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This is how people reacted when a guy wrote 'Trump' on a New York sidewalk in dry ice.

Visitors to the Northwest corner of New York's Union Square park on June 8 were treated to an unexpectedly stark sight for a June afternoon: the name of the president spelled out in dry ice, slowly melting away.

Photos by Eric March/Upworthy.

The installation, titled "This Too Shall Pass," is the work of Georgian-American artist David Datuna, who came up with the idea for the art performance after President Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement.


"What I do in my art, it’s for the future, for the new generation," he says.

A previous installation, "SOS/ONE," a mobile collage that Datuna took on the road last fall, spoke to the sense of alarm — and hope for healing — in a divided country on the eve of a contentious election.

With Trump's ascendance to the presidency, and hostility to climate science, Datuna believes the "SOS" scenario has come to pass.

"I think it’s disgusting what he did," Datuna says of Trump's decision to leave the Paris agreement.

The dry ice piece, he hopes, leaves its viewers with the conviction that while destruction to the climate may be real and lasting, Trump himself, and his environmental policies, are temporary.

"Sooner or later, it’s going to end," he says.

A few dozen onlookers gathered to take photos — and consider what the piece might mean — as the dry ice melted.

GIFs by Eric March/Upworthy.

And melted.

And melted.

Reactions from those who stopped were swift — and often visceral.

"Ugh, Trump," exclaimed a middle-school-aged child, walking by with a group of friends.

A park employee on shift briefly stepped up to the installation, only to turn away repulsed, shaking her head.

Some saw a rebuke to the president in the ice.

Steve Schuit, who noticed the installation on a walk through the park with his family, saw the instillation as an ominous omen for the president, especially in the wake of former FBI director James Comey's testimony before Congress.

"I think Trump is in the process of melting down," he said.

While others stopped to admire the craft of the piece — and how it reflects their concerns about the environment.

"It just stood out. It’s just very original," says Karen Bass, a teacher in the park on an unexpected afternoon off.

Bass, who plans to attend a climate rally near her home in Forest Hills, Queens, on Saturday, recently attended a professional development workshop where she was shocked by a series of charts forecasting potential temperature rise over the next several decades.

"It’s scary what could happen with the sea levels rising. It’s very scary," she explains.

Datuna was joined in the park by his 11-year-old son David Jr., who took the day off from school to help set up and explain the project.

David Datuna and son David Jr.‌

"The oceans are rising. The islands are disappearing. And it might cover up New York or it might cover up the Netherlands or other countries," he explains.

Like many ambitious children his age, he wants to be president one day. Unlike most of his peers, he knows exactly why.

"[The country] is divided into two," he says. "I want to make it into one."

Identity

Celebrate International Women's Day with these stunning photos of female leaders changing the world

The portraits, taken by acclaimed photographer Nigel Barker, are part of CARE's "She Leads the World" campaign.

Images provided by CARE

Kadiatu (left), Zainab (right)

True

Women are breaking down barriers every day. They are transforming the world into a more equitable place with every scientific discovery, athletic feat, social justice reform, artistic endeavor, leadership role, and community outreach project.

And while these breakthroughs are happening all the time, International Women’s Day (Mar 8) is when we can all take time to acknowledge the collective progress, and celebrate how “She Leads the World.

This year, CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering women and girls, is celebrating International Women’s Day through the power of portraiture. CARE partnered with high-profile photographer Nigel Barker, best known for his work on “America’s Next Top Model,” to capture breathtaking images of seven remarkable women who have prevailed over countless obstacles to become leaders within their communities.

“Mabinty, Isatu, Adama, and Kadiatu represent so many women around the world overcoming incredible obstacles to lead their communities,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA.

Barker’s bold portraits, as part of CARE’s “She Leads The World” campaign, not only elevate each woman’s story, but also shine a spotlight on how CARE programs helped them get to where they are today.

About the women:

Mabinty

international womens day, care.org

Mabinty is a businesswoman and a member of a CARE savings circle along with a group of other women. She buys and sells groundnuts, rice, and fuel. She and her husband have created such a successful enterprise that Mabinty volunteers her time as a teacher in the local school. She was the first woman to teach there, prompting a second woman to do so. Her fellow teachers and students look up to Mabinty as the leader and educator she is.

Kadiatu

international womens day, care.org

Kadiatu supports herself through a small business selling food. She also volunteers at a health clinic in the neighboring village where she is a nursing student. She tests for malaria, works with infants, and joins her fellow staff in dancing and singing with the women who visit the clinic. She aspires to become a full-time nurse so she can treat and cure people. Today, she leads by example and with ambition.

Isatu

international womens day, care.org

When Isatu was three months pregnant, her husband left her, seeking his fortune in the gold mines. Now Isatu makes her own way, buying and selling food to support her four children. It is a struggle, but Isatu is determined to be a part of her community and a provider for her kids. A single mother of four is nothing if not a leader.

Zainab

international womens day, care.org

Zainab is the Nurse in Charge at the Maternal Child Health Outpost in her community. She is the only nurse in the surrounding area, and so she is responsible for the pre-natal health of the community’s mothers-to-be and for the safe delivery of their babies. In a country with one of the world’s worst maternal death rates, Zainab has not lost a single mother. The community rallies around Zainab and the work she does. She describes the women who visit the clinic as sisters. That feeling is clearly mutual.

Adama

international womens day, care.org

Adama is something few women are - a kehkeh driver. A kehkeh is a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi, known elsewhere as a tuktuk. Working in the Kissy neighborhood of Freetown, Adama is the primary breadwinner for her family, including her son. She keeps her riders safe in other ways, too, by selling condoms. With HIV threatening to increase its spread, this is a vital service to the community.

Ya Yaebo

international womens day, care.org

“Ya” is a term of respect for older, accomplished women. Ya Yaebo has earned that title as head of her local farmers group. But there is much more than that. She started as a Village Savings and Loan Association member and began putting money into her business. There is the groundnut farm, her team buys and sells rice, and own their own oil processing machine. They even supply seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture. She has used her success to the benefit of people in need in her community and is a vocal advocate for educating girls, not having gone beyond grade seven herself.

On Monday, March 4, CARE will host an exhibition of photography in New York City featuring these portraits, kicking off the multi-day “She Leads the World Campaign.

Learn more, view the portraits, and join CARE’s International Women's Day "She Leads the World" celebration at CARE.org/sheleads.


Health

Over or under? Surprisingly, there actually is a 'correct' way to hang a toilet paper roll.

Let's settle this silly-but-surprisingly-heated debate once and for all.

Elya/Wikimedia Commons

Should you hang the toilet paper roll over or under?



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Humans have debated things large and small over the millennia, from the democracy to breastfeeding in public to how often people ought to wash their sheets.

But perhaps the most silly-yet-surprisingly-heated household debate is the one in which we argue over which way to hang the toilet paper roll.

The "over or under" question has plagued marriages and casual acquaintances alike for over 100 years, with both sides convinced they have the soundest reasoning for putting their toilet paper loose end out or loose end under. Some people feel so strongly about right vs. wrong TP hanging that they will even flip the roll over when they go to the bathroom in the homes of strangers.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not merely an inconsequential preference. There is actually a "correct" way to hang toilet paper, according to health experts as well as the man who invented the toilet paper roll in the first place.

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Some who saw the video thought that Asero came off as entitled and exemplified the younger generation’s lack of work ethic. In contrast, others sympathized with the young woman who is just beginning to understand how hard it is to find work-life balance in modern-day America.

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I told a kid a riddle my dad told me when I was 7. His answer proves how far we've come.

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Photo via iStock.

(We were driving at the time, so of course this was the riddle he decided to tell.)

The father dies instantly.

The son is badly injured. Paramedics rush him to the hospital.

Photo via iStock.

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