The National Bonsai Museum in Washington D.C. Looks Pretty Awesome

In Washington D.C., an extraordinary museum has some mighty special trees. These trees aren’t giant oaks or flowered with cherry blossoms, though. The National Bonsai Museum, rather, is home to 150 species of trees pruned and cared for in the manner of bonsai – a traditional Japanese cultivation technique that produces trees in miniature.

National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
The museum opened in 1976 to exhibit a gift from Japan of 53 bonsai trees commemorating the U.S. bicentennial and presented to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Their botanical gift joins the 3,000 cherry trees, given by Japan in 1912, that famously still grow today around D.C.’s National Mall.

National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
The exceptional display of bonsai trees can be found in the Department of Agriculture’s National Arboretum. Over the years, the collection has grown to include various species, including beeches, maples and pines, among others.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

As the Japanese style of bonsai varies, there are several design types to see at the museum. Look for Chokkan style, characterized by a straight tapered trunk with thick branches coming from the middle of the trunk and finer sproutings at the top for a formal tree shape.

You can also see the dramatic kengai trees, which appear to “cascade” down mountains. Others on display are “root-over-rock,” where the tree’s roots reach around a stone base before disappearing into earth, and “forest” style, that have several trees, usually an odd number, arranged in a single container.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

The absolute can’t-miss specimen of the entire exhibit is a Japanese white pine. The tree was started in 1625 and tended by five generations of the Yamaki family until it was donated to the U.S. It’s also called the Hiroshima Survivor because it emerged unharmed from the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima in 1945.

Bonsai gives both the viewer and the cultivator the opportunity for quiet contemplation. In a busy city that represents a country as dynamic as the U.S., this museum is an excellent place to root your soul.

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People Share Things That Sounded Like Good Ideas at the Time…but They Weren’t

Hmmmmm…

“Hey, that sounds like a great idea!” How many times have you said that in your life and then it turned out to be anything BUT a great idea?

Well, there’s a lot of that going around and these tweets prove it.

Let’s take a look.

1. Just stay in.

2. Fill ‘er up.

3. Oh no!

4. Never a good idea.

5. The problems with binge watching.

6. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, FLOOR.

7. Snoozin’ the day away.

8. Time to suck it up.

9. A real loner.

10. Feel the burn.

11. Didn’t work out, apparently.

12. Always bring a bottle.

13. Famous last words.

14. Living the single life.

15. When generosity backfires.


Remember to think over those “great ideas” before you act on them, okay?

Have you had any experiences like this lately?

Tell us about them in the comments! Let’s see what you got!

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Epic Tweets People Shared About Having Really Bad Teachers

Some teachers are kind of apathetic and just go along for the ride, and then there are legitimately bad teachers who probably shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a classroom.

The teachers people talked about in these tweets definitely belong in the latter category.

Let’s relive our school days with some tales of bad teachers!

1. You’re doing it all wrong.

2. That sure backfired.

3. No talking…ever.

4. That’s really bad.

5. Sounds like a gem.

6. Harsh as hell.

7. The last laugh.

8. We get graded on that?

9. You’re going to HELL.

10. That’s pretty creepy.

11. Still didn’t get fired.

12. That’s a strange threat.

13. Teacher of the Year?


Yikes…I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with any of these teachers during my school days.

Do you remember your worst teacher? Or maybe it was multiple teachers?

Tell us all about them in the comments below. Go ahead and put them on blast!

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A Tricky New Scam Poses as a Text Message with Your Package’s Tracking Information

Be alert!

It seems like thieves and n’er-do-wells are always out there looking for the next best way to swindle you out of your hard earned cash…and that’s because they kind of are.

With all of the technology we use, their attempts are getting more diverse, more widespread, and harder to spot – even for the savvy among us. And given that many of us have more than one package en route to us on any given day (thanks, Amazon), this scam text acting like it’s a tracking update is pretty stinking clever.

The scam is described by online technology magazine ‘How-To-Geek’ as a SMS text being sent out that seem to be confirming shipping or delivery on a package, and asking you to click for more information.

Image Credit: Pixabay

The fine print admits that by agreeing to pay the fee, you’re signing up for a 14-day trial, followed by a $98.95 monthly fee for a supply of scam products.

Image Credit: Pixabay

I assume that you’re not notified of the monthly charge in any way, so it could be a while before some people notice the recurring debit on their statement.

So be vigilant. Read everything with a squinted eye, as though there are people out there whose entire job it is to trick you into handing over your information.

Because there definitely are.

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People Share the Things Their Parents Get Wrong That Really Annoy Them

I was obsessed with watching Saved by the Bell after school every day when I was younger, and my mom would always, without fail, call it Who Rings the Bell? 

And, when I used to watch Headbanger’s Ball on MTV, she would call that show Harvey Wallbangers.

Dammit, Mom! Get it straight.

We all have trivial little things that our parents do that drive us nuts. And people are sharing their hilarious stories on Twitter. Let’s take a look.

1. Getting angrier…

2. Pesky Blinders.

3. I kind of like that better.

4. Peperami pizza.

5. I like this a lot.

6. Why? Whyyyyyy???

7. Lots of love.

8. The Bart Simpson Program.

9. This is amazing.

10. Still thinking about it

11. That is disgusting.

12. The one and only website.

13. A bit of a difference.


Boy, do those bring back some memories…

Did your parents ever do this? And did it drive you up the wall?

Tell us about it in the comments!

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By the End of 2020, China Plans to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags in Every Major City

It’s a new decade – and China, for one, doesn’t plan to end it as a top contributor to the world’s pollution problem. At least, not when it comes to single-use plastic bags.

They plan to include plastic plates, cutlery, and straws in the ban as well.

 

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The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission detailed the plan, which includes the complete ban of non-degradable plastic bags in every major city in the country, with plans to expand to every city and town by 2022.

They’re providing exceptions to markets selling fresh products until 2025.

The government expects the hospitality industry to get on board by the same year, with restaurants stopping the use of plastic straws and cutlery, as well as reducing their other single-use plastic items by 30%. Hotels will operate under the same expectations.

Currently, China produces around 60 million tons of plastic waste every year, far and away the largest plastic polluter in the world. The U.S. is next on the list, throwing out 38 million tons of plastic per year – which, in case you’re not into math, means each person in the States creates almost 3x as much plastic pollution as each person in China.

China is also one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of plastics, and plans to expand its environmentally conscious approach to that area, as well: they’ve decided to no longer produce products that are less than 0.025mm thick. In a less environmental move, China no longer imports plastic recyclables from other countries, which has made it very difficult for recycling to maintain its cost efficiency in the United States.

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The FIRST baby leatherback turtle born in 2020 ?? after plastic ban in Thailand Thai citizens have been in full support of the single-use plastic ban campaign since the start of the year, and we deserve some celebrations ?for this small victory in protecting ocean lives — a rare baby leatherback turtle successfully hatched in Phang Nga province, under the close watch and protection from the officials at Khao Lam Pi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park. The impact of one single action is often more far-reaching than how we imagine it to be ? Together we can make change happen! #gogreenfortheplanet เต่าทะเลมีจำนวนลดลงโดยเฉพาะขยะพลาสติกในทะเล แต่โพสต์นี้เป็นพิเศษ เมื่อไหร่จะมีข่าวดีนะคะ ลูกเต่ามะเฟืองตัวแรก ของปี 2563 คลานขึ้นจากหลุม ซึ่งมาจากแม่เต่าตัวแรกที่พบ วางไข่ในรอบ 6 ปี ?? รณรงค์เรื่องขยะพลาสติกและมลภาวะในทะเลกันอย่างคึกคักช่วงนี้ #gogreenfortheplanet เพราะการแก้ปัญหาสิ่งแวดล้อม ลำพังจิตสำนึกอย่างเดียวไม่พอ ต้องอาศัยเครื่องมือหลายอย่าง และต้องลงมือทำกันทุกภาคส่วนค่ะ ?: @seetanubungalows, Chiang Rai Times #leatherbackturtle #gogreen #saveourocean #bansingleuseplastic #sustainableliving #zerowastegoals #protectnature #zerowastethailand #plasticban #ecothailand

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Let’s be honest – the average person doesn’t need to use plastic bags at the grocery store or get a straw and plastic silverware every time they order takeout. There are simple workarounds that people choose not to use because they’re lazy and plastic is convenient.

If this proves anything, it’s that the government is going to have to step in – because regular people aren’t going to voluntarily make their own lives slightly harder, even for the good of the planet.

At least, not in high enough numbers to really make a difference.

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A High School Senior was Promised a College Scholarship in Kindergarten and is Now Told She Can’t Have It

College affordability haunts parents and kids everywhere, pretty much from the time the little ones are born until they finally (hopefully) graduate with a degree. Costs have soared to the point where many cannot afford it, at least not without taking on obscene loads of student debt – so you can see why being promised scholarship money in kindergarten would have been an enormous relief for a family.

South Florida student Ynette Lopez was promised $3000 a year towards to Florida university of her choice back in 2007, but now that she’s finally getting ready to graduate from high school, the organization is telling only her, not the other 96 kids in her ‘class’, that she hasn’t qualified.

Ynette’s mother, Zondra Aimes says that she’s been in contact with the organization, I Have A Dream, but hasn’t gotten the answers she wanted.

“They stated that each kid would receive $3,000 per year for whatever four-year college or university for Florida only…Now that she’s a high school senior, she has been told that she hasn’t qualified for the tuition fees they promised.”

 

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She was given two reasons: one was that they moved (not out of Florida, just to a different county), and the other was that she “did not keep up with the program.” Zondra claims that she had confirmed with I Have A Dream that their move was ok, and that she checked in with them every year or two to make sure everything was still on track for the scholarship – and up until this year, I Have A Dream kept saying it was.

Legal expert Howard Finkelstein weighed in on the matter.

“Legally, this is really tricky, because the contract is not clear, and there is wiggle room for both sides. The foundation has a strong argument, because after Ynette moved, she did not go to any of their programs, and Zondra said she only contacted them every year or two. But favoring Ynette is that she got great grades, did volunteer work and became the kind of student the scholarship was created for.”

The head of the I Have a Dream Foundation Miami chapter, Stephanie Trump, confirmed that even though 21 kids moved out of the area after kindergarten, Ynette is the only one to be denied the scholarship.

 

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The senior is currently applying for scholarships elsewhere, but her mother is considering suing the foundation in small claims court. She would be willing to compromise, but believes her daughter deserves some amount of scholarship because she put in the work.

“She participated in at least six years of it, so $1500 every year instead of $3000? Something, because she did participate.”

It sounds reasonable to me, but I’m no lawyer – we’ll have to keep tabs and find out what happens, but whatever it is, I hope that Ynette has a great college experience and doesn’t let this stop her from the education she’s earned.

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This is What to Do When Your Travel Partner Doesn’t Have TSA Pre Check

If you travel a lot and haven’t applied for TSA Pre Check, you should really get on top of it? The lines are shorter, you don’t have to take off your shoes or remove your laptop from your bag – it’s basically a throwback to the blissful old days when no one was actually worried about someone hijacking the plane for their own nefarious purposes.

But what if you have done the smart, expedient thing and taken care of your TSA Pre Check, but the person you’re traveling with hasn’t?

Well, first, reevaluate your friendship (or romance).

If you still want to travel with them now and in the future, here’s some further advice – it’s pretty much against the law to try to use the pre check line if you’re not approved. Just something to consider.

There is an exception for children under the age of 12 who are traveling with an enrolled parent or guardian, and exceptions can also be made for travelers 75 or older, though they aren’t technically granted pre check.

 

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There’s a chance, of course, that the person you’re traveling with could earn the random golden pre check ticket, but that’s kind of a long shot to bank on, don’t you think?

Here’s the bottom line: if you and your companion want to go through security together at the airport, and they don’t have permission to use the pre check line, you’ll have to go back to being one of the regular folks…because they’re not getting into line with you. Even if you ask the desk agent nicely.

Though if you book your tickets together, there is a chance that they will receive pre check just because the two of you are on the same reservation. But you really can’t count on it.

There’s still time to enroll, so check with your travel buds and send them this handy guide to traveling with less fuss and muss – it’s definitely worth it, don’t you think?

The post This is What to Do When Your Travel Partner Doesn’t Have TSA Pre Check appeared first on UberFacts.

This is What to Do When Your Travel Partner Doesn’t Have TSA Pre Check

If you travel a lot and haven’t applied for TSA Pre Check, you should really get on top of it? The lines are shorter, you don’t have to take off your shoes or remove your laptop from your bag – it’s basically a throwback to the blissful old days when no one was actually worried about someone hijacking the plane for their own nefarious purposes.

But what if you have done the smart, expedient thing and taken care of your TSA Pre Check, but the person you’re traveling with hasn’t?

Well, first, reevaluate your friendship (or romance).

If you still want to travel with them now and in the future, here’s some further advice – it’s pretty much against the law to try to use the pre check line if you’re not approved. Just something to consider.

There is an exception for children under the age of 12 who are traveling with an enrolled parent or guardian, and exceptions can also be made for travelers 75 or older, though they aren’t technically granted pre check.

 

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There’s a chance, of course, that the person you’re traveling with could earn the random golden pre check ticket, but that’s kind of a long shot to bank on, don’t you think?

Here’s the bottom line: if you and your companion want to go through security together at the airport, and they don’t have permission to use the pre check line, you’ll have to go back to being one of the regular folks…because they’re not getting into line with you. Even if you ask the desk agent nicely.

Though if you book your tickets together, there is a chance that they will receive pre check just because the two of you are on the same reservation. But you really can’t count on it.

There’s still time to enroll, so check with your travel buds and send them this handy guide to traveling with less fuss and muss – it’s definitely worth it, don’t you think?

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Redditors Share Their Most Precious Pet Moments

Give me a good ‘ol pet story and you’ll have me in the palm of your hand. I adore the human/pet dynamic and how they bond with their owners – especially dogs and cats.

And the best stories are always the ones where the pet surprises its owner with their amazinging-ness. Perhaps they had a bad day, or they’re simply chilling with Netflix. Doesn’t matter – when your pet does something that melts your insides to mush, that’s how we know the bond is real and worth it.

Reddit users took to the question, “What is the kindest thing a pet has done for you?” and we picked the top few. Here you go!

10. They know when to say good-bye

My old doge did me a kindness. I had her for 17 years. Got her long before the doge meme became a thing, and while she was difficult as hell (seriously, think twice before getting one of these dogs) she was my lifelong companion and I loved her to death.

She went downhill pretty quickly, and there was one day when I knew that it was time to take her to the vet one last time. I went to work and set about getting the arrangements together to take her in the next day. It was heartbreaking.

I got home, and she was out there in her favorite spot in the yard. Sometime after I’d left for work, she went out there, laid down in the sun, and went to sleep.

She was a good girl.”

9. How to break up any argument

“One time my family was discussing money and we started yelling at each other. It got pretty heated until my dog showed up, barked at us once to get our attention, and then dropped a potato that he dug up in the yard in front of us. He nudged it forward with his nose and gave us this “we good now?” Look. Everyone just started laughing and it calmed everyone down.”

8. Bonding through broken bones

“In late April 2007, I was called by a shelter in Louisville, Kentucky, to ask if I would rescue a dog that they’d picked up. ‘Jet’ was a young male Basset Hound who had been hit by a car and had a shattered leg. I ran the Basset Hound Rescue in Kentucky at the time. Of course I said I would take him. I got him transported down to me and got him to my vet.

There, they said it would cost around $3,000 to pin the leg back together but only $150 to amputate. Because it was a back leg, and he was not your typical deep-chested short-legged Basset, I opted for amputation.It was rough because as the bruising healed from the car accident, it strained against his stitches and I had to take him to the vet and have them keep him overnight while they took all the stitches out and let the wound drain.

We always had a number of foster dogs at our house and we also had a dog of our own who was pretty dominant. One day, about six weeks post amputation, Jeremiah (as I now named him given that he hopped like a bullfrog) was in the kitchen with a couple other dogs when two of the other ones got into a fight around him. Not wanting him injured, I scooped him up and turned to leave the kitchen.

As I was leaving, I hit my foot on the door frame breaking my foot. I ended up in the emergency room and that night came home on crutches. The next day I got up on the couch with a pillow under my leg, as I was told to stay off my feet and keep it elevated. Jeremiah decided he needed to comfort me as I had saved him in the middle of the fight. He struggled for a good 15 to 20 minutes until he was able to pull himself up onto the couch unaided. This was the first time he had gotten on the couch. I had him up for adoption but at that point I couldn’t let him go. I paid his adoption fee and I kept him.”

7. Presents come in living packages

“I was super sick with a kidney infection and hadn’t been able to really get out of bed for the past couple of days. My cat was with me for most of the time. She went out for a bit and when she came back, she jumped up on the foot on my bed and was really still. I knew something was up and sure enough she had a mouse/baby rat in her mouth. I jumped up and ran out of the room, she followed me with it.

My mom’s boyfriend who was also sick came out of their room to see what the commotion was.

He tried to get the mouse from her, but she wasn’t having any of that and clawed him. She went back outside and when she came back in she didn’t bring another gift, but just curled up and went to sleep. Looking back it’s kinda sweet. She brought me a present, tried to make sure that I saw by following me with it, and then fought someone trying to keep it.”

6. They are our healers

“I had a black Labrador called Ben. He was everyone’s best friend and my mum called him her wee shadow. My granny passed away in 2014 after quite a long traumatic few months. We were her carers and there right til the end so after she died home felt like it was in the middle of a storm. I remember going home to wash a few hours before it happened and Ben climbed on to the couch with me and pushed his head into my neck and let me just cry. A few days after she died my mum was sitting at the kitchen table just weeping inconsolably and Ben just walked up quietly and put his head on her lap. When she leaned in he started licking her tears and trying to get at her ears to make her laugh. Without him, I don’t think we would have got through those days. We talk about him all of the time so even though I can’t hold him or go to the river and see him stick his face under water, he’s always with us.He was the very best boy.”

5. Even the stubborn ones show love

“My aunt had this female cat named Gizmo when I was a kid. Gizmo was a savage bitch who had no time or patience for anyone. She spent most of her life outdoors. By choice of course. She had free reign and could come and go as she pleased. She’d come in at night to sleep and be back out again. She had no interest in people at all and chances are if you tried to touch her in any manner she’d f*** you up.

I was probably around 8 years old and I was spending a weekend at my aunts when I got the worst flu I ever had in my f***ing life. It was so bad I still remember it in vivid detail nearly 30 years later. I was sick for days and it was absolute agony.

About a day in I couldn’t take it anymore and I just started wailing. There I was laying on a pull out couch in the den surrounded by buckets, sweating, crying and begging for it to end, and in the house comes Gizmo.

This cat jumped up on the couch and cuddled me and licked me and did everything she could to comfort me. Not just for a little while, but for days. Through the entire ordeal. She stayed right there beside me only leaving to eat and head outside for a couple minutes at a time. She didn’t want anyone else near me either. If anyone got in arms reach of that couch she’d turn on them and chase them out.

I remember my aunt and cousins being amazed. To this day they still bring it up from time to time. That cat never showed an ounce of consideration for a human once before or after this event, but she was bound and determined to stick it out with me until the end and did just that.”

4. When souls collide

“My yellow lab knows me and my emotions to a near psychic level. When I’m stressed, she will come to me, and gently nuzzle her muzzle under my arm. She’ll cuddle up by my side, and just sit with me. It’s the dog version of taking me in her arms, to just hold me.

When I’m in a good mood, she will smile her dog smile, and wag her whole butt. When I’m home, she’s by my side. She understands a sizeable vocabulary, and I swear, she even understands my lame jokes (because I talk my dog like she’s a person). She has a look that’s kindly patronizing, that she’ll give me.

Our souls are intertwined.”

3. They give big smiles and licks to wash away our tears

“We’ve only had my dog (a rescue) for a few months. Despite his large size, this poor pooch is afraid of just about everything and often looks to me for assurance and guidance so usually I’m the one who’s comforting him.

But, just today I came home in a terrible mood. I had just finished crying ten minutes prior and as soon as I open the door this big goof comes galloping towards me with the dopiest smile on his face… Typically he’s a very lazy dog who never wants to play, but instantly he wanted to rough house. We played for a good half an hour chasing each other around and play fighting then afterwards he gave me a good cuddle.

Whether it was intentional or not, I felt a lot better very quickly.”

2. Real life Lassies do exist

“My family had a German shepherd when I was young. She was part of a line of police K9s and was the smartest dog I’ve ever known. One time we were at a remote job site my dad was working at. There was an old abandoned cemetery in a grove of trees a couple hundred yards away. My brother and I were playing near the job site when Cop Girl, our imaginatively named K9, came running over and circling us. There was no mistaking that she wanted us to follow her to the graveyard, but my brother and I were 6 and 8 at the time and too afraid to follow so we went and got our dad. He followed Cop Girl to the woods, and found that my mom had gone to explore the graveyard and twisted her ankle, falling into a bed of fire ants. She was eaten up pretty badly and rushed to the hospital. She had to wear some body wrappings for awhile but came out of it OK. She said she told Cop Girl to get help and without hesitation she had bolted off for us.

So I’d say possibly saving my mom’s life was a pretty kind act.”

1. Dogs will share their favorite things

My dog doesn’t let her toy carrot out of her sight, NEVER ever let anyone touch it etc. She protects it like her life depends on it. Growls, snarks, even bit my mom once when she tried to wash it.

I’ve been going through sh** and I was crying on my bedroom floor, at first she just came and lay next to me (which in and of itself is adorable), and then she brought me her carrot, and at first I didn’t react much cuz I was quite .. busy crying, so she started nudging it at me and poking me with it, got on my lab and put it on my chest and sh** and ffs that made me happy cry even more. Once I took it, she just lay next to me. That was so pure. She gave me what she felt was the most important thing ever and waited for the effect of said important thing she valued. We. Don’t. Deserve. Dogs.”

 

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