This week, Cait explores some of the more unsettling beauty trends throughout history. The lengths at which people would go to seem ludicrous in hindsight, but have we really come that far? Or does modern society just reaffirm the old adage “BEAUTY IS PAIN”

Online hoaxes, misidentification of bodies, and faking your own death can all lead to a premature obituary. Julie leads us through how this happens, some wild stories surrounding being "dead not dead" and how one premature obituary changed the course of history,

Sources used in today's episode:

https://www.history.com/news/did-a-premature-obituary-inspire-the-nobel-prize

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/14/alfred-nobel-created-the-nobel-prize-as-a-false-obituary-declared-him-the-merchant-of-death/#:~:text=Alfred%20Nobel%20had%20the%20unpleasant,newspaper%20mistakenly%20published%20Alfreds%20obituary.&text=To%20Alfred%2C%20this%20obituary%20was%20a%20warning

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Nobel

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/swedish-inventor-alfred-nobel-was-spurred-by-his-obituary-to-create-the-nobel-prize/news-story/c134de38fb4f3ebefef06b211b0527d5

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/16/french-broadcaster-apologises-after-killing-off-queen-and-pele

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19650210&id=C00fAAAAIBAJ&pg=6932,2562925

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0824535020110108

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/09/14/la-man-misidentified-as-dead-found-safe/

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/08/10/489318279/social-security-data-errors-can-turn-people-into-the-living-dead

https://archive.org/details/variety148-1942-12/page/n57/mode/2up

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2013/apr/19/george-soros-buried-alive-premature-obituaries

Did you know that ants don't have ears or that they can lift 10 to 50x their body weight? Did you know that ants can become zombies!? There are so many interesting facts about ants that we literally discuss none of the above in this week's podcast on the subject. Get ready to learn more about these fascinating creatures we see every day and find out if Julie has acquired a new hobby.

https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/ants-and-their-dead.php

https://medium.com/@mike_mc/why-ant-keeping-might-be-your-next-hobby-f8909b80dc6c

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/secrets-superorganism

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vG-QZOTc5_Q

https://www.quantamagazine.org/ants-build-complex-structures-with-a-few-simple-rules-20140409/

https://www.orkin.com/ants/hierarchy

https://www.westernexterminator.com/ants/the-ant-colony-structure-and-roles/

https://www.terminix.com/blog/education/what-is-an-ant-colony/

https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/discover/animals/insects/ant-facts/

https://www.rentokil.com/us/blog/5-interesting-facts-ants/

Are you Superstitious? This week Cait hones in on why we are so afraid of the number 13. Could the unlucky origin of the number simply be the result of a clerical error? Find out just how much Friday the 13th impacts the economy and why you should carefully consider the number of guests at your next dinner party.

Sources used in this episode:

https://www.history.com/news/whats-so-unlucky-about-the-number-13

https://bestlifeonline.com/thirteenth-floor/

https://yourmileagemayvary.net/2021/01/16/the-real-reason-why-some-hotels-dont-have-a-13th-floor/#:~:text=Marriott%20Jr.,hotels%20skip%20the%2013th%20floor.

https://www.insider.com/worst-things-friday-the-13th-2017-12#the-ku-klux-klans-first-grand-wizard-was-born-10

http://educationupdate.com/alposamentier/2012/01/triskaidekaphobia.html#:~:text=Famous%20people%20have%20also%20been,also%20closely%20tied%20with%20Triskaidekaphobia.

Is diva behaviour acceptable? And what does it have to do with the opera? Join us as Julie takes us into to the world of the diva, both healthy and not so healthy.

Sources used in this episode:

https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a27764450/a-history-of-the-diva/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323550604578410522536037666

https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/g15872900/absurd-celebrity-riders/

Gender reveal parties have been getting a lot of notoriety in the past few years - and not always in a good way! This week, we discuss the history of this relatively new phenomenon and take it a step further. Is gender reveal really the right name for it, and why do we insist that little girls wear pink?

Sources used in today's episode:

https://othersociologist.com/sociology-of-gender/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink-1370097

http://www.flyfishingdevon.co.uk/salmon/year3/psy364gender-nature-nurture/psy364gender-nature-nurture.htm

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/12/15/guide-how-gender-neutral-language-is-developing-around-world/%3foutputType=amp

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/07/08/how-to-use-gender-neutral-language-and-why-its-important-to-try/

https://time.com/4327915/gender-neutral-pronouns/

https://www.thesmujournal.ca/editor/normalizing-pronouns-why-cis-gendered-folks-should-use-personal-pronouns-too

This week, Cait unpacks the ritual of raising a glass before enjoying a drink. Have you ever wondered where the term "toast" comes from? Why is eye contact so important? What is the etiquette in order to avoid a water death? - wait...what?

Join us and find out why Julie may now carry croutons on her person at all times and whether Kristin has lost faith in the Royal British Navy.

Sources used for this Episode:

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/why-do-we-say-cheers-30416

https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/22/messages/526.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/drinking-alcohol-culture

https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/22/messages/527.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_(honor)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-etiquette-toasting-idUSBRE89L0N320121022

This week we explore where our used textiles go when donated. From “bend-over” markets to your new couch: that blazer you once loved may have ended up somewhere you didn’t realize. We deep dive Goodwill’s mission and Cait shares the story of the world’s first speeding ticket!

Sources used in this Episode:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle

https://www.rd.com/article/what-happens-used-clothing-donations/

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/fashions-latest-trend-why-hm-other-big-brands-are-investing-garment-recycling

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fake-clothing-drop-bins-use-your-charity-donations-make-profit-180951993/

https://www.fastcompany.com/3059826/levis-made-the-first-ever-100-recycled-cotton-jeans

https://www.goodwill.ab.ca/donate/

Most of us have heard of the 2018 false missile warning in Hawaii, but do you know what really happened? And what does it have to do with Jim Carrey? Kristin takes us through that traumatic day while Julie tells the tale of a cat that literally came back.

Sources used in this episode:

https://www.resolver.com/blog/hawaii-nuclear-missile-false-alert-2018/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hawaii-gov-david-ige-slow-correct-false-missile-alert-after-n840186

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37416442/button-pusher-said-he-believed-missile-threat-was-real-is-living-in-utter-hell/

https://www.gq.com/story/real-story-of-hawaiian-missile-crisis

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/01/pandemonium-and-rage-in-hawaii/550529/

https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/donald-trump-north-korea-insults-timeline/index.html

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/30/16950494/hawaii-fcc-missile-emergency-alert

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/30/technology/fcc-hawaii-missile-alert.html

https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/files/2018/01/20180113-NR-HI-EMA-statement-on-missile-launch-false-alarm.pdf

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jim-carrey-recounts-being-hawaii-missile-false-alarm-1303541

In an age of being able to send a message at the push of a button, we can sometimes take for granted the ease at which we are able to communicate. But it hasn't always been so easy. This week Cait takes us into the world of some of history's unsung heroes. Although, what do the brave messengers of the past have to do with drug smuggling today?

It's Julie's turn to share a peeve and Kristin gives us a real life example of why we should all be kind to strangers.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_Amihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homing_pigeon https://pigeonpedia.com/ https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/1210-cher-ami-the-pigeon-that-saved-the-lost-battalion.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoreception