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An artist encouraged people to touch these 12 pieces of ice for a very urgent reason.

Can you feel a global problem with your hand?

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Natural Resources Defense Council

Climate change is a tricky thing to notice.

It can feel far away and at a pace too slow to notice personally.

So artist Olafur Eliasson created an icy wake-up call.

With 12 icebergs echoing the shape of a clock in Copenhagen's City Hall Square.


Marking the publication of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report on Climate Change is a difficult task. One oceanographer distilled one 2,000 page piece of it into a series of 19 illustrated haikus.

But Olafur approached it in a visceral way through his installment called "Ice Watch."

Pieces of the Greenland ice sheet from the waters of a fjord were lassoed and shipped to Copenhagen.

All images from Olafur Eliasson's team, used with permission.

Then they were set in a public square next to more permanent monuments.

We're used to seeing serious, monumental works of art in public squares. By placing a circle of temporary pieces of ice there too, Olafur references the clock tower and alludes to how time is clicking away on this very pressing issue.


The public was encouraged to touch the ice in order to *feel* climate change.

Rather than the weight and permanence of a regal statue — with like a bronze figure on a horse or a fancy fountain — people were faced with massive, cold blocks of ice that melt and drip away at our touch.

"As an artist, I am interested in how we give knowledge a body," Olafur said in a statement. "What does a thought feel like, and how can felt knowledge encourage action?"

Olafur's work definitely has a different feeling than a UN report that's thousands of pages long.


"Perception and physical experience are cornerstones in art, and they may also function as tools for creating social change," Olafur said. "We are all part of the 'global we'; we must all work together to ensure a stable climate for future generations."

Art can add an intriguing dimension to a subject that, to many, can seem very dry.

What would it be like to feel climate change as a fact with our own hands? Can we feel present about the effects of fossil fuel use?

These are questions we need to ask ourselves as we continue our use of fossil fuels. Thankfully, it's art pieces like this that keep this issue in the front of minds and maybe find a way into more people's hearts.

Check out the installment in action to see how folks "feel" climate change:

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Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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It's not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids' homework.

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This Map Reveals The True Value Of $100 In Each State

Your purchasing power can swing by 30% from state to state.

Image by Tax Foundation.

Map represents the value of 100 dollars.

As the cost of living in large cities continues to rise, more and more people are realizing that the value of a dollar in the United States is a very relative concept. For decades, cost of living indices have sought to address and benchmark the inconsistencies in what money will buy, but they are often so specific as to prevent a holistic picture or the ability to "browse" the data based on geographic location.

The Tax Foundation addressed many of these shortcomings using the most recent (2015) Bureau of Economic Analysis data to provide a familiar map of the United States overlaid with the relative value of what $100 is "worth" in each state. Granted, going state-by-state still introduces a fair amount of "smoothing" into the process — $100 will go farther in Los Angeles than in Fresno, for instance — but it does provide insight into where the value lies.

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The word is authentic.

According to the dictionary, the most common definitions of authentic are “not false or imitation,” “being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character,” and “worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact.”

Merriam-Webster says the word saw a “substantial increase” in lookups this year. That’s probably because we now live in a world where artificial intelligence, deepfake technology and questionable memes challenge our basic notions of reality.

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Identity

One man turned nursing home design on its head when he created this stunning facility

"What if we design an environment that looks like outside?" he said. "What if I can have a sunrise and sunset inside the building?



92-year-old Norma had a strange and heartbreaking routine.

Every night around 5:30 p.m., she stood up and told the staff at her Ohio nursing home that she needed to leave. When they asked why, she said she needed to go home to take care of her mother. Her mom, of course, had long since passed away.

Behavior like Norma's is quite common for older folks suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Walter, another man in the same assisted living facility, demanded breakfast from the staff every night around 7:30.

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Joy

7 things Black people want their well-meaning white friends to know

"You, white friend, need to speak up and say something when I can't."

Growing up black in a white neighborhood.

I grew up black in a very white neighborhood in a very white city in a very white state.

As such, I am a lot of people's only black friend.

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Charlie Munger of Berkshire Hathaway.

Charles Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffet’s closest business partner, passed away on Tuesday, November 28, at 99. Buffett and Munger's partnership lasted over 50 years, producing Berkshire Hathaway, one of the largest and most successful conglomerates in history.

When Munger passed, his estimated worth was $2.6 billion. Buffet, 93, is believed to be worth $119 billion.

But Munger was far more than just a wealthy man. Apple CEO Tim Cook called Munger a “keen observer of the world around him,” and he was known for his pithy bits of common-sense wisdom known as “Mungerisms.”

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