Author: Matt Gilligan

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Clever Ideas That Could Help Save Our Planet

If you say to yourself, “the problems with climate change and the environment have nothing to do with me and they’re way too big for me to do anything”, you’re WRONG. These issues involve all of us and we all have to do our part, no matter how small, to fight these threats.

That’s why I’m glad these 13 people offered up the things they do to help fight for our one and only planet.

We hope they inspire you to make some small changes and to help out in any way you can.

Hats off to the folks behind these genius ideas.

1. Rainwater flush.

This makes me incredibly happy, and more inclined to shop here more often. from pics

2. Put that old paper to use.

My university makes notepads out of the recycled paper and hands them out to the students from mildlyinteresting

3. Keep on reusing it.

Recycled cardboard used as an alternative to bubble wrap. from mildlyinteresting

4. Eliminating plastic containers.

This super market had tiny paper bags instead of plastic containers to reduce waste from mildlyinteresting

5. Cutting down on water waste.

This Japanese toilet refills through a sink in the top so you can rinse your hands and re-use the water. from mildlyinteresting

6. Exercise while you charge your device.

You bike to keep the outlet going, to recharge your devices. from mildlyinteresting

7. Why waste the food?

Every day after closing, this local bakery leaves out a bag of their unsold pastries that people can take from freely instead of throwing them away and make unnecessary waste from mildlyinteresting

8. This is really cool.

The bowling alley in my neighbourhood tore up old lanes and used them to renovate the washrooms. from pics

9. Compost is always good.

My local coffee shop gives free compost made from their used coffee grounds. from mildlyinteresting

10. No more butts on the street.

I bought a pack of cigarettes and they came with a postage paid recycling pouch. from mildlyinteresting

11. Who needs the extra bag?

My shoes came with a “handle” rather than being packed in a one time use bag from mildlyinteresting

12. That’ll get them to throw away their old cigarettes.

13. And finally, organic plastics from avocado seeds.

I love it! All of these are really innovative ideas that could make a difference.

Okay, now it’s your turn. No, seriously… do you have any clever things that you do to pitch in for the environment? It doesn’t have to be a big idea, just something you can do to make the world – or just YOUR world – a better place.

Share them with us in the comments. Every little bit helps!

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Build-A-Bear Now Has Cookie-Scented Bears

There are a whole lot of things that signal the close of a long, cold winter – Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter – but for some, nothing says summer is coming like the sight of little girls in green uniforms, boxes of cookies stacked behind them.

Everyone loves Girl Scout cookie time, right?

I mean, maybe not people who have sworn off sugar for one reason or another, but yeah. Everyone else.

Even Build-A-Bear, it turns out, who is offering a delicious Girl Scout cookie scent for some of the special bears you can make in their stores (or buy online).

The toy giant is releasing two limited-edition bears, complete with matching scents: The Coconut Caramel Cookie Bear, and the Thin Mint Bear.

The Coconut Caramel Cookie Bear “makes a sweet addition to any collection. With swirly coconut caramel fur and a fun doodle print on the ears and paw pads, this brown teddy bear is the perfect companion for learning and growing as a Girl Scout.”

The Thin Mint bear has similar decorations and doodles, but is mint-colored (of course).

Each bear comes with cookie-shaped wristlets and the actual scent of the cookie added to its fur – or even a Girl Scout uniform – but all of those “add-ons” are going to cost you.

Parents are aware of this, I’m sure.

The basic bears sell for $22, and man, if you’ve got a Girl Scout troop, I can’t think of a better bonding experience!

If you’re a lover of either kind of cookie, I also can’t think of a better way to keep the Girl Scout cookie adoration alive in your house all year long.

Between the Cousin Eddie Bear at Christmas and the Baby Yoda bear that’s coming soon, Build-A-Bear is really on a roll this year, don’t you think?

My kids are still too little, so maybe Mommy and Daddy will have to do a date night outing for some cookie-scented bears of our own. Heh.

But hey, what do you think? Want to grab one of these?

Let us know in the comments!

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Check out These Elaborately Detailed Miniature Worlds Made for Snails

This is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in quite a while. Samuel Copeland and Aleia Murawski create amazing miniature worlds for their pet snails and they are insanely impressive.

So how did anybody even think about doing something like this?

Copeland said that he and Murawski started the project when they found the snails while visiting Copeland’s parents in Illinois. He added,

“We made a terrarium for them…and around the same time, we started making miniature scenes together.

At first, we were keeping them as pets and just loved looking at them every day. Then we realized, the sets we were making were roughly snail-sized and we loved the idea of animating these rooms.”

Take a look at these little worlds they’ve created. They are spectacular.

1. In the lab.

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Back to school for my ??

A post shared by aleia (@aleia) on

2. Wheel of Snails.

3. This one is great.

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??

A post shared by aleia (@aleia) on

4. Chilling at home.

5. Skate or die!

6. Abducted by aliens.

7. A love song.

8. Flying high.

9. Life in the RV park.

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Meeting up w your BFF ??

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10. Delivering snail mail.

11. Just like George Costanza.

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They see me rollin ??

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12. Game night!

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Late night game of Dream Phone ??

A post shared by aleia (@aleia) on

I don’t say this very often, but I’m totally blown away by the work of these artists. It’s really incredible stuff!

What about you? What is your reaction?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments, please!

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A Physicist Weighed in on Whether Scrooge McDuck Could Actually Swim in a Vault of Gold Coins

If you think Ducktales was a thing relegated to the 1980s or 1990s, well, you obviously don’t have kids. The McDuck kids and their grumpy, rich uncle are not only still around, but thriving on streaming platforms like Disney+.

The enduring image (and most common pop-culture reference) from any iteration of the series is the rich Scrooge McDuck going for actual swims in his piles of gold.

But could you actually breaststroke through mounds of money?

Physics professor James Kakalios took some time out of teaching classes at the University of Minnesota to write The Physics of Everyday Things and The Physics of Superheroes, and well, he was dying to figure out the answer.

First, he examined how Scrooge dives into his money – hands first, as if folded in prayer, and quickly followed by the top of his head – and determined that the miserly duck would likely end up with some broken bones.

“Gold is a granular material like sand, a macroscopic object. You can’t swim through sand or dive into it easily.”

You’d want to, at the very least, lead with your feet – and some bent legs.

Kakalios says,

“A ball pit is a good example.

The balls are lightly packed and have low friction relative to one another.

The key is to have objects in front of you move out of the way in order to advance.”

So, perhaps Scrooge has a workaround for not injuring himself on the dive?

The character has made smirking references over the years to a “trick” to his dive, leading to at least one fan theory that McDuck coats his coins in some kind of lube to make them move more easily out of the way.

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?Not phony tales or goblin tales, but Duck Tales!? (don’t even try to tell me you didn’t say “Woo woo!”- I def did!) • As a kid how much did you want to take a dive into Uncle Scrooge McDuck’s vault?! Can you even imagine?!? I did a values exercise on my team meeting tonight- and results were surprising to me! We picked 20 from 164 listed values then 10 from the 20, then 5, then 3 final values . Except I could only pick 2 and had 4 vying for that third spot. (I’m usually excellent at following instructions – so this kinda felt like failing?) Anyway- one person wrote “Wealth” as one of theirs and I was like- I want that on my list!! You guys- it didn’t even make it the first round for me during the exercise- and I had to question myself – why is that? I really believe that I have been conditioned to push wealth away as the root of all evil; So I have never admitted to myself, let alone out loud that I do In fact value it. And it’s hard to write it out here because I’m afraid the world is going to have something to say about how selfish, privileged, etc etc I must be. Now, BEFORE you come at me with PITCHFORKS, let me explain. I don’t dream of being Scrooge McDuck. As an adult swimming through piles of money seems like a germ fest ? Let me also say that I do believe we are wealthy and I am so thankful for the life we have. And I value it. I have list of things I’d love to experience with my family and they cost money (Grand Canyon, San Diego Zoo, Eiffel Tower). So yeah, I value paying off debt, being financially responsible and learning to save better AND earning. Wealth. ??‍♀️ I currently stay home with our kids which is awesome (except from 4-6:30pm- jk-not every day). I’m doing something new with these values in mind to reach these goals. (I’ll talk more about my other values and why I think wisdom is essential above all on another day- watch for it!) #wealth #scroogemcduck #values #goalsetter #sahm

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Silly, of course, but possible?

Kakalios isn’t so sure.

“You would need a massive amount of lube to slide your body past the coins with minimal effort.

The ball pit is easier because the weight of the elements is low. Gold is a very dense material.”

Well thanks for shattering our dreams!

Basically, it’s possible but not at all practical or comfortable, since one 5-foot-tall pile of gold would put 2492 pounds of pressure on a little duck body.

If you found all of this very interesting but really just made you want to watch more DuckTales, well, you’re in luck -DisneyXD is relaunching the series.

Let us know if you’re gonna watch! Drop a comment!

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KFC Teamed up With Crocs to Make Some Very Interesting Shoes. No, Seriously.

This sure is an odd partnership, huh? I was at a friend’s house the other day and I saw that he had camouflage Crocs, and I thought that was weird. Little did I know what was to come…

Coming in the Spring of 2020 is…wait for it…Kentucky Fried Chicken crocs! For your feet! That you’re supposed to wear outside of the house! I thought I’d seen it all…but now this…

Yes, it’s all true. Kentucky Fried Chicken and Crocs teamed up to bring you a bold new footwear statement that will, at the very least, be a good conversation starter for you with friends, enemies, family members, and co-workers.

The top of the shoes look like those famous pieces of chicken from the iconic franchise, while the soles resemble the striped red and white KFC bucket. This design took some BALLS.

The official word on the product reads: “Covered in a fried chicken print and a striped base, these will make your dreams of wearing a bucket of chicken finally come true. Finally. Your two favorite brands, immortalized on a rivet to prove a collaboration happened.”

FINALLY!

And, get this:

“Each pair of co-branded footwear comes with two Jibbitz charms made to resemble and smell like fried chicken.”

Omfg… we’ve gone through the looking glass. We’re in Wonderland. Because I MUST be dreaming.

Of course KFC created an equally surreal video to go with this insane idea and you can watch it RIGHT NOW!

KFC x Crocs. Not for human consumption.

Introducing the official Kentucky Fried Chicken licensed proprietary footwear made in collaboration with Crocs. Do not eat. Coming Spring 2020. (http://crocs.shoes/KFCxCROCS)

Posted by KFC on Tuesday, February 11, 2020

The KFC Crocs will be available for, ummmm, consumption(?) in Spring 2020.

So what do you think? Are you going to get your hands on a pair of these bad boys or will you take a hard pass?

Let us know in the comments!

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London Will Get the World’s First ‘Batman’ Theme Restaurant

I’m kind of surprised this didn’t happen in the U.S. first, but it looks like the Brits beat us to the punch on this one.

I’m talking about a Batman-themed restaurant that is set to open in London, England, this spring. The restaurant will be called Park Row and will occupy 18,000 square feet of space in the basement of an Art Deco building in the center of the city.

And it sounds like a visit to Park Row will be more of a show as opposed to a trip to your local restaurant. The setting will look like the Batcave and guests will be welcome to enjoy three bars and five different dining environments. The prices start at an average of $58 (U.S.) per person.

As you might expect, the bars and different dining areas are all designed to reflect the world of Batman. Pennyworth’s is named after Batman’s butler and serves traditional British fare in an atmosphere that resembles a library. You can drink in a speakeasy called Old Gotham City, or enjoy sushi in an area dedicated to the character Harley Quinn.

There is also a dining area called the Iceberg Lounge that is named after, you guessed it, that iconic villain The Penguin.

Park Row is a collaboration between Warner Bros., DC, and Wonderland Restaurants.

This sounds like it’s going to be quite a treat, especially for the hordes of Batman fans out there.

Let’s hope this place is successful and they open one in the U.S. of A sooner than later!

What do you think? Will you be booking a trip to go? Let us know in the comments!

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A Guy Won $1 in a Lottery and Demanded a Photo With a Giant Check

I don’t know why this story brings me so much joy, but it really does. Maybe because it reminds me of something one of my friends would do if they won a lousy one dollar in a lottery. Or maybe it reminds me of something that I might even do.

When Iowa resident Tyler Heep discovered that he won exactly one dollar in the lottery, he decided he needed to capture this moment of glory and let it live on forever.

Heep went to the lottery headquarters in Des Moines and asked to be given the treatment of a high roller who just won millions of dollars.

Posted by Jamal Carson Wright on Thursday, January 24, 2019

Luckily, and surprisingly, the officials at the office agreed and Heep was given a huge $1 check and was photographed with the big prize. Larry Loss, the acting CEO of the Iowa state lottery, even signed the check for him.

Heep said about the experience, “They decided to treat me just like a million dollar winner. The guy came down the stairs and they took me into the back room where the camera was with the Iowa Lottery logo.” In the memo portion of the check, it reads “Stinking Rich.”

Heep even got the check framed!

Posted by Tyler Heep on Thursday, May 2, 2019

And what did Heep spend that one-dollar prize on, you’re probably asking yourself? He used it to put half a tank of gas into his car.

Here’s a news broadcast about the ridiculous, yet hilarious, story.

Tyler Heep, you are a gem, good sir. And a high roller, too! Let’s party sometime!

But hey, those are my thoughts. Of course I want to know yours! What say you about this specific request of a quite unique gentleman?

Let us know in the comments!

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Wow…Washington Department of Transportation Tweeted About a “Possible Sasquatch Sighting”

People believe all sorts of things, and honestly, as long as they’re not hurting anyone else with their belief, I’m cool with all of it.

When it comes to Bigfoot, even most scientists would have to shrug and say it’s possible. We live on a big planet, so the idea that there are still undiscovered species is a pretty common one.

Is it likely. No, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

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#sasquatch #bigfoot

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That said, it can be a little arresting when someone in an “official” capacity says something about Sasquatch that seems to assume its reality.

Of course, when your state has been a hotbed of Bigfoot sightings since forever, maybe you’re justified in making just a few assumptions!

Ryan Overton, a communications consultant for the WSDOT, tweeted out the following…

K5 News reports that webcam footage run by the Department of Transportation captured a Sasquatch-esque figure, prompting the government to post signs warning of the possible sightings.

The WSDOT Twitter account shared still shots from the streaming footage along with the caption,

“Have you noticed something strange on our Sherman Pass/SR 20 webcam before?

If you look closely by the tree on the left there looks to me something … might be Sasquatch …

We will leave that up to you!”

The stills do seem to show a dark figure hovering by the trees near the highway, and another of him striding across the wildlife crossing on I-90.

Is it Sasquatch? Has he been in Washington state all along? Is is a very tall someone just bundled up against the cold?

Well… it’s actually just a plywood cutout.

Seattle Times has more…

Normally, Overton checks the highway webcam images for anything that seems newsworthy, like maybe 40 inches of snow at the pass.

But he couldn’t resist the image of the Sasquatch cutout, which has long been a part of the terrain.

Usually, the cardboard cutout is not easily captured by the highway camera because of poor lighting, he says.

Btw, did you know it has been illegal to kill Bigfood in Washington State since 1969? If busted, you could spend up to five years in prison.

Which, idk. Might be worth it?

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There’s a Job as a Caretaker of Dozens Cats on a Gorgeous Cat Sanctuary Island

I bet you know people who would think that this would be their absolute dream job. Isolated on a beautiful island with nothing but dozens of cats to keep you company. What’s not to like, right?

In July 2019, a job announcement popped up looking for a caretaker to live on the Greek island of Syros. Oh yeah, the caretaker would have to look after not one, not two, but 55 cats that live on the island.

Posted by God's Little People Cat Rescue on Sunday, January 19, 2020

The job opportunity came from God’s Little People Cat Rescue. Joan Bowell and her husband have rescued 55 cats over the years and decided they needed to take a break from caring for that many felines. Bowell received more than 35,000 applications for the once-in-a-lifetime job and they chose a woman named Jeffyne Telson to care for their beloved cats for the winter.

Telson came all the way from California to Greece to do the sought-after job.

She said,

“…I never imagined myself applying, although I had always dreamed of returning to the islands to help the Greek cats.”

Once she was accepted, Telson demanded that the salary offered to her be donated back to the organization to help the animals.

Posted by Jeffyne Telson on Wednesday, August 7, 2019

The population of Syros is about 22,000 people and an incredible 13,000 stray cats. In addition to the 55 cats that she was caring for, Telson made an effort to help the island’s other needy cats as well.

She said,

“We all have a chance to make a difference whether it is volunteering, donating to a non-profit or standing up for a cause.

So remember, even the little things you do make a difference…and doing something is better than doing nothing!”

And just last month, in January 2020, the organization picked a new person to be the caretaker. Her name is Jack Bodimead and she worked as a veterinary nurse for 17 years.

I think it’s safe to say that she’ll be a good fit on the island with all these kitties.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT IF YOU HAVE BEEN INQUIRING ABOUT THE JOB!!Throughout January I've once again received hundreds…

Posted by God's Little People Cat Rescue on Sunday, January 26, 2020

That kind of isolation sounds pretty tempting to me. How about you?

Would you go crazy or do you think you would enjoy the solitude?

Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.

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Movies That Were Ruined by Changing One Word in Their Titles

Late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon challenged his audience to a fun little game: drastically alter the plot of a movie by changing one word in its title.

Photo Credit: Twitter

This tweet was a big hit and it elicited all kinds of funny responses.

Here are some of the best.

1. That’s not very nice.

2. Long, awkward silences…

3. A young man looking for the best deal.

4. Her parents will not approve.

5. All he wanted was some nuts and bolts!

6. This could be ugly.

7. A slow-moving film.

8. You’re gonna get 90 minutes out of this?

9. Afraid to go outside.

10. I will not be seeing this.

11. Played by Carrot Top.

12. Kind of a boring flick.

13. Mary has a problem.

14. Who will drink it?!?!

15. Time to take a shower.


Now I kind of want to see some of those movies just to see how they would turn out…

We know you probably have some good ideas for this game!

Let us know what you came up with in the comments!

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