Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in FYI.
Cracking the Ginger Gene
Red Hair. It has been mystified, vilified and sometimes revered over the centuries. It's rarity and charm almost always makes people turn around and catch another glimpse of someone with red hair passing by. They say red haired people only make up about 2% of the population, which makes me lucky, because I have two red haired sons. Many people forget that although rare, there are many different shades of red from many different places on our planet. Being red haired doesn't necessarily mean the lightest shade of pale skin. My oldest son has deep brown eyes and copper colored hair with skin that tans easily. My youngest has strawberry red hair with light brown eyes and slightly lighter skin that burns easier in the sun. There are black people, east Asian, southeast Asian, and Middle eastern, Mediterranean people with red hair. Very often, people see my children and tell us they also had red hair when they were young or that they know someone who has a child with red hair when neither parent does. They always ask us where the red hair comes from.
By Isabelle Dumais5 years ago in FYI
The mystery behind milk in Canada
Canadians have heard many jokes and stereotypes about our beloved country, like our bills look like Monopoly money, and we say 'aboot' instead of 'about' (which we don't). Every Canadian is born with hockey skates, and the list goes on.
By Rachelle Baird5 years ago in FYI
How Immunization Won the Revolutionary War
Living through a pandemic has been a strange and difficult affair for everyone, especially for those who have been lost to us, those who have lost loved ones, and those still dealing with long-term affects of Covid. Thankfully, we can see a light at the end of this dark tunnel with the introduction of vaccines. I am currently a stay-at-home mom, but worked as a registered nurse for several years beforehand. Something I keep hearing when it comes to fears about the new vaccines concerns how quickly they were made. These fears can be put to rest when faced with the fact that vaccines have been studied and made for well over a century and while this particular vaccine is new, the creation of vaccines is not. It is not my purpose to persuade anyone, however, but to delve into how inoculation, an earlier form of immunization, came to be such a necessary practice and how it actually helped America gain its independence.
By Rebecca James5 years ago in FYI
For a Happier Life, Reframe Your Emotions
Many of us go through our days riding emotional waves – driving along feeling carefree, then flooded with frustration about a traffic jam ahead, and suddenly rocked by anxiety at the thought of arriving late for work – often believing that our feelings at any given moment are beyond our control. But a classic psychological theory suggests we may have more command of our emotions than we realize.
By Debbie Doyle Belknap5 years ago in FYI
The Greatest Discovery You’ve Never Heard About
You're excavating ancient pyramids and open a tomb sealed shut for the past 2,000 years. Amongst the normal treasures you might expect to find; jewelry, trinkets, ceremonial regalia, you also find a computer. Wait. What? A computer? Yes, a computer. What would you think?
By Adrian Naum5 years ago in FYI
Pain!
Have you ever been sleeping soundly and then wake up suddenly in pain? All because you have cramps in your feet, and they are running up your calves making your feet stand at attention in a strange way? This was happening to me because I had become quite a bit more active on a daily basis (or was it?) than I had in the past few months prior to this. I had never had cramps this painful before. Sure I've had cramps in my legs before and in lots of other places in my body, but these ones lasted longer and seemed more painful. I used to wake up and shake them out and then they'd stay out, but these ones didn't shake out or even leave when I would try to walk them out.
By Yvette McDermott5 years ago in FYI
6 Surprising Foods to Avoid Whilst Pregnant
The first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant in January of 2020 was to purge my house of alcohol. My family was grateful. We gave them the news along with the booze. I wasn’t about to throw away full bottles of whiskey, wine, and cider! The second thing I did was research. Between the piles of papers and brochures my doctor gave me and the stack of books family and friends recommend I read, I was able to compile quite a list of foods to avoid and a few alternatives and work-arounds for when those cravings just need to be satisfied.
By Melissa Gonzalez5 years ago in FYI
The History of Vaccination
Following the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the frantic state of the world irrupted into a chaos that was unimaginable to most, consisting of panic and a wild spread of misinformation. Individuals in science and the medical field are no stranger to fabrication, constantly dealing with and debunking the information spread by Doctors with a PhD from Mark Zuckerburg himself. Upon the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, many questions and commentaries started to rise, including the Great Debate about what vaccines are and from where they come. Lucky for me (and you, my dear reader), a particular pocket of my brain has been reserved specifically for this moment, as my fascination for history and science has been planted together to sprout into a gorgeous vine and deliciously prolific flower of vaccination information.
By Kailey McLennan5 years ago in FYI
Chances Are, You Enjoy Eating Plastic
Without even knowing it, you have been eating the weight of a credit card in plastic every week. You may be wondering, "How is this possible?" Well, the answer lies all around you. The device you are reading this story off of is made up of some plastic. So is the water you may be drinking, and more obviously, the plastic items and containers you use in your everyday life. It is no secret that plastic has become a normal part of our everyday life. We depend so much on plastic that most of us think very little about what it's made of and where it will end up once we are done using it.
By Emily Wohlstadter5 years ago in FYI
The Forgotten Mine of W.V.
In 1886 a loud explosion could be heard across the town of Newburg W.V., and a large cloud of smoke shot up almost 200 feet into the air above the town. The orrel mine had a disaster that caused many surrounding area's buildings to even take damage. Over 39 men and children where recorded dead, the true number is still not known due to unlisted immigrants. The youngest recorded death of the mine explosion is 12 year old William Timmons who was in charge of gate monitoring. During this time there where no child labor laws enforced so it was very common to see children working inside of mines. This disaster helped lead to the child labor laws that are enforced today. Strange deaths have also been tied into this mine Frank Laymire passed away in the explosion, his twin brother William Laymire who's brother was instituted at Weston's Trans-Allegheny Insane Asylum. He was never alerted of the accident and passed away after slitting his own throat according to records. Another strange death was that of Edward Edwards who drowned in the mine shaft after he somehow tripped and fell down a 160 foot drop in 1884. Below is one of the last known images captured of men entering the coal mine. We have to wonder is this the last time these men where photographed alive?
By Erica Rose5 years ago in FYI
