If you’ve ever followed driving directions, you’ve probably gotten flustered at the confusion that can be generated by a street having multiple names. Oak Street can become Pine Street before going back to becoming Oak Street; Chipmunk Cheek Road can morph into Squirrel’s Nest Drive at an intersection.
It all seems unnecessarily complicated. So why do street names suddenly change?
While different cities have different criteria for naming streets, the most likely explanation for streets with an identity crisis is that they didn’t begin as a single road. An Oak Street that turns into Pine Street, for example, could have once been separate Oak and Pine Streets that were later joined due to development. Rather than have one street absorb the name of the other, they hold on to their original name.
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Pulling up to their nearest grocery store or supermarket, shoppers will often see large windows spread across the front entrance. But once inside, natural light all but disappears. Stores rarely have windows along walls, near the front, or skylights. What gives?
The lack of windows is a component of retail shopping psychology, where retailers try to create an environment where people feel comfortable to spend both time and money. It’s why many stores have tile floors, which cause carts to make a lot of noise forcing shoppers to instinctively slow down and browse more, or why stores may play up-tempo music when a store is busy to speed shoppers up.
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Transplants who move to Texas from a different part of the country may notice something unusual about homes in the Lone Star State. Basements a standard feature in many houses elsewhere are a rarity in the Texas real estate market. It isn t that Texans wouldn t appreciate a subterranean floor in their homes, both for the extra space and protection from the tornadoes that frequent the region. But due to the state s quirky terrain, laying a foundation deep beneath ground level isn t always practical.
According to
Southern Living, certain features of the land are the main reasons basements are uncommon in Texas. The flat state doesn t sit too high above sea level, which means its water table is close to the surface in many places. In parts of Houston, for example, you can hit water by digging down just 10 feet. This means any basements in the area are especially prone to leaks and floods.
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You’ve just left the pharmacy or school gym, or baseball stadium, or some other COVID-19 vaccine distribution facility with a vaccination card in your hand, an adhesive bandage on your arm, and maybe a few questions about what happens next. From how to handle side effects to when to mask up, here are five helpful pieces of post-vaccine advice.
1. Don’t panic about COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
If you’re wracked with flu-like symptoms and anxious about your body’s unpleasant reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine, hearing a loved one repeatedly tell you “That means it’s working!” might not be the sympathy you’re looking for. But it’s true. Chills, muscle aches, fever, fatigue, and other unsavory side effects are all signs that your immune system is mounting a resistance to the virus. They’re completely normal and no cause for panic even if you’re feeling way worse after your second dose than you did after the first.