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One of the biggest problems with coffee production is that it generates an incredible amount of waste. Once coffee beans are separated from cherries, about 45% of the entire biomass is discarded.

So for every pound of roasted coffee we enjoy, an equivalent amount of coffee pulp is discarded into massive landfills across the globe. That means that approximately 10 million tons of coffee pulp is discarded into the environment every year.

When disposed of improperly, the waste can cause serious damage soil and water sources.

However, a new study published in the British Ecological Society journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence has found that coffee pulp isn’t just a nuisance to be discarded. It can have an incredibly positive impact on regrowing deforested areas of the planet.

via British Ecological Society

In 2018, researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawaii spread 30 dump trucks worth of coffee pulp over a roughly 100′ x 130′ area of degraded land in Costa Rica. The experiment took place on a former coffee farm that underwent rapid deforestation in the 1950s.

The coffee pulp was spread three-feet thick over the entire area.

Another plot of land near the coffee pulp dump was left alone to act as a control for the experiment.

“The results were dramatic.” Dr. Rebecca Cole, lead author of the study, said. “The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years while the control plot remained dominated by non-native pasture grasses.”

In just two years, the area treated with coffee pulp had an 80% canopy cover, compared to just 20% of the control area. So, the coffee-pulp-treated area grew four times more rapidly. Like a jolt of caffeine, it reinvigorated biological activity in the area.

The canopy was also four times taller than that of the control.

via British Ecological Society

The coffee-treated area also eliminated an invasive species of grass that took over the land and prevented forest succession. Its elimination allowed for other native species to take over and recolonize the area.

“This case study suggests that agricultural by-products can be used to speed up forest recovery on degraded tropical lands. In situations where processing these by-products incurs a cost to agricultural industries, using them for restoration to meet global reforestation objectives can represent a ‘win-win’ scenario,” Dr. Cole said.

If the results are repeatable it’s a win-win for coffee drinkers and the environment.

Researchers believe that coffee treatments can be a cost-effective way to reforest degraded land. They may also work to reverse the effects of climate change by supporting the growth of forests across the globe.

The 2016 Paris Agreement made reforestation an important part of the fight against climate change. The agreement incentivizes developing countries to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, promote forest conservation and sustainable management, and enhance forest carbon stocks in developing countries.

“We hope our study is a jumping off point for other researchers and industries to take a look at how they might make their production more efficient by creating links to the global restoration movement,” Dr. Cole said.

Over the weekend, Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth speculated that Nike might have grounds to sue Lil Nas X collaborator MSCHF over its “Satan shoes” — customized Nike Air Max 97s supposedly featuring a drop of blood mixed with red ink in each of the 666 pair’s Air Max units — made to promote Nas’ new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” Well, it looks like the sneaker giant really has done just that, with New York Times Sports reporter Kevin Draper posting a copy of the first page of a lawsuit filed in New York’s Eastern District for trademark infringement, false designation of origin/unfair competition, and trademark dilution.

It’s not an entirely unusual move for Nike, which jealously guards its trademarks but usually allows for customizers and collaborators to sell limited runs of its sneaker models. Just recently, Nike settled a lawsuit with streetwear brand Warren Lotas, which sold a lookalike sneaker it collaborated with Jeff Staple on. The “Illegal Fake” sneakers toyed with the design of the Nike Dunk, transforming the trademark swoosh into a hockey goalie mask a la Jason Voorhees of the Friday The 13th franchise. However, rather than going to court, Warren Lotas agreed to cease production and sale of its shoe and refrain from creating similar designs in the future.

As MSCHF and Lil Nas used Air Max 97s to create their controversial sneaker and judging from the confusion displayed on Fox News and in other outlets, something similar could happen here, although there are some differences as well. MSCHF didn’t create a new sneaker similar to Nike’s, it simply bought and customized several pairs of the existing shoe. Still, MSCHF may not want to go toe-to-toe in court with the behemoth brand and choose to settle as well. However, they won’t have to pull shoes from any shelves; according to Lil Nas X, all 666 pairs sold out within a minute of availability.

Hall of Flame: Top 100 Roast Moments (Comedy Central, 10:00pm) — There ain’t no roast like a Comedy Central roast, and today marks the start of a five-night event to count down the best flame jobs of them all. Look forward to a Nikki Glaser-hosted extravaganza that includes moments from Martha Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Justin Bieber, James Franco, Snoop Dogg, Bruce Willis, Rob Lowe, and many more.

Running Wild With Bear Grylls (Nat Geo, 9:00pm) — Bear Grylis is back at it again while being more rugged than the rest of us (although he does love an occasional hotel). Season 6 begins with Anthony Mackie taking a joint journey within the Italian Dolomites mountain range. Look out for Terry Crews in Iceland next week.

Breeders (FX, 10:00pm) — Martin Freeman’s starring turn in this comedy enters the sophomore season with new parenting challenges. This week, gentrification is hitting Jim and Jackie while their neighborhood is overrun by young professionals, and Paul’s trying his hardest to help his culturally fragmented family.

Bulletproof (CW, 8:00pm) — Bishop’s got a hunch for PIke and Tanner, but it could very well spell bad news for Arjana.

All American Stories (CW, 9:00pm) — Former NFL player Spencer Paysinger co-hosts with acclaimed storyteller Yogi Roth. Paysinger’s the inspiration for this series’ format and stories.

Debris (NBC, 10:00pm) — Finola’s struggling to keep her mind on work after she acquires fresh knowledge, and the Debris might be weaponized by a dastardly experiment.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Lil Rel Howery, Wyatt Russell, Jazmine Sullivan

In case you missed these picks from the weekend:

Solar Opposites: Season 2 (Hulu series) — Rick & Morty guys Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan are back with their four aliens who’ve crash landed and set up camp in American suburbia. Is life full of pollution and consumerism or wonderful diversions like TV and junk food? Maybe both, and expect this season to be more “opposite” than the last round and hopefully, bigger and funnier, too.

Invincible (Amazon Prime series) — This animated romp will please both fans of The Boys and The Walking Dead, and the latter reference has everything to do with the source material penned by Robert Kirkman. Invincible is an ultraviolent deconstruction of the superhero, and yes, we’ve seen plenty of dismantling already, but this story has heart. Stephen Yeun makes a fantastic leading man here, and the cast (J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zazie Beetz, Zachary Quinto, Mark Hamill, and several TWD names) is ridiculously good.

Bad Trip (Netflix film) — This film stars Eric Andre and Lil Rel Howery being totally outrageous alongside Tiffany Haddish and Michaela Conlin. Andre produced and helped write, so you know you’re in for a treat, and this hidden-camera comedy hails from one of the dudes who brought you Jackass and Bad Grandpa. Get ready for cross-country pranks on a road trip on unsuspecting audiences who are not prepared for the mayhem. Oh, and Haddish dangles Andre off a rooftop, which sounds like a real good time.

On Monday, traditional NFL newsbreakers shared word that offensive lineman Rashaad Coward would leave the Chicago Bears and sign a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But if you’re an avid Call of Duty gamer or spend a lot of time on Reddit, you may have already known the deal was coming. As Yahoo laid out, a Reddit user named ProbationOfficer2035 posted on Sunday about a “possible trade” he overhead about while playing Warzone that involved an NFL player who was in Chicago but was excited to join the Steelers. The way they found out? They were gaming with the player’s wife.

Very random, as I’m a packers fan. I was just playing warzone with randoms, ended up with a female teammate. She had her mic on and I could hear her husband talking in the background about a “deal”. Then something was said about he would love to play in Pittsburgh. I tried to ask the girl for info but she felt a bit awkward when I asked if she could tell me who her husband was. All she would say was that it was her husband being loud in the background and that he’s an NFL player.

Anyways, he currently plays in Chicago (I did look up her gamertag which is linked to her twitch/IG and she is wearing bears gear in some pics). The last thing I heard was that if no one else calls within the next 30 minutes he’s gonna sign a 3 year deal in order to facilitate the trade because he would love to be in Pittsburgh. I know this is big speculation, but I heard what I heard.

The actual deal, of course, was a free agency signing and not a trade. But the evidence here certainly lines up, and as Yahoo noted, one of Coward’s agents actually noted that his wife is a good follow when it comes to gaming stuff, which seems like a strong hint that she did, indeed, accidentally help break the news.

You truly never know who you’re playing with online. So if you’d like to be the next NFL newsbreaker, you may want to start cultivating your sources on the virtual battlefield.

[via Yahoo Sports]

The first trailer for The Suicide Squad had Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn comparing the rain to “angels splooging all over us,” King Shark biting some dude’s head off, and a freaking kaiju up in this sh*t. Also, a Steely Dan song. More trailers should have Steely Dan songs, preferably for movies where Idris Elba argues with John Cena about d*ck-covered beaches. But for all the goodness in the trailer, there’s one thing it didn’t have: enough of The Thinker, played by The Thick of It great Peter Capaldi.

This must have upset a lot of Doctor Who fans, as writer and director James Gunn singled out the 12th Doctor in his tweet about The Suicide Squad‘s first television spot. “#TheSuicideSquad TV spot number one. Capaldi talks!” Gunn tweeted, along with a confirmation that, yes, “The Thinker is Scottish.” Otherwise, the promo is essentially the same as the trailer, minus the swearing (this classic Harris Wittels tweet comes to mind).

Watch it below:

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave… and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them — all of them.

The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6.

Odds are, you have no idea who FastMoney Goon, Spinabenz, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, or Yungeen Ace are. But the odds are, you probably know Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” so the probability that you’ll soon learn about this crop of hot, young rappers shot up exponentially with their savvy sample of the 2001 pop hit for their new single “Who I Smoke.” Thanks to the chopped-up loop, the song is as inescapably catchy as it is ludicrously violent, and it’s got fans on social media amused and befuddled in equal measure, even though it isn’t the first time a rapper has cheekily appropriated the buoyant hit.

For one thing, the song’s cartoonishly reckless threats of violence clash so much with the bubbly mood of the original sample, it’s hard to figure out if we should be taking these kids seriously or laughing them off. Whoppa’s verse contains an extended riff on enemies he’s supposedly sent to meet their maker, while Yungeen Ace straight up croons about the deaths of foes, with both rappers naming names. It’s so beyond disrespectful that you almost hope they’re just, like, naming Gamertags and referring to Call Of Duty shootouts instead of real ones.

However, that hasn’t stopped the track from becoming a viral hit and inspiring a raft of memes, jokes, and bemused commentary on Twitter pondering the ridiculousness of the situation. As for who these four rappers are, Google has few answers for any of them except for Yungeen Ace, an up-and-coming rapper from Jacksonville who I’ve covered before in passing. Let’s hope that their joyful breakout doesn’t turn out to bite them as it did the members of GS9 back in 2014. For now, enjoy the song above and the memes below.

Despite every award show continuing to go virtual as the pandemic remains ongoing health crisis in 2021, the Academy Awards decided to buck convention by holding an in-person event for the Oscars and go the extra step of explicitly forbidding anyone from accepting their award remotely. In a letter to nominees that attempted to assure them that the event will be safe, the Academy made the controversial move to ban all virtual acceptance speeches.

“For those of you unable to attend because of scheduling or continued uneasiness about traveling, we want you to know there will not be an option to Zoom in for the show,” the letter stated. “We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts.”

Needless to say, this move did not go over well with actors and producers who would have to go to considerable expense to safely quarantine themselves traveling to and from the Oscars. For stars that are currently filming, the logistics are even more untenable due to strict COVID regulations that could set back productions for weeks if not an entire month. However, the backlash seems to be getting through to the Academy, which is already showing signs of backing down. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

The Academy has apparently heard these worries, as all nominees have been directly contacted and invited to participate in a Tuesday morning Zoom “conversation with show producers” Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, during which they will be given “updates about the show,” including options to participate remotely.

The 93rd Academy Awards will be held Sunday, April 25th.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

When it came to women’s suffrage, Kansas was a little ahead of the game in the late 19th century. Even if they didn’t mean to be.

Eight years before the U.S. granted women the right to vote in national elections, the Sunflower State became the first state in the Midwest to allow women to vote in statewide elections—and 25 years before that, women gained the right to vote in Kansas city elections.

On April 4, 1877, just weeks after women were given the right to vote municipally, the small town of Argonia, Kansas held its mayoral election. On the ticket was a 27-year-old mother of four and officer of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) named Susanna Salter.

Salter hadn’t planned on running. In fact, she didn’t even know she was in the running until her name showed up on the ballot.

According to the Kansas Historical Society, the WCTU wanted Argonia to enforce the state’s prohibition law and made that their focus in the city’s elections. They called a caucus, and with Salter presiding over the meeting in the absence of the union’s president, chose a slate of men they thought would be worthy candidates.

However, some men in Argonia had an issue with both the WCTU and women getting involved in politics. They didn’t want to see “petticoat rule” with women being able to vote, so they set about scheming. Two of the men attended the WCTU caucus and heckled it. They attempted to nominate a candidate and were voted down.

Afterward, 20 of these men held a secret caucus with the intention to embarrass the WCTU and teach the women of the town a lesson. They put together a slate of candidates that were identical with the one the WCTU put together, only they replaced the mayoral candidate’s name with Salter’s. It was a prank. They figured their slate would only get their 20 votes, assuming the WCTU would vote for the original slate of WCTU candidates and that no men would vote for a woman.

Candidates didn’t have to file before election day, so voters arrived to find Salter’s name on the ballot—a fact she herself didn’t know until representatives from the Republican party showed up at her house to ask her about it. She was in the middle of the family washing when they explained the prank to her and asked if she would agree to serve if she got elected. She said she would, and they responded, “All right, we will elect you and just show those fellows who framed up this deal a thing or two.”

The Republicans campaigned all day to get out the vote, explaining to people what the faction of men were up to. And members of the WCTU showed up in droves to vote for the new slate with Salter’s name, instead of the mayoral candidate they had chosen as a caucus.

As a result, Salter ended up getting two-thirds of the vote in the town, totally upending the pranksters’ plan. At first, her husband was appalled to have her name on the ticket, but after she won, he quickly came around. He even joked about being “husband of the mayor,” which of course had never been a thing before.

Salter wasn’t exactly politically green, either. Her father had been the town’s first mayor, and her father-in-law, Melville J. Salter, was a former Kansas lieutenant governor.

And the men found out during the first council meeting that their fears of “petticoat rule” were unfounded. When Salter called the meeting to order, she said, “Gentlemen, what is your pleasure? You are the duly elected officials of this town, I am merely your presiding officer.” She had no intention of strongarming the men on the council.

Though the council actually didn’t do much that was of consequence, Saltern made national news with her historic win. When a reporter from the New York Sun attended one of the first council meetings, Salter put on a good show for him, knowing she was under the spotlight and setting a precedent for women in politics. She succeeded. According to the Kansas Historical Society, “When he wrote his story, he described the mayor’s dress and hat, and pointed out that she presided with great decorum. He noted that several times she checked discussion which she deemed irrelevant, showing that she was a good parliamentarian. The councilmen, though respectful, bore the air of protesting pupils of a not over-popular school mistress.”

Salter received international attention, even from nobility, with letters of congratulations coming from France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and other European countries. And editorial reviews of Salter’s job performance ranged from overtly positive, with the Sun referring to her as “an intelligent, capable and conscientious officer, fully equal to all the requirements of her position,” to overtly sexist, with one paper saying, “She is tired of the burdens of office. [She plans to] return to private life and leave the government of Argonia to the care of the sterner sex. Mayor Salter’s experience proves that woman suffrage is its own cure.”

An anonymous person sent her a notecard with a pair of men’s pants drawn on them with the following poem:

When a woman leaves her natural sphere,
And without her sex’s modesty or fear
Assays the part of man,
She, in her weak attempts to rule,
But makes herself a mark for ridicule,
A laughing-stock and sham.
Article of greatest use is to her then
Something worn distinctively by men —
A pair of pants will do.
Thus she will plainly demonstrate
That Nature made a great mistake
In sexing such a shrew.

Salter dutifully completed her term, but made it clear she had no interest in running officially, wanting instead to dedicate herself to caring for her young children. (She had actually borne her youngest child during her mayoral term.) But her election seemingly set off a chain reaction, as many Kansas cities also elected female mayors the following year.

That certainly wasn’t the punchline those 20 men were hoping for when they jokingly put her name on the ballot. But well done, gentlemen, for ultimately giving women the last laugh.

Kate Nash’s most recent album was 2018’s Yesterday Was Forever and she has also gained notoriety for her role in the now-canceled Netflix series GLOW. Now, she’s working on an even bigger project: Nash has decided to take action against sexual assault and abuse in the music industry.

On Saturday, Nash tweeted, “I woke up BITTAH about the music industry. If we don’t make a stand we’ll see discrimination on a whole new level post pandemic. Everyone must be held accountable for making the music industry a fairer place to work. Book women/non binary folk & POC at your festivals.”

After seemingly thinking more about that over the next couple days, Nash returned to Twitter today with a focused mission. She wrote in a pair of tweets, “Festival line ups that purposely lack diveristy & exclude non male acts create unwelcoming & potentially unsafe environments for punters. I’m building a platform to tackle sexual abuse & asaualt in my industry & I need your help. Please email me your negative experiences at festivals related to these issues. Sexism, racism, hate, violence, sexual abuse, assualt, rape. Anything you are comfortable sharing will be kept anonymous & used as data for research. Music industry I’m comin for u. #changethescene.”

Both of those tweets were accompanied by an image that reads:

“I am collecting data for the platform I’m building to tackle sexual assault & abuse in the music industry. I believe that festival line ups that lack diversity & exclude non male acts are part of the problem. Creating spaces that purposely lack diversity can make spaces unwelcoming & potentially unsafe for punters and that is unacceptable. I would like to hear from you if you have ever had a negative experience at a festival, felt unsafe, experienced sexual assault, abuse, racism, sexism, hate or violence. If you would like to share your experience with me then please email me at [email protected] Please include the name of the festival in your email. Personal details will remain anonymous and [this] information will be used for data and research purposes only and by emailing you agree to it being used for these purposes only. Please share this and help me collect this data.”

When challenged by a detractor to “Name a festival that is ‘purposely’ anti female,” Nash responded, “!! If you have experience in booking and informed knowledge on this matter pls email me we can connect bruv. If you’re just an agitated twitter person then keep tweeting me about your [uninformed] opinion as it’s a gas.”

Find Nash’s tweets below.

Deshaun Watson is currently facing 19 civil lawsuits filed by massage therapists who have accused him of sexual misconduct during sessions. Watson has categorically denied the allegations, but the details of the lawsuits show a pattern of inappropriate behavior with massage therapists that have included the star quarterback touching them with his penis, ejaculating on them, or forcing them to put their mouths on his penis.

On Monday, a 20th therapist came forward, one not attached to lawyer Tony Buzbee and his lawsuits, and offered her story of Watson’s inappropriate behavior during a session in Houston in 2019, speaking with Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas under an alias and offering a detailed account of Watson’s actions. While she said Watson never forced her to perform any sexual acts, she noted his session was “unlike any other interaction” she has ever had with a client, and tracked similarly to the details in the various lawsuits.

As has been noted by others in the lawsuits, the therapist says Watson asked her to work solely on his quads, inner thighs, and abdomen, lying face up the entire session. After 45 minutes, he removed the beach towel covering his genitals, claiming it was “too itchy,” a move that “shocked” the therapist. Watson asked for the 90 minute session to be extended another hour, and later developed an erection and began “thrusting in the air,” stopping briefly after she asked if it was a pained response to deep tissue work. She then detailed towards the end of the session that he became more overt in his behavior.

“There was one point that he did tell me that I could move [his penis] if I needed to, and I just completely ignored him.” She took this as a suggestion to touch his exposed penis.

Watson stayed on his back for the entire session. While massaging his abdomen, Mary says she noticed “different fluids on his stomach.” She remembers questioning whether it was really pre-ejaculate, telling herself, This can’t be what I think it is. In the final five to 10 minutes of the session, Mary says Watson began thrusting his pelvis in the air again, this time much faster. “At that point, I recognized it for what it was,” Mary says. She says she told him he needed to “calm down.” He stopped, the session ended and she left the room to let him get dressed. When she returned, he gave her a hug. Because of his request to use the back entrance, she then had to walk him out of the building.

Vrentas corroborated the therapist’s account with a friend the therapist had called immediately after the session, and reviewed text and direct messages that Watson later sent the therapist trying to set up an appointment — the therapist believed he was unaware he had already seen her as he declined to book a massage after both times reaching out when she made clear she was only there to do professional massage work.

The full account of the session is well worth reading, and the therapist says she isn’t sure if she will pursue legal action but felt compelled to come forward after seeing the others do the same with the lawsuits, as well as Watson’s fervent denial and insistence that he has always respected women.

“I just want a genuine apology, for us and our community, for putting us in these situations where we don’t know what to do,” she says. “There are so many people that are against us, saying, ‘Why would he do that? He has no reason to do that. He has a beautiful girlfriend; he has this, this, this and this.’ All of those things are true, but fame doesn’t create character.”

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said they weren’t in a position to comment on “another anonymous story or complaint” when contacted by Vrentas for a comment or response to the story.