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Five-year-old Willa Fitzgerald was super excited to celebrate her 5th birthday party at Hat Creek Burger Company in Keller, Texas, on June 17 with a group of friends from school. However, 20 minutes after the party started, no one had shown up.

“I’m thinking to myself, no, this cannot be what’s happening. As a mom, the last thing I want is for my daughter, for the first time ever at 5 years old, to experience that type of social rejection — honestly, that’s what it is,” Willa’s mom Alexa told WFAA.

Mid-June is a busy time of year for many families and it’s understandable if a lot of the invitees were busy or on vacation. But Alexa later recalled on Instagram that 30% of the invitees RSVP’d yes, so she assumed there would be enough for a small party. Sadly, they didn’t show up.

Fearful that her daughter’s birthday would become a disaster, the mother of three young children made a last-ditch effort to get the party started. She reached out to the Keller neighborhood group on Facebook to see if anyone would like to stop by and celebrate with Willa.

It was a long shot, but telling her daughter that no one showed up to her birthday party would be incredibly difficult.

“If anyone has young kids and looking for something to do right now, no one showed up to my daughter’s birthday party. It’s her first (and likely last) party. We’d love to celebrate with you,” she wrote to the group.

She hoped a few kids would show up with their parents, but that wasn’t the case. The Facebook group delivered in a big way. Within minutes, people began to show up at the restaurant to wish the young girl a happy birthday. “The entire restaurant was packed with families who refused to let my daughter celebrate alone,” Alexa later posted on Instagram. The table went from empty to every seat being taken.

Grandparents, empty nesters, teenagers, and even total strangers showed up to wish Willa a happy birthday. “All walks of life showed up for my baby girl today,” Alexa said, according to WFAA. “It was incredible.” Many of them even brought gifts, which is pretty impressive on such short notice.

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A post shared by Lex Fitzgerald (@lex.fitzgerald)

Some of the last-minute guests quickly became Willa’s new friends, and they invited her to their birthday parties.

The gesture by the local community was all the more important for the family because they had only lived in Keller for two years and had no family in the area to come to the party.

“I just want to say thank you to all of the people who came today to be with us,” she wrote on Instagram. “You not only showed up for my little girl, but for me as well. You picked me up and encouraged me forward when I felt like I had failed as a mom. Thank you.”

She added the hashtag, “It takes a village.”

“Those parents better be ashamed of themselves,” one of the top commenters wrote. “That’s truly disheartening. BUT, a village was needed and a village came.”

Dogs are toddlers in little furry bodies, or at least that how they behave sometimes. They constantly get into things they shouldn’t and act like they’re hyped up on a batch of Pixy Stix when they are excited about something. Their uncontrollable zoomies can have dogs crashing into walls, furniture and people, without a care in their tiny dog world.

And just like toddlers, their behavior can change based on who’s supervising them. In one family, a pit bull named Bishop Ace keeps giving Grandma a run for her money any time she’s charged with babysitting him. Jayla doesn’t have any human grandchildren and Bishop Ace is her only grand-dog so you’d think he would be nicer to his grandma, especially since he knows how to behave.

Turns out that the pittie has exquisite manners with his mother, Shauna. He loves cuddling with her and listens the first time he’s asked to do something, but as soon as mom goes to work, Bishop runs amuck.

But Shauna doesn’t believe her sweet little dog could ever do anything as wild as grandma reports, which is exactly why grandma started recording Bishop’s hijinks. This is what seems to have led to an intervention with the hyperactive pit bull.

“We want to have a conversation with you,” Jayla says. “Because I’m noticing when mom is at work, your behavior is getting worse. You don’t listen when grandma says ‘drop it,’ you run.”

Bishop Ace refused to make eye contact for much of the intervention, and when Grandma was done speaking, Shauna gave the obviously guilty dog scratches and denied it was him causing the problem. Even with the video evidence, Bishop Ace is still his mama’s baby and can do no wrong in her eyes, so all of Grandma’s intervention efforts never work. But if you want to see some adorably hilarious “bad dog” shenanigans you can check out the video from The Dodo below.

Lucy Dacus is now speaking out on social media after Boygenius‘ recent Toronto show. In a viral TikTok, Dacus sat in a chair on the stage as she was dealing with a concussion.

“The doctor said I could do the show, but I’m just gonna be chilling very hard,” she told the crowd. “I really want to be here, so I’m gonna sit intermittently and look so cool.”

Later in the fan’s clip, Dacus got up and stood to play the guitar with the rest of the band.

“I thought about saying something like this when I was doing couch tour with the herniated discs, but it feels relevant again now that I’ve got this concussion (I’m mostly fine, taking it easy)- we should not expect performers or anyone to show up for work ill or in pain,” Dacus wrote on Twitter this evening.

“That’s not a standard I condone,” she added. “I appreciate the support and feel good about what I’m doing, but I hope y’all would support me if I needed to cancel shows. Not trying to raise the bar or whatever, just wanna put on the show if I can.”

The fans in the replies sent Dacus their best wishes and hope that she can get well soon. Meanwhile, Boygenius is returning for a show in Columbus tonight.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

“[T]he internet is always evolving—with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways—so our policies and protections need to evolve, too,” Chang continued.

The new policy also allows people to request the removal of personal information in Search that could be used for financial fraud such as log-in credentials or account numbers.

Hereu2019s how you can remove your phone number, email and other personal information from Google search results.https://cnet.co/3y6utEa

— CNET (@CNET)
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Although Google’s new policy is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t cure the problem altogether. “It’s important to remember that removing content from Google Search won’t remove it from the internet, which is why you may wish to contact the hosting site directly, if you’re comfortable doing so,” Chang said.

Do you have any personal information that pops up in Google Search that you’d like to have removed? Visit the topic’s support page, scroll down and click the “Start removal request” link. As you follow the prompts you will be able to specify the personal information that shows up in Search and will be asked to share a list of relevant search terms, such as your full name, maiden name and nickname. You’ll also be able to share supplemental details before submitting the request.

After your request is submitted, you should receive an email from Google confirming the request was received. It’s unclear how long the removal process will take.

Google’s new policy changes come during a surge in online fraud. The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers lost $5.8 billion to scammers in 2021, a jump of 70% from the previous year.

A big portion of fraud is committed through online scams as well as identity theft and telephone solicitations.

In an attempt to give the FTC more power to fight back against fraud, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Commerce Committee, will introduce legislation this week to make it easier for the Committee to sue deceptive companies and scammers.

“If the FTC remains disarmed of this critical authority, millions of consumers and small businesses who’ve been scammed, swindled, or locked out of competitive marketplaces will never be made whole,” Cantwell said in a statement.

This article originally appeared on 05.03.22

Rodney Smith Jr., of Huntsville, Alabama, was recently profiled by KMBC for his generous donation to two 11-year-olds who fulfilled his 50 Yard Challenge in Gadsden, Alabama. Ja’Torrian Taylor and Tevin Rice, founders of TJ & JT Mowing Service, completed Smith’s challenge to mow 50 yards for the elderly, veterans, and people unable to care for their lawns for free.

“I’m heading down to Gadsden right now. These are good, hard-working kids that deserve some gratitude,” Smith, known as “The Lawnmower Man,” told KMBC. Smith had been told that Taylor and Rice were sharing an old lawnmower that a neighbor had donated to them.

When he arrived, he gave both teens a mower, a blower and a trimmer for their hard work, hoping they’ll use their new equipment to expand their business. “Giving these boys lawn equipment is teaching them discipline,” Smith said. “If they tell someone they are going to mow a lawn, they need to mow the lawn.”

“Remember, this is not the end; it’s just the beginning,” Smith added. “This could be the beginning of a successful lawn service.”

Smith’s commitment to taking care of people’s lawns started in 2015, and the following year he went viral for helping a 93-year-old woman who could no longer mow hers. The photo of Smith and the woman received over 1 million likes.

Five years ago, Upworthy profiled Smith for setting a bold goal of mowing lawns for free in all 50 states. His goal was to promote his initiative that “provides free lawn care to our elders, those who are disabled, single mothers, and our veterans, who do not have the time, resources, and/or money to manicure their yards.”

As part of this goal, he created the 50 Yard Challenge, which has been a smashing success.

As of May 2023, 4,588 pre-teens and teens are participating in this challenge across the United States. If everyone completes the challenge, that will bring the total number of lawns mowed for free by Smith’s Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service to 229,400.

Kids and teens can take part in the challenge by sending them a photo holding up a sign that says, “I accept the 50 Yard Challenge,” and in return, they’ll receive a white Raising Men/Women shirt along with shades and ear protection to get started. For every 10 lawns cut, they will get a new color shirt.

• 10 lawns earn an orange shirt

• 20 lawns earn a green shirt

• 30 lawns earn a blue shirt

• 40 lawns earn a red shirt

• 50 lawns earn a black shirt

After completing the challenge, the child or teen will receive a mower, a blower, and a trimmer, just like Ja’Torrian Taylor and Tevin Rice from Alabama.

Smith’s story is an incredible example of how one good deed from a kind-hearted person can lead to an outpouring of kindness across the country. It also teaches young people the values of giving back and self-discipline as well as the entrepreneurial spirit.

Learn more about Smith’s nonprofit and donate at Weareraisingmen.com.

Diversity makes our world special. Different beliefs, different appearances, different food, different gender interpretations, different languages—the list goes on and on for all the ways contrasting cultures come together under one large sky roof to create one rich and complex existence. It’s a miracle we sometimes take for granted or don’t fully respect.

But still, moments of pure appreciation for what makes us unique come out. And luckily, we live in an age where capturing and sharing those moments is easier than ever.

For travel guide Alana Rainer, it came when she was walking through a remote village in Vietnam and the locals held nothing back as they marveled at her long braids.

It’s such a brief interaction, but it contains what makes humanity so beautiful.

Rainer’s onscreen text playfully reads, “being Black in Vietnam be like…” as the short clip shows onlookers standing in awe. One woman even carefully touches her hair while smiling.

Watch:

@alanarainer Honestly I personally found it so funny how amazed they were 🤷🏽‍♀️😭 Whats your thoughts 😅💭 #vietnam #blackinasia #traveltiktok #travellife ♬ Island In The Sun – Weezer

While the scenario of a Black person’s hair being touched usually has negative connotations and is seen as a racial microaggression, Rainer is clearly smiling back, and wrote in the caption, “personally found it so funny how amazed they were.”

Others were quick to note how gently and thoughtfully the Vietnamese woman handled Rainer’s locks, making the action so endearing.

“Normally it would be a no but she’s touching her hair so attentively,” another person wrote. Rainer, agreed, replying, “Yess that’s why I let them touch my hair – I was also soo fascinated by them – it was honestly an amazing experience in my opinion.”

When we zero in on differences in order to dehumanize people…well, it should go without saying that that is a bad thing. That is how racism, genocide and needless wars happen. But when we celebrate our differences, we celebrate life itself.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who’s known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

“A normal Uber driver takes you to a place and then drops you off. He insisted on coming in with me and making sure that I was going to have a ride after that,” Becca said.

The store wasn’t able to get her a new phone because she didn’t have access to her current plan. But Raul wouldn’t give up, so he took her to the local police station where they were able to locate the Airbnb where the thief was staying. The police let them into the room and they searched it but couldn’t find the phone.

@becccamooore

the uber driver that saved me from going missing is @buds4u559!! 😭 after spending the day w him he told me his daughter is a senior in high school & is having a hard time going through chemo. i made a gofundme, he could’ve left me and didn’t have to help me the way he did! I’d love to help his fam give his daughter a normal end to her senior year of high school this year (prom!!) i’m putting it in my bio!!

After the big let-down, Becca and Raul decided to take a break from their quest and refresh their spirits with some margaritas, on Raul. “Just because he’s an angel on this Earth,” Becca said in her TikTok video.

While the two bonded over drinks, Raul told Becca his daughter had been battling cancer and that’s why he’s been working as an Uber driver. “He told me all he wants is for his daughter to have a normal end to her senior year, and to be able to go to big events like prom and graduation,” Becca said.

Raul also revealed that his father had cancer as well.

His revelations put Becca’s troubles in perspective and made his decision to drop his driving for the day to help Becca all the more incredible.

@becccamooore

thank god he refused to leave me 😭 raul’s tiktok is @buds4u559. also you can donate to the fam in my bio!! thank you all for your donations and generosity. you today, me tomorrow!! #TipsForRaul

After the final slurps of their margaritas, Becca still wasn’t sure how she’d get home. But Raul wouldn’t give up. “We’re getting your phone,” he exclaimed. He drove her back to the thief’s Airbnb where she found the phone sitting on top of the outside gate. Becca believes the robber abandoned the phone after realizing the police were involved. Then, Raul helped Becca get a rental car so she could get home. Before saying their goodbyes, the two had spent eight hours together.

“Raul ended his Uber shift that morning to spend his day helping me, expecting nothing in return,” she said in her TikTok video. So she used her considerable audience to ask followers to help contribute to a GoFundMe page for Raul and his family. Over the first 4 days, the campaign has raised over $144,000.

“When I was in the car with him it seemed like we were both so focused on my situation. We were only talking about me getting a phone and like things that did not matter. And he completely glazed over the fact that his daughter and his dad were the ones that needed help,” she admitted.

On Friday, April 29, Raul’s dad passed away from cancer.

The story of Becca and Raul is a great reminder that no matter how big our troubles seem, it’s always important to put them in perspective.

This story originally appeared on 05.03.22

Taylor Swift recently announced her European tour dates for next year as a continuation of her record-breaking The Eras Tour that is currently taking place in North America.

She had previously been scheduled to headline the festival in 2020, but then the pandemic obviously happened — and Swift never returned to the annual festival… At least, not yet. Given she’s been in the process of re-recording her first six albums, releasing her tenth studio one, and going on a world tour, it makes sense why she didn’t play in 2023.

Swift’s specific schedule for next year’s European leg starts in Paris in May and ends back in London in August. Although she is set to play in Dublin on June 28 and 29, some spotted the fact that she left Sunday, June 30 open — which would line up with Glastonbury 2024 if it was held on June 26 through the 30. This would also mean she would headline on Sunday as the final day of the festival.

Given Glastonbury’s exact dates for next year have not been confirmed, Swift is also conveniently keeping June 23 (also a Sunday) open — in case it is held from June 21 through the 24, a similar time to this year.

The festival’s organizer, Emily Eavis, had also previously told Variety, “I think we’ve got Taylor on board next time she’s doing some touring.”

While Swift’s headlining debut at Glastonbury is still unconfirmed, the speculation is definitely mounting.

Three years ago, Victoria Monét took a huge step upward in her career with the release of her Jaguar project. Through nine songs, guest appearances from Khalid & SG Lewis, and highlights like “Moment” and “Ass Like That,” Monét showed off the polished and provocative sides of her artistry without error. In the end, Monét proved that she was worth attention to going forward in her career. Fans have been patiently waiting for a follow-up to that project, and at long last, we know when it will arrive.

In posts to her social media pages, Monét confirmed that her next project Jaguar II will arrive on August 25. A pre-save link of the project revealed that Jaguar II will be released with 11 songs including the previously released singles “Smoke” with Lucky Daye, “Party Girls” with Buju Banton, and “On My Mama.”

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music (per a press release) from back in May, Monét opened up about Jaguar II and what fans should expect from it:

You know what? I feel really lucky that, even from Jaguar Part One, I had planned for it to be a three-part project. So this album … this album is called Jaguar Part Two … so it really kind of breathes new life into Part One. If you’re just now catching onto me as an artist, you’ll know, it’s because it’s Part Two, that there was a Part One, so you may revisit it. And when I do tour this album… Hey, hey, hey. When I do tour this album, I will be doing songs from Part One, as well. So I feel like… because I’m still in this era, I get to still show love. It really became a result of observation of people’s attention span. And I know that, if people are just getting introduced to an artist, if they see a long list, a long album, they may get kind of overwhelmed, so I kind of always intended to microdose my style and my music to people in segments. But as I went on, I just kind of kept adding songs to those little segments. I know that there won’t be a Part Three anymore, because obviously, didn’t expect to take three years in between Part One and Part Two, or have a child in between.

You can view the artwork for Jaguar II above.

Jaguar II is out 8/25 via Lovett Music/RCA Records. Find out more information here.

The NBA Draft is about young men achieving their lifelong dream to play in the NBA and celebrating with those they love. Also, it’s about fashion. Gradey Dick, for example, lit up the 2023 Draft stage with a bright red suit. It was an outrageous fit that stood out among all others and even inspired ESPN’s Zach Lowe to wear a replica while appearing on NBA Today the next day.

A Draft fit can be memorable for taking an outrageous swing, but we also learned that staying too conservative can make you a lightning rod, as well. On Thursday night, a photo of Jalen Brunson‘s 2018 NBA Draft fit resurfaced on Twitter, and the New York Knicks guard was ruthlessly roasted for it.

This wasn’t just happening on Twitter, as Brunson apparently turned into the main character of every group chat he is in, too.

As a guard from Villanova with championship pedigree, Brunson decided to play it safe on Draft night. Maybe he asked his dad if he could borrow one of his suits. Maybe he was interviewing to be an insurance salesman after the Draft. Maybe he spilled hot sauce on his original suit and had to stop by Men’s Warehouse and get something ASAP.

Brunson’s fit actually matched his NBA approach. It’s pared down, pragmatic, and makes him look like a coach on the floor. It’s a good reminder that those who take risks are rewarded, and those who don’t can get trolled in their group chats five years later.