News 5 Cleveland. "I had savings because I was saving for college, so I had quite a bit of money saved away. And I was like, I could possibly do this."
Frye acted on that gut feeling, and used her college funds to buy Rosalie’s. Now she spends every day at her new business, either in the kitchen, on the floor or in the office meeting with sales reps.
This Ohio diner is under new ownership: an 18-year-old who started out as a dishwasher and is carrying on a legacy of the past. https://t.co/7VShD0O6n0
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 13, 2023
Though Fyre's mother, Brandi Beitzel, confessed to USA Today that she wasn’t initially “on board” with her daughter abandoning college plans, over time she became very “proud” of her for forging her own path, and applauded her “drive and ambition.”
That sentiment is echoed both by Rosalie’s regulars and staff, who are amazing at the young woman’s drive and confidence.
“I just really think she's a great example of a young lady that is following her dreams and doing what she loves,” said Leanna Gardner, an employee.
It’s no secret that there are significantly less students attending college—down by about a million since the start of the pandemic. And while there are no doubt potential long term collective consequences to that, with exorbitantly high student loan rates, it’s easy to see why young adults would avoid massive debt for careers that don’t require a college degree.
Luckily, there are more efforts to make college an affordable option being made nationwide, like offering a free two years worth of college to graduating students.
And as Frye is proving by example—not going to college is certainly not a death sentence for one’s future. There are many ways to plant seeds for success. Honestly, college or no college, no matter which path is taken, there will likely be more uncertainty than there are guarantees. Perhaps the best bet then is trust those pings of intuition.
"You don't need college to make a decent living, and I think that's what a lot of people think nowadays," Frye attests. "Follow your instinct, honestly. If it feels right, just do it."
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Joy
13-year-old uses a slingshot to rescue his little sister from being abducted
He had two projectiles and both hit the suspect, forcing him to drop the little girl.
05.24.23
Owen Burns, 13, rescued his sister from a would-be abductor using a slingshot.
A parent never wants to imagine what would happen if their child were confronted with someone meaning them harm. We do everything in our power to mitigate the risks of things like that happening, but scary situations still occur that can leave a family irreparably broken.
A Michigan family had an extremely close call when their 8-year-old daughter was nearly abducted while playing in their backyard. The little girl was outside picking mushrooms when a 17-year-old boy picked her up with his hand over her mouth. Owen Burns, 13, was inside playing video games when he heard his sister scream. A lot of kids in his situation may not have known what to do, but Owen quickly jumped into action.
The teen saw what was happening out the window and picked up his slingshot and a marble before taking aim at the boy who had his sister.
Amazingly, Owen was able to strike the boy in the head with a marble on his first try. This prompted the would-be abductor to release the girl, who was then able to run away while her brother reloaded his slingshot with a rock, hitting the older teen in the midsection this time. What's most shocking of all is Owen hasn't had any practice with aiming his slingshot, yet both of the projectiles he used hit the suspect.
"I kinda thought he was lying, but when the police finally confirmed it and said that he did hit him twice and he did make both shots, I was quite impressed," his mother, Margaret Burns told NBC News.
Watch the entire interview below to hear Owen's advice to parents:
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Joy
Couple's Disney World proposal ends with a cute surprise twist that had them cracking up
The boyfriend’s laugh is incredible.
05.23.23
Mac proposes to their boyfriend Alex at Disney World in Florida.
There’s something undeniably romantic about proposing to someone at Disney World. The park is filled with wonder and built on the belief that big dreams can come true. That’s probably why after three and a half years of dating, Mac, 31, and their then-boyfriend, Alex, 29, got the same idea when they took a recent trip to the Magic Kingdom.
The couple arrived at the park in the morning and met with Mac's aunt and cousin. Mac’s real reason for inviting them on the trip was to film their surprise proposal. However, Mac didn’t know Alex had already told them he planned to propose during the fireworks show that night.
This put Mac’s cousin and aunt in a funny place because they had to hide two secrets.
In the viral video seen over 13 million times on TikTok, Alex and Mac appear to be posing for a photo in front of Cinderella Castle when Mac gets down on one knee to propose. This sets Alex into a fit of laughter, and he gets down on one knee and pulls out a ring to propose as well.
@herecomemac what can i say? we share one brain cell 😂 now we share more! (and have a partner reveal! he's a fairly private person, which is why he hasn't popped up in my tiktoks yet. I can no longer call him my boyfriend 🥰) huge shoutout to @Generic Millennial NPC and @littlestinkah for filming ❤️ #justengaged #proposal #proposalvideo #waltdisneyworld #magickingdompark
"What can I say? We share one brain cell, now we share more," Mac chuckled in the caption of the viral clip. "And have a partner reveal! I can no longer call him my boyfriend. Hit me with that Uno Reverse card."
The couple received over 20,000 comments on the video. Most of them were people wishing them well on a new life together.
“They are truly meant for each other,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Tell us you’re soulmates, without telling us you’re soulmates.”
“So adorable. They were both on exactly the same page,” shared a third.
“You get a ring, you get a ring, we all get a ring. Congrats,” another wrote.
How often do you see both parties in a proposal get down on one knee? The good news is that they both said yes.
“Both of us said yes,” Mac said in a follow-up TikTok. “Our rings match, mine is white gold, and then his is sterling silver."
@herecomemac update to the proposal video! also, Alex is 5'8", so not too much of a short king, I'm just 6'2" 😂😂😂 this was just off the cuff while we're sitting for a snack and overwhelmed by all the love 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Mac thinks it would have been funny if Alex jokingly said no before pulling out his ring.
“Yes, it would have been the funniest thing on Earth if that laughter was like a 'No, no of course not,' and then he pulled out the ring. But no, he had planned to do it at the fireworks that night. So, just funny happenstance,” Mac said in a video.
However, the couple never made it to the fireworks show that night because Alex was too tired. But the next day they continued their vacation with a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Mac later revealed that the two had met while working at a job they no longer have in December of 2019 and began dating a month after meeting. Currently, they live in Central Florida about two hours from Disney World. The couple plans to get married in October 2024 with a Halloween-themed “spooky” wedding.
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Community
Retiring choir teacher invites all of his past students for one last glorious song
These people stopped what they were doing to send their high school teacher off with a beautiful sound.
05.23.23
Retiring choir teacher invites 30 years of past students to sing
Teachers make a lasting impression on their students and that seems to be amplified when you have the same teacher for multiple years. Students that take certain classes like band and choir have more time to spend getting to know their teachers through long rehearsals, competitions and ceremonies. You build a bond with the teachers and classmates which makes goodbyes at graduation hard.
When a teacher retires, there's no coming back to visit your old teacher because you were in town and eventually you just settle for carrying them in your heart. But what happens when they call you back for one last song? You show up. Jim Stanley was retiring after teaching choir for 30 years, and instead of a typical retirement party, he decided to invite all of the alumni from the past three decades to sing one last song together.
Stanley knew his crew because they had one rehearsal together before they were due to perform with him directing the group. This mash-up of old and new alumni sound as if they've always sung together under his directorship.
@watchmaggiepaint Thank you, Mr. Stanley. When Mr. Stanley retired, he sent out an invite to all his old students, inviting us to come sing and be directed by him for one last day. I blocked it in my calendar and didn't work a wedding, specifically so I could go to my small home town and sing for one last time with all the people I grew up knowing. It was so emotional. So many memories flooded back, we had the strongest choral program of a town our size, all because of Stanley. Many of us became artists and mysicians professionally. Reuniting and seeing the life path of each former student was wild. SHOUTOUT to Lisa for the solo, she is amazing. #mrhollandsopus #choralmusic #teacher #inspiring
Maggie Smith Kühn uploaded the video of the rehearsal on TikTok where it racked up over 2.2 million views.
"When Mr. Stanley retired, he sent out an invite to all his old students, inviting us to come sing and be directed by him for one last day," Kühn wrote in the caption. "It was so emotional. So many memories flooded back, we had the strongest choral program of a town our size, all because of Stanley. Many of us became artists and musicians professionally. Reuniting and seeing the life path of each former student was wild."
The camaraderie and emotions that must've flowed during that rehearsal and subsequent performance had to be immense. There are few things that can top the feeling of perfecting a difficult piece of music when you're a musician. While the night was about Mr. Stanley, everyone involved will likely remember this for the rest of their lives.
Watch the final performance below, the soloist is Lisa Lowe Douglas and she clearly has maintained her vocal abilities. What a beautiful moment to share.
@watchmaggiepaint Replying to @CoffeyKaffeine Here it is! Lisa Lowe Douglas performing "City Called Heaven" directed by Jim Stanley. #choralmusic #mrhollandsopus #inspiring #lisalowedouglas
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