A Project Turns Discarded Fishing Nets into Surfboards and Helps Reduce Ocean Pollution

As you already know, the ocean (and most of the rest of the planet) is slowly being poisoned by discarded plastics, and people all over the world are looking for ways to try to mitigate, ease, or even reverse the devastating effects that humans are wreaking on the marine environment.

The latest effort comes from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where fishermen are gathering discarded fishing nets to turn into surfboards.

The project is a collaboration between DSM, a nutrition and sustainable living corporation, and Thailand-based water sports company Starboard. DSM’s operations director explained to The Straits Times that they take the nets (often they are unusably broken) from the water, then clean, granulate, and transport them to their Indian factories to be reborn as ec0-friendly surfboards.

The nets are a big problem for both people and fish, in more ways than one.

The fish who don’t get caught in the nets often consume bits of them, and then as smaller fish are eaten by bigger ones, the plastics make their way up the food chain. The nets also tangle in boat propellors, damaging engines, and they can also strangle unsuspecting marine life, like turtles or cetaceans.

According to a DSM press release, experts estimate around 640,000 tons of trash nets remain in the ocean – 10% of all ocean plastic waste. Matt Gray, a commercial director at DSM, explained their mission in more detail.

“We look beyond society’s current model of take-make-dispose and instead try to mimic nature and the circle of life. By transforming the nets into fins, fin boxes, SUP pumps, and other parts of surfboards, the nets can return to the ocean in a much more environmentally conscious way.”

The effort is also supplying jobs for the local communities in India, which means the companies and the project are doing double the good.

Good on them. Now, let’s all find a way to do the same!

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Scientists Developed a Vaccine That May Finally Solve Cat Allergies

This could potentially be a game-changer.

There’s not a whole lot of in-between out there when you talk to folks about our feline friends. Most people absolutely adore cats…or they despise them. And I’m pretty sure a lot of people use the excuse “I’m allergic” just so they don’t have to deal with cats on any level, whether at a friend’s house, significant other’s, etc.

Well, the people who pull the “allergy card” might not be able to do that for much longer. And on the flip side, people who really love cats and are legitimately allergic to them will be able to play with all the furry buddies they want to! How, you ask? Because scientists have invented a vaccine that can be given to cats to make us humans less allergic to them. Hallelujah!

The vaccine is injected into cats (meaning you don’t even have to take the needle yourself), and it makes them produce less of the allergen that causes people to sneeze uncontrollably around them. The researchers have been working on the project for five years, and they call the vaccine HypoCat.

One of the researchers, Martin Bachmann, said, “We feel the numbers and conclusions are sufficient to drive our investment in further development. This is also reflected by the fact that JACI the Nr 1 allergy journal, published our study. In 2020, more safety and efficacy testing studies will be initiated.”

Bachmann said that once it is released, HypoCat will be affordable for pet owners. According to one of the researchers, the vaccine should be available sometime in 2022. Hooray!

Do you think anti-vaxxers will just have to weigh in on this one as well?

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Four Loko Has a New Hard Seltzer Coming out Soon – Here Are Some of the Best Reactions from People Online

What a time to be alive!

Four Loko is getting in on the increasingly popular hard seltzer game and people are all kinds of worked up about it.

And the Four Loko folks are even being kind of cocky about it. When they made their announcement, they tagged a bunch of other seltzer companies just so they knew there was a (potential) new sheriff in town.

Photo Credit: Instagram

And Four Loko isn’t messing around. The new hard seltzer has 14% alcohol content while the popular White Claw only has 5%.

Let’s take a look at what people online think about this development.

1. Uh oh

2. Tears

3. Now I remember…

4. You know you will

5. Fired up

6. This might be rough

7. How bad can it be?

8. You got that right

9. In love again

10. Pretty much

11. Let’s just take it slow

12. A deadly game

13. Dear God, no!

14. Yes, they should…

15. Amen

I’m ready to give this a shot and see what kind of JOLT it gives me.

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Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter…

Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter, suffered huge losses after a fire broke out in his woodworking shop that made furniture. He descended into bankruptcy and decided to start making small wood items, including toys. He even renamed his company to ‘leg godt’ (‘play well’) or Lego.

People Share What Job They’d Want If Every Occupation Paid the Same Salary

I’ve thought about this one before…

If every job paid the same amount of money, what job would I take? Professional bowler sounds mighty nice right about now.

AskReddit users answered that very question.

What would your answer be? Share in the comments below!

1. Sounds awesome

“Park Ranger in a national park.”

2. Oooohhhhh

“Travel destinations reviewer.”

3. Might be the perfect answer

“During the warmer seasons I would like to make and sell ice cream. During the colder seasons I would like to make and sell soup.”

4. The simple life

“I wanna go back to serving coffee and decorating cakes and donuts.”

5. Surrounded by flowers

“Probably being a florist. I love flowers and the art of design and would love to own a flower shop.”

6. Yes!

“Clerk in a used book store.”

7. Cool

“I would want to build those giant windmills.”

8. “Anonymous” is key

“Anonymous artist.”

9. Might be fun?

“Librarian at a college library.”

10. Doing good work

“Animal rescue.”

11. Actually, this might be mine

“Horror movie special effect artist.”

12. Okay…

“The guy who drives a tractor and mows the highway median.”

13. Always need one of those

“Really would like to open my own pub/deli.”

14. Old timey

“Blacksmith. It’s what I want to do with my life already, and I have a good start on a list of materials to start out, just no time, money, or knowledge yet.”

15. Amen!

“Dog walker or working at a doggy daycare

I just want to be with dogs all day.”

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Take a Look at These Housing Design Fails Shared by Real Estate Agents

It’s amazing what kind of housing designs are out there…

Venessa Van Winkle is on a mission: she’s a real estate agent who is showing the world just how epic some home design fails are.

😳 Being in real estate I see a lot of weird and random things… 👀👀 These are some that my fellow agents have shared….

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

They’re funny, surprising, and some of them are just downright WEIRD.

Have a look.

1. Careful getting out of the tub

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

2. WOW

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

3. His and Hers

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

4. Interesting choices…

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

5. Pee-wee Herman’s house?

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

6. A palace

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

7. Yikes

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

8. Take a bath while cooking

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

9. Nightmare

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

10. Okay…

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

11. Backsplash

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

12. Just go down the long hallway

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

13. Carpet…on the bathtub?

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

14. NOPE

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

15. Welcome!

Posted by Venessa Van Winkle on Monday, July 29, 2019

I have a feeling some of those houses are a pretty tough sell…

The post Take a Look at These Housing Design Fails Shared by Real Estate Agents appeared first on UberFacts.

A Texas Movie Theater Lets You Bring Your Dog and the Ticket Includes Bottomless Wine

This is what I’m talking about! And I have a feeling I’m not alone.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that armies of millions are lined up behind me in their overwhelming excitement about this news: there’ is now a movie theater where $15 buys you a ticket to the show and you can bring your dog with you. Oh, and you get unlimited wine or four whiskeys with that ticket.

Boom!

K9 Cinemas in Plano, Texas, is the name of the joint, and it opened in late 2018. There are only three rules people need to follow at the cinema: no more than two dogs per person (it costs $5 to bring an extra pup), you need to bring valid papers from your dog’s vet the first time you visit, and you need to clean up after your best friend. Also, you can buy snacks for yourself (obviously) and treats for your furry friend, too.

Eric Lankford, who founded K9 Cinemas, said, “I can’t believe we are breaking ground with a new niche nobody has done before — dogs and movies! We are excited to spread the smiles across your whole families faces, furry included, at a K9C near you coming soon!”

Lankford said about the business and beloved dog, Bear:

“Little did Bear and I know we would soon be published in every major publication you can name both nationally and worldwide. Turns out when you start a passion project with a decade of experience building businesses and turn that experience on to something you sincerely love, something special happens. I simply want to make other people as happy as Bear makes me. When our customers come through our doors it’s nothing but smiles and laughter.”

The theater doesn’t show first-run films yet, but instead screens one-off movies and hosts theme nights. And, of course, you better believe the theater has hosted Game of Thrones viewing parties.

Genius idea! I smell a franchise brewing…

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This Is How Much These Iconic Movie Cars Cost in Real Life

Think about some of the iconic movies featuring cars: Back to the FutureBullitt, heck, how about Herbie the Love Bug? A lot of times, cars play as big of a role in movies as actors do.

But how much do those bad boys cost in real life? The wait is now over! We have the answers!

Here’s how much 5 iconic movie cars would cost to buy today.

1. 1970 Dodge Charger – The Fast and the Furious

This baby costs a cool $85,000. The Fast and Furious franchise has really catapulted these muscle cars to the forefront. When they came out in 1970, they were only valued at $3,711. My, how times change…

2. 1966 Ford Thunderbird – Thelma & Louise

The actual car from the film sold for $71,500 in 2008. She sure is a beauty, ain’t she?

Just don’t drive it over a cliff, okay?

3. 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 – Back to the Future

Yes! One of the most iconic cars in cinematic history! The DeLorean driven by Marty McFly actually cost $25,000 when it was produced ($69,000 in today’s currency), and today the model is only valued at $32,378, according to recent sales. Kind of surprising, huh?

4. 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback – Bullitt

The streets and hills of San Francisco have never looked cooler than they did in 1968’s Bullitt with Steve McQueen. The film is famous for its car chase scenes throughout the extremely hilly city.

These models originally sold for $3,500 and now can fetch $80,000. Timeless and TOUGH.

5. 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition – Smokey and the Bandit

Burt Reynolds’ finest hour? Perhaps…though he was also pretty amazing in Deliverance, you must admit. But many people remember Reynolds for Smokey and the Bandit. And why not – just look at that Firebird!

The car originally cost $5,456, and they go for around $22,000 today. Not bad, not bad at all!

The post This Is How Much These Iconic Movie Cars Cost in Real Life appeared first on UberFacts.

Why Grit Is More Important Than IQ When It Comes to Success

One of my professors in college told us about a former student who was now a bigshot at a company in New York City and how well they were doing. A classmate of mine said to me, “Well, I guess you can have an okay career after you leave here.” I didn’t respond, but I’ve always believed that, ultimately, it really is up to you how far you go in your professional life. Yes, education and connections definitely help along the way, but just because you went to a certain school or a door is opened for you doesn’t mean that anything is guaranteed after that. You have to work hard and keep improving if you want to fulfill your dreams.

And, by the way, everyone has their own definition of what success means. For some, it’s a prestigious job on Wall Street, for others, it’s flipping pancakes at the local diner in their hometown where they know everyone.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

But back to my original point: intelligence might not be the best indicator of future success in life. Instead, it might be what psychologist Angela Duckworth calls “grit.” Duckworth believes that a special blend of passion and persistence is what makes high achievers special. In other words, not high IQ scores, high SAT scores, or a diploma from a prestigious university.

Posted by Angela Duckworth on Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Duckworth believes that grit is about being resilient and hardworking, and always wanting to improve. And another important aspect of this mindset: being able to overcome failure, which is tough for all of us. Passion is another key element in being successful. Duckworth says of some of the successful people she’s studied, “Even if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring.”

Duckworth believes that effort is more important than IQ and she came up with two equations to explain her concept.

• Talent x effort = skill

• Skill x effort = achievement

Duckworth says, “Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Bottom line: grit, heart, and busting your rear end really do count and pay off. So even if you didn’t get into the best school, don’t have a bunch of family connections, and get rejected from a job (or multiple jobs), keep pushing forward. Be gritty and you’ll go far.

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Here’s What It Costs to Open a Franchise of 10 Popular Fast Food Restaurants

Have you ever wanted to run your own fast food restaurant? It can be a good business idea – there’s a McDonald’s on every corner for a reason.

But how much does it cost to get that franchise off the ground and running?

If you’ve ever kicked around the idea of opening one of these joints, here’s what you need to know.

1. McDonald’s

You need to have a net worth of at least $500,000, and you’ll need to put down 40% of the total cost of a new Mickey D’s or 25% of an existing restaurant.

The corporate folks at McDonald’s also add, “There are limited opportunities to enter the program with less cash available (primarily in rural or urban areas), and, in some situations, the financial requirements may be substantially higher depending on the specifics of the transaction.”

2. Chick-fil-A

The popular chicken joint requires a down payment of $10,000 and there’s no net worth requirement specified. You have to be free of other active business ventures and assure the higher-ups that you’re going to run the restaurant full time with a hands-on approach. And here’s a heads-up: they’re pretty selective.

3. Starbucks

This seems like it would be a good investment even if you put it on the moon. But…I have some bad news: Starbucks doesn’t franchise in the U.S. or Canada.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz explained: “The culture and values of how we related to our customers, which is reflected in how the company relates to our [employees], would determine our success. And we thought the best way to have those kinds of universal values was to build around company-owned stores and then to provide stock options to every employee, to give them a financial and psychological stake in the company.”

4. Taco Bell

Oh yeah! I’d be down for owning one of these babies! You need an initial down payment of $45,000 and a net worth of $1.5 million with $750,000 personal liquidity. Okay, I’m out. But maybe you aren’t!

Also, franchisees need to operate the business day-to-day.

5. In-N-Out

If you’ve never had the pleasure of having an In-N-Out burger, you’re missing out. I just hope they keep spreading to the east coast, because once every couple years isn’t good enough for this guy.

Anyway, the company said they will “never” franchise their restaurants, so I might be screwed.

6. KFC

Ahhhh, good old KFC. A staple of every town and city across the land. To get in on the Colonel’s action, you need a $20,000 down payment, a net worth requirement of $1.5 million, with $750,000 in liquid assets. Pretty steep, friends.

7. Burger King

BK ain’t playing around. To get going, you need a $15,000 to $50,000 down payment and a net worth requirement: $3 million, with $1 million in liquid assets. And the interview process is pretty strict as well…

8. Sonic

As far as I’m concerned, we need more Sonic restaurants across our great nation. To become a Sonic franchisee, you need a down payment of $45,00 and a net worth requirement of $1 million. The restaurant claims you might end up with a total investment of anywhere from $1.22 to $3.53 million, and that doesn’t include the cost of the land.

9. Subway

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Hi, I’m Clare and I’ll be your sandwich artist today 💁🏼‍♀️🥖 ⁣ ⁣ You may have heard the exciting news that @subway_ukireland has launched a new vegan sub and a vegan salad! Well, a few weeks ago I was invited to whip on some @subway_ukireland gear and try to make it as fast as I possibly could (Don’t mean to brag but 52 seconds for anyone who’s wondering 😜😜) ⏰⁣ ⁣ ⁣ So, what’s it like?⁣ 🌱Vegan sub w/ a sweet pepper, red onion, spinach, garlic & chilli patty, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber & vegan garlic aioli. Both the Italian and hearty Italian breads are vegan. ⁣ 💰£3.80 (6 inch – prices may vary) ✏ I wasn’t sure what to expect from the patty but I really enjoyed it! Whilst it’s made of veggies, it has quite a meaty sausage-like texture to it which gives the sandwich substance. I also really love the garlic aioli and they’re generous with the serving of it! It didn’t feel dry at any point, the fresh lettuce and red onion added a nice crunch. There’s a lot of red onion so you’ll taste like it for a while but I made my peace with that 😂 To be honest, this exceeded my expectations! Not bad at all 👏🏼 The salad is also delicious but perhaps not quite substantial enough for this little hungry vegan.⁣ ❓Order again? Yes⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📍Location: Various⁣ 🌾GF Options: No⁣ 🌱100% Vegan? Omni⁣ 🏠Eatery: Takeaway⁣ 💰Affordability: £⁣ 👩‍🍳Service: Fast (trust me!)⁣ 🎶Atmosphere: Casual⁣ 📸 @thebigjolleyvegan & me⁣ 📦Leftovers: Nope⁣, ate the lot 🗺Website & Map: Link in bio⁣ ⁣🐶Dog friendly? Depends on store ⁣ Has anyone else tried it yet? What did you think? 🥖

A post shared by Vegan Food 🌱 London 🇬🇧 (@thelittlelondonvegan) on

Calling all sandwich artists! You’ll need a down payment of $139,500 to $341,000, but there is no net worth requirement.

10. Arby’s

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#arbys #beefandcheddar #curlyfries #cherryturnover

A post shared by Jesse (@diesel_smoke_jesse) on

An Arby’s franchisee needs a down payment of $314,550 to $1.8 million and a net worth requirement of $1 million, with at least $500,000 in liquid assets. There’s a lot of horsey sauce to be purchased, folks.

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