TikTok's kid-friendly 'water cup challenge' is a fascinating science lesson in disguise

[TikTok's kid-friendly 'water cup challenge' is a fascinating science lesson in disguise]( Many are likening TikTok’s new “water cup challenge” to a game of liquid Jenga, only trading in the wooden blocks for rounds of pours. But that’s not entirely accurate. For one thing, it’s even more intense. As a Jenga aficionado (I have my own giant set at home and have yet to lose), this was hard to believe. But it’s true. With Jenga, each round gets more and more difficult. As the tower—and the anxiety—gets higher, even breathing ceases to be an option. But the game at least has the built-in mercy of the really big wobble that signals “mayday, we’re going down!” Such is not the case with the water cup challenge. There is no warning. Just … splash. Game over. But that’s the really great thing about it too. You see, the water cup challenge might appear to be a game of chance, but there’s way more to it than that. [Read the Story]( [National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin just retired at age 100. That's right, 100.]( Many of us hope to make it to our 85th birthday in good enough health to be active. Betty Reid Soskin did far more than that when she became a park ranger for the National Park Service the year she turned 85. And for the past 15 years, she has served as a ranger at Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, sharing forgotten histories of the homefront war effort. On March 31, the National Park Service announced that Soskin was retiring—at age 100. Go ahead and say it with me: Wow. However, Soskin indicated years ago that such longevity shouldn't surprise us. Her mother lived until 101, her great-grandmother lived until 102 and her great-aunt lived to 107—and they all stayed busy until their passing. In 2020, at age 98, Soskin told KTVU "I can't believe I've reached this age. Inside is 19-year-old Betty." At that point, she had cut back from giving interpretive talks from five days to one day a week after suffering a stroke five months before, but still she kept going in her service as a park ranger. She said there was something she was still meant to do. "I haven't any idea what it is," she said. "I have no idea, except that it's there. It's something that I am to accomplish and I haven't done it yet." [Read the Story]( ['I love you if you love me'—choirboy's touching letter found in church pew after 125 years]( The date was August 11, 1897. William Elliott’s 14th birthday was fast approaching, which meant the days he spent singing in the church choir of the Sunderland Orphanage would soon be over. William took a pencil and scribbled some words onto the back of a sermon paper, then hastily stuck it away inside a church pew. Now, 125 years later, his moving letter has been discovered. The church was undergoing renovation in an effort to transform it into an event space called Seventeen Nineteen, when Master Craftsman Stevie Hardy found the note, which he sent to conservation specialist Matt Parsons. It would take months to arduously clean off the years of accumulated grime, made up mostly of wax polish, dust and dirt, and specks of black paint. But eventually, the paper was successfully restored. Here’s what William’s letter said: “Dear friend, whoever finds this paper think of William Elliott who had two months and two weeks and four days on the 11 of August 1897. Whoever you are that finds this paper don’t tear it up or throw it away…” “Keep it in remembrance of me, W Elliott… I was the leading boy of this choir…” “I love you if you love me.” [Read the Story]( [A veterinarian is helping homeless people care for their pets]( Having a pet is a lot of responsibility, but the benefits are many. Pets can help reduce stress levels and provide emotional support even if you don’t realize they’re doing it. It makes sense that many homeless people have pets that keep them company. Though pets can provide all sorts of psychological benefits, caring for them can be costly, even for the most financially stable pet owner. Vet bills can range into the thousands, but routine care that many take for granted can catch these costly health issues before they reach the point of breaking the bank. When homeless people are seen hanging out with their pets, folks rarely stop to wonder if these pets are getting appropriate veterinary care. But Dr. Kwane Stewart took note. Stewart has been a veterinarian for 25 years, and currently works at Netflix as an animal consultant as well as sharing his skills with people experiencing homelessness to help with the health check-up their animals need. In 2019, Stewart was the star of a reality show, Street Vet, where he took to the streets of California to provide vet care to animals of people without homes. He started a pop-up clinic where he would travel to different locations, after meeting a man and his dog on the street. This particular dog was suffering from a skin condition due to a flea infestation that caused a patch of the dog's hair to fall out and a rash. Stewart offered to treat the man's dog, and after a $3 pill, the dog was free of fleas and looking much healthier and happier when Stewart returned to check on it a few weeks later. The dog’s owner tearfully thanked the doctor, and that was when Stewart decided to provide vet care his way with pop-up clinics. [Read the Story]( [A resourceful nonverbal teen lost in the woods is rescued after clinking rocks together]( A 16-year-old developmentally disabled teen went on a hike with his mother and sister in the mountains near Los Angeles on the morning of Sunday, April 3 when he ran off into the trees and disappeared. The family called the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department for help, but after six hours they still couldn’t find him. The situation was stressful because the teen is nonverbal and couldn’t call out for help or reveal his location. His family had no idea whether he was injured or how far he had gone into the forest. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department brought together the Montrose Search and Rescue Team, Glendale and Burbank police, the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team and the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team to help in the search. They didn’t have much to go on but the boy's mother told Montrose Search and Rescue Deputy Steve Goldsworthy that he had an affection for rocks. “He will go out of his way to kick a rock, pick up a rock, throw a rock," Goldsworthy said. “Several hours into the search, a Montrose team member heard what sounded like the clinking of rocks together,” the Montrose Search and Rescue Team wrote on Facebook. “Remembering that the missing person had an interest in playing with rocks, he investigated further. He also directed the Burbank PD airship to look down the canyon.” [Read the Story]( Find us on the World Wide Web: [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Copyright © 2022 GOOD | Upworthy, All rights reserved. 1370 N St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028 You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.