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Nineteen-sixty-nine was a pivotal year in American culture. The hippies and the counterculture were ascendant, and everything that came before in entertainment was as square as can be.

In cinema, there was the world before and after 1969’s “Easy Rider.” In music, the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair was a defining moment for the new era, and on television, the anti-establishment “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” divided households over its anti-war stance.

In September of that year, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (CSN&Y) were asked to play a duet with Welsh singer Tom Jones on his television show and the pairing was a perfect example of the culture clash. Jones was famous for his hit songs “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?” and was adept at dodging panties being thrown at him by the adoring ladies in the audience.

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CSN&Y had just played Woodstock and were known for the anti-war anthem “Wooden Ships” and “Long Time Gone” about the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

For the performance, Jones and CSN&Y played a rendition of “Long Time Gone,” and what’s impressive is that Jones does not hold back and forced the rest of the band to keep up. Steven Stills, on electric piano, tries his best to match Jones’ bravado on his lines but falls short.

David Crosby has a look on his face of pure awe when he looks at Jones (although he was known for being in “awe” quite often in the days).

Throughout the performance, the hard-to-impress Neil Young seemingly goes from a look of pure disdain to “This rocks.” The performance is an excellent example of music’s ability to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.

Tom Jones & Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Long Time Gone – This is Tom Jones TV Show

A woman named Jen Chia is having even the most cynical of us reconsidering the existence of fated encounters after finding an old selfie with her husband Jon visible in the background…years before they even met.

On Instagram, Jenn wrote “I’m still shaking looking at this,” sharing a photo taken in Oct 2012, where she appeared to be enjoying a drink at what appears to be a theater.

Behind her we see a bearded man casually standing with a backpack. That man was apparently Jon. Both were completely oblivious to their future significant others.

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“We were at the same place but didn’t know each other existed,” she wrote.

Cut to a photo of Jenn and Jon on an amusement park ride, 2 years laters, when they officially met, then to a wedding photo, 9 years after that.

See on Instagram

A few viewers linked it to the viral “invisible string theory,” which is the idea that one’s ideal partner is hidden in plain sight, until the universe decides it’s the best time for you both to meet. It’s a concept based on the Chinese mythology that has found new life on TikTok, similar to the ”shoe theory,” though that’s more about fated break-ups.

Whether the timing was part of fate’s plan or not, Jenn agrees that things worked out as they should.

In her vidoe’s caption, Jenn shared, “We met at the right time. If it was before, I don’t think the relationship would have lasted. I was a narcissistic monster, unaware and naive.”

“Took me a year of traveling and being single to reflect and realize my own mistakes. That’s when we met,” she added. “The right person will always find you at the right time.”

In the comments Jon agreed, saying, “So glad you didn’t meet me in the first picture. We were meant to go on our own journeys. We met a few years later at the perfect time 😍”

Proving that these sort of kismet connections are perhaps more common than you think, previously Upworthy covered a similar story of a young woman who was going through old school photos when she discovered her late mother had been her current boyfriend’s kindergarten teacher.

From a purely scientific perspective, there is no irrefutable evidence that fated relationships exist. Still, many of us have felt inexplicably charged by connections and coincidences. Plus, research has shown that having a little magical thinking when it comes to love, like believing something is “meant to be” can help lead to more committed relationships.

Maybe Jenn and Jon are cosmically intertwined. Or maybe they are two people simply in the right place at the right time. Either way, their love story is a fun reminder that life is so often trying to work with us, not against us.

Dave Ramsey is a financial guru who is famous for creating the “envelope method” to help stay on a budget and pay off debt. Churches across America have had him come in and help their congregation with becoming debt free, so it’s safe to say he’s built a solid following.

People generally find his advice really helpful and swear by his methods. But in a recent episode of his podcast, The Ramsey Show, it would appear the price of daycare in America might have proven to be a bit out of his depth. A caller sought Ramsey’s show out for help to figure out how to save money as he and his wife have found themselves in a cycle of borrowing money to make ends meet.

Ramsey is confused when he learns the caller makes approximately $180K a year but the confusion turns to bewildered when the man explains childcare eats up $80k annually.

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Once the man adds in student loan payments, mortgage and basic living expenses, the couple struggles. Ramsey nor his cohosts seem to understand how or why the family pays that much for two children to attend daycare. The financial guru even tosses out that the couple should “find free summer camps.” Ramsey’s suggestions were so inaccessible that parents flocked to the comments to tell him that he may need to sit this one out.

The cost of childcare is directly related to the cost of living in the state in which you reside. Generally childcare is cheaper in southern states, but even though this is true, daycare for my child averaged just under $14K per year in the state of North Carolina. This wasn’t the fanciest daycare in the small town we lived in at the time, but it was safe and developmentally appropriate, both things that were important to me and my husband. The price tag was also for one child and did not include extended care hours.

@daveramsey

This couple is spending $80,000 a year for child care. #childcare #daycare #moneytok

But the caller needed extended care and was paying for two children to attend the childcare facility. A 2022 annual report from Care.com reveals that 67% of parents spend 20% or more of their household income on childcare costs. This is staggering when compared to the 7% the US Department of Health and Human Services says marks the affordable threshold.

Care.com ranked Washington D.C. as the most expensive place for daycare, parents of infants pay about $419 per week for one child, while in Arkansas, parents can expect to pay $129 per week for daycare. The idea of free summer camp would be laughable if it wasn’t something families desperately need. But Ramsey must not be aware that there isn’t a such thing as free summer camp unless you qualify for a low income subsidy program. The lower cost summer programs are still pretty pricy, especially if you have more than one child and others only offer child care for a few hours.

It’s no wonder parents had a lot to say, some making their own videos to show the financial consultant exactly how parents spend large quantities of money on childcare.

“Dave Ramsey should get on three-way calls with childcare facilities to find his callers cheaper alternatives,” one person writes.

“Free summer camp?! Where? We even had to pay a few hundred for half-day day camp at the YMCA for my kid,” another commenter questions.

“I’m in Massachusetts and the average around us is $400-500 per kid per week for full time daycare. It’s not affordable,” one mom explains.

@sheisapaigeturner

There is a childcare crisis in our country. The cost of childcare is astronomical. The cost of childcare is typically the biggest financial burden for a family with young children. The cost of childcare is rising at a faster rate than any other expense for families. People like Dave, pretending that this isn’t happening is wild to me because it is documented that this is indeed the cost of daycare. Dave should not be giving advice unless he’s well-versed in the topic. ##daveramsey##childcarecrisis##childcare ##daycare##daycarelife##millennialmom##workingmom

Paige, a mom that lives in Massachusetts took to social media to explain that it did in fact cost $20K-$26K a year in her state to send a child to daycare. In the caption of her video she explains in part, “There is a childcare crisis in our country. The cost of childcare is astronomical. The cost of childcare is typically the biggest financial burden for a family with young children. The cost of childcare is rising at a faster rate than any other expense for families.”

Maybe this is news to Ramsey, but to people raising children outside of rural areas, the cost of the caller’s childcare makes sense. There is a childcare crisis in America and many parents are finding themselves in an insurmountable hardship with seemingly no end in sight.

Even though inflation levels have slowed in the U.S. over the past few months, fast food is one industry where prices keep going up. It seems like there’s nowhere to turn when the places where we used to go to for a deal keep getting pricier and pricier.

According to CBS News, prices at “limited service” restaurants were up 6.2% last year, with America’s most popular fast-food joint, McDonald’s, up 10%.

“Our average pricing level in the U.S. business for the full year will be just over 10%,” Ian Borden, the company’s CFO, stated in an October 2023 earnings call.

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If you’re still hoping to find a deal on fast food, Business Insider created a video that shows all the “sneaky” tricks fast-food chains use to get you to spend more than you intended.

Sneaky Ways Fast Food Restaurants Get You To Spend Money

One way they get you to spend more money is by having menus that are a “noisy mess of options and categories” that only highlight a portion of what’s available. Looking for the value menu? That will be pushed to the corner of the menu so your focus stays on the pricier items on its left side.

You’ll also notice that the photos of the items are large, but the price next to them is comparatively small.

“Food pictures, they light up the brain. Particularly when you’re hungry. Large food pictures, for a food company, are key,” Hans Taparia, a professor of business and society at NYU, told Business Insider.

The video also reveals that if you do the math, value meals really aren’t a significant savings.

“If you buy multiple items on the value menu, it won’t necessarily be cheaper than a Happy Meal,” Taparia adds. In the example provided in the video, a McDonald’s Double-Quarter Pounder value meal is only 9 cents cheaper than if you purchased the items separately.

News of the Grammys might be circulating all over the web right now, but that’s not where you’ll hear about this truly inspiring music story.

Thirty-one year old musician and mom Cat Janice had one wish after being diagnosed with cancer: to leave behind a song for her 7-year-old son Loren, so that he could collect the proceeds.

The D.C.-based singer songwriter first noticed a lump in her neck in November of 2021, as she explained on TikTok. Over the next year the lump grew larger, prompting her to visit a doctor who confirmed it was sarcoma.

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Janice continued singing and writing songs throughout her chemo treatments and surgery, posting her creations—and her healing progress—on social media.

Despite being declared cancer-free on July 22, 2022, the cancer returned almost a year later. And in January 2024, she posted that her “tumors basically tripled overnight,” leaving her virtually unable to speak, let alone sing, and living in hospice.

@cat.janice #greenscreensticker cannot even believe this happened but I have to keep my head up. I want to leave behind every penny I have for him. Will you please pre save it and stream when it comes out? Hospice has been easier and more time with kiddo but swelling has not stopped 🙁 ❤️❤️ prayers please #cancer #songwriter ♬ Dance You Outta My Head – Cat Janice

Knowing she didn’t have much time left, Jancie teased out one last song, a happy pop tune titled “Dance You Outta My Head,” kindly asking folks to stream it. That way, she could leave her baby boy something when she was gone.

Janice got her wish. “Dance You Outta My Head” blew up on TikTok. People not shared videos of them dancing along to the words, but also offered words of support and empathy.

@kylei.ann I am cryingggg at our spins @Cat Janice ♬ Dance You Outta My Head – Cat Janice

“I was once a 7-year-old who lost their mom to cancer,” someone wrote. “Dancing to spread this song.”

What’s clear is that folks weren’t just spreading the song out of charity. Janice created a bona fide banger—infused with joy and that special something that make you wanna move

@stephfozzy This message is for you @Cat Janice. I’ll never dance you outta my head.🥹 Thank you. Love you. I’m gonna miss you.🪩💛✨ #catjanice #musiclivesonforever #musicismagic #womensupportingwomen #cancersucks #danceyououttamyhead ♬ Dance You Outta My Head – Cat Janice

The song didn’t just go viral online. In a subsequent video, Janice shared that she had woken up in the middle of the night to find out “Dance You Outta My Head” had charted #5 in the world on iTunes.

In the video’s caption, Janice shared her gratitude, writing, “all of this is because of you guys .I am so lucky to even be alive. Let alone with such a strong family of music lovers by my side. My son and I will forever be grateful. I feel like I can rest in God’s peace from all your love. Just so wild.”

And thank you, Janice, for reminding us all that even during our darkest moments, that beauty can be created. That is what art is all about.

You can catch the full version of “Dance You Outta My Head” below, or you can stream it on Spotify/iTunes. And if you’d like to further support Janice and her family, you can find a GoFundMe page, where the donations are geared both towards saving her life and Loren’s education, counseling and music lessons, here.

No matter how long you’ve skied or snowboarded or how much of an expert you are, there’s one nemesis on the mountain that poses an underappreciated threat—the tree well.

People may think the main danger of skiing through trees is the risk of running into one. But falling into a tree well is a less obvious, but still potentially deadly risk due to the possibility of snow immersion suffocation (SIS). Essentially, the area around the base of a tree creates snow conditions that are quite different than those out in the open. Air pockets in the snow combined with water vapor rising from the tree base turns the snow into a quicksand-like texture that is nearly impossible to escape from—the more you struggle, the deeper in you fall. Skiers and snowboarders die every year from SIS due to falling into tree wells and not being found in time.

That could easily have been snowboarder Ian Steger’s fate in March 2023 if not for the eagle eye and quick thinking of backcountry skier Francis Zuber.

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Zuber had just begun a backcountry ski run with a buddy on Mount Baker in Washington State when a flash of red caught the corner of his eye. Zuber’s GoPro footage shows him stopping and turning to see a colorful snowboard upside-down next to a tree.

“I knew there was somebody attached to it, and obviously they were still alive,” Zuber told Vancouver’s City News. “I shout out to the guy…he can’t hear me, he’s five and a half to six feet into the snow at that point.” Zuber knew he had to work fast.

As the video shows him struggling to make his way back toward the tree through the deep snow, we can hear him muttering expletives to himself and calling out to the snowboarder. At first, we can’t see how Steger is positioned, but as Zuber gets closer and starts digging, it becomes clear that the snowboarder is completely upside-down, with his face buried deep in the snow.

Watch the harrowing GoPro footage Zuber shared on YouTube:

[Warning: This video contains strong language.]

Zuber told the CBC that they estimated Steger had been buried between five and seven minutes, “probably at either a third or just the halfway point of his possible survival time in there,” when he found him. Zuber said Steger hadn’t been snowboarding alone—he was with a group of three other riders who were carrying safety equipment including shovels, beacons and two-way radios—but as we could see in Zuber’s GoPro, getting back up a mountain when you realize someone in your group isn’t behind you anymore is no small or quick task.

Steger and Zuber have since become friends since the March 3 rescue and have even gone skiing together on Mount Baker.

Steger told the CBC he just wants to “enjoy being alive.” Indeed, after a close-call experience like that, every moment you have would feel like a gift.

This article originally appeared on 4.6.23

Having your first baby is a scary experience. Everything is new—you’ve quite literally never done this before—not to mention an entire human is going to be removed from your body one way or another. Childbirth, no matter how your baby leaves your body, is not for the weak. But imagine giving birth alone to not just one baby, but three, all at the same time. Then imagine doing that feat at the age of 14.

Shariya Small experienced that scenario in a hospital in Indiana, and her nurse Katrina Mullen took note. Small’s babies were premature, born at just 26 weeks, when the average gestation for triplets is 33 weeks, according to ReproductiveFacts.org. Due to their early birth, the babies, Serenitee, Samari and Sarayah, had to stay in the NICU at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis for more than five months, according to Today.com.

During their time in the NICU, Mullen noticed the young mom visited her babies alone, not appearing to have much of a support system. “She’d be there alone for days at a time sitting at her babies’ bedside,” Mullen told Today.com.

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The pair got to know each other over the months that the babies were in the hospital, but Small continued to be reluctant to open up about her family life. That changed after she found out that Mullen had her first child at 16 and had given it up for adoption. Their experiences bonded the two moms, and Mullen began helping to care for the babies and Small by giving her advice and showing her how to properly care for the infants.

Eventually, Mullen gave Small her phone number before the babies were discharged from the hospital. It quickly became apparent that Small did not have a support system, as she called Mullen often asking for advice. Out of concern, the nurse went to visit Small an hour away, where she was living with a family member.

The condition of the home was concerning enough, but Mullen became even more worried when she saw how thin Small’s son Samari was. It turns out he had to be admitted to the hospital, which prompted a visit from Child Protective Services, who determined that Small and her three infants would need to enter foster care. She gave the social worker Mullen’s information and things began to fall into place.

Listen to Small and Mullen explain their unique story below:

This article originally appeared on 4.10.23

Indie darling Mitski is currently on tour in support of her album, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We. Her seventh album boast her breakthrough hit, “My Love Mine All Mine,” but make no mistake — Mitski’s catalog is stacked with fan favorites. At her tour stops, Mitski has been keeping her merch stand stocked with several items, which serve as mementos for this particular era. Longtime fans can add some of the new merch to their collection of Mitski memorabilia, and new fans can have something to remember their first Mitski show by.

According to fans, who have shared photos of some of the Mitski merch to Reddit and other social media platforms, ticketholders can purchase a variety of shirts, bags, sweaters, and more.

One of the sweaters is a black hoodie, with a pink imprint of Mitski, and a lettered frame, reading “I’ll be the only heartbreaker.” This particular design goes for $60.

Another item is a pink shirt, reading “Mitski” in large block lettering, with photos of Mitski filling in the spaces. This one costs $35.

Tote bags, posters, and vinyl records are also available for purchase at Mitski’s shows. Longtime fans can also purchase merch related to her 2016 album, Puberty 2.

André 3000 has long been known as an unconventional artist who makes some pretty unconventional moves. For instance, his first-ever solo album New Blue Sun features no beats and no rhymes, but is instead filled with improvised woodwind tunes and super-long song titles.

Now, he’s on tour for the new album, but as it turns out, there is one way he’s been very conventional: In his tour merch offerings. Per a social media post from someone who apparently attended one of the shows, the options are a fairly basic collection of tees, hoodies, and beanies. The T-shirts and hoodies all feature the tour stops on the back, while one (my favorite) reads “Listen To Sade” on the front. The tees are $80, the hoodies are $120 and the beanies — which look just like the ones André himself has been wearing lately, on some Jacques Cousteau tip — are $45. Check out a photo below.

André 3000’s New Blue Sun Live tour dates

01/29 — Brooklyn, NY @ Crown Hill Theatre
01/31 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club (8 p.m. show)
01/31 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m. show)
02/01 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club (8 p.m. show)
02/01 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m. show)
02/02 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club (8 p.m. show)
02/02 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m. show)
02/05 — Brooklyn, NY @ St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church
02/06 — Brooklyn, NY @ St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church
02/08 — Detroit, MI @ Cliff Bell’s
02/09 —Detroit, MI @ The Chapel at Masonic Temple (7 p.m. show)
02/09 — Detroit, MI @ The Chapel at Masonic Temple (10 p.m. show)
02/12 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
02/13 — Chicago, IL @ 1357 N Elston
02/15 — Chicago, IL @ Garfield Park Conservatory (7 p.m. show)
02/15 — Chicago, IL @ Garfield Park Conservatory (9 p.m. show)
02/20 — San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
02/22 — San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
02/24 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent (7 p.m. show)
02/24 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent (9 p.m. show)
02/27 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
02/28 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
02/29 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
03/02 — Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage Theater
03/05 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
03/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
03/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
03/08 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
03/09 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever

Basketball fans are in for a treat, as Machine Gun Kelly and Shaquille O’Neal (also known for his musical side as DJ Diesel) will be helping to kick off the NBA All-Star Weekend 2024 with some performances. They will take the stage on Thursday, February 15 at The Indiana Convention Center as part of the celebrations. As someone who got to see Shaq do a DJ set a few years ago, the crowd is really in for a wild time.

Those who are interested in getting tickets and have an American Express will be able to participate in the presale, which is currently open and will close tomorrow, February 8 at 12:59 p.m. ET. Only a maximum of four free tickets can be reserved, but Ticketmaster appears to be limiting the quantity and access — so it’s unclear if they’ve sold out of the presale at the moment.

If you did manage to secure tickets to the NBA on TNT American Express Road Show event, AmEx cardholders will receive access to a priority lane for faster entry into the venue. As part of the Road Show experience, there will also be photo opportunities and fan competitions with Shaq, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith, according to a press release.

For those at home, it will start playing at 7 p.m. on TNT.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced the rosters for the All-Star Celebrity Game today, and it includes 50 Cent and Lil Wayne as coaches, as well as Anuel AA, Walker Hayes, SiR, Jennifer Hudson, and AJ McLean playing.

More information about the NBA on TNT American Express Road Show featuring MGK and O’Neal can be found here.