What we’ve heard this year — the word, swearing, grieving and roaring.

The Wrapping up 2025 Edition. 

Make you angry?

The Oxford Word of the Year is rage bait. Oxford’s experts “chose rage bait after considering votes, the sentiment of public commentary, and their analysis of our lexical data.” First appearing in a 2002 Usenet post, the term has become “shorthand for content designed to elicit anger by being frustrating, offensive, or deliberately divisive in nature.” It’s proven to drive engagement with online content, though, and engagement is good, right? Right?  Full Story >>

Let it out.

“Research suggests swearing triggers a state of disinhibition.” They say it may increase strength, pain tolerance, focus and confidence. “’Swearing is literally a calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost, readily available tool at our disposal for when we need a boost in performance.’” The research comes with a warning, however. Swearing at the wrong time and in the wrong place — in other words, inappropriately — can deliver consequences that render any performance improvement moot. So, keep a finger near that Zoom mute button. Full Story >>

The love goes on.

The first one was “created in Japan by Itaru Sasaki while grieving his cousin. … He purchased an old-fashioned phone booth and set it up in his garden. He installed an obsolete rotary phone that was not connected to wires or any ‘earthly system.’ Here, Itaru felt a continued connection to his cousin and found comfort and healing amid his grief.” Today, what’s become known as the Wind Phone has proliferated. As of this month, 561 can be found worldwide — creating "sacred spaces for people to reflect and soften their grief." Full Story >>

Household pests are such a bother.

One day he noticed bricks missing from the crawlspace. Then he saw the broken wooden framing. Something, Kenneth Johnson deduced, was living in there. That’s when he installed a camera and discovered his new tenant: a bear. “’It’s uncomfortable walking into the kitchen thinking there’s a bear over there,’” he says. His cat is terrified. “For the most part, the bear keeps to itself and is not aggressive.” It vacates during the day and returns at night. Nevertheless, Johnson says, “‘I want him to get out.’”  Full Story >>

Got critters in your crawlspace undermining your marketing efforts? Rally can help you subdue the varmints discouraging your success. And calm the cats, too. Call us.