A woman in a wheelchair tired of waiting for her food at a Detroit McDonald’s fired a Taser at an employee Thursday night. Wayne State Police Lt. Keith Morris said the woman fired her Taser at the employee, who dodged the dart, at the location near WSU at Woodward and Canfield, at about 5:30 p.m. The employee was not injured and called police to the location, where officers found the irate customer with the Taser tucked in her shirt. Officers confiscated the Taser and requested an out of custody warrant. If the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office allows it, the woman will be arrested.
Author: Truth & Hammer
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Washington state waterfront owners asked to take dead whales
At least one Washington state waterfront landowner has said yes to a request to allow dead gray whales to decompose on their property. So many gray whale carcasses have washed up this year that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries says it has run out of places to take them. In response, the agency has asked landowners to volunteer property as a disposal site for the carcasses. By doing so, landowners can support the natural process of the marine environment, and skeletons left behind can be used for educational purposes, officials said. But the carcasses can be up to 40 feet (12 meters) long. That’s a lot to decay, and it could take months. Landowner Mario Rivera of Port Hadlock, Washington, told KING5-TV that the smell is intermittent and “isn’t that bad.” “It is really a unique opportunity to have this here on the beach and monitor it and see how fast it goes,” said his wife, Stefanie Worwag. The federal agency said that about 30 whales have stranded on Washington’s coast this year, the most in two decades.
On the U.S. West coast, about 70 whales have been found dead this year along California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, the most since 2000. About five were found on British Columbia beaches. Still, that’s a small fraction of the total number because most sink or wash up in remote areas and are unrecorded. NOAA Fisheries late last month declared the die-off an “unusual mortality event,” and provided additional resources to respond to the deaths. “With the unusual mortality event of these gray whales, we know more whales will be coming in, or there is a high likelihood that more whales will die within Puget Sound and out on the coast,” said Port Townsend Marine Science Center Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson. Officials say the gray whale population remains strong at about 27,000. Lime is being used to help break down the whale carcass on the beach near where Rivera and Worwag live. “The lime appears to be working,” Rivera said. “It is decomposing nicely. I think.”
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A Swaddling Blanket That Lets You Wrap Your Baby Into A Little Burrito
Babies are so cute sometimes you just want to nibble their toes – well with this tortilla swaddle blanket your little ones will look even more deliciously adorable as they are transformed into a life-sized burrito. Amazon sells tortilla-inspired swaddling blanket and gives parents the opportunity to keep their babies secure and cozy while also yielding the perfect photo-op.
“From their sweet rosy cheeks to their delectable little toes, you know your baby looks good enough to eat, and now he or she can dress the part with this fiesta-worthy rendition of swaddling clothes,” the site states.The blanket is made from soft layers of stretchy cotton-polyester blend “tortilla,” according to the site which envelops your cutie to keep them cuddled, secure, and looking deliciously adorable.
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A Cat That Looks Like Accordion
There probably isn’t anyone on this planet who hasn’t gotten a nightmarish haircut at some point of their lives – it happens to the best of us. But some haircuts are worse than others and that’s what makes them hilarious, especially, if it’s your beloved pet that’s sporting a new look. That’s what happened to Oliver – a handsome boy that recently became a victim of a bad haircut and went viral on the Internet because of it. This Friday, Twitter user Caitlin shared a hilarious story about Oliver’s bizarre new look, which some people compare to that of the accordion. The story quickly went viral and now Oliver the fashionista even has his own Instagram account that you can check out by following the link below.
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Amazon’s Life-Size Inflatable Speedboat Will Make You Feel Like A Millionaire
So, since summer is already here (sorry, Australians) it’s time to plan your weekend getaways with your best friends and family. But if you want to have some relaxing vacation time, it almost always comes at a price. Luckily, there are still ways to spend your holidays like royalty without losing all of your hard earned money. If you’re still not rich enough to get an actual speedboat (you’ll get there), you can spend this summer by replacing it with an inflatable one that is available on Amazon. Honestly, it’s just as good.
Not all of us can afford a yacht or a speedboat, but luckily, with the inflatable boat market booming, we can afford something that will definitely be fun, relaxing as well as a great option for you and all of your friends to enjoy a sunny day out in the lake.
This speedboat is designed to fit six people
The boat also includes an inflated rear swim platform, eight cup holders, an inflatable bench seat and five handles for easy mounting and dismounting.
And the best part, there is even a built-in cooler for your drinks so you could enjoy your day off even more.
It also measures about 20 feet long x 10 feet wide and 3 feet tall.
The inflatable speedboat is available on Amazon
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National Geographic’s Travel Photo Contest Is Over And Here Are The Winners
Picturesque villages, majestic animals and candid human moments – captured around the world by the photographers of this year’s National Geographic Travel Photo Contest. Each year talented artists allow us to travel the globe through the lenses of their cameras, which capture breathtaking moments we would otherwise miss. The contest honors these explorers and photographers by accepting global entries across three categories—Nature, Cities, and People.
The 2019 grand prize of $7,500 went to Weimin Chu for his whimsical ‘Winter in Greenland’ photograph. Depicted in the image is a small fishing village in Upernavik, whose brightly colored homes shine brightly amidst the fog and snow. Top winners from the other categories include Huaifeng Li’s Showtime image, which won 1st Place in the People category and captures actors preparing for an evening opera performance in Licheng County, China. Winning 1st Place in the Nature category, Tamara Blazquez Haik’s photograph of a griffon vulture—titled Tender Eyes— perfectly timed to capture the bird soaring through the skies in Monfragüe National Park in Spain. Scroll down below to see all the winners and don’t forget to upvote your favs!
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Cultural Differences Between Japan And Other Countries
I studied in Tokyo from 2010 to 2014 and noticed a lot of cultural differences between Japan and my country so to deal with my culture shock, I started creating comic strips about them. I hope my comics will help more foreigners like myself understand Japan and the Japanese people better, as well as increase awareness about some changes in behavior we might have to make when we visit. These comic strips were selected from a collection of over 300 that I created between 2012 and 2015 and posted on my Facebook page. I also compiled these illustrations into two books: “Eva, Kopi and Matcha” and “Eva, Kopi and Matcha 2.0” which are available on Amazon and other eBook platforms (Kindle, iBooks, Google Books, Kobo).
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Parenting Advice: Don’t Kill Them
Having had kids before most of my friends, I’ve now reached the stage in life when many in my circle are coming to me for parenting advice.
“Your boys are so fun, so precocious, so well-mannered. What’s your secret?” they ask.
“Don’t kill them.” I answer.
People always chuckle when I give that advice. “No really,” they say. “Really,” I reaffirm, “Don’t kill them. You’ll want to, but don’t.” They stop giggling and never ask me for parenting advice again.
But I stand by this advice. Don’t kill them. You’ll want to, but don’t. We like to pretend that outside of some adorable sleepless nights right after they are born, that parenting is a magical gift full of love and joy. And sometimes it is. Sometimes your heart is full of such inexplicable love that you feel like it might burst. You know that you would die for your children, and you would die if anything ever happened to them. You can’t imagine your life without them.
But there are other times.
We try to pretend that other times don’t exist. We try to pretend that good parents (especially mothers) enjoy every minute of parenthood. This, I firmly believe, is a misogynistic tool used to oppress women. This is to keep them from questioning the unequal burden that motherhood places on them. This is to keep them from asking for more. This is to keep them quiet. And it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous and invalidating and oppressing. You have this baby and it’s not at all what everyone told you. You don’t know what to do with feelings of anger and frustration. You are a bad mother, you know this because you are the only mother feeling this way. You have nobody to talk to, nobody who can help. What would otherwise have been a fleeting moment of frustration turns into an indictment on your fitness as a mother. It prevents you from appreciating the good times. “You don’t deserve to enjoy this,” you think, “You are a bad mother.”
Becoming a mother is one of the best things that can happen to you and it’s one of the worst things that can happen to you. So for to-be parents and new parents who want some real advice, here’s mine:
The first year of parenting is the hardest year of your life. It is hell. If you get out of it with your wits somewhat intact and have not killed your spouse, partner, or some random stranger on the street, you deserve all the awards.
There will be nights where you are so tired that your legs are shaking. You are holding the world’s worst baby who is only quiet when you are pacing the floor and screams the moment you put him down. You will feel a rage building inside of you that is hotter than any rage you have ever felt in your life. “I JUST WANT TO LOVE YOU WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO DESTROY ME” your brain will scream. This is when you need to put the baby down for a minute, even if he’s screaming. You need to brace your arms and think “Don’t shake him. Don’t throw him.” and put him in the crib much more gently than he deserves. Walk out of the room. If necessary, walk out of the house. Just for a few moments, just until you can breathe again.
There will be times where your child smiles at you and leans in for a kiss and as you look at his nose crusted over with greenish snot and a line of drool drips down from his lip you think, “oh god, you are a filthy creature.” And it’s true, he is a filthy creature. Stifle your gag reflex, wipe his nose, and give him a quick kiss.
As he gets older, there will be times where just trying to get him to take a bite of his fucking food will be a battle. You will want to pry his mouth open with one hand, and shove the food down his throat with the other. Don’t do this.
There will be times when he is kicking and screaming on the floor because you dared to take a fork out of his hand before he stabbed himself in the eye. You will want to grab him by the arms, place him outside, and lock the door. Don’t do this.
There will be times where you can hear him upstairs yelling, “I’M NOT GOING NAP! NO NAP!” while throwing toys down the stairs. Don’t go up there. Call your mom or a friend. Explain that they either need to keep you on the phone or call CPS. Make them tell you some jokes.
There will be times during potty-training when you are positive that your child is purposefully waiting until you are in public to shit his pants. Do not accuse your child of sabotage. Do not ask why he’s trying to destroy you; he doesn’t know. Get him home, hose him down, and have a drink.
There will be days where you will find yourself amazed that you have made it through the day without actually giving your child away to the nearest stranger, no matter how clear he’s made it that he hates you and wants to destroy your happiness. You deserve an award for this. There isn’t one, but just know that you do deserve it.
There will be times where he tells you a story that has no plot, no characters, and seemingly no end. Stifle the urge to scream, “THIS IS THE MOST BORING FUCKING STORY I’VE EVER HEARD” and instead mutter, “Oh really?” while you plan your grocery list or child-free vacation.
There will be times where you want to throw Candyland into the fire while yelling, “THIS GAME HAS NO FUCKING POINT.” If you do this, just be sure the kid isn’t around so you won’t have to explain why it went missing.
There will be times where you just want to be able to take a shit without little hands banging on the door asking, “What are you doing?” Don’t scream, “Jesus Christ, I’m taking a shit.” Instead say, “hey, where did your bear go?” and they will go off to find their bear. It doesn’t even matter if they have a bear.
Around 5 or 6 your child will start to tell “jokes.” These are the worst jokes in the world. They will make no goddamn sense. You won’t even know they are jokes half the time. Just say the jokes are funny and fake a tiny laugh. They aren’t funny, but he has plenty of time to find that out later.
There will be a few really good years where your child is less of an asshole, and becomes self-sufficient enough to play by himself for a little while without destroying your house. Cherish these times. Because he becomes a teenager next.
Around 12 or 13 he will start to smell. Not figuratively, literally. He will smell like he’s made of rotting oranges and hormones. You will wonder if he has an endocrine imbalance. You will have to roll the windows down when driving. You’ll wonder if you can just melt 100 bars of deodorant and then dip him in it. You’ll want to burn his shirts and his underwear instead of washing them. Don’t ask your kid why on earth he can’t tell that he smells like a rotting corpse. That part of his brain hasn’t developed yet. Keep extra deodorant in your purse and in your glove compartment.
None of his emotions at this age will make sense. You don’t know why he’s sad. His friend drama is absolutely ridiculous. His arguments will lack any logic. Don’t yell, “your opinions are invalid because they don’t make any fucking sense” no matter how badly you want to. They don’t make sense to him either. But they’re real to him. Remember, he’s about 90% hormones right now.
Around this age he’ll discover sarcasm. He’ll roll his eyes at you like it’s his job. Do not slap him, and boy you will want to. Instead explain that each eye roll equals an extra chore he has to do.
He’ll find the sappiest, most poorly written song of teenage angst and he will play it every minute of every day. He will sing along in a cracking voice filled with unnecessary amounts of emotion. Don’t tell him that his taste in music sucks. Instead, record a few seconds so that when he’s 25 and aghast that you don’t know who the latest art-rock band is you can play this back to him and remind him that his taste in music is not to be trusted.
All of these things and more will happen. Getting through them without drop-kicking your child across the living room is the biggest challenge of parenthood. You deserve an award for not evicting what is surely the world’s worst houseguest. Acknowledge that, and instead of beating yourself up for feeling the way anybody would feel if a fellow human had just literally shit all over them, pat yourself on the back. And enjoy every smile, every laugh, every hug, and every bit of love with the full knowledge that you deserve it.This content was originally published here.
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Your Guide to Preparedness During a Power Grid Failure
Power outages due to grid failure are a common occurrence during harsh weather. A grid failure that occurs due to a thunderstorm or hurricane can last for days. This means that you and your family will be forced to survive in your home until the lights come back on. Living in a modern society means we often take technology for granted, and that includes our access to electricity. Keeping that in mind, it pays to keep yourself and your family prepared for the unexpected, such as a grid failure.
What to Expect After a Grid Failure?
Obviously, the immediate aftermath of a power grid failure is going to be a loss of power. This means none of the electronic items in your home are going to work. It is also not unheard of for a power outage that lasts a few days to disrupt the supply of fuel, medication, and food items. So, it’s no surprise that those who wait too late to prepare are often greeted with empty shelves at the convenience store.
When such situations occur, it’s important not to solely rely on emergency services or medical facilities since they are more likely to be overwhelmed and understaffed during a time of crisis. The best thing that you can do is to stay prepared to wait out a power grid failure.
What Will You Need?
Maintaining a positive attitude during a power grid failure will help but you are also going to need food and other supplies. The following are some of the essentials you will need to survive a power grid failure.
Drinking Water
One of the first things you will need to store up is drinking water. As a rule of thumb, a household should have 1 to 2 gallons of drinking water per day, so a two-week supply should help your family get through a power grid failure. Since we can do without food for a few days but not water, it’s important to make sure you have stored enough water for the whole family that can be used during the power outage.
Food
You will also want to stockpile on food items for the family. The food items you choose should preferably be canned food since food that requires to be cooked will require more fuel as compared to food that just needs to be heated. In the absence of refrigeration, MREs or ready-to-eat meals are one of the best options to stockpile. Since the power grid failure could also impact the gas supply, you will need to store fuel that will last you at least two weeks. The fuel you store can be a combination of propane cylinders, firewood, and charcoal.
Lighting
Needless to say, during a power grid failure, the electrical lighting sources in a home are going to be unavailable. Rather than depending solely on candles and flashlights, many households opt for solar-powered generators that use the energy of the sun to power the lights in their home. Solar panels are much more efficient and cost-effective as using power from the grid, and in times of emergency, the solar panels you have installed in your home can provide you with the power you need to work the essentials.
While using backup flashlights and LED lights are okay, the beauty of having a solar generator at home is that it allows you to utilize the power of the sun to charge a long-life battery that is going to power the lighting along with other appliances in your home. But, sadly not all solar powered generators have been created equal. This means homeowners need to be careful of the solar-powered generators they are about to purchase for a bug-out situation.
The good news is that it’s easy to purchase a solar-powered generator online these days since you will have access to dozens of sites with reviews on Solar Kits so you are able to make a more informed decision. Portable solar kits that are available in the market not only offer a low profile and are easy to use, but are also durable and efficient when it comes to providing the power you need to use lights and other appliances in your home.
Having a combination of a well-built solar-powered generator along with an efficient set of solar panels will ensure that you and your family have access to the much-needed power they need during a lengthy power outage.
It is also important to conserve as much power as you can during a power outage. A good option will be to store a solar battery charger set and a few batteries of various sizes for your emergency gear. Using solar garden lights will ensure that not just the interior but also the exterior of your home is illuminated during a power outage.
Heating
If you are preparing for a power outage during the winter months, then it goes without saying that you will have to make proper arrangements for the heating of your home. Once the grid is down, you will not be able to use your home’s heating with the traditional power source. This is where using solar-powered generator comes in.
These portable solar generators are just the thing you need for heating your home during a power outage. That said, you will want to gather everyone in your home in one place so that you only have to use the solar powered generator to heat a single room. This will help conserve a lot more energy and will make the heating last longer as compared to heating multiple rooms in a house.
Communication
You don’t want to be in the dark during a power grid failure. To make sure that doesn’t happen always keep backup batteries for your phone or a power pack. Having a hand crank radio can be priceless during a power outage when you are going to need to know crucial details of the reasons for the power grid failure, how long it’s going to take to get it fixed and what guidelines are being given by the emergency response teams.
The post Your Guide to Preparedness During a Power Grid Failure appeared first on My RSS Reader.
This content was originally published here.
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Food Preparedness | LateNightParents.com
It’s May. Along with warmer weather, comes an opportunity to start a garden. In the 1940s, Victory Gardens were a big part of the war effort. Patriotism was measured by the food you grew and shared with family and friends.
“As part of the war effort, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods. Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market. So, the government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant “Victory Gardens.” They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables.
Nearly 20 million Americans answered the call. They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism.”
Today, gardening has again become very popular, particularly among young people. For reasons such as sustainability, health, knowing where their food comes from, carbon sequestration, economics, providing a welcoming ecosystem for wildlife, bees and other organisms, and less grass to cut, young people are growing their own fruits, vegetables and herbs.
In the world of being prepared, gardens or soil-filled pots or small containers on a windowsill are all relevant ways to help yourself and others. No matter what size and quantity, growing your own food can help provide sustenance in emergency situations such as when a shelter-in-place order is issued. And, when the garden is not producing, excess produce can be stored in a freezer or canned.
Growing a garden in 2019 may not be geared towards helping out in times of war but it may go a long way in helping keep you and the planet healthy in these times.
This content was originally published here.
