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19 Things People Were Shocked They Had To Explain To Adults

19 Things People Were Shocked They Had To Explain To Adults

Buzz Feed21 hours ago
Recently, u/Wonderful-Economy762 asked, r/Productivitycafe, "What couldn't you believe you had to explain to another adult?" And we thought we'd share some of the top responses.
"I had to explain to an 18-year-old that you could get pregnant even if you're not married. I was friends with a girl in high school and we were discussing birth control. She said she didn't need any because she and her boyfriend weren't married. Guess who was pregnant when she graduated."
"Saw a ventriloquist act with my aunt. After the show, she said the dummy was funnier than the man. I said you know the dummy is the man right? She didn't know."
"That the sun doesn't follow you when you drive. It's not stalking you, it's 93 million miles away."
"A few years ago obviously, but I had to explain that a fax machine wasn't a paper teleportation device."
"That Alaska is not an island and that it was connected to Canada so yes, you can drive from Alaska to Georgia. Her flabbers were gasted when a mutual friend mentioned his drive from Alaska to Georgia when he moved states."
"That you can't drive to Hawaii. I was a travel agent in the mid-1980s."
"That the Earth has one moon. We were watching a sports game on TV. The camera panned out and it showed the full moon over the stadium. I said, 'look at the moon over the ballpark tonight' and her reply was, 'have you seen the one outside'. Swear to God."
"That the hole in the ozone layer was not caused by satellite and rocket launches."
"That iceberg lettuce doesn't grow on icebergs."
"How chickens mate. And that it doesn't involve the rooster standing over the eggs 'spraying' them."
"When I was a waiter training a new waiter, I had to explain that they need to wipe tables before sweeping because, if they sweep first, the floor will get dirty from cleaning the tables. Basically, that gravity exists. It was a long night."
"I had to explain deer crossing signs, after being asked how do deer know where to cross. And no, I'm not borrowing this from that viral radio bit. This situation happened years before."
"That Washington DC and Washington state are two separate places in the US. In this same vein, that Puerto Rico, as well as the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, are all US territories, not foreign countries AND, their citizens are US CITIZENS! So, telling them to 'go back to their own country' is really damn stupid and ignorant (not to mention really f'ing racist)."
"That when they do the dishes there isn't supposed to be food on them still and it needs to be cleaned more thoroughly."
"Literally tonight I had to tell a 23-year-old that you can't put a takeout container full of leftover edamame in the recycling bin."
"That being a resident of New Mexico meant she was American, and not some kind of English-speaking 'new' Mexican."
"I had to explain to an adult man that women don't pee out of their vaginas."
"North does not change based on which way you face."
"I've had two college educated adults ask if my birth date changes every year to match the date of the holiday I was born on."
H/T to u/Wonderful-Economy762 and r/Productivitycafe for having the discussion!
Any of your own to add? Let us know in the comments below!
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The NSF, founded in 1950, is the only federal agency that funds fundamental research across all fields of science and engineering, and which over the years has contributed to major breakthroughs in organ transplants, gene technology, AI, smartphones and the internet, extreme weather and other hazard warning systems, American sign language, cybersecurity and even the language app Duolingo. In normal times, much of the NSF budget ($9bn in 2024-25) is allocated to research institutions after projects undergo a rigorous three-step review process – beginning with the program officer, an expert in the field, who ensures the proposed study fits in with the agency's priorities. The program officer convenes an expert panel to evaluate the proposal on two statutory criteria – intellectual merit and broader impacts on the nation and people – which under the NSF's legal mandate includes broadening participation of individuals, institutions, and geographic regions in Stem (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The NSF's gold standard review process has 100% been compromised Current NSF program officer Applications from across the country which are greenlighted by the program officer are almost always funded, though may be subject to tweaks after revision by the division director before the grants directorate allocates the budget. That was before Trump. Now, Doge personnel can veto any study – without explanation, the Guardian has confirmed. 'We are under pressure to only fund proposals that fit the new narrow priorities even if they did not review as well as others,' said one current program officer. 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Multiple NSF scientists who oversee a diverse range of NSF programs described the grant cancellations as 'unprecedented', 'arbitrary' and a 'colossal waste of taxpayer money'. Almost 60% of the projects abandoned are in states which voted for Joe Biden in 2024, Guardian analysis found. Meanwhile more than one in nine cancelled grants – 12% of the total – were at Harvard University, which Trump has particularly targeted since coming to power in January. In addition, studies deemed to be violating Trump's executive orders on DEI and environmental justice – regardless of their scientific merit, potential impact or urgency – are being abruptly terminated at particularly high rates. It's not uncommon for the NSF and other federal research agencies to shift focus to reflect a new administration's priorities. Amid mounting evidence on the crucial role of diversity in innovation and science, Biden priorities included increased effort to tackle inequalities across the Stem workforce – and a commitment to target underserved communities most affected by the climate crisis and environmental harms. Trump's priorities are AI, quantum information science, nuclear, biotech and translational research. It has been soul-sucking to see projects that went through the review process being changed or terminated over and over again Current NSF staffer 'It's normal that a new administration will emphasize some areas, de-emphasize others, and we would gradually transition to new priorities. During the George W Bush administration there were shenanigans around climate change, but it was nothing like this kind of meddling in the scientific review process. You never just throw proposals in the garbage can,' said one current NSF staffer. 'Our mandate is to advance science and innovation. 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Last week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud) announced that it will be moving into the NSF headquarters in Virginia over the course of the next two years. The shock announcement – which did not include any plans on relocating more than 1,800 NSF employees – has triggered speculation that the administration eventually plans to defund the agency entirely. For now, program officers are also being instructed to return research proposals to scientists and institutions 'without review' – regardless of merit and despite having been submitted in response to specific NSF solicitations to address gaps in scientific and engineering knowledge around some of the most pressing concerns in the US. This includes projects that have in fact undergone review, and others which can no longer be processed due to staff and program cuts, according to multiple NSF sources. In one case, a 256-page proposal by scientists at four public universities to use ancient DNA records to better forecast biodiversity loss as the planet warms was apparently archived without consideration. In an email seen by the Guardian, the NSF told Jacquelyn Gill, a paleoecologist and principal investigator (lead scientist) based at the University of Maine, that all proposals submitted to the Biology Integration Institute program were returned without review. A second email said their specific proposal had been 'administratively screened' and the area of proposed study was 'inappropriate for NSF funding'. An estimated 40% of animals and 34% of plants across the US are currently at risk. 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The NSF declined to comment, referring instead to the agency website last updated in April which states: 'The principles of merit, competition, equal opportunity and excellence are the bedrock of the NSF mission. NSF continues to review all projects using Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria.' *** The sweeping cuts to the NSF come on top of Trump's dismantling of other key scientific research departments within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US Geological Service (USGS). The USGS is the research arm of the Department of Interior. Its scientists help solve real-life problems about hazards, natural resources, water, energy, ecosystems, and the impacts of climate and land-use change for tribal governments, the Bureau of Land Management, fish and wildlife services, and the National Parks Service among other interior agencies. Trump's big, beautiful bill cuts the USGS budget by 39%. This includes slashing the entire budget for the agency's ecosystems mission area (EMA), which leads federal research on species & ecosystems and houses the climate adaptation science centers. EMA scientists figure out how to better protect at-risk species such as bees and wolverines, minimize harmful overgrazing on BLM lands, and prevent invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes – all vitally important to protect food security in the US as the climate changes. The EMA has already lost 25 to 30% of employees through Doge-approved layoffs and buyouts, and is now facing termination. 'We've already lost a lot of institutional memory and new, up-and-coming leaders. [If Trump's budget is approved], all science in support of managing our public lands and natural resources would be cut,' said one USGS program officer. 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19 Things People Were Shocked They Had To Explain To Adults
19 Things People Were Shocked They Had To Explain To Adults

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19 Things People Were Shocked They Had To Explain To Adults

Recently, u/Wonderful-Economy762 asked, r/Productivitycafe, "What couldn't you believe you had to explain to another adult?" And we thought we'd share some of the top responses. "I had to explain to an 18-year-old that you could get pregnant even if you're not married. I was friends with a girl in high school and we were discussing birth control. She said she didn't need any because she and her boyfriend weren't married. Guess who was pregnant when she graduated." "Saw a ventriloquist act with my aunt. After the show, she said the dummy was funnier than the man. I said you know the dummy is the man right? She didn't know." "That the sun doesn't follow you when you drive. It's not stalking you, it's 93 million miles away." "A few years ago obviously, but I had to explain that a fax machine wasn't a paper teleportation device." "That Alaska is not an island and that it was connected to Canada so yes, you can drive from Alaska to Georgia. Her flabbers were gasted when a mutual friend mentioned his drive from Alaska to Georgia when he moved states." "That you can't drive to Hawaii. I was a travel agent in the mid-1980s." "That the Earth has one moon. We were watching a sports game on TV. The camera panned out and it showed the full moon over the stadium. I said, 'look at the moon over the ballpark tonight' and her reply was, 'have you seen the one outside'. Swear to God." "That the hole in the ozone layer was not caused by satellite and rocket launches." "That iceberg lettuce doesn't grow on icebergs." "How chickens mate. And that it doesn't involve the rooster standing over the eggs 'spraying' them." "When I was a waiter training a new waiter, I had to explain that they need to wipe tables before sweeping because, if they sweep first, the floor will get dirty from cleaning the tables. Basically, that gravity exists. It was a long night." "I had to explain deer crossing signs, after being asked how do deer know where to cross. And no, I'm not borrowing this from that viral radio bit. This situation happened years before." "That Washington DC and Washington state are two separate places in the US. In this same vein, that Puerto Rico, as well as the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, are all US territories, not foreign countries AND, their citizens are US CITIZENS! So, telling them to 'go back to their own country' is really damn stupid and ignorant (not to mention really f'ing racist)." "That when they do the dishes there isn't supposed to be food on them still and it needs to be cleaned more thoroughly." "Literally tonight I had to tell a 23-year-old that you can't put a takeout container full of leftover edamame in the recycling bin." "That being a resident of New Mexico meant she was American, and not some kind of English-speaking 'new' Mexican." "I had to explain to an adult man that women don't pee out of their vaginas." "North does not change based on which way you face." "I've had two college educated adults ask if my birth date changes every year to match the date of the holiday I was born on." H/T to u/Wonderful-Economy762 and r/Productivitycafe for having the discussion! Any of your own to add? Let us know in the comments below!

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