Month: September 2019

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Canadians Crowdfunded $3 Million to Save Pristine Land from Development

Hey, people in the U.S.: take the time to read this article and maybe we can follow the lead of our neighbors to the north on this, okay?

It’s always incredibly depressing to see untouched, pristine wilderness get purchased and developed by huge, wealthy corporations. Which is why people in Canada decided to take a stand to save 2,000 acres of beautiful coastline in British Columbia.

A crowdfunding effort raised $3 million to purchase the area of coastal wilderness in the Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia. The land is virtually untouched and citizens knew they only had one shot to make this work.

The crowdfunding was organized by the B.C. Parks Foundation, a group that works to protect natural landscapes. Logging companies and developers expressed interest in buying the gorgeous land after it was put up for sale by a private owner.

This crowdfunding effort wasn’t just a couple of wealthy people chipping in, either. Average Canadians paid $10 or $15 here and there to contribute to saving the 2,000 acres – and clearly it worked!

The B.C. Parks Foundation will make the land a protected park for all to enjoy.

Dear Park Supporters, You did it! Your love for British Columbia and beautiful places like Princess Louisa Inlet has…

Posted by BC Parks Foundation on Tuesday, September 3, 2019

The organization wrote a letter expressing its gratitude to all the people who donated money.

“Dear Park Supporters,

You did it! Your love for British Columbia and beautiful places like Princess Louisa Inlet has done something miraculous. In just a few short months, you have raised $3 million to protect a jewel in B.C’.s coast.

We still have to finalize the sale with the vendor (now September 3rd), and there are more steps to come, but in donating the funds you have scaled a substantial peak on this amazing expedition.

We know people want to keep B.C. beautiful, and we know our parks are the core of our identity. They are our cathedrals, our towers, our pyramids; the wonders of our world. But we couldn’t have predicted such a fabulous outpouring in such a short time from so many different people and places. We are in a state of awe and gratitude.

We will keep you posted when the deal is finalized. Any funds that continue to come in will be put in our Parks Bank to protect more areas in Princess Louisa and British Columbia.

With our deepest appreciation and admiration,

Ross Beaty, Board Chair
Andy Day, CEO”

Well done! More of this throughout the entire world, please!

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A New TV Show Called ‘Murder House Flip’ Is like ‘Fixer Upper’ but for Crime Scenes

True crime fans, this is for you!

For me, this show is very exciting. I’ve been seeking out true crime locations since I was in high school, and if I’m in a new city I always try to visit the sites of infamous crimes.

Messed up? Maybe. But moving on…

A new tv show called Murder House Flip is coming soon, and true crime fans across the land are jumping for joy…as morbid as that sounds. The show will air on the mobile-streaming service Quibi that launches in April and, just like the title says, will focus on makeovers of homes where murders took place.

Like I said, a true crime fan’s dream come true.

The episodes, like all programs on Quibi, will be short, about 10 minutes in length. The show comes from CSI producer Josh Berman, author Katherine Ramsland, and Chris King, producer of Penny Dreadful.

The show will feature a “colorful cast of forensic specialists, spiritual healers and high-end renovation experts,” according to a press release. “[They’ll] uncover the crimes, shocking secrets and scandalous history of the homes.”

Elyse Seder of Sony Pictures Television said, “We are thrilled to bring this one-of-a-kind series to life and dive into a world that combines America’s two biggest TV obsessions: true crime and home renovation.”

I can’t wait to see what locations are chosen. Infamous crimes? Little-known murder mysteries? Whatever it is, Murder House Flip promises to be a welcome addition to the endless wave of true crime shows currently on the airwaves.

I have to say I’m thrilled to see how this show will turn out!

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Target Has a New Loyalty Program with Cash Back and Birthday Rewards

We know how you feel about Target: You’re obsessed with shopping there (and just walking around and browsing there, too, apparently). So it’s pretty smart for the chain to start a loyalty program because you know, just like I do, that you’re going to spend about $100 in there every time, even if you just walked in to buy some laundry detergent. We can’t help it, okay?

On October 6, the store is launching the Target Circle program that comes with all kinds of incentives for customers. Let’s get into the details…

You can earn 1% on all your purchases that you can redeem later. And trust me, that adds up. Also, you’ll get personalized deals and a birthday present.

Members of the program will also have access to special sales, and they’ll be able to vote on Target’s charitable contributions. And the best part? It’s totally free, so there’s no reason not to do it. If you already have an account at Target.com or a RedCard, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the program.

Rick Gomez, Target’s chief marketing and digital officer, said, “Our goal is to motivate all guests to choose Target more often by providing meaningful benefits.” Sounds like a plan to me.

The program launches in a few weeks, so maybe you should hold off on your next major Target run until after October 6, so you can score some sweet deals. I’ll see you shopping in the aisles!

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The Kids Book ‘Go the F*Ck to Sleep’ Is Getting a Sequel

If you’re a parent or have spent a lot of time around kids, you know the nightly routine. Your kids are totally adorable and they mean the world to you, but you just want them to get some shut-eye so YOU can get some shut-eye. That’s why Adam Mansbach’s 2011 bedtime book Go the F*ck to Sleep was such a huge hit. Mansbach hit exactly the right nerve for exhausted parents who were ready to throw their hands up in the air.

Well, good new parents! The hit book is getting a sequel titled F*ck, Now There Are Two of You that will be released on October 1 by Akashic Books. The official description says, “The third installment in Adam Mansbach’s international best-selling Go the Fuck to Sleep series addresses, with radical honesty, the family implosion that occurs when a second child arrives.”

In 2014, Mansbach released another book in the F*ck series, You Have to F*cking Eat that details the challenges of getting your little monsters to eat a (hopefully) nutritious and delicious meal.

We’ll have to wait until October 1 to see what Mansbach’s new creation has in store for parents, but we can probably assume that it’s about how the family dynamics change when a second child is introduced into the mix.

One more thing we can speculate about right now until the book is released in a couple weeks: will Samuel L. Jackson do the audio narration for this new book like he did for Go the F*ck To Sleep back in 2011?

Let’s keep our fingers crossed on that one.

UPDATE: This is great. It’s been confirmed that none other than Larry David will record the audio narration for F*ck, Now There Are Two of You. I’d say that’s a pretty great choice.

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The “Punxsutawney Phil” of Maine Predicts an Early Winter

All hail Passy Pete!

For the last four years, a lobster in Belfast, Maine, has correctly predicted whether summer would continue or winter would arrive early for her yearly visit.

His name is Passy Pete, and he forecasts the future by choosing between two scrolls – one that predicts six more weeks of summer (he’s kind of the anti-Punxsutawney Phil), and one that says winter is coming (soon).

For the first three years, Passy said we had six more weeks of summer to enjoy the warmth (and he was correct!). He also guessed (???) correctly in 2018 that an early winter was on the horizon.

He says the same for 2019, so maybe you can go ahead and swap out your closet.

It falls to Belfast baron Dave Crabiel to read from the scroll chosen by the lobster.

“Friends of Belfast, on this second day of September – Labor Day in the year 2019 – it’s in your best interest to collect your coats, tell your sister to return the ones you lent her, tell Cathy, the harbormaster, to remove the boats, and everyone get ready for winter.”

The crowd groaned at the news.

Crabiel and the other Belfast business owners came up with the idea when they noticed how steeply tourism dropped off after the July 4th holiday.

“While Belfast is a great community year-round, we certainly do see an increase in business in the summer with the tourists. So we thought, what if there was an anti-groundhog, somebody who could predict a longer summer, rather than predicting winter?”

It seems to be working; crowds gather to see the crustacean choose a scroll. As long as he keeps picking right, I imagine his legend will increase and more people will descend on Belfast to watch him do his magic every year.

Crabiel hopes the same.

“All four years up to this point he’s been accurate. So I don’t know – we’ll see. It’s not the result we wanted.”

A longer summer means more travelers, and more business for the town, of course, but what can you do? The lobster has spoken.

If you want to see the ceremony in action, check out this video:

As for Pete, he’s returned to the bay each year no matter which scroll he chooses, so you can’t pick your bone with him.

Take it up with Mother Nature, I guess. Or just get out your coats, gather some firewood, and settle in.

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A New Planned Parenthood App Will Let Users Order Birth Control in Every State in the U.S.

This is important news, so pay attention.

Planned Parenthood (and women’s reproductive rights in general) has been the subject of a lot of scrutiny and argument over the past several years from some politicians and people, but I, for one, think that this is a great development. Why you wouldn’t want affordable birth control to be available to all women in every corner of the United States is beyond me, but that’s just where we are right now.

Luckily, a lot of people and women are still fighting the good fight. It was recently announced that the Planned Parenthood Direct app is now available in 27 states across the U.S., and it will be available in all 50 states in 2020.

In 2019, pretty much everything is on-demand. Why not #birthcontrol, too? Check out Planned Parenthood Direct, the…

Posted by Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson Action on Monday, May 13, 2019

The app allows users to order birth control, make appointments at Planned Parenthood clinics, and get prescriptions for antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections.

Alexis McGill Johnson, the acting President and CEO of the organization, said, “As politicians across the country try to restrict or block access to critical reproductive and sexual health care, the Planned Parenthood Direct app is just one part of the work we do to ensure that more people can get the care they need, no matter where they are.”

Planned Parenthood pulled out of the U.S. government’s Title X funding program in August because the Trump administration passed new rules wherein the organization would no longer be allowed to refer patients to abortion services. Planned Parenthood would have received $60 million in federal funding if they had stayed in the Title X program, but its leaders decided to withdraw.

We're committed to helping all patients get the care they deserve. Through the Planned Parenthood Direct app, you can…

Posted by Planned Parenthood of Southern New England on Saturday, September 7, 2019

The Planned Parenthood Direct app doesn’t take insurance, but birth control can cost as little as $20 for a three-month supply, and users can get birth control just by answering standard questions.

You can check to see if the app is available in your state HERE. This is definitely a small step in the right direction, despite all the negative news surrounding reproductive rights in America right now.

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Kitkat Will Start Using Paper Packaging That You Can Turn into Origami

We produce WAY too much waste and garbage, and that’s why this is some very welcome news.

Lately, we’ve been seeing a wave of huge companies try to ditch plastic in one way or another, and now KitKat is getting in on the action as well. Nestlé owns the iconic candy brand, and it recently started distributing KitKat Mini bars in Japan packaged in paper instead of plastic.

The best part? The new paper packaging comes with instructions on how to make an origami crane, which is a traditional Japanese symbol of thoughts and wishes.

Nestlé announced in January that it wants to have all of its products packaged in fully recyclable material by 2025. To give you an idea of how massive Nestlé’s empire is, the company’s beverage products alone made more than $20 billion last year. That’s a lot of drinks, no?

Japan is the biggest market in the world for KitKats (4 million are sold each day) and the company expects to cut down on about 380 tons of plastic each year with this groundbreaking decision.

Nestlé in Japan plans to debut paper packaging for the regular-sized KitKat multi-packs in September 2020, and for regular-sized individual KitKats in 2021. If that’s not progress, then I don’t know what is, friends.

Nice work, Nestlé. Let’s hope a whole lot of other huge corporations follow your lead sooner than later. Now all we need to do is think of some good instructions we could put in products for Americans…

Any ideas? Share them in the comments below!

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The Largest Starbucks in the World Is Opening on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile This Fall

Move to the side Tokyo, there will soon be a new claim to the largest Starbucks in the world. On November 15, the coffee chain will open its largest location on Earth on the Magnificent Mile (that’s Michigan Avenue by the way) in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

If you’ve ever spent any time on Michigan Avenue, you know it is a bustling street lined with stores, restaurants, and bars. And during the holiday shopping season, it’s ALWAYS PACKED.

The world’s largest @starbucks will open Friday, November 15 in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is one of six Roastery…

Posted by ChicagoChica on Friday, September 13, 2019

The new Chicago location will be Starbucks’ sixth reserve roastery after Seattle, Shanghai, New York City, Milan, and Tokyo and will occupy 43,000 square feet in a former Crate & Barrel. Starbucks announced that Chicago would be home to the sixth reserve roastery back in 2017, but a lot of the specific details about the location are still unknown.

What we do know is that the reserve beans will be roasted inside the store, tubes will run over customers’ heads transporting beans to be packaged (cool), and the store will employ 200 people. The food and drink menus are much more elaborate than typical Starbucks locations, and a Princi bakery inside will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There will also be a bar that serves craft cocktails “inspired by the culture and traditions of Chicago.” The city holds a special place in Starbucks’ heart: the first location the company opened outside of Seattle was in Chicago, back in October 1987.

Just another reason to visit the Windy City! Hot dogs, pizza, great sports, music, the lake, and now the largest Starbucks in the world!

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A Person Using Google Earth Spotted a Car in a Florida Pond and Solved a Dark 22-Year-Old Mystery

This is a tragic story with an sad ending, but at least the family members involved can now have some closure after 22 whole years.

No one had heard from William Earl Moldt, a 40-year-old man from Lake Worth, Florida, since November 7, 1997, when he called his girlfriend to tell her he was leaving a nightclub and would be arriving home shortly.

North America: United States The mystery of a missing Florida man has been solved 22 years on, thanks to Google…

Posted by TSC International News Channel on Friday, September 13, 2019

Then, Moldt disappeared.

On August 28 of this year, a Lake Worth man was looking at Google Earth images of his neighborhood when he noticed something unusual in a pond. Upon closer inspection, the man noticed that the object was a sunken vehicle that was not visible from ground level.

Authorities were alerted and the car turned out to be a 1994 Saturn SL with skeletal remains inside and they were later identified as belonging to Moldt. In a statement, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office said, “The vehicle’s exterior was heavily calcified and was obviously in the water for a significant amount of time.”

The pond where Moldt’s car ended up was under construction when he disappeared in 1997, and it’s unclear how his car ended up in the water.

Although the story sounds outrageous, it is a fairly common occurrence for cars to end up in waterways. In Florida alone, there were 168 water-related deaths from car accidents between 2011 and 2016. According to the missing-persons website NAMUS, Moldt “was not a frequent drinker but did have several drinks at the bar” the night he disappeared.

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Check out These ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Pooches Behind ‘Beware of Dog’ Signs

Be careful around these doggos because they’re obviously vicious killers who will take no mercy on your sorry soul.

And they’re behind those “Beware of Dog” signs for a reason, as you’ll see shortly. You might end up losing a finger or even your whole arm if you try to approach them, so KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.

Good luck.

1. Run! They’re going to maul you!

Beware of the dog from AnimalsBeingDerps

2. Look at that vicious killer.

View this post on Instagram

#keepout #bewareofdog

A post shared by Moka Express (@mokahuahua) on

3. Took a while to find this little guy.

View this post on Instagram

#dogchow #dog #cuidadoconelperro #bewareofdog

A post shared by Jesus Castaño (@superchucho1982) on

4. He might just want some pets.

Beware of dog! from pics

5. Awwwww. Wait, he’s vicious!

Beware

6. Definitely false advertising

7. He looks like a real monster.

Beware of Dog from aww

8. He just wants to play!

9. OMG, this might be the best one.

10. Get a load of this fella.

Beware of the dog from aww

11. A trained killer, no doubt about it.

Beware of Dog! (Because she is soooo vicious!) from pugs

12. Adorable, but a quiet predator.

13. Scaring all the people in the neighborhood.

14. Barely making it through the door.

15. This one is too scary.

BEWARE of DOG from aww

Terrifying junkyard dogs, all of ’em.

Do you have a pooch that’s as vicious as these dogs? Share a pic in the comments!

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