1. Britney Spears made a stand for herself and, well, everyone.
Contrary to popular belief, Britney is very much still “in.” If you don’t follow her Instagram, do yourself a favor, follow it and prepare for your feed to be flooded with her washboard abs and cliché screenshots of quotes that’ll bring you back to 2012. At 38 and with 2 kids, I can only hope to look like Britney when I grow up. With that being said, she receives her fair share of hate on social media for her “I’ll post whatever I want” attitude and stream of bikini shots. On Wednesday, the Queen of Pop had had enough. She clapped back on all her haters with a genuine post (featuring yet another screenshotted quote) advocating for her right to basically do what she wants and post what she wants without having to deal with online bullies. Especially in today’s climate of fear and anxiety, Britney shouldn’t have to deal with strangers telling her what to post, and neither should we.
2. The second patient ever was cured of HIV in London.
While everyone’s busy worrying about not contracting COVID-19, a medical breakthrough happened on March 10 in London. Fourty-year-old Adam Castillejo had been taking HIV medication for months, but it was not that which cured him. Doctors say a stem cell treatment that he received for cancer involved an uncommon gene which stopped the virus from replicating in his body. It is now a year after he was announced clear of the virus, which researcher Prof. Ravindra Kumar Gupta told BBC indicates an almost certain cure. While the solution isn’t permanent for certain, it is a step in the right direction for the millions of people living with HIV.
3. People adopted more pets.
At this time, there is no evidence that pets can spread COVID-19. What does that mean for America? More adoption, apparently! Man’s best friend comes in clutch yet again, providing endless entertainment for the millions of Americans feeling lonesome in their homes. However, not everyone is willing to take the plunge with a permanent pet pal in this time of economic uncertainty; according to The New York Times, the number of fostering requests across the United States have spiked in recent weeks. Not only is this benefitting the animals themselves who’d otherwise be isolated in kennels, but it satiates the need for companionship that their new owners are craving. Reach out to your local Humane Society or Animal Care Center to learn more about how you can adopt or foster a pet in your area.
4. Italians went off.
If you haven’t seen the videos trending all over Twitter and Instagram, I don’t know where you’ve been. Italians have been doing the most while under strict quarantine, taking their energy and flair to their balconies while singing hit singles karaoke-style. They’ve pulled out all the stops, even bringing out instruments to serenade each other across the streets. Time and time again, history has proven the strength of the unifying power of music in hardship, and this is no exception. The country’s death toll may surpass even China’s, but that hasn’t stopped Italians from trying to have a good time.
5. People actually started using Netflix Party.
Let’s be honest, when you and your friends hang out, 5 percent of the time is spent going on spontaneous outings while the other 95 percent blows by while you’re on the couch watching Netflix. With Netflix Party, a Chrome extension that synchronizes your Netflix screening, you can still host movie nights with virtually (pun intended) everyone. After downloading the extension from netflixparty.com, all you have to do is open Netflix in your browser, start watching your favorite show, and then click the “NP” on the upper-right corner of your screen. From there, a chat should pop up, providing you with a sharable link that you can send to all your friends. But where’s the virtual popcorn?
6. Google Arts and Culture allowed us to stroll through online museums.
Google Arts & Culture is what some would call the pioneer of virtual exploration, partnering with over 500 global art institutions to allow anyone with internet access to interact with the same enriching experience of a traditional museum from the comfort of their La-z-boy. The app officially launched in 2016, but the latest advancements in virtual reality provide a whole new platform to experience while you’re bundled up at home. Whether you want to stroll through Versailles or make a pit-stop at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea, the innovators at Google allow you to do it all.
7. Everyone got better at TikTok dances.
At this point in quarantine, you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t even tried to memorize a TikTok dance with all this time on your hands. “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion (shoutout Commodore Quake) has gone viral on the popular app, with everyone from Tyler and Hannah (“The Bachelorette” lovebirds) to Megan Thee Stallion herself taking their shot at the trending dance. The hashtag #boredathome has also been flooding everyone’s TikTok “For You” page, featuring families and their various shenanigans while on lockdown. But seriously, why does everyone have a funny dad?
