In the late '80s, NASA sought ways to purify air in its space stations. To achieve this, they conducted a study to find the best plants for filtering toxins and converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.
In 1989, their results were published in a clean air study that provided a definitive list of the plants that are most effective at cleaning indoor air.
The study recommended placing at least one plant for every 100 square feet of indoor space, whether at home or in the office.
Trichloroethylene – Found in printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes, adhesives, and paint removers. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: excitement, dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting followed by drowsiness and coma.
Formaldehyde – Found in paper bags, waxed papers, facial tissues, paper towels, plywood paneling, and synthetic fabrics. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: irritation to nose, mouth and throat, and in severe cases, swelling of the larynx and lungs.
Benzene – Used to make plastics, resins, lubricants, detergents, and drugs. Also found in tobacco smoke, glue, and furniture wax. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: irritation to eyes, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, increase in heart rate, headaches, confusion and in some cases can result in unconsciousness.
Xylene – Found in rubber, leather, tobacco smoke, and vehicle exhaust. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: irritation to mouth and throat, dizziness, headache, confusion, heart problems, liver and kidney damage and coma.
Ammonia – Found in window cleaners, floor waxes, smelling salts, and fertilizers. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: eye irritation, coughing, sore throat.
Please note: Some of these plants may be toxic for your pets, so please do your research to ensure your furry friends stay safe.
According to Investopedia, skrinkflation "is the practice of reducing the size of a product while maintaining its sticker price. Raising the price per given amount is a strategy employed by companies, mainly in the food and beverage industries, to stealthily boost profit margins."
We experience this every day when we look at products we've bought for years and become suspicious that they're getting smaller. Easter candy hoarder and actor, B.J. Novak, ("The Office," "Inglorious Basterds"), noticed something fishy about the size of Cadbury Eggs and brought them to Conan O'Brien's attention back in 2007 in this hilarious clip.
There’s always some level of generational bickering, and lately, it’s been between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Boomers claim Millennials are entitled, which is ironic since Millennials were raised by Boomers. Meanwhile, Millennials argue that Boomer selfishness has contributed to a world where it's harder for younger generations to thrive.
No matter who's right, the reality is that Millennials are on far shakier financial ground than their parents. Robert Reich, an admitted Baby Boomer, and former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, does a great job at explaining the discrepancy in a new video/blogpost entitled "Four Reasons Why Millennials Don't Have Any Money."
"Millennials aren't teenagers anymore," Reich writes. "They're working hard, starting families and trying to build wealth. But as a generation, they're way behind."
They are only half as likely to own a home and more likely to live in poverty than their parents.
Number one: Stagnant wages.
Between 2007 and 2017, median wages grew by just 0.3%. As many Millennials were starting their careers, they entered an economy where paychecks stayed flat while living costs, especially for education and healthcare, soared. In contrast, wage growth in the mid-'80s to mid-'90s was over three times higher.
Second: As wages have stagnated, the costs of essentials like housing and education have gone through the roof.
The most common way that Americans have built wealth in previous generations was by owning a home. But the exorbitant cost of real estate across the country has priced Millenials out.
The median home price in 1980 was $147,000 in today's dollars and then $178,000 in 2000. As of May 2019, the U.S. median home price is $315,000
Adjusted for inflation, the average cost of a college education in 2018 is nearly three times that of 1978.
Due to the drastic increase in the price of education, Millenials have an average of $28,000 in student loan debt. Add to that, the average young adult carries an average of $5,000 in credit card debt.
Fourth: Millennials are finding it harder than previous generations to save for the future.
That makes total sense given the fact that their expenses are higher and they are saddled with debt. Millennials also aren't saving as much because very few companies offer pension plans like they did for the Baby Boomer generation. Instead, they offer do-it-yourself retirement plans such as 401Ks.
"All of this means that fewer Millennials are entering the middle class than previous generations. Most have less than $1,000 in savings. Many young people today won't be able to retire until 75, if at all," Reich writes.
Reich believes there are steps we can take to improve the financial stability of Millennials and future generations. He suggests policies like debt relief, universal healthcare, paid family leave, affordable housing, and a more equitable tax code for renters.
Think about the most outrageous film that could be adapted to the stage. Now, imagine the cast of that theatrical production is entirely children, ranging in age from 7 to 10. Now, film it and let the world react.
That’s what director Marc Klasfeld had in mind when he held auditions with professional child actors for a shocking video, meant to look like an elementary school production of the cult film-favorite Scarface. In a now 15-year-old interview with Entertainment Weekly, when asked why he thought this was a good idea, Klasfeld admits, "I thought this would be a nice fit into the kind of YouTube arena of viral videos. And I was right."
The result? Kids yelling “mother-fudger,” piles of popcorn meant to look like cocaine, and outrageous, lengthy scenes of children pointing Super Soakers at one another.
Scarface school play ……. #viral #fyp #foryoupage #duet #viralvideos #trending #comedy #scarface #tonymontana #school #play #iran
Marc, mostly known as an accomplished commercial and music video director, later adds, "I enjoy making provocative art. I like stirring debate and causing conversation. You're going to get two sides of the coin no matter what you do. People are going to love and hate everything. People loved and hated Avatar. People loved and hated the Jennifer Aniston movie. And people love and hate this. I guess that's a part of having something that's successful out there. There’s got to be certain people that hate it for people to love it."
Once they got their perfect cast, it didn’t take long to put together. He shares, "It was a one-take, so it was pretty much just choosing the right take. About a month altogether."
People sure did react, as it acquired millions of views and comments from all over the Internet. Some were horrified, some were outraged, and many thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. But Marc emphasizes that the kids in the video were not scandalized. "They’ve heard the f-word. They’ve seen more violence in their everyday lives for as long as they can remember. So for this, they’ve seen worse things than this all the time. So this wasn’t that big of a deal for them."
Enter TikTok. The clip (which just popped up again recently on Facebook) was reposted a few years back, and, once again, the comments continue to run the gamut from indignation to full praise. One TikTok user exclaimed, "Bro, I can’t even remember my grocery list, how the fudge did these kids memorize this whole scene lol?"
Others expressed confusion: "I'm not sure whether to be angry or amazed." Some chose anger: "Just imagine, you know these kids watched the movie to get the characters right. And the parents cheering? Yeah, yeah."
Many commenters believed it was a real school play and commended the production for "keepin' it real": "That school keeps it real. Nowadays, kids know so much about guns and drugs, might as well teach them that bad choices don’t end well."
Yet another enjoyed it but was concerned that the parents of the children would not. "Love the tray full of popcorn. But my God, I would hate to see the hell these parents probably raised."
For the most part, the reviews were glowing. Many complimented the acting, and one claimed they definitely would have "preferred this play over their own school production of Macbeth."
Tony Montana / Scarface / Al Pacino | Consultas y pedidos a:… | Flickrwww.flickr.com
And perhaps the biggest compliment? "Al Pacino will be proud."
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Airbnb has agreed to stop promoting and selling tickets for tours and experiences involving controversial camel and horse rides at the Giza pyramid complex.
Vacation rental company Airbnb has agreed to stop promoting and selling tickets for tours and experiences involving controversial camel and horse rides at the Giza pyramid complex, according to a statement from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
Five other North American travel companies—Black Tomato, Shore Excursions Group, ToursByLocals, Under30Experiences, and World Travel Holdings—have taken the same stance against such rides, described by PETA as "exploitative," at the historic Egyptian spot. In response, the animal rights nonprofit organization is "sending the companies delicious vegan chocolates."
PETA and Airbnb have worked closely in the past. In 2019, the rental giant announced policy guidelines governing Animal Experiences, which included banning those with "intentional direct contact with wild animals in the wild including, but not limited to, petting, feeding, or riding animals, except for certain Social Impact Experiences in which the validated non-profit is conducting conservation research."
The current guidelines on Airbnb also cite requirements for rescues and sanctuaries, domesticated and farm animals, zoos and aquariums, and dog sledding, while prohibiting specific activities related to "elephant interactions," "big cat interactions," "wild animals in restaurants, cafés, and entertainment venues," "marine mammals in captivity," "wildlife products," and "sporting events." Airbnb also reportedly donated $100,000 to PETA’s campaigns aiming to end "exploitative wildlife tourism."
"Airbnb is committed to promoting responsible animal tourism, and this support is provided in recognition of PETA’s ongoing work to protect animal welfare and all of PETA’s innovative and effective programs to advance empathy and end animal suffering," said Airbnb Experiences Policy Director Natalia Merluzzi.
The company’s decision regarding camel and horse rides follows a PETA Asia investigation into treatment of animals at the destination. The organization reported that they "documented handlers violently beating exhausted horses and camels, who are used to haul tourists in the blistering sun." They continued, "Injured and malnourished horses were seen eating from garbage dumps, and the bodies of dead horses were found discarded every day at trash sites outside the Giza pyramids. Camels considered too old, sick, or injured to be useful were often hauled to a slaughterhouse, where their throats were slit while they were still conscious. One camel continued to kick for four agonizing minutes after a worker slit the animal’s throat."
In a new statement, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman condemned those actions and praised the travel companies for a taking their stance.
“More and more travel operators are rejecting the horror of it all and encouraging tourists to enjoy the Great Pyramids’ stunning views without supporting cruelty to horses and camels,” she said. “PETA applauds Airbnb and other travel companies for shunning these shameful rides and urges Egyptian authorities to show it cares one iota and act to defend the animals.”
The Giza necropolis features three main pyramids, built circa 2600 to 2500 B.C.: the pyramid of Khafre, the pyramid of Menkaure, and, most famously, the Great Pyramid—the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It’s also home to the Great Sphinx and various pyramid complexes.
While camel and horse rides are commonplace at the site, it’s possible to travel around the complex without them. For an entrance fee, you can walk around inside any of the pyramids, and there are many areas around the Giza Plateau for views and photo opps, including the Panoramic Point.
"Once on the Giza Plateau, you can walk to almost everything," write travel bloggers the Earth Trekkers. "The only place on the Giza Plateau that is off-limits for walking is the desert and dunes around the pyramids. It’s not exactly forbidden, but it is strongly discouraged that people walk here."
One of the many things that unite us in life is that grief, at some point, is inescapable. Whether we lose a loved one to death, experience a breakup, or simply lose touch with a very good friend, it's a spectrum of loss, and, put simply, it's inevitable.
Over the years, many therapists have supported the idea that grief is something that shouldn't be endured in solitude. And while it's true that a sense of community can be important in hard times, there are some people who just need to process much of their grief alone.
Now, there's research to suggest that it's absolutely healthy for those to do so, if that's what they desire. In the article "Grieving Alone: How Grief & Solitude Can Help When Coping With Loss," editor-in-chief of The Roots of Loneliness Project Allison Huff writes, "It isn’t necessarily 'bad' to go through grief alone, and in fact, it can be a healthy way to process a loss if it’s what a grieving person needs to do for themselves and their emotional health—especially after the funeral is over."
She notes that it's actually not uncommon for people to just need a break. "Being alone can feel like a welcome respite as you begin the grief-processing journey—even if you weren’t involved with making the funeral arrangements at all—and it’s a path many people choose for themselves, with good reason."
Huff carefully relays that a person who chooses to grieve alone should take note if their natural grief becomes long-term depression. The two emotions, though different from one another, are instinctively intertwined, and the sadness can feel ever-changing. But she stresses how important it is to remember that "people live on in memory." She cites writer Ernest Hemingway's famous quote, "'Every man has two deaths: when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name.'"
Even if you choose alone time during grief, she also suggests spending time outdoors and/or writing a letter to the person you lost. And of equal importance, she implores that one should not be afraid "to open up to others when you need to" and to understand that you shouldn't "set a time limit for your grief."
The grief journey is to be taken in solitude and community depending on your needs.www.flickr.com
She reiterates, "It is absolutely okay to process your grief alone in solitude if it is what you feel you need to do to heal through a loss." She mentions a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology entitled "Rituals Alleviate Grieving for Loved Ones, Lovers, and Lotteries" that supports how natural it is for people to engage in private rituals when they are mourning.
Many people on Reddit agree and feel heard. In the thread "Does anyone else prefer to grieve quietly/alone?" (in the subreddit group "Grief/Support"), many discuss the struggle they have with wanting to be alone, but also remaining polite.
One commenter said, "I’m definitely a private griever, because grief is so personal. The closer the person was to me, the more I want to be alone. Like when my dad died, I didn’t want to see anyone. I was angry that other people existed. Just wanted to be left alone. So that’s a totally valid and natural way to grieve. Do whatever you gotta do, friend."
Another agrees and shares that grieving with others adds a whole other layer of responsibility for the person's feelings. "Yep. I can't grieve with others. I end up comforting them and not giving any time to take care of my own grief. I was basically chief mourner at my dad's funeral. My parents are divorced, and I was a lot closer to him than my other siblings. Everyone sought me out to offer their condolences, but I felt more like I was their shoulder to cry on rather than the other way around."
But, even though they felt encumbered by others, they added this lovely spin: "It was nice in a way, feeling how much my dad was loved."
"It isn’t necessarily 'bad' to go through grief alone...it can be a healthy way to process a loss if it’s what a grieving person needs to do... —especially after the funeral is over."
Photo by Mayron Oliveira on Unsplash
This Redditor reminds people just how personal loss is: "My own experience is that people grieve at different moments, and it's difficult to want to listen when you've tucked things away for a while… Grieving is personal and really complex, in my opinion. Just do whatever you feel you need to do."
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Legislation has been introduced in all 50 states that would allow you to freely fix your electronics.
On February 20, 2025, Wisconsin became the last state to have introduced a right-to-repair law in the United States. The new bill would require manufacturers to make repair documentation, data, parts, and tools available to owners and independent mechanics at a fair price. This law is specifically targeted towards manufacturers of agricultural equipment such as tractors, to allow farmers to either repair their equipment themselves or hire the mechanic of their choice rather than being forced to depend on the manufacturer for repairs.
As mentioned, this bill isn’t the only one. Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, California, and Oregon have already passed right to repair laws in their state, with 20 other states considering and introducing right-to-repair bills. The remaining states have had bills introduced that were turned down. As with most legislation, it could take years for a bill to be formed into law through the proper channels.
Right to repair laws don’t just impact farmers or folks in rural areas, but city folks as well. While Wisconsin’s bill is focused on farmers, the grassroots movement has become a popular groundswell for people on the left and the right side of the political spectrum. Right to repair laws not only allow farmers to fix their own tractors, but allow consumers to have the ability to fix all sorts of products by requiring companies sell repair parts to the public, provide repair manuals, and ban software locks that restrict repair to only authorized repair technicians. This means a farmer can fix their John Deere tractor without needing to hire a company-certified technician, an electric car owner could take their ride to a third-party mechanic rather than a dealership, and iPhone users can change their own phone battery without going to an Apple Genius Bar.
— (@)
Companies, especially those in big tech, have benefited from the lack of right-to-repair laws because once a consumer purchases their product they are still reliant on the company if their purchase needs to be repaired. This means the company can profit from not only the purchase but the repairs of it, too, at a price point they themselves set up without competition. This also encourages companies to create a less sturdy product to either profit from fixes or to upsell a newer model to a customer once their current product is broken.
This not only hurts consumers, but the environment as well. Since people are more likely to throw an item away instead of fixing it themselves, or are encouraged to throw it away when it is broken and purchase a new model, it has created mountains of e-waste and garbage in our landfills.
Right-to-repair laws could cut down on e-waste in our landfills.Photo credit: Canva
As this movement both saves money for regular consumers and improves the environment as a side benefit by endorsing sustainability, right to repair is seen as one of the few purely bipartisan causes in the current political climate. The previous federal administration supported the movement along with the previous Federal Trade Commission, which had gotten major companies such as Apple, Google, and John Deere to adjust their policies slightly.
If you are interested in this movement and are in a state that doesn’t have a right to repair law, you can search for a local group in your area or online at websites such as Repair.org to see where you can lend your support.
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Brewing tea can remove harmful metals from the water.
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered another benefit for tea drinkers. A recent study revealed that brewing tea actually removes harmful and toxic metals such as cadmium and lead from the water. They have found that the heavy metal ions stick to the tea leaves and are trapped on them upon brewing. This means that the tea is safer to drink than the water used to make it!
The study published in ACS Food Science and Technology showed that the tea leaves acted as an absorbing filter for those heavy metals in the brewed water, with varying success depending on the type of tea, tea bag, and steeping time. The scientists found that the most effective combination of removing toxic metals through brewing would be to brew finely powdered black tea through a paper tea bag with a long steeping time.
The types of tea, tea bags, and seeping time impact how much metal can be removed from water.Photo credit: Canva
These toxic metals can appear within drinking water throughout the world, but primarily in developing nations where heavy industrial waste runoff contaminates nearby streams, rivers, and other bodies of water. It’s also not uncommon for lead and cadmium among other heavy metals to travel through traffic pollution, land on soil, and that soil runoff into drinking water sources. This can include private wells and water pumps. Exposure to these metals has been associated with health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, kidney disease, and many other issues. This is why water filtration is consistently advocated as a global initiative.
“We’re not suggesting that everyone starts using tea leaves as a water filter,” said Dr. Vinayak P. Dravid, the study’s senior author. “For this study, our goal was to measure tea’s ability to absorb heavy metals. By quantifying this effect, our work highlights the unrecognized potential for tea consumption to passively contribute to reduced heavy metal exposure in populations worldwide.”
Water filtration is still a need throughout the world.Photo credit: Canva
Dr. Dravid makes a valid point. According to Statisa, tea is the second most consumed beverage on the planet, just falling behind water. Its popularity as a drink is further cemented by having 6.7 million tonnes produced worldwide in 2022 alone and a projected market size of $134 billion by the end of 2025. While it’s not a replacement for water filtration, tea drinking would definitely limit additional exposure and consumption of harmful metals.
By those numbers, one can see that tea drinking is a worldwide human trait without borders and is steeped in history among numerous nations. While China is the largest producer of tea, England remains one of the largest consumers of it, with afternoon tea being a countrywide tradition. A traditional Japanese tea ceremony dates all the way back to the 9th century, with its roots in both Buddhist and Shinto religions.
Tea drinking is a staple in many different cultures throughout the world.Photo credit: Canva
Tea is also a staple in the United States. Per the Census, 159 million Americans are drinking tea on any given day. It is a part of American history as one of the first strikes towards independence from British colonial rule came in the form of the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
While it is not as effective as genuine water filtration as Dr. Dravid stated, it is still good to know that the most common beverage on the planet is one that can lessen exposure to harmful metals throughout the world, too.
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The grief journey is to be taken in solitude and community depending on your needs.
"It isn’t necessarily 'bad' to go through grief alone...it can be a healthy way to process a loss if it’s what a grieving person needs to do... —especially after the funeral is over."
Photo by 
Right-to-repair laws could cut down on e-waste in our landfills.Photo credit: Canva
The types of tea, tea bags, and seeping time impact how much metal can be removed from water.Photo credit: Canva
Water filtration is still a need throughout the world.Photo credit: Canva
Tea drinking is a staple in many different cultures throughout the world.Photo credit: Canva
Say hello to my little friend...literally.
TikTok shocked by 15-year-old unhinged viral clip of kids performing Scarface in school play
Think about the most outrageous film that could be adapted to the stage. Now, imagine the cast of that theatrical production is entirely children, ranging in age from 7 to 10. Now, film it and let the world react.
That’s what director Marc Klasfeld had in mind when he held auditions with professional child actors for a shocking video, meant to look like an elementary school production of the cult film-favorite Scarface. In a now 15-year-old interview with Entertainment Weekly, when asked why he thought this was a good idea, Klasfeld admits, "I thought this would be a nice fit into the kind of YouTube arena of viral videos. And I was right."
The result? Kids yelling “mother-fudger,” piles of popcorn meant to look like cocaine, and outrageous, lengthy scenes of children pointing Super Soakers at one another.
Marc, mostly known as an accomplished commercial and music video director, later adds, "I enjoy making provocative art. I like stirring debate and causing conversation. You're going to get two sides of the coin no matter what you do. People are going to love and hate everything. People loved and hated Avatar. People loved and hated the Jennifer Aniston movie. And people love and hate this. I guess that's a part of having something that's successful out there. There’s got to be certain people that hate it for people to love it."
Once they got their perfect cast, it didn’t take long to put together. He shares, "It was a one-take, so it was pretty much just choosing the right take. About a month altogether."
People sure did react, as it acquired millions of views and comments from all over the Internet. Some were horrified, some were outraged, and many thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. But Marc emphasizes that the kids in the video were not scandalized. "They’ve heard the f-word. They’ve seen more violence in their everyday lives for as long as they can remember. So for this, they’ve seen worse things than this all the time. So this wasn’t that big of a deal for them."
Enter TikTok. The clip (which just popped up again recently on Facebook) was reposted a few years back, and, once again, the comments continue to run the gamut from indignation to full praise. One TikTok user exclaimed, "Bro, I can’t even remember my grocery list, how the fudge did these kids memorize this whole scene lol?"
Others expressed confusion: "I'm not sure whether to be angry or amazed." Some chose anger: "Just imagine, you know these kids watched the movie to get the characters right. And the parents cheering? Yeah, yeah."
Many commenters believed it was a real school play and commended the production for "keepin' it real": "That school keeps it real. Nowadays, kids know so much about guns and drugs, might as well teach them that bad choices don’t end well."
Yet another enjoyed it but was concerned that the parents of the children would not. "Love the tray full of popcorn. But my God, I would hate to see the hell these parents probably raised."
For the most part, the reviews were glowing. Many complimented the acting, and one claimed they definitely would have "preferred this play over their own school production of Macbeth."
And perhaps the biggest compliment? "Al Pacino will be proud."