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We do so love these random special days that someone has actually taken the time to memorialize. And when we saw that April 10th was International Safety Pin Day, we just had to give it a shout out. Because how often can we all come together and celebrate…a small, pointy piece of metal. I mean, apparently that’s what the world needs right now. Otherwise, why would anyone have gone to the trouble of getting this day listed on the holiday calendar? Or taken the time to write a whole blog post about it? But why should we celebrate the safety pin? Is it because it’s a marvel or engineering? Is it because it’s a symbol of human ingenuity? Or is it because we just needed an excuse to throw a party and safety pins were the only thing we could agree on? The holiday in its honor began in 2015 and was originally called simply “Safety Pin Day”. However, apparently that designation just didn’t do it justice so in 2017 it became “International Safety Pin Day”, a day dedicated to celebrating the versatility and usefulness of the safety pin. It’s a way to acknowledge the humble clip’s ability to hold things together, whether it’s a hemline, a torn shirt, or a misbehaving zipper. Long before becoming a fashion accessory or a symbol of political solidarity, the safety pin already had a rich and storied past. In fact, it’s been around for over 170 years. It was invented in April of 1849 by American mechanic and inventor, Walter Hunt. Born in 1796, Hunt was a prolific inventor. Among his inventions were a repeating rifle, a fountain pen, a knife sharpener, a streetcar bell, the sewing machine and - the point of this week’s blog post - the safety pin. Hunt came up with the design (to prevent injuries to fingers and other parts of the body) as a way to pay off a $15 debt to a friend. He didn’t get any real cash or fame from his invention and sold the patent to W.R. Grace & Company for $400. He paid his friend back and pocketed the remaining $385. The safety pin quickly became popular. Its simplicity, elegance and household presence have made it much more than just an item of utility, but also of culture and tradition. In India, for example, safety pins and sewing needles are kept for generations and passed from mother to daughter. In the Ukraine it is still a practice today to pin safety pins to the inside of a child’s clothing, to ward off evil spirits. In many European countries, finding a safety pin is good luck, and a portent of good fortune. In the 1970’s, thanks in large part to the emergence of Punk Rock, the safety pin became a new art form, used for body piercings and clothing decoration. It grew to become a symbol of punk culture among media and pop culture outlets. The Do It Yourself (DIY) “stick and poke” is a popular form of tattooing that uses a safety pin and ink. And today, the safety pin has taken on still another meaning. It’s a symbol of solidarity with marginalized communities and a way to show support for those feeling vulnerable or threatened. And while some may roll their eyes at the idea of a small piece of metal making a difference, the truth is that sometimes, the simplest gestures can have the biggest impact. So, whether you’re wearing a safety pin as a form or body art, a way to keep your zipper closed, or as a symbol of support, take a moment to just appreciate the practicality of this unassuming little clip and celebrate it on International Safety Pin Day. Because, as well all know, sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference. We realize that we’re a couple days late in bringing this holiday to the attention of those of you who might have been unaware of it. So you can get it on your calendars moving forward, we’re providing this convenient table of future International Safety Pin Day dates. Let us know how you plan on celebrating our friend, the safety pin, in the future. #holiday #safetypin #international #walterhunt #india #ukraine #europe #punkrock #music #tattoo #anyhigh

We live in a time when truth is not only stranger than fiction, but often hard to come by. From news outlets that are more interested in the greenbacks than the facts, to AI generated pictures of the Pope wearing a puffy jacket it’s getting harder and harder to know what to believe. With today’s difficulty in telling the difference between truth and fiction causing frustration and downright anger, we’re not going there. Today we thought we’d take a deep dive into the world of historical myths. History is filled with misconceptions and flat-out lies that have been perpetuated, sometimes for centuries. The idea of historical myths being untrue can be hard to swallow, especially if you have grown up believing in them. But, as they say, the truth hurts, and sometimes the truth is also hilarious. So, brace yourselves and hang onto your history books as we take a look at 10 of the most notable historical myths we’ve come across that weren’t really true. Christopher Columbus Discovered America Yep, despite all the hype and the holiday in his honor, Columbus didn’t actually “discover” America. First of all, there were already indigenous people living on the continent for a few thousand years. And secondly, Leif Erikson, a Viking explorer, actually landed in Newfoundland centuries before Columbus made his journey. Moreover, Columbus never actually set foot on mainland America, as he landed in the Bahamas instead. But Columbus continues to get all the credit. Maybe it’s because he’s Italian, and Italians have a history of getting screwed over in the credit department (looking at you, Marco Polo). Vikings Wore Horned Helmets Speaking of Vikings (see above), those fierce warriors from the north, with their longboats, their pillaging, and their…..ridiculous headwear? We guess nothing says “I’m here to conquer your village” like a pair of pointy accessories sticking out of your head. Except there’s no evidence that Vikings ever wore horned helmets. Archaeological digs show that most Viking warriors went bareheaded or wore leather headgear. The association between Vikings and horned helmets seems to have originated in the 19th century artwork of Swedish artist, Gustav Malmstromstems. Paul Revere Yelling “The British Are Coming” The truth of this one’s a bit complicated. First of all, Paul Revere needed to keep his knowledge of the Brits’ arrival on the down-low as British troops had already been camped out across the Massachusetts countryside. Plus, the colonists still considered themselves British. If anything, Paul probably told people on a need-to-know basis about the “regulars” – the colonist’s term for British soldiers. He was actually captured by the British before he even reached his final destination. George Washington’s Wooden Teeth Apparently Washington did have terribly bad teeth, and he did wear multiple sets of dentures throughout his life made of ivory, gold and lead. But not wood, according to the organization that runs Washington’s former home, Mount Vernon. Washington did, however, love his Port. And the burgundy-colored liquor may have stained his teeth, making them appear brown and grainy, like wood. King Tut’s Tomb Had Curses On It A pharaoh’s tomb is always cursed and will bring a terrible wrath on anyone who dares open it. It’s a trope peddled by films and books alike. In reality, King Tut’s tomb didn’t have any curses written in hieroglyphs on the walls. However, there was a curse of sorts associated with the tomb. It was the curse of the pursuit of money. Newspapers at the time were in a constant battle for more sales (some things never change) and Howard Carter, the lead archaeologist, told the press there was a curse to help generate buzz about the discovery. Cleopatra’s Bee Powered Sex Toy She is remembered as one of history’s most beautiful and sensual queens – thanks in no small part to her affairs with two of ancient Rome’s most powerful men. But there is nothing to suggest that stories of her having an ancient vibrator (essentially a gourd stuffed with buzzing bees) are true. Lady Godiva’s Naked Ride The legend says that Lady Godiva, who was married to one of the wealthiest men in 11th century England, was willing to ride naked through the streets of Coventry to persuade her husband to lower taxes. The naked truth of the matter however is that it never happened. She may have appeared in the middle of Coventry “naked” – but naked as 11th century Anglo-Saxon’s would have understood it, meaning without jewels or finery. Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned In the summer of 64 CE, the city of Rome erupted in fire. And Nero, the reigning emperor, instead of taking decisive action, took out his fiddle and played while watching the city burn. Or so the story goes. However, this didn’t exactly happen. We know this because the fiddle - a medieval instrument, not an ancient one - wasn’t even invented yet. According to two ancient authors, Nero did wear the costume of a lute player and, while watching the fire in horror, recited poetry about the burning of Troy. Not exactly a stellar response anyway. Witches Were Burned at the Stake Despite all the books and movies, witches weren’t actually burned at the stake, at least not in America. In 1692 in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, two young women started behaving a bit…odd. Screaming, throwing things, speaking in tongues, and contorting themselves into positions that we would now probably pay $100 a month to experience at a yoga class. People were scared and the authorities did what they normally do when encountering things they don’t like – they arrested more than 200 people. Of those, about 25 were put to death for “witchcraft” – none being burned at the stake. Mussolini Made the Trains Run on Time As Italy’s dictator and the guy who’s become the defining face of fascism, Benito Mussolini did do a lot of really bad things. But, according to legend, he had one redeeming quality – he got the Italian trains to run on time. However, this was a complete fabrication because, while he did invest in modernizing Italy’s train infrastructure, he never made the trains run on time. Mussolini’s robust propaganda machine created this myth and buried the fact that Italian trains were no more efficient than before. There’s a famous saying that says, “History is just one damn thing after another.” And sometimes, those damn things can be wildly inaccurate. We need be always cautious when it comes to accepting “facts”, historical or otherwise, without proper scrutiny. So, the next time someone tries to tell you that George Washington had wooden teeth or Columbus discovered America, you can confidently tell them that these are just historical myths. And if they still don’t believe you, just show them this blog post! And remind them that history is written by the victors, not by the fact-checkers. #history #facts #myth #cleopatra #sex #mussolini #trains #nero #rome #kingtut #egypt #vikings #paulrevere #georgewashington #columbus #america #discovery #pope #anyhigh

Ah, naked dining. Finally, a way to truly experience food in all its glory, not just with our tastebuds but with every inch of our bare skin. After all, what could be more appetizing than the sensation of a stranger’s buttocks pressed against your elbow while munching on a salad? If you’ve ever had the urge to dine naked with a bunch of equally unclothed strangers, we recently came across a news story that has your name written all over it. It’s called the Füde Dinner Experience and for $88, according to their website, guests can enjoy “a liberating space that celebrates our most pure selves, through plant-based cooking, art, nudity, and self-love.” These events are hosted by artist and model Charlie Ann Max (she also hosts other naked experiences like naked sculpting, naked painting, and naked breathing) and take place in New York and Los Angeles. While this particular evening was for women only, others are for both men and women. However, for men to attend, a previous participant needs to vouch for them. All prospective guests must fill out a form explaining why they’re interested and detailing “any incidents that could be considered inappropriate or disrespectful during a nude or semi-nude event.” Now we’ll grant you, dining naked might not be on everyone’s bucket list – we’re not here to judge. If it’s not on yours, here are some other things that you might be interested trying in your birthday suit. Naked Skydiving Why let a little thing like clothing get in the way of your adrenaline rush. Just ask supermodel Roberta Mancino whose done over 7,000 jumps, many wearing only the chute on her back. Naked Rugby Rugby players aren’t afraid of anything including playing naked. A match held in Dunedin, New Zealand went off without a hitch except for one interruption – when a fully clothed “streaker” ran across the pitch. Naked Reading You could join the “Naked Half Hour” club at Worcester College where students would disrobe in the library while studying saying it was a way to “break the monotony of a long day’s revision”. Unfortunately, the librarians disagreed saying dozens of naked students were a “distraction to other readers.” Naked Roller Coaster Riding In 2010, 102 people broke a world record when they went for a clothing-free ride on the Green Scream roller coaster in Essex, England. The previous record of 32 naked riders was set in 2004. It does make us wonder just what would be most important thing to hold onto during the ride? Naked Bike Riding 2022 saw the 13th annual running in Philadelphia of the Philly Naked Bike Ride. If you happen to be in the City of Brotherly Love at the right time, you might want to participate and show a little love of your own. For those of you who aren’t necessarily interested in showing your all to just anyone, but might have an interest in seeing others’ all, we’ve taken the time to research, and offer up to you here, a couple of uniquely themed strip clubs we found. Pirates Cove in Portland, Oregon For your inner Jack Sparrow, this strip club is dedicated to pirate lovers looking for both types of booty. The entrance is even shaped as a large jug of rum. Mos Eisley Cantina in Los Angeles, California Twice monthly it has Star Wars-themed nights where girls dress up as storm troopers and other characters, and strip down past their Princess Leah-themed gold bikinis. School House in Negoa, Illinois With multiplication tables and a copy of the constitution hanging on the walls next to the stripper poles it’s almost like being back in school. Subject: Anatomy. 2001 Odyssey in Tampa, Florida It’s all space-themed here with stars and asteroids glowing on the ceiling. Everything else, including the strippers’ bodies, is white and glows in the black light. Kinda like Space Mountain at Disneyland….if Space Mountain had strippers. Of course, some of these ideas may be a little too extreme for some. But then again, so is the idea of stripping down in a fancy restaurant to eat a seven-course meal. Maybe we’re all a little more comfortable with our bodies than we thought. Or maybe we’re just really, really hungry. If you’ve done anything unusual in the nude, like playing basketball or wine-tasting or writing a blog post, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below or in our Forums section. #nakedlunch #nude #dining #newyork #losangeles #portland #oregon #activities #anyhigh

Our blogpost this week is a bit different because it’s about us! We’re a year old and we thought we’d take a couple of minutes to talk about how we got started, what our goals are, and where we’re going. Our goal is to be the “home of happiness”. And, to restate our mission statement: Anyhigh.life is a platform of happiness where anyone who is tripping is welcome. We want you to tell us about the highs you’ve been on – mental, physical, spiritual. We want everyone to feel comfortable to define your experiences in a safe, positive, free-form environment. As the moderators of Anyhigh.life, we are not here to promote, condone, or condemn. We pass no judgement. We look at ourselves as merely purveyors of joy. How did this all begin? It was into the second year of the pandemic. We were working from home, unable to leave our apartment for weeks at a time. After a year of this we, like most everyone else everywhere else, we’re struggling to stay positive. And, as most of you can relate, it wasn’t easy. Sitting on our balcony one night, watching the darkened, silent city below, empty of all but the occasional, solitary car, we thought, wouldn’t it be great if people had a place where they could share positive stories. We were so tired of hearing everything negative nearly all the time. Stories about things they’ve done in the past, places they’ve been, experiences they’ve had that were uplifting, inspirational, or just a hell-of-a-lot-of fun. Sure, there were lots of social-media sites out there already. But we wanted to try to be something a bit different. Anyhigh.life would be a place where people could be creative, but only in a positive way. Not a place for debate or for arguing about good/bad, right/wrong. Simply a place where people could share stories and pics and videos about experiences that they’ve personally had that might make people smile and maybe get excited about the possibility of experiencing something similar. This is where our Forums section comes into play. It's where we want you to share your best trips: Activities: Anything not consumable that sends the endorphins into overdrive Food: Talk about your best culinary experiences – restaurants, meals – anything related to chewable consumption Beverages: Over ice or steaming, screw top or cork – if it goes down in just a swallow or two, this is the place to tell us about it Substances: Only good trips please! The Arts: Audio, visual, published or something else, if it’s worth a thousand words share some of them with us here Spiritual/Mystical: When a higher power takes you on an amazing trip, this is the place to talk about it Way Out There: For anything that doesn’t fall easily into any of our other categories – and remember, we don’t judge! And by the way, our definition of “trips” is “experiences”. Experiences sounded kind of clinical to us and trips was just more fun. And that’s what we’re here for ultimately. For fun! Which is what our weekly blogpost is normally trying for. To look at something, sometimes common sometimes unusual, but always in a new and different way. A way that, hopefully, makes you think a bit differently and that makes you smile, maybe even laugh if we get lucky enough. You can even listen to some of our favorite songs via our Spotify Playlist at the top of our Blog section. So that’s our story. We are happy to see that our community of like-minded people, people who are interested in the world and all it has to offer, is slowly growing. The stories and pictures that have been shared have been great. We hope that we’ll see many more as we move into our second year of tripping. Because, most importantly, YOUR TRIP IS OUR HIGH! If you haven’t joined us already, we hope you will and we hope you’ll tell your friends about us. You can find all our links right here: https://linktr.ee/anyhigh.life #anniversary #oneyear #happiness #high #activities #food #beverage #thearts #spiritual #mystical #substances #wayoutthere #spotify #anyhigh

Ah, St. Patrick’s Day – the one day of the year where everyone suddenly remembers their Irish heritage (real or imagined) and starts sporting green clothing, drinking Guinness, and talking in bad Irish accents. It’s a day filled with parades, shamrocks, leprechauns, and all things green. In honor of this holiday, we thought we’d first try and figure out what the heck it’s all about and then share a look at 10 of our most favorite green things. Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on the 17th of March, the traditional date of the death of Saint Patrick (believed to be March 17, 461 AD). St. Patrick is the foremost patron saint of Ireland who, funnily enough, wasn’t Irish by birth but was a Brit who was kidnapped by Irish pirates. Since around the ninth century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick, but the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade actually took place in America. In 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida – then a Spanish colony – a St. Patrick’s Day parade was organized by the Spanish Colony’s Irish vicar. More than a century later, on March 17, 1772, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City to honor the Irish patron saint. Today, the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade with more than 150,000 participants and nearly 3 million spectators lining the 1.5-mile parade route. The holiday has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture with parades, drinking, special foods, drinking, music, drinking, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green. Did we mention drinking? Leprechauns are one reason why you’re supposed to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day – or risk getting pinched. The tradition is tied to folklore that says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, who like to pinch anyone they can see. If you’re lucky enough to catch a leprechaun, then they must lead you to their treasure and may also grant you three wishes. (For those of you reading this who are ready to rush out and start hunting for a leprechaun, we’d highly recommend first reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman for an understanding of what the consequences of catching one might be….) St. Patrick’s Day aside, the color green universally signifies nature, life, youth, safety and hope. It’s rated as the second most favorite color after blue. Green was a sacred color to the ancient Egyptians who painted the floors of their temples green. Long known as a symbol of fertility, green was the preferred color choice for wedding gowns in the 1400’s. So, with that sly lead-in, let’s take a look at 10 of our most favorite famous (or infamous) green things: Money: I mean, let’s face it, the main reason anyone cares about St. Patrick’s Day is because they think they might get lucky and find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, right? Kermit the Frog: While he may have sung about the difficulty of being green, we all know that he secretly loves it. The Grinch: Who knew that being green and stealing Christmas could be so lucrative? The Incredible Hulk: Because nothing says “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” like a giant, angry green monster. Shrek He’s big, he’s green, and he’s got a Scottish accent. What’s not to love? The Green Lantern: Because nothing strikes fear into the hearts of evildoers like a guy wearing a green suit with glowing green accessories. Gumby: A green claymation icon, with arms and legs like noodles, and weird, bulging eyes. But hey, at least he’s flexible right? Baby Yoda (Grogu): He’s cute as a button, smart as a whip, and can cause you great difficulties if you piss him off. Think Leprechaun… Green M&M’s: They may not have any special powers or abilities, but damn, they’re sure delicious! Grass: Whether you smoke it, mow it, or just enjoy laying back and relaxing on it, this green plant never lets us down. So there you have it, 10 of our most favorite green things to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you’re Irish or not, whether you’re drinking green beer or not, whether you’re wearing green or not, whether you’re smoking it or mowing it, take a moment to appreciate all the green things in your life. And if you happen to run into a leprechaun, be sure to wish him a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and don’t forget to ask him where he hides his gold. You never know, he just might tell you. Let us know about some of your favorite green things in the comments below. Turning the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day: #stpatricksday #saintpatrick #holiday #green #beer #guinness #irish #ireland #nyc #parade #leprechaun #ameriangods #neilgaiman #neilhimself #sweeny #egypt #money #kermitthefrog #thegrinch #shrek #gumby #incrediblehulk #thegreenlantern #grass #weed #chicago #anyhigh

March 8 is the day to celebrate the achievements of women from all over the world. And, ever since Congress passed the law in 1987, March has officially been known as Women’s History Month in the United States. From activists to politicians, businesswomen to athletes, there’s no shortage of impressive women to celebrate. And, because we love women from all walks of life, we thought today we’d offer up a salute to some women - from history and today - that might be unlikely heroic figures. Women who didn’t conform to the norms or expectations of their time. Perhaps they were a bit unconventional. Perhaps they kicked some serious ass along the way. But that, in itself is, something to celebrate we think. So, here’s our salute to 10 amazing ass-kicking women of history, who we consider inspiring. Most of whom you’ve probably never heard of. Ba Trieu: (226-248) A fighter for independence and forward thinker of the third century, Ba Trieu is also known as the Vietnamese Joan of Arc. At 19 she was advised by her brother, a powerful warlord, to marry, to which she defiantly retorted that she would be better off serving her people as a warrior for independence against the Chinese who had oppressed the Vietnamese for centuries, saying “I only want to ride the wind and walk the waves, slay the big whales of the eastern sea, clean up frontiers and save the people from drowning. Why should I imitate others, bend my back to men, stoop over and be a slave.” She gathered one thousand fighters whom she trained and led into battle. The rebellion was successful, and she was declared their leader. Today, she is a renowned national hero of Vietnam and a revered example to the country’s women of a fighter against oppression. Tamar the Great of Georgia: (1160-1213) Crowned by her father as co-ruler of the Georgian kingdom, she began her 29-year reign upon his death in 1184. She commanded one of the most unstoppable armies in history and under her rule, which became known as the Georgian Golden Age, Georgia became a major power. Today, there are many Tamar’s in Georgia, girls named after the great monarch who continues to inspire. Sybil Ludington: (1761-1839) An underrecognized heroine of the American Revolutionary War, on the same night that Paul Revere took his famous midnight ride, Sybil was off on a much longer ride of her own. After a messenger came to warn her father, Colonel Ludington, that the British had just attacked the nearby town of Danbury, Connecticut, Sybil rode over 40 miles (twice the distance of Revere’s ride) through the night to alert her father’s men of the approaching British army. Thanks to Sybil, the entire regiment was gathered by daybreak to fight the Redcoats. George Washington personally thanked Sybil for her bravery. Ada Lovelace: (1815-1852) Though not nearly as well-known as her father, the poet Lord Byron, Ada was pretty cool and way ahead of her time. Working with mathematician Charles Babbage to develop an adding machine, named the Difference Engine, and a computer called the Analytical Engine, Ada became the world’s first computer programmer. She came up with a process known as looping that computer programs use today. In 1980, the U.S. Department of Defense named a newly developed computer language “Ada” in her honor. Mary Edwards Walker: (1832-1919) In addition to becoming the first female physician in the U.S. Army, Mary is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. As a child she was teased for her non-gender-conforming wardrobe (she liked to wear pants) and was arrested several times as an adult for “masquerading” as a man. During the American Civil War she acted as a spy for the Union and spent months in a Confederate jail. In 1865 President Andrew Johnson awarded her the Medal of Honor because she “…devoted herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded soldiers and has also endured hardships as a prisoner of war.” Congress tried to strip Mary of her medal in 1917 saying only those engaged in combat should be eligible for the award. Mary refused to give up her medal, wearing it every day until she died in 1919. Buffalo Calf Road Woman: (1850-1879) Nicknamed “Brave Woman”, Buffalo Calf Road Woman (BCRW for expediency’s sake) was a Cheyenne warrior who strategically fought and rallied others. In the 1876 Battle of the Rosebud against U.S. soldiers, BCRW rode onto the battlefield to rescue her injured brother. The rescue was so daring that it rallied the Cheyenne, who had been retreating, to victory. The Cheyenne called the battle The Battle Where the Girl Saved the Brother. She was an excellent shot and, during the Battle of Little Bighorn (also known as Custer’s Last Stand and as The Battle of the Greasy Grass by the Cheyenne) according to Cheyenne oral tradition, it was BCRW who unhorsed General Custer. She must certainly be considered one of the most heroic fighters in American history. Rose Marie McCoy: (1922-2015) Arguably one of the most successful American songwriters of the 20th century – that you’ve never heard of! She moved from Arkansas to New York City at the age of 19 to become a singer but realized that she was more comfortable at songwriting than performing. During her lifetime, McCoy published more than 850 songs that were recorded by music legends such as Ike and Tina Turner, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler and many more. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: (1900-1979) We all know that stars are made of hydrogen and helium, and the reason we know that is Cecilia. She made the discovery in graduate school but, at the time, no one believed her. Science was still very much an “old boys club” and established astronomers were convinced not to publish her findings. They later discovered that she was correct and famed astronomer Otto Struve called her work “undoubtedly the most brilliant Ph.D. thesis ever written in astronomy”. She went on to become the first woman to lead a department at Harvard and her work opened a whole constellation of opportunities for the female scientists that came after her. Martha Gellhorn: (1908-1998) Married for a short time to Ernest Hemingway, Martha famously said “Why should I be a footnote in someone else’s life?” She became a novelist, travel writer, and journalist and is considered one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century. She was the only woman at the D-Day invasion, witnessed the liberation of Dachau and reported on virtually every major world conflict that took place during her 60-year career. Her work changed war reporting and opened new horizons for female reporters and there is now an award named in her honor – the Martha Gellhorn Prize for journalism. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: (1933-2020) Okay, so maybe RBG isn’t exactly an “unknown” hero, but we just couldn’t leave her off the list. The second female justice to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, she fought tirelessly for gender equality and became a pop culture icon in the process. After a series of fiery, record-breaking dissents she gave from the Supreme Court bench in 2013 around the Voting Rights Act, she was dubbed The Notorious R.B.G. Pretty cool for a pretty staid profession. Plus, she had a wicked sense of humor and loved to rock a statement collar. So, there you have it. Our look at some unlikely, and mostly unknown, women heroes to inspire on International Women’s Day. These real-life icons have all made their mark in their own unique ways. Tell us about some women that have made a mark on your life in the comments below. #internationalwomensday #women #anyhigh

In modern times, people go to concerts and follow the lives of famous pop singers or reality TV stars. During the late 1700s and 1800s in France, guillotine executions were high entertainment, and some guillotine operators were national celebrities. People came to the Place de la Revolution in droves to watch the guillotine do its grisly work. The machine was honored in songs, jokes and poems. Spectators could buy souvenirs, read a program listing the names of the victims, or even grab a quick bite to eat at a nearby restaurant called “Cabaret de la Guillotine.” French guillotiners were closely judged on how precisely and quickly they could perform multiple beheadings. The faster and cleaner their cuts, the more famous they were. And the job of a guillotiner was often a family business. One of the most famous was the Sanson family who served as state executioners from 1792 to 1847 and were responsible for executing thousands of people, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. People would chant the Sanson’s name in the street before a beheading and their choice of clothing on the scaffold inspired fashion trends. While similar devices had been lopping off heads all the way back to antiquity, the name “guillotine” dates to the late 1700’s in France. The last use of the “National Razor”, as it became known, was in 1977 and it was officially decommissioned when France abolished capital punishment in 1981. We feel like we live in an era of an ever-evolving job market. We worry that industries we know and roles we’re comfortable with are disappearing. But the truth is the job market has been continually evolving from the beginning of time. Yesterday’s hot job almost always becomes tomorrow’s extinct dinosaur. Sometimes it can be scarry to see certain jobs disappear. Sometimes not. We thought we’d take look today at some unusual real jobs that used to exist but are no longer accepting applications. And for those of you who might be on the hunt for a new career, we’re wrapping up with some rather unusual jobs we’ve come across that actually do exist today. Gone And Pretty Much Forgotten Ornatrices: Tasked with making the nobility look presentable in ancient Roman society these women could be thought of as early hairdressers, except they were enslaved to their owners. They would craft unique concoctions that would style their owners’ hair. This included mixing rotten leeches, crushed insects, squid ink, and bile to create darker dyes, or spreading pigeon poop and ashes over their owners’ head to create a lighter hue. Lector: In the early 1900’s, factory workers needed some entertainment to distract from their mindlessly repetitive tasks, so a lector would read news and literature aloud to them from a raised platform located somewhere in the middle of the factory floor. Sometimes the factory workers would even contribute from their weekly salary to fund these lectors. Whipping Boy: Likely not one of the most sought-after jobs of ancient times, when a prince would misbehave, since it was against the rules to punish “royal blood” with a spanking, a whipping boy was assigned to the prince and would take the spanking for him. Knocker-Uppers: No, not what you’re thinking from the name. This was essentially a human alarm clock. A popular profession in Britain and Ireland in the early 19th century, these people were hired to go to homes to wake up sleeping workers. They would bang on a window if the client lived on the first floor. For higher floors they would carry a long stick to tap on the window or shoot peas through a tube at the window to wake up their clients. This position existed into the 1970’s in some parts of England. Groom of the Stool: In medieval England, servants assisted monarchs in virtually everything, including providing royal “assistance” when it came time for the king or queen to spend some time on the porcelain throne. The groom of the stool would constantly carry a portable commode with towels, a washing bowl, and water. While the monarch was doing their business the two would chat about events and, over time, this position became more of an advisor on fiscal policy, with the groom of the stool holding an unofficial position similar to that of treasurer. Apparently, finance and feces are more closely related than we knew. King Henry the VIII had four “grooms” and he knighted them all. Wool Fuller: Before fabric softener became a thing, people had a very peculiar way of making cloth, especially wool, feel more pleasant on the skin. Fullers would “full” the cloth using their feet and the main ingredient that made the fabrics softer was stale urine. The ammonium salts in urine would help to soften, cleanse, and brighten the cloth. Urine was even taxed because of how often it was used in the “fulling” process. Dating back to ancient Rome, the job of stomping around in other people’s old urine for hours at a time became especially important in medieval England, where wool production was a very lucrative business. Computer: This actually used to be someone’s title. Before electronics took over, these workers would convert figures and crunch numbers by hand. They literally computed. They worked in a variety of fields – including engineering at NASA – until they were replaced by what we more familiarly refer to today as “computers” Resurrectionist: Also known as “body snatchers”, resurrectionists would dig corpses out of graveyards and sell them to medical schools in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the time, the only legal way for medical schools to obtain a dead body was after a criminal execution, but demand outstripped supply, thus giving rise to the role of resurrectionist (pun intended). Legally speaking, stealing a dead body was only a misdemeanor. From a religious perspective, one might say it was a grave sin. Flatulist: Known as braigetoirs in Ireland, these were professional farters. Yes, this was a real job in times past. Flatulist work existed for a very long time. Saint Augustine, in the fourth century wrote about flatulists, “they possessed such command of their bowels and can break wind continuously at will, so as to produce the effect of singing.” (Grammy awards committee, please take note!) Some became celebrities of their time such as Roland the Farter, who performed annually for the court of English King Henry II. The King was such big fan that he eventually rewarded Roland with 30 acres of land and a giant manor house. Accepting Applications Today Iceberg Mover: Your role will be to keep track of iceberg locations and offer safe detours around them. You also might be called on to tow an iceberg away from a specific location. This concept came into being after the sinking of the Titanic in 1911. An iceberg mover can expect around $70,000 annually. Pet Food Taster: These are humans hired to taste food meant for pets. You’ll be required to comment on the taste, texture, and packaging of the pet food. If you’re report is favorable, then our furry friends all over the world can enjoy it as well. $40,000 annually (antacids can be negotiated at time of hiring). Human Scarecrow: Similar to a human mannequin, but a more challenging job as it involves tolerating different kinds of weather and some bird waste. No specific body type required. $15/hour. Panda Fluffer: Pandas are notoriously challenging to encourage to procreate. Your job is to encourage them. You will use a feather duster – and a considerable amount of caution – to get these reserved animals in the mood. You can earn up to $20,000/year (and, one assumes, some life-long friends) at the China Giant Panda Protection & Research Center in Ya’an, Sichuan Provence, China. Paper Towel Sniffer: Your role will be to make sure that paper towel producers produce a high-quality product devoid of offensive odors. If you have a nose for paper towels, you could earn as much as $50,000 annually putting it to use. Dog Surfing Instructor: Yes, this is a thing. Apparently, there is a market for teaching dogs to surf. Professionals are hired to instruct owners and their pets in surfing. $13/hour. Adult Toy Tester: You will be employed to evaluate the novelty aesthetic appeal, and utility of prototypes of new adult toy goods. Skill set, we guess, depends upon the toy being tested. $25/hour. The fringe benefits speak for themselves. Train Pusher: As an “Oshiya” in Japan, your role will be to push passengers into overcrowded train cars, at peak hours, as quickly as possible by pushing them from outside until the doors close. $28,000/annually. Deodorant Tester: If you’re the type that enjoys poking your nose into other people’s business, then this could be the dream job for you. Your role is to stick your nose into other people’s armpits to evaluate how well deodorants are masking their body odor. $40,000/annually + free monthly smell test. So, as we all know, the job market is constantly evolving, leaving some professions in the dust while giving rise to new, and sometimes bizarre ones, all the time. It can definitely be a wild and scarry ride. Tell us about the craziest job you, or someone you know, has had in the comments below. #jobs #france #guillotine #dinosaur #rome #hairdresser #computer #king #petfood #panda #dog #surfing #japan #anyhigh

The English language is a wonderful, convoluted mess of words and phrases that somehow manage to convey meaning to countless millions of people every day. And yet, despite its vastness, it can be confounding and confusing, a language full of contradictions and inconsistencies that make it a real headache for anyone trying to learn it. Words can have various meanings and pronunciations leading to some truly absurd expressions that we all use on a daily basis. In a comment on last week’s blog post about another confounding and confusing topic – love – one of our readers commented in the comments section about the expression “going south”. This got us to thinking about the same thing. So, we can thank, or blame, @joe.carrillo for this week’s blog journey into the murky world of sayings, language, and the peculiarities of the English tongue. First things first: “Going south” is a colloquialism (say that three-times fast…) for something that is heading towards failure or decline. A business going south is not making any money. A relationship going south means it’s on the rocks (and not of the cocktail sort). A project going south is falling apart. But why south and not east, west or north? According to the American Dictionary of Regional English, the term is derived from the Native American belief that “go south” means to die. Another theory is that during the American Civil War, Union soldiers used the phrase to describe Confederate forces retreating towards the rebelling southern states. We’ll probably never know where “going south” truly originated from. It’s just one of those linguistic mysteries that will continue to baffle us for generations to come. Which got us to thinking about some other expressions - some well-known, some not so much – their meanings and origins. Here’s 12 of our favorites. Six from around the world and six more commonly used English expressions: Sweden: “There is no cow on the ice” means there’s no reason to panic. Serbia: “Pretend to be an Englishman” means to pretend you’re innocent and have no idea what’s going on. Apparently, the Serbs have trust issues with the English…. Germany: “Live like a maggot in bacon” means to live the high life. Germans do love their pork! Portugal. “Feeding the donkey sponge cake” means to give special treatment to someone who doesn’t need or deserve it. Arabian Peninsula. “God gives nuts to the man with no teeth” comments on the inherent irony of life. Poland. “Not my circus, not my monkeys” means it’s not my problem. Let Your Hair Down. Meaning: to relax. Origin: Aristocratic women had to wear their hair tightly up, and when they got home, they’d let their hair down to relax. Break The Ice. Meaning: to get the conversation flowing. Origin: Referred to the breaking of ice to allow navigation boats to sail through. Spill The Beans. Meaning: To reveal secret information. Origin: In Ancient Greece, there was an anonymous voting system using black and white beans which, when spilled from their receptacle, revealed the vote’s result. Raining cats and dogs. Meaning: A heavy downpouring of rain. Origin: Thought to come from the idea that, during heavy rainstorms, stray cats and dogs would seek shelter in the thatched roofs of houses and, when the rain got too heavy, they would fall through the roof and onto the occupants below. Bury The Hatchet. Meaning: Forget a conflict and be at peace. Origin: When negotiating peace, Native Americans would bury all their weapons to make them inaccessible. Butter Someone Up. Meaning: Flatter someone to get something from them. Origin: Some believe this originated from Ancient India when people used to throw balls of butter at statues of Gods while asking for a favor. Of course, there’s countless other strange expressions in the English language like “kick the bucket”, “break a leg”, “cat got your tongue”. But that’s the thing about English, it’s a mishmash of words and phrases from all sorts of different languages and cultures. Which, when you think about some of the literal translations, can be confoundingly redundant. For example: Chai tea = tea tea Naan bread = bread bread Sharia law = law law Sahara desert = desert desert Lake Tahoe = lake lake The Los Angeles Angels = the the angels angels The La Brea Tar Pits = the the tar tar pits Hula dance = dance dance DC Comics = detective comics comics It’s a language that’s constantly evolving which is what makes it so challenging to learn. About the only thing we remember from English grammar classes was that “every rule has an exception” (which makes learning quite a challenge!) One of our favorite rules was always “I before E except after C”. Simple right? Try telling that to your next-door neighbors. I’ll bet it will weigh pretty heavy on their minds….. Ever wonder why we get “on” a bus, but “in” a car? Why does the refrigerator and the dishwasher “run”, but the stove and the oven are just “on”? Why in the world would we “hit the sack” when going to sleep? Then there’s the whole issue of pronunciation. Just think of the pronunciations of “tear” and “tier” versus “tear” and “tear”. Even correctly pronounced grammar can have multiple meanings: “Bite me asshole” = a scathing way to put someone down “Bite me asshole” = a request made by a kinky pirate The sentence – “I never said she stole my money” - can have 7 different meanings depending on the stressed word: I never said she stole my money. (Someone else said it) I never said she stole my money. (I’d never rat her out like that) I never said she stole my money. (I merely implied that she stole it) I never said she stole my money. (I said someone did but not who) I never said she stole my money. (She’s just taking a long time to pay it back) I never said she stole my money. (But she stole someone’s money) I never said she stole my money. (But she did steal something) And we’re not even getting into the “elephant in the room” which are the differences between American English (today's focus) and British English! To be fair, English isn’t the only language with confusing grammar rules and nonsensical expressions. But it’s hard to deny that we’ve taken it to a whole new level. We use phrases that mean the opposite of what they say, we compare life to a “dog-eat-dog world” (Why dogs? Why not cats or hamsters? And eating each other? Is this some kind of canine Hunger Games we’re talking about? But we digress..), we throw pronunciation around like confetti. And yet, somehow, despite everything, we all manage to communicate with each other. I guess it isn’t rocket science after all. For those of you who would like to experience more English language confusion, we close this week’s blog with a link to a classic English poem, The Chaos, written in 1922 by Gerard Nolst Trenite. A virtuoso feat of composition, written from the viewpoint of the foreign learner of English, containing about 800 of the worst irregularities in English spelling and pronunciation. Do you know any funny and entertaining phrases in English or your preferred language? Let us know in the comments below! #language #english #nativeamerican #sweden #serbia #germany #portugal #arabia #poland #india #losangeles #britain #theoffice #brianbaumgartner #boatiemcboatface #anyhigh

Valentine’s Day, unsurprisingly, gave us the idea of writing a bit about love in this week’s post. However, we purposely waited a couple days instead of posting this on the 14th. Because we hate the idea of Hallmark telling us when we should be extra attentive to the one’s we love. In our view, we should be buying overpriced roses, heart shaped chocolates, and sappy greeting cards for those we love on any, say, Thursday, not just on one particular day a year. We’ll begin with few words on the subject of love from Tina Turner..... You must understand how the touch of your hand Makes my pulse react That it’s only the thrill of boy meetin’ girl Opposites attract It’s physical Only logical You must try to ignore that it means more than that Not meaning to take anything away from Hallmark, but Valentine’s day has actually been around for a really long time. Some say it originated as a Christian feast day honoring a priest named Valentine who was martyred in Rome in the year 269 for marrying couples in secret. (The emperor Claudius II had banned marriages in an attempt to bolster his army, as he believed unmarried men made better soldiers) He supposedly sent the first Valentine’s greeting himself, sending a letter to his jailer’s daughter signed “from your Valentine”. Although the truth behind the Valentine legend is murky, the story emphasizes his appeal as a sympathetic and romantic figure, and he became known as a patron saint of love and romance. This led to the creation of Valentine’s Day, which was first celebrated in the 14th century. Because what’s not to love about love? Oh oh What’s love got to do, got to do with it? What’s love but a second hand emotion? What’s love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? But let’s be real, the modern-day version of Valentine’s Day has little to do with the romantic gestures of a third-century priest. Instead, it’s become a commercialized holiday that’s all about spending money on expensive gifts and proving your love through materialistic means. (Sound familiar Santa??) Some claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February as a way of “Christianizing” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. Lupercalia was a bloody, violent, and sexually charged celebration awash with animal sacrifice, random matchmaking and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility. Men would randomly choose a woman’s name from a jar to be coupled with for the duration of the festival. Often, the couple stayed together until the following year’s festival. But we’re talking about love here. We checked in with a couple of old friends to get their view on the subject: “Where there is love there is life.” Mahatma Ganhdi “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Dr. Seuss “You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.” Albert Einstein “All you need is love.” The Beatles “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” Carl Sagan “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.” Romeo In the book and television series, The Power of Myth, Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discuss the mythology of love in an episode entitled “Love and the Goddess”. Bill Moyers: So there’s joy and pain in love. Joseph Campbell: Yeah, there is. Love, you might say, is the burning point of life, and since all life is sorrowful, so is love. And the stronger the love, the more that pain, but love bears all things. Love itself is a pain, you might say, but it’s the pain of being truly alive. It may seem to you that I’m acting confused When you’re close to me If I tend to look dazed I’ve read it someplace I’ve got cause to be There’s a name for it There’s a phrase that fits But whatever the reason you do it for me There’s that old saying that “love is blind”. Well, according to neuroscientists, there might actually be a neurobiological basis in truth for that. Besides positive reinforcement such as reward and motivation, love deactivates the neural pathway involved in fear and social judgement. In other words, our critical assessment of a person shuts down. The prefrontal cortex is essential for decision making, reasoning, and planning. Love throws this tightly organized structure overboard. This brain area, along with some parts of the cortex, is idle when we are in love. Critical judgement of others becomes inactive. Therefore, it’s fair to say that love really is irrational and blind, at least from a neurobiological point of view. I’ve been takin’ on a new direction But I have to say I’ve been thinkin’ about my own protection It scares me to feel this way We’re very grateful to Tina Turner for her insight and wisdom and accompanying us through this very brief look at love. And at the end of the day, the realization that Valentine’s Day is just a reminder that love is complicated, messy and often requires more effort than we’re willing to give. But hey, at least we can all take comfort in the fact that we’re not alone in our misery. So, here’s to love. Happy Thursday everyone! Tina Turner: What’s Love Got To Do With It https://youtu.be/smGG7L_JjSM #valentinesday #love #tinaturner #rome #faunus #gandhi #einstein #drsuess #beatles #thebeatles #romeo #carlsagan #billmoyers #josephcampbell #thepowerofmyth #hallmark

Truth, we all know, can be a fluid thing. Like a rubber band that stretches and twists to fit the shape of the situation. One moment it’s strong and unbreakable, the next it’s been warped beyond all recognition. For example, what’s really in an egg? And by egg we mean a sentient one, really big, sitting on a wall, having a chat. Once upon a time, in a kingdom maybe not so far away, there was a character named Humpty Dumpty. He was a rotund and jovial fellow, known for his love of eggnog and singing cryptic nursery rhymes. As the story goes: It’s a classic, beloved nursery rhyme made truly famous in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass (1871) in which Humpty appears as a fussily exacting egg-head who corrects Alice’s grammar and discusses the value and meaning of words. (More about this later) The rhyme first appeared in Samuel Arnold’s Juvenile Amusement, published in 1797, though the third line was slightly different – “Four-score men and four-score more”. Generations have grown up with this story. Yet, things aren’t necessarily as they seem. By all historical accounts, Humpty wasn’t actually an egg. In fact, the rhyme never even references an egg. According to some historians, Humpty Dumpty was the name of a cannon used by the Royalists during the English Civil War (1642-1649). Humpty (the cannon) was stationed on the walls of Colchester. The walls were heavily damaged by artillery fire and, yes, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and broke into pieces. Others speculate that Humpty Dumpty referred to Richard III of England, who was depicted as humpbacked and brittle, he is likened to an egg. His subsequent defeat in battle despite his large army (all the King's men and all the King's horses) made some believe that the rhyme originated from this historical occurrence. So that’s it then, right? Perhaps not. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in the 17th century, the term "humpty dumpty" referred to a drink of brandy boiled with ale. “Humpty Dumpty" was also eighteenth-century slang for a short and clumsy person. Humpty Dumpty was popularized in the United States on Broadway before the publication of Through The Looking Glass by actor George L. Fox in the pantomime musical Humpty Dumpty. The show ran from 1868 to 1869 becoming, at the time, the longest-running show on Broadway. Well, at least we can rest assured that Humpty Dumpty is the only nursery rhyme that isn’t quite what it seems, right?! Not so fast…. “Jack & Jill”, a rhyme about children rolling down a hill, originated in France in reference to King Louis XVI (Jack) and Queen Marie Antoinette (Jill) who were both guillotined in 1793 “Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after.” “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary” isn’t about an older woman’s interest in flowers, but references Mary Tudor I of England, known best for her bloody reign. “How does your garden grow?” refers to Bloody Mary’s growing graveyard of executed Protestants. “Georgie Porgie Pudding & Pie” is said to satirize George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham, a scandalous playboy in his day. George was said to play both fields, first with King James I then with many ladies of the court, eventually being knighted as Gentleman of the Bedchamber. What on earth are we to make of all this “misinformation”? Let’s see what Humpty has to say about it. In Humpty Dumpty’s appearance in Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, Alice remarks that Humpty is "exactly like an egg," which Humpty finds to be "very provoking" in the looking-glass world. Alice clarifies that she said he looks like an egg, not that he is one. They discuss semantics and pragmatics when Humpty Dumpty says, "my name means the shape I am." Later in the conversation: "I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said. Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!'" "But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected. "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all." So you see, Humpty Dumpty was not what he seemed at all. In fact, he was a master of misinformation, using his charming demeanor to spread false information to the masses. Perhaps the egg was the truth, the wall on which he sat the lies that surround us. And when Humpty had his great fall, it was the collapse of truth. As we continue to celebrate the timeless tale of Humpty Dumpty, we should keep in mind the real story (stories) behind the story. A cautionary tale for our modern times - for the child in all of us - where the lines between fact and fiction are so often blurred. Tell us about your favorite fairy tale in the comments below. #nurseryryhme #humptydumpty #fairytale #lewiscarroll #throughthelookingglass #broadway #england #civilwar #aliceinwonderland #anyhigh

It’s that time of the year once again. The day where we all gather together to celebrate the life and legacy of a small, furry creature with, apparently, a knack for predicting the weather. Yes, it’s GROUNDHOG DAY! Arguably one of the most absurd holidays on the American calendar. For those unfamiliar, the tradition dictates that on February 2nd, a groundhog emerges from its burrow and, if it sees its shadow, we can expect six more weeks of winter. If not, spring is just around the corner. The most famous ceremony, celebrating this Pennsylvania Dutch superstition (more about superstitions later), occurs in Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania on the east coast of the United States. It centers on a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil being dragged out and held on high in search of its shadow. Now, let’s think about this for a moment. A groundhog. A rodent. Deciding the weather for an entire season. Ridiculous? Maybe. But this animal prognosticator has been at it since the 1880’s. Records kept by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club show that Phil (we assume this means Phil senior and his countless descendants) has predicted 105 continued winters and only 20 early springs. According to the Stormfax Almanac, that works out to a 39% accuracy rate for Phil. For a little perspective, a typical hand of blackjack gives you a 42.22% chance of winning. But we’re talking about the weather here. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates three types of satellites to monitor and predict the weather. Using this technology, a seven-day forecast can accurately predict the weather about 80% of the time for a five-day forecast. However, 30-day and longer forecasts, they say, are virtually useless. So, perhaps if the NOAA launched Phil into space on one of its forecasting satellites, we might get a whole new take on long-term weather forecasting. But back to Groundhog Day. The origins of this bizarre tradition can be traced back to ancient celebrations of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal – the hedgehog – as a means of predicting the weather. Because who needs science and technology when you have candle wax and a small rodent, right? Which brings us to superstitions. Do you believe in knocking on wood to prevent bad luck, throwing salt over your shoulder to ward off evil spirits, or carrying a rabbit’s foot for good luck? (Because carrying around a lifeless, mutilated body part is exactly what you need to attract positive vibes, right?) Superstitions have been around for as long as humans have been thinking about the world and their place in it and, despite the advancement of technology and science, superstitions still persist. Perhaps it’s the comfort of having something to believe in, even if it’s completely irrational. Or maybe it’s just the fear of facing an uncertain world without any crutches to lean on. It’s human nature to want to make sense of the world around us, and superstitions provide a way to do that, even if they’re not based on fact. They’re a way for people to feel as though they are taking control of situations that are beyond their control. And after all, what’s the harm in taking a silly holiday tradition seriously for just one day? In any case, we embrace the absurdity of Groundhog Day and all its quirky superstitions. And we raise a glass to Sir Punxsutawney Phil and his continued success in predicting the weather - again, and again, and again….. We’d love to hear about some unusual superstitions you’ve heard of, or any unusual encounters with groundhog’s that you may have had, in the comments below. #groundhogday #groundhog #punxsutawneyphil #pennsylvania #unitedstates #superstition #blackjack #billmurray #winter #spring #anyhigh

Welcome to yet another groundbreaking and highly researched blog post, this time about the world’s best cuisines – greasy fast food and microwavable dinners need not apply. Because let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good listing about food? And who better to trust for culinary expertise than a group of random internet strangers? That’s exactly what food travel guide TasteAtlas has done in putting together its listing of the world’s best cuisines. According to their website, they assembled the rankings based on “audience votes for ingredients, dishes, and beverages.” Who, exactly, made up this audience is not specified, but it clearly didn’t include the social media masses, as the Twitter and Instagram worlds have been blowing up at the results. Many were a bit surprised (putting it mildly) that American cuisine ranked as the eighth-best cuisine, surpassing French, Thai and 42 others, an outcome that has generated nearly 50 million views on Twitter. Without further ado, and regardless of tweets like, “…this is a list you’d come up with if you’d never eaten food…”, here is the TasteAtlas list of the top 50 Best Cuisines in the World: Now, a true foodie is never afraid to fully immerse themselves in local cuisine experiences. But there comes the point where we go from weird and wonderful to just plain weird. Since there has been quite a bit of controversy over “the best”, we thought we’d put together our own, in no particular order, list of some of “the weirdest” dishes from around the world. Some that we’ve tried ourselves, some not. Tuna Eyeballs – Japan: “Here’s looking at you kid” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to tuna in Japan, where every single morsel is devoured – right up to the eyeballs. You can buy them cheap in local supermarkets and find them on menus in restaurants across the country. And they are pretty large after all! You can boil or steam them, then season with garlic or soy sauce. We’re told they taste a bit like squid. Balut – Philippines: Put Daffy and Donald out of your mind when you try this popular Filipino delicacy. Balut is a fertilized duck egg that’s about two to three weeks into development, boiled alive, then eaten directly from the shell – embryo and all - with salt, chili and vinegar. Just tap a hole in the top, suck out the savory liquid, and then crunch down the rest of what’s inside – feathers, bones, and all. Smalahove – Norway: Though not particularly well-known for weird food, this Norwegian dish of sheep’s head, usually eaten on the Sunday before Christmas, deserves special mention. If you’re not in Norway at Christmas, but can get your hands on a sheep head, the preparation is to soak it in a pot of water for 24 hours, then create a brine and leave it to soak for another 24 hours, then boil it. We’re told the eyes and ears are often eaten first as these are the fattest bits of the head, but the most delicious parts are usually the cheek and tongue…. Fried Tarantulas – Cambodia: While it’s doubtful the first thing many of us would think about when we saw a tarantula would be “lunch”, it’s perhaps no surprise that these spiders were first eaten by Cambodians starving under the Khmer Rouge regime. Today, these hairy arachnids are still a popular snack and there’s even one Cambodian town nicknamed Spiderville because the townspeople love eating spiders so much. Apparently, they taste a bit like crab, so they probably look a lot worse than they taste. Deep Fried Butter Balls – USA: Yes, in America, anything can be deep fried, even balls of butter..... And while it probably tastes delicious, it definitely earns a place on this list of weird foods. According to trustworthy sources on the internet, deep-fried butter was invented by a man named Abel Gonzales Jr. Nicknamed “Fried Jesus”, he also invented other bizarre fried items including fried coke. If you love clogged arteries or you’ve simply lost the will to live, this deep-fried ball of butter is for you! Casu Marzu – Italy: Are you a fan of rare cheeses? How about cheeses infested with live maggots? But wait, it’s from Italy. And Italy came out the #1 cuisine in the world, right?! Also known as “rotten cheese”, this Sardinian delicacy is made from Pecorino that’s waaaaaay past its expiration date. After its decomposed, it’s then infested with the larvae of cheese flies which hatch inside, burrow around, digest the fats, and transform the product into a soft creamy cheese. Illegal in many countries because of the fatal consequences that can come along with it, you can choose to enjoy yours with or without the maggots. Jellied Moose Nose – Canada: Granted, nose isn’t exactly one of the choicer cuts of beef. But that hasn’t stopped Canadians from experimenting with nasal gastronomy. In addition to having to track down a moose, the recipe - https://www.food.com/recipe/jellied-moose-nose-283337 - is pretty labor intensive as well. Remove the hair inside the nose first, then boil it and re-boil it, cover it in a broth which sets into a jelly and Voila – Jellied Moose Nose in just 25 hours! Huitlacoche – Mexico: Ever had a craving for corn fungus? Probably not. But this Mexican delicacy just might change your mind. Also known as “corn smut” or “Mexican truffle”, Huitlacoche is actually made from a plant disease/fungus that grows on the ears of corn, around the kernels, in puffy, gray clouds. The dish apparently has a woody, earthy flavor from the fungus. Fruit Bat Soup – Palau: As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. And we’re guessing that’s never been more true than when sampling this famed delicacy from Palau. Served in a large bowl of delicious soup bursting with flavor, and a whole bat staring you in the face. Most bats eat insects, but fruit bats eat - you guessed it - fruit, flowers and nectar. This, we’re told, makes their meat wickedly sweet. The broth is made by washing a bat and throwing it in boiling water, fur and all. Ginger and coconut milk is added. When served, the real way to eat it is to chew the bat, suck out the meat and then discard the remaining fur. Goong Ten – Thailand: This roughly translates as “dancing shrimp”. Why? Because the shrimp are still alive when they’re served to you. The shrimp are usually pretty calm, until they’re covered in the sauce which causes them to jump around trying to escape, giving the illusion that they are dancing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHd_0ZeKIy0 Edible Fat-Bottomed Ants – Colombia: No, this is not a song by Queen. The Hormiga Culona are a large leafcutter ant that is a popular Colombian delicacy. Packed with fats, vitamins and minerals, they are eaten either fried or roasted like peanuts. Century Egg – China: If you discovered a rotten egg, would your first thought be to eat it? Well, someone in ancient China did, lived to tell about it and now it’s an established delicacy. The century egg (normally just a few months old) is a duck or chicken egg that’s become black with a dark green yolk after being processed for weeks or months in a clay, ash, quicklime mixture along with salt. The flavor is intense. Stargazey Pie – England: Originating in a Cornish village called Mousehole in England, this is a pie with fish that stare up at the sky. The Cornish pie is made by baking pilchards, eggs, and potatoes under a pastry crust – the key namesake factor is the heads of the fish must poke out of the pie. Penis Fish – South Korea: Gaebul is the Korean word for this rather unusual looking fish, usually eaten raw served with a savory sauce made of sesame oil. Actually, it’s not a fish but a marine spoon worm that is mainly caught off the west coast of Korea. It’s said not to have a very distinctive taste which, we guess, means it’s all about the sauce! Now granted, you may have to be a sandwich short of a picnic to try some of these weird dishes we’ve just listed. But the question is, have you? Let us know in the comments below. #food #tasteatlas #lists #culinary #cuisine #recipes #twitter #instagram #japan #tuna #philippines #duck #daffyduck #donaldduck #balut #norway #sheep #christmas #cambodia #spiders #usa #america #deepfried #jesus #butter #italy #cheese #canada #moose #beef #mexico #corn #palau #fruitbat #thailand #shrimp #colombia #ants #queen #china #eggs #centuryegg #england #pie #korea #southkorea #fish #anyhigh