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'God' asked people who should be sainted next. Here are the top 20 most popular responses.

Who do you think should become a saint?

saints, canonization, god, modern-day saints

via Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Commons , and Wikimedia Commons

Bernie Sanders, Steve Irwin, Dolly Parton.

It's hard to pin down the exact number of people who have been canonized or beatified by the Catholic church, but scholars say the number may be beyond 10,000. The most recent canonization by Pope Francis was Margherita della Metola in April of this year.

Margherita della Metola was an Italian Roman Catholic and professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic who lived 1287 to 1320.

A satirical Facebook page for God a.k.a. The Good God Above has nearly 4 million followers and he asked them an important question on November 1: "I have not canonized any new saints in a while. Any suggestions?"

via God/Facebook

The post received more than 9,000 responses of people debating which modern-day heroes are so holy they deserve to become saints. We decided to rank the top 20 vote-getters based on how many likes they received after being nominated by a commenter.

The number one vote-getter won by a landslide.

(Note: Some people were mentioned multiple times, so the numbers on the posted comments aren't the only numbers that we considered.)

Here are the top 20 people "God's" followers believe should become saints.

Alex Trebek (1940 - 2020)

via Facebook/The Good God Above

"Who should be a saint?" for $800, Alex. Trebek was the host of "Jeopardy!" for 37 years and one of the most recognizable TV personalities of all time. He should be canonized for his calm presence on one of TV's most tense game shows.

Lemmy Kilmister (1945 - 2015)

Ian Fraser Kilmister was known worldwide by one name: Lemmy. The lead singer and bassist of Motörhead should be canonized for partying as hard as he rocked. "I don't do regrets," Lemmy once said. "Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it."

George Takei (1937 - )

Takei has had one of the greatest second acts in American life. He became a sci-fi legend and one of the first Asian-American TV stars in the late '60s as Sulu on "Star Trek." In the social media era he's become one of the most popular faces of trending content. He should be canonized for the incredible work he's done for the LGBTQ community.

Pope Francis (1936 - )

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis has been one of the most popular and controversial Popes of the modern era for his unapologetically progressive views. He should be canonized for his work on climate change reform.

Sir Terry Pratchett (1948 - 2015)

Pratchett was an English humorist, satirist and author of comic fantasy novels, including the "Discworld" series. He should be canonized for celebrating all of the quirky and strange things that happen in "real life."

Brandon Stanton (1984 - )

Stanton is an American author, photographer and blogger best known for "Humans of New York," a photoblog and book. He should be canonized for his portraits of strangers who share intimate stories of strength, addiction, redemption, regret and love.

David Bowie (1947 - 2016)

Bowie is one of the most enigmatic performers of the past century whose work highlighted the concept of the outsider, whether it was an astronaut in space or someone living outside of traditional gender norms. Bowie should be canonized for showing humanity that there are no limitations on who they can be and how they can change.

Sir David Attenborough (1926 - )

Sir David Attenborough is the undisputed father of the nature documentary. Throughout his eight-decade career, his gentle, awestruck voice has served as humanity's guide to nature. He should be canonized for "Life on Earth," his series that examined the role of evolution in nature.

Dr. Anthony Fauci (1940 - )

Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Health, has come to the forefront of American life for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. He should be canonized for not losing his mind during former president Trump's long, rambling and factually inaccurate COVID briefings in 2020.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933 - 2020)

The "Notorious RBG" became a liberal, feminist icon for championing women's rights as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1993 to her death. She should be canonized for her strongly worded dissents in women's rights cases.

Robin Williams (1961 - 2014)

Williams was one of the most unique performers the world has ever seen. He completely changed American comedy with his intense, high-energy improvisational comedy performances on stage, TV and in film. He was also a talented actor, winning critical acclaim in films such as "Good Morning Vietnam," "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Dead Poets Society." He should be canonized for his child-like love of whimsy.

Bob Ross (1942 - 1995)

Ross was the creator and host of "The Joy of Painting," an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS. His infectious love of art, distinctive hair and gentle voice made him the ultimate calming presence. He should be canonized for teaching the world how to paint "happy little trees."

Elon Musk (1971 - )

Musk is the closest we'll have to a living Bond villain. He's a visionary billionaire who isn't shy about wanting to change the world, from how we travel to spend money. Like him or not, he should be canonized for creating the Tesla, a high-performance electric car that brought EVs into the mainstream.

George Carlin (1937 to 2008)

Carlin came to prominence as a counter-culture comic in the '70s where he was famous for outlining the "seven dirty words you can't say on television." However, clips of him from the late '90s and early 2000s where he eviscerates American greed, materialism and entitlement have made him still relevant to this day. He should be canonized for this incredible clip where he discusses the fact that there's a big club and "you're not in it."

"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."

George Carlin - It's A BIG Club & You Ain't In It!

Fred Rogers (1928 - 2003)

Rogers touched the lives of countless children from 1968 to 2001 as the host of PBS' "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." The puppeteer, songwriter and Presbyterian minister revolutionized children's television and should be canonized for changing the way we think about the inner lives of young children.

Jimmy Carter (1924 - )

Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and his biggest accomplishment was the Camp David Accords that ended the Israeli-Egyptian disputes. His post-presidency life has been dedicated to humanitarianism causes through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Carter should be canonized for his humility and commitment to service.

Steve Irwin (1962 - 2006)

The "Crocodile Hunter" wowed audiences by fearlessly tangling with deadly snakes, spiders, lizards and crocodiles. But at his heart, he was a true lover of nature and wildlife, and an educator who shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for animals with millions. Irwin should be canonized for his many contributions to the field of wildlife education and conservation.

Dolly Parton (1946 - )

Parton is such a national treasure that when they began pulling down Confederate statues in Tennessee a few years back, there was a petition to have them replaced with statues of Dolly. As a musician, Parton has sung some of the biggest hits in country music history, including "I Will Always Love You" and "Islands in the Stream." But she has also been a generous philanthropist, helping charities that benefit children and veterans.

If you got the COVID-19 vaccine you should thank Dolly. In 2020, she donated $1 million to help fund vaccine research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dolly should be canonized for creating the Imagination Library that has donated more than 100 million books to children.

Bernie Sanders (1941 - )

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is one of the most beloved political figures in the United States because he has always stood on the side of the oppressed and the working class regardless of whether it was popular. He's refused to be bought by Wall Street and has stood up against the Department of Defense, the fossil fuel industry, drug companies and private prison industries.

He should be canonized for his relentless quest to provide healthcare for all Americans.

Keanu Reeves (1964 - )

Reeves is a beloved figure in Hollywood because of his kind, down-to-earth nature. There are countless anecdotes around the internet of Reeves going out of his way to please a fan or inviting a member of the paparazzi to his table to sit with him during dinner. "The internet's boyfriend" is also a gentleman who never touches women when taking a photo with them.

Reeves should be canonized for quietly donating millions to children's hospitals.

This article originally appeared on 11.5.21

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Enter this giveaway for a free, fun date! 🌊 💗

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Research shows why you should always pet your dog before leaving the house

via Pixabay

One of the most wonderful things about having a dog is how attached they become to their owners. I work from home and my Jack Russel terrier, Scout, lies next to me on his bed for most of the day. The only time he leaves my office is for a sip of water or to go outside and sun his belly on the porch.

That's why whenever I leave the house and can't take Scout with me, I wonder, "Does he miss me? Is he sad that he's alone?" Studies show that our dogs miss us the moment we leave the house and that feeling slowly intensifies until we are gone for about four hours and they have a "plateau of melancholy." That's why the longer you're away, the more excited your dog is when you return home.

The moment I pull up in my car Scout begins to howl like a wolf trying to contact someone who's miles away. It's like, "Dude, I'm 30 feet away. Give me a second to grab the groceries out of the trunk."

Researchers from the Universities of Pisa and Perugia, Italy have found that if you give your dog some affection before you leave the house they'll have less anxiety while you're away.

They conducted experiments with 10 dogs between the ages of one and 11 without attachment issues. The group was composed of seven mixed-breed dogs, one Labrador retriever, one Hovawart, and one Chihuahua.

Participants in the study walked their leashed dogs into a fenced area where they were greeted by a researcher who took their dog's heart rate. In the first test, after the owners walked their dogs into the area, they talked with a researcher for one minute then left without giving the dog any special attention.

In the second test, the dog owners petted the dog during their interaction with the researcher.

In both tests, the owners left the fenced area and hid far enough away so that the dog couldn't smell them.

After the owners left, the dogs looked for them for about three minutes on average. After the owners returned, the researchers measured the dogs' levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as their heart rates.

The researchers found that whether the dogs were petted or not, their cortisol levels were unchanged. But their heart rate showed a marked decrease if the owners petted them before leaving. Researchers later watched videos of the dogs and found that the ones that were petted showed " behaviors indicative of calmness for a longer period while waiting for the owner's return."

Next time I'm ready to leave the house and Scout follows me to the front door after saying, "Sorry bud, you can't go with me on this trip," I'll kneel down and give him a little extra love and attention.

Maybe that way he won't howl like the house is on fire when I pull up in my car after a trip to the grocery store.

This article originally appeared four years ago.

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5 ways John Hughes movies shaped every Gen X-er’s life

And it's in more ways than you think.

es.wikipedia.org

Archivo:The breakfastclub.jpg - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

There are filmmakers, and then there are TRENDSETTERS. John Hughes was both. He tapped into the cynical, yet secretly hopeful hearts of young Gen X-ers: the latchkey kids, the forgotten ones—the generation that started to notice the stitching was breaking apart, but we had skateboards to ride and malls to linger in. So, like, really? Who had time to make protest signs?

You could almost say that, if a spiritual movement could be applied to a generation, we were the Buddhists, letting the mistakes of our elders float right by, like literal trash in an ocean, without judgment. But most of all, we just wanted to have a good time in the midst of our angst.

John Hughes understood that better than almost any writer/director around. And one of the reasons he brought so much optimism to tweens and teens of the 80s is that he was a hopeless romantic himself. He lived in an affluent neighborhood, married his high school sweetheart, had two kids, and stayed with her until he passed in 2009. It seems he wanted to instill that optimism into every adorable, jaded kid he could find.

Curated Our Soundtracks

One of the most important elements in any John Hughes film was the music. You kind of can’t think of the movie Pretty in Pink without its counterpart song by The Psychedelic Furs. Or how can one hear OMD's If You Leave without it conjuring up images of Duckie and Blane competing at the prom?

John Hughes Pink GIF by IBTrav ArtworksGiphy

Hughes found the music and brought it to us. Songs like "(Don't You) Forget About Me" by Simple Minds, which was written for his film The Breakfast Club (though it was first offered to Bryan Ferry, Billy Idol, and Corey Hart before Jim Kerr decided to do it).

But those are just the top 40 hits that got tons of radio play. Kate Bush's This Woman's Work (She's Having a Baby), The Thompson Twins' If You Were Here (Sixteen Candles), Flesh for Lulu's I Go Crazy (Some Kind of Wonderful). He didn’t wait for us to decide if we were gonna like Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, or New Order—he gave us reasons to like them.

Tore Down the Walls

The entire premise of The Breakfast Club is that a bunch of Gen-X kids from different walks of life and popularity statuses could be thrown together for a day and learn that they're really not all that different. These invisible walls that divide us are made-up constructs, and at the end of the day, yep... a jock, a rebel, a princess, a brain, a criminal, and a basket case could respect and even, (gasp) like one another.

This was far from the only time Hughes explored this theme. In Pretty in Pink, star-crossed lovers played by Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy fall hard, despite living on (literal) opposite sides of the tracks. Even in cameos, Ferris Bueller's sister (played by Jennifer Grey) falls hard for rebel Charlie Sheen.

And it's not just the teens. In Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Hughes stuck snobby Steve Martin and lovable, goofy John Candy together, and in the end, they found a friendship never thought possible.

The Breakfast Club Allison GIF by IFCGiphy

Made Crushes Attainable

Move over, Taylor Swift. John Hughes was there first, writing about dreamy crushes who seemed just out of reach but really weren’t. The teenage crush anxiety was never better exemplified than it was in Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, or even Some Kind of Wonderful. It usually involved a love triangle centered around our relatable "everyday" person (like the aforementioned Molly Ringwald or Eric Stoltz), an adorable alternative kid or nerd (like, say, Jon Cryer's Duckie or Anthony Michael Hall as Farmer Ted), and the object of desire, whomever that might have been.

Whether Blane, Jake Ryan, or Amanda Jones, what these characters had in common was their kindness. It would have been easy to vilify them, but John found that their humanity was just as important as any other character's. They were "so real," it maybe why a lot of Gen-Xers might find sitting at a table over birthday candles and/or kissing in the rain the only TRUE expression of romance.

molly ringwald 80s GIFGiphy

Cool to be Weird

Most of John Hughes's characters were the epitome of self-actualization. Ferris Bueller, as played by Matthew Broderick, had the soul of an 80-year-old trapped in the body of the coolest high school kid ever. (Many believe Hughes saw himself as more of a Cameron than a Ferris.) None of Ringwald's characters shied away from being unique, wearing funky hats, and standing up for what she believed in. And Duckie. If Duckie could slide into a record store singing "Try a Little Tenderness," there's nothing we high school freshmen couldn’t do either. It was cool to be weird. It was okay to be popular. And it was inspiring to redefine what being popular even meant.

Animated GIFGiphy

All Hail John Candy

And lastly—and maybe most importantly—John Hughes reminded us that John Candy was a national treasure and we should celebrate him daily!

planes trains and automobiles GIF by Hollywood SuiteGiphy

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Brit shares the one-word 'dead giveaway' that American actors are doing an English accent

There's one word they never get right.

via Warner Bros Discovery

Peter Dinklage on "Game of Thrones?

When it comes to actors doing accents across the pond, some Americans are known for their great British accents, such as Natalie Portman ("The Other Boleyn Girl"), Robert Downey, Jr. ("Sherlock Homes"), and Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady").

Some have taken a lot of heat for their cartoonish or just plain weird-sounding British accents, Dick Van Dyke ("Mary Poppins"), Kevin Costner ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") and Keanu Reeves ("Bram Stoker's Dracula").

Some actors, such as Tom Hardy (“The Drop”) and Hugh Laurie (“House”), have American accents so good that people have no idea they are British.

Benedict Townsend, a London-based comedian and host of the “Scroll Deep” podcast, says there is one word that American actors playing characters with a British accent never get right. And no, it’s not the word “Schedule,” which British people pronounce the entire first 3 letters, and Americans boil down to 2. And it’s not “aluminum,” which British and American people seem to pronounce every stinking letter differently.

@benedicttown
The one word American actors aways get wrong when doing an English accent

What word do American actors always get wrong when they do British accents?

“There is one word that is a dead giveaway that an English character in a movie or a TV show is being played by an American. One word that always trips them up. And once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it,” Townsend says. “You would see this lot in ‘Game of Thrones’ and the word that would always trip them up was ‘daughter.’”

Townsend adds that when British people say “daughter,” they pronounce it like the word “door” or “door-tah.” Meanwhile, Americans, even when they are putting on a British accent, say it like “dah-ter.”

“So top tip if you are an actor trying to do an English accent, daughter like a door. Like you're opening a door,” Townsend says.

What word do British actors always get wrong when doing American accents?

Some American commenters returned the favor by sharing the word that British actors never get right when using American accents: “Anything.”

"I can always tell a Brit playing an American by the word anything. An American would say en-ee-thing. Brits say it ena-thing,” Dreaming_of_Gaea wrote. "The dead giveaway for English people playing Americans: ‘Anything.’ Brits always say ‘EH-nuh-thin,’” marliemagill added.

"I can always tell an actor is English playing an American when they say ‘anything.’ English people always say it like ‘enny-thin,’” mkmason wrote.

What is the cot-caught merger?

One commenter noted that the problem goes back to the cot-caught merger, when Americans in the western US and Canadians began to merge different sounds into one. People on the East Coast and in Britain pronounce them as different sounds.

“Depending on where you live, you might be thinking one of two things right now: Of course, ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ sound exactly the same! or There’s no way that ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ sound the same!” Laura McGrath writes at DoYouReadMe. “As a result, although the different spellings remain, the vowel sounds in the words cot/caught, nod/gnawed, stock/stalk are identical for some English speakers and not for others.”

American actors owe Townsend a debt of gratitude for pointing out the one thing that even the best can’t seem to get right. He should also give the commenters a tip of the cap for sharing the big word that British people have trouble with when doing an American accent. Now, if we could just get through to Ewan McGregor and tell him that even though he is fantastic in so many films, his American accent still needs a lot of work.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Modern Families

Man hilariously calls out why the trend of giving babies 'old people names' has got to go

“Ma’am. George is a mechanic in his 60s and he can’t work on your car this week because his sugars is running high.”

@mannybuckley/TikTok, Photo credit: Canva

Someone finally said what we're all thinking.

Listen, baby name trends come and go. What was once a hip and cool name will eventually be seen as passé (this coming from someone with a name that is now obsolete, apparently) and names once thought of as old-fashioned will absolutely become cool again. It’s part of the circle of life, like the tides, the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun…accept it.

In fact, this comeback is already happening. According to the Social Security Administration, vintage names like Theodore, Henry, Willam, Charlotte, Evelyn, and Emma are among the top ten most popular baby names of the moment. Jimmy Fallon’s daughters are named Winnie and Frances, for crying out loud.

However, just because there’s been an uptick in names that harken you back to a time when “good show, old sport” was a common phrase, not everyone is on board. Recently, content creator Manny Buckley hilariously put into words what many of us think of these WWII era names.

In a clip posted to his TikTok, Buckley first savagely said, “Y’all went from naming all y’all’s kids Jayden, Cayden, and Aiden, Madison, Addison, and Addylyn to giving them all old people names.” He then recounted being on a train and hearing another call after her toddler, whose name was George.

“Ma’am. George is a mechanic in his 60s and he can’t work on your car this week because his sugars is running high.” Where’s the lie?

@mannybuckley What is this cycle of naming kids!? #names #naming #name ♬ original sound - 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝔹𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕪

He didn’t stop there, going on a lighthearted rant about the types of images certain now-popular names actually evoke, like Agnes (a “Florida retiree in her 70s who cannot leave the retirement home”), Ira (an “80 year old Jewish man”), Belinda (a “registered nurse who has been working in the field for 50 years”), and Clifford (a 85-year-old navy vet who needs “all y'all to be quiet”). Nary a kid sounding name in sight, if you ask him.

Though the video was clearly just a lighthearted jab, a few adults came into the comments to defend the use of vintage names.

“We aren’t naming babies. We’re naming people,” one top comment wrote, while another seconded, “Exactly! Some people don’t realize this. They are kids for a very short period of time, then they are adults.”

Still, another quipped, “yeah, but they aren’t senior citizens forever either!” Another wrote “I’m Martha…I’ve been 80 since the first grade.”

A few others, particularly teachers, chimed in with their own equally funny experience of kids having old fashioned names.

I am a kindergarten teacher. I have Marjorie and Brenda. It’s like a 1950’s secretarial pool.

I have kindergarteners named Edyth, Arthur, and Iris. They’re going to form a knitting club at recess.”

“My nephew is Charles lmao and he may only be 2.5, but he is the school maintenance and everyone call uncle.”

“We have Matilda and Cordelia, 4 and 2, shelling beans on the porch. Their nicknames are just as old, Tilly and Della. I love them though.”

And there you have it, folks. We have indeed come full circle. But is it any weirder than the thought of someone calling their Grandma Brittany? I think not.

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Craig Ferguson's '3-Question Rule' saved his marriage. It can help you improve any relationship.

Say goodbye to regrets.

via Mogiczar/YouTube

Craig Ferguson explains his '3 Question Rule.'

“Three things cannot be retrieved: The arrow once sped from the bow. The word spoken in haste. The missed opportunity,” Idries Shah writes in “Caravan of Dreams.” We all have moments when it is best to keep our mouths shut, but unfortunately, we said something careless and hurt someone’s feelings. Unfortunately, as Shah writes, it's impossible to take it back once we utter something regrettable.

Comedian Craig Ferguson, who hosted the CBS late-night talk show “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” from 2005 to 2014, learned to stop saying regrettable things the hard way. By sharing how he solved his problem in his stand-up act, he prevented many people from putting themselves in the same situation. In his 2011 EPIX comedy special, “Does This Need To Be Said?,” he shared how he overcame his habit of making regrettable remarks.

“The three things you must ask yourself before you say anything: Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me, now?” Ferguson joked that it took him three marriages before he learned this lesson. In 2008, he married his third wife, art dealer Megan Wallace-Cunningham, and 3 years later, they had a son.

Warning: Strong language.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Ferguson shared the observation as part of a segment about how people constantly post regrettable things without thinking on the internet. This problem was not present in the Medieval ages when people couldn’t write, had nothing to write with, and had no internet.

The advice, now known by some as the “3-Question Rule,” has caught on beyond the world of stand-up comedy. Justin Bariso, an emotional intelligence expert and the author of "EQ Applied: The Real-World Guide to Emotional Intelligence," explained it recently on The Culture Crush podcast.

— (@)

Here’s how we can put the rule into practice in our everyday lives.

You go to Starbucks in the morning, and they accidentally forget to toast your bagel, and you want to give them a piece of your mind.

Does this need to be said? Nope, just move on with your day.

You notice that a co-worker is coming back from lunch looking intoxicated every day, and it’s beginning to become a problem. You want to let them know that being at work intoxicated is unacceptable.

Does this need to be said? Yes.

Does this need to be said by me? Nope. It is probably best to talk to your manager or HR.

You go out to dinner with some friends, and your spouse shares an embarrassing story about you that you'd rather she didn't share. You want to tell her that she upset you.

Does this need to be said? Yeah, for sure.

Does this need to be said by me? 100%.

Do I need to say this now? No. You can wait until you get home or tomorrow morning so you won’t fight in front of your friends.

The 3-Question Rule is a great way to pause and reflect before putting ourselves in an uncomfortable situation or hurting someone’s feelings. When you start stacking moments where you refrain from giving someone a piece of your mind or making a snide remark, you’ll build an even better inner strength that allows you to respond to situations versus mindlessly reacting. With that comes confidence, assertiveness, and fewer sleepless nights.

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communication tips