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Heroes

He ran 2 miles carrying a TV to prove 'looking like a suspect' is no excuse for murder

He ran 2 miles carrying a TV to prove 'looking like a suspect' is no excuse for murder
via Richard Desmick / TikTok

Over the weekend, an estimated thousands of people ran 2.23 miles to show their support for Ahmaud Arbery, a former high school football player and avid jogger. Arbery was shot and killed in February near Brunswick, Georgia after being pursued in a truck by a former policeman and his son who claimed he resembled someone responsible for break-ins in the neighborhood.




Travis and Gregory McMichael were arrested on charges of murder and aggravated assault on Friday.

The incident is seen by many as another in a long list of instances of black people's lives being threatened while engaging in normal, everyday activities that wouldn't arise any suspicions if done by a white person.

Richard Desmick, a 34-year-old former pastor living in Vero Beach, Florida, showed his support for Arbery by running 2.23 miles and doing so in a way that exposes racial disparity in America.

"I just started crying when I just saw this poor young man running – as I have thousands of times in my life – get shot down," Demsick told Business Insider. He said he thought "maybe I should run with a TV to show that being a suspicious character isn't enough that someone should be shot down. Being a white person, that's just not going to happen to me."

Since Demsick posted the video on Saturday, it has already received over 279,000 likes.




RICHARD DEMSICK on TikTok


RICHARD DEMSICK on TikTokwww.tiktok.com


#irunwithmaud part two! Really thought I figured it out guys but made it home safe after my 2.23 mile run 🤷🏻♂️ #runwithmaud #runwithahmaud #fyp


"Alright, I figured it out. I've got my hat on backwards, I'm shirtless like I'm on some episode of 'Cops,' I'm running with a TV," he said in a video posted to TikTok. "Someone's going to stop me now, for sure. Cause, if not, what was the problem with Ahmaud?"

The video has received an overwhelmingly positive response on social media, with many praising Demsick for engaging in activism that proves a significant point about race in America: a white man can run through the streets looking like he just stole a TV and no one bats an eye.

A black man minding his own business and jogging has to worry about being murdered.


via TikTok


via TikTok


"People have been incredibly kind, undeservedly kind," Demsick said about the response to his video. "There are people who are daily working trying to correct the injustice, I just made a video."

Demisck's passion for social justice stems from his life growing up in Detroit. He was raised in the suburbs and attended dance competitions where most of his friends were black. It was through his interaction with the black community that he learned of the struggles they face.

Demsick was also a pastor at what he calls a primarily upper-class conservative church in Florida. He later moved on to start an outreach program for individuals experiencing homelessness.

He made a follow-up video on Mother's Day where he asked his mom if she'd be worried for him if he went running with a television in his hand.

"No, of course not," she said.

"Huh, I wonder why that is," he responded.


@jestertotheking Dedicated to all black mothers especially Ahmaud Arberys' we can not understand your pain but we will not forget your story. Prayin ##blacklivesmatter
♬ original sound - jestertotheking
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Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

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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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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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Woman bakes cheeky curse word pies for her grandma and it becomes a quirky holiday tradition

2023's pie is an homage to her favorite word to use while stuck in traffic.

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You never know where a holiday tradition will come from.

Tried-and-true holiday traditions certainly have their merit, but there’s something quite special, magical even, about discovering personal rituals that commemorate one’s unique life. In my household, for instance, nothing quite rings in the Christmas spirit like sipping my partner’s delicious coquito and putting up a cardboard gingerbread house for my cats.

The beauty of creating customized holiday traditions is that they can be as festive, sentimental, or as silly as you want them to be. And you never know how one small moment can become the catalyst for a tradition that sparks joy year after year.

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3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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Pianist uses every part of the instrument in this joyous performance of Toto's 'Africa'

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Peter Bence's piano cover of "Africa" by Toto

Peter Bence’s performance of “Africa” by Toto has over 17 million views on YouTube because of his creative reimagining of the song and, well, just about everyone loves “Africa.”

Bence is a Hungarian composer and producer who has become a viral sensation for his Michael Jackson, Queen, Sia, and Beatles covers. He has over 1.1 million followers on YouTube and has toured the globe, playing in more than 40 countries across four continents.

His performance of “Africa'' is unique because it opens with him creating a rhythm track and looping it by strategically tapping the piano and rubbing its strings to create the sound of shakers and congo drums.

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Family posts a very chill note to neighbors explaining why their dog is on the roof

“We appreciate your concern but please do not knock on our door.."

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Meet Huckleberry the dog.

If you were taking a stroll through a quiet neighborhood and happened to catch a glance of this majestic sight, you might bat an eye. You might do a double take. If you were (somewhat understandably) concerned about this surprising roof-dog's welfare, you might even approach the homeowners to tell them, "Uh, I'm not sure if you know...but there's a...dog...on your ROOF."

Well, the family inside is aware that there's often a dog on their roof. It's their pet Golden, Huckleberry, and he just sorta likes it up there.

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12 hilariously relatable comics about life as a new mom.

Embarrassing stains on your T-shirt, sniffing someone's bum to check if they have pooped, the first time having sex post-giving birth — as a new mom, your life turns upside-down.

All illustrations by Ingebritt ter Veld. Reprinted here with permission.

Some good not so good moments with babies.



Embarrassing stains on your T-shirt, sniffing someone's bum to check if they have pooped, the first time having sex post-giving birth — as a new mom, your life turns upside-down.

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