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Some presidents’ last words have been profound (“This is the last of earth; I am content”) and others have been merely practical (“Help!”).

The rare golden bracelet was probably given to a soldier as a reward for bravery as Roman armies invaded England.

The concept of virginity is a very loaded issue in American culture. If a woman loses hers when she's too young she can be slut-shamed. If a man remains a virgin for too long, he can be bullied for not being manly enough.There is also a whole slew of religious mind games associated with virginity that can give people some serious psychological problems associated with sex.Losing one's virginity has also been blown up way beyond proportion. It's often believed that it's a magical experience—it's usually not. Or that after having sex for the first time people can really start to enjoy living life—not the case.What if we just dropped all of the stigmas surrounding virginity and instead, replaced them with healthy attitudes toward sex and relationships?Writer Cayce LaCorte is going viral on TikTok for the simple way she's taught her five daughters to think about virginity. They don't have to. LaCorte shared her parenting ideas on TikTok in response to mom-influencer Nevada Shareef's question: "Name something about the way you raised your kids that people think is weird but you think is healthy." @book_mama "I'm gonna get a lot of shit for this, but what are you gonna do?" she said in the video. "I'm raising my five daughters to believe that there is no such thing as virginity."It is a patriarchal concept used to control women and serves no purpose other than making women feel bad about ourselves," she explained. "Just because some guy randomly sticks his penis in you at some point in your life, it does not change your worth. It does not change who you are. It doesn't do anything other than it happened."She also responded to those who may criticize her for encouraging promiscuity."Sex is important. It's a big deal; it should always be a big deal. It has nothing to do with your first time. It's just ridiculous. The whole concept is ridiculous," the video explained.She also believes that sex shouldn't be so closely associated with one's moral character."I'm raising them to be good people and have solid foundations and make their own choices and make intelligent choices. Not because some book says not to," she concluded the video.The video made a lot of people realize that virginity is so ingrained in our society that the concept is rarely questioned."I never really thought about this to be honest," one commenter wrote. "I will absolutely be adopting this!! Thank you for sharing.""I have 2 girls, and I think this is how I will teach them when they are older. This would have made me feel more self worth when I was younger," Samantha wrote.LaCorte's comments about women and virginity need to be heard. But there should also be more discussion around how men also fight the stigma associated with virginity.There's an unwritten law that says men must lose their virginity by the age of 18 or by at least 21 or that somehow they are less of a man. For men that are virgins into their 20s, "Sex goes from being something to be enjoyed to a giant monolith of titanic proportions that casts a shadow over everything they do and who they are," dating coach Harris O'Malley writes.Sex is a tricky issue that everyone should be able to approach in their own way, at their own time. It's great that LaCorte's video has gone viral for illustrating the fact that virginity is just another obstacle on the road to sexual maturity that shouldn't factor into whether we decide to have sex or not. This article originally appeared on 11.29.21

It’s that time of year again, the holiday season is when we get the pleasure of spending way more time than we’re used to with our families. For those of us who’ve moved away from our immediate families, the holidays are a great time to reacquaint ourselves with old traditions and to realize that some of them may be a little strange. Every family seems to have its own brand of weirdness. In fact, I wouldn’t trust anyone who says that their family is completely normal. On November 18, “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon gave everyone a reason to celebrate their unique families by asking them to share their favorite stories under #MyFamilyIsWeird. The responses were everything from odd holiday traditions to family members that may have a screw (or two!) loose. Here are 17 of the funniest responses. It's Hashtags time! Tweet out a funny, weird, or embarrassing thing a family member has done or said, and tag it with #MyFamilyIsWeird. Could be on the show! — jimmy fallon (@jimmy fallon) 1637264081 1. At Thanksgiving, my family sings “Rock The Boat” every single time we pass the gravy boat from one person to the next. #MyFamilyIsWeird— PDB435 (@pdb435) November 23, 2021 Could this be because someone spilled the gravy boat years ago and no one wants to eat dry turkey or potatoes again?2. When I was just starting high school my older brother rode the bus with me, he bent over to pay and get off the bus when he split his shorts down the middle, no underwear on for everyone to see, he turned to me and said, I get to wear the underwear tomorrow...#MyFamilyIsWeird— Ian (@TheLast_Ian) November 18, 2021 Now, that's some quick wit.3.Every Thanksgiving, my family hides a sweet potato in the house. Whoever finds it first gets $20 and a six-pack of Miller High Life. #myfamilyisweird— Renee Jordan (@ReneeJordan78) November 22, 2021 Do they have to drink the entire six-pack of the "Champagne of Beers" that day, or can they take the leftover bottles home? Also, thinking about starting this tradition with my family. Who fronts the $20?4. My grandmother lost her dentures once and we spent 4 hours searching the house for them before she remembered that she had put them in her bra. #MyFamilyIsWeird— Erin (@etes_97) November 18, 2021 Let's hope that grandma found the dentures herself.5.Happy #Thanksgiving! Our Family Tradition = More pies than people! ?? #MyFamilyIsWeird pic.twitter.com/BiH0QgIWyq— Alissa A. Arford (@AArford) November 26, 2021 I see no problem with this as long as there is enough whipped cream to go around.6. My friend’s family has a massive group text, and then a bunch of smaller group texts to gossip about what happens in the big group text. #MyFamilyIsWeird— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) November 18, 2021 Nothing good ever came out of a family group text. 7.My family had one of those silver aluminum Christmas trees when I was growing up. One year our TV antenna on the roof blew off in a storm so my dad rigged the tree up instead. We actually got better reception. So we had a Christmas tree on our roof all year long. #MyFamilyIsWeird— DeeDee SMITH ? #GetVaccinated (@DeeDee_SmithTN) November 25, 2021 That works better than any coathanger or bunny ears that people used back in the day to improve their TV reception. Now, can the Christmas tree pick up HBO?8.My mom will always watch a new series by starting with the final episode, and then pretend like she knew the plot the whole time. #MyFamilyIsWeird— Elise//209 days (@elise_millsssss) November 18, 2021 I wonder how long it took for the family to figure out that she was cheating? Does she also read the last chapter of a mystery novel first?9.My parents come from a country where it was the culture to not smile in photos, and thought the same applied here. So I have many childhood photos from happy occasions like birthdays, where we are all staring blankly into the camera like the Village of the Damned #MyFamilyisWeird pic.twitter.com/2egtQCMJWl— Dumb Jokes Only (@DumbJokesOnly) November 18, 2021 That has to be freaky, especially if they are taking photos with members of the family that were born in the U.S. and some are smiling and others are not.10.My mom once hung AND filled an extra stocking from the fireplace… for my boyfriend. I was single at the time. She said it was for if I happened to get one in the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. Way to rub it in, mom. #myfamilyisweird— EmmyAnn (@EmmyAnn412) November 18, 2021 Wow. Imagine how annoying her mother gets after she gets a boyfriend and then immediately starts asking for kids and hanging little stockings up by the fireplace. 11.When I was younger my mom would always try to set me up with my college professor dad’s physics students. I finally said no, they wear plaid pants! Then my grandmother said “it’s not what they look like in their pants, it’s how they look without them” ?? #myfamilyisweird— Steel Cowgirl (@Steelcowgirl) November 18, 2021 Eww. Grandma, that's gross. Get your mind out of the gutter. 12.My Dad, when I was little, found a wild pine tree to use as a Christmas tree, but when he brought it in, it was too big. So to fix it he cut off the TOP. ? Wish I could find the picture of it. We laugh about it every Christmas. ? #MyFamilyIsWeird— Donna ?? (@dddonnnaaa) November 23, 2021 That had to be a seriously stumpy-looking tree. How in the world did he put a star on top?13. My brother decided to come out during family thanksgiving dinner. Right after the blessing - literally after the “amens” - he screamed “I’M GAY!” My mother calmly said “we know” and started cutting her turkey. #myfamilyisweird— Eleanor Semeraro (@eleanordowling) November 18, 2021 Sometimes, the entire family knows. They're just waiting for you to say it. 14. I had to teach my dad how to use an iPhone when they first came out. I explained to him that he had to slide to unlock the screen. Rather than sliding his finger across the screen, he stood up from the couch and started sliding his feet in the living room. #MyFamilyIsWeird— Joey Jweinat (@CosmicJoey415) November 18, 2021 "Slide, baby, slide! Slide, baby, slide!" – "Tootsie Roll" by 69 Boyz. 15.my great aunt collects vintage dolls.. each year she strips them & repaints them to resemble each of her siblings. She then burns them in a bonfire and sends us Christmas cards with the before and after photos of the burnt dolls.. #myfamilyisweird pic.twitter.com/DW9ksbtlcu— LUCΛ GUΛDΛGNEGRO ☻ (@LucaGuadagnegro) November 18, 2021 Oh no. Voodoo aunt needs to stop. That is totally not in the Christmas spirit.16.My mom found these fall decorations that we all proudly display in our homes. Every year we send texts/post messages saying “The Corncob Cowboy rides again!”Many jokes ensue. #myfamilyisweird @FallonTonight @jimmyfallon #dickjokes pic.twitter.com/ouqaUd0t5V— Mirrrrrr (@MirmeeV) November 25, 2021 Does anyone else think this is creepy? This is like a white elephant gift that will never go away.This article originally appeared on 11.30.21

(This article originally appeared on 4.16.20. It has been updated)During the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Indiana's 14 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Jeff Lyons set up a green screen in his living room and has been giving weather forecasts from home during the lockdown. And though he usually broadcasts alone, he's gotten a new partner to share the weather with—his cat, Betty.Betty made her debut when she wanted some attention during a weather broadcast. Lyons picked up the fluffy feline and cradled her in his arms while he talked about the weather. The response was so great, the station shared a little behind-the-scenes green screen fun with Betty and the clip that ended up airing on television.Sometimes Betty just hangs out watching her human do his professional human thing.However, like all cats, Betty doesn't like to perform when requested. (Like how they only want to sit on your lap when you're trying to work. Cats gonna be cats.) People are loving Betty's cameos in Lyons' from-home forecasts, though. Viewers have even been sharing photos of their own cats on Lyons' Facebook page, and fans have begun tuning in from around the world to see Betty being Betty.Pets have become even more beloved companions as everyone's lives during the pandemic, as people find themselves spending more time at home and less time with other living, breathing beings. At this point, anything sentient that we're allowed to get close to feels like a best friend. Thanks for bringing an extra measure of joy to people right now, Betty, and enjoy your newfound fame. (We'd warn you not to let it go to your head, but you're a cat—the diva is already built in.)

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that we're living in a very, very mad world right now. Listening to the lyrics of the song "Mad World," it has perhaps never felt more fitting. All around me are familiar facesWorn out places, worn out faces You mean my family members? The only people I've seen for weeks? Yep. Bright and early for their daily racesGoing nowhere, going nowhereUmm, yeah. Going nowhere indeed. And it just gets more apropos:Their tears are filling up their glassesNo expression, no expressionHide my head, I want to drown my sorrowNo tomorrow, no tomorrowOof. Le sigh.Tears for Fears front man Curt Smith and his daughter, Diva, performed the the song on YouTube, and it's gorgeous. Frankly, Diva is the one who steals the show, as it takes an immediately impressive turn when she pipes in with her perfect harmony. Mad World performed by Curt Smith of Tears For Fears youtu.be Oddly enough, the version they sing is actually a cover of a cover of an original Tears for Fears song. The original Tears for Fears version from 1982 had a quicker tempo and techno beat. It wasn't until the song was covered by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews for the 2001 movie Donnie Darko that the song became the haunting ballad we're most familiar with.Just beautiful.This article originally appeared on 4.11.20

If U.S. state flags doesn't seem like a particularly riveting topic, that's only because you haven't seen YouTuber CGP Grey's comparison video, "DOES YOUR FLAG FAIL?" yet. Most of us took some kind of state history class in school where we had to learn about—maybe even draw—our state's official flag. If you grew up in a state with a simple flag, that was an easy assignment. But if you were from, say, Washington state, drawing the flag was not really a viable option. (Have you ever tried to draw George Washington?) Same if you were from Minnesota (pre-2024) or New York or New Jersey. Forget it. Way too complicated. What makes a flag fabulous or a fail is subjective, of course, but the criteria CGP Grey lays out is pretty solid:1) Keep it simple, something a child could draw.2) Make it distinct at a distance. No tiny details.3) Three colors or fewer (unless you really know what you're doing, which you probably don't).4) Symbols, colors and designs should mean something.5) Words on a flag:ideally zero.6) Do not write your state name on your flag.Using these rules as a rubric, Grey graded at each state flag on a (somewhat) traditional grading scale. In addition to grades A through F, he added "S" at the top for "Super" and created an entire sub-grading system for the F tier (because so many states fail at all of the above). Starting with Kansas, Montana, Wisconsin and Oregon (which violate nearly every good flag principle) and ending with Utah (which redesigned its flag just before the making of this video), Grey ranks each flag according to his grading scale.Watch: - YouTube www.youtube.com Congrats to New Mexico, Maryland, Texas and Utah for having the best flags in the U.S. (And special shoutout to Maryland for getting an S grade solely for being outrageously extra. Well done.) As for the worst? Minnesota claimed that title, which is perhaps why the state decided to redesign its flag completely this past year. Now, instead of this jumbled, overly busy and impossible to draw mess: It's pretty clear why the old Minnesota flag failed in CGP Grey's ranking. upload.wikimedia.org Minnesota's new flag is clean, simple and bold with lovely colors to symbolize the "North Star State" and the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." It hits every one of Grey's criteria for good flag design: The new Minnesota flag is much simpler. upload.wikimedia.org And wouldn't you know it, CGP Grey made not one, but two videos dedicated the redesign of Minnesota's flag. Grey shares the issues with the original flag, the process of soliciting new design ideas and the six semi-final designs. Then he chose between the three final designs, proving his criteria is solid. The actual final design is even simpler than his favorite of the three finalists, with the three stripes being replaced by a solid sky blue. - YouTube www.youtube.com States redesigning flags or other symbols is always a controversial move, as some people have a hard time with change. In 2021, Mississippi changed its flag, which had included the battle flag of the Confederacy in its upper left corner. More than just an aesthetic choice, the removal of the Confederate flag from the state flag symbolized a recognition of the state's history of racism and segregation. Now Mississippi's flag features a magnolia flower surrounded by stars with the words "In God We Trust." Still breaking some of CGP's rules, but still a big step forward for symbolism.You can follow CGP Grey for more fascinating videos on YouTube.