Category: Society & Laws

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Jenna Fischer’s Visit to College Doesn’t Go as Planned. Now She Wants to See a Change

When actress Jenna Fischer paid a visit to DePauw University in Indiana for a Q&A and a book signing on April 17, 2019, the former star of The Office got more than she bargained for.

In fact, Fischer was so moved by what she saw that she took to Twitter after her visit to explain her feelings and her outrage.

Fischer learned that there had been four separate hate-filled incidents in Greencastle, Indiana, in one week before her visit, including the N-word spelled out with rocks in a local park, and anti-gay and anti-Semitic messages found scrawled in a bathroom.

While Fischer was at DePauw to promote her book, The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide, a group of demonstrators from the university’s Association of African-American Students interrupted the event, displaying a banner that read “We are not safe.”

Fischer was shocked by what she witnessed, and she shared her thoughts about the visit to DePauw on Twitter. Please read the whole post.

Fischer announced that she will be donating the money she was paid for her visit to DePauw to three organizations that for equal rights for minorities and LGBTQ people: the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, and The Trevor Project.

In her tweet, Fischer said, “My hope is for all people to be respected, accepted, and loved for their individuality and uniqueness. And, above all, to be safe.”

Amen to that.

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8 Awesome Facts That’ll Make You Seem Like The Smartest Person in the Room

I think it’s pretty important to learn something new every day. It makes you a better-rounded person, and also makes you a much better partner in a conversation.

So, enjoy these 8 facts that’ll make you feel smarter right away!

1. Hmmmm

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Obese pharaohs

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3. Gay griffons

Photo Credit: did you know?

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4. I notice this all the time

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5. Just in case

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6. Oh, great!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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7. Xennial

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8. Panic in the streets

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Say it again, “I did not know that!”

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5 Internet Rabbit Holes You Could Easily Get Lost in

I do it. You do it. We all do it. You go down an Internet rabbit hole and spend hours upon hours researching one subject because you just never knew there was so much to learn about underwater basket weaving!

My personal current favorite is The Charley Project. It’s terrifying and spooky, especially if you read the stories before you go to bed at night.

Here are 5 more Internet rabbit holes that you might get totally obsessed with.

1. The family that couldn’t sleep

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Okay, this is a really weird story. Fatal insomnia? Does it get any more terrifying than that?

Start with the link above and then descend into this creepy rabbit hole.

2. The Worst Thing For Sale

This website features the absolute worst things for sale online! And it’s updated every. Single. Day.

3. Uncontacted peoples

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

We think we know it all, but we really have a lot to learn about our fellow humans. Like: did you know there are still uncontacted tribes out there that have no idea about modern civilization?

Fascinating…

4. Timeline of the far future

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

This page offers an interesting and kind of horrifying vision of what will happen to the world in the future. This stuff kind of makes me want to hide under my bed for a while.

5. Two Weird/Spooky Wikipedia Sites

Photo Credit: Public Domain

These are right up my alley. Wikipedia’s Unusual Articles page is exactly what it sounds like. Weird, creepy, flat-out unusual. Trust me, you’ll get lost on here.

The other is Wikipedia’s Unusual Deaths page. Oh yeah, this is good stuff.

Give these a shot…and I’ll see you in about a month…

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Washington May Become First State to Legalize “Human Composting”

It’s an age-old question that you’ve most likely thought about at one time or another: what will happen to your body after you die? Do you want to be buried in a cemetery? Cremated and spread into the ocean?

Photo Credit: Max Pixel

In what would be a historic move, it looks like Washington may be the first state to offer ‘human composting’ as an option after residents pass away. The method transforms human remains into soil, takes four to seven weeks to complete, and results in roughly a cubic yard of…well, compost.

Washington’s state legislature already passed a bill allowing human composting, and now it’s up to Governor Jay Inslee to sign the bill into law. If he does, the law will take effect in May 2020.

Here’s how it works: bodies are placed into large, cylindrical tubes filled with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. A controlled amount of oxygen helps to speed up the decomposition, and after 4-7 weeks the transformation is complete. Family and friends can keep the soil in urns or do whatever they see fit with the remains.

Back to Earth: Washington set to allow 'human composting': https://www.kspr.com/content/news/Back-to-Earth-Washington-set-to-allow-human-composting-508906941.html

Posted by KSPR News on Monday, April 22, 2019

The process has been called an eco-friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation, which releases 600 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.

It will be interesting to see what states follow Washington’s lead if the bill is signed into law.

Do you have thoughts on this matter? Share them in the comments below!

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This Passenger’s Conversation with Jet Blue Airline Is Absolutely Terrifying

Are you the type of person who believes in conspiracy theories and doesn’t trust 90% of what the government says? Then you may not want to read about this conversation between airline passenger MacKenzie Fegan and Jet Blue Airlines.

She went to the airport and was in line to board her flight, ready with her boarding pass in hand. But it turned out she didn’t need it – all she had to do was look into camera. No one asked her for her pass. No one asked her if she wanted to opt out or in to whatever was going on, and MacKenzie went along, because that’s what we do when we’ve been trained to keep the line moving and people are waiting.

She started to think about it later, though, and sent the company a tweet.

The ensuing thread should make each and every one of us wonder what’s ours, what can the government claim without asking, and how will things like our images be used without our consent.

Not that there’s anything we can do about it, apparently, but…the more you know?

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These Gorillas Actually Posed for Selfies with Anti-Poaching Rangers

The 600 rangers at the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo have a serious task: protecting the park’s animals from poachers. And it’s clear that some of the rangers have formed strong bonds with some of the park’s gorillas.

The rangers routinely take selfies with the beautiful animals and it’s obvious that there is a whole lot of mutual trust and admiration there.

This is frankly amazing.

WORDS TO LIVE BY- SAGESSE INTEMPORELLEFrom a Virunga National Park ranger, translated from the French:"When one is…

Posted by The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers. on Thursday, May 17, 2018

Here’s another up close and personal shot.

FAMILY PORTRAITPatrick Sadiki, Ndakasi & Matabishi. ???

Posted by The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers. on Friday, August 10, 2018

This one, however, has to take the cake.

ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE…Photo: Ranger Mathieu Shamavu (c)NOTE: UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THIS PHOTO WILL BE REPORTED TO FACEBOOK

Posted by The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers. on Thursday, April 18, 2019

Looks like an album cover, doesn’t it?

A beautiful story. Be sure to follow their Facebook page. Keep up the great work, park rangers!

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Nabisco Sets Animal Crackers Free from Their Circus Cages

It’s a symbolic gesture, but an important one, nonetheless. After 116 years, the famous Barnum’s Animal Crackers have a brand new box design – and the details are important.

To refresh your memory, here’s what the old box looked like.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Now here’s the new design for the packaging.

After 116 Years, Barnum's Animal Crackers are…

Posted by I LOVE DESIGN DGO on Sunday, April 21, 2019

That’s right, the animals have been “freed” – they are no longer in cages and behind bars. A push from folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) helped to spark the change.

The new design shows the animals walking across the savannah with no bars, cages, or chains in sight. PETA’s people got in touch with the company back in 2016 and suggested it might be a good idea to show the animals in their natural environments.

Several companies make animal crackers, but Nabisco’s Barnum brand has been the most popular for decades. The brand was named after the legendary P.T. Barnum, and Nabisco started manufacturing the cookies in 1902. Obviously,  attitudes towards animals have changed since then.

Times have changed so much that in May 2017, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus closed business for good.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

In a statement, PETA said, “The new box for Barnum’s Animals perfectly reflects that our society no longer tolerates caging and chaining exotic animals for circus shows.”

Bravo! Any progress is good these days…

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15 States Where It’s Actually Legal to Fire Someone Just for Being LGBTQ

Believe it or not, there are still places in the United States – in 2019! – where there are no protections in place keeping gay people from being fired from their jobs for simply being who they are.

These 15 states below offer no protection at all for LGBT people from being terminated from employment.

All of the statistics below come from the Movement Advancement Project.

1. Texas

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Texas: 873,454

2. Arkansas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Arkansas: 76,251

3. North Carolina

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in North Carolina: 323,319

4. South Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in South Dakota: 19,939

5. Wyoming

Photo Credit: GoodFreePhotos

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Wyoming: 14,618

6. Mississippi

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Mississippi: 79,814

7. North Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in North Dakota: 15,697

8. West Virginia

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in West Virginia: 57,667

9. Virginia

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Virginia: 259,268

10.  Missouri

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Missouri: 180,486

11. Kansas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Kansas: 72,783

12. Louisiana

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Louisiana: 138,998

13. South Carolina

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in South Carolina: 139,236

14. Nebraska

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Nebraska: 55,192

15. Oklahoma

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Oklahoma: 113,491

Here is a complete list of local non-discrimination ordinances across the U.S.

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This Mom is Changing the Game by Shooting Portraits of Girls in Sparkly Dresses and Sports Gear

From a young age, girls are sent the message that they have to either be girly-girls or tomboys. There’s no in between and there’s no overlapping.

Well, not anymore.

Heather Mitchell runs HMP Couture Imagery in Alabama, and she shoots portraits of young girls who want to do what they want to do. Her series is called “Because you can do it all”, and it has gone viral in a big way.

Dress by Dollcake

Posted by HMP Couture Imagery on Friday, April 12, 2019

Mitchell said, “My youngest daughter is 8 and she is trying softball this year for the first time. We were at practice a few weeks ago and I was talking with the other moms. I was saying that I hoped Paislee learned to love the game because she was athletic. One of the moms told me that she was not athletic, that she was a girly-girl.”

She added, “I couldn’t sleep that night. All I could think was, ‘Why does she have to choose?’ I played every sport my school offered and wore lipstick to every game. So the next day we went to the studio and created her shot.”

Posted by AnthonyAshley Kelsoe on Thursday, April 18, 2019

After posting shots of her daughter Paislee on Facebook, the requests from other moms came flooding in.

Take a look at these young ladies.

Dress by Dollcake

Posted by HMP Couture Imagery on Friday, April 12, 2019

Posted by HMP Couture Imagery on Friday, April 12, 2019

Mitchell added a final comment. “My parent taught me that I could be anything I wanted growing up. I didn’t realize till I was much older that everyone is not that blessed.”

Great stuff! Remember girls – you can do it all!

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This French Theme Park Trained Some Crows to Keep the Place Clean

Theme parks all tend to have a few elements in common – plenty of rides, souvenir shops, food stalls, and, of course, an abundance of birds hopping around trying to pick up any food that falls to the ground.

Now, Puy du Fou, a theme park in Les Epesses, France, has decided that if birds are going to be hanging around begging for leftover popcorn and discarded funnel cakes, they might as well earn their keep. To that end, they’ve trained a small contingent of rooks as staff – they get paid in treats to clean up garbage and cigarette butts from the grounds.

Image Credit: Puy du Fou

Rooks are in the same family of birds as ravens and crows, highly intelligent and trainable animals. The ones at Puy du Fou pick up litter and place it in a bin in exchange for a treat – the team of 6 birds have been working hard since August 13.

Image Credit: Pixabay

It sounds a bit out there, but the amusement park is far from the first company to give it a go. Dutch startup Crowded Cities started training crows to gather cigarette butts using a vending machine-like device that offers peanuts in exchange for trash, and the experiment is going well.

Image Credit: Pixabay

If it continues to work with no detrimental effects to the crows (from handling tobacco), we could see a broader implementation of the idea worldwide – maybe nature can help us clean up nature, even though we’re the ones who soiled it in the first place.

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