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Facebook Is Rolling Out A New ‘Secret Crush’ Feature

Facebook, as always, is trying to engage with all sorts of users. One of their latest developments is Facebook Dating, a service that aims to pair you up with people you’re already friends with.

One of Facebook Dating’s latest features is “Secret Crush,” allowing you to select up to nine people from your Friends list who you consider crush-worthy. These people will receive a notification that lets them know that one of their friends added them to their secret crush list. If the person(s) you selected also chooses you, your identities are revealed to each other.

For now, this feature, along with Facebook Dating, is only available in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and several countries in South America and Asia.

Secret Crush is intriguing, providing something that other dating apps can’t. While it’s always nice to meet new people on these apps, Facebook Dating allows you to choose from friends and people you already know and like – a notion that’s likely very enticing to teens and younger users.

RELATED: Facebook Is Getting Ready To Launch A Dating Platform 

Although plenty of people have more than enough reasons to doubt Facebook’s privacy and security, a company spokesperson explained that the secret crush feature won’t have an influence on users’ timeline or result in targeted ads. “All activity that occurs in FB Dating stays in FB Dating and will not be shared externally,” they explained to WIRED.

There’s no word on when Facebook Dating will roll out in the U.S..

Lead photo courtesy of www.thoughtcatalog.com

James Harden’s Injury Inspired A Relatable Marijuana Meme

James Harden is one of the best basketball players alive right now. But as we learned with Michael Jordan and the crying MJ meme, this does not exclude the fearsome baller from becoming fodder for internet humor.

Harden suffered an eye injury during Houston’s Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. The injury forced him to temporarily leave the game, and when he returned, he was often see blinking, rubbing his eyes, struggling to see properly.

RELATED: NBA Exploring Medical Marijuana For Players

His eyes were abnormally bloodshot and watery as a result. This inspired many internet users to transform Harden’s misery into an innocuous meme about being too high in social situations.

https://twitter.com/Hovain/status/1123429345488527362

But for some, Harden didn’t remind them of being accidentally too stoned. Instead, he resembled Childish Gambino in his “This Is America” video.

https://twitter.com/Yahye4Hunn1d/status/1123450723637833728

Considering Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, is a known marijuana fan, we believe the joke of being too high applies here, too.

James Edward Harden Jr. is widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA history. In 2021, Harden was honored as one of the league’s top 75 players by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Harden played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Why Meghan And Harry Just Unfollowed Kate And William On Instagram

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry joined Instagram last month, they made headlines for accumulating a record-breaking number of followers. And now they’re making headlines once again, but this time, it’s for who they’re not following: the entire Royal Family.

The expectant parents launched their public Instagram account, @SussexRoyal, April 2 and quickly gained a million followers in less than six hours, landing it in the Guinness World Records.

But now eagle-eyed royal watchers have noticed that the couple has unfollowed basically all of their in-laws, including Prince William and Duchess Kate (@KensingtonRoyal), and the account of Prince Charles and Camilla (@ClarenceHouse). They’ve also unfollowed Princess EugeniePrince Andrew and the rest of the Royal Family (@TheRoyalFamily), which includes the Queen. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined Instagram, they had 23 followers and as of present time, they have just 16.

RELATED: Meghan And Harry Just Broke This Instagram Record

And before you start whispering “drama!!”, there’s a good reason. Megs and Harry explained in a post that they are only going to follow organizations close to their collective heart, and that list which will change each month based on whatever cause they are currently supporting. For instance, this month they are following accounts that promote mental wellness because May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

According to their post:

Each month we will honour this same concept and change the accounts we solely follow based on a different theme or cause. Please go to our homepage and click “following” to see each of the select accounts and find out more about their work.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw5aC5wh073/

For what it’s worth, both Kensington Royal and The Royal Family are both still following Sussex Royal.

Half Of Marijuana Users Think They Can Drive While Stoned — Is That Wrong?

Marijuana users report increase stimulation around various tasks after lighting up—working out, intimacy, eating munchies. But a new survey suggests that half of cannabis consumers thinks it’s okay to drive while high, an idea that’s more complex than you might assume.

Conducted in conjunction with PSB Research and Buzzfeed News, the poll demonstrated only 14% of people who abstained from cannabis use agreed that it was okay to drive while high. On the other hand, 56% of marijuana users felt comfortable getting in the car with a stoned driver while only 16% of non-users agreed with the sentiment.

Driving under the influence is something that should never be encouraged under normal circumstances. But the science and data regarding the safety of stoned drivers on the road isn’t so cut and dry. It’s true that THC impairs your motor and cognitive reactions, meaning your ability to counteract any dangers while driving would be slowed down. A meta-analysis of 60 studies “found that marijuana use causes impairment on every measure of safe driving, including motor-coordination, visual function and completion of complex tasks,” according to The Guardian.

RELATED: Study: Older Marijuana Users Are More Productive

Within the same breath, it’s also worth mentioning a 2010 study published in the American Journal of Addiction, which analyzed the effects of cannabis compared to alcohol when driving. Researchers found that “Because of […] an increased awareness that they are impaired, marijuana smokers tend to compensate effectively while driving by utilizing a variety of behavioral strategies.” This, in part, explains the polling results.

And while most would presume smoking marijuana would make anyone a more dangerous driver, researchers found this debatable in their testing. “Although cognitive studies suggest that cannabis use may lead to unsafe driving, experimental studies have suggested that it can have the opposite effect,” they concluded.

According to Buzzfeed, “some studies have found people with more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of whole blood perform more poorly on impairment tests.” But Buzzfeed also mentions a 2017 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, which states that THC level alone “does not appear to be an accurate and reliable predictor of impairment.” This is what makes it so difficult to create legal cutoff limits for driving while high similar to the legal blood alcohol threshold law enforcement tests when examining drunk drivers.

RELATED: Study: Cannabis Use Affects Young Drivers Up To 5 Hours Afterwards

Back in 2017, a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found a small and significant increase in traffic collisions following recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. But a study published around the same time narrowed its focus to fatal crashes—which is more concerning to the public safety—and discovered that marijuana legalization did not increase the number of fatal car collisions.

To tie this all together, Addiction published a report earlier this year that corroborated an increase in traffic deaths following marijuana legalization. But researchers discovered that after the first few months of legalization, deadly car crashes had a stark dropoff and returned to their previous rates.

There’s no easy answer when examining the relationship between marijuana legalization and car crashes. More research is needed to determine exactly how smoking cannabis affects drivers, and what possible limit could be set to ensure the safety for everyone on the road.

Pete Davidson Walks Out On Gig Over Kate Beckinsale, Ariana Grande; Khloé Kardashian Opens Up About Tristan Thompson Scandal

Khloé Kardashian Opens Up About Tristan Thompson Scandal

Via People:

On Sunday’s episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Khloé, 34, opened up about Thompson’s first cheating scandal, which broke last year — just two days before she gave birth to their daughter True.

At the time, the basketball player was caught on video getting close to an unidentified woman in a New York City lounge, and TMZ also published footage from October 2017 allegedly depicting him kissing one woman while a different woman groped him at a hookah lounge outside of Washington, D.C. (Thompson, 28, has never publicly addressed any of the allegations.)

Though she initially forgave him and they got back together, the new mom confessed on last night’s episode that she was having second thoughts after their relationship issues came to light during a reading with a local medium in Bali.

“Ever since what happened with Tristan and I, nobody knows I fight an inner battle with myself in regards to what is the best thing to do for my relationship and for me,” she said. “This is spot-on with me and it’s kind of freaking me out.”

“Meeting with all these different healers, I’m realizing that I’m suppressing a lot of my emotions,” she continued. “Now, it’s time to think about all that stuff.”

“It’s hard to overcome cheating,” she added. “It’s hard to gain the trust back. You wonder: Will it ever be the same, will you ever really get back to where you were prior to this whole cheating scandal? So I’m really just trying to reevaluate what’s important to me and hopefully make the right decision. But yeah, you don’t know.”

Pete Davidson Walks Out On Gig Over Kate Beckinsale, Ariana Grande

Via iHeart Radio:

Note to any future comedy club owners, Pete Davidson will not perform if any of his romantic flames are used against him.

On Tuesday (April 30), TMZ reported that Davidson walked out of his Monday night show at Vinnie Brand’s Stress Factory Comedy Club in Bridgeport, Connecticut because the club owner reportedly mentioned his previous girlfriends: Kate Beckinsale and Ariana Grande. As per some club-goers, Vinnie Brand made sarcastic mentions of the two stars before Davidson got on stage to let the audience know that there should be no heckling. That was apparently one of the ground rules that the SNL comedian agreed upon for his performance to avoid instances like his New Jersey show debacle, where a heckler disrespected Mac Miller. Additionally, any attendees who shouted references like that should be removed from the premises. Seems like Vinnie’s mentions of Beckinsale and Grande (even as ground rules) were enough for the comedian to walk out.

Meanwhile, a source close to Us Weekly revealed that that Brand went out of his way to embarrass Pete and sarcastically told the audience to not ask any questions about his exes. “Pete was not about to to let this guy ruin his show, disrespect him and abuse the names of women Pete respects and cares about,” the insider said. “Pete has been doing great. He’s happy and has been really enjoying traveling and doing shows. It’s sad that people like this club owner would pull a stunt like this just to bring attention to himself and his club.”

After leaving the venue, the 25-year-old star took to Instagram Story to apologize for the cancelation and revealed that he would make it up to any attendees with an additional show. “I’m sorry that we had to leave the show before I got to go on. The owner, Vinnie Brand, disrespected me, and did something that I told him not to do and I can’t perform under those circumstances,” Davidson explained. “However, everybody who got tickets to that show … I am doing a free show for you guys. We will figure out where it’s going to be in the next week. We will get that all sorted out. Sorry again. This isn’t your fault.”

Fearing The Possible Loss Of Your Favorite ‘GOT’ Character? You’re Not Alone

This past weekend saw the release of “Avengers: Endgame” and a pivotal episode of “Game of Thrones.” Fans of both franchises were understandably rattled; after investing so many years in these story lines and characters, it’s reasonable for fans to fear these closing chapters where many characters are expected to meet their ends.

The sadness that comes with the death of a fictional character, although hard to explain, is one we’ve all experienced to some degree over the course of our lives.

We spend a lot of our time with fictional characters, forming relationships that are meaningful to us even if they’re completely one sided. We watch these shows and movies with friends and think about them while they’re not on our screens. According to Alan Wolfelt, founder of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, the grief caused by fictional characters is real and more common than you might think.

RELATED: Your Favorite ‘Game Of Thrones’ Couple Says A Lot About Your Dating Habits

Popular Science consulted with experts and concluded that people form real bonds with fictional characters, TV shows and with the people they watched these programs with. When these programs end, the bond is severed. Friends who experienced these emotions together lose something that united them and brought happiness to their lives.

Wolfelt says that in order to process and mourn these losses it’s important for “grief work” to occur, a process that has two basic stages: first, the person affected must mourn their loss and second, the people who are near them must validate their feelings. This can be a tough thing to achieve within our culture, especially when you’re experiencing a grief that’s so personal and “little” when compared to other losses. “‘Well, it’s just a pet,’ or ‘it’s just a show’—you’re not creating space for them to be affirmed,” explains Worfelt.

RELATED: A Happy Ending For ‘Game Of Thrones’? No Thanks

To mourn the end of your favorite show or the death of your favorite character, spend some time re-watching the first seasons or your favorite moments. Hold on to them before you are able and willing to move on.

CBD Oil Is Good For Even More Than You Thought

If you follow cannabis themed news whatsoever, you’re bound to have learned about a slew of conditions CBD oil is good for, including chronic pain and anxiety. But there are other uses that you may not have heard of yet.

Did you know that CBD may have an effect on high blood pressure? Though you are always advised to talk to your doctor about treatments and to not stop any other treatment plans, adding CBD oil to your list of supplements couldn’t hurt. It is an innocuous component of the cannabis plant and has no psychoactive properties whatsoever when under the 0.3 percent THC mark. The fact that CBD also combats anxiety means that you shouldn’t be nervous to add it to your daily regime. Talk to a medical consultant at your local dispensary if you can about dosages, milligrams and delivery systems.

RELATED: The Summer Skinny On CBD Sunscreen

Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult tasks for someone with a habit. Now anecdotal evidence shows that CBD can help not only with the depression and anxiety associated with quitting, but if you use a CBD pen in lieu of a cigarette or nicotine vape pen, the hand to mouth motion helps with that part of the addiction. Many people trying not to smoke find that they don’t know what to do with their hands during times when they crave a cigarette or e-cig, so a CBD vape pen is a perfect solution on many levels.

Tamara Pridgett tried CBD oil for the first time and found that it helped her with sleep — which is a fairly well known use for CBD — and left her feeling less sore, likely a result of CBD’s documented anti-inflammatory properties. The reaction that may sound surprising is that she felt more alert. She wrote that, “My brain is constantly operating on overload, and I have days where I can’t focus on anything except for all my thoughts, incomplete tasks, and ending up alone. I decided to take half a dropper 30 minutes before heading into work to see what would happen. In my opinion, I had a very productive day at work…” She also wrote that she found it helped her focus better on her writing.

As more and more people get turned onto the CBD oil craze, more and more usages for the cannabinoid will be found and put to work. With all the evidence of positive health benefits rolling in, it couldn’t hurt to add CBD to your health routine as a preventative measure as well.

5 Things You Should Never Do While Arguing With Your Partner

Fights and heated arguments are annoying, but they’re also problems that all couples must deal with. When conducted in a healthy way, fights strengthen trust in couples, release built up steam and increase intimacy. The keyword here is healthy, which isn’t easy to achieve.

The Huffington Post compiled a list of some of the worst things that you can do or say in the midst of an argument. Here are five you should be wary of.

Targeting your partner’s insecurities and vulnerabilities

https://giphy.com/gifs/bobs-burgers-fox-bobs-burgers-tv-3o72FfM5HJydzafgUE

RELATED: Why Too Much Sexting Is Bad For Your Relationship

It makes sense for people to want to win arguments. We all have prides, and romantic partners make particularly good targets for us, since you presumably know them well and are aware of their insecurities. Fight this impulse and focus on resolving the problem you’re facing instead of gaining the upper hand. “Try focusing on the issue at hand rather than making personal attacks and saying something about your partner that you will probably later regret. Arguments can be tough to get through, but you still want to demonstrate mutual respect towards each other,” explains clinical psychologist Gina Delucca.

Making a major decision mid-argument

https://giphy.com/gifs/U4PYmPl4uTx8A

It’s never a good idea to make a decision while angry, especially if it’s something important. Wait until the argument is over and you’ve cooled down a bit before making a decision. Take advantage of your clear head and use your judgement.

Walking away mid-argument

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While it makes sense to walk away from an escalating argument in order to prevent further damage, this behavior is known as stonewalling and many experts believe it does more harm than good. Disengaging in the midst of an argument is a passive-aggressive way of striking back and trying to “win” the fight.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need space to think and collect your thoughts, you should be clear about this, willing to touch on the topic in the near future.

Bringing up past events and mistakes

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RELATED: Happily Ever After? 9 Subtle Signs You’re Happy In Your Relationship

Bringing up past mistakes and matters that have already been addressed does nothing but add fuel to the fire and extend the argument for longer periods of time. If something your partner did in the past is still bothering you, set up a different time to discuss and resolve it.

Hashing things out over text

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Resolving a complex argument through text, unless you’re a very skilled writer, is hard. Texts are great for communicating simple messages and ideas, but they’re extremely easy to misrepresent. “This is especially true as so much of our communication is non-verbal. There’s too much room to misinterpret someone when you aren’t sitting face-to-face or, at the very least, talking on the phone,” explains therapist Gary Brown.

Odds Are High Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Will Name Their Kid This

With the arrival of the royal baby imminent, a new name has emerged as a potential frontrunner for what Meghan and Harry will name it. And it’s a name nobody has bet on, until now.

Even though according to the rumor mill, Meghan has told friends she’s expecting a baby boy, it’s widely believed she’ll have a baby girl. And the odds of her naming it Grace are high, according to U.K. online betting site Ladbrokes.

The name Grace has always been on the short list of what the royal couple could name their first child, but it was a dark horse at best. Now, it’s significantly moved up in the ranks to overtake the top spot.

RELATED: Will Meghan And Harry’s Baby Be A Prince Or Princess?

Ladbrokes, which correctly predicted that Kate and William would name their first born George, had previously predicted that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would name their child Elizabeth, with 6 -1 odds. Diana and Victoria tied with 8 – 1 odds, and Albert, Philip, Grace and Alice came in near the bottom of the list with 12 – 1 odds. Arthur, James and Mary were even further down the list.

But there’s another name that has surfaced, which nobody saw coming, not even Ladbrokes. And that name is Allegra.

Man Avoids Ticket Thanks To McDonald’s Item

Something you don’t hear every day, a man avoids ticket thanks to McDonald’s item. A Connecticut jury decided to award no penalty to a man accused of texting and driving after hearing that the man was holding a McDonald’s hash brown instead of a phone.

The Hour reports that Jason Stilber was initially issued a $300 ticket after being pulled over by the Westport Police due to using his phone while driving. He was initially tried in Norwalk court, where he unsuccessfully plead his case. Months later, Stilber hired an attorney and reopened the case, managing to free himself from his penalty by providing records that proved that he wasn’t using his phone during the incident. The lawyer probably submitted a selfie of Stilber munching on the hash brown.

RELATED: April Is The Perfect Time To Find Hungry Alligators Prowling Florida Streets

Stilber’s attorney also provided documentation that showed that the policemen who took Stilber into custody had been on duty for 15 hours, suggesting that his lapse in judgement – re: confusing a hash brown for a phone – might have been due to exhaustion. “It just is proof that police officers — there’s nothing nefarious here — but that police officers are human and make mistakes. That’s all,” explains the attorney.

While Stilber didn’t make many declarations, he said that his run-in with the law had dampened his taste for hash browns.  Next time you are in the drive-thru, remember the man avoids ticket thanks to McDonald’s item, choose wisely.

 

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