On December 10‚ Royal Caribbeans Serenade of the Seas set sail on the Ultimate World Cruisea 274-day global trek that visits 11 world wonders and over 60 countries. This incredible trip covers the Americas‚ Asia Pacific‚ Middle East‚ Mediterranean and Europe with a ticket price that ranges from $53‚999 to $117‚599 per passenger.Aboard the Serenade to the Seas is popular TikToker Marc Sebastian‚ who has been sharing his experience on the platform.In a recent video with over 4.3 million views‚ he revealed what hes learned over his first few weeks aboard the ship; the biggest was the one word youre not allowed to say: Titanic.Who knew that? I didnt‚ Sebastian said. I brought it up to an entire room of people having lunch that our ship is only 100 feet longer than the Titanic when I tell you that utensils dropped. Waiters gasped. Its dead silent.@marcsebastianfsomeone get whoopi on the line girl i have some goss for her #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruise #serenadeoftheseas #cruisetok #cruise #9monthcruise #titanicAfter the unexpected reaction‚ his cruise friend told him‚ Youre not allowed to talk about the Titanic. It makes sense. Who wants to be reminded of the tragedy that killed around 1‚500 people while sinking one of the most impressive engineering feats of the era? ";When I went on a cruise‚ my mom told me saying Titanic was equivalent to screaming bomb at an airport‚"; Mikayla wrote in the comments.Later in the video‚ Sebastian admits he was surprised to learn that cruise ships have godmothers and that the pools are filled with seawater.This article originally appeared on 1.25.24

Childless women in the public eye are often plagued by the question: So‚ why dont you have any children? Its a deeply personal question that cuts right to the bone‚ and there can be many answers. But‚ if the woman doesnt want children and says so publicly‚ she is bound to face some judgment.";[I don';t] like [the pressure] that people put on me‚ on womenthat you';ve failed yourself as a female because you haven';t procreated. I don';t think it';s fair‚"; Jennifer Aniston told Allure. ";You may not have a child come out of your vagina‚ but that doesn';t mean you aren';t motheringdogs‚ friends‚ friends'; children.";On the Monday‚ March 6 episode of The Diary Of A CEO podcast‚ host Steven Bartlett asked actor Seth Rogen about why hes childless‚ and it was a rare moment where a man in the public eye was challenged on the topic. Rogen gave a thoughtful explanation for his and Lauren Millers decision to be child-free.Rogen and Miller were married in 2011.There';s a whole huge thing I';m not doing‚ which is raising children‚ Rogen told Bartlett. The host attempted to play devils advocate and asked Rogen if he considered whether having children might have made him and his wife happier.I don';t think it would‚ Rogen responded.Then‚ as if anticipating the question‚ the Pineapple Express star upended one of the arguments that people who have children often make: that people who dont have children have no idea what its like.I';ve been around obviously a lot of children; I';m not ignorant to what its likeEveryone I know has kids. I';m 40‚ you know? I know‚ Rogen said. Some of my friends have had kids for decades. Some people want kids‚ some people don';t want kids.He added that many people seem to have kids without considering the issue.I mean‚ a lot of people have kids before they even think about it‚ from what I';ve seen‚ honestly‚ he said. You just are told‚ you go through life‚ you get married‚ you have kidsits what happens.Rogen and his wife have only grown stronger in their decision and they believe that it has helped their relationship.Now‚ more than anything‚ the conversation is like‚ Honestly‚ thank God we dont have children‚ he continued. We get to do whatever we want.We are in the prime of our lives. We are smarter than we';ve ever been‚ we understand ourselves more than we ever have‚ we have the capacity to achieve a level of work and a level of communication and care for one another‚ and a lifestyle we can live with one another that we';ve never been able to live before. And we can just do that‚ and we don';t have to raise a childwhich the world does not need right now‚ Rogen concluded.Everyone has the right to choose whether or not to have children‚ and no one has the right to judge them. Rogen and Miller have thought their decision through and should be applauded for living how they see fit. Its cool to see Rogen with such a thoughtful opinion on the matter. Itd be even cooler if celebrities never had to discuss the topic in the first place.This article originally appeared on 3.9.23

Eighteen year old Samantha Frye has traded college life for entrepreneurship‚ and she has no regrets. Frye began working at Rosalie';s Restaurant in Strasburg‚ Ohio at 16 as a dishwasher‚ working up the ranks as a kitchen prep‚ server‚ then line cook. All while working a second job‚ sometimes third job.After graduating high school‚ Frye started college at Ohio State with plans of studying business or environmental engineering. But when she came back to work a shift at Rosalies for winter break‚ an opportunity arosethe owners had planned to sell the restaurant.";I was thinking that maybe [buying] was something I wanted to do‚"; she told News 5 Cleveland. ";I had savings because I was saving for college‚ so I had quite a bit of money saved away. And I was like‚ I could possibly do this.";Frye acted on that gut feeling‚ and used her college funds to buy Rosalies. Now she spends every day at her new business‚ either in the kitchen‚ on the floor or in the office meeting with sales reps. This Ohio diner is under new ownership: an 18-year-old who started out as a dishwasher and is carrying on a legacy of the past. https://t.co/7VShD0O6n0 USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 13‚ 2023 Though Fyre';s mother‚ Brandi Beitzel‚ confessed to USA Today that she wasnt initially on board with her daughter abandoning college plans‚ over time she became very proud of her for forging her own path‚ and applauded her drive and ambition.That sentiment is echoed both by Rosalies regulars and staff‚ who are amazing at the young womans drive and confidence. I just really think she';s a great example of a young lady that is following her dreams and doing what she loves‚ said Leanna Gardner‚ an employee.Its no secret that there are significantly less students attending collegedown by about a million since the start of the pandemic. And while there are no doubt potential long term collective consequences to that‚ with exorbitantly high student loan rates‚ its easy to see why young adults would avoid massive debt for careers that dont require a college degree. Luckily‚ there are more efforts to make college an affordable option being made nationwide‚ like offering a free two years worth of college to graduating students. And as Frye is proving by examplenot going to college is certainly not a death sentence for ones future. There are many ways to plant seeds for success. Honestly‚ college or no college‚ no matter which path is taken‚ there will likely be more uncertainty than there are guarantees. Perhaps the best bet then is trust those pings of intuition.";You don';t need college to make a decent living‚ and I think that';s what a lot of people think nowadays‚"; Frye attests. ";Follow your instinct‚ honestly. If it feels right‚ just do it.";This article originally appeared on 5.22.23

If you';re looking for a reminder of the good in people‚ we';ve got some sweet evidence for you.Madison Mealy and her husband Blake recently moved to a rural area in the Blue Ridge Mountains and are new to country living. Mealy shared a video on TikTok showing her husband mowing the lawn with their baby in a backpack. Cute‚ right? The only problem is they have a humongous lawn and her husband was mowing it with the teeniest push mower. To be fair‚ if you';ve never had a big lawn‚ you may not realize how long it takes to mow and that not all lawn mowers are created equal. (They make riding lawn mowers for a reason‚ and it';s not because of laziness.) Mealy shared her amusement at having sent her husband out to buy a mower and seeing him come back with the tiny mower. It was going to take him hours to mow their grass. But after she took a shower and went back to check on his progress‚ what she found was so heartwarming. Not one‚ not two‚ but several strangerspresumably neighborshad seen Blake trying to tackle their acreage with a subpar mower‚ and they showed up to help. ";We don';t know any of these people‚"; Mealy wrote. Watch: See on Instagram";Reminder: there';s a lot of good left in this world‚"; wrote Mealy. It';s true. Helping without being asked. Showing up when you see a need. Taking a burden off of someone';s back without expecting anything in return. There are instances of pure human kindness like this all around us‚ every day‚ even if they';re not right in front of our faces. We have plenty of viral examples of people at their worst‚ so it';s important that we share humanity at its best. And if you';re tempted to think that the former is the norm while goodness is the exception‚ don';t. Studies show that most people are honest‚ generous and helpful. As Mealy said‚ ";People are so good."; We just need beautiful reminders like this on occasion. Thanks for providing one of those reminders‚ Mealy family. (Now go get yourselves a proper mower.) This article originally appeared on 06.17.22

When Michael Todd started his freshman year at MLK prep school in Memphis‚ Tennessee two years ago‚ he only had one outfit to wear to school. High school kids can be incredibly cruel and Michael was mocked for three weeks for wearing the same clothes every day.";I really don';t have clothes at home‚"; he told KTVI. ";My mom can';t buy clothes for me because I';m growing too fast.";Kristopher Graham‚ a football player at MLK Prep‚ thought the bullying had gone too far and wanted to do something to help. ";When I saw people laugh at him and bully him‚ I felt like I needed to do something‚"; Kristopher said. He texted his friend Antwan Garrett asking for help.The next day‚ Michael was taken out of third period and when he stepped out of the classroom he was approached by Kristopher and Antwan. He froze with nervousness when he saw the two football players stopped him by the lockers.Football players give student clothes";I want to apologize to you for laughing at you and I want to give you something to make it up‚"; Kristopher told Michael. The football players handed Michael a gift‚ bags full of shirts‚ shorts‚ and shoes.Michael couldn';t believe the football players'; kindness.";I';ve been bullied my entire life."; But getting the gift was ";awesome‚"; he said according to USA Today. ";The best day of my entire life‚ basically.";Video of the gift exchange went viral and has been seen millions of times. A few weeks later‚ the three teenagers were invited to appear on ";The Ellen DeGeneres Show"; where they were greeted by Will Smith who gave them $10‚000 each.Antwan plans to use the money for trade school to become a diesel engine mechanic and Kristopher wants to invest his portion.Antwan helped Michael because he understood what he was going through.";We weren';t expecting the video to go viral. We just wanted to make a change‚"; Antwan said according to Commercial Appeal. ";I know how it feel not to have nothin';. I don';t have much‚ but it made me feel better by seeing somebody else have. I haven';t had like the best of life. Everybody struggles.";";My life has changed from sleeping in a house without no lights. With what is going on the outside affected me in school‚"; Antwan added. ";I didn';t want to be in school. I wanted to help Michael and make him happy and it made me happy.";The good deed was also commemorated by the Memphis City Council who honored the teens with a resolution and a round of applause.Kristopher and Antwan are wonderful examples of what can happen when teens are taught that they have a responsibility to one another. While countless kids mocked Michael for something well beyond his control‚ they saw his plight as an opportunity to drastically change his life by taking action.Just imagine if everyone saw others'; misfortune as an opportunity to help instead of judge.This article originally appeared on 07.10.21

You wear extra chunky sweaters. You';ve never met a mitten you didn';t like. You may even keep a lap blanket at work. You';re one of those people who is always cold. And you are not alone. (@) Inside or outside‚ you just can';t seem to get warm. This characteristic of yours manifests itself in extra blankets‚ wild heating bills‚ and enough complaints that you start going hoarse. But surely there';s a scientific reason as to why some people are always cold‚ right?It can';t just be random chance that has doomed you to a life of perpetual shivers. I reached out to an expert to learn more.Dr. Christopher Minson is a professor in the department of human physiology at the University of Oregon. One of his primary research interests is thermoregulation‚ that';s how the brain and body interact and adapt as we heat and cool. Plainly put‚ he is the perfect guy to answer a few questions from #TeamCold.(This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)Upworthy (UP): So what is actually happening in the body when a person gets chilly?Dr. Chris Minson (CM): In the simplest of terms‚ feeling either cold or warm means that the temperature set point"; of the body is being challenged by thermal inputs throughout the body‚ including in the brain‚ the blood‚ the spinal cord‚ our organs‚ our muscles‚ and our skin. Part of our brain collects all of those thermal inputs and essentially compares them to what body temperature it wants to hold. So if your skin temperature is lowered‚ even though the rest of your body is still at a comfortable set-point‚ you will feel cold in some cases‚ cold enough to make behavioral changes like putting on a sweater.UP: Is there a reason this seems to largely impact women?CM: The people who feel always cold"; will typically have lower muscle mass relative to body surface area (typically‚ women and older people). Their actual body core temperature may not really be below normal‚ but they feel cold because their body is telling them to conserve heat.There have also been limited reports that women have a higher density of blood vessels at the skin surface‚ which would make them more sensitive to cold. However‚ there hasn';t been enough good data collected on this theory to confirm or disprove it.This also explains a frequent frustrations about women and men in relationships...CM: A common complaint by women and men in relationships is that women';s feet are often very cold‚ especially in bed. That goes along with the lower body mass to surface area relationship in women. As their body works to conserve heat‚ it vasoconstricts blood vessels in the extremities (hands and feet) to keep the core warm. This reduced blood flow results in cold hands and feet in women more than men.So there you have it: Your brain is simply an overworked project manager trying to keep you alive. But there are a few things you can do about it.UP: If you are a person who is always cold‚ is there anything you can do to ";retrain"; your body‚ so to speak?CM: One of the best things someone can do is to increase their fat-free mass (muscle). This will increase overall metabolic rate (although it';s not easy to do.)Another thing a person could do is undergo cold-stresses‚ such as allowing themselves to be exposed to very cold temperatures for short periods of time. It sounds counter-intuitive‚ but it';s been suggested that this could decrease the sensation of feeling cold. An example is putting the shower on ';cold'; for a short period of time in the shower. Not easy to do‚ and you would want to build up to a full minute each day‚ but in some people it can help them to decrease the feeling of being cold.UP: There are a lot of jokes at the expense of people who are always cold‚ but at what point does it go from ";I';m always cold‚ and it';s a quirky thing about me"; to ";I';m always cold and I should probably see my doctor";?CM: There is the possibility that someone';s perpetual coldness could be caused by abnormally low thyroid hormone levels‚ and that can be verified with a blood test. That is by far the rarer condition‚ but taking hormone supplements if medically needed can help. If a person is quite lethargic‚ has low motivation‚ and is always cold‚ it might be worth having thyroid hormones evaluated.So if you are a lap-blanket wearing member of #TeamCold‚ don';t fret.You are strong. You are capable. And unless you have pain or some of the symptoms Minson mentioned‚ there is likely nothing wrong with you. Our bodies just require different things of us‚ and yours requires that you have to deal with an overly-air conditioned-society. My sincerest apologies. On behalf of #TeamHot‚ your next cocoa is on me.This article originally appeared on 02.13.18

Dads are ridiculous. But perhaps‚ in the world today‚ there is no dad quite so ridiculous as Rob Lopez: Photo via Rob Lopez/YouTube.On a morning not too long ago‚ Lopez apparently had the following thought: ";I';m going to dress up as Darth Vader and wake up my 2-year-old."; Photo via Rob Lopez/YouTube.Clearly‚ the correct follow-up thought is‚ ";No. That';s silly. Why would I ever wake up a 2-year-old. Like‚ on purpose.";But not for Rob Lopez. Oh‚ no.After suiting up......and receiving the mission critical sign-off from his wife.He grabbed his lightsaber and gave it a go. The results ... pretty much speak for themselves (fast-forward to 1:05 for the main event).There are a couple of things about Lopez';s son';s reaction that we should talk about.(First‚ this child is objectively the hardest core human on the face of planet Earth right now.)He grabs the lightsaber he keeps next to his bed (just in case) and it';s game on‚ Dark Lord of the Sith. Game. On.Think about how you would feel‚ as an adult person‚ in complete control of your faculties‚ with a firm grasp on the difference between fiction and reality‚ being aggressively prodded awake by a six-foot-tall man in a full-body Darth Vader mech-suit complete with voice modulator and terrifyingly heavy breathing.Think about how loud you would scream and the volume of pee you would pee into your pants.Meanwhile‚ this toddler who is probably no more than three feet tall‚ groggy and vulnerable‚ with no cognitive ability to discern this is not the real Darth Vader didn';t even think twice about taking him on.Perhaps the most impressive part? At a mere 2 years of age‚ he';s already learned‚ perhaps‚ the single greatest lesson of ";Star Wars.";You don';t defeat the dark side with mad lightsaber skills (although they are fun to show off).You defeat it with compassion. ...which‚ in this kid';s case‚ involves casually grabbing a book and asking Darth Vader to read him a story.Empathy for Siths with an assist from curiosity and literacy: That';s a lesson we could all use.This article originally appeared on 05.06.16

There are no two human beings who are exactly alike. One of the funny quirks of evolution is that some of us can do things with our bodies we think are routine‚ but are impossible for others.Some people can wiggle their ears‚ others can';t. Some can wiggle their nose like Samantha from ";Bewitched"; while others just look really silly when making an attempt.Not everyone can lick their elbow but most wouldn';t attempt to do so in public.A Twitter user named Massimo dropped some knowledge about a skill that not everyone has and even fewer discuss: ear rumbling.Those of us who can do it know exactly what it is‚ while it';s a mystery to those who cannot.A part of the human population can voluntarily control the tensor tympani‚ a muscle within the ear. Contracting this muscle produces vibration and sound. The sound is usually described as a rumbling sound https://bit.ly/2Clijef\u00a0pic.twitter.com/ianKb60EK8 Massimo (@Massimo) 1581957023People who can ear rumble have the ability to control the tensor tympani‚ a muscle within the ear. Contracting the muscle creates a rushing‚ rumbling sound that‚ if flexed enough‚ can drown out a significant amount of noise.This can be useful when someone is saying something that you don';t want to hear but don';t want to be rude and cover your ears. It can come in real handy if someone is about to spoil your favorite TV show or if you live with someone who can';t stop nagging.Some people cannot voluntarily create the rumbling sound but hear it when they let out a large yawn.There';s a Reddit sub-forum just for ear rumblers with over 60‚000 people. Here';s how some of them get rumblin';.";I just squeeze the muscle in my ears I guess‚"; melvinthefish";When I flex and hold whatever I';m manipulating to do that‚ I get my rumble‚"; ttywzl";I get a mild rumble just doing the usual flex‚ but i can make it a bit louder by bringing my top lip up to my nose‚"; Willmono7";The best way I can describe it is I ';squint my ears‚';"; SteeleITThe muscle exists to mask-low frequency sounds so we can focus on those at a higher frequency. It also works to mute sounds we create ourselves such as eating potato chips or coughing. It';s a way that helps us from becoming annoyed with our own bodies.Unfortunately‚ the muscle has a rather slow reaction time so it cannot prevent us from hearing loud sudden noises like a gunshot or a book slamming on the ground.Massimo';s tweet caused quite a stir on the platform.Been able to do that forever and wiggle my ears independently. Regrettably It doesnt attract women and I cant make money from it. Sad face. Simon the Smith 3.5% (@Simstersnose) February 17‚ 2020 To me it sounds like when theres a big thunderstorm and the thunder is just lowly rolling around in the sky forever with only tiny flashes of lightning that dont leave the clouds shmily (@turtlelaughing) February 18‚ 2020 Quick! We need a Venn Diagram to show people who can do this‚ people who have internal monologues‚ people who have synaesthesia‚ and people with any other weird ";I thought everyone did this"; stuff. Marian Matta writes (among other things) (@MadWomansKnitti) February 18‚ 2020 Although scientists have known about ear rumbling since at least the 1800s‚ there doesn';t appear to have been too much research on the topic. We know that some can rumble and others cannot‚ but it';s unclear how it breaks down percentage-wise or if it';s more prevalent in certain groups.The good news is that the word is starting to get out and people who';ve been rumbling all their lives suddenly don';t feel so alone.This article originally appeared on 03.05.20