These five figures, including Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein, were known for specific food rules and tastes—many of which are hard to believe.

Jesus of Birmingham - Jay Stevens

My dyslexia gets the better of me | Kerry Louise Stand-Up Comedy

We’re all vaguely aware that dark money funds our political system, but this week as I dug through the IRS filings of one donor group, I was shocked by just how much of the political right they fund, including news outlets.

Joy shows up in all kinds of unexpected places. Sometimes it’s simply the sound of someone’s laugh (we all have a friend who laughs like this, right?). Other times, something on the internet makes you feel joy, like this TIkTok of two high school kids who go out of their way to include their friend on the sidelines. Whatever it is, the internet has a knack for bringing these bright, heart-lifting moments up to the surface — which is lucky for all of us, because some days the news cycle can be anything but bright and bubbly. We all need tiny reminders of what it looks like when people feel joy and spread joy around to other people without hesitation which is why we’re here to highlight the five best examples of pure joy we’ve seen on the internet this week. Strap in — these will have you feeling extra joyful. 1. The surprise party  @jordyyhard men take notes!!! a year ago today and only 6 months until our wedding!!!! ??✨ #2026bride #engagement #proposal #couple #fypage ♬ all yourn - lyrics?? (taylors version) As if a proposal weren’t joyous enough, this guy takes his devotion to a whole other level (and has everyone in the comments section emotional in the process). TikTok creator @jordyyhard revealed that after asking for her hand in marriage, her now-fiancee also took the time to plan a surprise party at their favorite restaurant with all their friends and family invited to congratulate them. What a keeper. Also, why is my screen blurry every time I watch this video? (Spoiler: I’m crying.) 2. The sweetest wedding dress reveal  @destineytaylorr if your best friend doesn’t cry when she walks in and sees you in a wedding dress.. is she even your best friend?? don’t worry, i didn’t pick this one. #bestfriend #weddingdress #crying #2026bride ♬ original sound - dessy333 If your best friend doesn’t start immediately sobbing when she sees you in your wedding dress, do you even have a best friend? In this video posted by TikTok creator @destineytaylorr, her best friend is shown crying joyful tears and leaving the room immediately after seeing her bestie all gowned up for her big day. The fact that they’re both crying and laughing just makes it even more joyful. The bride is happy, the friend is happy, and we can’t help being happy for both of them. Total happiness overload and we love to see it. 3. Chloe's smileTalk about joyful: When Chloe smiles, she has the ability to light up the entire room. But what makes her smile truly extraordinary is knowing everything it took to get there. Since being adopted from China at age 4, Chloe has received surgeries, speech therapy, and dental care to treat cleft lip and palate — a facial condition that can make eating, speaking, and even smiling a challenge. This kind of long-term, specialty care can be overwhelming for families — but thanks to Shriners Children’sTM , Chloe has been able to receive expert medical care and compassionate support in every area of her life. Today, she eats with ease, speaks clearly, and shares her smile with everyone around her.4. Swing dancing! @corinne.chanteuse Replying to @Lou thank you ? #pulsedanceshoes #doyouloveme @funcychaos #lindyhoppers #swing @Pulse Dance Shoes ♬ Do You Love Me - Mono Single - The Contours No, we don’t know the context of this video. We don’t know why this couple is dancing, and frankly, we don’t really care. All we know is that this song, combined with this girl’s joyful dance moves have us watching the entire thing on a loop. Not only does this couple make swing dancing look easy, you can tell they are having the most fun (and they’re moving so effortlessly they make it seem easy). More of this, please, internet!5. Coat day @shanelledenisecamp I know you couldn’t see him in the first clip. Here is another angle ? ♬ original sound - Shanelle De'nise Cam If we could bottle the pure joy and love in this video, it would cure seasonal depression. Long story short, a private school in Atlanta called Ron Clark Academy (RCA) has special “coat days” to celebrate students’ achievements. Students who have shown hard work and character are eligible to be awarded an RCA jacket—but they don’t just give these things to anybody. Students also have to write an essay and be voted on by the staff. In this video, when one exceptional young man is awarded a jacket, the entire auditorium EXPLODES in congratulations. Watching the celebration takes more than one TikTok video, because it just doesn’t end — the administrators, the teachers, and the students just give him an endless supply of hugs and support. Have you ever seen more joy in one room? We doubt it.Shriners Children’s helps children heal and thrive so they can chase their dreams. Learn more about how they’re making it possible and share this article to inspire others to join you. Shriners Children’s relies on generous donors to make a difference.Donate today during the 3X Match Challenge to make 3X the life-changing impact for patients.

Kids listen to everything their parents say, even when their parents aren't talking to them. You don't have to be a parent to witness or experience this adorable and sometimes hilarious parroting. A toddler repeating a swear word in their tiny baby voice will almost always fill a room with laughter and a little embarrassment for the parent. Truly, they'll say and repeat anything, even things they don't remotely understand! It's incredibly entertaining.It's how kids learn about the world around them because parents are their first teachers, even when they're not attempting to be. Kids are always watching, always soaking things up like hilarious little sponges. But there are some things that you don't quite expect kids to pick up on until a little later in life, so it may catch you a little off guard.Tasha Mahachi, a mom of a 3-year-old little girl, Sanaa, found herself slightly confused when her daughter exclaimed that she needed a husband. No, she wasn't saying the mom needs a husband, she already has one. Little Sanaa wanted her own husband.After overhearing Mahachi refer to the little girl's dad as her husband while speaking to someone else, Sanaa decided she just had to have her own husband. - YouTube www.youtube.com As baffling as it sounds to adults, experts say this kind of moment is completely normal. Between the ages of 2 and 4, children start experimenting with the social roles and labels they hear adults use—often without fully understanding their meanings. Psychologists note that children this age are especially drawn to “important” words like “mom,” “dad,” “husband,” or “wife” because they associate them with closeness, safety, and attention, rather than romance or marriage.Mahachi shared the adorable interaction on her social media page, where it racked up over 350k views. In the video, Sanaa is seen stamping her foot, clearly a bit annoyed on repeating the question. Her frustration grows after her mom breaks the news that the little girl doesn't have a husband. Poor mom does her best to explain to an emotionally irrational 3-year-old that this is impossible."I want a husband," Sanaa whines while stomping her feet before Mahachi asks what kind of husband the preschooler wants. That's when she reveals the difficult order, "a pink husband." Yes, Sanaa wants a pink husband. It's really not too much to ask when you think about it...when you're three.Waiting GIFfrom Waiting GIFs To be clear, Sanaa doesn't want a wedding or to play dress up as a bride. She just wants the husband part. If her dad is a husband, then all she knows is that she wants one just like that.But the problem really comes into play once Sanaa stops having a small tantrum long enough for mom to inform her that if she wants a husband, she will have to go find one outside. Sounds reasonable, right? Won't find a husband sitting around the house. But Sanaa doesn't seem to like that advice."I not going outside," she says while pleading her case, "it's dark."Not going outside would be a bit of a barrier to finding a husband, and you can see the little wheels turning in Sanaa's head as she works out how she will collect a pink husband. So, she does what any three-year-old would do who wants to go outside, she asks her mom to come with her. Again, she's thwarted when Mahachi breaks the news that moms and dads don't go outside to help find husbands. The pair has reached an impasse.Viewers couldn't get enough of the amusing interaction, and some could relate to the girl's dilemma. @tashamahachi She heard me calling her dad my husband and suddenly she’s desperate to get herself one too? #toddlersbelike #toddlerconversations #sanaaandmummy ♬ original sound - tashamahachi "Ma’am go on Amazon and order her a pink husband right neowww," someone joked in the comments."We can all relate. To wanting a husband, to not wanting to go outside to find him, to being scared, oh baby we get it," another laughs."This is what a convo between me and God sound like praying for a husband meanwhile I’m scared to meet new people, I don’t go out and i always take my best friend everywhere," one person confesses."I’ve never related more to a toddler. Cuz sis I’m also scared & do not want to go outside & also want a husband RN [right now]," another commenter chimes in."It's okay kiddo. I don't want to leave the house to find one by myself either. It's scary," someone else proclaims."All introverts, let's gather here. We want a partner but we ain't going outside," added another.Another astute comment noted that this video will be absolutely perfect if and when Sanaa decides to get married (when she's much older). There won't be a dry eye in the house when this clip comes up in the video montage one day!The whole thing is so impossibly sweet. Mom and Dad should take it as a huge compliment that Sanaa sees their marriage and relationship as a positive thing that she wants one day (or, more accurately, now). Of course, Sanaa isn't thinking about it in terms so deep. She just knows if Mom has a husband, she wants one, too. But it sure has to make her dad feel pretty good about himself. Even if Sanaa isn't willing to venture outside to go look for one.Until then, Sanaa isn't alone. Plenty of people want a husband to find them without ever having to leave the house to interact with others. Maybe ordering a pink husband online doesn't sound so silly after all.This article originally appeared in January. It has been updated.

In early 2024, Shannyn Weiler, a Utah-based interior designer, sparked quite a debate on TikTok after urging people to exercise caution when displaying family photos in their homes. The discussion started a debate over whether a home should be decorated for visitors or the family itself, and if having a “shrine” dedicated to family members is tasteful.The video began with a stitch from a designer passionately saying that one should “never" display “personal photos” in the living room. “So family photos can become a problem when they become what I refer to as 'the shrine,'” Weiler begins the video. She shared an example from her life to illustrate why family photos should be hung judiciously.“I got married when I was 21,” she shares. “We were both in school, absolutely broke, we had $50 to buy a couch, so imagine what type of couch that was. We went to go decorate our first apartment and lo and behold, there’s no money for decoration. So we do what most newlyweds do, we use our wedding photos, because we’re so cute and we’re so in love and we just love our wedding day. Everywhere in our apartment was wedding photos…it felt like what I call ‘the shrine.’”“It’s very real. This also happens if you have one baby, and you might have baby photos taken and it’s the shrine to the one kid,” she continues. “This also happens if you have one grandkid." @shannynweiler Interior design art tips Art decor interior design Interior design 2024 art prints Interior design art trends 2024 interior design trends #hometips #homedecor #wallart #decortips #walldecor #interiordesign Weiler believes that people should hang artwork or photography about more than one subject. “They can’t just be on every wall with one subject,” she says. “We need to mix it up. There needs to be a mirror in the space. We need some Etsy art prints or something like that. We just need to mix it together to get rid of that shrine feel.”The post bothered many who love having pictures of their family around the house. The vast majority of commenters were people who love having family photos strewn about their homes. "The house is for us not company," Sarah Murdock, the most popular commenter, wrote. "I’d rather have pics of my kids and our life up than prints of random flowers and art," another added."I grew up in an interior design magazine and HATED that my mom never displayed any photos of my family. Felt like she cared more about material things," someone wrote. Wall art.Canva PhotosOthers noted that people decorate their homes for themselves, not for guests. "OR we do what we want with the homes WE live in, not guests," someone wrote. "I like myself, I don't have a problem seeing myself everywhere. After all, I paid the bills," another added.Some people agreed with the interior decorator and said that having too many family photos in a house looks tacky."YES. Photographs of ourselves in my own house feel so weird to me. Narcissistic kind of," one wrote. "I don't have a single photo of a person in my house. I think they look tacky," another agreed. "One friend's house comes to mind for me, it was tacky (for me) to see nothing but wedding pics. Like, do you have other interests? Just my opinion but also, they’re divorced now. Mixing in art helps," someone else added. Gif of changing wall art.Giphy. Even though the post received a pretty sizable backlash, Weiler’s opinion is widely accepted in design circles. In a recent article for House Beautiful, writer Lesley Rotchford shares that, "There's an old rule that says you should only hang photos in personal spaces." She then quotes Boston-based interior designer Liz Caan, who shared, "I tend to not hang family photos in public spaces like living rooms, foyers, or dining rooms." Instead, Caan opts for less overt spaces like "a hallway between bedrooms, in a second-floor office, or in the bedroom." Woman's lifestyle blogger, Joanna Goddard, asked her Cup of Jo readers if iit was tacky to hang family photos in the living room, and she received similar responses to Weiler. Some were passionately for it, while others were passionately against it."I have always felt like it was bragging to have family pictures in the 'public' areas of my home. However, in the bedrooms I have nice family pictures. If someone is close enough to me to be in the bedrooms they probably know my family. It certainly isn’t that I’m not proud of each and every one of them, just a pride that I don’t care to display to casual acquaintances," one commenter wrote. "I think people should be able to have whatever they want in their homes. I have family photos throughout my house and don’t care if it’s trendy or acceptable. My house my choice! Do what you want in your house," another added. After her thoughts on family photos went viral, Weiler posted a follow-up video where she shared an example of a student changing their mind about home decor.“Sometimes in design, we hear the design ideas and go, 'Mmm nope, that's not for me.' Sometimes, we try those ideas and we still say, 'Nope, that's not for me.' But occasionally we try things and we go, 'Okay, I do kind of like that,’” Weiler concluded her video. @shannynweiler reply to @Shannyn #homedecor #interiordesign #hometips #interiordesigntrends2024 #wall art Of course, at the end of the day, your home is your space and you're allowed to decorate it however you want. Perhaps in this situation (like most in life), the best course of action is moderation. A mix of Etsy art prints and beloved family photos on a gallery wall in the living room or bedroom might be the perfect subtle decor you're looking for. This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

It seems like only yesterday a millennial was a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, have hit their 40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves. The good news is that at 40, there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up, who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 “what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?” and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger. A woan upset at work. via Canva/PhotosThey also realized that the carefree days of youth are fleeting and impossible to get back. So they should have spent less time working and more time enjoying themselves. Many also lamented that they should have taken their education more seriously in their 20s so they have more opportunities now. The thread is an excellent reminder of how fast time flies. Time goes slowly until you hit 20, then it starts to ramp up, and by 40, you feel like you never had enough time to get things right. Well, things aren't going to get any slower, so if things aren't going great, it's time to kick things into high gear. The responses to this thread are bittersweet. It's tough hearing people come to grips with their regrets, but the realizations are also opportunities to grow. Acceptance is the first step in creating lasting change. Hopefully, some younger people will read this thread and take the advice to heart.Here are 21 of the most powerful responses to the question: “Millennials of Reddit now nearing your 40s, what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?”1."Not taking care of my hearing, not even 35 and going deaf." — Kusanagi88112."Not getting healthy earlier." — zombiearchivist3."Staying too long at a job in my 20s, just because it was safe and easy. When I finally got the motivation to leave, ended up with an almost 50% pay boost." — Hrekires4."Thinking that I could and should put myself on the back burner for anything and anyone else." — lenalilly2275."Smoking and not dealing with my shit the right way." — Allenrw36."Pining after the wrong person." — runikepisteme7."I turned 40 this year and just started liking who I am. Why the fuck did it take 40 years for self acceptance?" — guscallee8.Take care of your fucking back. Lift with your knees. Sure it's rad when you grab a fridge by yourself and lift it in the back of a moving truck unaided, but one day that shit is going to have consequences that won't just magically go away by resting and "taking it easy" for a week." — GuyTallman9."I wish I spent more time with my dad while I had the chance." — CharlieChooper10."I'm 37. I absolutely could have taken better care of my body, but I'm in relatively good health. I'm starting to realize how important it is to maintain my health. I do also think I drank far too much in my 20 and early 30's. I'm trying to rectify that now, but it's hard. So that I guess." — dartastic11."I'm not sure if people have experienced the same but when I entered my 30s I became convinced I was rapidly running out of time. Rather than using that as motivation I let it paralyze me with indecision because I "couldn't afford to make the wrong choice." Consequently, I'm now 39 and, though I've had great things happen in my 30s, I regret spending so much time worrying and so little time committing to a course of action." — tomwaste12."Work to live, don’t live to work. You have half your working life after you turn 40 but only 20-25 years to really live it up before the responsibilities become heavy and your joints start to ache. Live life. Really LIVE it. Experience as much you can. Every sensation, sight, sound, touch. Be open. Be brave. Live your first few decades in the fast lane. You have the rest of your life to take it easy, when you have no choice." — MrDundee66613."I should have paid more attention to my parents telling me to save money and less attention when they were teaching me about purity culture." — Arkie_MTB14."If I could tell my 18 year old self one thing, it would be to save 10% of every paycheck I ever got." — PutAForkInHim15."Thinking that I have time to do everything I want only to find myself loosing time, and the endless energy I used to have in order to purse them." — ezZiioFTW16.Not wearing sunscreen." — blueboxreddress17."Not recognizing the importance of work/life balance earlier in life. My late teens, all 20's, and early 30's were spent pulling 60-100+hr weeks because I thought it was what was required to succeed. How wrong I was. Others stabbed me in the back and reaped the reward.1.) Putting work first for too long. Work is my #1 priority during work hours now. After quitting time, I don't think about it (much) anymore. I don't vent to my wife or friends about it anymore either.2.) Investing more into fast cars than solid long-term investments. Sure, it was fun, but I could have made bookoos more had I put that towards less-fun investments.3.) Not using PTO and just waiting for the payout. All those years, missed. I'm in my mid 30's and I didn't actually have a real vacation until 3 years ago.4.) Not realizing that "the good guy" often loses. Just because you're morally justified doesn't mean you're going to win. Just because there's a number to call doesn't mean anyone will actually help you. Just because "law" exists, doesn't mean people follow it, enforce it, or create justice. The world is dog-eat-dog, and cynicism can be healthy in moderate doses." — [Deleted]18."When you get out of college, keep your friends. No matter how hard it is. Hold on to them." — mpssss2219."I imagine these are kinda universal:Not getting fit and healthyAssuming I'd be offered proper guidance on how to achieve my goalsAssuming higher education would help me achieve my goalsSpending far too long caring what people thinkNot taking risks that might better my life when I was younger and had nothing to loseStaying in relationships too long after they were clearly done." — katapultperson20."Always ask for more pay. Starting, yearly, before leaving, whatever. Get that money." — SensibleReply21."Spending too much time in front of a screen and not enough enjoying life." — BellaPadella This article originally appeared two years ago.