Category: business

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A Czech Drugstore Has a Shampoo Refill Station to Help Cut Down on Plastic Waste

What a great idea!

This is something that definitely needs to happen in other countries besides the Czech Republic.

A Reddit user shared a photo with a caption that said, “Some drugstores in the Czech Republic introduced shampoo and shower gel filling machines. Customers can refill their empty bottles with various products so they don’t have to buy a new one every time.”

Some drugstores in the Czech Republic introduced shampoo and shower gel filling machines. Customers can refill their empty bottles with various products so they don’t have to buy a new one everytime from interestingasfuck

The photo looks like a regular, everyday drug store, but that filling station for shampoo and shower gel must cut down on plastic waste in a big way. Think about how often you buy a new bottle of shampoo or some kind of soap for your shower…and then think about everyone else who uses your local CVS.

Those numbers add up.

These kinds of measures not only cut down on plastic waste, but also reduces landfilled trash in general, which cuts down on methane release. And, on top of that, it helps reduce the demand for new plastic to be produced (which takes more fossil fuels). It’s all a cycle, you see?

At the landfill

Shopping in bulk is a classic way to cut down on plastic waste, and if you’re looking to do your part, it’s a good route to go – because I don’t know how common these kinds of soap refilling stations are in the U.S. There are a lot of good resources online for buying in bulk and to help you cut down on waste, including the blog Litterless and the website Zero Waste Home.

RECYCLE

This is a seriously great idea, and I hope it turns into a worldwide trend. We all need to do our part to help out the environment – climate change isn’t going to solve itself, and even though reducing trash doesn’t seem like it makes a difference, when enough people do it, it really does.

So let’s get moving in the right direction. Every little bit helps.

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This Man Turns Discarded Christmas Trees Into Canes for Veterans

You always see a ton of discarded Christmas trees dragged out onto driveways to be hauled off by garbage trucks after the holidays. I’ve never really thought about what comes next for this near-endless supply of trees, but I suppose they just decompose in the dump, releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere.

Great.

That’s not what happens to (some of) the trees in Copperas Cove, Texas, however. One local man has found a creative and important use for some of these old trees.

Jamie Willis is an Army veteran, and he’s asking people to send their old Christmas trees his way because he turns the trees into canes for fellow veterans who need mobility aids – and for other folks who require canes as well.

I'm happy you like the cane. Thanks for sharing your picture brother.

Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Thursday, March 30, 2017

Willis’ cause is called Canes for Veterans Central Texas and he’s made about 200 canes so far. Willis said, “The whole process, it’s just done off donations. I make the canes myself. Everything’s done out of pocket.”

This is the second year that Jamie Willis has reached out for tree donations, and he has been overwhelmed with this year’s response. He said, “It’s been an outpouring of donations this year, more than I ever thought I would get. Home Depot flooded me with trees, they’re sending me 400, and the rest of the community will be giving me about another 100 trees.”

Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Saturday, January 4, 2020

Willis said he usually takes an entire day to make one cane. He got the idea to start making his own because the one he was given by Veterans Affairs kept collapsing on him, and he didn’t trust it. So he reached out to an organization in Florida called Free Canes for Veterans.

The man behind that organization, Army veteran Oscar Morris, told Willis they didn’t have any more canes and instead taught Willis how to make his own. Willis then asked if he could branch off of that organization and start his own canes-for-veterans nonprofit in Texas, and Morris gave him his blessing.

Mr. Paul Miles and cane #209 standing tall. Another veteran brother who I met while at a local tire shop. And after talking with him we were honored to make him a cane. Much love and respect go out to you sir.

Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Thursday, August 8, 2019

Morris said that Jamie Willis is the fifth veteran to start their own branch of Free Canes for Veterans. Great work by all!

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Illinois Sold More Than $3 Million Worth of Marijuana on the First Day of Legalization

As a former Chicagoan, all I can say is…why the hell didn’t this happen when I lived in Illinois? I know, I know, things are moving along and more and more places are legalizing marijuana, but it sure would’ve been nice…

And now I live in North Carolina, and I really don’t think legalization is coming anywhere near this state anytime soon…

The Cannabis Joint

But back to the story. Though it was passed into law in 2019, it became officially legal to purchase marijuana for recreational use in Illinois on January 1, 2020.

And apparently, people were pretty fired up about it (who could have expected?).

On January 1st, the first day of legal sales, the state sold nearly $3.2 million of weed. The exact numbers were 77,128 transactions totaling $3,176,256.71. Not bad for a one-day haul, huh?

If you’re curious, the state hasn’t yet released figures for how much tax revenue that will work out to.

Toi Hutchinson, senior advisor to the governor for cannabis control, said:

“As we start a new decade, Illinois has achieved a monumental milestone, launching the legalization of cannabis in a way that includes communities left behind for far too long, creates good jobs and expunges thousands of records for those who have lost out on opportunities and ends prohibition.”

Illinois became the eleventh U.S. state to legalize weed, joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia.

Weed

You have to be 21 years old and have a government-issued ID to buy weed in Illinois. Non-residents of the state can also buy marijuana but in smaller quantities. And keep in mind that all purchases must be made in cash, because cash is king baby!

And also because weed is still illegal at the federal level, and banks are wary about working with an industry that is both illegal and legal at the same time.

Time for a road trip?

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An 8-Year-Old Boy With a Multi-Million Dollar Income Was Named the Highest-Earning YouTuber of 2019

Well, this is depressing…

How much money did you make in 2019? This 8-year-old kid on YouTube probably out-earned you.

In fact, he out-earned almost everyone.

Ryan Kaji earned a stunning $26 million on YouTube in 2019, making him the highest-earning YouTuber in the world. Ryan started his channel, Ryan’s World (formerly Ryan ToysReview), when he was just 3 years old. It consists of toy reviews, science experiments, educational videos, playing games, and more.

This is the second year in a row that Ryan has been the highest-earning YouTuber, beating other popular YouTube celebrities like PewDiePie and Jeffree Star. His income last year was $22 million.

Ryan’s YouTube fame has also evolved into other, more traditional show business deals, like a preschool-aimed series on Nickelodeon and a deal with Hulu.

Unsurprisingly, Ryan’s impressive year is causing a lot of jealousy on social media.

“I hate my life,” one person wrote.

“I need a YouTube channel,” another said.

“I might fuck around and start reviewing toys,” another joked.

Life isn’t quite that simple for this 8-year-old millionaire, though. Earlier this year, Ryan’s channel was the subject of a complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission. A nonprofit called Truth In Advertising (TINA) claimed that the channel “deceptively promotes a multitude of products to millions of preschool-aged children in violation of FTC law.”

“When a YouTube video directed to children under the age of 5 mixes advertising with program content, as Ryan ToysReview videos frequently do, the preschool audience is unable to understand or even identify the difference between marketing material and organic content, even when there is a verbal indicator that attempts to identify the marketing content,” TINA Executive Director Bonnie Patten and Legal Director Laura Smith wrote in their complaint.

Ryan’s dad says their family strictly adheres to YouTube’s terms of service and cares about their viewers’ safety.

Something else to consider: Ryan is eight. So does he understand?

Who knows?

The post An 8-Year-Old Boy With a Multi-Million Dollar Income Was Named the Highest-Earning YouTuber of 2019 appeared first on UberFacts.

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This Toilet Designed to Limit Worker Bathroom Breaks Might Be the Most Evil Office Invention of All Time

We all have those really long, seemingly endless days at work where we’ll do anything to get away for a few extra minutes. You know, the ones where you pray that the clock hits five as soon as possible. And sometimes that means spending a few extra minutes in the bathroom, contemplating life and checking all our social media.

Well, one company in the UK is looking to curb the breaks when you spend an extra few minutes (or 30) sitting on the john. To do so, they’ve invented the StandardToilet. It is a very real thing, and it is, in all honesty, evil.

Capitalism at its finest.

The toilet has a tilted design that is meant to make people very uncomfortable while sitting on it;  the hope is that workers will not spend as much time in the bathroom during business hours because of the toilet is a literal pain in the ass. Isn’t that nice?!?!

The StandardToilet has been approved by the British Toilet Association (sounds like a fun place to work), and it works by tilting downwards at a 13-degree angle. Apparently, that strains your legs and feels like an extended squat. The founder of StandardToilet, Mahabir Gill, said, “Anything higher than that would cause wider problems. Thirteen degrees is not too inconvenient, but you’d soon want to get off the seat quite quickly.” Thank you for that!

Gill worked as a consulting engineer for 40 years and became annoyed when he would discover workers asleep on toilets or encounter long lines for the bathroom while working. So the idea for the StandardToilet was born. Gill says, “Its main benefit is to the employers, not the employees. It saves the employer money.”

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Isn’t capitalism the best?!?! Let’s hope and pray that this invention doesn’t make it to this side of the pond anytime soon. I know you need to catch up on your Netflix shows during your work breaks…

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A Young Man With Autism Opened His Own Coffee Shop After No One Would Hire Him

This is a perfect example of persevering in life despite all the odds stacked against you.

Michael Coyne has struggled with many things in his life, including autism, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. Despite these challenges, Coyne has accomplished a lot, including competing in the Special Olympics. When he turned 21, he decided he wanted to join the workforce in the food service industry. But there was one major roadblock: no one was willing to hire Coyne because he is autistic.

He said, “I applied to multiple places. None of them would hire me.”

Come on by for muffins and coffees, Michael's here until 6! ☕

Posted by Red White & Brew Coffeehouse on Friday, November 22, 2019

So Coyne, ever the fighter, decided he would take his life into his own hands and opened up his own coffee shop in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, called Red, White & Brew. Coyne said he will hire people with and without special needs to help run his business because he wants to help people who are autistic to integrate into regular jobs.

Can the days get any better here at Red White and Brew?? I am honestly not sure they can! Not only was our day VERY…

Posted by Red White & Brew Coffeehouse on Monday, November 25, 2019

Red, White & Brew’s Facebook page spells out the coffee shop’s mission very clearly: “We are a family-owned coffee shop serving up more than a cup of coffee. We employ people with developmental disabilities, encourage community engagement, and change the way the world sees those with disabilities.”

What a weekend here at Red White and Brew!! Wow! You all brought it!! We are so humbled by the outpouring of support….

Posted by Red White & Brew Coffeehouse on Sunday, November 24, 2019

Coyne’s mother Sheila helped her son get his business off the ground. She said,  “As parents, we look at our kids and see the value,” Michael’s mother Sheila Coyne said. “We see what they are capable of, instead of the system that’s consistently labeling them and putting barriers.”

Congratulations, Michael!

And, reader, if you happen to be in the area, stop by and have a visit and a coffee.

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You Can Now Buy a Stat-Tracking Smart Condom

In my mind, being intimate with a partner is something that should maintain some level of mystery.

Or at the very least, you should just be able to cuddle afterward instead of comparing stats like you’re trying to make the playoffs.

So, this might fall under the category of Nobody Asked For This, but British Condoms is giving it to you anyway: a penis ring that measures all of your stats during sex.

Meet the i.Con (seriously?), a penis ring that holds condoms in place, gathers information during the act, and then texts you or updates your app with all of the deets so you can (not) enjoy the afterglow.

It’s sort of like a Fitbit for your penis, and, honestly, it seems like a terrible idea. Frankly, one of the worst ideas I’ve heard in the last year, which is incredible because 2019 has been filled with disasters.

The i.Con’s nano-chips and sensors track your girth, velocity, calories burned, and so much more – it can even detect proteins or antigens associated with STIs (seems dubious to me…).

Everyone wants that text right after they finish enjoying themselves. Not.

If you’re some kind of masochist and dying to purchase this thing, you can preorder it for $73.58 (if you live outside the U.K. you’re going to need to ask someone to order it for you, though).

So. There you go.

Another technology win?

I guess you decide!

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Dollar Stores Really Do Make Money

It may seem impossible that a store that offers pretty much everything cheaper than anywhere else (if not for an actual $1) could be a profitable business.

Dollar stores (to be clear, we’re talking about the category of stores “dollar stores,” not the chain of dollar stores called “Dollar Store”) have been around for decades, but after the recession in 2008, more and more people across all income levels began to patronize them.

“In general, dollar stores provide great value,” explained Meaghan Brophy, a retail analyst for FitSmallBusiness.com. “But as many items are custom-made in smaller sizes by manufacturers for dollar stores, shoppers need to compare the price against weight, length, and size,

Given that you can find them in pretty much every town, though – there are 15,000-of them across the U.S. –  they’re obviously turning a profit.

But how?

Darya Minovi, a policy associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, can tell us at least part of the story.

“Dollar stores are able to profit on slim margins, in part because operating costs are kept low by employing only a handful of people to stock aisles, and by limiting the amount of cold chain storage in their stores (which is necessary for fresh foods like produce).”

Basically, they take care when deciding what to stock and how much in order to cut down on operating costs in their stores –  which explains why you’re pretty much always on your own when it comes to finding something in their jumbled aisles of canned vegetables and paper goods.

There’s more to the equation, though, says Minovi.

“Dollar stores in the United States typically seek to open locations in economically disadvantaged communities that lack a full-service grocery store. It’s worth noting that consumable goods were nearly 78% of Dollar General’s total sales in 2018. Unfortunately, the food on offer is largely calorie-dense and nutrient-poor, so this model depends on selling nutritionally poor food and beverages to mostly low-income customers.”

Which is all to say that dollar stores, though they serve the needs of certain communities, are not without their issues.

One of those issues, though, isn’t turning a profit.

Just so you know.

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Amazon Customers Really Poured Their Heart and Soul into These Reviews

Really great online reviews, whether it’s Yelp, Amazon, etc., are very difficult to find. That’s because they’re very few and far between. But once in a while, you stumble upon some real works of art.

And the people behind these Amazon reviews really went above and beyond.

Let’s take a look at these mini-masterpieces.

1. A beautiful tribute.

That cuts deep from amazonreviews

2. Thanks for this.

“It’s lube, not much more to say” from amazonreviews

3. A new life.

that’s wassup amanda from amazonreviews

4. God help you.

I’m 100% sure that this has been posted before but I couldn’t find it. I’m ready to be shunned by this community from amazonreviews

5. Listen up, everyone.

Some life advice from amazonreviews

6. That’s not good.

What even is 24h time ? from amazonreviews

7. Thanks, Debbie.

Oh Debbie from amazonreviews

8. Ouch…

This guy missed out on a perfectly good mug from amazonreviews

9. “Will buy again.”

Whiskey spilling proof but not ankle breaking proof from amazonreviews

10. Sounds like a great game.

Definitely want this video game now from amazonreviews

11. She seems totally stable.

Absolute jem while looking for a black worm on a string. from amazonreviews

12. Time for EVERYONE to brush their teeth.

Review for charcoal toothpaste from amazonreviews

13. Picasso reborn.

A decent and cheap easel. from amazonreviews

14. See you in Hell.

Woman Stealing Bear from amazonreviews

15. Something must be done…

White Chocolate Peppermint Pringles Review from amazonreviews

Just remember, if your online holiday shopping doesn’t go as planned, you can always try to write a review like one of these!

That’ll give you something to shoot for!

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