They live in Chile, where in 2017, fores fires decimated the landscape.
TreeHugger.com described the fires in El Maule in stark terms:
The worst wildfire season in Chile’s history ravaged more than 1.4 million acres early in 2017, destroying nearly 1,500 homes and killing at least 11 people. More than a dozen countries sent fire-fighting specialists to help battle the dozens of destructive blazes.
According to Green Matters, the damage was estimated at $333 million, but the loss of trees and their impact on the environment as a whole is likely immeasurable.
It will take decades to regrow the forest land–but first, new trees must be planted.
Enter sisters Francisca and Constanza Torres and their three Border Collies:
Together, they train the dogs to race across the forest floor wearing backpacks full of native seeds, which they purchase with their own money.
As the sheepdogs run, the seeds spill from holes in their special doggy bags, and spread out where they can begin to take root and regrow the once-lush environment.
And it’s a good thing they have so much energy. According to Green Matters:
This system is also more efficient than having people spread the seeds manually. These speedy canines can race through a forest and cover up to 18 miles a day. Humans, on the other hand, can only cover a few miles each day. These pups can scatter over 20 pounds of seeds, depending on the terrain.
Johnny Appleseed, watch out!
They may not be able to cover the entire forest, but the work these very good girls are doing is already paying off.
It seriously blows my mind to think that two women and their gorgeous pups are changing the world all by themselves and in such a big way.
This Earth Day it makes me wonder, what more could I be doing? What about you? Did your heart just grow three sizes like mine did? Let us know in the comments.
Self-help books are published by the fistful, with a new one really seeming to take off every decade.
There was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People of the 1980s to Who Moved My Cheese? in the late 90s, and on to the woo-woo mysticism of The Secret in 2006, and don’t forget Girl, Wash Your Face from just a few years ago.
To save you the time of reading widely, here are 11 important lessons from the self-help canon.
1. Do unto others…
Seems like obvious advice, but honestly, it’s true.
Like your mom always told you: Don’t judge the book by it’s cover and all the other sayings you can think of about behaving with a level head–especially where other people are concerned.
If you can dream it, you can do it.
If you can conceive, you can achieve it.
If you can see it, you can be it.
There is something to be said for these axioms. To find success, you need to focus on the desired result, and work backwards, and sometimes: rewire your brain to cut out negativity and just believe.
Whether it’s recharging because we’re all burned out by working from home, or simply to spark creativity, the experts say that play can be a really important tool for becoming your best self.
I believe in this and I think everyone else should, too.
But some people cross that line and, as you can imagine, it’s never a good thing.
Let’s see what happened in this story from a man who shared his story on the “Am I the *sshole?” page on Reddit.
AITA for getting upset at my bf for putting things I dont like in my breakfast?
“I (20M) go to a culinary arts university in America and stay with my bf L(21M).
He is American and an atheist while i’m born and raised a Turkish Muslim. Since we both go to cooking school, we change the cooking chore daily without a problem. Also last bit, i’m a rather progressive person and i cut ties with my uber-religious dad and J knows this.
So onto the story, it was J’s turn to cook and he told me he would make breakfast for the weekend. So Saturday morning (which was my birthday) he comes to my room with some food and blindfolds me saying there is a surprise. Then he says he made something on the table and we walk there. I take a bite and it was pork.
From a pig ofc. so i was of course incredibly aggravated. I took the blindfold immediately and asked why he did this. He was in hysterics and thought this was SOO funny. I told him it was disrespectful and he shouldn’t disrespect my religion.
He scoffed off saying i was overreacting and that i wasn’t that religious anyway so he thought it wouldn’t be an issue.
I’m currently thinking of moving to a new room/house but my brother who i vented to is saying that’s too much of an overreaction so AITA for maybe reacting too much?”
And here’s how folks on Reddit responded.
This reader said that the man needs to be in a relationship with someone who is going to be respectful and have boundaries. PERIOD.
And lastly, a person argued that the boyfriend’s actions clearly prove that he has no respect for the man’s religious background…and it might be time to break up.
When you’re in a relationship with a person, you’re also in a relationship with their family. At least on some level.
Most of us have experienced this in some way and this woman is having a major issue with her girlfriend’s little sister.
Let’s take a look at the story.
AITA for not wanting to be around my GF’s little sister and causing a rift in the family?
“I met my girlfriend when we were 11. We were on the same basketball team so I met her family at the games.
Her sister “Sammi” was 8 back then and I guess her family used to like teasing that she has a little crush on me and she’d get all shy whenever I hung out with them. They made jokes about me being her “little boyfriend.”
Then we got together when we were 13. So the whole Sammi crushing on me got more obvious. Everyone in her family says it’s cute. Sometimes Sammi would come with us to the movies and I’d buy them stuff. Whenever I go with her family anywhere Sammi always wants to sit nxt to me or on my lap. Never said anything back then since she was a little kid and didn’t mean anything.
Now she 15 and feel like the crush has got worse. To a point where it is awkward and uncomfortable for me. She doesn’t hide that she gets jealous of my GF or when I’m at their place she’s like glued to me, gets mad if we wanna be alone in my GF’s room, wants to go with us wherever we go.
Everyone always treated it like Sammi being herself. But now it makes me super uncomfortable her wanting to be all over me sometimes and I purposely sit somewhere she won’t have space to be near me.
We just learned recently that my girlfriend is pregnant and we moved into our own place to get ready for our baby. Sammi straight up lost it when we told our families we’re pregnant. I’m serious she locked herself in the bathroom crying for an hour yelling that she hates everyone.
So yeah with her reaction I wannabe around her even less. I told my GF how I’ve been feeling uncomfortable with her sister for s long time and I should’ve said all this sooner. My girl apologized because she always thought I was ok with some of the sh*t her sister does but says I don’t have to interact with her if I don’t want to.
She also talked to her family about getting Sammi to start respecting my boundaries and let it go with the boyfriend jokes already. They don’t think Sammi is doing anything wrong since the crush is innocent so they pretty much don’t wanna tell her keep some distance from me when we come over. Her parents started coming at me to stop making a big deal and punishing Sammi for how she feels.
I showed my GF the txts they sent me and she got p*ssed. So now she won’t go either until they start getting her Sammi to behave right around me but they won’t do that. The whole family is attacking us especially my girlfriend and it’s making me feel guilty.
They’re saying I’m terrible for ruining things between my GF and them. They don’t get why I’m being this way. My girlfriend is so mad she don’t wanna talk to them, they’re saying it’s my fault.
AITA for starting this whole thing by not wanting to be around Sammi anymore?”
And here’s how folks responded on Reddit.
This person said that the girlfriend’s family is to blame for this situation and they let the whole thing with the little sister go on for way too long.
Another Reddit user argued that the younger sister is obviously pretty delusional about this whole state of affairs and that the parents should have had a talk with her a long time ago to set the record straight.
Finally, this reader agreed that the girl’s family is to blame here and that this whole thing has gone on for way too long and, as a result, has been blown out of proportion.
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“There was a family in my town that foster-to-adopted all their kids. Everyone had known one of their daughters since she was quite young and then they adopted another girl her age when we were in 8th grade.
They did NOT get along. When the original girl developed epilepsy a few years later, her new sister claimed she was faking and everyone thought she was so f**king mean and ostracized her.
Eventually, she had to fess up to faking the seizures all along when she signed up for basic training, which she never even completed. Unfortunately this was after we all graduated, so we never got to apologize to her sister.”
2. Pregnant.
“That a 12-year-old 6th grader had gotten pregnant over summer break.
Our Los Angeles county suburb (it was a small and far-separated from LA itself, see how large that county actually is on Google if you are unawares) was so scandalized by this “rumor” that a newspaper article came out with a cartoon drawing of a pregnant girl in a pretty little girl dress and ribbon in her hair — playing with dolls and kneeling next to a doll-house — accompanied the story about the “little girl who got pregnant and planned to keep the baby.”
She was interviewed. I remember her name but it’s unnecessary— the whole town knew who it was.
What’s wild is that the kids in Jr. High actually had a baby shower for this 7th grader as she got close to full-term, and all brought in packs of diapers and formula for her on a designated day. With the teachers, principal, and probably the school district in support of this.
The year was 1984-1985.”
3. It’s all true.
“In high school: that the biology teacher was growing weed in the environmental lab. Supposedly he did it for 30 years without anyone noticing. No one could ever prove it though.
Later on, I was assigned to be the agent taking care of some of his financial matters, so I went to his house to have him sign some paperwork. He had a hydroponic setup there, so I asked him about the environmental lab. It was like Han Solo in The Force Awakens.
“It’s true. All of it.” Then he offered me a brownie.”
4. Whoa.
“There was a rumor that a teacher had s** with whole basketball team.
Well, turns out it was half of the team.
Worst part is her son was on the team.
Her husband ended up divorcing her and her son left with his dad.”
5. Scandalous!
“Our science teacher was having an affair with our science technician and regularly left class to do his thing with her in the technician’s room.
That rumor started on Day 1.
Four years, two divorces, and two very quick departures later it was confirmed and what was left behind was a technicians daughter in my year whose life had fallen apart.”
6. Undercover.
“That one of the students was actually a cop.
Turns out he was a cop and busted one of the actual students for selling handg**s in school.
If you thought 21 Jump Street was unrealistic, think again. The cop was a 33 year old male and undercover for like half the semester.”
7. Sad.
“In Elementary (about 15 years ago), our favorite school teacher didn’t come back after a summer break. He was awesome: funny, sporty, cool, down to earth, never shouted. Just a great role model to have around when you are a kid.
Rumors went round that his wife and daughter d**d in a car accident. No one believed it. It was just what kids said on the playground. Somebody heard it from somebody who heard it from somebody.
Then I went to the local grocery store with my Mom a little while after school had started again. I saw my old teacher. He was a shell, a wreck. I was only 8 but even then you can tell when someone isn’t there anymore. I asked parents of my friends, and they confirmed the rumors.
I felt so bad that something as awful as that could happen to one of the best guys I ever knew and always looked up to. Turns out he committed suicide a couple of years ago. Same bridge that his wife and daughter d**d on all those years ago.”
8. He’s cool, man!
“There was always a rumor that the head janitor was a huge pothead and would smoke with students in one of the storage sheds away from the main building.
I always figured it was bulls**t until my friend CJ sent me a pic of him and the janitor smoking weed while surrounded by folding chairs.”
9. Tunnel of love.
“In my Catholic (Jesuit) high school, one of the priests and one of the nuns were very close friends.
We all loved them, and we could see that they were quite fond of one another (and they made a really nice looking couple). We used to affectionately kid them about “meeting in the tunnel” between the convent and the rectory.
A few years after my class graduated, they both left their Orders, got married, and had kids. We’re all happy for them.”
10. Seemed like a nice guy…
“We had a dean who “retired” one summer.
Turns out, he was busted in a huge pr**titution/drug sting by cops. He had 2 pr**titutes and coc**ne in his apartment when he got rolled up; ended up pleading guilty to felony drug possession (a few others I can’t remember), and sentenced to 5 years of probation.
He was an advisor for the school’s Drug/Alcohol Task Force.
Nice enough guy. Really cool with all of his students, maybe too cool. Always seemed to have super red eyes.”
11. Crazy.
“That one of the kids hung himself on a swing set in a local park.
They didn’t say who it was, and just thought it was a vicious rumor about the same guy… then four girls who were close to him came down the stairwell crying and ran out the front door and started heading in the direction of the park.
It was confirmed around noon, we were sent home after lunch.”
12. Uh oh…
“Our freshman science teacher was a massive jerk to any girl, and would frequently throw the dress code book at girls for the slightest issue.
Everyone said it was because he was p**sed his daughter became a str**per… that ended up being true.”
What were the crazy rumors that turned out to be true at your school?
Prices range from in the $600s for a smaller-sized wood burner to the $700s for the Vader grill and all the way up to $1200+ for some of the larger spacecraft-inspired fire pits.
That’s right. You can hang with your friends and watch for meteors seated around your very own Death Star.
Whether you’re a cat lover or not, there’s no denying that cats make the word go ’round – or at least, they make the internet the place everyone wants to be.
Cats, cat videos, funny videos of people giving thoughts to their cats…whatever it is, if there’s a cat in it, people are down.
For all of the people in the world who love cats, though, do we really know everything there is to know about living with (and catering to) our feline friends?
If you’re looking to know more, we’ve got 50 facts that run the gamut from basic to totally interesting, so snuggle up your kitty and take a gander!
50. People have been showing cats since at least 1871.
Cats groom themselves for several reasons, such as toning down their scent to avoid predators, cooling off, promoting blood flow, and distributing oils naturally through their coats.
Shared grooming sessions also serve as a sign of affection between cats, and experts also believe their saliva could contain enzymes that serve as a natural antibiotic.
However, they also purr when they’re sick, stressed, hurt, or even while giving birth.
Basically, don’t assume the sound means they’re happy.
46. Cute cat videos predate the internet.
This clip all but proves cat videos have been making the world go ’round long before they took up permanent residence on the top of the YouTube charts.
Thomas Edison (totally on brand) filmed two cats “boxing” inside a small ring in 1894.
45. Purring could help improve their bone density.
Experts, like associate veterinary school professor Leslie A. Lyons, aren’t sure why cats purr, but one hypothesis is that the sound frequency of a purr – between 25 and 150 Hertz – can “improve bone density and promote healing.”
She wrote in an article for Scientific American, “because cats have adapted to conserve energy via long periods of rest and sleep, it is possible that purring is a low energy mechanism that stimulates muscles and bones without a lot of energy.”
44. There was a video game based on Socks, President Clinton’s cat.
Socks, a black-and-white tuxedo cat, lived in the Oval Office during Bill Clinton’s tenure as President.
During the early 1990s. Super Nintendo Entertainment System created a game called Socks the Cat, which featured the First Feline in Chief.
It was never officially released and was even thought for a long time to have been lost, but recently collector Tom Curtin bought the only copy in existence.
He also purchased the rights and partnered with game publisher Second Dimension to bringSocks the Cat Rocks The Hill out in 2018.
The herb catnip contains several chemical compounds, including one called nepetalactone.
Cats can detect that particular chemical compound with special receptors in their noses and mouths, which triggers those odd behaviors we associate with “kitty weed.”
That’s why you might see your beloved cat sniffing, shaking or rubbing their head, and rolling around on the ground.
In the 1960s, a man named Henry Helb lived in the Dutch Embassy in Moscow with two Siamese cats.
He noticed his pets were arching their backs and clawing at one of the walls, and Helb, convinced the cats could hear something he didn’t, went looking behind them.
He found 30 tiny microphones, and instead of busting the spies, he and his staff used them to pass wrong or irrelevant information onto whoever was listening.
If you’re a female cat, copulation isn’t the funnest time, and it could be part of the reason why they tend to be loners.
Male shafts are barbed in order to stimulate the female’s privates, which inspires an ovulation – and also keeps her from running away before he’s done.
If you’ve ever heard cats yowling in the night (probably because a female is being forced into mating), you’re probably not surprised to learn they really don’t consider what humans listen to pleasant music.
At least they have people like composer David Teie on their side; in 2015 he partnered with animal scientists to make an album calledMusic for Cats.
According to his website, the songs are “based on feline vocal communication and environmental sounds that pique the interest of cats.”
Hmmm. I wonder if it’s on Amazon Prime Music…
36. College graduates are more likely to be cat owners.
According to 2010 research collected by the University of Bristol, people who have graduated from college are about 1.36 times more likely to own a cat than other people who own pets.
After studying the more than 3,000 survey responses about the person’s pets, geography, and academic history, researchers believe they can chalk up the slightly higher chance of cat ownership to the fact that they’re typically more low-maintenance than a dog, and therefore better suited to people with thriving careers.
A group of kittens all born to the same mama at the same time is called a “kindle,” and I have to believe that Amazon knew that when they chose the name for their e-reading – cats and books just go together, right?
If you’re curious, a group of adult cats roaming the street isn’t a pack – it’s a “clowder.”
Abraham Lincoln could vie for the craziest cat man in history, though – once, when his wife Mary Todd asked about Abe’s hobbies, he reportedly replied “cats!”
It should be noted that Lincoln also owned and loved dogs, which proves he was just an all-around good guy in my book.
Specifically, Sphinx cats are hairless, or furless, but still manage to maintain an average body temperature around four degrees warming than a typical cat.
Some cats doenjoy the occasional dip, though, including the Turkish Van, Maine Coons, and Bengals – no matter the species, there always have to be a few who go against the grain!
26. The world’s oldest living cat is a thirtysomething.
The average lifespan of a cat is between 12-18 years, and while most of us have known a cat who made it to – or a bit beyond – that upper threshold, I doubt they’ve lived to be 35.
The current oldest living cat just passed his 35th birthday – he’s a tabby living in Britain, and his name is Henry.
25. But there’s no Guinness World Record for the fattest cat.
There used to be records for the fattest animals, but Guinness found that people are terrible (not news) and would intentionally overfeed their pets in an attempt to get into the record books.
If there were a record attained somewhat naturally it would be Katy, a Siamese cat who lived in Asbest, Russia.
She was given hormones to stop her from mating and the treatment had a surprising side effect: it made her ravenous.
So ravenous, in fact, that at one point she weighed more than 50 pounds.
The phrase “if it fits, I sits” means cats will squeeze themselves into very small spaces whenever possible, and animal experts think that’s because it makes them feel more protected, secure, and important – sort of like being back in the womb.
Shelter workers have known this for some time, as any time they’re given boxes to snuggle in the adjust more quickly and are less stressed than cats left alone in their cages.
Sleeping in a smaller space also helps cats retain more body heat, and so they can stay relaxed and get more rest, too.
23. A massage from a cat is more than a kind gesture.
You might find it sweet when your cat kneads your leg or your belly (as long as their claws stay retracted), but experts believe your cat is actually marking you as part of their territory through the process.
Cats have scent glands in their paws, which is part of why kittens knead their mama’s belly while nursing – it stimulates milk production.
So it makes sense that if the behavior carries over to adulthood, those glands would still be useful for something.
Cat experts do know why kittens meow – it’s to get their mother’s attention – but as to why full-grown cats might do the same, they’re not totally sure.
They think the behavior grew out of their connection to humans, since cats don’t meow when interacting with other cats.
Instead, they use those noises they made as kittens to convey their emotions and needs to their human “parents” in the same way.
21. At least one cat painting is worth nearly $1m.
More often than not, cats do land with all four paws solidly on the ground.
Cats have a great sense of balance, even when they’re falling, and can use their flexible backbone to adjust their bodies in the air.
The can also spread their legs out to “parachute” down, and since they’re small and light-boned, that often means falls won’t be as hard as they would be for another creature.
That said, people shouldn’t go around testing this theory, because the cat could get hurt – it’s not a 100% of the time thing.
18. They spend the majority of their lives asleep.
A 2018 survey found that the most popular cat breed in America was the Exotic – a flat-faced cat that’s basically a short-haired version of a Persian cat.
The second most popular was the Ragdoll, with the British Shorthair coming in 3rd.
Personally, my favorite is “the cat who showed up on my porch and wouldn’t leave.”
Bodegas are known for keeping a resident feline, and the Algonquin Hotel, which has graced midtown Manhattan for a century, also has kept a lobby cat since the early 1920s.
The current resident is known as Hamlet. He assumed his post after the passing of Matilda III, who “moved on” in October of 2017.
15. T.S. Eliot thought cats were downright poetic.
We know because in the 1870s, the city of Liege, Belgium, tried giving them the job.
Their attempt to train 37 cats to deliver letters in waterproof bags tied to their necks didn’t go all that well – the letters were late when they got to the correct address at all.
Anyone who has ever tried to train a cat is not surprised.
Dogs, horses, and other breeds might come to mind first when you’re thinking about fast animals, but the fact is that your house cat could probably give some of them a run for their money.
The average running kitty can clock around 30mph, after all, so don’t bother giving chase if one darts away from you.
All across Western civilization, you’ll find the myth that black cats are a bad omen, but no one really knows how it began.
As early as the Middle Ages, superstitions arose surrounding black cats being the reason for the plague pandemic.
Little did anyone know that by expiring cats, they were also getting rid of the best chance they had to get rid of infected rats, who actually carried the disease.
They eventually became associated with witches, because older, single women often adopted alley cats as companions.
4. In some countries, black cats are considered good luck.
In the United Kingdom and Japan, however, a black cat is a symbol of fortune.
New brides are given black cats to bless their marriages in England, and in Japan, they’re considered particularly lucky for single women.
The Germans throw their beliefs way back to Ancient Rome, when anything that came from the left was ominous – so a black cat crossing from left to right was a bad sign, but if it crossed from right to left, the omen was good.
(@colorful_manatee)
