It’s not every day a ventriloquist act is so jaw-dropping that it has to be seen to be believed. But when it does happen, it’s usually on “America’s Got Talent.” Ana-Maria Mărgean was only 11 years old when she first took to the stage on “Romania’s Got Talent” to show off her ventriloquism skills, an act inspired by videos of fellow ventriloquist and “America’s Got Talent” Season 2 champion Terry Fator. Using puppets built for her by her parents, the young performer tirelessly spent her quarantine time in 2020 learning how to bring them to life, which led to her receiving a Golden Buzzer and eventually winning the entire series in Romania. Mărgean is now 13 and a competitor on this season of “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars,” hoping to be crowned the winner and perform her own show in Vegas, just like her hero Fator. The routine started with a hilarious bit between Mărgean and Waldo, her “rescue dog.” But it’s when she begins singing a bold and brassy version of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” that you know you’re witnessing something truly special. Take a peek below. Holy moly, those high notes that Mărgean…er…I mean Waldo hit are fabulous.The feedback from both the viewers and judges was unanimous awe.“I mean, no wonder you won [RGT]. You are incredible, you are gorgeous, you can sing so beautifully…I love your furry friend, and it was funny, too! I love all the banter and the jokes,” applauded judge Heidi Klum.Howie Mandel added, “I was laughing. And I cannot believe your story that you just started doing this during lockdown. Like, you don’t even have two years under your belt. That was amazing. The fact that this was something you looked up online, the fact that you were inspired by people you saw on America’s Got Talent—you are an AGT All-Star! The Superfans are gonna love you!”Prior to her performance, Mărgean shared how winning “Romania’s Got Talent” completely changed her life, allowing her family to afford a brand new home. While her fate might still be up in the air for “AGT,” she’s already made huge strides and has racked up a lot of people rooting for her. This article originally appeared on 1.31.23

James Clear’s landmark book “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” has sold more than 9 million copies worldwide. The book is incredibly popular because it has a simple message that can help everyone. We can develop habits that increase our productivity and success by making small changes to our daily routines."It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis,” James Clear writes. “It is only when looking back 2 or 5 or 10 years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent.”His work proves that we don’t need to move mountains to improve ourselves, just get 1% better every day.Most of us are reluctant to change because breaking old habits and starting new ones can be hard. However, there are a lot of incredibly easy habits we can develop that can add up to monumental changes.A Reddit user named Accomplished-Rough36 was looking to find simple life hacks that can make a big impact so they asked the online forum, “What life hack became your daily routine?” and received more than 5,300 responses. The best answers were simple, effective habits anyone can implement that can yield big benefits.The Reddit users shared a whole lot of great ideas for dealing with the things we all have a hard time staying on top of such as keeping a clean house, creating good sleep habits and breaking free from technology addiction.Here are 17 of the best responses to “What life hack became your daily routine?”1."I flip my pill bottles after taking them so I remember if I took them or not. really helps if you take the same pill in morning and at night." — [deleted]2."Sleeping with a pillow between my knees. No more lower back pain." — fiddyk503."Don’t put it down, put it away.” — arcady4."Washing dishes while cooking. Now it’s at a point where I just do it because I want a clean kitchen." — devatrox5. "I bought 24 pairs of the same socks and threw the rest of miss matching ones away. I have a couple 'winter socks' and that’s it." — familiarfate016. When I'm trying to sleep in bed at night I go over what I did that day and think of everything I did in a positive light or as if it's part of a goal I'm working towards. I've never been depressed (or at least diagnosed with it!) but this helps feeling like I've accomplished something and I can feel better about what I've done. Celebrate every little thing you did, and also it helps me fall asleep a little bit faster too." — anderoogigwhore7."Saying 'thank you' instead of apologizing for things that dont need apologies. I'm a chronic apologizer and it's helped a lot. For example, if I have a bad day and vent to my husband, instead of saying 'sorry for venting and bringing down the mood, I'll say 'thank you for listening and being supportive.' It puts a much more appreciative and positive light on your relationships!" — thegracefuldork8. "My alarm clock is across the room, requiring me to get out of bed to turn it off. Prevents me from falling back asleep." — soik909."Posting this too late for anyone to see, but I brush my teeth as part of my daughter's bedtime routine. This keeps me from snacking late at night since my teeth already feel clean and I don't want to mess them up before bed. I've lost about 5 inches from my waist, and it keeps me accountable to brush my teeth before I'm too tired to care." — petethepianist10."A work from home life hack I adopted was using break time from work to do low mental energy chores. Stuff like dusting furniture and vacuuming the pool is a nice break from the mental energy of working and I’m getting stuff done." — drakeallthethings11."Preparing/getting stuff ready the night before. For example:1. Getting my shoes and putting them by the front of the door2. Packing my backpack with all the things I'll need for that day3. Getting my underwear, shirt, pants, etc. out and folding them in a pile4. Packing lunch(es) for that day5. No more running around in the mornings looking for stuff on a time crunch! It’s become so much less stressful when I know where everything is and I can just get everything (on) and leave." — KomodoJoe312."Drink. Water. It's something so simple yet so often ignored. Yeah, it can get annoying at times. I never really want to get up at 3:30am to piss. I don't really want to have to stop on, say, a six-hour drive because I have to pee. But, staying well hydrated helps me feel better, look better, rest better (yeah, there's the 3:30am piss, but that's after three hours of sleep. I didn't toss and turn for three hours before then,) etc. And it will help you live longer. Your organs will thank you." — 2020isanightmare13."If it takes less than a minute, just do it." — evelynmtz82114."If you have to put something down for a bit, like say your phone or glass of water, say out loud, 'I'm putting this ____ here.' I guess that by doing that you engage different parts of you brain and makes it more likely for you to remember where you put something when you need it again." — -eDgaAR-15."Ignoring people I don't want to interact with." — ClubZen16."That moment trick from Deadpool.I have a bad temper, not going to lie. It felt uncontrollable for a while, but it was just because I was always so quick to react. Like as a kid, if my brother said something that rubbed me the wrong way, the next moment, I was trying to fight my brother without even thinking. Now, if something pisses me off, I catch myself and think about why that thing pissed me off. Nine times out of 10, I'm just being dumb and allowing something dumb to upset me. This helps a lot if you rage in video games. Most of the time if you're raging in a game at someone on your team, you're the problem." — _IraPirate_17."Its amazing how much more i get done when i wake up 2 hours earlier." — TysonGoesOutsideThis article originally appeared on 10.4.22

While every person with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is different, there are some common communication traits that everyone should understand. Many with ASD process language literally and have a hard time understanding body language, social cues, exaggeration and cultural cues.This can lead to misunderstandings that result in people with ASD appearing to be rude when it wasn't their intent. If more neurotypical people (those without ASD) better understood these communication differences, it’d be much easier for everyone to get along.A perfect example of this problem and how to fix it was shared by Yuri, a transmasc person who goes by he/they, who posts on TikTok about having ADHD and ASD. In a post that has more than 2.3 million views, Yuri claims he was “booked for a disciplinary meeting for being a bad communicator.”Obviously, his manager needs to learn a little more about working with people with ASD.To help his co-workers better understand his unique communication style, Yuri posted a note on his office door so there wouldn't be any more misunderstandings.I'm autistic.I prefer direct, literal and detailed communicationIf I am:Not making eye contactNot greeting you backNot understanding your social cues, etc.There is no malicious intent. It is the autism.Thank you for understanding. @aegoaegyo Visit TikTok to discover videos! The post inspired some great responses from people who totally understand what Yuri is going through."This should be the norm tbh!! very proud of you for stating your boundaries and needs clearly," Alastar wrote. "I wish everyone had signs telling me how to communicate tbh," Bro added."How is it that we prefer direct, literal, and detailed communication, but somehow WE'RE the ones with a communication issue???" Reading cosmere! wrote.In a follow-up video, Yuri addressed some of the commenters who didn’t know if he was diagnosed by a doctor. @aegoaegyo Visit TikTok to discover videos! “The funniest thing about the comment section of my autism sign video is the people who are asking me, ‘Are you self-diagnosed? Are you formally diagnosed?'” he said in the video. “Do you think neurotypical people would make a sign like that? Do you think that would happen? Do you think a neurotypical person would do that?”Autism is a misunderstood disorder so it was a brave move by Yuri to come out about being on the spectrum and share how he prefers to communicate. It’s also a reminder for all of us that we all have the right to show others how we wish to communicate.This story is also a great lesson for anyone who works with people who have ASD to learn more about their unique communication styles so we can all understand one another. It could be the difference between a hostile work environment and one where everyone can thrive and feel safe.This article originally appeared on 5.16.22

Raising kids is tough, but there's a lot of laughs along the way.Comedy writer James Breakwell has four daughters under the age of eight and shares their hilarious conversations on Twitter. And, from Breakwell's tweets, it looks like his five year old has a future in comedy.Here's a sampling of some Breakwell's funniest kid-inspired tweets.1. Me: What did you do at school today?\n\n5-year-old: Learned about dragons.\n\nMe: Your class learned about dragons?\n\n5: I learned about dragons. I don't know what everybody else was doing. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1524164098 2. 5-year-old: *stares off into space*\n\nMe: What's wrong?\n\n5: What happens if a kangaroo jumps on a trampoline?\n\nMe: *stares off into space, too* — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1512655067 3. 5-year-old daughter: Why does Mom wear makeup?\n\nMe: To look pretty.\n\n5: But she's already pretty.\n\nMe: Aww.\n\n5: Dad, you should wear makeup. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1434719335 4. 3-year-old: Do boys like Frozen?\n\n5-year-old: Nobody cares what boys like. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522195727 5. 5-year-old: I wish we all had infinity dollars\n\nMe: That\u2019d wreck the economy\n\n5: I just-\n\nMe: Go to your room until you understand inflation — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1441628973 6. 5-year-old daughter: I think a boy likes me. He drew me a dinosaur.\n\nMe: That could mean anything.\n\n5: The dinosaur had a hat.\n\nOh shit. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1435237545 7. [watching a guy on TV do CPR]\n\n5-year-old daughter: Why is he kissing her?\n\nMe: He's not. He's saving her life.\n\n5: I'd rather die. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1458752016 8. Me: Who ate all the cookies?\n\n5-year-old: Ninjas.\n\nMe: I didn\u2019t see them.\n\n5-year-old: No one ever does.\n\nCheckmate. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1433627847 9. 5 y.o.: Why do people congratulate you when Mom is the one making the baby?\n\nMe: I helped\n\n5: How?\n\nMe:\n\n5:\n\nMe: I read her the instructions — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1446746149 10. Me: You can't like Kylo Ren. He killed his dad.\n\n5-year-old: Maybe he deserved it.\n\nI'm never sleeping again. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1460388284 11. Me: What happened on the coffee table?\n\n5-year-old daughter: Elsa killed all the stormtroopers.pic.twitter.com/36hCfd1z5s — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1432591871 12.13. 5-year-old: I'm writing a book.\n\nMe: What's it called?\n\n5: I Ate Too Many Cupcakes.\n\nMe: Oh.\n\n5: It's just pretend because you can never eat too many cupcakes. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1523975066 14. 5-year-old: *eats a cupcake for breakfast*\n\nMe: Cupcakes aren't a breakfast food.\n\n5: I know. They're an all-day food. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1523364754 15. Me: It snowed last night.\n\n5-year-old: *flops on the floor* We already did winter. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1523279528 16. Me: You're still in your pajamas.\n\n5-year-old: I'll get dressed soon.\n\nMe: It's 4 in the afternoon.\n\n5: Don't rush me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1523131531 17. [spring break]\n\n5-year-old: When do we have to go back to school?\n\nMe: Monday.\n\n5: *slides me a penny* When now? — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522870699 18. Me: Wake up. Time to get dressed.\n\n5-year-old: Not again. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522158012 19. 5-year-old: *won't get out of bed*\n\nMe: I don't want to fight you every morning.\n\n5: Then let me win. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522847748 20. Me: Why are you being mean?\n\n5-year-old: I ran out of nice.\n\nIt's going to be a long night. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522786515 21. [lightning strike super close to our house]\n\n5-year-old: Missed me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522762976 22. 5-year-old: Can we have pizza?\n\nMe: We just had pizza yesterday.\n\n5: The pizza doesn't know that. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522096312 23. Me: Hurry.\n\n5-year-old: I am.\n\nMe: You're still in bed.\n\n5: I'm sleeping faster. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1521811809 24. 5-year-old: Leprechauns are fairies.\n\nMe: They are?\n\n5: I thought you went to college. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1521326336 25. 5-year-old: Do I have to change my name if I get married?\n\nMe: Only if you want to.\n\n5: Call me Shredder. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1521585950 His 5-year-old isn't the only (often unintentionally) hilarious child in the house; the 7-year-old and 3-year-old turn up from time to time. There's also a 2-year-old, but she hasn't been the subject of many tweets yet.26. Me: *gets burned by bacon grease* Ow!\n\n7-year-old: Love hurts. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1512230800 27. Me: What are you doing?\n\n7-year-old: Counting the presents under the tree.\n\nMe: There aren't any presents under the tree.\n\n7: I know.\n\nPassive aggressive level 9000. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1511896968 28. 3-year-old: *holds up a baby doll* What's her name?\n\nMe: She doesn't have one. You can name her.\n\n3: *kissing baby* I love you, Stupid Face.\n\nShe'll make a great mother. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1511877311 29. 7-year-old: I'm glad I'm not a boy.\n\nMe: Why?\n\n7: I like being smart. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1512136729 30. 3-year-old: Mommy married you.\n\nMe: Yeah.\n\n3: Why?\n\nWife: Nobody knows. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522527335 31. 2-year-old: *touches my beard* It's soft like a kitty.\n\nMe: You mean rugged and manly.\n\n2: Purrrr. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1493775467 32. 4-year-old: What happens when you die?\n\nMe: You go to heaven.\n\n4: No, I mean when you die, do I get your stuff? — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1412245842 33. 4-year-old: Why do you go to work?\n\nMe: They pay me a salary.\n\n4-year-old:\n\nMe:\n\n4-year-old: I don\u2019t even like celery. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1425155143 34. 3-year-old daughter: Will I have a baby in my belly someday?\n\nMe: If you want to.\n\n3: No thanks. That's where I put my candy. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1459859421 35. 7-year-old: Why do we have to dress up?\n\nMe: It's Easter.\n\n7: Jesus just wore robes. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522592817 36. Me: Do you know why they call it Good Friday?\n\n7-year-old: There's no school. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522427812 37. 7-year-old: Why does my teacher keep testing what I know?\n\nMe: What should she do?\n\n7: Trust me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522246883 38. 7-year-old: You should let me eat more candy.\n\nMe: Why?\n\n7: Then you won't eat it.\n\nShe's my new diet plan. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn) 1522092561 This article originally appeared on 7.27.21

"...right off your head." The post What does the Grateful Dead album title ‘Steal Your Face’ mean? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Another new music documentary is in the works.

The horror classic has a new 4K restoration, overseen by director Tobe Hooper before his death.

Another new music documentary is in the works.