Month: May 2019

April showers bring May flowers. But in California’s case, heavy showers over a period of four months bring good news… and also flowers. Lots of flowers. This year, the spring in California is more glorious than ever before, because we went through a lot to get here.

Since December 20, 2011, California had experienced some sort of drought. But now, after almost a decade, the California drought is officially over thanks to a winter of heavy rains. Less than 7% of California is experiencing abnormally dry conditions. The Golden State is, in fact, golden instead of a yucky, deadish brown.

Because of the rains, reservoirs have been filled, soil moisture improved, and the bloom is super. “If we have a few more years of this, then maybe our groundwater conditions will be in much better shape and we might be in a better shape to deal with another potential drought, which will come,” Newsha Ajami, Stanford University’s Director of Urban Water Policy, said. “California has a Mediterranean climate so we do experience a lot of ups and downs in our weather conditions.”  

The entire state experienced above average rains. Between October and April, downtown Los Angeles got an unusual 17.99 inches of rain. Up north, the Sierra Nevada Mountains received snowfalls 153% above average, and Sacramento had rain levels 126% above normal. California wasn’t the only state to receive much-needed rain. This winter was the wettest in the United States since record-keeping began in 1895. We asked for rain, and the rain gods delivered!

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Just because the drought is over doesn’t mean it’s okay to now take super long showers or water your grass just because you have nothing better to do. Right now, California’s poppies are popping, but conditions could turn dry again without warning. “This happened last year: It was a wet winter, there were beautiful blooms in the spring and then it dried out really fast,”

Jessica Blunden, a climatologist with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, said. “Don’t be complacent, because it can change pretty quickly.” You can actually monitor the drought (or lack thereof) on www.drought.gov and see where we stand.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared the drought a state of emergency and ended water restrictions in 2017 when less than 9% of the state was under drought conditions. “The next drought could be around the corner,” Gov. Brown said at the time. “Conservation must remain a way of life.” In 2019, 75% of California experienced some level of drought. But really, is there ever a time when conservation is a bad thing?

So, get out there and enjoy all the green hills and abundant wildflowers the heavy rains left behind! Just stay on the trails!  

Just like all of us share some portion of the blame, we all carry a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment. What products we choose to buy, how much waste we contribute and what lessons we pass on to the next generation are all important.

But a powerful new map from artist Jordan Engel and the Decolonial Atlas project shows a different, profound side to the argument.

“I made the map as a response to this pervasive myth that we can stop climate change if we just modify our personal behavior and buy more green products,” Engel told GOOD in an email. “Whether or not we separate our recycling, these corporations will go on trashing the planet unless we stop them.”

Engel’s map breaks down the Top 100 individuals contributing to environmental waste and climate change across the planet, breaking them down by specific names and locations. After all, even if we’re making responsible decisions on the local level, we’re ultimately still going to be left with a broken planet if the decision makers in positions of power at major corporations and government continue to freely pollute and cause irreparable harm to our wildlife and ecosystems.

“The key decision-makers at these companies have the privilege of relative anonymity, and with this map, I’m trying to pull back that veil and call them out,” Engel writes. “These guys should feel the same personal responsibility for saving the planet that we all feel.”

 

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Unless you’re a big time camper or beachgoer, most Americans purchase styrofoam coolers for their summer adventures. The coolers are convenient and a necessity for keeping food and drinks fresh and chilled. But they’re also disastrous for the environment as styrofoam is one of the least eco-friendly products in existence. The EPA even considers it a possible human carcinogen.

But there’s an environmentally friendly alternative for those not wanting to invest $400 in a high-end steel cooler. The Igloo ReCool is “the world’s first eco-sensitive cooler made from 100% biodegradable materials,” and it only costs $10.

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The new cooler will go on sale May 1 at REI before a wider launch this summer. Igloo says it can hold up to 75 pounds of weight and goes 5 days without leaking water. Best of all, you can literally throw it away when you’re done. Or, if you’re especially mindful, Igloo says you can simply let the ReCool dry out and use it again.

From CNET:

We may not be able to revolutionize our consumption habits overnight. But seemingly small innovations like the ReCool can make a real dent in conservation while simultaneously helping people make better choices for the environment without giving up the benefits of convenience. 

If the internet has taught us anything it’s that cheating will never pay off for you and you will end up eventually going viral. The latest point in case comes from a woman who was approached by a married Facebook friend, politely refused, but the guy just kept on going.

She then uploaded the exchange to Imgur, where the internet instantly fell in love with her, as I’m sure you will too.

 

Damn right? Didn’t see that coming AT ALL. And neither did others apparently.

 

It’s always great when the internet can rally behind one of the good butterballs.

 

 

 

 

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How much better would your life have been ten years ago if, in addition to your good looks and boundless energy, you had a bit more experience and wisdom to go with it? You probably would have made fewer mistakes. 

But, then again, with all that wisdom you and your friends probably wouldn’t have done all that stupid stuff that, looking back, you know you could never do again. And you probably wouldn’t have dated that person who was fun but you know had zero future. 

Regardless, Twitter users are sharing priceless advice with their younger selves through #DearMeTenYearsAgo and it’s a great way to pick up some quick lessons you may not have learned yet.

It’s also the perfect hashtag to make some jokes about hindsight being 2020. Yes, we all should have bought Bitcoin in July 2013 and sold it in December 2017.

 

 

 

 

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Kim Kardashian is the latest celebrity to come under fire for allegedly appropriating Indian culture with her fashion choices. She posted an outfit to Instagram that not everyone appreciated.

Kim’s headpiece created a stir among her followers, in addition to the weird-ass Photoshopped background.

Naturally, Kim had her defenders.

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What say you, Internet? Did Kim appropriate Indian culture with her outfit? Or are people scrutinizing her look too much?

College admission has gotten a lot of much-needed scrutiny this year. The college admission scandal isn’t just changing who’s going to star in Hallmark movies. It might end up changing (but not necessarily fixing) a broken SAT system.

The College Board will now add an adversity score to a student’s SAT scores, which rates a student’s hardship based off of 15 factors. “There are a number of amazing students who may have scored less (on the SAT) but have accomplished more,” David Coleman, chief executive officer of the College Board, told the Wall Street Journal. “We can’t sit on our hands and ignore the disparities of wealth reflected in the SAT.”

How much crime, poverty and vacant houses are in the area where the student lives if the student comes from an ESL family or has a single parent, and how many AP classes are offered at the student’s school now all come into play. The score will be sent to colleges, but the student will not know what their adversity score is. The student’s race or how much money their parents make is not a factor that impacts their adversity score.

The point of the adversity score is to contextualize a student’s SAT scores, because students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds tend to have higher SAT scores. The College Board is trying to level the playing field, but the adversity score doesn’t come without its problems, which Twitter was quick to point out. Namely, the adversity score doesn’t take into account the sacrifices a parent may have made to get their child into a better school so they can go to a better college.

Of course, some people want to do away with standardized testing altogether, as it’s not always an accurate reflection of how smart someone is, but rather, if they’re good at taking tests. There’s been a movement to make standardized tests an optional part of college admission, and some colleges already make it optional to submit SAT or ACT scores. The reasoning is that grades should be enough to show how well a student will do in college. Putting a score on someone’s potential seems to be inherently flawed.

Adversity scores were tested by 50 colleges. This year, adversity scores will be offered to 150 colleges, and in 2020, the scores will be more broadly available. Hopefully, the families who sacrifice to get their kids a good education (without resorting to bribery) won’t be unfairly dinged by the new system.

 

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Sarri has been described as a ‘dead man walking’ as Chelsea boss, despite leading the club to a third place Premier League finish and to the Europa League final.

After a roller-coaster campaign there is a growing sense that, even if the Blues beat Arsenal to lift the trophy in Baku, the cigarette filter-chewing boss will be given the boot.

Sarri still has two years remaining on his contract in west London and has said he would be ‘very happy’ to stay at the club, although the 60-year-old has also admitted he is flattered to be linked with a move to Juventus.

But Johnson just can’t see Sarri keeping his job this summer.

“I do think the club have made their mind up already,” the former right-back to talkSPORT host Jim White.

“Sarri hasn’t done a bad job, I just think there are a few personalities that are clashing at Chelsea.

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The Argentine – widely regarded as the best player in the world – is showing no signs of slowing up despite approaching the age of 32.

Messi had a thoroughly impressive 2018/19 campaign, notching 36 goals in 34 LaLiga appearances as Barca secured their 26th league title – and the forward’s 10th for the club.

Messi also clinched the Pichichi Trophy for a joint-record sixth time after finishing the top marksman in Spanish’s top flight once again.

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For the first time ever, the accolade has been won by a player who has scored 15 goals more than the second-placed player, after Messi’s team-mate Luis Suarez ended the season with 21 goals to his name to finish runner-up in the LaLiga goal standings.

Barcelona took to Twitter to recognise the brilliance of their star man, tweeting a Cann table showcasing just how many goals he has scored this season.

However in doing so, they inadvertently took aim at the rest of the squad – hinting at a shortage of goals from elsewhere.

Messi’s goals made up 40 per cent of the team’s overall tally, while the No10 also contributed an impressive 13 assists in the league alone this term.

Lukaku has been linked with a move to Serie A, having talked up a move to Italy in the past while also falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s full-time appointment as manager.

The Belgian has played second fiddle to Marcus Rashford in the second half of the season and scored just 15 goals in all competitions last season – 12 fewer than the 2017/18 campaign which was his first as a United player.

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And according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter will make a £30million bid for Lukaku but will also offer winger Perisic in the deal.

Perisic, who helped Croatia reach the World Cup final last summer, was linked with a move to United when Jose Mourinho was at the hotseat.

If Lukaku leaves, his former club Everton would receive a financial windfall of around £5million, or if he extends his current deal before June 30 2022.

He left Goodison Park for £75million in the summer of 2017.

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