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Ben Affleck stars in a hilarious PSA about voting in New Hampshire.

If there's one thing we've learned from the modern history of elections in America, it's that New Hampshire sure is important.

Yes, even the 2016 election, with all of its unusual, uh, let's call them "quirks,"  the Granite State is set to play a key role. It's of the utmost importance that New Hampshirites register to vote and show up to the polls on Election Day.

That's where Ben Affleck comes in, thanks to a new video from Funny or Die and NextGen Climate.

Image via Funny or Die.


In the video, Affleck drops his Rs, breaks out his f-words, and speaks directly to the people of New Hampshire, urging them to get registered.

The famous Bostonian — who jokes that his real name is, apparently, Benny "the Sweet One" O'Callahan — explains how much he loves New Hampshire, aka the perfect place to "go for a drive with your buddies and just, get romantic and watch the fall leaves change color."

New Hampshire is "wicked f***in important" in presidential politics, Affleck says. It's a good place to be if you care about the issues.

If you "give a s***" about women's rights, the environment, or people getting to "piss in the f***in bathroom of their choice," then New Hampshire has your back, Affleck explains. You just have to register and vote.

There are more issues at stake for New Hampshire too. The state currently has the largest concentration of student loan debt in the nation. It's lost thousands of manufacturing jobs likely related to the so-called "skills gap" — a widespread mismatch between the number of manufacturing jobs available and the number of qualified candidates to fill them.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

New Hampshire also stands to be affected by climate change. A report from the White House in 2014 showed that the state's many waterways, lakes, and ecosystems have already shown signs of changing.

While New Hampshire been leaning Democrat in the last few presidential elections, it's still considered a major swing state — making it crucial in elections.

In the general election, New Hampshire's four electoral votes can genuinely go either way. New Hampshirites are well-educated, employed, and take politics as seriously as New York takes pizza.

All of that has turned the state into a straight-up battleground in presidential elections, with candidates from every party showing up to shake hands with business owners, chat with governors, and totally mess up the lines at local milkshake places.

Thanks, Hill. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

“The people from New Hampshire are going to have to register and vote," Affleck explains. "Otherwise this whole damn nation is going to be cursed.”

Oh, and if you're not from New Hampshire, you also need to register and vote. New Hampshirites may have a weight on their shoulders the size of New England, but every vote counts.

We're all in this together, guys.

Watch Ben Affleck's full PSA here:

Pop Culture

Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don't know how they do it.

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5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


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But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

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Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

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A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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