Category: World Culture

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12 Examples of “Hostile Architecture” That Cities Use to Keep Homeless People from Sleeping in Public Places

Sadly, homelessness is a major problem, both in the United States and around the globe. In every major city – and even in a lot of medium-sized and smaller towns – you’re bound to see the unfortunate sight of homeless people sleeping on the streets.

Some cities have chosen to help fight against homelessness, while others have chose to fight against homeless people. The weapon of choice: “hostile architecture.” If you’re not familiar with the term, it basically means using architecture to make public spaces inhospitable to sleeping or sitting, or really just existing.

Here are some examples of how cities are dealing with their homeless people.

What do you think about these methods?

11. Anti-homeless spikes.

2. That guy had a good solution.

To prevent the homeless from sleeping here from therewasanattempt

3. He has a point.

Photo Credit: Reddit

4. Seems like a bit of a contradiction.

5. Yes, it does.

Anyone else find this ironic? from HostileArchitecture

6. Wow. That is harsh.

7. Locked up at night.

Bench in Volgodonsk, Russia from HostileArchitecture

8. Artistic, but serves a purpose.

"Les pieux de pierre sont impressionnants. Taillés en forme d’obélisque, ils sont installés sur un site privé du…

Posted by Dégustation de Bon Sens Liège on Thursday, October 4, 2018

9. That just looks painful.

The worst example of anti-homeless architecture I’ve ever seen from COMPLETEANARCHY

10. Uncomfortable shelter from the storm.

Photo Credit: Imgur

11. Seems a little cruel.

You’ve got to be the worst kind of heartless twat if you can go around slashing homeless people’s tents

12. No sleeping on this ledge.

Photo Credit: Imgur

It’s always difficult to see a person struggling in this way. Be kind to each other!

None of us truly know what someone else is going through and what circumstances led them to their current situation, so treat everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of how much money they have in their pocket or if they have a roof over their head.

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Russia Confirmed That the Cold War–Era Ex-Bioweapons Lab That Stores Samples of Smallpox Recently Exploded

Well, that’s not good…

Samples of the highly contagious (but eradicated) disease smallpox only exist in two laboratories in the world. As a relic of the Cold War, one is in the United States, and the other is in Russia – and the one located in Russia recently weathered an explosion.

The smallpox sample, along with cultures of anthrax and ebola (and other deadly pathogens), is housed at the Virology and Biotechnology Center in Novosibirsk. The lab was once in the service of developing bioweapons during the Cold War, and it still remains tightly secured. The walls around it are reinforced concrete, high-tech fences and motion detectors help with patrolling the perimeter, and even though a scientist died 15 years ago after an accident with Ebola, the facility is generally considered to be safe.

That is, it was before part of the facility exploded during regularly scheduled repair work.

The facility leadership put out a statement (translated from Russian):

“There was an explosion of a gas cylinder with a fire on the 5th floor of a six-story reinforced concrete laboratory building in the sanitary inspection room being repaired. No work with biological material on the body was carried out. One person was injured, building structures were not damaged.”

The employee suffered burns on his legs, and doctors confirm that no biohazards were found outside the facility, and that there is no threat to the general population.

If smallpox were to escape this facility or the one in the United States, containment would be a hard row to hoe.

The disease, caused by the variola virus, was a horrific scourge, killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone. It was declared eradicated in 1979 following a global vaccination program, with the final death coming from a terrible accident in 1978.

It claimed the life of Janet Parker, a medical photographer who came into contact with a sample of the disease in a Birmingham Medical School laboratory.

The head of the lab, one Henry Bedson, committed suicide due to the guilt of releasing the deadly disease.

Once free of the disease, world powers made the decision to destroy all cultures except for those at the two secure laboratories for posterity (or bioweapons…again, Cold War). The last samples of the disease still reside there today.

Except for the live virus scientists fear could emerge from the thawing Siberian permafrost.

That, it would see, is a problem for another day.

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A Tree-Planting Search Engine Saw a 1150% Increase in Use After the Amazon Rainforest Fires

Step aside, Google. An eco-friendly search engine saw a 1150% increase in daily downloads in a single day after the Amazon rainforest fires.

Ecosia is a search engine that uses 80 percent of its profits from advertisements to plant millions of trees in Brazil, Ethiopia, and other emerging economies, Business Insider reports. The website claims to have planted 65 million trees to date – an impressive number.

Usually, Ecosia sees about 20,000 downloads per day. But recently, large swaths of the Amazon went up into flames in an urgent environmental disaster. As more people became aware of what was going on, people began using Ecosia en masse in an attempt to help combat the damage.

Photo Credit: iStock

On August 22, the company experienced 250,000 downloads in a single day, but the record-breaking moment was bittersweet for Ecosia.

“We had our team meeting and people were, on the one side, very happy because of the numbers but also very sad because of the forest fires,” Christian Kroll, Ecosia’s chief executive, told Business Insider. “So it’s both exciting and a tragic occurrence.”

The sudden burst in popularity is largely thanks to word-of-mouth. The app is frequently mentioned by Instagram and Twitter users who are spreading the word about the rainforest fires. Ecosia is now the top-ranked iOS app in Brazil.

Photo Credit: iStock

The Amazon rainforest experienced over 72,000 fires this year so far, an 83 percent increase from 2018. This is partly because of dry weather, and party because Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has walked back a decade’s worth of environmental protections. His actions have given cover to thousands of illegal farmers and ranchers to light fires to burn down forest to create more arable land for them to use. It’s a difficult situation because many of them have no other way to earn income, but the damage they’ve done to the forest – and thus to the world – is enormous.

Christian says he was inspired to start Ecosia after learning about environmental damage during his travels to South America and Nepal.

“In my opinion, planting trees helps people and the environment at the same time,” he said. He’s right.

He founded Ecosia in 2009, but it doesn’t do all that search work on its own. It partners with Microsoft’s search engine Bing to power its search results and display ads.

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A Utah Ghost Town Is Welcoming Artists for a Month-Long Residency

Do you feel like you need a new direction in life?

Okay, what if you moved to a ghost town in Utah for a month to make art?!

Yes, that’s a real possibility.

The town of Cisco has been uninhabited for decades except for one resident: Eileen Muza. A visual artist, she’s lived in the town alone since 2015. Now, with the help of her sisters Renée and Margaret, Eileen is starting a residency for artists. Her goal is to preserve the character of Cisco while also bringing more creative people to the area.

“I find this to be a good spot for an artist residency is because it is so unique,” Eileen told Atlas Obscura. “All eras of history are represented here in different states of decay. Many people might come through and just see a garbage dump, but I see layers and layers of human life.”

Photo Credit: YouTube

Home of the Brave is a three- to five-week nonprofit residency. Only one artist will attend at a time, twice a year. The workspace is at least an hour away from any other towns.

“It’s a really good place for solitude,” Eileen said. “It would provide a unique opportunity for someone who is not used to rural living.”

Photo Credit: YouTube

As a ghost town, Cisco is a truly special place. There are approximately 100 abandoned buildings, only seven of which are fully intact. One of them is Eileen’s log cabin.

“When I first came through Cisco I could not believe all the things left behind and even had trouble believing it was a ghost town at all,” Eileen said.

Artist residents will live in a rehabilitated Winnebago Brave camper at the heart of Cisco. The isolation of the workspace does have some downsides — for example, there’s no running water in the town, so artists will have to drive 40 minutes away to shower at the community center (or maybe there’s a well you can pump from?). There is, however, electricity and Wi-Fi provided.

On the plus side, you can enjoy complete solitude in the high desert of Utah. Surely, there’s no place like it!

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Civil War Cannonballs Were Uncovered on South Carolina Beaches Because of Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian was huge and powerful, leaving death and destruction throughout the Bahamas before moving to brush the southeastern coast of the United States.

There, it brought carnage and left floodwaters and debris, but it also uncovered something pretty special: two Civil War cannonballs that experts are saying are well over 150 years old.

Aaron Lattin and his girlfriend Alba stumbled on the find when they were walking on Folly Beach (near Charleston) on September 6th. They first thought the objects were rocks, but soon realized they’d found something pretty cool and very historical.

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew uncovered 16 similar cannonballs around the same area; it’s not unusual, since Folly Island was used as a Union base during the war. More than a few items left from their artillery battery can be stumbled upon up and down the shoreline.

Like unexploded WWII bombs uncovered in Britain, old cannonballs need to be treated with caution. In this case, police and bomb disposal technicians were called to the most recent scene to ensure the cannonballs were no longer a danger.

Mother Nature taketh away, but sometimes she gives, too. And for lovers of history everywhere, we’ll take what we can get.

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10 Fascinating Facts to Get Your Juices Flowing

If you’ve been in a rut lately, let’s put an end to that RIGHT THIS INSTANT!

You know why? And you know how? Because of this stellar fact set!

It covers all kinds of topics and it will give you a big BOOST.

Let’s dig into these facts.

1. Get busy, over 50 folks!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Beware of the Zone of Death

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3. That’s one way to go out

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4. Folks, I really hope this is true

Photo Credit: did you know?

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5. “He was…an American Gravedigger”

Photo Credit: did you know?

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6. Smoke ’em if you got ’em!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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7. I’ll do it if you do it

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8. I did not know that!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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9. Do you see the world differently?

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10. I think women were happy about that

Photo Credit: did you know?

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Now that’s better, wouldn’t you agree!

Work your brain out folks, it’s good for you!

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This Is What You Need to Know About the Starbucks ‘Cinderella Latte’ This Pumpkin Season

Here are the facts: there’s no escaping Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) season at Starbucks. It’s a national phenomenon, and people are obsessed with it.

And now it’s time to add another Starbucks drink to the list of seasonal favorites.

I’m talking about the “Cinderella Latte,” and you better act fast because these concoctions will be available only as long as the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte this fall. The Cinderella Latte has been around since 2018 when a Seattle-area barista who’d worked at Starbucks for 7 years came up with the drink, but it has kind flown under the radar, so here’s your chance to order it the right way and be a happier person.

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The now famous Cinderella Latte has been spreading magic at coffee shops everywhere this Fall☕🎃✨ Raise your hand if you have already tried my Disney inspired version of the classic Pumkin Spice Latte?! I still CANNOT believe the number of DM’s, posts and stories that are still coming in. This pic taken by @inkprincess143 of her Cinderella Latte is one of my faves! – THE STORY: I was a barista @starbucks for 7 years here in the Seattle area and I came up with a couple of Disney inspired drinks to spread a little magic to my customers & coworkers. I’ll be sharing another one soon! – CINDERELLA LATTE RECIPE: – Order a Pumpkin Spice Latte – Can be made hot, iced or a blended Frappuccino. – Sub half of the Pumpkin Spice pumps with White Mocha (Or if you have a real sweet tooth, try full pumps of each! 😉) – The white pumpkin reminded me of Cinderella’s coach and that’s why I call it the Cinderella Latte 🎃✨ – THE TEE!! Cinderella latte tees are in the shop now! – YOUR HOMEWORK: Now, go try one for yourself and tag me in your post or stories. Maybe we’ll get @starbucks attention and add it to the menu on Main Street!! – 📷 @inkprincess143 – – – – – – #happiestteesonearth #starbucks #disneystarbucks #starbucksdisney #psl #cinderellalatte #dcpfall2018 #castmembers #greenapron #sbux #coffee #disneymagic #disneysmmoms #disneylove #cinderella #disneygirls #foodsofdisneyland #disneyhungry #disneyfoodie #disneyfoodies #dressedindisney #styledbymagic #disneylifestylers #disneylifestyle #pumpkinspicelatte #pumpkinspice

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Ready? Okay. Since this is a secret-menu kind of deal, you can’t just order a Cinderella Latte when you hit your local Starbucks. It’s a little more complicated than that. Pay attention, because you don’t want to BLOW IT. Listen carefully:

  • Order a Pumpkin Spice Latte (I’m sure you know how to do that).
  • Substitute White Chocolate Mocha for half the pumps of Pumpkin Sauce (so you’ll get two pumps of Pumpkin Sauce and two pumps of White Chocolate Mocha).

If you don’t consider yourself a latte person, you can also order this combination as an iced latte or as a frappucino. You can also mix up the pumps if you really want to. Try four pumps of Pumpkin Sauce and four of White Chocolate Mocha, or maybe just one of each if you don’t have an intense sweet tooth.

Give the Cinderella Latte a shot and enjoy fall! It’s right around the corner!

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A Young Girl Asked for Green Army Women and the Toy Company Listened

You probably played with those famous little green Army men at one point or another – especially if you’re a male. But the Army men toy game was recently turned on its head when BMC Toys, the company that manufactures those little green guys, received a letter from a 6-year-old girl from Arkansas.

The little girl, Vivian Lord, sent a letter to the company that read, “My name is Vivian. I am six years old. Why do you not make girl army men. Some girls don’t like pink, so please can you make army girls that look like women? I would play with them every day and my friends would too!”

And the folks at BMC Toys took notice and decided to do something about it.

Posted by BMC Toys on Saturday, September 7, 2019

The President of BMC Toys, Jeff Imel, said, “It was a heartfelt letter. And it reminded me of being a kid and always wanting that toy that you couldn’t get in the gumball machine. So I really looked into it.”

Imel said the company did some research and decided to produce a line of female soldier toys that will be available by Christmas 2020. The new female army toys will come in four poses.

Imel said, “What’s been really surprising to me is how many women have contacted me since Vivian’s story aired on national television to say they wish they had little Green Army Women when they were children back in the ’60s.”

Posted by BMC Toys on Monday, September 2, 2019

It wasn’t an easy decision either. Imel is the only full-time employee at BMC and he explained the process: “I have to pay the sculptor. I have to pay the tooling. I have to make a down payment on production. If it’s coming from China, it’s on a boat for five weeks. By the time you figure out the cost of everything involved in making an original set of plastic toy figures in this size,” he said. “It starts around the cost of a modest new car.”

Imel added, “Every kid wants to be the hero of their story. It shouldn’t be up to us to decide who the hero is. Girls should be able to connect to the toys just as much as boys do.”

It may be pricey, but it will obviously be worth it once these toys hit the market. And it’s all due to young Vivian Lord’s decision to step up and write a letter. I have a feeling this girl is going to be a real trailblazer!

I can’t wait to see what the toys look like when they’re completed!

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Canadians Crowdfunded $3 Million to Save Pristine Land from Development

Hey, people in the U.S.: take the time to read this article and maybe we can follow the lead of our neighbors to the north on this, okay?

It’s always incredibly depressing to see untouched, pristine wilderness get purchased and developed by huge, wealthy corporations. Which is why people in Canada decided to take a stand to save 2,000 acres of beautiful coastline in British Columbia.

A crowdfunding effort raised $3 million to purchase the area of coastal wilderness in the Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia. The land is virtually untouched and citizens knew they only had one shot to make this work.

The crowdfunding was organized by the B.C. Parks Foundation, a group that works to protect natural landscapes. Logging companies and developers expressed interest in buying the gorgeous land after it was put up for sale by a private owner.

This crowdfunding effort wasn’t just a couple of wealthy people chipping in, either. Average Canadians paid $10 or $15 here and there to contribute to saving the 2,000 acres – and clearly it worked!

The B.C. Parks Foundation will make the land a protected park for all to enjoy.

Dear Park Supporters, You did it! Your love for British Columbia and beautiful places like Princess Louisa Inlet has…

Posted by BC Parks Foundation on Tuesday, September 3, 2019

The organization wrote a letter expressing its gratitude to all the people who donated money.

“Dear Park Supporters,

You did it! Your love for British Columbia and beautiful places like Princess Louisa Inlet has done something miraculous. In just a few short months, you have raised $3 million to protect a jewel in B.C’.s coast.

We still have to finalize the sale with the vendor (now September 3rd), and there are more steps to come, but in donating the funds you have scaled a substantial peak on this amazing expedition.

We know people want to keep B.C. beautiful, and we know our parks are the core of our identity. They are our cathedrals, our towers, our pyramids; the wonders of our world. But we couldn’t have predicted such a fabulous outpouring in such a short time from so many different people and places. We are in a state of awe and gratitude.

We will keep you posted when the deal is finalized. Any funds that continue to come in will be put in our Parks Bank to protect more areas in Princess Louisa and British Columbia.

With our deepest appreciation and admiration,

Ross Beaty, Board Chair
Andy Day, CEO”

Well done! More of this throughout the entire world, please!

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Target Has a New Loyalty Program with Cash Back and Birthday Rewards

We know how you feel about Target: You’re obsessed with shopping there (and just walking around and browsing there, too, apparently). So it’s pretty smart for the chain to start a loyalty program because you know, just like I do, that you’re going to spend about $100 in there every time, even if you just walked in to buy some laundry detergent. We can’t help it, okay?

On October 6, the store is launching the Target Circle program that comes with all kinds of incentives for customers. Let’s get into the details…

You can earn 1% on all your purchases that you can redeem later. And trust me, that adds up. Also, you’ll get personalized deals and a birthday present.

Members of the program will also have access to special sales, and they’ll be able to vote on Target’s charitable contributions. And the best part? It’s totally free, so there’s no reason not to do it. If you already have an account at Target.com or a RedCard, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the program.

Rick Gomez, Target’s chief marketing and digital officer, said, “Our goal is to motivate all guests to choose Target more often by providing meaningful benefits.” Sounds like a plan to me.

The program launches in a few weeks, so maybe you should hold off on your next major Target run until after October 6, so you can score some sweet deals. I’ll see you shopping in the aisles!

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