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New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
The Business and Industry Hardest Hit By COVID-19
With all the talk and effort to help small businesses survive the pandemic, no one is addressing how to bail out the hardest hit business and industry in the world, the pickpocket industry.
Diane StewartPublished 3 years ago in FYIWhy the Soviet Union Advertised Products Consumers Could Not Buy
In 1967–1991, over 6000 commercials were created to promote products that neither the Soviet government nor state-owned companies wanted to produce, according to the magazine Russia Beyond.
Victoria KurichenkoPublished 3 years ago in FYI4 Rockstar Classical Composers
Classical music is dull as dishwater, isn’t it? The stuffy, well educated middle-aged, reverentially filling concert halls, following etiquette as mysterious as it is non inclusive. If you infiltrate this world, you will hear talk of modal fifths, the importance of madrigals, and secret whispers that the flautist was a beat early at the beginning of the recitative. The truth is that, even for those who enjoy Classical music, there is layer upon layer of snobbery and study that can often make the world seem entirely inaccessible.
Dominic McGowanPublished 3 years ago in BeatThe Overlooked Pollinators
While bees get most of the attention when it comes to who pollinates our crops, there is an integral nighttime pollinator that shouldn’t be overlooked. Bats are responsible for pollinating over 500 types of tropical plants and flowers across the globe, including dates, bananas, agave, cashews, eucalyptus, avocados, cacao, and durian. They are important in the medicinal world, several remedies such as treatments for epilepsy and night blindness, coming from plants that rely upon bats for their survival.
M.R. CameoPublished 3 years ago in FYIVicious Beast to Victim: Folklore of the Tasmanian Tiger
The Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine is an iconic Tasmanian animal that went extinct in 1936 when the last Tiger died in captivity. Today, the animal is steeped in myths and legends that have been weaved into its history since the nineteenth century. The Thylacine experienced varying treatment by groups that each had different values and dealings with it. This includes the contributions of a struggling scientific front in trying to understand the unfamiliar, farmers with inept farming practices and naturalists in support of the animal. Not many people are aware of why the Tiger is embraced as a state icon in Tasmania, Australia, and how the media and public perception evolved over centuries to end with a population with deep-seeded guilt and responsibility for the decimation of a species.
Eloise RobertsonPublished 3 years ago in FYICan We Stop Praising 'Lost in Translation'?
I was an undergrad when everyone was touting Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation as artistic and edgy. So, like every other kid in my dorm at the time, I tapped into the campus DC++, added it to my download queue, and gave it a watch.
Al OpenbookPublished 3 years ago in GeeksThe Prolific and Peculiar Career of Alan Smithee
“Across all feature films made worldwide in the past seventy years (between 1949 and 2018), it’s a rare club of just 134 directors (0.1%) who have directed more than 20 movies.” - Stephen Follows
Jacynta ClaytonPublished 3 years ago in FYIThe Waves at Waimea
The thunderous waves beat on the shore with such intensity you would've thought they were trying to cause physical harm to the sand. The shore break was intimidating to even those who could swim really well, with it waves that reached up as if to try and grab the clouds before crashing back down again. I stood as the foamy waterline, as wave after wave rushed across the sand and covered my feet. Looking out past the waves on the shoreline the ocean seemed so calm, still almost with only slight bubbling ripples to disturb that stillness. It made me question where the force behind the waves was coming from. It was as if some invisible giant were out standing in the water trying to splash everyone on the dry beach, just as a little child would in a pool trying to splash his siblings. Very few people were out swimming around past the waves' deadly yet inviting grip. It took a lot of focus and even more exertion to get out there; I had never done it yet, but was a fair swimmer and intended to try one of these trips.
Brandi NoellePublished 3 years ago in WanderA Sip Of Merlot
When I walk into the room, the first thing I notice is the oppressive heat. It slides over my skin like velvet, and wherever its warm fingers press against me, sweat pools, the droplets soaking into my bright crimson dress, darkening the fabric into the colour of blood.
Abrianna LeamingPublished 3 years ago in HorrorThe Point of Purchasing: How Spring Cleaning Really Begins at the Shop
The big clean I no longer do spring cleaning. No, I have not decided to become a hoarder. But for many years now, my spring cleaning has become a December o-souji, which is basically the Japanese term for a big or important cleaning. The new year o-souji is a deep house-cleaning, one-part practical clean-up and one-part ritual cleansing — symbolically ridding the house of bad luck from the past year, and sprucing it up for the spirits that will bring good luck in the next.
Owen SchaeferPublished 3 years ago in LifehackLiving Underground
“I agree that two times two is four is an excellent thing; but if we’re going to start praising everything, then two times two is five is sometimes also a most charming little thing.” - Dostoevsky
Short Film Reviews: Women's History Month
Since #MeToo went viral in 2017 (eleven years after activist Tarana Burke founded the movement), it can't be denied that it brought massive changes to the entertainment industry and society as a whole. Serial sex predators were exposed, abuses of power against women were brought to light, and a culture of sexism that was once tolerated and accepted was called out for what it was. And while there's still plenty of work to be done, society has definitely made great strides toward gender equality in the past years. So in celebration of Women's History Month, I'll be taking a look at a few short films created by female filmmakers. With an evenly split selection of films from Short of the Week and Omeleto (my go-to sources for short films), let's begin!
Trevor WellsPublished 3 years ago in VivaA Grand Dad
Before I knew what trans was, let alone that I was trans, you could easily say that I was a Daddy’s Girl. Except for one small fact- I didn’t consider myself someone who HAD a dad until after I lost him.
At the Theatre
According to the Poetry Foundation, an ekphrastic poem "is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art." For my own take on this, I've chosen to describe Prudence Heward's "At the Theatre" (1928).
Noémi BlomPublished 3 years ago in Poets4 Unconventional Things Nobody Tells You to Do at Work
When you are young, the first job seems like a blessing. You diligently do what others say, sacrifice your time and energy to complete tasks, go above and beyond to prove you are worth your role.
Victoria KurichenkoPublished 3 years ago in JournalMorning routine
Peering into the woman who stood before me, I got lost in the uncertainty of her glare. Unemotive eyes hiding the tension held between her shoulders, pulling her posture inward. The routine sigh wasn’t deep enough to release the tightness that wrapped around her chest. Quiet judgments filled the air, even in silence they were all I could hear, I guess I never quite learned how to love the reflection I saw in the mirror. Clumsily, I collect my things. Frightened by the echo of my mascara hitting the bathroom sink, still not a cacophony bold enough to bring me back to the moment. I had drifted down the deserted path of my anxieties, absent of the wisdom I held my standards to, and there was no end in sight. Alerted by the reverberating call coming from my torn coat pocket, it was time to force myself out the door.
TheLateBloomPublished 3 years ago in PsycheGiving a Voice to the True Americans
When native lands were invaded by foreign Europeans in the 1700s, the people who lived upon those areas were quick to take action. Battles were fought; blood was shed. This may sound like the start of a very interesting movie, but as we all know, it is history. Native Americans were driven away from their homes to designated areas the government had “given” to them. Yes, given. After taking their homes and forcing them to walk miles upon miles chained up, they decided compensation would be provided by giving them land. This type of mistreatment was not uncommon back then, and it is not uncommon nowadays, either. Native people are just like you and I. They have the same hopes, dreams, and feelings as you do, but they are still being treated otherwise. That is the issue. The general public wants to believe reservation life is great, but unless you are there, you will never know the struggles the people face every day. Since living conditions, schools systems, and healthcare are severely flawed on reservations, more must be done to finally end the injustice Native Americans receive in the United States..
10 Things No One Tells You About The Dangers Of Being A Sexworker
Hey there! I've been working in the adult film world as a writer, interviewer, and jack-of-all trades for years. When I was younger, I was trafficked. So, I've seen a lot of the scene. With recent attacks geared towards sexworkers making the news, I feel it's time for me to speak up about what I've seen in the industry.
Ossiana M. TepfenhartPublished 3 years ago in FilthyCreator Spotlight: Bianca Best
Bianca Best is an immensely driven, buoyant, and accomplished author, entrepreneur, and mother of four from the UK. While some adults tend to shy away from self-improvement and fulfillment as their primary responsibilities take shape, Bianca practices and preaches what it takes to rise above complacency and demand achievement in the modern world.
Vocal SpotlightPublished 3 years ago in ResourcesThe Deadly Power of Words
Words have incredible power, especially when they are repeated and digested as truth. No, you can't shoot or stab someone with words, but they are tools on the continuum of violence.