When Americans venture abroad, for better and for worse, they often bring their unique culture, customs, and, yes, stereotypes with them. From our choice of clothing to our dining preferences and social interactions, these stereotypes offer insights into the distinct characteristics that make American travelers stand out. Europeans shared some of these stereotypes, offering insights on how they can immediately identify American tourists. What’s your take? Do you agree with any of them?
The phrase “How you doin’?” is a popular and friendly greeting in American pop culture, often associated with the famous catchphrase of the TV character Joey Tribbiani from Friends. As a result, using it in real-life conversation can indeed peg someone as a tourist, particularly outside the United States.
With its casual and happy tone, this distinct American expression is less commonly used in other parts of the world, where greetings tend to be more formal or culturally specific. While it may elicit a smile or even a chuckle, it can also be a telltale sign that you’re not a local, adding a touch of charm to your interactions as a traveler.
]]>In the dead of night on March 8, 2014, the engines of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 hummed to life. Laden with 227 passengers and 12 crew members, the aircraft embarked on its routine journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China. But then, a startling silence enveloped Flight 370 as it vanished from radar screens, leaving behind a perplexing void with all souls on board. While much of its fate’s enigma persists, a fresh theory has emerged, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the elusive truth…
Enter the scene Blaine Gibson, a determined individual whose relentless pursuit of MH370 debris has captivated attention and compelled authorities to take heed of his findings. With an unparalleled dedication to his quest, Gibson stands as an authority on the matter, intimately acquainted with the details surrounding the crucial figure of Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the pilot of Malaysia Airlines, on that fateful day.
Grace Kelly embodied a fantasy cherished by countless little girls, moving from the glittering world of acting to becoming a cherished royal figure. By tying the knot with Prince Rainier of Monaco, she left behind her provocative and sensational career in Hollywood for the regal splendor and duties of a princess, complete with a golden crown. Yet, while her story appeared as a fairy tale come to life, it was not without its shadows. Her journey, while outwardly a narrative of dream fulfillment, underscored the complex and often bittersweet sacrifices made in the pursuit of love and duty.
Grace Kelly’s early years unfolded in an affluent yet strict family environment where, quite unexpectedly, she didn’t shine as brightly as one might anticipate. Surrounded by her three energetic siblings, Grace emerged as the most fragile among them—small, sickly, and very shy. In the backdrop of her family’s vibrant dynamics, Grace became a quiet observer, turning inward to her vivid imagination as a sanctuary from feeling like the odd one out. In the realms of her imagination, Grace wasn’t just another family member; she was the undisputed princess of her own enchanting tale. Little did she realize, these whimsical daydreams were sketching the outline of a destiny far beyond the ordinary—a future where the lines between fantasy and reality would blur in the most unexpected and intricate ways.
]]>It’s a fact of life that the world is constantly changing. The technology and norms of yesteryear seem strange and quaint to us now, but they were once taken for granted. Many habits and rituals that we all have might not exist in the future; whether that’s for better or worse depends on how you look at it. Join us on a journey of speculation, where we consider the things considered normal today that might fade out of style in the near future. Some people’s guesses about the future may surprise you!
Family vloggers, also dubbed “mommy vloggers” in some cases, have taken social media by storm. You’ve undoubtedly seen more than a few family “influencers” flooding your YouTube and Instagram feeds. These vloggers film themselves doing random stuff with their kids between ad spots and trying to sell you products.
Fans went wild for these family vloggers a few years ago. However, they’ve seen a decline in popularity in recent years. Many people have started to realize that it’s kind of weird to film small children without their consent, only to upload it for a bunch of strangers to see. Also, there aren’t many laws that protect these influencer kids from exploitation. Family vloggers seem normal now, but we have a feeling that their popularity is waning.
]]>Sometimes, it feels like the Internet is full of depressing things: just a non-stop barrage of bad news, angry people, and cynicism. Some days, it’s enough to make me want to delete all my social media accounts, throw my laptop in the garbage can, and move to a hut in the mountains to tend sheep and befriend small birds. While I haven’t written off that idea completely yet, every now and then, I come across a little ray of sunshine online that changes my mind—an island of positivity and kindness that proves that not everything on the Internet is bad. And I want to share one such island of positivity with you: a series of wholesome, uplifting comics by a digital artist named Eckyo. Check out his work below and see if it doesn’t restore your faith in humanity even a little.
Tell me if either of these situations sounds familiar to you: you are so worried about what is going to happen in the future that you cannot focus on what is happening now. Or you spend all of your time fretting over and regretting what happened in the past.
This sweet little comic is here to remind us that that’s no way to live happily in the here and now. Or, as Master Oogway and a thousand inspirational posters have said: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
]]>There are some things in this world the truth is absolutely certain, like that the 1999 Mummy film is way better than the one from 2017. But other things are less clear-cut. To show what we mean, we’ve gathered examples around the web of people answering the question, “What’s something that other people don’t believe is definitely true?” Some of the answers are correct, some are incorrect, some are unclear, and some are a matter of opinion. What do you think? How many do you agree with? And how many do you think are totally wrong?
What would you say if I asked you how reliable you think your memory is? If you think you remember something a certain way, how confident are you that it’s correct? Many people have confidence that their memories are accurate and reliable.
But there is a whole field of study dedicated to memory, and there is a lot of evidence to suggest that our memories aren’t as infallible as we think; over time, errors can creep in, leaving us utterly certain of something that is utterly certainly untrue.
]]>There is no denying that thrifting has had a comeback in recent years… When we were kids, going thrifting was not something anyone considered cool. But now, with the ‘vintage’ revival of our hand-me-downs, people have given the idea of second-hand shopping a facelift. And you know what they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure… But with these interesting thrift finds, we struggle to see how anyone ever considered these things to be of value. We fear these weird thrift store finds are doing more harm than good for the revival of thrift shopping…
No matter what, there will always be lingering disappointment when it comes to being someone’s child. Even if you were the best child in the world, who did nothing but listen and respect your parents, navigating this sensitive relationship is hard for everyone.
And as this rather fitting sign states, you can only do so much to decrease your parents’ feelings of shame… So, instead of holding all of these horrible feelings inside, why not just let your parents be the ones to deal with them? Since they are probably going to anyway.
]]>Have you ever met someone who believes in a myth that made you facepalm? Maybe you have a friend who swears by the five-second rule or a co-worker who thinks holding your breath makes you immune to nasty odors. People took to the Internet to talk about the most ridiculous myths that are still surprisingly prevalent. We hate to burst your bubble, but if you still believe some of these myths to be true, you have come to the right (or the wrong) place.
Oh boy, do I have an opinion on this one! I mean, lie detectors? Seriously? The only thing I trust less than a machine that claims to know when someone is lying is an ex. And that’s saying something. I get it; the idea of being able to tell when someone is lying sounds pretty cool, but it isn’t a reality…
But let’s be real here; lie detectors are about as reliable as my grandma’s hearing aid. Have you seen those things? They’re like a cross between a giant mechanical spider and a medieval torture device. No, thank you. I’ll stick to good old-fashioned detective work over lie detectors.
]]>Human history is full of fascinating tidbits that don’t make it into the history books. Thankfully, we have photographs to document these mind-blowing pieces of history as evidence for the events that took place. Today, we’re diving into the weird and wonderful world of vintage images. Some of these photos show little-known historical documents. Other images are a blast from the past that might elicit some long-forgotten memories. Buckle up and get ready to learn something new with these interesting pieces of history.
Can you believe this vaccination card is over a century old? It’s a fascinating peek into how things used to be and how they are still similar to our current day. If you take a closer look, it appears that this vaccination card was part of a larger inspection form for someone traveling from Russia to the United States.
The card is dated August 17, 1909, and is signed off by a doctor. It’s full of a bunch of official-looking stamps, too. Whomever this card belonged to, they were traveling on The Russian East-Asiatic Steamship. If you look along the bottom of the card, you can see hole-punches marking each day of inspection on the ship. We can’t help but wonder how this person’s life turned out when they stepped foot on American soil. Pretty neat!
]]>There are moments when we look at something and think, “That’s gorgeous! What a great idea!” Unfortunately, sometimes, something might be good on paper, but when you go ahead and execute it, you end up with a design that’s so impractical that it’s almost not worth the effort at all. To inspire and potentially warn you against ending up in a similar situation, we’ve compiled a list of 35 uncleanable things that may look good but certainly don’t feel good to own or maintain.
At first glance, this design pattern on an LED gaming mouse looks super cool. As the picture shows, however, it’s not the best idea to have many small, complicated holes with many corners on a non-removable surface that’s constantly being touched with your hands, especially when your hands might be lightly dusted with Dorito seasoning.
It looks like it would take hours to scrub this mouse out by hand, and that’s without even worrying if using too much cleaner might make the electronic components stop working completely. These specialized gaming accessories tend to be expensive and hard to replace, so maybe a printed hex design would be better.
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