Our commutes, whether by car, bike, train, or foot, are peppered with signs and ads, each hocking a product or service in as eye-catching (and therefore: disruptive) a way as possible, all to snag your precious attention and—if successful—your even *more* precious money. Recently, however, drivers on several Massachusetts highways may have noticed a number of roadside billboards suddenly transformed from advertisements into something much more welcome: Soothing scenes of nature.
Located alongside highway 95 Northbound in Wakefield, MA, and 93 Southbound in Stoneham, MA, the billboards are the brainchild of Brian Kane, a multimedia creator who rented out the ad space for his installation, dubbed “Healing Tool.” On his site, Kane explains:
“Healing Tool is art designed for people in cars. A temporary public art installation using digital billboards on interstate freeways.
The goal is to provide a moment of temporary relief and unexpected beauty during the daily grind of commuting.”
He goes on to explain that Healing Tool, which ran from June 28th through July 26th, was inspired in part by an application of the same name found in Photoshop, the popular image editing software. During the day, Kane’s billboards displayed images taken at that very site, in essence “patching” the hole the advertising space makes in the landscape. At night, the signs switched to show images of the moon or the Milky Way galaxy. Because the images changed at regular intervals, Kane hoped they offered commuters something to look forward to each time they passed on the way to and from work.
Kane is not the first to recognize the potential artistic value of billboard space. This past spring, Iran’s capital of Tehran replaced hundreds of ads across the city with works of art from both local and international creators, in essence transforming the entire city into an open-air museum. And while Healing Tool was nowhere near that large of a project, those lucky enough to pass one of Kane’s billboards were treated to something just as impactful: A reminder that the world around us—even the parts of it usually reserved for something as ephemeral as advertising—can be a strikingly beautiful place.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
