Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was found not liable on April 4 in a lawsuit where he was accused of stealing elements of the Marvin Gaye classic "Let's Get It On" for his 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud."The case called attention to the fact that there are motifs and musical structures common in pop music that no one owns, and all are free to use. When it comes to chord progressions, the 12-bar blues and basic I, IV, V, I progressions you hear in country and folk have been used and reused since people first picked up the guitar. In the wrong hands, the progressions can result in music that is boring and formulaic, but in the right hands, they can be a springboard for fresh ideas.In 2009 Australian comedy group Axis Of Awesome did a funny sketch showing how one four-chord progression, famous for being the basis of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” has been used countless times by musicians to great effect.They played a medley of 38 major hits using the same progression to prove their point. For musicians, it’s known as the I–V–vi–IV progression, and when played in the key of C it would be C, G, Am, F.Warning: Video contains strong language.Here’s a list of all of the songs in the medley.Journey - “Don't Stop Believing”James Blunt - “You're Beautiful”Alphaville - “Forever Young”Jason Mraz - “I'm Yours”Mika - “Happy Ending”Alex Lloyd - “Amazing”The Calling - “Wherever You Will Go”Elton John - “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”Maroon 5 - “She Will Be Loved”The Last Goodnight - “Pictures Of You”U2 - “With Or Without You”Crowded House - “Fall At Your Feet”Kasey Chambers - “Not Pretty Enough”The Beatles - “Let It Be”Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Under the Bridge”Daryl Braithwaite - “The Horses”Bob Marley - “No Woman No Cry”Marcy Playground - “Sex and Candy”Men at Work - “Land Down Under”Banjo Patterson - “Waltzing Matilda”A-ha - “Take On Me”Green Day - “When I Come Around”Eagle Eye Cherry - “Save Tonight”Toto - “Africa”Beyonce - “If I Were A Boy”The Offspring - “Self Esteem”The Offspring - “You're Gonna Go Far Kid”Pink - “You and Your Hand”Lady Gaga - “Poker Face”Aqua - “Barbie Girl”The Fray - “You Found Me”30h!3 - “Don't Trust Me”MGMT - “Kids”Tim Minchin - “Canvas Bags”Natalie Imbruglia - “Torn”Five For Fighting - “Superman”Axis Of Awesome - “Birdplane”Missy Higgins - “Scar”This article originally appeared on 5.5.23

The funny thing about love is that the person we fall in love with, more often than not, we run into by accident. Another strange twist is that the love of our life is likely to show up when we least expect it.The following story, which feels like the promise of a hit rom-com, comes courtesy of a twist of fate created by the World Cup and an Airbnb.In 2013, after six years of battling an illness, Ana was living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having been financially drained by years of being sick, she invested the last of her money to buy two bunk beds and convert one of her bedrooms into an Airbnb for small groups of friends.The Airbnb was a last-ditch effort to pay her rent and medical bills. A year later, the modest investment grew into a success, Ana’s health began to return, and the World Cup, one of the largest sporting events in the world, was coming to Rio.To take advantage of the soccer fanatics flocking to the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City), Ana and her roommate, Fabio, turned a half room in their apartment into an Airbnb rental to give tired soccer fans a place to sleep.“Though it was a small (pantry!) room, we added a bunk bed and listed two beds on Airbnb. One day after the listing went live, we had tons of requests for ‘Fabio’s Pantry,’” she shared. “It was fully booked for the entire World Cup period except for one week in July.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Upworthy (@upworthy) Around this time, Ana was feeling well enough to go on her first vacation in years and took a quick trip to Uruguay. Just before she left, Ana received a reservation from a man named "Darko B." for the only unbooked days in July.“I have always been a big fan of the movie ‘Donnie Darko’ and thought it was a strange coincidence, but didn't think anything of it,” Ana wrote. “I accepted the request, let him know I would not be there for check-in and Fabio would care for him until I was back the following week.”When Ana returned after her trip, she had no idea that her life would change forever. Upon opening the door to her apartment, there stood Darko, who was so taken by her that he nearly fell over. “I was sure he stumbled because he had sand on his feet and didn't wash it downstairs as the rules of the building say, and I caught him, lol (everybody does that!). But it wasn't sand, it was just love at first sight... for him, I was still mad about the imaginary sand,” she joked.As Ana worked on her business classes and workshops in her apartment, Darko lay around watching TV, barely venturing outside to see the marvels of Rio. Even though Ana told him all the great spots to visit, he was just as happy to hang around and talk to her when she took breaks. It seemed that all Darko really needed was right there in the Airbnb.“We chatted about everything in life during my breaks and got more and more connected,” Ana remembers. “We were still keeping a respectful distance because, from my perspective, he was my guest and I wanted him to feel safe.” As the temporary tenant, Darko was in a strange position, too. He was a “strange man” in Ana’s home and didn’t want to be too forward. Ana believes that because the two kept a safe distance, their feelings had more time to grow. “That distance was the key for our friendship and connection to develop organically,” Ana said.As Darko's week-long stay neared its end, the duo decided to catch a sunset at the Arpoador Rocks. It was a mesmerizing evening with a dual spectacle: a breathtaking sunset on one side and the grandest supermoon in three decades on the other. Moved by the magic of Rio and his growing bond with Ana, Darko extended his stay by three months, sidelining his plans to travel across Brazil to watch soccer.“We had 3 awesome months together exploring Rio,” Ana wrote. “We did not go to the stadium to watch the games live, but we went to ‘watch events’ with friends, traveled to small places around Rio, and stayed in an Airbnb in Ilha Grande.”Sadly, after 3 months, Darko had to return to Canada for work, and it seemed their blossoming relationship had come to an end. “I thought our journey would be over and we would remain as friends, but we kept in contact every day until he came back 3 months later for another 3 months in Rio together,” Ana wrote.Three years after Darko fell, or at least stumbled, in love at first sight, the couple was married and recently celebrated their 6th anniversary. All because of a chance Airbnb booking in “Fabio’s Pantry.” Airbnb brought Ana and Darko together and continues to be a big part of their lives. “We went on a big trip together in 2016/2017 to Southeast Asia, and we stayed in tons of Airbnbs in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia,” Ana wrote. Her relationship with Airbnb, which started in Rio and moved on to Asia, has now gone worldwide.“By 2017, I was recovered and traveling the world as a program manager for entrepreneurship programs. I had projects (and Airbnbs!) in Brazil, Guatemala, Panama, USA and East Canada (New Brunswick) and luggage all over the world,” Ana wrote.In 2018, Darko took Ana to his birthplace, the former Yugoslavia, which is now Bosnia, and they visited Rovinj by the sea, a place Darko fondly regards as paradise. Naturally, they used Airbnb during their trip, extending their stay across various Croatian cities.Darko and Ana’s story is a beautiful example of serendipity's role in people’s lives. The right people found each other in the perfect place and had all the time in the world. Nice job, Airbnb. If any aspiring screenwriters read this, “Fabio’s Pantry” is a great name for the film adaptation.This article originally appeared on 10.6.23

Most of the time it’s tough to know if someone is flirting with you because they have to be subtle. They can’t be too obvious because if the feeling isn’t mutual it can be pretty embarrassing. It’s also tough to detect if someone is flirting because most of the time it’s someone you don’t know very well.Do they like me or are they normally friendly?It hurts to imagine the number of times we’ve all missed signals that someone was interested in us and a potentially wonderful romance never happened. However, studies show that it happens more often than not.A study on heterosexuals published in Psychology Today found that women were only 18% accurate in recognizing men’s flirting, while 36% of men were accurate about women's flirting. However, we’re really good at knowing when people aren’t flirting with us.In the same study, women were 83% accurate in seeing nonflirting as nonflirting, and men performed about the same, 84%.Jeffery Hall, an assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, says there are five main styles of flirting: physical, traditional, polite, sincere and playful.Physical flirting involves “communicating sexual interest” to a potential partner. Traditional flirting is a tactic primarily used by introverts, where men tend to take the lead and women assume a passive role. Polite flirting involves the use of “proper manners” and is a cautious way of showing you like someone.Sincere flirting involves telling the person you’re interested, and playful flirts like joking around but their efforts rarely turn into substantial relationships.A Reddit user, who has since deleted their profile, asked a great question on the AskReddit subforum that should be a big help to those who have a hard time spotting flirtation. They asked, "People who are good at flirting, what are some social cues us oblivious people should watch out for?"A large number of people who responded to the thread gave practical advice on the behaviors that are a giveaway that someone is flirting. The most popular responses are eye contact and laughing at your jokes, even if they aren’t funny.Here are 15 of our favorite social cues that show someone is interested.1. The dance of plausible deniability."Everyone is giving good advice, but flirting didn't click for me until i heard it described not as a set of behaviors to look out for, but as an escalation of suggestive behaviors couched in plausible deniability."Put practically, if someone is doing something to engage you that feels extra (lots of touching, looking at you in a way that feels a bit to long, or doing a lot of poking fun and complimenting you), then that might be flirting or it might not. That's the whole point. Plausible deniability. They can safely disengage at any time."If you want to know if someone's flirting, you need to test it. You do that by escalating things, but just a bit, so that now you have plausible deniability (touch them back in a comfortable way, maintain eye contact, or joke-compliment them back). If they escalate back and continue to do so as you escalate in turn, that is flirting. Eventually one of you will break cover and do something with clear intent (a kiss, an approach + ask for a number, or straight up telling them what you think of them and that you're interested). Otherwise, if you escalate and they don't change their behavior or they back off, then they were probably just being friendly and you should take the hint and do the same."Dunno if that's something obvious to people, but it was definitely not for me, and college parties would have been way less fun had i not known. Hopefully this can help someone else too :)" – three_furballs2. Give 'em a chance to be alone."If you're in a group of friends (new or old), find a natural opportunity to hang back. Someone who's interested in you will notice and take the opportunity to talk to you in private. Now this isn't full proof but it'll at least give you the opportunity to feel for any chemistry between you." – Kagamid3. Conversation should be two-sided."Be wary of a one-sided conversation. If your responses are met with mostly "yeps" and "uh huh" and nothing without meat, its probably not going well." – ViciousKnids4. Ignoring their friend."If they look directly at you while talking to their friend it's a good sign." – yassis_bru5. The reaction shot."I read once that if someone looks at you after someone (doesn't have to be you) said something funny and everyone is laughing, they like you. From personal experience, it's true." – luv_sicK6. Lots of eye contact."They make a lot of eye contact. They are interested in what you have to say and ask you lots of questions. They laugh at your jokes, even the lame ones. They initiate physical contact. They try to find space where you can talk more privately (this does not always mean sex but it often means they wish for more quality time with you)." – TheSurfingRaichu7. Trust then test."In my experience, almost everyone can get a sense that someone is into them, but most people second guess themselves until they convince themselves it's nothing. I say trust that sense. It's based off all of these factors that we pick up consciously and subconsciously, and almost always it's not a coincidence."When you think someone likes you, you can test that theory in a few ways. A subtle but effective example is inviting them to something you know they can't or don't want to attend. If they express interest in rescheduling or finding some other way to spend time with you, they like you. Otherwise they'll just say no, sorry I can't make it ... Of course, you could also just ask. In my experience anyone worth getting intimate with is mature enough to deal with that question." – MildlyWyld8. Mirroring."Does their body turn toward you or away from you when you talk? Do they mirror your body language?" – Perfect_Draw5169. They touch you."Physical contact. Granted, not everyone flirts the same way but a good sign is if they touch your arm (or the like) or you find them smiling the whole time that you’re talking to them." – Cosmic_Marman10. Special eye contact."When you're in a public space, the direct eye contact (for a beat or two too long) and the look away. One of my go-to moves that always yielded results." – LuLu4211. Bad jokes."Seriously tell a bad joke - look for laughter and smiles that should not be there but are. Then it’s you they are into, definitely not what you said." – YukonBrawler12. Facial gestures."According to Sherlock: licking lips, eyes cast down towards the other persons lips, quirky smile of the lips, dilated eyes. And if the person has long hair, tucking it behind their ear or other fidgety behavior." – fandomfangirl113. Mimicking body language."In the case of someone who likes you, while interacting, watch for repetitious patterns and mimic their body language. Eventually, if you cross your arms and the person whose attention you are seeking does the same, for example, you can rely on that being a good sign." – flungkle14. Little adjustment."I've noticed that women will do a little adjustment to you, like brushing off a little piece of lint off your lapel or moving a stray hair off your face while talking to you. At least they did back in my rogue days." – robfrankel115. Take your shot."If you're at a bar and a woman makes eye contact for more than a second without looking away, shoot your shot." – sle7in360This article originally appeared on 2.11.22

There are few things more satisfying than knowing you left a party before things turned sour. You came, had a good time and had the sense to hit the exit before a fight broke out, the cops showed up or a bunch of people got into a drunken debate about politics.There’s one rule my wife and I have: When the couple throwing the party starts to fight, that’s when you grab your things and go. When you’re younger, it’s a bit harder to recognize the telltale signs that a party is about to go sideways. But when people age and have seen a thing or two, they start to develop a Spidey sense for the moment when it’s time to hit the exit before all hell breaks loose. They also know how long to stay before they've become an unwanted house guest.It’s one thing to know how to leave before things get lame. But it’s seriously important to identify situations that could lead to physical violence or sexual assaults.Reddit user u/mharris1405 must have gone to a rager over the weekend, because on Sunday, they posted a great question to the online forum,“What are some signs you need to leave the party?” The Reddit community responded with some funny and practical advice on when they know it’s time to hit the exit.Here are 18 of the best responses.1. A party rots from the host down"When the host is the cause of any form of drama," – Nova_Phoenix2. When the drunks are the only folks left"When all the fun people have left and it’s just the last of the fucked up people hanging out," – ParsnipBusy.3. Don't be the last person standing"When it suddenly goes from 30 people to you and 2 randoms," – hoot694. When things turn sloppy"When people start getting obnoxious. If you see drunk or high people breaking shit, or screaming, interrupting others' conversation, that's when you can see that the party is going to get worse," – ToastedMaple5. "Who invited these dudes?""When a group of 5-10 unknown men arrives, which weren't invited," – Katsudonisyummy6. When the antisocial crew arrives"If a group of guys come in and don't greet anybody, they just stand around looking around, someone is about to be jumped or shot. Leave." – CGY-SS7. When the night has peaked"There usually comes a point in the night, usually around 2-3am, where everyone’s drunkenness wanes from energised to a bit sloppy. A lot of people start sitting down in increasingly insular circles, and drinks just stop going down so well. A lot of people will just hang around because it was fun earlier and they don’t want the night to end, but you start to really compromise on tomorrow’s happiness by drawing out the night." – Tosslebugmy8. When it devolves into a sausage fest"When you’re a young female and suddenly realize the male-female ratio is more than 12-1 and the crowd is taking on a shark-like circling motion with a lot of side-eye. The actual nice guy I was chatting with suddenly said, 'You need to leave' and I jumped to my feet and bailed like the place was on fire. I suspect the nice guy covered my exit. See, there are nice guys and scary ones and fools like I was," – Melina269. When your phone is more fun"You’re starting to be on your phone WAY too much," – Pillsbury Toasters10. Guns? No thanks"I once walked into a party and saw a bunch of guns just laying around and I grandpa Simpson’d myself right back out the door," – popcornkernels11. Leave before you get pulled in"When you realize you’re just standing there watching the shit show. There’s a time limit to that. No need to become part of the show. Get out while you can," – toriaehi12. When you're the third wheel"Everybody is hooking up except you and you’re sitting next to a couple making out on a couch," – OliveaSea13. When the cops arrive"I have a rule. No matter how good a time I am having, even if I have done nothing wrong, when cops show up, I leave then," – Latvian_Pete14. When your friends have left"When you feel as though you're 'on the outside looking in,'" – Back2Bach15. Trust your gut"I saw no one mentions this so here I go. When your 6th sense or danger sense is screaming at you. You know that feeling when you suddenly feel unsafe, where there is no reason to be so? That is basically your unconscious mind screaming at you, because you unconsciously noticed something wrong, but cant put your finger on what. For those who have not had this yet, the most easily identifiable signs are, cold running down your neck, sudden extreme vigilance, the hair all over your body stands, and in general you feel like death itself is breathing down your neck.If you have this (gut) feeling, flee. I am not kidding. Run like the wind. This saved me from some hairy situations.As for an example that would be, something along the lines of seeing someone spike a drink at the edge of your vision, you personally did not notice it, but deep down you realized what is what so your body warns you about it. Even if this gut feeling is only correct 1 out of 10 times, you will thank it when it does," – TehBuckets16. The rule of two"Never be the drunkest person in a room. If you are at a party and can’t identify 2 people more intoxicated than you, find a safe ride home or quit drinking for awhile," – YeaahProlly17. Terrible DJ"When the music just sucks," – JuliusTaka18. Again, trust your gut"When you can tell there is an emotionally unbalanced person there who you have a feeling will be a problem, you may consider leaving if it escalates. Whether it be starting a fight, or you can tell they are going to cause a problem later in the night or you feel uncomfortable around them always trust your gut. The same goes with a person you just feel is 'off' around. You are there to have a good time, not be anxious," – foofighterfoosThis article originally appeared on 1.3.22

Pete Davidson, 27, has earned the reputation as one of Hollywood's most prolific ladies' men for dating some of the most beautiful A-list women over the past three years. However, there are a lot of people out there who don't understand the "Saturday Night Live" star's appeal.Davidson is tattooed from head to toe. He suffers from Crohn's disease, has done multiple stints in rehab, describes himself as looking like a "crack baby" and only recently moved out of his mother's basement on Staten Island.But he's also been one of the most popular cast members on "SNL" for the past seven years and co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed, "The King of Staten Island." The future generations of sociologists and psychologists will write about how Pete Davidson was able to consistently date women way out of his league — Hamad (@Hamad) 1636137705 Pete Davidson pulling all these hot women just goes to show how far being funny will get you — n. (@n.) 1636160356 how pete davidson manages to get the hottest women out there i will never understandpic.twitter.com/WZ2OnDnzL7 — nat is inactive (@nat is inactive) 1635864444 Here's a brief rundown of Davidson's romantic ties over the past few years.Ariana Grande (2018)Davidson and the pop megastar revealed they were in a relationship at the end of May 2018 and quickly got engaged. The pair called off their engagement and broke up in October 2018 after just five months together.Kate Beckinsale (2019)The two were caught kissing at a New York Rangers game in January 2019, but the pair broke up that April because Davidson had to go to rehab and Beckinsale was busy making movies.Margaret Qualley (2019)Davidson and the "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" star had a brief relationship at the end of 2019. Her mother, Andie McDowell, called their flirtation "nice."Kaia Gerber (2019-2020)After Qualley, Davidson moved on to Cindy Crawford's daughter, Kaia Gerber. Four months later, the couple broke up while Davidson was dealing with addiction and mental health issues.Phoebe Dynevor (2020)Davidson and the "Bridgerton" star saw each other for about six weeks, but things eventually soured because Dynevor was geographically undesirable.Kim Kardashian (2021)Davidson and Kardashian were spotted holding hands while riding a Halloween roller coaster together, leading some to believe they were romantically involved. However, Page Six sources say they're "just friends." The pair shared a kiss in an "Aladdin" sketch on SNL when Kardashian hosted in October.In a Monday appearance on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," model Emily Ratajkowski explained Davidson's appeal and it's pretty easy to understand."He's a professional," Ratajkowski said about Davidson. "First of all, you should know that about Pete." She added, "Pete—he's got the height. Obviously women find him very attractive.""I feel like only other men feel [that he isn't attractive]. Guys are like, 'Wow. What's that guy got?' And I'm like, I mean, he seems super charming," she said. "He's vulnerable. He's lovely. His fingernail polish is awesome. He looks good!" Further, he has a "good relationship with his mom." She concluded, "We love it. It's hard to find them."Beckinsale recently affirmed a similar statement about Davidson by liking an Instagram post that read:"I love how every time Pete Davidson starts dating another beautiful celebrity everyone's like 'wtf is happening how did he do this what is this mystery???' and everybody refuses to entertain the possibility that he might have a nice personality."Evidently, Davidson is a really attentive boyfriend, too."My love language, when I'm in a relationship, is I treat the person I'm with like a princess,'' he told Paper. "I try and go as above and beyond as possible," he said, "because that's what you're supposed to do? If you're in a relationship with someone, you're just supposed to make that person feel as special as possible."The fact that women everywhere are in love with Davidson actually says something pretty awesome. It goes to show that even in the glamorous world of Hollywood there's something irresistible about someone who's funny, attentive, vulnerable, charming, down-to-earth and loves his mother.This article originally appeared on 11.11.21

When my old dog Murray really wanted to tell me something and his barking or pawing didn’t get the job done, he would start making sounds that I swear mimicked human speech. Now, I’m not entirely sure that he was attempting to get through to me as a member of my own species would, but I don’t know how else to explain this quirky behavior.It’s pretty amazing when we see our pets cross the imaginary line that separates the species by exhibiting human-like behaviors. But if you were to try to explain them to someone who’s never had a dog or cat (or parrot you will soon see) most of them would probably just shrug it off. So, I never really talked to anyone about my dog’s strange but funny human impersonation. Reddit user DMLorance created a safe space for pet owners to share their stories that no one believes on the AskReddit subforum.“Pet owners of Reddit. What quirk does your pet (past or present) do that nobody believes when you tell them?”Here are 16 of the best responses.1. It's time for bed"Every night at around 10 pm, my childhood dog would tell me it's time to go to bed. I could be in the living room watching TV and she would sit at the doorway and make little 'boofs' until I eventually got up and followed her to bed. This happened every night from my high school years until the day she passed at 15 years old. I miss that old sassy girl." — Shibsmarie2. The cat that sleeps like a human"One of my cats legitimately sleeps in my bed. Head on my pillow, under the blanket, held to my chest like an actual baby. He will spend all night like this and get mad if I stop cuddling him at any point. We sleep with our noses almost touching, and I know when he boops my nose with his that he wants me to cuddle him tighter. It's bizarre but adorable." — Dominoodles3. The picky drinker"My dog refuses to drink from a bowl. We took him to the vet because he was sick, turns out he was dehydrated. My dog always has water next to his food, but wasn't drinking it. We changed his bowl to a normal dish, the ones we use to eat soup. Now he drinks from it, if u change it back to a normal dog's bowl, he will stop drinking water and get sick. Nobody knows why." — O_Pacaba4. The handstand bathroom"My childhood dog had a weak rear right leg, so anytime he wanted to hike his leg on something off to the left he would just do a handstand rather than try to support his weight in the bad leg."But wait... there's more. When he started getting older we brought home a puppy who absolutely idolized his big brother. Within about a month he had worked his way up to also doing handstands when he peed, but for this dog it was EVERY SINGLE TIME. I guess he thought that was just how you were supposed to do it."Nothing like having two dogs pissing down their own chest several times per day." — LovelyShananigator5. The cat who plays fetch"I have a cat that plays fetch with his stuffed animals. He also gets annoyed when I don't throw the stuffed animal far enough, and loves to chase it down the stairs into the basement." — Upaupa2126. The dog who spoke cat"I had a toy poodle mix named Yoda who would meow like a cat if I said 'Yoda go meow.' It started as me saying it as a joke to him here and there and one day he actually started doing it. He was a good boy." — T-Rocks7. The literate hound"My dog demands I read to him. Whenever I'm sitting reading something he'll come over, put his head on pages, and paw at me until I start reading to him." — rogettheboat8. Doggie hall monitor"We have a very unique dog that seems to have internalized a set of rules. He is friendly with our 3 cats however if he observes them doing something that we (the humans) have corrected them for previously he will then take on the responsibility for future occurrences by sitting beside the misbehaving cat and barking at them until they stop." — ealoft9. The feline plumber"I have another cat of which in an old house he found out how to turn on the bathroom sink to get water (it was one of those that you push/pull not twist) and so I’d always walk in to find the sink on. If only he had learned to turn it back off." — ashleyracheleee10. Dog security"My father's dog designs elaborate alarm systems with his toys. At night before bed he arranges toys that squeak inside of doorways and at the top and bottom of stairs. If you move the toys he politely waits until you aren't looking and then places the toy back. They don't just end up in a spot they are placed there. It also seems that the toys are chosen for each location based on ease of squeak and volume. The loudest toys are inside the door of the bedroom."One final note on placement. If the door swings inward the toy is placed outside of the door's arc. If it swings outward it's right in the middle." — [Deleted]11. The canine binge-watcher"Our dog likes to watch tv. No matter what’s on or who’s watching it, she actively pays attention to what we’re watching." — crabgal12. The exercise saboteur"Whenever I do push-ups, my dog crawls under me and pushes up off the floor against my torso, trying to help me up." — coturnixxx13. Teach this cat to flush"A long time ago we had a cat who potty trained himself. The cat was outside most of the time, so no cat litter box. He peed and pooped in my toddler's small toilet. It still had to be cleaned tho. But still, I consider it cool." — Fr3aky_Monded14. Airborne kitty "I had a cat named Ninja (nailed it on the name). She loved playing fetch with a twist. She would bring me her toy mouse and set it in my lap. Then she would climb on to the top of the reclining chair next to me and get in attack position."I would say 'Ninja! Are you ready?' she would crouch and get ready and I would have to throw the mouse across the room, but she would spring and catch it mid-air every time. She would do it for hours." — Ashwilliamsboomstick15. "Let there be light!""I have a cat that knows how to turn a lamp on and off. It's one of those twist knob lamps. He grabs it in his teeth and turns it." — Fournote16. The jazz parrot"I had a parrot who would only whistle, but sometimes he would straight up compose songs. Nothing amazing, mostly splicing together bits of tunes he liked, but still songs that did not exist." — JavierLoustanuau This article originally appeared on 12.7.21

If you're like me and you'd never heard of Adam Trent before seeing this story, you may want to pencil in some time to check out his other videos after this. What makes this video different is that Trent's kind but simple gesture had the unintended consequence of literally changing one man's life for the better.And it all started with a simple game of trivia and a few envelopes.As the delivery man is preparing to leave, Trent opens his front door and asks if the man will stick around to play a game, telling him he can keep the contents of various envelopes taped to the wall … if he answers the question on each envelope correctly.Understandably a little suspicious, the delivery man agrees to the premise. And it turns out he's pretty good at trivia! Some of the questions are deceptively simple, such as "how many points is a touchdown in football?"And then there are other more challenging ones, like name the capital of Florida. It's a question that if you know it, it's incredibly obvious. And if you don't, well you might feel a bit silly for not memorizing your state capitals. But the delivery guy nails every question, impressing Trent. Until he doesn't.It's the final question -- another of those "incredibly easy if you know it and impossible if you don't" ones that is entirely out of this guy's demographic: Name two members of the former boy band N'Sync.Trent lets the doorman off the hook and gives him all the envelopes. It turns out that each one contains different denominations of cash: $20, $5 and $1. At the end, turning emotional, the delivery guy reveals that the small amount of cash made the difference in him being able to pay rent. Obviously moved, Trent gives him the final N'Sync envelope, which contains the largest cash amount: $100. Speechless, the doorman turns away, kneels and the video cuts out.It was an incredibly classy move by Trent. Yes, we're all entertained by the fun trivia and it's hard to not be hit by the feels at the end. Of course, we've seen enough seemingly heartwarming stories to realize there are often system problems on full display. In this case, why does a man hustling at his job have to win a random trivia game to pay his rent? It's a little dystopian if you stop to think about it. And that's why we'll give Trent more credit for not making the video about himself. There's no cheesy moment where Trent flips the camera around, no soapbox moment of lecturing us all about economics and no attempt to push out his social media channels, or whatever it is that so-called influencers are up to these days. It's simply a human to human moment. Honestly, seeing these two men interact is itself special during the middle of a pandemic and a hugely divisive election season. The fact that it ends in a sweet moment that brings real, if temporary, change to one person's life just makes it all the better.This article originally appeared on 9.3.20

"The dream keeps coming even when you forget to feel." The post ‘After the Glitter Fades’: The song Stevie Nicks wrote for Dolly Parton first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

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