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Sometimes the world can feel a little upside down and one Michigan public library found itself in the middle of topsy-turvy land. Patmos Library in Hudsonville, Michigan, became a hot topic earlier this year after a book in the adult section of the library labeled 14+ was touted as inappropriate material for children. After the small library found its funding cut completely by outraged citizens, its launched a GoFundMe campaign to maintain the library and got support from an unlikely donor, bestselling author Nora Roberts.

Roberts isn’t just your average writer, she’s penned more than 220 romance novels, and many shoot straight to the bestseller list.

She saw the library’s GoFundMe and donated the max amount allowed by the donation platform. Accompanying her donation, Roberts wrote, “Libraries and librarians should be valued and celebrated, never attacked and demeaned. 50k is the limit GoFundMe allows for donations. If you’re short of your goal, please contact me. I’ll make up the rest.” With a multitude of bestselling books and no signs of slowing down at the age of 71, Roberts is ready to put more money into the institution.

Sure, you may be wondering, if the book caused such an extreme reaction then why keep it in the library? The book was a graphic novel called “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe. The novel is about coming to terms with your own sexual identity, but some parents saw the LGBTQ selections as “grooming.” For LGBTQ youth who may be in an unaccepting environment at home, books like these can help them feel accepted and understood.

LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, but having an affirming space can reduce the suicide risk in youth, even when the support is outside of the home. In a 2022 national survey by The Trevor Project, 45% of LGBTQ youth reported they seriously contemplated taking their own life. So while books about sexual orientation may make some parents uncomfortable, having the information readily available and normalizing conversations around LGBTQ issues could actually be saving lives.

u201c”Vote NO on Library”u201d

— Jason Scott (@Jason Scott)
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Patmos Library has a yearly budget of $245,000 and taxes pay for about 85% of the annual budget according to Larry Walton, the library’s Board of Trustees president. Without the tax revenue, the library would have to come up with $200,000 to function in 2023. Walton told the Holland Sentinel, “We’ve made it known that here at our facility, we have approximately 90 pieces of material that could be relative to LGBTQ out of a total of 67,000.” This didn’t seem to matter because the vote to defund the library passed.

Libraries have always been a safe space for people and a free place for education. If you don’t have internet or a computer at home, you can go to the library. If you’re not sure how to talk to your child about something, you can ask a librarian for a book recommendation. If you need to build a new resume or learn to use Excel for a new job, many public libraries offer free classes.

Libraries are so much more than a place to get books. They’re a place to feel safe and seen. When I was younger living in a big city, if I was afraid walking down the street or unsure where I was, I would duck into the library.

Not having a library due to funding being cut over a few books that make someone feel normal is a disservice to everyone in the community. Seeing a bestselling author, whose books are likely on the shelves of that very library donating such a large sum of money to keep the building functioning is amazing.

Roberts told Bridge Michigan, “Libraries are treasures, opening the door to books and stories for all. Librarians, to me, are the guardians of those stories. I find the idea of librarians — who offer community services beyond reading — facing threats and attacks, a community library facing defunding both appalling and sad. It’s an honor for me to stand up for the Patmos Library and its staff.”

Imagine taking your kid to the bathroom and having to fight off a hungry tiger. It sounds like a scene from a B-list movie, but this exact scenario actually happened to a mother and her 15-month-old toddler in India. The tiger is believed to have escaped from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, near where the incident happened, according to BestLife. Archana Choudhary, 25, was letting her toddler relieve himself outdoors when the escaped tiger picked up her child and attempted to walk off.

The fact that this mom didn’t immediately pass out from shock is amazing. But luckily for this toddler, his mother’s first instinct was to conjure up superhuman reflexes and strength to save her baby from the tiger’s grip. Choudhary’s husband, Bhola, told The Sun, “Rajveer was sitting and Archana was standing nearby. Suddenly, a tiger emerged, picked Rajveer and started walking away. Archana ran after the tiger for about 5 metres, hitting the tiger with her hands to save her son. The tiger left the child and attacked Archana.”

u201cWoman Fights Off Tiger To Save Son In Madhya Pradesh https://t.co/9wrmNooQVVu201d

— NDTV News feed (@NDTV News feed)
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Can you imagine finding out in the craziest way possible that your wife is no one to mess with? I mean, how could you possibly top that act of love? I’d imagine common disagreements would turn into Choudhary saying, “I fought a tiger, the least you could do is wash the dishes.” There’s no arguing with that. In all seriousness, the baby was saved thanks to his mother’s bravery, but neither escaped without injury.

According to CBS, Choudhary suffered a punctured lung and wounds to her abdomen while the 15-month-old has deep gashes on his head. After attacking the mother and child, the tiger returned to the forest escaping the villagers. The Times of India reported that both mother and baby are in stable condition and a search operation is underway to locate the tiger to force it back toward the reserve.

There are estimated to be around 4,500 tigers in the wild, and India is home to around two-thirds of them. It would seem a tiger encounter in India would only be a matter of time if you live near a reserve. Though tiger attacks are still rare, India had 108 tiger-related deaths between 2019 and 2021. These beautiful but dangerous animals remain on the endangered list as reserves continue to try to boost the tiger population, which is likely why the tiger that attacked Choudhary is not being euthanized.

Thankfully, Choudhary and her child are expected to make a full recovery. Parents often complain about potty training but the task should never be this exciting. This story will likely be told throughout villages for generations. It’s not every day that someone goes toe to toe with an adult tiger barehanded and lives to tell the story. Wishing mom and baby a speedy recovery.

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Sometimes you have an idea so crazy that you convince yourself that it’s crazy enough to be brilliant. Before you know it you’re online at 2 a.m. ordering a ridiculous amount of supplies to start your innovative but half-baked new venture. If you’ve never experienced the late-night dopamine rush of planning out a side hustle bound to make you rich, have no fear, you can live vicariously through this TikTok user, Caden. According to Caden’s TikTok account, he decided to open a virtual pizza place by purchasing frozen pizzas from Walmart and reselling them on DoorDash.

Keep in mind, this is TikTok, so this could totally be a massive prank, but Caden goes through all the motions to make it extremely convincing. His bold antics kind of make you wonder if what he’s claiming to do is even legal or able to be sanctioned by the health department. In his video he explains that he buys the frozen pizzas in bulk from his local Walmart before taking them home to cook them and package them in custom boxes. There’s even a short clip of him getting admonished for his proclivity to clear out the frozen pizzas. This could all be an elaborate ruse and if it is, you have to give him points for creativity and dedication.

@cadenboof

Selling Frozen Walmart Pizzas on DoorDash🍕 #sidehustles #sidehustle #teenentrepreneur #sidehustleideas #doordash #doordashdriver

Caden’s entire page is all about testing side hustles found on TikTok, but this DoorDash pizza delivery video has clearly piqued people’s curiosity. The video currently has more than 4 million views. While opening a “virtual restaurant” may seem like a quick way to make a buck, you should probably check with your local health department and business association to figure out legality.

Hopefully Caden is just a really clever jokester that just hasn’t let us in on the joke, but if not, I imagine DoorDash and other powers that be might have some questions.

For instance, you know that iconic, satisfying “tudum” sound that plays when you enter the platform? The one sort of reminiscent of “Law & Order?” That was almost the sound of a bleating goat instead. Yeah, bullet dodged there.

Also, the very first DVD ever rented was Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice.” Whoever that first customer was, they obviously had great taste.

Here are a few other gems curated by MovieWeb:

• The most popular profile icon, used worldwide on 11 million profiles, is the “Boss Baby” icon.
• Netflix originally had a placeholder name of Kibble—yep, like the dog food.
• Following the launch of “The Queen’s Gambit,” there was a 125% increase in chess board sales.
• Netflix had its own awards show called “The Flixies.”
• The first Netflix Original was “Lilyhammer.”
• There was once a campaign for “Netflix socks,” which detected when you fell asleep and paused the show or movie you were watching.
• “Squid Game” is Netflix’s most popular title ever.

In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s created a Netflix & Chilll’d ice cream flavor, featuring peanut butter ice cream, sweet and salty pretzel swirls, fudge brownie bits and excuse me while I whisk away to the grocery store…

Netflix later posted a follow-up tweet asking folks to share any DVDS they “forgot” to return and still have. Since the company never charged late fees, people simply paid their monthly subscription and could return films whenever they wanted. Or, you know, not at all.

Though the company promised no one would get in trouble, some were lightheartedly suspicious.

pic.twitter.com/lifCCIh1ee

— Damon (@dangdude777) August 29, 2022

But for the most part, people were brave. And their replies were a delightful cruise down memory lane.

Sharing their envelope for the movie “Crimson Tide,” one person wrote “I’ve been holding on to this for years!!! I really like this movie but I lost the DVD in the cabinet and never sent it back.” Relatable.

I’ve been holding on to this for years!!! I really like this movie but I lost the DVD in the cabinet and never sent it back. pic.twitter.com/HUB4OAWfG1

— Matt Wailes (@mwailes) August 29, 2022

Another person, showing off their Coen Brothers flick “Burn After Reading,” joked that “finally after 14 years I can get this off my chest.”

Finally after 14 years I can get this off my chest. pic.twitter.com/MSkZAfE2Gw

— Bryan (@BoofBonzer85) August 29, 2022

Others simply shared their nostalgia for a bygone era.

Oh how I miss getting these on the mail.

— Lovely Lady (@WhispersFromMe) August 30, 2022

Technology continues to move forward at a lightning fast pace, advancing everything along with it. But one thing always remains the same—humans need comfort and entertainment. The ways we get it might evolve, but the need will always be there. And though Netflix is arguably not without its flaws, it has played a major role in fulfilling that need.

So go ahead, grab a blanket, turn off the lights and celebrate this milestone. What a time to be alive.

Many parents know the excitement and apprehension that comes with college application season. We encourage our children to reach for the stars and then sticker shock sets in when they get into their dream school. It’s a feeling that will quickly apply the gravity of Jupiter onto any excitement you might have been feeling as a parent, but Princeton, an Ivy League university, is about to change lives. The prestigious school recently announced that it has removed student loans from its financial aid packages and will cover the tuition including room and board for students whose families make less than $100,000 a year.

Whoa! This is huge news, but this isn’t the first time Princeton has done something like this. Even before announcing this monumental change, it has granted free tuition for students from families making less than $65,000. The income limit increase will allow the school to help more families afford a higher education. Granted, most kids applying for college won’t qualify for entrance to the school due to its highly competitive admissions process. But there are plenty of teens that do qualify and can’t attend because the price tag isn’t always covered completely by financial aid and scholarships.

The current cost of attendance at Princeton for the 2022-2023 academic year is $79,540, which includes room, board and miscellaneous fees. On average, college costs between $11,631 to $28, 238 per year for a public university depending on whether the student is considered in-state or out-of-state. For a private college, the average cost is $43,775. The price difference between Princeton and the average cost of tuition is staggering, but it’s Princeton, one of the most prestigious colleges in the United States.

Princeton eliminating the option for student loans in 2001 and now providing a free education for qualifying students will help them graduate without any college debt, likely changing the course of the students’ lives. The average student loan borrower owes more than $30,000 in student loans, which has been shown to affect their ability to purchase homes and increase their personal wealth. Eliminating school debt for students from low and middle class households will allow for upward mobility and an easier path forward to building wealth.

But Princeton isn’t the only school that took the option for student loans away and offered up free education. Colgate University announced in 2021 that it would do away with what some call predatory student loans and replace them with grants funded by a $1.3 billion endowment. The private New York college also made tuition free for students whose families make $80,000 a year or less.

Colleges are hearing the concerns about the amount of student debt people have to take on—an issue that causes some people to opt out of college altogether. Yale, Amherst and Harvard have also cut loans from their financial aid packages, vowing to work with parents to provide enough aid through grants that loans won’t be needed. If more schools take this approach we could eliminate the normalcy of graduating with mountains of student loan debt that seems to grow no matter if you make timely payments or not.

Sure, it’s Princeton and other Ivy League schools that are using their deep pockets to give their students the best start, but if they can do it, what’s stopping other schools from reworking their numbers? Student loan debt relief shouldn’t begin and end at elite universities. Taking a hard look into the student loan crisis and finding tangible ways to address it at the colleges themselves could lead to an economic shift in the future. Hopefully other colleges continue to take note.

It has been seven years since Disney first announced its plans for a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid,” and four years since Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the film.

Director Rob Marshall commented on her casting in a statement in 2019, saying in a statement, “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.”

He didn’t mention her race, but others did—for better and for worse.

While some celebrated the choice of a non-white actress, the hashtag #NotMyAriel revealed that a segment of the public took issue with the casting of a Black actress to play Ariel. Some claimed the character was supposed to be a fair-skinned redhead and making her Black wasn’t true to the Danish origins of the story. In a Variety profile, Bailey shared with Variety that she relied on the support and encouragement of her family members, including her grandparents, to handle the racist backlash directed her way.

“It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you,’” Bailey told Variety.

As for the criticisms, as many have pointed out, Ariel is a fictional mermaid in a fantasy world in which race plays no part. Danish people can be Black, Black people can be redheads and the colors of Ariel’s features aren’t relevant to the storyline anyway.

Casting a Black actress does matter, though, especially for young Black viewers who rarely see themselves physically reflected in the world of Disney princesses. The first Disney princess, Snow White, was introduced in 1937 and we didn’t see a non-white princess until Jasmine in “Aladdin” in 1992. In the past 30 years, Disney has had some catching up to do to create a more diverse and representative offering of its iconic characters.

Parents have been sharing the reactions of their kids to seeing the new teaser trailer for the live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which show why that representation really does matter.

Here is a small handful of them:

u201chttps://t.co/zR9QLNuSkGu201d

— Laiud83dudc94 (@Laiud83dudc94)
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@preciousavery

I love this for my 3 years old 🤎 #littlemermaid #toddlersoftiktok #hallebailey #girlpower

@workingmama

My daughter’s reaction 😭 to the little mermaid trailer. #littlemermaidtrailer #representationmatters

@nickyknackpaddywack

Mayas reaction to #thelittlemermaid trailer. #representationmatters #representationinthemediamatters #blackgirls

As an Upworthy commenter shared on Instagram, representation can be powerful for kids. “As a ginger who was little and getting teased relentlessly for the color of her hair and skin when little mermaid came out, I felt represented when the Disney princess looked like me and she was and is still my favorite. Ariel making a new generation of little girls feel seen and represented is beautiful. 😍😍”

For people worried about how this casting choice might impact representation for redheads, never fear. First of all, the live-action Ariel played by Halle Bailey actually does have red hair, so there’s that. Secondly, considering redheads only make up 1% to 2% of the population, they are already well-represented in the land of Disney princesses. Aside from Ariel, we have Merida (from “Brave”) and Anna (from “Frozen,” though she isn’t technically considered a princess) on the animated front, as well as Giselle from the live-action film “Enchanted,” (though she’s not considered an “official” princess, either). The only official animated Black princess has been Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog.” For a live-action Black princess, we had singer Brandy playing Cinderella in a 1997 live-action TV film.

Now we have Halle Bailey cast as Ariel, a welcome choice for Black Disney princess fans who have rarely gotten to see themselves as “part of that world.” And if this trailer is any indication, it’s going to be truly magical.

There are some shows you wish would go on forever, and other well-loved shows that do go on forever, despite losing momentum a few seasons back. Hey, if it happened to Lost, it can happen to anybody. But sometimes, actors are aware when their characters or storylines are starting to become stale, and Brian Cox seems to think that the story of Succession and the Roy family could come to a close.

The actor was interviewed by The Times ahead of the Emmys earlier this week when he said he was unsure about the future of the series, and if the show would continue after season four. When asked about a potential fifth season, he responded, “I don’t know. No one’s had their contracts renewed. Who knows how long it will go on?”

Despite not being contractually obligated, it’s still likely that HBO will order a new season after the fourth begins airing sometime next year. The show has been a massive hit for the network, and won multiple Emmys. Still, it seems like Cox thinks that the series could be on its way out.

Cox then threw a slight dig at Showtime’s Billions, which was just ordered for its seventh season. “We don’t want it to overstay its welcome, like Billions, that’s past its sell-by date. That will not happen with our show.” Sorry, Paul Giamatti, but your time seems to be up, according to Logan Roy.

(Via Variety)

The Kansas City Chiefs found themselves in a pretty unenviable position on Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals. The team scored a touchdown late in the first quarter to make the game 13-0, but their ultra-reliable kicker, Harrison Butker, suffered an ankle injury that caused him to leave the game and miss out on the extra point.

The catch: Kansas City has one hell of a backup plan, and it’s not someone who normally is involved in kicking the football in any capacity. Justin Reid, the former Houston Texans safety who joined in free agency this summer, grew up playing soccer and is known for having one heck of a leg, so he tagged in, nailed the extra point, and handled kicking duties until Butker returned later in the game — he ended up going 1-for-2 on PATs.

Some behind-the-scenes footage gave a glimpse into the series of events leading up to Reid’s first two kicks, from the moment he learned he might have to go in to Patrick Mahomes’ reaction to his handling of kickoff duties. It is a delight.

No one has ever been cooler than Reid when he learned that he’d have to go in to kick. But the best part is Mahomes, who is in total awe of the fact that a safety kicked a football out of the end zone in spot duty for one of the best kickers of all time.

Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney have been through a lot lately. To summarize: in mid-August, Branch accused husband Carney of infidelity, Branch was arrested for hitting Carney shortly after, Branch filed for divorce, and the domestic assault case against Branch was dismissed. That brings us to the latest development: The two are apparently calling off the divorce (at least for now) and are going to try to make their marriage work, as TMZ and Us Weekly report.

According to legal documents, the two are pausing divorce proceedings for at least six months, during which time they will live together in Nashville and go to counseling. After the six-month period, the two will then decide if they would like to continue with their divorce.

Branch and Carney have two children together: son Rhys, 4, and daughter Willa, 6 months.

Branch previously said in a statement, “To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family. The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”

Meanwhile, Branch has a new album, The Trouble With Fever, on the way, which Carney co-produced and performed on. In a recent interview, Branch called the album “the best distraction ever” from her current situation.

Angel Olsen’s Big Time is firmly entrenched on Uproxx’s list of Best Indie Albums Of 2022 So Far. It sees Olsen leaning deeper into her country music influences for an album filled with woozy strings and heartfelt songwriting. It’s an album about picking up the pieces of her life after both of her parents passed away and embracing her ability to love again after coming out as queer. She addresses the latter on the album’s title track and now, has released a new duet version of “Big Time” featuring eclectic outlaw country leading man Sturgill Simpson, and gosh darn it, it’s gorgeous.

Olsen opens up singing on the pedal steel-studded tune, before Simpson joins in giving new life to her lyrics. It builds masterfully into a downtrodden tale of the power of love, and they sweetly wrap up the tune singing together, “And I’m living, I’m loving, I’ve loved long before. And I’m loving you big time, I’m loving you more.”

“It’s crazy to write a song and then watch someone else you really admire sing your words; kinda turns the whole thing on its head,” Olsen said in a statement. “I loved the song already, but hearing Sturgill’s take on ‘Big Time’ made me smile ear to ear, he made it come alive on a different level.”

Listen to “Big Time” above.