4 weird facts about the post office, and 1 that could help save the economy.

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No one appreciates the U.S. Postal Service anymore.

Sure, the Pony Express was cool for that year and a half it existed, the Trystero mail service was fun in that book I read that one time, and UPS and FedEx both clearly have their places in the world. But the United States Postal Service is where it's at.

And if you're feeling cynical about having to wait in line sometimes (which, dude, I know, totally sucks), here are five delightfully wacky facts about USPS that will make you appreciate those intrepid parcel warriors in ways you never thought you could.

1. A dog used to be the official mascot of the USPS ... and its taxidermied body is still on display.

Owney was a stray border terrier who was adopted by the Albany Post Office in 1888. The friendly pup had an affinity for mailbags and used to crawl inside to nap ... and get carried away with the mailbag to wherever it went next.

The other post offices soon took a liking to the nomadic pup and always knew where to send him home. Owney gained a reputation as a good luck charm on rail trips and was named "Official Mascot of the Rail Mail Service" by then-Postmaster General John Wanamaker.

Sadly, Owney died in 1897, but his stuffed body is still on display at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Maybe that'll get your dog to stop barking at every postal worker who goes by?

2. Speaking of animals, it's entirely legal to ship live scorpions through the USPS.

Sure, FedEx and UPS will let you send some hooch to a friend. But neither one of them will deliver a literal box of scorpions right to the doorstep of your enemy.

Did I say enemy? I meant laboratory. The shipment of live scorpions through USPS is strictly limited to "purposes of medical research use or the manufacture of antivenin."

Spiders, however, are still not legally mailable.

3. It also used to be legal to mail children.

Or, at least, it wasn't explicitly illegal, so long as the child still weighed under the parcel limit of 50 pounds. When the parcel system was first introduced in 1913, no one really thought it was something they would have to regulate. But, well, c'mon — traveling with children is tough. Can you really blame a parent for sending their kid to grandma's house via USPS?

Yes, yes you can. That's why it was made illegal less than two years later.

4. There's still one mail route that's delivered by mule.

Understandably, it's kind of difficult to drive a mail truck down into the Grand Canyon. And that's why a pack of mules travels down to the bottom of the canyon every day, each one carrying 130 pounds worth of mail, food, and supplies to the Havasupai tribe that lives there. The eight-mile trek has been overseen by the same courier for 21 years — and it even has its own unique mule-themed postmark.

5. The post office used to be a bank ... and could be again.

Back in 1910, William Howard Taft introduced the U.S. Postal Savings System in an effort to fight back against predatory lending and offer an alternative for people who had lost their trust in banks.

The Postal Savings System offered a guaranteed 2% interest rate; the post office in turn would redeposit that money in local banks, stimulating local economies and keeping whatever additional interest they accrued to cover their own operational costs.

By the end of World War II, U.S. citizens had invested almost $3.4 billion in the Postal Savings System. But as the private banks regained (massive amounts of) power in the postwar boom, they drew the public back to them with higher interest rates and fancy promises, and the Postal Savings System was shuttered in 1967.

And, fortunately, predatory lending and big banks have never, ever, ever caused any problems since then. Right?

So what if we brought back the Postal Savings System?

Did you know that 28% of American households — roughly 35 million households — either don't have a bank account or otherwise regularly rely on alternative financial services (like check-cashing services and payday loans)? Did you know that those services could end up costing them a full 10% of their annual income? That's a pretty crucial survival chunk when you're only making $25K a year.

You might know that the post office is massively in debt, but did you also know that USPS receives absolutely no money from U.S. taxes, except for the less than 1% of their budget that comes from the government to cover free postage for blind people and overseas voters?

As it stands, post offices do offer some very limited banking services, such as money orders and U.S. Treasury check cashing. But did you also know that 59% of U.S. post offices operate in zip codes where there is just one bank or no bank at all? And in rural areas in particular, post offices tend to sell 27% more money orders per capita than offices in urban areas.

Are you seeing the connection here?

A new postal banking system could save significant money for millions of Americans. And also save the USPS itself.

According to an extensive white paper put together by the USPS, those unbanked and underbanked Americans spent a combined total of about $89 billion on interest and fees from alternative financial services in 2012.

But if services like check cashing were available at the post office — a public institution obligated to provide affordable and quality services — it would save money for millions of Americans, while also having the potential to bring in an estimated $8.9 billion in revenue for the USPS itself.

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are among the politicians who support the idea. The USPS even has a plan to implement it. So what is Congress waiting for? (Who knows? It's Congress, ugh.)

The USPS has such a fun and fascinating history — and it can provide some amazing things for the American people. I'd say it's worth keeping around.

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Family

Want your home to be 'the house' for your teens? Mom shares her 4 tips to make it happen.

Don't mistake being "the house" with being the "cool house."

parenting, teens, raising teens, teen hangout, high school, game night for teens, activities for teens, parenthood

hi.im.amywhite/Instagram

Amy White explains how her house became "the house" for her teens.

I grew up in "the house." In high school, my home was the designated place where my friends gathered, sometimes in big groups, sometimes just my small core squad. My three best friends spent the night there almost every Friday and/or Saturday night for four years straight. We devoured Totino's frozen pizzas by the dozen, inhaled soda, and laid waste to any snacks or leftovers that were brave enough to survive in the kitchen. Not only that, but my house was pretty small — four teenage boys took up a lot of space in the living room (the whole thing) and made a lot of noise playing video games deep into the night. It must have driven my parents and older brothers crazy. It's a wonder anyone put up with it.

Or so I thought when I was younger. When I became a parent myself, I started to understand a little more why my mom and dad were so willing to host and feed all my friends and me every single weekend. Why the outrageous grocery bill and constant chaos in the house were probably a small price to pay.

Mom explains how to make your house 'the house' where teenagers hang

One mom has perfectly encapsulated the value of turning your home into "the house" for your kids and their friends, and exactly how she did it for her family.

teens, teen house, teens hanging out, teens having fun, teenagers Teens hanging out in a living room.via Canva/Photos

Amy White shared a reel on Instagram showing her college-aged son hanging in her dining room with a group of friends playing cards. The text overlay reads "What makes your kids' high school friends want to come over, play cards & spend the night on their College Christmas Break." I think most parents can agree that we want our kids to keep coming home as long as possible! So how exactly did White pull this off?

Her explanation in the caption was spot-on.

First, White says that you have to start early. Become "the hang out house" in high school or even earlier. Then you have a better chance of holding onto the mantle into your kid's college years.

Next, be ready to stock the house with snacks and drinks, and don't make a fuss when your kid's friends have at it. "The kids knew we had food," she writes, "BUT they also knew I didn't care what they had. They knew they could eat anything in my pantry and fridge."

Third, and this is a big one, don't mistake being the "cool house" for being "the house." Some parents choose to allow their underage kids and friends to drink alcohol under their supervision, but you don't have to bend your morals and the law to lure the squad over to your place. Pizza and Coke is plenty to keep most teens happy. "We were not the house that served alcohol or even allowed the kids to bring alcohol to our house. And Guess What?? The kids still came and wanted to hang at our house!"

teens, teen house, teens hanging out, teens having fun, teenagers Teenagers eating pizza.via Canva/Photos

Fourth, always say Yes (as often as possible, anyway) when your kids want to have friends over. "They know my answer is 99% of the time YES," White writes. "You have to have your kids take the leadership of offering your home and if your home was 'open' to their friends in high school, they know it will be 'open' to their friends in college."

As a bonus tip, White pleas with parents not to worry about the mess having friends over makes. "I love a clean house and organization, BUT I would much rather have a crazy messy house for the kids where memories are made than a quiet house with nothing going on just to keep my house 'clean.'"

Should parents allow teens to drink at home?

There's an age-old debate over whether parents should allow teens to drink at home because it's better than if they do is unsupervised or keep their home dry as a bone. A recent study out of the University of Buffalo found that kids who grew up drinking at home had a greater chance of having addiction problems when they got older. "A robust relationship was found between parental permission to use alcohol during adolescence and increased alcohol use frequency and quantity, alcohol use disorder symptoms, and alcohol-related harms in young adulthood," the study says.

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A post shared by Amy White | Sports Mom | Family | CEO on the go 👟 (@hi.im.amywhite)

White writes, "It's worth being 'the house', so let go of control & get to know your kids friends." Commenters agreed.

White's video went viral to the tune of 8.5 million views and hundreds of comments. Parents shared their own experiences of what it's like being the default hang out house.

"Our house was the high school hangout for my son and friends... every weekend... I loved it!! Miss it now that they are all college graduates and have moved away. I love seeing them when they do come home for the holidays"

"A wise man once said don't be the house with the alcohol. Be the house with the food."

"Amy 1000% agree!!! My house is full of teenagers on the weekends and I love every bit of it. Even though I wake up to a kitchen that looked much different from when I left it"

teens, teen house, teens hanging out, teens having fun, teenagers Teenagers eating pizza.via Canva/Photos

"We never allowed alcohol, drugs, bad language, always respectful, and guess what, our house was always the house where the kids hung out. First my daughter, then my son. Through grade school, high school, then when my kids went out of state for college their college friends would come spend a couple weeks during the summer. I always thought of it this way, I loved knowing my kids friends and, who knows, maybe some of those kids, especially during the younger years, just maybe those kids just needed an adult to care. Anyway, it was always fun to have them here!"

"It used to crack me up when my daughter would bring over a bunch of her friends (girls and boys) in high school and instead of hanging out in the family room they all wanted to crowd into either the kitchen with me or our tiny office and happily share all the gossip with me."

Experts say that knowing your kids' friends, and their parents, can have huge benefits. Not only will it bring you the peace of mind of knowing where your kid is and who they're with when they get to those crucial high school years, it has been shown to tangibly improve kids ability to create positive relationships and problem-solve collaboratively. Plus, it can actually be really fun! Kids and teens are the funniest, silliest, most interesting people on the planet. Having a house full of them is messy and loud, but it's always a good time.

One caveat: "don’t feel bad if your house isn’t the chosen house," one commenter reminds us. "Just be happy your kid has a good group of friends and be thankful they have somewhere safe to hang out."

This article originally appeared last year.

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parenting

Joy

People share the 15 signs you should know it's time to leave a party

"If the host starts cleaning up instead of socializing, it's either time to help or time to leave."

girls at party, party time, having fun, great party, time to leave, party people, girls in 20s

via Renata Chebel/Flickr

Two women having a good time at a party.

There's something incredibly satisfying about knowing the right time to leave a party. You felt the vibe was about to shift in the wrong direction, so you grabbed your coat, said some goodbyes, and hit the door. Then, when you hear the next day that the couple who hosted the party got into a big argument that brought everything to a halt, you can be proud you called it.

Knowing when to bail means making sure you don't have to console somebody who got into a disagreement with their significant other, talk to the cops, or sit through someone picking up an acoustic guitar and playing bad Nirvana covers.

acoustic guitar, party, lighter, singing, harmonica, house party A guy playing guitar at a party. via AG Gilmore/Flickr

Becoming a trained professional in the world of partying doesn't just happen overnight; it comes from years of experience honing a keen social Spidey sense. The folks on Reddit came together to share the signs it's time to leave a party, hoping to protect younger people from making the same mistakes they did.

The answers fall into two lanes: the first focuses on recognizing when the host wants to wind things down, and the second on signs the party is about to go sideways.

15 signs that it's time to leave the party

1. Leave before round 2

"When that one guy who got drunk first and had to be airlifted into a bed to come to his senses at the beginning of the party gets up and is ready for round two. Time to go, you do not want to see round two."

"You absolutely do want to see round two, just from the safety of your own place, the next day, laughing at the photos people took."

2. Take the "well" clue

"Host puts their hands on their knees, stands up and says 'Well, it's getting late.'"

"Slap the knees and say 'right' is the British way."

3. Host cleans, you leave

"If the host starts cleaning up instead of socializing, it's either time to help or time to leave."

"A friend of mine would regularly stop the music, yell '10 second tidy!' and everyone would just start picking up bottles and stuff and clean up. It was always quite fun and somehow never a buzz kill."

4. The first drunk cry

"When that one girl starts drunk-crying and making a scene for nothing."

"Since everyone is sharing stories; I used to work in hotels and we would often have parties at someone's house after shifts. There was one girl in particular who was sweet as pie and super shy when sober, but when drunk, she turned into an absolute mess. After she got drunk, started crying and then locked herself in the bathroom for multiple hours, two parties in a row, we stopped inviting her."

"I see you've met my brother's wife. There is always a moment at family gatherings when she starts her sh*t, my husband and I look at each other and announce we are leaving. Staying never ends well."

Why is it that some people get extra happy when they drink, while others get depressed? Researchers aren't sure of the exact reason, but polls show that around 2% of people regularly cry when they drink alcohol. Scientists suggest that drinking may increase some people's stress response, which can leave them crying in their beer.

bbq, bar b que, back yard party, argument, beer, Argument at a backyard party.via Canva/Photos

5. When the dog gets nervous

"This is for real. If the dog's trying to deuce out, I'm gone too."

"This is the one. The dogs know what's coming."

6. If the host yawns

"When the hosts yawn, leave. If the hosts don't yawn, leave by the time half the guest have. Don't stay until the end unless it's your best friend."

"Yeah, basically just observe the hosts. It's not always a yawn. Sometimes they go into this thousand-yard stare, sometimes they excuse themselves and start cleaning up, sometimes they just start looking at their phone or watch a bit more than usual."

7. Weird dudes roll up

"A group of males that no one really knows show up."

"This happened at a house party I was at once. The host was a female and asked who they came with, and they just stared at her and left the room and went to the backyard. It was so creepy. It was 5 or 6 guys and absolutely no one at the party knew them. She ended up calling the police because she was scared to tell them to leave."

house party, res solo cup, beers, rager, big party, fun party People hanging out at a house party.via Canva/Photos

8. When the phones come out

"In my experience, when someone shares a YouTube video they're excited about. The video is fine, but it inevitably leads to 'Oh, that reminds me of one I saw!' leading to an unending chain of people sharing videos, most of the group bored at any given one. The party is over, now its just people watching Youtube. Bail."

"Underrated answer. I looooathe the end of night YouTube loop."

9. Trust your gut

"As soon as your gut tells you to leave. Don't let anyone convince you to stay if you have that feeling."

10. It depends on your age

"In your teens: any vomiting.

In your 20s: it's just you and the host's closest friends, and everyone left there is a closer friend than you.

In your 30s: the babysitter needs to get home.

In your 40s: no one needs encouragement. Our pajamas start calling us immediately after dinner."

11. Leave by midnight

"Been a bartender for several several years. NOTHING good happens after midnight. It's just drunk people and the people trying to take advantage of them."

hungover, hangover, sleeping on floor, after the party, disco ball, the next day A woman who slept on the floor.via Canva/Photos

12. When it moves to the front lawn

"When the party spills outside the house cause the cops are coming."

"The first time a neighbor complains. They may have already called the cops."

13. When the "Grease Megamix" comes on

"I always left office Christmas parties when the DJ played Grease Megamix. After 20 years in the industry, I deduced that this was a distinctive sign that everything was going to go downhill rapidly from that point. My advice to young people when hearing Grease Megamix at a company party:

Put down your drink.
Get your coat.
Vacate the premises using the nearest exit in a calm and ordinary manner."

"The only time i've heard the Grease Megamix in the wild was at a wedding in the middle of nowhere, and sh*t got weird soon after. fighting, crying, screaming, throwing things—mostly by the couple's relatives, all of them over 50. you're absolutely right, it always goes downhill after the megamix."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

14. When the badmouthing begins

"When everyone just starts bad mouthing each other and no one is actually socializing lol. like what's the point?"

15. If you're the only woman there

"As a woman?? You show up and you're either the only girl there or one of the only girls there...you won't be having a good time."

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Joy

People from around the globe share 15 signs that someone is obviously an American

"An Italian told me that Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction."

tourists, american tourists, us tourists, vacation, american style

via Tarnie/Flickr, Paul Duncan/Flickr, tAlex Bikes/Flickr

Americans on vacation.

One of the fun things about traveling to different countries is that you not only get to learn about other cultures, but you also learn some things about your own. Americans who travel abroad often learn that people around the world appreciate them for being open, friendly, and good at spreading hope and optimism.

On the other hand, people in other countries can often tell when an American is coming from a mile away because they speak loudly, whether indoors or outdoors. Americans also have a very peculiar body language and are known to lean on things when they have to stand for an extended period.

A Reddit user posed a question in the AskReddit subforum to learn more about how Americans stand out abroad: What's an "obvious" sign that someone is American? The post received more than 35,000 responses, with an overwhelming number of commenters noting that Americans are all smiles and love to make small talk, something most people appreciate.

According to Redditors, here are 15 "obvious" signs that someone is American:

1. They have a unique confidence

"An Italian told me that Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction."

"Been taught to walk fast, and look worried.. People think you know what you're doing."

2. They're friendly

"I worked as a cashier in a tourist place in Paris, I always recognised Americans because they were kinda friendly to me and they always left tips."

"I guess there are worse things than friendly and generous."

3. Time = distance

"If someone asks how far away something is, an American will tell how you long it takes to get there as opposed to a physical distance."

"It actually pisses off some Americans to give a distance in miles, unless they're calculating gas mileage. In some places, you have to give with and without traffic options. I think it's more valuable info in time than in distance."

4. Grinning at strangers

"The gentle grins you give to strangers if you make eye contact with them as you pass by, at least in the Midwest. was not well received in Germany."

"I dated a European man here in the US. When we walked together, every time I made eye contact with someone on our path I would smile at them, and they would always smile back. Boyfriend was so confused at all these strangers smiling at me. Kept asking if I knew all these people. It was hilarious."

5. They like personal space

"How much personal space they give themselves. Americans like at LEAST an arm's length."

"We're conditioned to fill spaces evenly. I noticed when i worked delivery, spending lots of quality time on elevators that for every new person that enters, everybody shuffles to even things out. Similar thing plays out in social gatherings and bars. Not sure if that's universal or not, but I find it interesting. I think the size of our personal bubbles is because our spaces are generally much larger because we've got the space (heh) to build bigger buildings, sidewalks, roads etc. Might also explain why we're louder. Used to filling larger spaces with volume."

Body language expert Joe Navarro says that among Americans, the social zone for acquaintances and casual interactions is four to 12 feet, while family and close friends stand 1.5 to four feet apart. The intimate zone, for those closest to us, ranges from the skin to about 18 inches.

6. They lean

"According to the CIA, when training to be a spy, you have to unlearn how to lean. Americans tend to lean on things when standing still."

All of this is true, according to Jonna Mendez, the former chief of disguise at the CIA, who has shared some of her tips and tricks for making Americans seem more European. "So we would de-Americanize you," Mendez told NPR. "They think that we are slouchy, a little sloppy. And they think that they can almost see that in our demeanor on the street because they stand up straight. They don't lean on things."

7. They don't have an indoor voice

"I've lived in America for 25 years, and it still irritates me that instead of lowering their voices in restaurants so everyone can hear, Americans just scream over each other and make their restaurants as loud as clubs."

"For some reason, my otherwise smart and wonderful American friends will speak in the same volume, diction, and speed regardless of any outside factor unless specifically asked."

8. Dessert for breakfast

"In my homestay in London, I was told that I was 'so American' for enjoying a piece of cake for breakfast (not frosted cake, but like a nuts and dried fruit spiced coffeecake kind of thing). Apparently, that's exclusively for like a 4 pm snack, and breakfast is more of a savory meal."

"A lot of American breakfast items in my mind are desserts (pancakes, muffins, waffles, etc.). It doesn't mean I won't eat them, but it's kinda weird to do so."

9. They wear their clothes differently

"A British man once told me he knew I was American because I was wearing a baseball cap backwards."

"An Italian told me they could tell I was American because I wore my sunglasses on the top of my head when I wasn't using them."

10. Exposed soles

"While visiting Turkey, I was told that I looked American because I was sitting with one leg across the other, and the bottom of my shoe was exposed. Apparently, it's rude idk."

"In a lot of places outside of the US, showing the bottom of your shoe is rude."

11. Tactical gear

"Tactical sunglasses."

"I'm in the US, and virtually anything marketed towards men has the word 'tactical' in front of it."

12. They love small talk

"I'm from California (though a smallish town), and we wave to neighbors on our road, even if we haven't met, and start conversations in the grocery line with people if the opportunity presents itself. Also, smiling and saying hello to someone you happen to walk by and make eye contact with is quite normal. We are a social species, it would be so weird not to be friendly, even to strangers, for me, and I'm not even that social of a person."

"What really gets me to it is not that Americans do small talk constantly, but the fact that they are so good and fast at it. I mean, I say 'yeah, it's hot,' and they reply with some interesting fact or make a connection to their hometown. I feel less of myself after this. They must have some small talk class in school or some sh*t."

13. They like to point

"I've always observed my US friends like to point at stuff while walking and say what it is…. We were out walking around Amsterdam recently and they were like 'hey look it's a smoke shop'…. 'Oh look a sex shop'…. 'Oh hey, it's a prostitute' …. 'Look at the canal'…. 'Wow it's another prostitute'….. 'another canal' etc etc. It was like watching Netflix with Audio Descriptions turned on."

"You know that little voice inside your head, your internal monologue? Americans seem to monologue their thoughts."

14. Optimism and enthusiasm

"Dunno in all context, but Americans in Europe stand out with their ceaseless optimism and enthusiasm."

"I'm reminded a lot of Ted Lasso. Everyone I know (all Americans) loves the show. I wonder what kind of European fan base it has."

"Americans are so positive and have such a thirst for life. It sickens me."

15. They eat while walking

"When I lived in Europe, people said only Americans eat while walking. I'd be eating a bagel or something on the way to work or class, and multiple people asked if I was American lol."

"Jay Leno said on Top Gear, I think it was, that Americans are also the only people who eat while driving. I don't do this, but I constantly see people who do, haha, especially in LA, where people spend a lot of time in their cars."

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Joy

Gen X-ers are imagining the 'perfect' Gen X nursing homes and the ideas are brilliant

"Are younger folks going to come in and put on some raves?"

Gen X, Generation X, Senior Living Facility, Senior home, aging

Photo Credit: Canva

Gen X-ers are their cool selves as they enter their official senior years.

The time has come. Some Gen X-ers have officially begun to enter their "third act," in which they're picking out and moving into senior living facilities. (Though to be fair, the oldest Gen X-er in 2026 is only 61, so still relatively young.) But as each generation enters this season of life, surely the senior homes will reflect their generational preferences.

A thread on Reddit got right to the meat of it, posting this question: "How do you envision what Gen X nursing homes will be like?" They follow this up with a few thoughts, "The most striking difference between visiting my great grandparents, grandparents, and parents in a nursing home was the musical entertainment. It used to be old wartime songs and now it's the Beatles and Rolling Stones tunes.

Late 80s rave in the U.k. www.youtube.com, Kinolibrary

Are younger folks going to come in and put on some raves? Will a band play Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam songs? Will a DJ start a dance party for us with us chiming, 'It's Britney, Bitch?' My dream nursing home would be a converted abandoned mall and revive it as a hangout place: arcades, Dairy Queen, movie theater, shops."

There are over 350 comments in response to the thought-provoking inquiry. Some are sincere suggestions and others are brilliant jokes, exemplifying Generation X's avant-garde irreverence.

One commenter points out that the latch-key generation didn't need much to entertain us growing up. "Ironically, I was just talking about this to my best friend, lol. Let's be honest, most of us spent our time entertaining ourselves and being self-sufficient. I don't see that changing. We just need a few raw materials. I like the idea of abandoned malls."

See on Instagram

They then got super specific, with one writing, "Definitely have metal and grunge playing through the intercom. How about a mech shop with a small racetrack for all the modded scooters? Smoking area, after all, it's medicinal now. Gaming rooms with D&D, MTG, and whatever else. Video gaming areas. Gardens. Movies. Kitchen/baking."

Another Redditor notes that there should be different "zones" based on one's musical tastes: "Acid house jazz and banging Drum n Bass. Chill-out zones with metalheads swaying on Zimmers. Somewhere Carl Cox is still mixing on seven decks, eternally young."

This person worries that elderly Gen X-ers will have specific physical issues, writing, "Lots of injuries from walkers and oxygen tanks in the mosh pit. Infected piercings."

And quite a few brought up the idea of marijuana (medical-grade, of course) dispensaries: "They will definitely need a dispensary. It could be high school for Gen X-ers. I can tell you I'm not going down without a fight."

To prove that Gen X is still going strong and not quite ready for the senior mosh pit, 50-year-old teacher Josh Johnson has gone viral for showing off his incredibly gifted '90s-styled dance skills. Standing at a school desk, he is "called" by the music—in this case, it's the 1991 hit "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now")" by C+C Music Factory. Once his legs start moving, they can't stop…won't stop.

See on Instagram

The comments on both his Instagram and Facebook page seem truly impressed. One writes, "The call of the Gen X knows no boundary. It's primal."

Another is impressed by his actual dancing abilities, writing, "No way, those are 50-year-old knees."

And bringing it back home, this commenter declares, "Gen X is gonna have the best nursing homes." Indeed, we will. Or in typical Gen X speak…whatever.

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gen x

Animals & Wildlife

An Austrian cow has made scientific history by using a broom to scratch her itches

Cow tools are a real thing now.

cows, scientific discovery, animals, animal behavior, pop culture

Photo credit: A.J. Asuna-Mascaro & A.M.I. Auersperg via IFL Science on YouTube

Veronika knows how to use a broom for her own purposes.

One of the main traits that separates mankind from animals is our use of tools. However, there are some species that do use or construct a tool to help them accomplish a task. Chimpanzees, ravens, and other animals have been recorded using tools, but a cow was never among them. Until now.

Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss brown cow living in Austria, has made scientific history by being the first recorded case of a cow using tools. Veronika reportedly picked up sticks and used them to scratch unreachable parts of herself as early as three years old. When researchers went to study Veronika, they gave her a broom to see if she would use it like her trusty sticks. Veronika not only picked up the broom by the handle to use its bristles to scratch her torso, but she would intentionally switch it up to use the smoother handle end to poke at more sensitive areas. This means that Veronika can not only use a tool, but adapt the same tool for another purpose.

- YouTube youtu.be

“It was clear that this was not accidental," said Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna (UVM Vienna) to Ars Technica. “This was a meaningful example of tool use.”

"We were not expecting cows to be able to use tools, and we were not expecting a cow to use a tool as a multipurpose tool,” said Dr Antonio Osuna-Mascaro of UVM Vienna to BBC News. “Until now this has only been consistently reported in chimpanzees."

@independent
This is Veronika, a 13-year-old brown Swiss cow from the Austrian countryside who has stunned scientists by becoming the first documented cow to use a multi-purpose tool. Experts say Veronika's back scratching may force us to rethink the intelligence of the species. Click the link in bio for more 🔗

While this is the first scientific study of a cow using tools, there have since been other videos popping up online showing other cows demonstrating similar behavior to Veronika’s. Some of the videos included Brahman bulls, a type of cattle that diverged from Veronika’s millions of years ago. This suggests that cows and other bovines using tools isn’t a new feat for them, but rather something that we just didn’t notice or look for until recently.

Both the authors of the study and lay people online remarked that the scientific uncovering reminded them of the infamous Far Side comic strip titled Cow Tools. In the single panel comic, Far Side creator and artist Gary Larson drew a bipedal cow displaying weird objects on a table outside a barn with a simple caption: “Cow tools.” Since its publication in 1982, fans and critics of Larson’s work have debated whether the comic was too confusing or too weird to be funny, or if it was a high concept or plain bizarre comedy work. In spite of it being considered Larson’s most confusing comic, Cow Tools would take on a life of its own as an Internet meme decades after its initial publication.

@stuffyoushouldknowpod
The Far Side is one of the greatest cartoons in history. Today we go to great lengths to convince you of that. #sysk #farside #comics #comicstrip #cowtools

Unintentionally, Larson appears to have manifested the concept of cows using tools into our reality, or at least caused UVM Vienna to pay enough attention to actually notice them. It goes to show that there is plenty more to discover about the animals around us. Who knows what else has gone long overlooked?

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