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Most nurses throw away caps and stoppers. She didn't. What she did instead is remarkable.

Where other people saw trash, longtime nurse Tilda Shalof saw treasure.

Back in 1987, her  first year as a nurse in the intensive care unit, Shalof noticed the connectors, medicine caps, syringe covers, stoppers, and tops left over from her daily work. They were bright, colorful, come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and are completely sterile. Instead of just tossing the pieces, Shalof started a collection.

"I thought well, gee, they're so cute, they're pretty," Shalof told the Toronto Star . "They remind me of so much, so many moments I've had with patients. So I started to put them in my pocket rather than throw them out."


For nearly 30 years, Shalof collected the plastic pieces, amassing a treasure trove of whosits and whatsits galore.

When her children were young, she'd use the pieces to help them learn to match and sort things by color and shape. Later, she used them for jewelry and craft projects. Over 28 years, Shalof was able to collect and store thousands of plastic pieces.

And after nearly 30 years, with the help of a friend, she finally figured out how to use them.

Shalof's friend, visual artist Vanessa Herman-Landau, came up with the idea of using the thingamabobs to make a large scale mosaic mural.

The friends set to work in the summer of 2015, lovingly placing the plastic pieces in ornate patterns and designs, then setting the entire piece in resin.

Image via Toronto Star/YouTube.

Take a closer look: You'll see a face, a hand, a bright sunburst, and more all made with upcycled plastic waste.

Image via Toronto Star/YouTube.

The finished work of art measures 4 feet by 9 feet, and is on permanent display at Toronto General.

Image via Toronto Star/YouTube.

For Shalof, completing the mural was also a goodbye and thank-you note to the colleagues and patients that meant so much to her, as she left her role at in the ICU to work as a radiology nurse at another hospital.

Whether it's a lifesaving medication, a simple act of kindness, or a mural composed of more than 100,000 pieces of plastic — small things can make a difference.

Not only did Shalof keep bags and bags of plastic out of the landfill, she created a moving, living tribute that can inspire other health professionals for years to come.

"I hope young nurses and young doctors see this and hopefully it makes them remember that all these little things we do are huge for the patient," Shalof said . "We do it hundreds of times a day and night for all of these years, but each thing that we did with each little piece of plastic meant so much to the patients and that's really what this mural represents."

See Shalof talk about her journey as a nurse and (part-time artist) in this video from the Toronto Star.

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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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Image from Wikimedia Commons .

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist ( even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
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Pop Culture

Macaulay Culkin finally got his Hollywood star, and it was full of heartfelt nostalgia

The moment included a heartfelt reunion with beloved "Home Alone" star Catherine O'Hara.

photo by Alan Light, Wikipedia /Canva

A photo of young Macaulay Culkin and the Hollywood Walk of Fame

With Christmas just around the corner, it feels beyond appropriate that holiday icon Macaulay Culkin would be getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this past weekend on Friday, Dec 1st.

It was an adorable moment filled with sweet reunions, emotional speeches and plenty of heartfelt nostalgia as the “Home Alone” actor accepted his long awaited award. Not to mention it left several fans proud to see how much the child star had grown up into a healthy adult.
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Christine Kesteloo has one big problem living on a cruise ship.

A lot of folks would love to trade lives with Christine Kesteloo . Her husband is the Chief Engineer on a cruise ship, so she gets to live on the boat pretty much for free as the “wife on board.” For Christine, life is a lot like living on a permanent vacation.

“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

Living an all-inclusive lifestyle seems like paradise, but it has some drawbacks. Having access to all-you-can-eat food all day long can really have an effect on one’s waistline. Kesteloo admits that living on a cruise ship takes a lot of self-discipline because the temptation is always right under her nose.

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Dad walks in on couple in hilariously compromising scene

Look, sometimes we walk in on things that we just shouldn't see. Those situations can be embarrassing for everyone involved and there's never a clear way to address it depending on what exactly was seen. Sure, some situations are easier to explain than others while others may be completely innocent but no amount of explaining will make the unsuspecting party believe it.

One Italian couple was recording a video for a TikTok trend when the woman's father walked in on them. Music is blasting when the dad slowly opens the door to take a peek at what's going on. It appears he was not ready to see what he saw because he stood in the doorway looking confused and flabbergasted at the sight.

Matilde Morra and Daniele were having a good time dancing for the trend while she was wearing her partner's baggy clothes and he was wearing...her leopard print dress.

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Anyone who's ever been on Tinder knows having a cute animal in the photo is usually a big hit .

But what if Tinder profile photos only featured that cute animal? And what if, instead of a millennial would-be hooker-upper, it was the adorable dog or cat itself looking for true love?

That's an idea some animal shelters are toying with.

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Health

Please read this before you post another RIP on social media

There is a hierarchy of grief and it's important to know where you fall on it before posting about someone's death.

Image from GOOD .

Working through grief is a community thing.


Grieving in the technology age is uncharted territory.

I'll take you back to Saturday, June 9, 2012. At 8:20 a.m., my 36-year-old husband was pronounced dead at a hospital just outside Washington, D.C.

By 9:20 a.m., my cellphone would not stop ringing or text-alerting me long enough for me to make the necessary calls that I needed to make: people like immediate family, primary-care doctors to discuss death certificates and autopsies, funeral homes to discuss picking him up, and so on. Real things, important things, time-sensitive, urgent things.

At 9:47 a.m., while speaking to a police officer (because yes, when your spouse dies, you must be questioned by the police immediately), one call did make it through. I didn't recognize the number. But in those moments, I knew I should break my normal rule and answer all calls. "He's dead??? Oh my God. Who's with you? Are you OK? Why am I reading this on Facebook? Taya, what the heck is going on?"

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