Month: April 2022

Ontario native Alex Trebek would be proud.

After another dominating performance during tonight’s episode, Mattea Roach, the 23-year-old tutor from Toronto who is already the winningest Canadian contestant in Jeopardy! history, is now eighth on the game show’s all-time consecutive games list (14) and tenth on the all-time highest non-tournament cash winnings list ($320,081).

“This has been such a crazy season of streaks and I was fully thinking Amy [Schneider] might still be here,” Roach said in a statement. “If it’s not Amy, there’s going to be some other super-champion that’s just going to knock me out Game One. I guess what I didn’t realize is maybe I could become the super-champion I wanted to see in the world.” That’s kind of a corny line, but when was the last time you won 14 straight games on Jeopardy! and made enough money to pay off your student loans? Exactly.

Here’s the top 10 consecutive games won list:

1. Ken Jennings (74)
2. Amy Schneider (40)
3. Matt Amodio (38)
4. James Holzhauer (32)
5. Julia Collins (20)
6/7. Jason Zuffranieri (19), David Madden (19)
8. Mattea Roach (14)

And the top 10 for earnings (non-tournament):

1. Ken Jennings ($2,520,700)
2. James Holzhauer ($2,462,216)
3. Matt Amodio ($1,518,601)
4. Amy Schneider ($1,382,800)
5. Jason Zuffranieri ($532,496)
6. David Madden ($430,400)
7. Julia Collins ($428,100)
8. Matt Jackson ($411,612)
9. Austin Rogers ($411,000)
10. Mattea Roach ($320,081)

Roach will attempt to continue her streak on Monday, April 25.

There are a lot of reasons to be concerned for the planet’s future. One bright spot in the fight against climate change is the rise in solar power use in the United States.

Solar power is more affordable than ever before. The cost of the average solar panel has dropped by 70% since 2014 and the country’s total solar capacity has risen from 0.34 gigawatts to an impressive 97.2 gigawatts since 2008. Today, more than 3% of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar panels.

The best way to expand on solar power growth is by finding new surfaces to place panels. One of the most underutilized are the roofs of America’s big-box retail stores. According to a report by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, the average Walmart has 180,000 square feet of rooftop, which is about the size of three football fields.

Just one Walmart rooftop could generate enough solar energy to power 200 homes.

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There are more than 100,000 big-box superstores in the United States with about 7.2 million square feet of rooftop. If every one were outfitted with solar panels, they could generate enough electricity to power almost 8 million homes.

That change from dirty to clean power would cut annual greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent of removing 11.3 million cars off the road.

One big-box retailer that has made a significant commitment to solar power is Ikea. According to The Grist, Ikea has solar installations on 90% of its U.S. locations. In 2019, Ikea made a huge commitment to alternative energy by purchasing 1 million solar panels, 535 wind turbines and two solar parks.

A solar installation at a location in Baltimore, Maryland—not the sunniest spot in America—was able to cut the amount of energy the store purchased by 84%.

How do we get the rest of America’s big-box retailers to do the same?

The Biden Administration is currently working on extending the federal investment tax credit for rooftop solar for 10 more years, which would put direct payments into the hands of retailers. However, the tax credit extension is part of the Build Back Better Bill that has stalled in the U.S. Senate.

“Every rooftop in America that isn’t producing solar energy is a rooftop wasted as we work to break our dependence on fossil fuels and the geopolitical conflicts that come with them,” Johanna Neumann, senior director for Environment America’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy, told CNN. “Now is the time to lean into local renewable energy production, and there’s no better place than the roofs of America’s big-box superstores.”

Solar panels have become so affordable they are a total no-brainer for residences and businesses alike. If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that major corporations want us to think they care about what we care about. They should know that one of the best ways to show they care about the planet is to prove it by utilizing every square foot on their roofs to help fight climate change.

Jon Bernthal is gearing up to portray Julian Kaye, a male escort who was framed for murder, in the upcoming Showtime adaptation of American Gigolo, though the Walking Dead actor isn’t so sure of himself. In a new interview with GQ, Bernthal insists he isn’t actually hot enough to play someone who is considered “sexy,” which is a bit important for a role like that.

“I do not believe that I possess any kind of natural sex appeal,” the actor says. “I’ve always looked at myself as this weird-looking guy.” The original role of Julian Kaye in the 1980 film was portrayed by Richard Gere.

The Showtime adaptation will consist of ten episodes that will act as a sequel of sorts, taking place 15 years after the original movie. The cast includes Gretchen Mol, Rosie O’Donnell, Lizzie Brocher, Wayne Brady, and Leland Orser. Bernthal, who is known for his role as the Punisher, originally thought he was the “wrong guy” for the show.

So why did Bernthal take the part? Because he was very afraid of it. “I just really fundamentally believe you’ve gotta pursue the things you’re scared of,” he says. “If you’re scared of swimming in the ocean, you’ve gotta get in there. If you’re scared of being assaulted in the street, you’ve gotta learn how to fight. You’ve gotta run headfirst toward the fear.”

So, it seems like he was afraid of going shirtless, and has conquered that fear. Way to go, John!

There are a lot of reasons to be concerned for the planet’s future. One bright spot in the fight against climate change is the rise in solar power use in the United States.

Solar power is more affordable than ever before. The cost of the average solar panel has dropped by 70% since 2014 and the country’s total solar capacity has risen from 0.34 gigawatts to an impressive 97.2 gigawatts since 2008. Today, more than 3% of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar panels.

The best way to expand on solar power growth is by finding new surfaces to place panels. One of the most underutilized are the roofs of America’s big-box retail stores. According to a report by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, the average Walmart has 180,000 square feet of rooftop, which is about the size of three football fields.

Just one Walmart rooftop could generate enough solar energy to power 200 homes.

---

There are more than 100,000 big-box superstores in the United States with about 7.2 million square feet of rooftop. If every one were outfitted with solar panels, they could generate enough electricity to power almost 8 million homes.

That change from dirty to clean power would cut annual greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent of removing 11.3 million cars off the road.

One big-box retailer that has made a significant commitment to solar power is Ikea. According to The Grist, Ikea has solar installations on 90% of its U.S. locations. In 2019, Ikea made a huge commitment to alternative energy by purchasing 1 million solar panels, 535 wind turbines and two solar parks.

A solar installation at a location in Baltimore, Maryland—not the sunniest spot in America—was able to cut the amount of energy the store purchased by 84%.

How do we get the rest of America’s big-box retailers to do the same?

The Biden Administration is currently working on extending the federal investment tax credit for rooftop solar for 10 more years, which would put direct payments into the hands of retailers. However, the tax credit extension is part of the Build Back Better Bill that has stalled in the U.S. Senate.

“Every rooftop in America that isn’t producing solar energy is a rooftop wasted as we work to break our dependence on fossil fuels and the geopolitical conflicts that come with them,” Johanna Neumann, senior director for Environment America’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy, told CNN. “Now is the time to lean into local renewable energy production, and there’s no better place than the roofs of America’s big-box superstores.”

Solar panels have become so affordable they are a total no-brainer for residences and businesses alike. If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that major corporations want us to think they care about what we care about. They should know that one of the best ways to show they care about the planet is to prove it by utilizing every square foot on their roofs to help fight climate change.

If there is a God and it’s the one from the Abrahamic religions then He is the all-knowing Creator of the universe who made us in His image. So, he obviously knows that humanity has a lot of questions for Him that weren’t adequately answered in any of his holy books or haven’t been sufficiently addressed by the folks who claim to speak on his behalf on Earth.

(Note: I am referring to God as a “He” because of how He’s represented in the literature. However, I’d assume that God would be more of a they because beings that exist beyond space and time haven’t much need for a gender.)

Personally, if I made it to heaven and was given an audience with Mr. Almighty, then there’s a whole host of questions that I’d need to have answered. Here are my top 5:

1. What was in Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase in “Pulp Fiction”?
   
2. Can I have my dog Murray back now?
3. Where’s John Lennon and is there a bar in this place where we can have a few beers?
4. Who made you?
5. If you’ve been healing people all this time, why is it always something internal that we can’t see? You’ve allegedly healed all types of internal diseases but not once has an amputee had a limb grow back. Please explain.

A Reddit user by the name of GeometryThing recently asked the AskReddit subforum “You can ask God any one question, what do you ask him?” and the answers ranged from the philosophical to the heart-wrenching to the hilarious. One of the big questions was why is there so much suffering on Earth if he loves us? While others wondered what He thought about some of his most ardent believers with questionable ethics.

Here are 17 of the best questions that people would ask God if they could.

1.

“Damn bro what did i do?” — vltraviolet_

2.

“Why?” — Katie_Emm

3.

“How is my mom?” — Noodlepotdreams

4.

​”What the fuck is up with the kids getting cancer?” — GrinAndBeerIt

5.

“I wanna know who committed all the big unsolved murders. Madeleine McCann, Jon Bennet Ramsay, TuPac & Biggie, Black Dahlia, JFK etc.” — StarsByMoonlight

6.

“How is it possible that you know all things that will ever happen AND I have free will? So if I kill a man that means that you already knew it would happen. At that point why would I ask for forgiveness? You already knew what would happen since I can’t change your will and doesn’t that kinda cancel out free will also?” — Fancy_Carr

7.

“You say you have a purpose for everyone, but if a baby dies immediately after it was born, what was its purpose? How about all those homeless people that die on the streets unnoticed? I’m actually curious what his answer would be.” — KeepRunningFromMom

8.

“What will the next Powerball numbers be?” — Temmere

9.

“Why do you need to be worshipped? You claim to be the most powerful, omniscient yet caring and loving being that created this entire universe. But despite all that you still need worship? Are you just narcissistic or does your power depend on how we, nothing but mere dust in your eyes, worship you?” — ppjysn

10.

“When was the exact date that he noped out and said fuck the whole planet?” — BluMagik_LoD

11.

“Can you just come over and straighten some people out? Some of your creations are wack.” — ThinkingAboutStuf

12.

“Now that I know for sure there is a god, I would ask which religion is CLOSEST to being right, because otherwise, he might say none are perfect.” — Mister_E_The_Third

13.

​”Who is your daddy and what does he do?” — saiyaniam

14.

​”Got any pro tips and tricks for living as a human?” — Vampire_Sloth

15.

“How do magnets work?” — CatSk8Scratch

16.

“Why don’t you tell your nastiest followers that they’re doing it wrong?” — BubbhaJebus

17.

“Why did you put the testicles on the outside???” — Additional-Winner-45

There are few absolutes in this world, but here’s one of them: Sir David Attenborough is a priceless human treasure and anyone who disagrees is tragically wrong.

The 95-year-old broadcaster, writer and environmentalist has been educating and entertaining us by producing and narrating documentaries for decades, his soothing voice and gentlemanly British accent creating conservation champions the world over. David Attenborough loves the natural world and he makes others love it too by sharing its wonders and its beauty, in addition to its vulnerabilities due to human activity. His passion makes it nearly impossible to walk away from an Attenborough documentary without a deep desire to do something to protect our planet.

His long life of passionate dedication to conservation is why the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has honored Attenborough with the prestigious Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement award. Having co-created well over 100 documentaries in his life, including recent groundbreaking series such as “Planet Earth,” Attenborough has continued his illustrious career well into his 90s. And as the world has careened toward the damaging impacts of climate change, he hasn’t let up in his push for humanity to alter our path before too much of that damage becomes irreversible.

“Sir David Attenborough has devoted his life to documenting the love story between humans and nature, and broadcasting it to the world,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

“If we stand a chance of averting climate and biodiversity breakdowns and cleaning up polluted ecosystems, it’s because millions of us fell in love with the planet that he showed us on television.”

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In an interview with Andersen, Attenborough explained that we will never solve the environmental crisis without the recognition that the world must work together as a unified body.

“We are living in a new era in which nationalism is simply not enough,” he said. “We must wave goodbye to it. We must feel that we are all citizens of this one planet, because unless we do we won’t solve the problems.”

“We know what the problems are and we know how to solve them—all we lack is unified action,” he said. “These problems cannot be solved by one nation, no matter how big that single nation is.”

Andersen asked how we can get that message across to people. Attenborough excels at going beyond the scientific facts and speaking to people’s hearts, and he explained how to capture people’s attention and help them see why conservation is important.

“The most evocative pictures you can present are pictures of animals,” he said. “They are understood around the world. A picture of a gorilla with its baby moves the hearts of every single human being on this planet. And we now have the technical devices in which we can present these things so that people can see what fantastic riches the world has. And you can explain how we depend upon them, how we are part of them, and that when we are saving them, we are saving ourselves.”

Attenborough explained that we’ve seen great success with whale populations, which had dwindled to near extinction 50 or 60 years ago. People and seagoing nations around the world got together and decided to put a stop to practices that were killing off the whales.

“And we did,” he said. “And now there are more whales in the sea than anybody alive as human beings have ever seen before. It’s a wonderful success story.”

Andersen asked Attenborough what message he wants to send to young people.

“The message is that it can be done. The message is that it is possible. The message is that the natural world has more resources than we can possibly imagine. We’ve worked out how to kill them. Now we could give them a chance for them to come back and save themselves and save us.”

Attenborough closed out his interview with praise for the organization honoring him with the Champions of the Earth award.

“United Nations—two of the most important words in any language,” he said. “And more important now than they have ever been.

Watch the interview:

At this week’s Latin American Music Awards, Karol G was the big winner of the night. The Colombian urbano pop singer took home six awards, including Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year, for the vibey and celebratory KG0516. The “El Makinon” singer was also on stage at Coachella last weekend, highlighting a slate of female Latinx artists like Anitta, Nicki Nicole, and Nathy Peluso, who left an indelible marked on the 2022 festival.

Now Karol G has just dropped her first single of the year in the sun-soaked “Provenza,” and it’s an escapist song that gives rise to joyous feelings of wanderlust and passion. In fact, the video directed by Pedro Artola was captured in the exotic, volcanic landscape of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Over a rhythmic, breezy beat with idyllic effects by producer Ovy On The Drums, Karol sings: “No se si te convenza, nos damo un rocesito por provenza. Y si la cosa se pone tensa en mi cama, es la recompensa. O viseversa. Porque lo piensas?” (“I don’t know if you’re convinced? We can give ourselves a touch of province. And if things get tense, there’s a reward in my bed. Or vice versa. What do you think?”)

Watch the video for Karol G’s “Provenza” above.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made good on Republican threats to retaliate against The Walt Disney Company for opposing the state’s recently-passed “Don’t Say Gay” law. On Friday, DeSantis signed a bill that revokes a 55-year-old statue that allows Disney to essentially operate as its own private government in certain districts. State Republicans had threatened the action in late March, and it appears that DeSantis has followed through with it despite warnings that it could have serious tax implications. Specifically, leaving Florida residents on the hook for a $1 billion “debt bomb” to cover the taxes that Disney will no longer collect on itself.

Via CNBC:

Reedy Creek has bond liabilities of between $1 billion and $1.7 billion, according to the district’s financial filings. Under Florida statute, if Reedy Creek is dissolved, those liabilities are transferred to the local governments — either Bay Lake or Lake Buena Vista, or more likely, Orange and Osceola counties.

State Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, tried to amend the bill to include further study of the bond debt, but the amendment failed on a voice vote.

In a nutshell, legislators and tax experts have warned that if Republicans eliminate the special government provision, they’ll basically be shooting the state in the foot. Clearly, the state GOP doesn’t care. In addition to the massive tax implications, legal experts have been weighing in that the state may have handed Disney lawyers a First Amendment case on a silver platter.

Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez added to that theory during a recent appearance on Newsmax where she openly admitted that if Disney gives up its “woke agenda,” the state would allow the entertainment giant to keep its private government status. This sparked numerous reactions on social media that the state just openly confessed to “extortion.”

So… yeah. This is all going to get weird and ugly. Which it already is. But, like, more weird and ugly.

(Via Associated Press, CNBC)

When Sammie Vance first approached her principal at Haley Elementary with the idea of installing “buddy benches” into her school playground, the concept was simple: help others feel less lonely.

Little did she know that it would not only accomplish that goal, but evolve into something so much bigger.

After first hearing about buddy benches (where a child can go sit to signal “hey, I’d like someone to play with”), Sammie was immediately inspired. What a great way to make sure no one feels alone.

See on Instagram

The good news? Her principal loved the idea. The not-so-good news: benches are expensive. Just one would cost nearly a thousand dollars.

However, a bench made of recycled bottle caps … that would only be around $250.

So Sammie reached out to others in her community in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to collect enough caps (around 400 lb) to make one bench. Eventually her goal went beyond Indiana, as she tried to get bottle caps from all 50 states.

And thus, the initiative of “Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project” was born.

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Folks were so ready to rally behind her cause that not only was Sammie able to collect enough caps for three benches, she was able to do it in three months. The mission was certainly accomplished.

Pretty soon, Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project began garnering the attention of several news outlets (including Upworthy). For her amazing efforts, Sammie has been the recipient of several awards, appeared on the Today show and was named one of People Magazine’s “Girl’s Changing the World.”

And as of 2021, more than 200 bottle cap buddy benches now reside at schools and parks across the country, plus Mexico and Australia, People reported.

See on Instagram

This is, of course, not just a beautiful story about helping others. It’s also a major win for sustainability. Habits of Waste reports 1.3 billion bottle caps are used each year. These caps cannot be recycled in the same way along with plastic bottles because each have different melting points, and when mixed in, can ruin an entire batch.

And that’s when they get discarded properly. Millions of caps have been found in our oceans alone, which can be devastating to marine life. In fact, it’s one of the leading causes of death. It’s big caring hearts like Sammie’s that help our planet heal against damage.

Sammie seems to have found her purpose early in life, spreading kindness through creativity. Her book (yes, she’s an author too) titled “Inspire the World: A Kid’s Journey to Making a Difference” debuted in August 2021, and aims to encourage other kids through her own stories of recycling and giving to the community. She also has a podcast called “Sammie Smiles” where she interviews other inspiring guests.

Whatever’s next for Sammie, it seems like she is going to lead with kindness and generosity. And it doesn’t look like her original idea is going anywhere. If you’d like to donate to Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project, you can do so here.

There’s a lot of star power on one song and then there’s this. 4-time Grammy-winning R&B maestro PJ Morton has a new album coming out on April 29th, entitled Watch The Sun and he’s just enlisted two unquestionable legends for his latest single. On “Be Like Water,” both Nas and Stevie Wonder connect with Morton on a song that’s about going with the flow of life’s curveballs and remain adaptable.

It’s a joy to hear Morton and Wonder harmonizing as they sing, “Be like water, let it flow. Be like water, just let go,” over cinematic strings. Then Nas drops in for a verse on a song that shifts from R&B to hip-hop with orchestral instrumentation and, yes, Wonder on the harmonica.

“‘Be Like Water’ was definitely a phrase I had heard before,” Morton said in a statement. “Bruce Lee made it famous of course, but it didn’t fully connect with me until we were all shut down and I had to pivot in my life like we all had to. After I finished writing it I could only hear Nas’ voice on it. For him to actually get on it blew my mind. Then when Stevie Wonder agreed to be on it and to learn that Nas had always wanted to work with Stevie, it was beyond my wildest dreams!”

Listen to “Be Like Water” above.

PJ Morton’s Watch The Sun is out 4/29 via Morton Records.