Category: News

116 years ago, the Pasterze glacier in the Austria’s Eastern Alps was postcard perfect:

Photo via Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons.

Snowy peaks. Windswept valleys. Ruddy-cheeked mountain children in lederhosen playing “Edelweiss” on the flugelhorn.

But a lot has changed since 1900.

Much of it has changed for the better! We’ve eradicated smallpox, Hitler is dead, and the song “Billie Jean” exists now.

On the downside, the Earth has gotten a lot hotter. A lot hotter.

The 15 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998. July 2016 was the planet’s hottest month — ever.

Unsurprisingly, man-made climate change has wreaked havoc on the planet’s glaciers — including the Pasterze, which is Austria’s largest.

Just how much havoc are we talking about? Well…

A series of stunning photos, published in August, show just how far the glacier has receded since its heyday.

First measured in 1851, the glacier lost half of its mass between that year and 2008.

A marker placed in 1985 shows where the edge of the glacier reached just 31 years ago. You can still see the ice sheet, but just barely, way off in the distance. In between is … a big, muddy lake.

The view from the glacial foot marker from 1995 — 10 years later — isn’t much more encouraging.

Even in just one year, 2015, the glacier lost an astounding amount of mass — 177 feet, by some estimates.

Ice continues to melt daily, and while the dripping makes for a good photo, it’s unfortunate news for planet Earth. Glacial melting is one of the three primary causes of sea-level rise.

According to a European Environment Agency report, the average temperature in the Alps has increased 2 degrees Celsius in the last 100 years — double the global average.

It’s not unreasonable to assume that that’s why this mountain hut has been abandoned by the flugelhorn-playing children who once probably lived in it.

Is there anything we can do to stop climate change besides look at scary glacier photos?

Climate change is, unfortunately, still a robust debate in the United States as many of our elected officials refuse to acknowledge that we humans are the ones doing the changing. As of last year, that list included a whopping 49 senators. Calling them to gently persuade them otherwise would be helpful. Not voting for them if they don’t change their minds would be even more so.

There is some tentative good news — the Paris Agreement signed in December 2015 commits 197 countries, including the U.S., to take steps to limit future global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. While it may be too late for the Pasterze glacier, if we really commit as a world, we might be able to stop ourselves from sinking whole countries and turning Miami into a swimming pool and stuff like that.

And who knows, with a little luck, and a little more not poisoning the sky, we just might recapture a little of that Alpine magic one day.

This article originally appeared on 3.11.17

Have you ever come across something online that instantly made you smile? That’s what happens when people see Locklan Samples pop up on their Instagram feed. The cute dimple-faced toddler has a rare condition known as uncombable hair syndrome, which results in locks that stick straight up no matter how you try to manipulate them. It also causes the hair to be extremely fragile, so frequent combing can cause it to break off. The syndrome is so rare that Locklan is just one out of 100 people known to have it.

Locklan’s parents spoke with People magazine about how they discovered he was living with this ultra rare condition. Katelyn Samples, Locklan’s mom, explained that when he was born he had a head full of jet black hair, but eventually it fell out and was replaced with peach fuzz. A newborn baby’s hair is often completely different than the hair they end up with by the time they’re toddlers. It’s not uncommon for their hair to fall out in one spot or another, but it’s also not unheard of for their whole head to end up bald while their second sprigs of hair grow in.

Hair can grow back coarser, curlier or a completely different color. In Locklan’s case, his hair went from being jet black to platinum blonde peach fuzz, which eventually grew into hair that stood on end. Locklan’s parents said the color of his hair matched his brother’s hair, so it wasn’t a surprise, but the texture threw them for a loop.

When Katelyn posted pictures of Locklan on Instagram, a stranger messaged her asking if he had “uncombable hair syndrome.” This started Katelyn on a journey to find answers to what was going on with her infant’s hair, and if the condition was something she needed to be concerned about health-wise. Katelyn told People, it sent her into a “tailspin on Google.” Eventually, after climbing out of the Google rabbit hole, Katelyn called her son’s pediatrician to get answers. This turned out to be the first step toward an accurate diagnosis.

See on Instagram

See on Instagram

Locklan’s pediatrician had not heard of the condition and referred them to Atlanta’s Emory Hospital to see a specialist. It was there they got the diagnosis. Katelyn explained to People, “We went to see her and she said she’d only seen this once in 19 years.” The doctor “didn’t think it was uncombable hair syndrome because of how rare it is, but they took samples and a pathologist looked at it under a special microscope,” and confirmed the diagnosis, she said.

He joins the very small club of people with the syndrome. Thankfully, this condition only affects the toddler’s hair and he is developing normally in all other aspects of his childhood. Katelyn revealed she hardly ever has to wash his hair unless it gets visibly dirty as it doesn’t collect oils at the scalp. Everywhere they go people are fascinated by Lock’s locks and ask to touch his soft tresses.

See on Instagram

The family documents their journey on their Instagram account, and have found a support group via Facebook, where Katelyn says “it’s cool to see how other kids’ hair has changed over the years—for some people it does not go away, and for others it becomes a little more manageable.” For now, Locklan enjoys the attention he gets from strangers, and he continues to bring a smile to people’s faces wherever he goes.

This story originally appeared on 03.02.22

Imagine your 12-year-old son is helping take part in his school’s Valentine’s Day fundraiser. You’d probably be proud and encouraged at the way he’s getting involved and doing something good, right?

Now imagine, as part of that effort, he decided to email the CEO of Costco, one of the most beloved big box retailers in the world. Well, that’s cute, right? But what if he told you the CEO not only wrote back but went out of his way to donate exactly what your son asked for?

It may sound too good to be true, but that’s exactly what happened when Grant Cerwin sent an email to Costco CEO Craig Jelinek. The sixth grader emailed Jelinek asking if he would donate one of Costco’s famous 93-inch teddy bears to his middle school’s fundraiser in Los Angeles:

“Hi Mr. Jelinek,

My name is Grant Cerwin and I am 12 years old. I go to [removed] Middle School and am the 6th grade class rep. We want to raffle one of your giant bears as a Valentine’s Day fundraiser for our school. We are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Is there any chance Costco might donate one? My dad has a truck and we could come get it at the store. I would make sure everyone knew you gave it to us in our school newsletter, on social media and with a big sign by the bear. I know it is a long shot but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask. We are also seeing how we might get enough money to buy one. Thanks for considering. Your friend, Grant.”

Well, it turns out the long shot was perfectly timed.

Jelinek not only saw the email but jumped into action, asking his colleague “Can we find him a teddy?” Then his lieutenant emailed their colleagues to quickly find a bear for Cerwin’s school, writing: “Do whatever it takes to find a Big Bear and set up pick up for Lesley. Keep me posted.”

Grant then received the following message from Costco:

“Good morning Grant. I am the Toy Supervisor at our Costco’s LA Regional office. I have good news, Costco will be donating a 93” Plush Bear to your school to use in your Valentine’s Day fundraiser! We could have it delivered to the school directly so your parents don’t have to worry about transporting it.”

With time to spare, the Big Bear was delivered to Grant and his school was able to include it in their fundraiser. And while moments like this don’t happen every day, they are a great reminder that even the biggest companies are run by real people and those people often have big hearts. Big, as in 93” plush bear big.

And let’s be honest, we’re not entirely shocked that this happened at Costco, a company that has built a well-earned reputation for treating both its customers and its employees with dignity and respect.

“It speaks volumes about the leadership at Costco that Grant got the response he did,” Grant’s mother Lesley Cerwin told Upworthy. “He is a boundlessly optimistic child and as a parent you worry the world will chip away at that positivity. I’m grateful that the team at Costco reaffirmed my son’s belief that the world is full of good people.”

“I couldn’t believe that they responded so fast and that so many people helped,” Grant told Upworthy. “They didn’t want anything, just to help our school.”

Something as seemingly simple as a donated teddy bear might not sound like much, but it’s examples like this that show the power of bridge-building between companies and communities.

An act of kindness in itself can go a long way. And when that is coupled with the impact it had not only on Grant and his mom, but on Grant’s classmates, you can start to see a real impact that all started with a single email.

“My teachers and friends at school are excited,” Grant said. “We all can’t believe how big it is. It takes a bunch of us to move it around. Our ASB class is working on a thank you card.”

Plus, let’s be honest, a personal touch from someone as high-profile as Craig Jelinek and his team isn’t a bad way to build customer loyalty either. As Lesley told us, “I’ve always liked Costco. Will I be even happier to shop there now? You bet. It is a great store and now I am acutely aware that it is run by amazing people.”

This article originally appeared on 2.16.23

Although it is difficult to tell if there is a trend of Americans moving out of the country, rough estimates show that around 8 million currently live in other countries—double the 4.1 million living abroad in 1999.

The most popular countries for Americans to move to are Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom, in that order.

A big reason why some are leaving the U.S. is that an increasing number of employers allow people to work abroad. Others are choosing to leave because of cost of living increases and “golden visa” programs. Golden visas offer the chance to get a foreign residency permit by purchasing a house or making a significant investment or donation.

A couple is going viral on TikTok because they’ve decided to leave America and move to Spain. Luna Ashley Santel had wanted to move for a long time, but her husband wasn’t on board with the change until he had a lightbulb moment while visiting a Spanish café. The couple are parents of a 4-year-old daughter, and a big reason for their decision to leave is her safety.

@lunagoestospain

Here’s what shifted for him. I’m sure this’ll piss the right people off. No pun intended. #movingabroad #spaindigitalnomadvisa #movingabroadwithpets #movingtospainwithkids

While spending time in Spain, the couple went to a crowded café, which would have made them uncomfortable back home in St. Louis, Missouri.

“There’s a ton of people walking around. Being from St. Louis, that’s not a very comfortable place for me to be in,” the husband said. “And you turn to me and say, ‘Have you seen all these people?’” he recounted his wife saying.

“And you’re like, ‘None of them have guns,’” he continued.

At this moment, he realized that living in America caused him to be on alert whenever he was out in public. A feeling he never got in Spain. “And I realized this weight that I had been carrying around my whole life wasn’t necessary. Like what we think is normal is not normal,” he said.

When it comes to firearm policy, Spain and Missouri couldn’t be more different. In Spain, owning a handgun for self-defense is allowed when you are in verifiable danger. In Missouri, there is no permit requirement to carry a firearm, whether it’s concealed or carried openly.

In Spain, the gun death rate per 100,000 people in 2019 was 0.64. Whereas, in Missouri, the chance of being killed by a gun is more than 36 times greater, with 23.2 people per every 100,000 dying by gun in 2021.

The video resonated with many Americans who feel uncomfortable living in a country that has become accustomed to mass shootings.

“There’s so much mental energy we dedicate to simply existing in the U.S.,” Mintmage wrote.

“As a father of two young boys, your husband’s explanation has me shook because I cannot disagree,” Astrolo-G added.

“That is literally my main motivator for leaving the country. I am terrified for my son,” Doula Faye wrote.

Luna’s husband isn’t the only one in the family concerned about school safety in the U.S. Luna, a former teacher of 7 years, believes that sending her daughter to a school where they have “terrifying” intruder drills is unacceptable.

“It’s nothing that I want my 5-year-old child to have to accept or learn as normal,” she says in another TikTok post.

@lunagoestospain

Replying to @CholeraMeBadd a huge reason we are getting out. #gettingoutoftheusa #movingabroad #alicedrill #alicedrills #iquitteaching #ididntsignupforthishit #movingtospainwithkids

This article originally appeared on 7.14.23

It has been four months since Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in her feet but he and his defenders continue to put forth the idea that it wasn’t him. After a court document featuring a statement from Lanez’s bodyguard that he saw Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris holding a gun became public, gossip blogs and social media accounts almost immediately began running with the story, insinuating once again that Megan was either lying or mistaken about just who pulled the trigger.

However, Thee Stallion herself remained adamant in the face of the renewed attacks from Lanez’s supporters (or Megan haters), questioning some of the commenters’ adherence to so-called “street code” in an Instagram Live stream. “Imagine y’all sayin’ somebody is following the street code, not snitching,” she said. “Y’all trying to pretend like Kelsey shot me. Kelsey didn’t shoot me… Her main problem with me was, ‘You won’t tell people I didn’t shoot you!’ I was like, ‘Kelsey, I don’t wanna talk about this on social media at all.’ But now you won’t even get online and defend yourself. So that really just proves my point: Either you took some money or your life is in danger!”

She also addressed Tory directly in the stream, saying, “If you say you didn’t shoot me, why wouldn’t you get on the stand and say, ‘I didn’t shoot this bitch?’ You say it online every day. You figure out how to get your n****s to say you didn’t do it, you figure out how to get the blogs to say you didn’t do it, but the one motherf*cker it would have mattered from was you. You should have said, ‘I didn’t do it. Kelsey did it.’ Kelsey, if you didn’t do it, why won’t you say, ‘I didn’t do it?’”

“I know who shot me,” she continued. “I said who shot me and that’s why you’re in jail…. You’re dragging online like there’s no evidence, there’s no new evidence… It’s 2024, y’all still f*cking with me!”

It does seem a lot like someone doesn’t want to move on — and it isn’t Megan Thee Stallion (to be fair, the US prison system sucks, and nobody wants to spend 10 years inside, but at this point, an apology and request for leniency would probably be better strategies than whatever this is).

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It has been four months since Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in her feet but he and his defenders continue to put forth the idea that it wasn’t him. After a court document featuring a statement from Lanez’s bodyguard that he saw Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris holding a gun became public, gossip blogs and social media accounts almost immediately began running with the story, insinuating once again that Megan was either lying or mistaken about just who pulled the trigger.

However, Thee Stallion herself remained adamant in the face of the renewed attacks from Lanez’s supporters (or Megan haters), questioning some of the commenters’ adherence to so-called “street code” in an Instagram Live stream. “Imagine y’all sayin’ somebody is following the street code, not snitching,” she said. “Y’all trying to pretend like Kelsey shot me. Kelsey didn’t shoot me… Her main problem with me was, ‘You won’t tell people I didn’t shoot you!’ I was like, ‘Kelsey, I don’t wanna talk about this on social media at all.’ But now you won’t even get online and defend yourself. So that really just proves my point: Either you took some money or your life is in danger!”

She also addressed Tory directly in the stream, saying, “If you say you didn’t shoot me, why wouldn’t you get on the stand and say, ‘I didn’t shoot this bitch?’ You say it online every day. You figure out how to get your n****s to say you didn’t do it, you figure out how to get the blogs to say you didn’t do it, but the one motherf*cker it would have mattered from was you. You should have said, ‘I didn’t do it. Kelsey did it.’ Kelsey, if you didn’t do it, why won’t you say, ‘I didn’t do it?’”

“I know who shot me,” she continued. “I said who shot me and that’s why you’re in jail…. You’re dragging online like there’s no evidence, there’s no new evidence… It’s 2024, y’all still f*cking with me!”

It does seem a lot like someone doesn’t want to move on — and it isn’t Megan Thee Stallion (to be fair, the US prison system sucks, and nobody wants to spend 10 years inside, but at this point, an apology and request for leniency would probably be better strategies than whatever this is).

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Is Home Alone 2: Lost in New York the best Christmas movie? No. It’s not even the best Home Alone movie (that would be the one without a bullying cameo from Donald Trump). But it’s not without its holiday season charms, especially the scene where Kevin (played by Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee Macaulay Culkin) is in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and asks to take back “every mean thing I ever said to my family.” Even Buzz.

Kate McKinnon, who is hosting this weekend’s SNL, also dropped by the Rockefeller tree in a promo for the episode. But she has a different request.

“I’d really love to host SNL this week with musical guest Billie Eilish,” the returning cast member said. “I know, I know, it’s a big ask. But hear me out. I’ve been throughly cleaning my cat food cans before recycling them.” McKinnon, who noted that she was in Barbie (“I played the hot one”), wants to host because “I really miss it. I miss the stage. I miss Lorne.” She even misses “wearing Giuliani teeth.”

When Kenan Thompson tells McKinnon she got the gig, he wonders why no one told her. She responds, “I dropped my phone in the toilet in September.” Good to have you back, Kate.

You can watch the promo above.

Is Home Alone 2: Lost in New York the best Christmas movie? No. It’s not even the best Home Alone movie (that would be the one without a bullying cameo from Donald Trump). But it’s not without its holiday season charms, especially the scene where Kevin (played by Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee Macaulay Culkin) is in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and asks to take back “every mean thing I ever said to my family.” Even Buzz.

Kate McKinnon, who is hosting this weekend’s SNL, also dropped by the Rockefeller tree in a promo for the episode. But she has a different request.

“I’d really love to host SNL this week with musical guest Billie Eilish,” the returning cast member said. “I know, I know, it’s a big ask. But hear me out. I’ve been throughly cleaning my cat food cans before recycling them.” McKinnon, who noted that she was in Barbie (“I played the hot one”), wants to host because “I really miss it. I miss the stage. I miss Lorne.” She even misses “wearing Giuliani teeth.”

When Kenan Thompson tells McKinnon she got the gig, he wonders why no one told her. She responds, “I dropped my phone in the toilet in September.” Good to have you back, Kate.

You can watch the promo above.

A few months after a class action lawsuit had been filed by fans against Live Nation for the sales of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour tickets, their lead plaintiff has reportedly dropped the claim, according to Rolling Stone.

As of August, the two sides had “agreed to continue their ongoing settlement discussions through mediation,” but developments hadn’t really happened since. If there is any sort of settlement in the rest of the lawsuit, it will happen “no later than Jan. 31, 2024.”

The lawsuit was first filed after fans claimed that the Live Nation-owned Ticketmaster was violating “antitrust and unfair competition laws” and wasn’t entirely honest about the ticket sale process. Fans even went to the US District Court in March to participate in a hearing — as it affects a bunch of other artists, not just Taylor Swift.

“Ticketmaster intentionally and purposefully misled millions of fans into believing it would prevent bots and scalpers from participating in the presales,” the lawsuit originally said. “However, millions of fans were unable to purchase tickets during the TaylorSwiftTix Presale and the Capital One Presale, due in large part to unprecedented website traffic caused by Ticketmaster allowing 14 million unverified Ticketmaster users and a ‘staggering’ number of bots to participate in the presales.”

A few months after a class action lawsuit had been filed by fans against Live Nation for the sales of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour tickets, their lead plaintiff has reportedly dropped the claim, according to Rolling Stone.

As of August, the two sides had “agreed to continue their ongoing settlement discussions through mediation,” but developments hadn’t really happened since. If there is any sort of settlement in the rest of the lawsuit, it will happen “no later than Jan. 31, 2024.”

The lawsuit was first filed after fans claimed that the Live Nation-owned Ticketmaster was violating “antitrust and unfair competition laws” and wasn’t entirely honest about the ticket sale process. Fans even went to the US District Court in March to participate in a hearing — as it affects a bunch of other artists, not just Taylor Swift.

“Ticketmaster intentionally and purposefully misled millions of fans into believing it would prevent bots and scalpers from participating in the presales,” the lawsuit originally said. “However, millions of fans were unable to purchase tickets during the TaylorSwiftTix Presale and the Capital One Presale, due in large part to unprecedented website traffic caused by Ticketmaster allowing 14 million unverified Ticketmaster users and a ‘staggering’ number of bots to participate in the presales.”