Inside the halls of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters overlooking Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C., casual mentions of the incoming Trump administration are cautious and infrequent. That’s by design. Donald J. Trump had a fraught relationship with the politically independent Fed during his first term. The president wanted central bankers to lower interest rates more aggressively and faster than they thought was economically appropriate. When officials refused to comply, he blasted...

This very short video is from Telegram Forbidden Truth (https://t.me/ForbiddenTruthQ) posted on 12/11/24 (https://t.me/ForbiddenTruthQ/190). I don’t necessarily embrace this message, but with all the crazy despotism of the last four years. It’s something to think about. Forbidden Truth Description: “These occultic technocrats have found a way to broadcast their black magic via technology. These 5G Towers are actually Psi-Weapons, they have nothing to do with high speed internet, they specifically target part of the brains nervous system that they want in order to make you feel more docile, angry, sad, or anxious, depending on the situation and the outcome which they desire. They have been using these weapons for a very long time, even prior to WW2, they have been using it to break the spirits of their enemies, where these frequencies can become too much to handle. Combine this, with blue beam technology, and you might start hearing and seeing Jesus Almighty.”

This video is from Telegram Forbidden Truth (https://t.me/ForbiddenTruthQ) posted on 12/12/24 (https://t.me/ForbiddenTruthQ/192). The title is the only description.

How many times have you looked back to things you thought were "normal" from your childhood and thought "Huh, that was actually kinda weird in hindsight"? Times change, and what's considered "normal and acceptable" change with them. That's not automatically good or bad, necessarily, but hopefully humanity is evolving such that we learn from our mistakes and recognize room for improvement.In that vein, someone asked Gen Xers and Boomers on Reddit, "What are some things that would be considered rude or boundary crossing today but were perfectly normal and acceptable when you were growing up?" and the answers reveal how much has shifted in the past handful of decades. If you're over 40, enjoy this slightly disturbing trip down memory lane. If you're under 40, yes, all of these things really happened on a regular basis. Scolding other people's kids (even strangers)Raising a child was seen as more of a community effort than it is today, which resulted in perfect strangers doling out discipline. "Scolding someone else's child. I remember getting corrected by strangers."via GIPHY"Those were the lessons that stuck the most too for me. When a family friend or stranger corrected me I knew without doubt I done f'd up. I didn't like the trend during the late 80's into 90's of everyone telling each other to mind their own business and not correct a child that wasn't theirs ~ horrible logic that I feel totally contributed to where we are at today with nobody considering other peoples opinions on things.""OMG yes! in my neighborhood, whoever's house you were at, if you acted up, their mom was expected to let you know, and even send you home! it's just how things were.""Kids were basically community property."Showing up or dropping by unannouncedBefore cell phones, people didn't always call or text before going to someone's house. Company could just show up at any time. People had snacks on hand specifically for unexpected guests. It was a thing. "Possibly stopping in at a friend’s house unannounced. That used to be fairly common when everyone didn’t have a phone in his or her pocket.""You never knew who, or how many, would show up at our house on a Friday night for a game of penny ante poker or Yahtzee in the 60's and 70's.""I do miss that. We always had extra snacks for guests available because we never knew when someone might just show up."via GIPHY"We always had a Pepperidge Farms Coconut cake in the freezer. My mother would take it out to thaw as soon as company showed up.""A corollary of this was that you were also expected to have your clothes on and be somewhat presentable while you were at home, since you never know who would be dropping by.""Hell, me and my friends would just walk into each other's house like we lived there. None of the parents seemed to mind either. I often ended up eating meals at their homes and them at mine."Birthday spankingsOkay, yeah, this one is weird. It was a tradition to get a spanking for every year of your life on your birthday, and it wasn't even just parents who did this. Teachers, your parents' friends, etc. "All my parents' friends used to give me a spanking for each year on my birthday. Does anyone else remember this? Birthday spankings? So weird.""And a pinch to grow an inch.""My 4th grade teacher did this to all of us in front of the whole class. She ended it with a "pinch to grow on" and literally pinched our butts. This was around 2001 in Indianapolis. I don't recall anyone ever having an issue with it at the time, but looking back it was definitely odd. She was a great teacher and I have nothing bad to say about her at all. It was just a different time."via GIPHY"Yessssss! I'm in MD and was in elementary school in the 80's. If it was our birthday we would pick another kid to spank us in front of the whole grade, so if turning 9 you would get 9 smacks on your butt and all the kids would shout "ONE! TWO!..." ???? I can't imagine that happening now!""Oh god! In a school club we would all line up and the birthday girl to crawl between all our legs as we spanked her on birthdays. What a crazy tradition!""The spanking machine! Kids would line up in a row, legs open, and you would crawl through, while kids slapped your butt. Sometimes singing 'today is spankin’ day!'"Actual spankings. With a paddle. At school.School principals, vice principals and sometimes teachers kept a paddle at their desk, which would be used to whack kids who misbehaved. Corporal punishment was the gold standard for behavior modification. Hacking, whacking, paddling—so any names for this woefully outdated practice."The big paddle that one of the teachers would possess that would be used on your hind quarters at their whim. No parent permission needed.""The (completely backward) school I attended in 7th grade in 1999-2000 still spanked kids. My math teacher spanked a kid in class at least once a week. This was the deep south and very different from other schools I went to, it was quite the culture shock."via GIPHY"I would get the paddle or else my desk kicked over while I was in it, my head would hit that floor HARD! I don’t know which was worse.""In 1987 my mom walked me into the school office and told everyone including the principle that under NO circumstances is anyone to paddle or spank me for discipline and if I misbehaved they were to simply call her about it. Their jaws dropped. That would not have happened anyways because I was a very well behaved and respectful child.""I definitely got the big paddle in the vice principal's office."Smoking indoors everywhereIt's impossible to explain to young people today how ubiquitous smoking used to be. Like, it was considered rude not to have ashtrays in your home. High schools had smoking areas. Restaurants, airplanes, waiting rooms—people smoked everywhere. "I can recall the nurses at the triage in the hospital in my home town, smoking away while working. The 80s man, crazy time.""I was born in 82, there’s a picture of my mother holding me shortly after I was born, laying in a hospital bed, and on her bedside table is a pack of reds and an ashtray."via GIPHY"And on airplanes and trains. I remember riding the L in Chicago with people smoking on the cars.""Smoking in class at college.""Smoking in grocery stores and putting out butts on the floor.Teachers with ash trays on their desks smoking during class.""My parents didn't smoke, but they (1970s) kept a guest ashtray in the house in case a visitor wanted to light up. Complained endlessly about the smoke smell once the person was gone, but it would have been rude to tell them to take it outside or wait."Sexual harassmentNot that this was ever normal or acceptable, but it was tolerated to a disturbing level. "Until Anita Hill, I had never even heard the term Sexual Harassment. I literally had no idea it was a thing. You were female, you were employed, men could make insistent advances with zero repercussions. One of my co-workers finally slept with the boss just to try to get him to leave her alone. This was NORMAL. We expected it to happen and accepted that it would, we just had to deal with it."via GIPHY"I was told to lighten up because it was a compliment."" I got my first job in 1973 when I was 15. I worked in the restaurant business and waited tables all through college. It was pervasive and customers (men) would say many unwanted things as well. My first adult job was selling pharmaceuticals in 1984 and the first thing my regional manager told me during orientation was if a doctor did or said anything inappropriate handle it anyway you saw fit and then call and tell me about. He made it clear we didn’t have to put up with any BS and were free to slap anyone if we needed to. By the nineties sexual harassment wasn’t gone but was getting called out in a big way. Until there was a name for sexual harassment we knew we were uncomfortable but didn’t really have a way to express it in a meaningful and united manner.""My friends and I were grabbed constantly in middle school by boys in early 90s. It never occurred to us to tell anyone and I honestly don’t think they would have cared. We just shared our shame amongst ourselves.""Men would randomly grab and touch women all the time when I was growing up. Boomers were the worst about it, but I’m GenX and even we had it somewhat normalized. We’d gotten a clue that it wasn’t great, but we hadn’t yet realized it was actually sexual assault when someone would fondle your butt or breasts unbidden. Or when someone would grab you and kiss you. If you complained you were told to lighten up."The drastic policing of what women wore under their clothesImagine having all the girls line up in gym class while the teacher runs his finger down each girl's back to make sure she was wearing a bra. Imagine it being unheard of to not wear pantyhose and show bare skin on your legs while wearing a skirt. We still police what women and girls wear in some places, but it's not as bad as it used to be. "I’ve been told that women were expected to wear 'foundation garments' at work, and if they didn’t, then they might get reprimanded. I’m talking about longline bras and girdles."via GIPHY"In the 80s, one of my friends got sent to the office for not wearing a bra to high school.""Until 1999, I was required to wear pantyhose at work. Nuts! And they dictated 'suntan' color!""Not sure what I spent more $ on - pantyhose or clear nail polish to stop the runs.""I remember being a kid in the 90s my mom going from store to store looking for slips to put under my dresses, she had a whole section of her closet devoted to them. I hated them and didn't understand their purpose. Still don't. I'm so glad those are in the past."People shared other things as well, such as how common it was to touch total strangers or to cut through people's yards to get to where you were going, and it's a wild ride through shifting social norms. Some things are definitely best left in the past, but some lend themselves to a stronger sense of community and might be worth revisiting. It does make you wonder what things from today will show up on a list like this decades from now.You can see more on the r/AskOldPeople thread here.This article originally appeared in September.

Playing with the contrasts between generations has become a modern pastime, as baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z see and experience the world quite differently. Generation gaps have always existed, of course, but the tech age has widened those gaps in big ways, sometimes creating challenges, but often resulting in hilarity.For instance, watching a Gen Zer try to figure out how to use a rotary phone is pure entertainment. The way emojis are used and interpreted varies vastly by age, making for some chuckle-worthy communication mishaps. Slang terms can be hard to keep up with the older you get, but they can also be manipulated by savvy elders to great comedic effect.And now, comedian Jake Lambert has compared how the different generations arrive at someone's house in a viral video that's been viewed more than 12 million times."You've basically got boomers who will turn up completely unannounced any time from about 7:00 in the morning and they will knock on your door just slightly louder than the police using a battering ram carrying out a house raid," Lambert begins."And then you've got Gen X. They would have made the plans well in advance, and they would've also checked in a couple of days before just to make sure the plans are definitely still happening," he went on. "You see, Gen X is the forgotten generation and they're so scarred by this title they would've assumed that you'd forgotten not only about the plans but about their very existence." See on Instagram "Millennials will have hoped that the plans would've been canceled. There's no reason that a millennial will ever actually want to come to your house," he continued. "They will arrive late, but they will text you to let you know they're on their way, just as they're about to get into the shower. And a millennial will never knock on your door. You'll just get a text either saying 'here' or 'outside,' and that's your cue to go and let them in.""Similarly, Gen Z will never actually knock," he concluded. "But the chances are they won't have to, as they would have been documenting the entire journey from their house to yours, maybe even on Facetime using this angle [camera facing directly up at the chin] as they go along for some reason. Either that or they'll just send a picture of your front door or a selfie of them outside it. And again, just like the millennial, that's your cue to go and rescue them from the outside world."People felt alternately seen, attacked and validated by Lambert's assessments, with the most common response being "accurate." "I‘m a millennial, my husband GenX. Scarily accurate! ?""Described this millennial to a T.""This is surprisingly accurate ? I laughed slightly louder than the police using a battering ram…""Sooo accurate…guilty of the lateness and ‘here’ text ?""I must admit I'm a millennial. But knocking on the door feels so aggressive, uknow? ??""Millennial texting to say almost there but just started getting dressed to go out. Why do we do this? It's not intentional, at least not for me.""Honestly your observations are just brilliant! GenX-er here!""The Gen Z angle omg ??"Some people didn't resonate with their generation's description, but there are exceptions to every rule and some people will never fit a stereotype. However, judging by the wave of affirmative responses, Lambert nailed the generational generalities across the board—and did so in a way that allows us all to laugh at ourselves.You can follow Jake Lambert on Instagram.This article originally appeared in July.

When you become a mom it can sometimes feel as if you've lost your identity. Suddenly everything is about the baby when just a short 10 months prior your main concern was if you'd have time after work to grab happy hour $2 wings before it was over. There was variety to your day and adult conversations came with ease. Your life can feel like two different timelines, broken up into before motherhood and after, though you're still very much the same person. Of course there are joys to motherhood, and for some moms that overshadows everything else while others feel like there's more to them than "just being a mom." Sometimes the journey of parenthood can feel isolating until someone comes along and shares the same feelings. Audrey and Nathan Sears are parents to a young daughter and the pair have taken to singing songs about parenthood that they've written throughout the day in the bathroom at night. The young mom shares with Upworthy, "100% of our songs are recorded after we put our daughter to sleep at night. We want to make sure that we're present in each moment that we have with our daughter, so we try to keep music and our life with her compartmentalized."While to someone who isn't a singer it may seem weird for them to record music in the bathroom instead of a more roomy area of the house, but bathrooms have great acoustics. Even Christina Aguilera recorded her audition for the Mulan soundtrack in the bathroom, and that catapulted her career, so the bathroom recording sessions make sense. But it wasn't the bathroom that caught people's ear, it was the talent and lyrics to one of their most recent songs. schitts creek crying GIF by CBC Giphy Audrey and Nathan who have known each other since sixth grade, realized there was no representation in music that encapsulated the early years of parenting, so they decided to fill in that hole. Audrey tells Upworthy, "It wasn't until we had our daughter that we really felt compelled to put our experiences to music. We were struggling to find music that we could relate to in this new (and universal) stage of life, so when we began posting our songs about parenthood on TikTok and then Instagram, it was so exciting to see how many people were resonating and feeling the same emotions that we feel when writing our music."The duo released, "Just a Mom" and opened a floodgate of tears from moms online feeling seen by the reality of the lyrics. Audrey's voice is soft but full of richness while her husband strums along behind her. The first lines just go over the daily routine of a mom, but in the end it reiterates the reality that some people will only see you as "just a mom.""I filled the dishwasher, then I got the baby out of bed. I made the breakfast and got us dressed before we left. Went on a walk downtown cause I've been worried about my looks, she fell asleep when we got home. I organized all of her books. It's just another day on this little island that we made," Audrey sings before continuing with the long list of things many moms do, including making food everyone is going to say they hate. Giphy The lyrics, the melody, the soothing sound of Audrey's voice are a perfect combination to elicit emotion from listeners who understand the struggle. The video has been listened to over 450k times on TikTok and over 2 million on Instagram, both comment sections are filed with moms who relate to the young mom's song. While the song has different meanings to different people, Audrey is clear that she's not complaining, telling Upworthy, "This song isn't complaining about the load of motherhood or minimizing the role of fathers, it's about celebrating all the incredible work that mothers do to raise kind and brave humans." The music duo didn't realize their song would go viral but moms everywhere are relating to the lyrics.One mom says, "Some may say that it's life. Everyone has to get up and get dressed and make food etc. But being a mom is different. It's the mental load you carry keeping another human or two or three or more alive and happy while also trying to keep yourself afloat. It's hard but the best hardest job in the world." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Audrey & Nathan (@audreyandnathan)"In the clurb, we all fam… and sobbing. Uncontrollably sobbing," another writes. "I think what hurt most was when I realized my friends and family started seeing me as “just a mom” instead of my self," a commenter shares.Another mom chimes in, "Wow this, I mean could there be a more perfect song to describe how invisible it feels to be a Mom, really any Mom working or not, but especially one that stays at home. Thank you for making and sharing this beautiful song." Happy Tears Cry GIF by Farmer Wants A Wife Giphy While the song was aimed at moms, it did reach a few dads, causing one to vow to step up more in the house after hearing the lyrics. The virility and tearjerking reaction to the song has caused calls for it to be released on streaming platforms. It's coming, according to Audrey."When the song started going viral, we had actually just finished recording a parenthood song that had also gone viral on TikTok called "My Baby's Baby." We have plans to release that one in early 2025 with hopefully a few of our other most-loved songs to follow. Right now, we're just basking in the love and enjoying what we're doing at that pace that makes sense for our life and our family - which will always be our first priority. The best place to keep up with what's new and being released is on our instagram and TikTok," the mom shares.No one is just anything. Moms have interests, hobbies, and dreams while also caring for small humans that they're trying to mold into good people. So if you have a new mom in your life, be sure to continue to see her for who she is outside of motherhood, try to recognize the load she carries and send her this song, she may need to hear it.

For mom Tatiana (@mamasreadingjournal), the dread of having to go to her kid’s parent-teacher conference was so strong that she posted a TikTok video asking if other moms and dads felt the same way. “Do you go to your kid's parent-teacher conferences every year? Am I a bad mom for not wanting to go? Like I'm gonna go, but I really don't wanna go, you know?” she asked in the clip, just before quipping, “sorry if his teacher finds this, it's not you, I swear, it's me, I'm lazy.”Considering Tatiana is already in communication with her kid’s teacher through an app, she also couldn't help but wonder why “this can't be an email?” A very, very relatable thought for anyone in the 21st century. Tatiana’s confession was met with…a lot of concern. Clearly, people do, in fact, feel pretty strongly about this topic. And a common point brought up was how a child might feel if their parent doesn’t show an interest in their education in this particular way. @mamasreadingjournal Do we really have to go every year? Like let the teachers go home #parentteacherconferences #everyyyear #teachers ♬ original sound - Tatiana ? | The Book Mom “Your child is worth the effort, showing up to things like this is showing up for them,” one person wrote. Another asked, “I guess the question is why aren’t you interested in learning from your child’s teacher about how their learning journey is going, if they’re a good friend to their classmates, etc? I see how it can be an inconvenience but being a parent means being involved in their life at school as well.”A few teachers also weighed in, who admitted that even they didn’t exactly love parent-teacher conferences. Still, one advised, “always go. As a teacher it builds the connection we have with the parent, helps communication to overall support the child.”Another teacher was a little more blunt, saying, “girl. we don't want to go! but you create so much work for us if you don't go. we gotta document so many attempts of trying to get you in. also, your kid wants you to go. I see hs kids sad that their parents don't care to go. it's important I swear,”There was even a heated sidebar debate as to which parent, if only one, should be attending said parent-teacher conference—the stay-at-home-parent (SAHP), or the parent who works. Some argued that the SAHP should be the one to go as part of their at-home responsibilities. Others argued that SAHPs are the ones in regular correspondence with teachers, and therefore it’s the other parent that needs to get caught up. But all moral judgments aside, this mom wasn’t necessarily saying she planned on skipping out. She was merely sharing a feeling that quite honestly a lot of folks can probably relate to. Even the most involved parent on the planet could get overwhelmed with the ever increasing amount of random school events that seem more or less mandatory. That goes double for parents who already have demanding schedules or social anxiety, which has to describe at least 99.9% of parents, right? It more so sounds like she was looking for commiseration than anything else. To that point, Tatiana did make a follow-up video sharing that she “did not know” that not attending a parent-teacher conference results in more work for the teacher. She assumed it meant they’d “get to go home earlier if I didn't go.” Honestly, fair assumption. She also clarified that she did in fact go to the conference, and had always planned to go. However, she tells Upworthy that “outta my 15 minute slot we talked about my kid’s actual performance for maybe two minutes. Even my husband was shocked how much we chitchatted vs discussing actual grades and progress.” @mamasreadingjournal Replying to @The Next Ten Minutes ♬ original sound - Tatiana ? | The Book Mom But regardless, while she still feels that there’s “too much weight” put on this particular event, she will “go every year with bells on.”“A mom who’s willing to accept feedback and adjust their attitude. We love to see it,” one astute viewer said. This goes to show a few things. One, it’s a reminder of how so many aspects of education could stand for a revamp to fit with modern times. Two, productive conversations really can lead to better understanding. And three, parenting comes with going to a lot of things that you’d really rather not go to. Be it a parent-teacher conference or a Peppa Pig pop-up. Also bonus number four—it can almost always be an email instead.

Peter Bence’s performance of “Africa” by Toto has over 17 million views on YouTube because of his creative reimagining of the song and, well, just about everyone loves “Africa.” Bence is a Hungarian composer and producer who has become a viral sensation for his Michael Jackson, Queen, Sia, and Beatles covers. He has over 1.1 million followers on YouTube and has toured the globe, playing in more than 40 countries across four continents.His performance of “Africa'' is unique because it opens with him creating a rhythm track and looping it by strategically tapping the piano and rubbing its strings to create the sound of shakers and congo drums.The video eventually becomes rapturous, with Benace making the piano sound like an entire orchestra.Released in 1982, “Africa” was Toto’s biggest hit, reaching number one 1 in the U.S., number 3 in the UK, and the top 10 globally. It’s a stirring piece of music that’s beautifully arranged with an anthemic chorus. However, the lyrics aren’t that accurate.The song’s author, Toto keyboardist Jeff Pocaro, describes it as: “A white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he's never been there, he can only tell what he's seen on TV or remembers in the past.”Nevertheless, the song is an iconic tune that captures a specific spirit of the early ‘80s when the world turned its focus to Africa. Over 40 years later, the song’s wholesome sincerity has made it a piece of music that every few years captures the hearts of a new generation. This article originally appeared last year.