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upworthy

This gas company thinks no one is paying attention to what they're doing, but they're wrong.

"What's happening in West Virginia is a human rights violation."

"What is happening in West Virginia is a human rights issue," Keely Kernan says.

That's why she's traveling around West Virginia, talking to people on their way out. People like Myra Bonhage-Hale, a grandma and farmer who just wants to be respected and allowed to continue the life she loves. She thought she'd pass her farm to her son. Now she's leaving it behind.

"Ultimately, I decided to make this film to help share the stories of residents who live here at ground zero of today's energy and to help promote a very important conversation about what type of future we want to have as citizens," Keely says. Keely's feature-length documentary, "In the Hills and Hollows," chronicles the stories of people whose rights to "health, water, security, property values, and quality of life are being compromised."


It's high time that people see where their electricity comes from, so Keely traveled around the state with her camera, interviewing landowners who are deciding to leave or fighting to stay. Image courtesy of "In the Hills and Hollows."

All over West Virginia, people like Myra who thought they'd be there forever are packing up and selling out.

These are people whose families have lived there since the state was just a backwater section of Virginia — people who "farmed out" in the 1970s and thought they'd die there. But lots of them can't stay. If people have a choice, many of them are choosing to leave.

Image of hydraulic fracturing operation in the hills of West Virginia from the trailer for " In the Hills and Hollows."

They are leaving because of their new neighbors: massive drilling rigs, water trucks, chemical spills, and air pollution.

"What makes this story unique is that in many ways this is a repeat of history. We have seen the legacy of the boom-and-bust coal industry, the poisoning of our waterways, and wealth and resources leaving the state," Keely says.

Image of the pond on the farm Autumn shares with her husband, Dan, from the trailer for " In the Hills and Hollows."

Now she's ready to launch the stories she's collected as a feature film.

Because it's not just a West Virginia thing, Keely says. "The stories happening here are happening throughout the country." And she's right. People in Colorado and Pennsylvania are watching in horror as their landscapes are attacked.

How can you help? She's put together a Kickstarter to fund the final production for the film. Keely wants you to meet these folks and put yourselves in their shoes.

Image from " In the Hills and Hollows."

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

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Humor

Iliza Schlesinger's hilarious rant just might unite Gen Zers and millennials

The 40-year-old comedian begs for the younger generation to cut millennials some slack.

@ilizas/TikTok

Comedian iliza Schlesinger urges Gen Z to be nicer to millennials.

Generational differences have long been the bread and butter of TikTok humor, but lately, millennials have been a prime target for their younger Gen Z counterparts.

Clips of Gen Zers mocking stereotypical millennial behavior, otherwise known as “millennial core” is particularly popular—everything from a millennial’s affinity for skinny jeans and self-deprecating humor to their love of the word “adulting” is current fodder for ridicule.

Things have gotten so heated that millennials have, as the kids say, begun serving clapbacks—accusing Gen Zers of acting superior, nihilistic and completely disconnected due to their over-reliance on social media.

But earlier this month, comedian and self-described “elder millennial” Iliza Schlesinger went viral for her rallying cry for both generations to unite. It’s a delightful blend of unhinged and insightful that Schlesinger has truly mastered.

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Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

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Family

New England mall's ingenious ‘Santa elevator' is a child’s Christmas fantasy come true

Natick Mall takes Santa visits to a whole other level with its magical "elevator" to the North Pole.

Visiting Santa at the Natick Mall is an otherworldly experience.

Visiting Santa Claus at the mall is a holiday tradition for countless American families, and it's usually a similar setup no matter where you go. You find the big display with the big Christmas decor, step into a long line of parents and kids ranging from giddy to terrified, wait for Santa's helper dressed in an elf costume to say it's your turn, then take pics of your kid telling a stranger in a Santa suit what they want for Christmas in an effort to give your kids a taste of holiday wonder.

But one mall in Massachusetts has upped the mall Santa bar so far it's above the clouds—literally.

The Natick Mall's "Magic Elevator Express" takes visiting Santa to a whole other magical level that even the Grinchiest of grownups can appreciate. And the idea is so brilliantly simple, it could be replicated just about anywhere.

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A TikTok post about McDonald's prices and President Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the Moving America Forward Forum.

Sometimes, there are images that perfectly encapsulate a moment in time. In December 2022, a viral TikTok video featuring a burger meal at McDonald's that cost a whopping $16.10 went viral, and to many Americans struggling through inflation, the image rang true.

Topher Olive posted the TikTok video on December 10, 2022, showing a burger, large fries, and a large Coke that cost $16.10.

The price of a value meal at McDonald’s is something that every American understands. The Economist even uses the Big Mac sandwich as a tongue-in-cheek way of measuring the purchasing power between countries.

Surely, if a McDonald’s burger meal was becoming too expensive for the average American to eat for lunch every day, then the country must be headed in a disastrous direction. The image was the perfect weapon for those looking to blame President Biden for his handling of the economy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tia Savva has an invested father.

Sadly, a lot of men go out of their way to avoid learning anything about a woman's period.

(That could be why throughout most of the United States — where the majority of lawmakers are men — feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax.)

So we should give some love to the guys who make an effort to learn a bit about the menstrual cycle so they can help their family members when they're in desperate need of feminine hygiene products.

Personally, as a guy, the feminine hygiene aisle can be a little intimidating. There are multiple brands, styles of products, scents, absorbency levels, and they are all color-coded.

What do the colors mean?

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