It's Small Business Saturday, so in between your leftover turkey sandwiches and slices of pie, consider taking some time to shop small today. Founded by American Express in 2010, the post-Thanksgiving initiative encourages people to do their holiday shopping at small businesses. We hope you have a chance to get out into your community — and if you're having trouble finding places to shop, check your local chamber of commerce website.
At This Nonprofit, Making Granola Helps Refugees Learn Job Skills and Find Community
Beautiful Day
For most, granola is simply a snack, enjoyed atop a morning bowl of yogurt or when the midday munchies hit. For refugees working with Beautiful Day, though, it's a pathway to a better life. By teaching these individuals to make and package granola, the Rhode Island-based nonprofit helps equip them with the skills they need to find steady employment. Eighty million people are displaced worldwide, according to Beautiful Day. Many U.S. refugees face significant challenges integrating into civilian life: minimal transferable skills, potential trauma from their home countries, and the inability to speak English well. Through its Kitchen/Production Program, Beautiful Day pays adults to work in its Providence kitchen for four months, preparing and packaging granola as well as other specialty foods. This helps teach them English along with essential job and life skills, like confidence and teamwork, with resounding success: Over 70% of graduates have found permanent employment. Since Beautiful Day became a nonprofit in 2012, it's trained more than 400 refugees from 14 countries. "Beautiful Day is not an 'us-them' endeavor. We're in it together," Executive Director Keith Cooper tells Nice News. "We're providing job training, job skills, and an introduction to the American workplace culture. Our trainees, who are mostly recent arrivals, bring determination and grit, an eagerness to learn, and a critical need to get a job. The result is pretty fun." Learn more about the org and how you can purchase the granola.
Together With Brad's Deals
Shop Amazon's Hottest Deals This Cyber Monday
Remember when shopping required paper lists and multiple trips to the store? Then Amazon came along and changed the way we shop forever. From home essentials to your holiday shopping list, it's all delivered right to your doorstep. And with Cyber Monday coming up, it's the best time to take advantage of everything Amazon has to offer — and avoid the crowds. Most people know Amazon Prime for popular perks like fast, free delivery and access to hit TV shows, but there are even more benefits that can help you save big during major sale events like Monday's. Whether you're already a member or considering signing up, Brad's Deals has uncovered some hidden Prime perks you should take advantage of this holiday season.
For the First Time in 25 Years, the National Zoo Is Expecting Its First Asian Elephant Calf
Skip Brown, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
The global Asian elephant population has dwindled to fewer than 50,000, per the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. — which makes the institute's latest pregnancy announcement all the more exciting. For the first time in nearly 25 years, the zoo is preparing for the birth of an Asian elephant, due between mid-January and early March. It will be the first calf for 12-year-old Nhi Linh, who's described in a press release as being "feisty and rambunctious," and the fourth offspring for 44-year-old Spike. Asian elephants, listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, continue to shrink in numbers in their native lands of South and Southeast Asia, primarily due to human-elephant conflict and human habitat encroachment. In 2022, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums advised that Spike and Nhi Linh breed as part of its Species Survival Plan program, which tailors recommendations to help grow genetically diverse populations. "This is a case where every elephant on the planet makes a difference," Brandie Smith, director of the zoo, told Smithsonian Magazine. Lasting around 18 to 22 months, Asian elephant pregnancies are among the longest of any mammal, so zoo staff are keeping a close eye on Nhi Linh to ensure she welcomes a healthy calf next year. You can catch a glimpse of the mama-to-be, along with Spike and four other Asian elephants, via the zoo's Elephant Cam.
Tech
How Margaret A. Wilcox Invented the Car Heater
Oliver Helbig via Getty Images
It'll probably happen sooner than you'd like: waking up to frigid temperatures, scurrying from your house to your vehicle, and rubbing your hands together while waiting for the car heater to kick in. And once that gloriously warm air rushes through the vents, thawing your frozen face and clearing the fog from your windshield, you can finally start heading to your destination. Our winter morning commutes would be a lot frostier without the genius of Margaret A. Wilcox, a mechanical engineer born in Chicago in 1838. According to Jalopnik, even before automobiles became commonplace on American streets, she'd identified a need for heating in railway cars, which had little insulation despite the Windy City's icy winters. Internal combustion engines produce a great deal of heat while they're running, so Wilcox came up with the idea of recycling that heat by redistributing it throughout the interior of the car. Her design ran a system of water pipes along the car floor through the engine, which warmed the water and circulated the resulting heat in the cabin like a radiator. She received a patent under her name for the brilliant invention in 1893, eventually paving the way for car heaters. Read our full article to see an illustration of the original prototype and find out which other inventions Wilcox patented.
In Other News
This road loop with stunning views of North Dakota's Badlands reopened earlier in the week after six years (read more)
A 3-year-old boy with a rare genetic disorder successfully underwent a world-first gene therapy treatment (read more)
Cancer scientists may have found new clues to fight the disease from the cells of bowhead whales (read more)
$1.5 million was raised for public broadcasting in an auction from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (read more)
"Grandma Moses," whose art career didn't kick off until she was in her 70s, is the focus of a new exhibition (read more)
Something We Love
The SeaVees Bodega Clog These shoes have become a staple for me — easy enough for slipping on to run to the store or a yoga class, cute enough to pair with a sundress, and practical enough for gardening or walking about in the rain. Bonus points for the fact that I've been stopped by multiple people who've complimented them. – Ally Mauch, Associate Editor
Mildred Cohen is 101 — but you'd never know it by the way she cuts a rug. The DeKalb County, Georgia, resident frequents the Lou Walker Senior Center three to four times a week, participating in classes like line dancing, chair aerobics, and tai chi. "They live longer having fun, enjoying the camaraderie, being amongst other people in their age group," said Erica King, the senior center's director.
Photo of the Day
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Visitors at the East Princes Street Garden Christmas Market in Edinburgh, Scotland, are treated to a plethora of seasonal shopping and snack options, but they can also enjoy beautiful views of the city's skyline — that is, as long as they don't have a fear of heights. Along with the 262-foot-tall Around the World Starflyer (pictured), riders can take in the scenery on the festival's massive Ferris wheel.
Score Premium Quality for Less With Quince
Sale season — aka Black Friday and Cyber Monday — is officially here, and Quince has the best deals on everyday luxuries. Right now, you can get up to 30% on select favorites like the 100% Washable Silk Beauty Sleep Set, Turkish Ultra Plush Bath Towels, and the Women's Italian Wool Coat. Whether you're shopping for friends, family, or a partner (or treating yourself), now's the perfect time to score for less.
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