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A generous photographer braved negative temperatures to take these free holiday portraits.

A severe oil price crash in Alberta, Canada, has left much of the area devastated — and at the worst possible time too.

The Calgary skyline. David Boily/AFP/Getty Images

One of Canada's largest oil and gas hubs, Alberta, and specifically the city of Calgary, has been hit hard by major price drops this year. Tens of thousands of workers have been laid off as a result; upwards of 30,000 by some estimates.


That's not the kind of news anyone wants to hear during the holiday season.

Photographer Ben Logan, a longtime resident of the area, wanted to find a way to give back to the city he loves.

"I've always enjoyed doing what I can for others," he says. "But volunteering at certain places didn't seem like it was enough right now."

So, with the help of his girlfriend, Logan had an idea: free holiday photos for families who might otherwise not be able to afford them.

"We thought we'd pick a spot somewhere, set up the camera, put up a sign," Logan says. "Just see who would come by and pick their day up a bit with a free photo."

He says there's something lovably cheesy and timeless about holiday photos and that even a relatively simple shoot with a professional photographer is more than most people can afford these days.

Initially, Logan prepared for only a handful of families to show. But news of the event quickly spread on social media and local news. Soon, he was prepping for over 1,000 people to show up.

Logan set up shop at Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary on an icy December Saturday, and he waited.

The city was blasted with frigid temperatures that day, as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather, needless to say, put a serious damper on attendance. But it wasn't long before the first families started showing up — below freezing temperates be damned.

The first couple to arrive was bundled head to toe in winter gear. When they stripped down, they showed off sharp dress clothes for a (very) quick photo.

All photos by Ben Logan, used with permission

Others soon followed. Families with giggling kids. Couples in love.

People from all walks of life.

Logan says one man, in particular, stood out in his memory.

The man didn't hear about the photo shoot in advance, he just happened to be passing through. He's currently homeless and had traveled nearly 1,000 miles from Vancouver to see his dying mother.

"While he was walking around, he saw us and was able to capture a Christmas photo for her before she left us," Logan says. "That was pretty touching."

Though only a handful of families were able to brave the breathtakingly low temperatures, the event was a massive success.

Logan says when news began to spread about the photo shoot, a handful of local businesses decided to chip in: They donated a significant sum of money specifically for Logan to give to the Calgary Food Bank in the name of his project.

Logan will be out there at Olympic Plaza again, before Christmas, and he hopes for warmer weather this time. And either way, he plans to do the whole thing again next year. And every year after that.

"That was the dream behind it all," he says. "I would really, really love to do that."

Hopefully, things will have turned around for the citizens of Calgary by this time next year. But if they don't, Logan says he's ready and eager to spread holiday cheer to people when they need it the most.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.


The French Bulldog’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past decade. They were the #14 most popular breed in 2012, and since then, registrations have gone up 1,000%, bringing them to the top of the breed popularity rankings.

The AKC says that the American Hairless Terrier, Gordon Setter, Italian Greyhound and Anatolian Shepherd Dog also grew in popularity between 2021 and 2022.

The French Bulldog was famous among America’s upper class around the turn of the 20th century but then fell out of favor. Their resurgence is partly based on several celebrities who have gone public with their Frenchie love. Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Thee Stallion, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga all own French Bulldogs.

The breed earned a lot of attention as show dogs last year when a Frenchie named Winston took second place at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and first in the National Dog Show.

The breed made national news in early 2021 when Gaga’s dog walker was shot in the chest while walking two of her Frenchies in a dog heist. He recovered from his injuries, and the dogs were later returned.

They’ve also become popular because of their unique look and personalities.

“They’re comical, friendly, loving little dogs,” French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa told the AP. She said they are city-friendly with modest grooming needs and “they offer a lot in a small package.”

They are also popular with people who live in apartments. According to the AKC, Frenchies don’t bark much and do not require a lot of outdoor exercise.

The French Bulldog stands out among other breeds because it looks like a miniature bulldog but has large, expressive bat-like ears that are its trademark feature. However, their popularity isn’t without controversy. “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” veterinarian Dr. Carrie Stefaniak told the AP.

american kennel club, french bulldog, most popular dog

An adorable French Bulldog

via Pixabay

French Bulldogs have been bred to have abnormally large heads, which means that large litters usually need to be delivered by C-section, an expensive procedure that can be dangerous for the mother. They are also prone to multiple health problems, including skin, ear, and eye infections. Their flat face means they often suffer from respiratory problems and heat intolerance.

Frenchies are also more prone to spine deformations and nerve pain as they age.

Here are the AKC’s top ten most popular dog breeds for 2022.

1 French Bulldogs

2 Labrador Retrievers

3 Golden Retrievers

4 German Shepherd Dogs

5 Poodles

6 Bulldogs

7 Rottweilers

8 Beagles

9 Dachshunds

10 German Shorthaired Pointers


This article originally appeared on 03.17.23

A group of students staring at their phones.

The Norwegian government is spearheading a significant initiative to prohibit students from having smartphones in schools. This move comes in the wake of compelling studies demonstrating the positive impact of removing these devices from students’ hands and allowing them to focus more on their learning.

The effects have been particularly beneficial for girls.

Over the past few years, smartphone bans have cropped up in several school districts throughout Norway, allowing researchers to study how the bans affected students. Sara Abrahamsson, a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, analyzed students at 400 middle schools and found that the bans had psychological and academic benefits.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health published the results.

1 Girls made fewer appointments for psychological help

The study found that there was a significant decrease in the number of visits that girls made to see a psychological specialist for mental health issues. “Relative to pretreatment this is a significant decline by almost 60% in the number of visits,” Abrahamsson wrote in the study.

2. Steep drop in bullying

The study shows that girls experienced a 46% reduction in bullying after smartphone bans were enacted and boys had a 43% reduction.

smartphone, smartphone ban, norway

Boys looking at memes on a smartphone.

via Max Fischer/Pexels

3. Improved grades for girls

The study revealed that introducing a smartphone ban at the beginning of middle school improved girls' GPAs and increased their chances of enrolling in an academic-oriented high school track versus a vocational study. On the other hand, the ban appeared to have no notable effect on boys’ GPA, teacher-assigned grades, or likelihood of pursuing an academic high school track.

4. The ban had a more significant effect on economically disadvantaged girls

The study found that the ban resulted in greater benefits for economically disadvantaged girls regarding academic performance, appointments for psychological symptoms and the probability of attending an academically focused high school.

The positive impact that the bans have on girls is significant, given the fact that studies show they’ve been the most deeply affected by the rise in mental health issues amongst young people that have coincided with smartphone adaptation.

One of the most disturbing trends is the dramatic rise in suicide rates among girls in developed nations.

smartphones in schools, norway, smartphone ban

Students taking a selfie in school.

via RDNE Stock Project

Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” and advocate for banning smartphones in schools, explained why smartphone use is more damaging for girls than boys.

“There is a special relationship between social media and girls,” Haidt told “The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie” podcast. “When boys get together … they're likely to organize themselves into groups to compete [on multiplayer video games].”

“Girls are much more interested in talking about relationships. Who is on the outs with whom? Who's dating who? They have a more developmental map of the social space,” Haidt continued.

When there is conflict within peer groups, social media poses a much greater threat to girls.

“Boys' aggression is ultimately backed up by the threat of physical domination and punching or pain, " Haidt continued. “Girls' aggression is equal in magnitude, but it's aimed at relationships and reputation. It's called relational aggression. Video games, if anything, prevent boys from getting in fights. … The platform settles everything. But girls' relational aggression is amplified. The worst year of bullying is seventh grade. I'm really focused on middle school.”


This article originally appeared on 4.25.24


Years after it happened, Patagonia's approach to the "family-friendly workplace" is a whole new level that still deserves our attention - and praise.

The outdoor clothing and gear company has made a name for itself by putting its money where its mouth is. From creating backpacks out of 100% recycled materials to donating their $10 million tax cut to fight climate change to refusing to sell to clients who harm the environment, Patagonia leads by example.

That dedication to principle is clear in its policies for parents who work for them, as evidenced by a 2019 viral post from Holly Morisette, a recruiter at Patagonia.


Morisette wrote on LinkedIn:

"While nursing my baby during a morning meeting the other day after a recent return from maternity leave, our VP (Dean Carter) turned to me and said...'There is no way to measure the ROI on that. But I know it's huge.'

It got me thinking...with the immense gratitude that I have for on-site childcare at Patagonia comes a responsibility to share a 'call to action'. A PSA to tout the extraordinary benefits that come along with not asking employees to make the gut wrenching decision to either leave their jobs or leave their babies. TO HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR JOBS OR LEAVE THEIR BABIES. That perhaps just one person will brave the subject with their employer (big or small) in the hopes that it gets the wheels turning to think differently about how to truly support working families.

That with a bit of creativity, and a whole lot of guts, companies can create a workplace where mothers aren't hiding in broom closets pumping milk, but rather visiting their babies for large doses of love and serotonin before returning to their work and kicking ass.

It's no wonder that Patagonia has 100% retention of moms. Keeping them close to their babies keeps them engaged. And engaged mothers (and fathers!) get stuff done. Thank you, Patagonia, for leading the way. "


Holly Morissette on LinkedIn: "While nursing my baby during a morning meeting the other day after a recent return from maternity leave, our VP (Dean Carter) turned to me and said..."There is no way to measure the ROI on that. But I know it's huge." It got me thinking...with the immense gratitude that I have for on-site childcare at Patagonia comes a responsibility to share a “call to action". A PSA to tout the extraordinary benefits that come along with not asking employees to make the gut wrenching decision to either leave their jobs or leave their babies. TO HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR JOBS OR LEAVE THEIR BABIES. That perhaps just one person will brave the subject with their employer (big or small) in the hopes that it gets the wheels turning to think differently about how to truly support working families. That with a bit of creativity, and a whole lot of guts, companies can create a workplace where mothers aren't hiding in broom closets pumping milk, but rather visiting their babies for large doses of love and serotonin before returning to their work and kicking ass. It's no wonder that Patagonia has 100% retention of moms. Keeping them close to their babies keeps them engaged. And engaged mothers (and fathers!) get stuff done. Thank you, Patagonia, for leading the way. " www.linkedin.com


Just the first eight words of Morisette's post are extraordinary. "While nursing my baby during a morning meeting..."

As if that's totally normal. As if everyone understands that working moms can be much more engaged and efficient in their jobs if they can feed their baby while they go over sales figures. As if the long-held belief that life and work must be completely separate is a construct that deserves to be challenged.

And then the comment from her male colleague about the ROI (Return on Investment) of breastfeeding—witty, considering the time and place, and yet so supportive.

On-site childcare so that parents don't have to choose between leaving their jobs or leaving their babies. Letting life integrate with work so that working families don't have to constantly feel torn in two different directions. Flexibility in meetings and schedules. Allowing for the natural rhythms and needs of breastfeeders. Making childcare as easy and accessible as possible so that employees can be more effective in their jobs.

All of this seems so profoundly logical, it's a wonder that more companies have not figured this out sooner. Clearly, it works. I mean, who has ever heard of a 100% retention rate for mothers?

Patagonia's got it goin' on. Let's hope more companies take their lead.


This article originally appeared on 8.16.19

Joy

When a newborn lamb was rejected by her mother, the family dog stepped in to nurture her

A mother's urge to care for a baby is one of the strongest instincts in the animal kingdom

@oliviajaneakers/TikTok (used with permission)

Max took over when Beau's mom refused to care for her.

A mother's urge to care for a baby is one of the strongest instincts in the animal kingdom, but sometimes something somewhere along the line goes haywire. Occasionally, a mom will reject its offspring, refusing to nurture or feed or care for it in any way.

That's what happened to baby Beau, a lamb born to a sheep on Olivia Akers' farm.

"Beau’s mom didn’t want to be a mom. I don’t have an exact answer as to why," Akers shared on Instagram. "I tried EVERYTHING under the sun to get her to accept Beau. Rubbing the placenta for scent, also tried with her milk, giving them time in close quarters. She got progressively more violent, telling me she didn’t want to do this. So I listened."


While Beau had to be bottle-fed by humans, she wasn't left completely unnurtured by her four-legged counterparts. The family dog, Max, took an immediate liking to her, and according to Akers, it was like "love at first sight."

"The second Max laid eyes on Beau, it was HER baby," Akers wrote. "She protected her, cleaned her, played with her…and most importantly, Max loved her."

The two became inseparable, romping around in the pasture together, grooming and snuggling with one another. Beau spent so much time with Max that she started developing dog-like traits. (Max is a "super mutt," according to Akers—a mix of Blue Heeler, Pitbull Terrier, German Shepherd, and Husky—so no particular breed's traits.)

Finally, Beau grew up enough to go live with the other sheep, but she and Max have remained close pals.

Watch:

@oliviajaneakers

Reply to @2crazymuppets Max and Beau forever 🥰......#maxandbeau #oddcouples #bestfriends#sheep #lamb #ram #ewe #babysheep #babydollsheep #oldeenglishbabydoll #thedodo #dodo #baby #babyanimals #animals #cute #cuteanimals #picoftheday #animalsofig #minisheep #miniaturesheep #farm #farmlife #farmanimals #farmher #homestead #minifarm #farmstead

People love Max and Beau's story.

"Beau is no longer sheep, Beau is now a good dog," wrote one commenter.

"I had a dog when I was really little that was taken from his mom too early and our rabbit adopted him and they always snuggled at night," shared another.

"This is so cool! I have a week old black sheep and my black dog Maxine aka max does this same thing!!! Her mother died in child birth," shared another.

"Yay Max!!!!!! Beau is so lucky to have you!" wrote another.

Sometimes mothers in nature will reject babies when there's something wrong with them, but sometimes there's not a clear reason. No one knows why Beau's mom refused to care for her, but everyone is so happy that Max stepped into her place.

Max and Beau still play together, and it's pure joy to see them frolicking around on the farm. Max & Beau Part 2 has more footage of Beau all grown up and still pouncing around with her high energy friend, Max.

@oliviajaneakers

Pt.2 of the most beautiful friendship I’ve ever witnessed. Per request, more adorable videos of these two 🥰......#maxandbeau #maxandbeauforever #fyp #unlikelyfriends #adopt #sheep #lamb #ram #ewe #babysheep #babydollsheep #oldeenglishbabydoll #thedodo #dodo #baby #babyanimals #animals #cute #cuteanimals #picoftheday #animalsofig #miniaturesheep #farm #farmlife #farmanimals #farmher #homestead #minifarm #farmstead

Those little hops at the end, though. Too, too sweet.

You can follow Max and Beau and the other animals on Akers' farm on TikTok and Instagram.


This article originally appeared on 3.31.24

Autistic man creates world's smallest sculptures out of dust

There are some things that you just can't believe unless you see it with your own eyes. Sometimes even after seeing it, you still can't wrap your head around what you just witnessed. But usually when it comes to artwork, you don't need to understand how it's made to appreciate the beauty of the piece.

That is until you come across something that combines the awe that comes with witnessing something beautiful and the awe that comes with seeing something unbelievable. It's like a double whammy to the senses where your brain has no idea what to make of it. Willard Wigan is one of those artists that will leave your mouth agape as you try to reconcile everything that goes into what he creates.

Wigan creates tiny art. Scratch that. Wigan creates microscopic art in the form of sculptures that aren't visible to the naked eye. Take a minute and let that sink in. The sculptures he creates are so small that you cannot see them with the human eye but people can't stop staring at them.


Wigan and his itty bitty sculptures have made it into the Guinness Book of World Records twice. Once for a 24 carat gold motorcycle in 2013 and again in 2017 for his sculpture of a human embryo made out of a carpet fiber placed inside a strand of Wigan's hair. The embryo sculpture measured 0.05388 mm according to Guinness Book of World Records.

Recently the artist went viral after Max Klymenko featured Wigan in a video on social media. Klymenko interviewed the sculptor to find out about his process of creating such tiny fragile art. They go through the sculptures from largest to smallest which most people would think the largest sculpture would be something you could easily distinguish from a piece of fuzz, but alas, it wouldn't be microscopic.

The largest sculpture Wigan has created is of a woman playing the violin and the entire sculpture fits inside of the eye of a needle. The microscopic violinist measures at a whopping 0.08 mm. He had to use loose fibers he dusted from his shirt in order to make the violin strings before using an eyelash as a paint brush.

Wigan even had a chance to delight Queen Elizabeth with a sculpture he made of her royal carriage before she died. The carriage was painted gold with just as many intricate details as the real thing. Queen Elizabeth had to use a microscope to look at the sculpture and even though she saw it, she couldn't believe that it was real.

"One mistake and it won't look like it was supposed to look like. I work between my heartbeat. So then I stop when it stops then I move when it stops, then I move," Wigan says.

Believe it or not, the sculptor wasn't always great at creating these micro-mini works of art. Back in 2012, Wigan spoke with Modern Art explaining that when he was working on sculpture of Alice in Wonderland he had a catastrophic miscalculation, telling the publication, "There was a tragedy when I first tried making this piece…I inhaled Alice!”

Since the pieces of art are so small, it's highly unlikely that he had to seek any medical treatment for inhaling the fictional character. Soon Wigan learned to create his sculptures between breaths, demonstrating in the video with Klymenko his unique ability to hold his breath for long periods of time. People were extremely impressed by his ability to sculpt out of things as small as a speck of dust.

Wigan shares with Klymenko that he is autistic, which seems to be the missing piece that explains his eye for the micro art according to several commenters, but most were simply awestruck.

"How do you even paint with dust! super impressive," someone shares.

"Watching this video I'm like how the f**k can someone focus so intently that they can move in between their heart beat consistently? 30 seconds later: autism ahhhh lol," another writes.

"So many hours and so many pieces and he’s got nothing to show for it unless you look through the microscope in all seriousness… he blew me away when he talked about paining in between heartbeats," one person admires.

"Wow!! Incredible patience and self-control, as well as other things (steadiness/accuracy etc). Plus a pretty unique thought process (I'm calling it "thinking outside the matchbox" 😃 coz of the miniature aspect ratio of his art) when it comes to what materials/medium etc he could use. Amazing," someone else gushes.

One commenter can't believe someone could reach that level of artistic talent without first losing their minds, "There HAD to have been a time when he went clinically insane then pushed past it to reach this."

There seems to be something for everyone in his collection, that is if you can see it. He's got historical figures, cartoon characters and even a gold ring mounted on an eyelash to pay homage to Beyoncé. You can check out his work on his website where no microscope is required. But if you ever get the chance to see something he sculpted in person, do him and other art admirers a favor...don't sneeze!