In an about-face, a new study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine says that kids exposed to peanuts as babies are significantly less likely to develop a peanut allergy when they're older. The results are apparently so compelling, the study recommends an immediate change to infant feeding guidelines.
There are people who love to knit and crochet, but produce more sweaters, blankets, caps, and mittens than their friends and families can use. Yarn crafters are a generous group: in 2000, images of penguins wearing sweaters to help them recover from an oil spill prompted knitters all over the world to donate handmade penguin sweaters to the Penguin Foundation. They received many times more sweaters than they wanted, and most of the tiny sweaters were sold to raise funds.
There are other folks who could benefit from some lovingly-crafted woolens for one reason or another. Organizations have arisen to connect generous and productive crafters with those who could really use their output. Maybe you would like to knit for one of them.
Photograph by NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.
Afghans for Afghans is a volunteer project that connects yarn crafters with the people of Afghanistan. Volunteers do make the blankets we call afghans, but also wool sweaters, socks, hats, baby clothes, and other items. The 2014 campaign ended in September, and all inventory was shipped for winter. The 2015 campaign will begin soon. Crafters who want to stay updated can follow a community blog for those who participate.
Binky Patrol is an organization that provides donated handmade security blankets to children in need. These include kids battling HIV, drug abuse, child abuse, or chronic and terminal illnesses. Volunteers can make blankets in a variety of ways: knitting, crocheting, quilting, or just sewing up a nice piece of fleece fabric. “Binkys” range from two feet square for preemies up to twin bed size, and all sizes in between. Learn more about volunteering and making blankets in this video by founder Susan Finch.
Christine M. Fabiani learned to make crocheted caps, and made them for her sons. A friend remarked how she would have loved to have one when she underwent chemotherapy and lost her hair. Chemo patients are often cold in clinics and hospitals, and wigs aren’t comfortable all the time. Fabiani responded by founding Knots of Love to provide cancer patients with handmade caps. Volunteers make knitted or crocheted caps that are sent to treatment centers all over. Tens of thousands of caps have been distributed since 2007. Instructions for donating caps are here.
A San Rafael, California, wildlife rehabilitation center noticed that baby birds were sometimes bruised and injured in the makeshift bowls they were using for nests. WildCare sent out a call for a softer alternative, and the yarncraft community responded by knitting soft and cozy nests for orphaned baby birds to snuggle. The response was so enthusiastic that WildCare shared the nests with other bird shelters. Now organized by WildCare, the Baby Bird Nest Craft-along has received over 3500 knitted and crocheted nests from volunteers from all over. The new campaign for 2015 is expected to get underway in April. If you want to participate, you can register for email updates. See pictures and video from the campaign here.
Photograph from Knitted Knockers at Facebook.
Knitted Knockers is an non-profit that provides handmade prosthetic breasts to mastectomy patients. They organize knitters to make knitted cotton breasts that are lightweight, comfortable, and most importantly, free to those who need them. Since 2010, they have received and distributed over 5,000 knitted breasts.
Photograph by Flickr use Holly Pierce.
The Mother Bear Project sends knitted teddy bears to children dealing with HIV in emerging nations. They’ve already distributed over 100,000 bears to children in 26 different countries. They welcome all knitters to make bears using the same pattern. The organization adds a red heart and a tag with the knitter's name before distributing the bears.
Photograph from Leggings for Life at Facebook.
Injured and disabled animals come in all sizes, shapes, and species, and some of them need custom-made clothing and cushions for their special needs. For example, the cat pictured here, named Willow, gets around by dragging her deformed back legs. A set of custom-knitted leggings helps her slide along easier with less skin irritation. Her leggings were made by a volunteer with Leggings for Life. The organization takes requests from veterinarians and pet owners, and matches them up with volunteer yarn crafters who may live near them. This creates an ongoing partnership, since each pet has different dimensions and the leggings will wear out and need to be replaced.
Even if you’re not a crafter, you can help any of these organizations with a monetary contribution. Some are also seeking donations of supplies or corporate sponsorship.
A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day.
One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.
As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, 'You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what Martha?'
'What dear?' she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.
'I'm beginning to think you're bad luck.'
When you tell someone you're making your own yogurt from scratch, they sometimes look at you like you're a bit crazy. Then when you say you're using coconut milk instead of regular milk, they might dismiss the idea altogether.
But if you're vegan or lactose intolerant, knowing how to make your own coconut yogurt can be incredibly useful! Maybe you're longing for a tangy, creamy companion for your granola, or a way to reap the benefits of probiotics without dairy, or you just love coconut milk! Whatever you're looking for, here is a breakfast plan for making your own coconut yogurt and using it all week long.
The ASL sign for "duck face."
Languages are never fixed, but constantly changing and adapting as new words enter into common use and the new meanings attached to old words. Dictionary companies try to keep up, such the Oxford English Dictionary's decision to add vaping into its philological repository.
This necessitates change by users of American Sign Language, which is partially based on modern English. Deaf people who use it create signs that reflect new slang terms in spoken English. Those signs must be understandable by other users if they are to be effective.
How does it work? Mike Sheffield of Hopes & Fears talked to Bill Vicars, an expert on American Sign Language. Vicars described the process in which he learns how slang terms are expressed in ASL:
As I go about the process of deciding which signs to include in my dictionary and lessons, I have found that a multi-step approach to verification is the Most Unexceptional way to go. First, I do a ‘literature review.’ I compare numerous respected sign language dictionaries and textbooks to see how the sign is demonstrated in those dictionaries. Occasionally, the dictionaries conflict with each other but eventually a dominant sign tends to emerge. After doing a thorough review of the literature it is time to interview a cross section of Deaf adults who have extensive experience signing… I make it a goal to ask a minimum of ten advanced Deaf signers how ‘they’ do it. The next stage of investigating a sign is to consider how the sign is done in other locations and decide which version is more widely used… The last stage is to post the sign online to my website where it is exposed to the scrutiny of thousands of individuals - many of whom then email me and tell me their version is better.
Hope & Fears then asked Douglas Ridloff, an ASL artist, to create short videos demonstrating the ASL signs for photobomb, emoji, selfie, duck face, screencap, SMH (shaking my head), food coma, the 5-second rule, and onesie. You can view them all here.
-via Laughing Squid
There’s been quite a debate among Tumblr users about the colors of this dress. The picture was posted by Swiked, and then passed around, igniting arguments wherever it showed up. I looked at it and said, “That’s white with gold lace.” Then I read three posts at Buzzfeed about the controversy surrounding the colors, with plenty of pictures of the dress with various color corrections and even a catalog entry, and they determined that the dress is actually blue with black lace.
But what really floored me was when I returned to the original picture and saw it as blue and black! I could not make myself see white and gold again at that point. THEN I went somewhere else for about twenty minutes and returned to the original picture. It appeared white and gold again- for a minute or two, then it turned blue and black again. Now, my eyesight isn’t the greatest, but this is one weird phenomena.
Update: There's a discussion of some of the factors going into this photo here.
POLL: What colors do you see in the dress?
If your winter weather self is still hooked on Swiss Miss hot chocolate—you know, the tear-apart packs of powder that come with freeze-dried mini marshmallows—then it's time to make an upgrade to sipping chocolate. Make your own from-scratch drinking chocolate thanks to this brainless, simple formula.
Sign language can be complex to learn because movements are difficult to convey without watching someone do them. This video dictionary helps you learn new words in sign language with actual humans demonstrating the movements.
Thousands of people each year vacation in Hawaii, the Bahamas, Tahiti, or a billion other tropical paradises, and YOU are telling ME that we’re supposed to believe castaways want to LEAVE their islands?
Bull-and-SHIT to that, my friend.
I sat through all grueling fifteen seasons of Lost, and at least ten of those seasons were about getting back onto that island. Or, hey, Gilligan’s island? I didn’t see a single episode of that where they *actually* tried to leave. We want to be locked on that island.
It’s the human death wish, baby. We don’t want to “die,” but we want to die to all the responsibilities and burdens we are born into. It’s a fallacy that human progress is a good thing; living for the future is a perpetual lie. True paradise is being completely ok with where you’re at.
T
(We are catering a Christmas party for a client and his seventy employees. The party includes an open bar and dinner. There are four servers, and two bartenders. I am a bartender. After five hours of making non-stop bar drinks, and receiving non-stop compliments on our drinks, last call arrives, and this conversation happens.)
Client: “I need to go ahead and sign the check. Can you print me one ticket for everything?”
Me: “Yes, sir. Here you are.” *hands over one complete invoice*
Client: “I needed this separate.”
Me: “Oh, yes, sir. I’m sorry. Here.” *separates food and drink tickets and hands them over*
Client: “No, this isn’t right. I need a complete ticket.”
Me: “I don’t understand. You want the tickets together?”
Client: “No! Where the h*** is [Server not working that night]? She knows how I want things done! I REQUESTED HER AND SHE ISN’T HERE TONIGHT!”
Me: “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know why she’s not working. Now, about the ticket…”
Client: “NO! I REQUESTED HER. She’s my friend; she knows how I want things done on the invoice. I won’t come back next year for my Christmas party if you won’t do what I want.”
Me: “If you could explain to me, I can help you.”
Client: “Never mind, I’ll just sign this ticket. Did you autograt this?”
Me: “Yes, sir, 15%.”
Client: “And you’re sharing that with everyone working tonight? ”
Me: “Yes, sir. Between six people.”
Client: “Well, then, that’s more than enough for you.” *signs, leaves no extra tip, and stomps out*
(He baffled the entire crew, since he spent five hours giving us nothing but compliments on our service, and never once mentioned the other server’s absence. I can only guess that when he saw the large bill, he made up a reason to be angry so he wouldn’t have to tip any extra for the incredible service we provided. Splitting the 15% between the servers, we barely made minimum wage.)
"Lexiphile" is a word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "to write with a broken pencil is pointless." A competition to see who can come up with the best lexiphiles is held every year. This year's winning submission is posted at the very end.
... When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
... A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
... When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
... The batteries were given out free of charge.
... A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
... A will is a dead giveaway.
... With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
... A boiled egg is hard to beat.
... When you've seen one shopping Center you've seen a mall.
... Police were called to a day care Center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
... Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.
... A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
... When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
... The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.
... He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
... When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye.
... Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.
And the cream of the crop:
... Those who get too big for their pants will be exposed in the end.
The short answer? Yes, total sleep deprivation can almost certainly kill you. What's less clear is how it does it.
Two simple foods that pair perfectly together are grapefruit and avocado. Avocado loves the bright splash of acidic citrus, and grapefruit loves the warm richness of avocado. Sprinkle everything with a citrusy vinaigrette and you have a salad that is delicious as it is pretty!
Continue reading "Grapefruit Avocado Salad" »
Every February kids look forward to sharing a bit of their individual personalities with their classmates in the form of a Valentine's Day card, which they usually have to give to every kid in their class. This causes most parents to go looking for Valentines that are easy to put together and cheap, resulting in a totally throwaway experience.
Kids and parents who are bored of the same old store bought Valentines are now seeking alternatives, something new and truly unique to spice up that classroom share and wow their peers.
Well, if you're looking to share some Valentines that are sure to impress look no further than this fun collection of 34 Punny Valentines Perfect For Any Classroom.
These simply awesome ideas will allow you to up your Valentine's Day game without breaking the bank, and you won't just be making Valentines with your children- you'll be making memories that'll last a lifetime!
See the rest of the 34 Punny Valentines Perfect For Any Classroom here
It’s a little confusing, so stick with us for a moment.
Verizon MORE Everything customers who currently have monthly data allotments of 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, or 4GB will have an option on how they want to save.
They can either get more data for their money by getting 1GB of additional data per month for no extra charge OR they can have their bill reduced by $10/month.
So someone with a 2GB plan is currently paying $50/month. If they take the free data option, that goes to 3GB for the same price. Or they can elect to stick with the 2GB and their data bill drops to $40/month.
A rep for Verizon confirms to Consumerist that current Verizon subscribers will not be automatically opted into either of these choices and must let the company know — either by calling customer service or through the Verizon website — when the changes kick in tomorrow, Feb. 5.
For new customers or those looking to change their data plans, Verizon is also offering a new 6GB/month tier at $70.
Verizon is also making its Edge program, where you pay full price for your phone in monthly installments, more attractive. Customers with plans starting at 6GB/month or more will get a $25/month discount. Currently, to qualify for that level of discount, you need to be on a plan of 10GB/month or more. Plans of 4GB/month or less still see a monthly discount of $15.
