Tiny people giggle at everything from tickling to peek-a-boo to silly faces. But do they really have a sense of humor?

What you call a carbonated beverage might say more about your zip code than your taste buds.

Like many musicians of his generation in England, Keith Richards was heavily influenced by American Blues players. The Rolling Stones would not have been the same if the band members had not been exposed to that incredible music, which they blended with Rock and Roll to create a completely new and distinctive sound. Over the decades, Keith has paid tribute to the legendary Blues musicians who influenced him, but what was his opinion of artists from newer generations? He spoke about many of them, including the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. What is Keith Richards' opinion on Stevie Ray Vaughan Keith Richards didn't talk much about Stevie Ray Vaughan over the years, but when asked by Musician magazine in 1988 to rate some songs, he gave the guitarist a 7 out of 10. After hearing "Pride and Joy", he said: (dryly) Classic white-boy blues, very proficient. He's got a good voice and he can play guitar, but there's only so far you can take that. Of course, you could stick us on doing 'Black Limousine' and I could say the exact same thing. If you start talking choice of material, I'd give him a five, but sound-wise, it's fine. Make it a seven," he said. The track was featured on his classic album with Double Trouble, called: "Texas Flood", released in 1983. It is a rewritten version of the 1962 record "I Go Into Orbit" by Johnny Acey. SRV's version was released one year after he and Double Trouble had played a private special show for The Rolling Stones. Keith Richards was the one who recommended Stevie to David Bowie According to former David Bowie bassist Carmine Rojas, the late artist initially wanted the Blues legend Albert King to play on “Let’s Dance” (1983). When King was unavailable, Keith Richards was the one who recommended Stevie Ray Vaughan. “That was interesting because I’m a big Hendrix fan, and Stevie was like the best of both worlds. I remember Albert King being asked to do Let’s Dance, but he wasn’t available. (Then) Keith Richards turned David onto Stevie." "David always had interesting guys like Mick Ronson and Robert Fripp around. So it made sense to have a guy like Stevie who could add a twist. After meeting Stevie and hearing him play, I became a big advocate of Stevie in the studio. To me, he was the ultimate guy who pulled all that shit off, man. Nobody else could play like him," Carmine Rojas said. That record would go on to become Bowie’s best-selling album. It sold an estimated amount of more than 10 million copies worldwide. How The Rolling Stones discovered Stevie Ray Vaughan and asked him to play a private show for them Years before becoming one of the most famous and influential Blues musicians of the 1980s, Stevie Ray Vaughan had the chance to play a private show for The Rolling Stones. It all began when the manager Chesley Millikin was able to give Mick Jagger a videotape of Stevie performing. At the time, Jagger was shopping for a horse at Manor Downs and did not watch the tape right away. Later, when drummer Charlie Watts was at his house, he played the tape and was mesmerized by what he saw. "A few days later, in New York City, Charlie Watts popped the tape into a VCR at Mick’s house. Watts was floored by what he saw. Garbed in a white kimono decorated with bamboo leaves, a silver concho belt, and a black hat with a silver band, Stevie Ray Vaughan navigated the realms of the dirty and the low-down like no one Watts had heard in twenty years." He continued: "(...) Watts could tell that the young fellow had a few things to learn about presence, given the way he hung his head low, all shy and retiring, dripping sweat on his instrument as he worked through 'Dirty Pool.' (...) As Watts watched the tape of Stevie unstrapping his guitar and banging it against his Marshall amps, bringing the feedback up to a violent crescendo, he made a move for the telephone to call Chesley. 'When can we see the band in person?' he asked. 'How about four weeks?' Chesley said." "A party and showcase was arranged at the Danceteria, a trendy, late-night music club in midtown Manhattan. It would be a semiprivate audition for the Stones and their friends. Ostensibly to see if Stevie and his band were right for their record label, Rolling Stones Records," Joe Nick Patoski and Bill Crawford said in the book "Caught in the Crossfire". Mick Jagger was really impressed with their performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfjXp4KTTY8&pp=ygUXc3RldmllIHJheSB2YXVnaGFuIDE5ODI%3D Vaughan said that during the show there was someone jumping up and down as if he were playing along with the band. At first, he thought it was someone from Texas who probably already knew them. But after the show he realized it was actually Mick Jagger, who was extremely excited by their performance. The British singer appeared backstage later saying: “Bloody ’ell, I’ve peed in me pants. T may be vain’. According to the book, Stevie later laughed and said: “But I’ll take a little bit of credit for that.'" There were rumors they would be signed to the Stones’ label, but it never happened. Like most musicians from his generation, Stevie used to cover The Rolling Stones in the early days of his career. He also played songs by The Doors, The Beatles, The Kinks, Cream and The Byrds. One major difference between him and Keith was that, unlike the British artist, who discovered the Blues a bit later in life, Stevie was born in Texas, where his older brother Jimmie was already playing that kind of music.The post Keith Richards’ opinion on Stevie Ray Vaughan appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

A Paris court on Monday found ten people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron. The defendants were accused of spreading false information about Macron's gender and sexuality, including a conspiracy theory that she was born a man. Other comments contained false information alleging pedophilia, which the court labeled "particularly degrading, insulting and malicious." Those charged included eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65. Among the defendants are an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist, as well as two well-known bloggers. Some of them said in court that their comments were meant as a joke, adding they did not understand the reason behind them being prosecuted.

A Paris court on Monday found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, in the latest legal action sparked by false claims that she is a transgender woman who was born a man. The eight men and two women, aged between 41 and 60, had been accused of making malicious comments about Ms Macron's gender and sexuality, including equating the age difference between her and her husband with "paedophilia". The court said those claims were "particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious", and handed down penalties ranging from cyberbullying awareness training to suspended sentences, as well as, in one case, a six-month prison sentence.

A Paris court found Monday 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations she was born a man. One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were handed suspended sentences between four and eight months. All 10 were mandated to attend cyberbullying awareness training.

According to the largest (so far) meta-analysis ever done on handedness published in 2020, approximately 10.6% of the population is left-handed. Unfortunately, throughout parts of human history, the one in 10 who are lefties have been punished for it, with various superstitions and assumptions leading to vilification and discrimination. The scientific era saw a shift in social attitudes toward left-handedness, and we're now several generations into it being totally normal.Except that normalization hasn't solved all problems for our southpaw friends. While lefties may not be judged for the hand they use anymore, they still face challenges in a world built predominantly by and for right-handed people. So when someone asked left-handed people, "What struggles do you have that we may not know about?" thousands of people weighed in. from AskReddit Some of the answers weren't surprising, but a lot were genuine revelations, even for some left-handed people themselves. Here are some of the top answers:The ever-loosening broom handle"My broom handle wants to unscrew every time I use it! Now that I know it’s easier to watch out for. And yeah I tested it awkwardly using my right hand grip and did not have that issue!""Mind-blown. Been on this planet 4+ decades as a lefty and never put that puzzle together.""Me too! I’m always taping it up so it doesn’t unscrew, I had no idea it was due to using it with my left hand."Upside-down latte art"Extremely minor, but baristas always make latte art assuming that you're right handed, so it's always upside down for me. The most common latte art is a heart and it always looks like a butt if you're left handed." Latte art is a left-handed problem Giphy "Not minor at all. They get hearts, we get butts - our whole life. No wonder we're traumatized!""The latte art is upside down when I sip my coffee. Yes, it's as awful as it sounds."Bumping elbows at the dinner table"Sitting next to people at dinner table on your left side.""Two of my three kids are left-handed. We know our restaurant table setup by heart so as to not fight elbows. ?""When I traveled to Japan I was told it was expected for me to always sit on the tables end so I wouldn’t inconvenience anyone else.""My mother is a lefty and was always in charge of seating arrangements for dinners for this exact reason."Two words: Can opener"My first year of college was the first time I ever didn’t have an electric can opener. I had to ask my roommate to open cans, or spend thirty minutes just destroying the can to get my Spaghetti-O’s out.""F-ing can openers. My righty husband accidentally grabbed my lefty opener one day and was like 'is this how you feel all the time!?'" Ever try to use a can opener with your non-dominant hand? Photo credit: Canva"Oh my god my endless difficulty with can openers is a left-handed thing? There's a solution? I just thought I was terrible at opening cans.""Ring pull cans are the best invention ever for us lefties."One word: Scissors"Scissors. Nearly every pair of scissors I've used only chew on the paper when I try to cut. So I have to switch to my right hand and lose a fair amount of control.""The more ergonomic they are for righties, the more painful they are for lefties.""That is my friend's number one complaint. Every time he grabs a pair, he lets out a sigh and starts cutting with the precision of an elementary school kid."Ball-point pen pushing problems"Ball point pens literally don't work well when you're left-handed, and I'm not talking about smudging.A right handed person uses a pen by pulling it across the paper, which pulls the ball out of the pen slightly, letting ink flow. Left-handed people push the pen towards the paper (unless they hook their hands), which jams the ball into the pen and restricts the flow of ink. This not only makes the pen not work, it can also ruin the pen for future use." Left Handed Writing GIF by Pentel Nederland Giphy I threw away so many pens over the years. Growing up in a household of only left-handers, I just thought Ball point pens were a shit technology.""I’m 44 years old and you just blew my mind. I’ve always hated pens. I never thought it was because I was left handed.""YES! I'm right-handed, but we write from right to left in Arabic. So, your unusual problem in English is a common problem for us ?""Thank you for saying this one, every time I mention this people act like I’m crazy, and I have to be like, you just know this was only tested by right handed people, because it keeps skipping!"Piano part playing problems"If you’re learning to play pop/rock piano, your good hand is stuck playing the simple part of most songs and your inferior right hand has to play the harder part requiring more coordination.""Piano might be a huge reason why I’m more ambidextrous than a full leftie.""I’m currently learning piano and this is an issue for sure." More complex piano parts are usually played with the right hand.Photo credit: CanvaPower tool dangers"Power tools are annoying and downright dangerous. Chainsaws were already mentioned. Circular saws are the same way. Either try with your left hand and have sawdust thrown in your eyes or try it with a shaky right hand. Fortunately most of the tools with the side handle can go on either side, but I’ve seen my fair share that aren’t adjustable.""Yep. Recently managed to cut the cord of my hedge trimmer…. With the hedge trimmer.""I learned that I must operate tools with whatever hand is easier to reach to the point where I need it, across the workpiece, into some opening, whatever. When I use my left hand, not only is it the non-dominant one, the tools make it extra hard to operate them that way."Not all of these challenges have easy solutions, though there are now special products specifically made for lefties like left-handed scissors, can openers, power tools, and more. In fact, there are even entire stores now for left-handed items. There's truly never been a better time to be a lefty. Season 3 GIF by The Simpsons Giphy

Buying nothing may sound like a quirky gimmick, something an influencer would tease before asking you to pay for a very expensive course. While that would be ironic, the buy nothing trend is now turning into a full rebellion as people struggle with making ends meet in the new economy. There is no class to buy, and no real secret to making it work beyond what people have been doing for centuries.More people are turning to bartering services in exchange for things that they need, while others are turning to "Buy Nothing" groups on social media. The purpose of these groups is to give people a centralized place to list items they no longer want and request items they need. No money or services are exchanged.The practice of giving away items one person no longer needs is not new, but it is on the rise. Some people have declared they're not purchasing anything outside of necessities for the entire new year. For some buy nothing rebels, the move is strictly financial. They are looking for ways to save as much money as possible to offset rising costs in other areas, such as groceries and utilities. For others, refusing to buy unneeded items is a way to dial back consumerism. A cozy outdoor setup with a piggy bank and essentials.Photo credit: CanvaAs people spend more time online, interacting with targeted ads has become the norm. Someone searches for comfy socks once, only to spend the next three months scrolling past sock ads. It does not take long to start thinking you might actually need those memory foam, microfiber, astronaut-tested space socks that promise to make every step feel like walking on a cloud. Adding to the sudden sense of need, at least two celebrities, a personal friend, and several influencers are now telling you how great they are.Buy nothing rebels are not only feeling the strain on their wallets, but also the pressure to buy things they do not need, and they are tired of it. Amare, who hosts the YouTube channel Amare's Approach, shares how companies design ads to create a sense of missing out and push people to buy their products."You see, companies have been training us to chase this sense of not enough, and we fall for it again and again," Amare says. "We buy what we don't need, hoping to feel complete. Hoping to feel just anything, and that's exactly where the buy nothing rebellion starts. Noticing that trap, seeing the patterns, and then realizing that the desire itself is what they've been selling. We keep chasing thinking, maybe the next thing will make me happy, but it never does. The product is never the point. It's the craving, the desire that they're actually selling us."Throughout the video, Amare points out that people are tired of being perpetual consumers, a mindset that leads to excessive spending. Buy Nothing groups let people get items both large and small for free. Sometimes the items are as small as plants, like when Lauren Click found dying aloe plants in her local Buy Nothing group. Instead of seeing trash, she saw multiple gifts, she told Scripps News. She salvaged each living aloe pup, repotted them into smaller containers, wrapped each pot with a bow, and gave them away as gifts."This is mutual aid. We are taking care of each other by sharing the things that we might no longer need but it will make a world of difference to a nearby family," Liesl Clark, founder of the Buy Nothing Project, told TODAY. Clark started the original project as a social experiment to see if people would help their neighbors. It quickly grew into a global movement, with more than 8,000 groups worldwide on social media. There is now an app for people who do not use Facebook but still want to participate. People can turn to the group when they are in need, such as when a single mother ran out of special formula for her infant. No matter why someone joins the Buy Nothing Rebellion, it can help people in need, save money, and reduce textile waste entering the environment. According to Clark, it also helps people build community and get to know their neighbors.Buying nothing doesn't mean you won't spend money. Unfortunately, electric companies and doctors' offices do not trade old coffee pots for services, so spending on necessities is unavoidable. But if you're looking to reduce your overall spending, it can't hurt to join your local Buy Nothing group to see if someone is getting rid of the thing you need or want. Why spend the money if you don't have to?

Millions of Americans are currently embarking on their New Year's resolutions for 2026. According to a recent YouGov study, 31% of Americans report they made a New Year's resolution for 2026.But sticking to a New Year's resolution is no easy feat, with an estimated 88% of people giving up within the first two weeks of January. Though this is a discouraging thought, you don't have to succumb to this pitfall. In fact, the secret to successfully accomplishing your New Year's resolution may come from Chinese philosopher Confucius.Confucius, who lived from 551—479 BCE, was also a political theorist and teacher. He founded Confucianism, described as "sometimes viewed as a philosophy and sometimes as a religion, Confucianism may be understood as an all-encompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound human-centered religiousness," per Britannica. It is also the "social code of the Chinese and continues to influence other countries, particularly Korea, Japan, and Vietnam." - YouTube www.youtube.com Confucius' teachings have survived through manuscripts and writings, such as the Lunyu (Analects) (Analects), that continue to inspire people in modern times.Today, Confucius' sayings are still revered for their wisdom, especially when it comes to human character and self-improvement—the basis of many New Year's resolutions. One famous quote widely attributed to Confucius may be helpful in accomplishing your New Year's goals:"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."In a discussion on Reddit, one person shared how Confucius's quote helped inspire them to make new habits:"Everyday we have a new opportunity to create a better life for ourselves. One of the issues that has always plagued me in beginning a journey is starting at a single place," they wrote. "I always get so caught up in trying to do everything at once that instead of moving forward I bounce around, and end up in the same place." A statue of Confucius.Canva Photos They continued, "Confucius brings in the idea that to move a mountain we begin with the small stones. Whatever our goal is, creating a viable and workable plan that we can stick to beats any grand scheme. Because like reading, fitness, or any other form of activity hard work over time trumps momentary motivation. Developing the ability to take it one step at a time is often harder for me than putting all of my energy into trying to run before I walk."They concluded with an encouraging statement about how Confucius' quote has helped them not become overwhelmed with making changes: "Each day we have the opportunity to continue to move the small stones, and when we reach a big one using the will and discipline cultivated to break it apart into smaller stones." They closed saying, "Each day we have the ability to enjoy just the act of being alive. Each day we have a choice to meet our obstacles with a growth mindset instead of shrinking away." - YouTube www.youtube.com By starting with small, consistent actions, big changes can happen. Confucius' ancient wisdom may hold the secret to sticking to and nailing your resolutions this year.

A piece of musical history. The post The one singer Paul McCartney said would be remembered forever first appeared on Far Out Magazine.