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The world said goodbye to Holly Butcher, a 27-year-old woman from Grafton, Australia.

Butcher had been battling Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that predominantly affects young people. In a statement posted on Butcher’s memorialized Facebook account, her brother, Dean, and partner, Luke, confirmed the heartbreaking news to friends.

“It is with great sadness that we announce Holly’s passing in the early hours of this morning,” they wrote on Jan. 4, 2018. “After enduring so much, it was finally time for her to say goodbye to us all. The end was short and peaceful; she looked serene when we kissed her forehead and said our final farewells. As you would expect, Holly prepared a short message for you all, which will be posted above.”

Butcher’s message, which Dean and Luke did, in fact, post publicly shortly thereafter, has brought the internet to tears.

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We believe her powerful message — which has amassed an incredible 72,000 Likes and 56,000 shares across the world so far — deserves to be spread far and wide.

Butcher used her final post to reflect on what she’s learned in her short but beautiful life, offering some advice to those of us who are willing to listen.

“It’s a strange thing to [realize] and accept your mortality at 26 years young,” she began. “I always imagined myself growing old, wrinkled and gray — most likely caused by the beautiful family (lots of kiddies) I planned on building with the love of my life. I want that so bad it hurts. That’s the thing about life; It is fragile, precious and unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right.”

Butcher’s poignant post is definitely worth reading in full. But here are 16 especially powerful points:

1. “I just want people to stop worrying so much about the small, meaningless stresses in life and try to remember that we all have the same fate after it all, so do what you can to make your time feel worthy and great, minus the bullshit. … Those times you are [whining] about ridiculous things (something I have noticed so much these past few months), just think about someone who is really facing a problem. Be grateful for your minor issue and get over it. It’s OK to acknowledge that something is annoying but try not to carry on about it and negatively affect other people’s days.”

2. “Once you do that, get out there and take a freaking big breath of that fresh Aussie air deep in your lungs, look at how blue the sky is and how green the trees are; It is so beautiful. Think how lucky you are to be able to do just that — breathe. You might have got caught in bad traffic today, or had a bad sleep because your beautiful babies kept you awake, or your hairdresser cut your hair too short. … I swear you will not be thinking of those things when it is your turn to go. It is all SO insignificant when you look at life as a whole. I’m watching my body waste away right before my eyes with nothing I can do about it and all I wish for now is that I could have just one more birthday or Christmas with my family, or just one more day with my partner and dog. Just one more.”

3. “I hear people complaining about how terrible work is or about how hard it is to exercise — be grateful you are physically able to. Work and exercise may seem like such trivial things…until your body doesn’t allow you to do either of them… Appreciate your good health and functioning body — even if it isn’t your ideal size. Look after it and embrace how amazing it is.”

4. “Give, give, give. It is true that you gain more happiness doing things for others than doing them for yourself. I wish I did this more. Since I have been sick, I have met the most incredibly giving and kind people and been the receiver of the most thoughtful and loving words and support from my family, friends and strangers; more than I could ever give in return. I will never forget this and will be forever grateful to all of these people.”

5. “This year, our family agreed to do no presents and despite the tree looking rather sad and empty (I nearly cracked Christmas Eve!), it was so nice because people didn’t have the pressure of shopping and the effort went into writing a nice card for each other. Plus, imagine my family trying to buy me a present knowing they would probably end up with it themselves … strange! … but those cards mean more to me than any impulse purchase could. … Anyway, moral of the story — presents are not needed for a meaningful Christmas.”

6. “Use your money on experiences … or at least don’t miss out on experiences because you spent all your money on material shit. Put in the effort to do that day trip to the beach you keep putting off. Dip your feet in the water and dig your toes in the sand. Wet your face with salt water.”

7. “Try just enjoying and being in moments rather than capturing them through the screen of your phone. Life isn’t meant to be lived through a screen nor is it about getting the perfect photo.”

8. “Listen to music … really listen. Music is therapy.”

9. “Cuddle your dog. Far out, I will miss that.”

10. “Talk to your friends. Put down your phone. Are they doing OK?”

11. “Travel if it’s your desire, don’t if it’s not.”

12. “Work to live, don’t live to work.”

13. “Seriously, do what makes your heart feel happy.”

14. “Don’t feel pressured to do what other people might think is a fulfilling life. You might want a mediocre life and that is so OK.”

15. “Tell your loved ones you love them every time you get the chance and love them with everything you have.”

16. “Oh and one last thing. If you can, do a good deed for humanity (and myself) and start regularly donating blood. It will make you feel good with the added bonus of saving lives. Blood donation (more bags than I could keep up with counting) helped keep me alive for an extra year — a year I will be forever grateful that I got to spend here on Earth with my family, friends and dog. A year I had some of the greatest times of my life.”

Butcher may be gone, but her impact will live on in the hearts and minds of people around the world.

“Never [met] her, but I am very touched and in tears,” one Facebook user commented. “Such a bright light for a seemingly dark world at times,” another chimed in. “Beautiful.”

“What a wise soul she is,” someone concluded. “I’m off to donate my blood.”

Rest in peace, Holly. You made this world a better place. ❤️

If you are in the U.S. and inspired by Butcher’s message, consider finding a blood donation center near you. You could save a life.

This article originally appeared on 01.08.18

This is Briana “Bree” Wiseman, a pastry chef and restaurant manager from Tennessee.

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The 22-year-old shared a photo of her dog on Facebook next to a plate of food and it went viral — but not just because her dog is really, really cute. In the caption, Wiseman made a powerful statement about sexual assault, using her dog, and the plate of food, as a metaphor.

To the people that say women get raped due to the way they are dressed. This is my dog. His favorite food is steak. He…
Posted by Bree Wiseman on Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Wiseman wrote:

To the people that say women get raped due to the way they are dressed. This is my dog. His favorite food is steak. He is eye level with my plate. He won’t get any closer because I told him no. If a dog is better behaved than you are, you need to reevaluate your life. Feel free to share, my dog is adorable.

So far, over 325,000 people have shared the post. And thousands have left comments, most of them in full support of both the message, and the dog.

Wiseman told the Huffington Post she decided to share the post to take a stand against victim-blaming, in part because of her own experiences with sexual assault. She said:

The only person to blame in a rape offense is the rapist. It was their decision to rape. People shouldn’t have to worry about what they chose to wear for fear of rape. I want people to see that this is a problem, and to stand together against victim-shaming.

She continued:

If a 4-year-old pit bull understands the word no,’ even though he is looking at something he wants so bad he is literally drooling, then adults should understand ‘no,’ no matter how the other adult is dressed… How is it that a simple-minded animal has the ability to understand better than a large part of the adult population?

Good question. Although we already knew dogs are better than people. That being said, kudos to Wiseman for speaking up, and to her dog, for being such a good boy.

This article was originally published by our partners at someecards.

This article originally appeared on 04.16.19

Robert Bush Sr. is an avid outdoorsman who runs a Facebook page called “Bob’s Pennsylvania Wildlife Camera.”

He set up a secret camera on a log that lays across a steam to capture footage of all the different animals that walked across it. The result is a relaxing video featuring all sorts of wildlife including a black bear, chipmunk, coyote, turkey, and great horned owl.

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Bush is very active recording wildlife videos, which he shares on his Facebook and YouTube pages.

In the introduction to his Facebook page he captures his philosophy that is welcoming to all, with a few ground rules:

“I love the outdoors and wildlife and I am not anti-hunting, this page is not about hunting and I will not post any hunting pictures or videos on this page, this page is about the wildlife in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Please do NOT post hunting pictures in the comments, and do not comment about killing the animals or about hunting at all, and do not bash hunters or talk about anti-hunting … just enjoy the videos.”

Well said, Robert. And now, on to the first video:

You may have noticed the video is called “The Log 2.” Well, here’s the original.

This article originally appeared on 02.28.20

Sadly, a lot of men go out of their way to avoid learning anything about a woman’s period.

(That could be why throughout most of the United States — where the majority of lawmakers are men — feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax.)

So we should give some love to the guys who make an effort to learn a bit about the menstrual cycle so they can help their family members when they’re in desperate need of feminine hygiene products.

Personally, as a guy, the feminine hygiene aisle can be a little intimidating. There are multiple brands, styles of products, scents, absorbency levels, and they are all color-coded.

What do the colors mean?

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Knowing there’s a lot I don’t know, I take a picture on my phone of the box I’m about to purchase and send it to my wife, asking, “Is this the right one?”

A dad in the U.K. is getting some love on social media for the hilarious way he navigated the world of feminine hygiene products while showing how much he loved his daughter in the process.

It all began when Tia Savva sent her dad to Tesco, a popular U.K. drug store, to pick up some tampons.

For all the guys out there that need a solid primer on what goes on in the feminine hygiene product aisle, this quick tutorial from Mel magazine does a pretty great job.

This article originally appeared on July 2, 2019

Rick Astley has to be the luckiest ’80s musician on the planet. The whole “Rickrolling” phenomenon has given his hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up” a reach far beyond its natural life span, and kept the guy a household name far longer than he probably would have been.

(For those who are unfamiliar, Rickrolling is when you make someone think they’re being sent to a website, but the link goes to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” video instead as a joke. It’s a silly viral bait-and-switch gag that’s been going since 2006.)

But what people may not realize, because his most famous song has become an internet joke, is that Rick Astley is actually a really freaking great musician. The man can saaaang and it seems he’s only gotten better with age.

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If you were to choose the most unlikely combo of musical mashups, it might just be Rick Astley and Foo Fighters. Right? Like who would put them together?

Oddly enough, they put themselves together in 2017, when Foo Fighters brought Astley on stage during a concert to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl even created his own Rickroll-inspired meme, the Dave G’Roll, with the band’s song “Best of You.” So there’s a history there.

But nothing has been more surprising than hearing Rick Astley do an acoustic cover of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.” It’s so good. Like, so good.

Not to knock Rick Astley of the 1980s, but that strangely deep voice on a young man was sort of his signature thing. Ergo, you’d think it would be easy to recognize Astley’s voice no matter what he was singing. But you’d be wrong. If you close your eyes and listen to this, you’d likely never guess it was Rick Astley.

Maybe it’s because the song itself isn’t something you expect from the “Never Gonna Give You Up” guy. Maybe it’s because you had no idea that Rick Astley was still making music. Who knows. All I know is that my jaw dropped watching him knock out an awesome version of a grungey rock song with just his voice and acoustic guitar.

Seriously, that was amazing, right? Even hardcore Foo Fighters fans gave Astley props in the comments:

“As a huge Foo Fighters fan, all I can say is this cover didn’t let me down.”

“Tbh I could listen to a whole album of Rick Astley doing grunge covers.”

“Are you kidding me?????? That voice from the 80’s… And one of the greatest numbers of all times…. Didn’t think you could pull that of…. But you did….. Respect to you Rick.”

And, of course, some had to make jokes:

“I love this cover. It feels like the singer is never going to give you up or never gonna let you down. He doesn’t run around and desert you. He will never make you cry and never say goodbye. He doesn’t tell a lie and hurt you. I think that is special.”

“This guy should stop making memes and stick to music! He’s got talent!”

“I’m glad he’s never given up. This did not let me down.”

But this comment perhaps best summed up what most of us walked away thinking:

“God now I feel bad that we’ve ridden on Rick Rolling for so long that we missed the part where Rick Astley is actually a badass musician…”

This article first appeared on 4.4.22.

About a month ago, Taylor Swift announced Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, a new concert film that’s getting released in theaters on October 13. Based on our review of a concert, it’ll definitely be a cinematic experience. When that’s all said and done, though, it’d be nice to revisit the show at home. So, the question is: Will the movie be available on a streaming platform?

At the moment, the answer is not clear. Given that the theatrical release hasn’t even happened yet, as of this post, there is not currently any publicly announced information about a home release, whether that’s via DVD, Blu-ray, digital download, or streaming.

There’s a mixed precedent in terms of Swift movies on streaming. Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour and Miss Americana are on Netflix, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions was released via Disney+, and City Of Lover streamed on Hulu and Disney+ for a limited time. Given that the Eras Tour movie is getting a proper theatrical release, though, we’re in uncharted territory, so it’s tough to say where it’ll end up when it comes to streaming, if it comes to streaming at all.

What we do know is that the theatrical experience is shaping up to be huge, if the broken ticket sales records are any indication.

Picture, if you will, an older man in your life, maybe a great uncle or your high school history teacher. What was his name? Ernest? Albert? Walton? All of these would work. But would it work if he was also a secret agent spy who loved to secure women while also driving fancy cars? Maybe! What if his name was… Rodney? That also fits the criteria. But would you trust a man named Rodney Bond to either save you from danger or educate you on foreign policy? Maybe! What if he was played by Sean Connery? That almost happened.

According to the upcoming book Ian Flemming: The Complete Man, the original James Bond was named Rodney Bond, after a man who saved Flemming’s brother Peter in 1941. Could you imagine 007’s name being three syllables instead of two? The world would be an entirely different place.

In the past, Flemming has claimed that he got the name from a real-life ornithologist, which is the fancy name for a bird expert. Who are we to believe?! There is really no concrete answer here, but Rod Bond would have been a fun nickname.

Obviously, people on the internet had jokes because that’s what the internet is for these days. But most of them revolved around The Simpsons because that’s also what the internet is for these days: reiterating Simpsons bits over and over until the world collapses. It’s been working so far!

Either way, it doesn’t matter what his old name is, because his new name is Joe Pera.

(Via Page Six)

For months, Compton rappers Tyga and YG have been teasing a joint project to be released sometime this year, even announcing a co-headlining tour with fellow Californian (and YB’s rumored bae) Saweetie. Earlier this month, they revealed the title — Hit Me When U Leave The Klub — and today, they shared the release date, tracklist, and features. The project, which they are calling a playlist, is due this Friday, September 29, with guest appearances from Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne in addition to the previously released Blxst feature, “West Coast Weekend.”

Here’s everything we know about Hit Me When U Leave The Klub.

release date:

Hit Me When U Leave The Klub is due on 9/29 through Last Kings Music / 4Hunnid Records / EMPIRE.

tracklist:

01. “Rubber Band Man”
02. “Brand New” Feat. Lil Wayne
03. “Thumpin”
04. “Get Me Litt”
05. “Perk 10”
06. “Time For That”
07. “Choose Up”
08. “Big One” Feat. Busta Rhymes”
09. “I’m Tha Reason”
10. “West Coast Weekend”
11. “Party Tim3”
12. “Boachella”
13. “Platinum”
14. “FWU”

singles:

Previously released singles for the playlist include “West Coast Weekend” featuring Blxst, “Platinum,” and “Party Time”

Tour:

The Str8 To The Club Tour with Saweetie began in Sacramento on September 21, and will run through November 22 in Los Angeles with opening acts Kamaiyah and Wallie The Sensei. You can find more info and tour dates here.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump launched into a seemingly random late night rant about Howard Stern, who used to frequently interview the reality star before he inexplicably became President of the United States. While Trump’s tirade focused on Stern’s recent declaration that he’s proud to be woke, the shock jock has a good idea what Trump is really mad about.

“I never, ever thought anyone would care that I’m saying this,” Stern said (via Mediate) about his woke revelation. “It shocks me how the dumbest sh*t that I talk about becomes somehow news. It’s weird.”

However, that dumb sh*t was noticed by Trump, and Stern has a theory that somebody was jealous of the attention.

“My thought was — What? Imagine you got to be the 45th president of the United States and you’re sitting and writing about Howard Stern. Whether he’s woke,” Stern said. “You know, all of a sudden Trump saw me being discussed on all his conservative media things and he got charged up. And I’m disloyal? I stole the excitement for a minute or two.”

Trump also accused Stern of losing his friends, which also isn’t true. Despite having beef with Bill Maher last week, Stern revealed that he and the HBO host talked things out over the weekend. Crisis averted.

“I said to him basically at the end of the conversation, ‘I think what you do on HBO is so important.’ It was it was like the Writers Guild. We reached a tentative agreement,” Stern said. “So we’re back on on good terms.”

(Via Mediaite)

The last new episode of SNL aired on April 15th. The long break is due to the usual summer hiatus, as well as three episodes being canceled due to the Writers Guild of America going on strike. So much time has passed, one of the most recent guest hosts is maybe, possibly dating Taylor Swift. But now that the WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers after nearly 150 days on the picket lines, SNL could return as soon as early October.

Deadline reports that the sketch series “is now likely to return on either October 7 or 14, pending a vote by the WGA. Essentially, the WGA negotiating committee are expected to recommend the agreement and send it to the WGA West Board and WGA East Council for a vote, likely scheduled for Tuesday. This could potentially lift the restraining order and allow writers return to work as the deal is waiting to be ratified.”

The complicating factor here is if SAG-AFTRA remains on strike.

SNL, like the daily late-night shows and reality shows such as Dancing with the Stars, is covered under SAG-AFTRA’s Network Code, which means that theoretically everyone could come back to work. However, given SAG-AFTRA is still waiting to return to talks with the AMPTP and is still on strike, certain cast members may be unwilling to go back to work until that is resolved (which is thought to be at least 2/3 weeks away at the earliest).

SNL could try to find a workaround by hiring non-acting hosts. For instance, instead of Brie Larson coming on to promote Lessons in Chemistry, it could be someone like Drake, whose new album is set for release on October 6th. One thing’s for sure: Drew Barrymore won’t be hosting the first episode back.

(Via Deadline)