A Real American

It may sound like an insensitive statement, but the cold hard truth is that there are a lot of stupid people in the world, and their stupidity presents a constant danger to others. Some of these people are in positions of power, and some of them have been elected to run our country. A far greater number of them do not have positions of power, but they still have the power to vote, and the power to spread their ideas. We may have heard of “collective intelligence,” but there is also “collective stupidity,” and it is a force with equal influence on the world. It would not be a stretch to say that at this point in time, stupidity presents an existential threat to America because, in some circles, it is being celebrated.

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert© Raw Story

2 of 11 Photos in Gallery WHO: Storm Reid WHAT: Simkhai WHERE: The 2023 Fashion Trust U.S. Awards in Los Angeles, California WHEN: March 21

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2 of 11 Photos in Gallery©Photo: Getty Images

The Best Dressed Stars of the Week Kicked Off Spring in Style

WHO: Storm Reid
WHAT: Simkhai
WHERE: The 2023 Fashion Trust U.S. Awards in Los Angeles, California
WHEN: March 21

Copperheads are beautiful but dangerous snakes whose bite venomous bite is extremely painful.
There are no plants that keep copperheads away.
There are proven steps you can take to make your garden unwelcoming towards them.

Introduction

Nature has its own set of pest controls, whether it’s a plant or another creature. Some plants repel mosquitoes and ants, others may be unpleasant for rodents.

Given that many people are terrified of snakes—you may be one of them! If so, you’re probably wondering whether any of those bug-repellant plants will also work to keep copperheads away.

Unfortunately, that answer is no. However, we’ll dig into this and give you some solid advice you can use to minimize the snakes in your yard or garden.

How to Identify a Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix & A. laticinctus)

To know what you’re trying to repel, first you must identify it! Eastern copperheads are beautiful snakes. They have copper to bronze-colored heads and crossbands that can look like hourglasses or chocolate kisses. Its base color ranges from light gray or tan to pinkish-tan.

The broadband copperhead is similar, and once you can identify a copperhead it’s unmistakable. The biggest difference is that the markings don’t narrow toward the spine and stay wide all the the way through.

Smallish for pit vipers, the biggest ones only reach about 37 inches long. Although small, they have thickset bodies and proportionately large heads with thin necks common to pit vipers.

Their markings are perfect camouflage in the leaf-litter, and even on the trees they climb for crunchy bug treats!

Broad-Banded Copperhead, Agkistrodon laticinctus isolated on a white background. ©Scott Delony/Shutterstock.com© Provided by AZ Animals

Where do Copperheads Live?

Eastern copperheads are common in the eastern half of the U.S., from about the eastern half of Texas to the Atlantic Coast and from Nebraska south. Broadband copperheads only inhabit a small strip from Texas to southern Kansas.

Both species prefer hiding in plain sight among the leaf litter. Their camouflage makes them nearly invisible. This is why people get bitten—they’re that hard to see! However, when the cicadas come out in early summer, some copperheads take to the trees after them.

How to Keep Copperheads Away and Out of Your Garden

As previously mentioned, there aren’t any plants (or even commercial repellants) that have been definitively proven to repel snakes of any type.

However, there are several things you can can to keep snakes away naturally by remembering the simple fact: Snakes follow their prey and seek shelter.

Close off openings into your home

This may go without saying, but snakes need safe places to hibernate, known as brumation in reptiles. Many basements and crawl spaces have become impromptu snake dens because there was an opening large enough squeeze into. They don’t need a very large opening either, just big enough to get their heads through before wriggling the rest of the way in.

Seal up any cracks and crevices with silicone or another water-tight sealant.

Clean up all debris

Piles of brush, leaves, and even woodpiles all serve as homes for copperhead snakes and the animals they eat. Think of it this way: if a small mouse or rat can find shelter, so can a snake.

We know that woodpiles are important for the winter, many of us use wood to heat our homes. However, find ways to keep debris from collecting around the woodpile and keep it on a rack at least a foot off the ground. It will minimize the critters that turn it into a home.

Get chickens or Guinea hens

©Katrin Friedl Fotografie/Shutterstock.com© Provided by AZ Animals

Yes, these birds will keep snakes at bay. They’re also fun to watch and you can eat the eggs.

They’ll clean up any bugs and mice that the snake eat, in addition to taking your kitchen vegetable scraps and providing furniture.

Keep grass and hedges trimmed

Snakes like to hide in tall grasses and under bushes. Keeping them trimmed shorter makes them less inviting for snakes.

Install snake fencing

Snake fencing is a fine-meshed product where the opening are small enough that snakes and other small animals can’t fit through. It’s pretty successful at keeping some of the snakes out. However, that’s all predicated on doing the other things that reduce the prey available, because snakes can climb.

Remove water sources

Snakes, like their prey, need water. Backyard ponds are gorgeous, but if you’re trying to avoid snakes, avoid putting out a welcome mat. Their prey will be there for the water, the copperheads will come for the water and the prey.

Remove standing water wherever possible.

Snake repellants

According to an article in the AP News, they don’t work. Follow the tips here, and you’ll be much more successful in your attempts to keep copperheads away—even though they are pest control specialists.

Plants that Might Repel Insects & Other Pests

While snakes don’t give two bits about spiky or smelly plants, some of their prey does care! If you think about it, it makes sense. Since snakes follow the food, if a plant or three makes that food source unwilling to stay, then the snakes won’t stay either. So, in an indirect sort of way, perhaps the plants help—just not directly.

Snakes are attracted to their prey—mice are on their menu! ©iStock.com/Bruno_il_segretario© Provided by AZ Animals

Pope Francis “rested well” overnight in a hospital in Rome and his clinical condition is “progressively improving,” the Vatican said on Thursday.

Pope Francis waves as he arrives on his popemobile to lead his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican - Bloomberg© Bloomberg

The 86-year-old pontiff was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties. He was diagnosed with a respiratory infection.

There were grave fears for his health, but his condition appeared to have improved markedly after a night of repose.

"This morning after having breakfast, he read some newspapers and resumed work," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

"Before lunch he went to the little chapel in his private apartment, where he gathered in prayer and received the Eucharist," he said.

Pope Francis waves as he arrives on his popemobile to lead his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, on Wednesday - Bloomberg© Provided by The Telegraph

Pope Francis helped to get on his car at the end of weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday - AP© Provided by The Telegraph

The Pope was continuing to receive medical treatment, Mr Bruni added.

Messages wishing him a swift recovery poured in from around the world, with US president Joe Biden urging attendees at a White House reception to "say an extra prayer" for Francis.

Sergio Mattarella, the Italian president, sent the Argentinian pontiff his "most affectionate wishes for a very speedy recovery.”

Pope Francis is also the Bishop of Rome, and in a message the diocese wished him a “speedy recovery”, saying clergy were engaged in “unceasing prayer”.

Pope Francis holds general audience at the Vatican© Thomson Reuters

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has a respiratory infection and will need to spend "a few days" in hospital for treatment, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday, amid concern for the 86-year-old's condition.

The statement said the pontiff was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties over the past few days. It added that tests showed he had the infection but did not have COVID-19.

"Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer," the Vatican said.

Francis is sometimes short of breath and generally more exposed to respiratory problems, having had part of one lung removed in his early 20s when training to be a priest in his native Argentina.

His latest hospitalisation comes ahead of a Palm Sunday service on April 2 that marks the start of a hectic week of ceremonies leading to Easter Sunday on April 9, throwing into doubt whether he would be able to lead them as customary.

Francis' health has attracted increased scrutiny in the past two years, during which he has undergone colon surgery and begun using a wheelchair or a walking stick due to chronic pain in one knee.

The Vatican had initially said the pope had gone to hospital on Wednesday for a scheduled check-up. But Italian media reported he arrived in an ambulance after cancelling a television interview at the last minute.

Francis had attended his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square in the morning, appearing in good health.

HEALTH CONDITIONS

The leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics suffers from diverticulitis, a condition that can infect or inflame the colon, and was operated on at the Gemelli hospital in 2021 to remove part of his colon.

He said in January that the condition had returned and that it was causing him to put on weight, but that he was not overly concerned. He did not elaborate.

Francis told Reuters in an interview last year that he preferred not to have surgery on his troublesome knee because he did not want a repeat of long-term negative side effects from anaesthesia that he suffered after the 2021 operation.

Last July, returning from a trip to Canada, Francis acknowledged that his advancing age and his difficulty walking might have ushered in a new, slower phase of his papacy.

But since then he has visited Kazakhstan and Bahrain and made a trip last month to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

He has also committed to visiting Hungary in late April, Portugal in August and the French city of Marseille in September. He has said, if it can be arranged, he would want to then fly from Marseille to Mongolia.

After praising his late predecessor Benedict XVI's historic decision to resign on health grounds in 2013, Francis has indicated he would follow the example only if he were gravely incapacitated.

Asked by Italian Swiss television RSI in an interview broadcast on March 12 what condition would lead him to quit, he said "A tiredness that doesn't let you see things clearly. A lack of clarity, of knowing how to evaluate situations".

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini and Philip Pullella; Editing by Alex Richardson and William Maclean)

Keanu Reeves will always be appreciative of a little happiness.

Sitting down to talk with PEOPLE for this week's issue, Reeves, 58, was asked about his last moment of bliss.

"A couple of days ago with my honey," the actor says of his longtime love, artist Alexandra Grant, 49. "We were in bed. We were connected. We were smiling and laughing and giggling. Feeling great. It was just really nice to be together."

Reeves, who is currently starring in the new movie John Wick: Chapter 4, chatted a bit more with the magazine for One Last Thing:

Last time I danced: At a friend's wedding about eight months ago. Sometimes I'm the first out there and sometimes I need coaxing. Sometimes it's the song and sometimes it's the person. I just go with the feeling.

Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves. MICHAEL KOVAC/GETTY

Last recurring dream: I've had recurring nightmares, but they're too scary to describe. It's always fun to fly in dreams, isn't it? I'm just glad I have the chance to do it anywhere. It's quite extraordinary.

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JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 — LIONSGATE / COURTESY EVERETT

Last game I played: I've been playing some chess. It's a competitive game. I don't think you walk to the board and go, "I hope I lose." If you don't know how to play, I'm great—yeah, I'm a master. And if you're really good, I'm terrible.

Last time I watched the sunrise: I was recently traveling in Japan and had some wonderful jet lag and got to see the sun rising in Kyoto. Those are always cool. You have to stop, like, "Aren't we glad to be here?"

John Wick: Chapter 4 is in theaters now.

Keanu Reeves Adorably Admits His 'Last Moment Of Bliss' Was 'Laughing & Giggling In Bed' With 'My Honey' Alexandra Grant

Unlike his action-packed acting roles, Keanu Reeves is the ultimate romantic!

During an interview published Tuesday, March 28, the John Wick: Chapter 4 star opened up about the last time he truly felt happy.

Reeves didn't have to think twice when questioned about when his "last moment of bliss" was.

"A couple of days ago with my honey," the 58-year-old responded of his longtime girlfriend, Alexandra Grant.

"We were in bed. We were connected. We were smiling and laughing and giggling. Feeling great," Reeves continued of his lovely lady — who he officially started dating in 2019 after 10 years of friendship. "It was just really nice to be together.”

Reeves and Grant's bursting love for one another dates all the way back to more than a decade ago in 2009, when the couple met for the very first time at a dinner party.

・Going Country? Keanu Reeves Dishes On Possible 'Yellowstone' Cameo

・Keanu Reeves Honors Late Costar Lance Reddick By Wearing Special Pin At 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Premiere: Photos

・Keanu Reeves Rocks Corduroy Suit To Attend 'John Wick 4' Premiere Solo: Photos

Their platonic-turned-pleasurable relationship has been going strong ever since, and now the Canadian actor is ready to take the next big step in their romance — except paranoia and fear of rejection are holding him back, as OK! previously reported.

"He has the ring and the proposal speech all ready, but just can't follow through," a source revealed in January of Reeves wanting to pop the question.

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what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

"He also worries about jinxing something that's already so perfect," the insider continued, noting how he and the visual artist "get along so well," and the possibility of destroying that would leave Reeves devastated.

"It's been so much fun hanging out because she's so cool and intellectual. Sheconstantly astounds him," the source explained regarding one of the many things the Constantine star loves most about his girlfriend.

"It's really all in his head," the insider added of his engagement desires. "No one but Keanu really thinks she'll say no."

"Alexandra thinks the world of him. They've been inseparable these past few years," they pointed out. “She's accompanied him on his shoots, including Berlin for The Matrix 4, and she's been a tireless supporter of his other endeavors, like his writing and music."

“He just needs to build up his confidence — and shake those jitters," the source concluded at the time.

Peoplespoke to Reeves during an interview.

È IL NOSTRO

Although the term "stupidity" may seem derogatory or insulting, it is actually a scientific concept that refers to a specific type of cognitive failure. It is important to realize that stupidity is not simply a lack of intelligence or knowledge, but rather a failure to use one's cognitive abilities effectively. This means that you can be “smart” while having a low IQ, or no expertise in anything. It is often said that “you can’t fix stupid,” but that is not exactly true. By becoming aware of the limitations of our natural intelligence or are ignorance, we can adjust our reasoning, behavior, and decision-making to account for our intellectual shortcomings.

To demonstrate that stupidity does not mean having a low IQ, consider the case of Richard Branson, the billionaire CEO of Virgin Airlines, who is one of the world’s most successful businessmen. Branson has said that he was seen as the dumbest person in school, and has admitted to having dyslexia, a learning disability that affects one’s ability to read and correctly interpret written language. But it wasn’t just reading comprehension that was the problem — “Math just didn’t make sense to me,” Branson has said. “I would certainly have failed an IQ test.”

So, what is responsible for his enormous success, both financially and in terms of being a prolific innovator? Branson attributes his success to surrounding himself with highly knowledgeable and extremely competent people. Branson’s smarts come from his ability to recognize his own limitations, and to know when to defer to others on topics or tasks where he lacks sufficient knowledge or skill.

This means you don’t have to be traditionally intelligent or particularly knowledgeable to be successful in life, make good decisions, have good judgment, and be a positive influence on the world. Stupidity is a consequence of a failure to be aware of one’s own limitations, and this type of cognitive failure has a scientific name: the Dunning-Kruger effect.