Alisongrinter

You don't need to wash jeans as often as some of your other clothes, but when you do, a little vinegar can help keep them the right shade of blue.

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Harry Styles, seen in cardboard form in the arms of Miley Cyrus.

Back in February, One Direction fans around the world held their collective breath when a random fan threw a shoe at the stage during the boy band’s performance in Glasgow, and striking Harry Styles right in the bangers and mash. But as people wondered if the leader of One Direction would ever get another One Erection (trademarked joke) the girl responsible for this hilarious, I mean heinous act came forward and apologized, claiming: “I just wanted him to touch something belonging to me.”

And thus, the future of the world grew even dimmer than we believed it could.

But it turns out that this wasn’t an isolated act. It seems that people chucking things at Styles’ crotch is a bit of a pastime at One Direction shows and appearances, as it seems to happen quite often. At least often enough for someone to put together this GIF collection of Styles being hit by random objects.

(H/T to Only LOL GIFs)

The post Weekend GIF Party: People Sure Love Throwing Things At One Direction’s Harry Styles appeared first on UPROXX.

Hillary Clinton has long been a role model for women in male-dominated fields, but a new study proves that her status as an inspiration is taken quite literally. After conflicting reports from a 2010 study posited that the self-perception of women was detrimentally affected by high-powered ("elite") female figures in leadership, a group of social researchers decided to myth-bust the shit out of it.

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You might have heard that the Senate is circling around passing an Internet-wide sales tax. Backed by “hometown” organizations like, uh, Wal-Mart, it’s supposed to erase the “unfair competitive advantage” Amazon and other retailers technically hold with sales tax.

Big-box stores are hailing this as a leveling of the playing field. In reality, if this law passes, for them it’ll be the beginning of the end.

So, wait, it’ll be a nationwide Internet sales tax?

Not quite. The bill as proposed would essentially give tools to states to forcibly collect sales tax from you, as opposed to the current system where you lie on your tax form and say you never buy anything from the Internet, gosh, honest.

How likely is it to pass?

The Senate? It’s a lock. The tax-allergic House? It’s up in the air.

Why do stores like WalMart care?

Their argument is that by not requiring sales tax, Internet stores have an unfair competitive advantage. The argument loses a bit of credibility because it’s not like Wal-Mart and Target are A) bleeding money or B) particularly shy about acting on an unfair competitive advantage when it benefits them.

Let me guess, Amazon.com is the main opposition?

Nope. Big fans. They fully support the measure.

Wait, wait, wait… don’t they have the most to lose?

Not even remotely. That would be smaller online retailers like Newegg, who would have to put sales tax collection apparatus in place. Amazon welcomes this because it caters to their master plan.

Which is…?

To crush WalMart with Amazon Prime.

Essentially Amazon’s plan is to open lots of tiny fulfillment centers selling big ticket items, and start delivering anything you order the same day you order it, whether it’s a pallet of Doritos or a new TV. You tick down the list, put it on your card, take delivery, and go about your day. And it’ll be dirt cheap or free with Amazon Prime.

How will this end stores like WalMart?

Have you ever been to a Wal-Mart?

Essentially what Amazon wants to do is make it possible for you to get the crap you generally buy from big box stores without losing a few hours out of your day. Ask anybody with kids how much they enjoy dragging the rugrats to the strip mall, and you’ll quickly see there’s a market for this.

True, not everybody would use the service, but it would essentially mean that Amazon’s competitive advantage would switch from being cheaper to saving you time, aggravation, and, most importantly, gas. It’s hard to see Wal-Mart winning in this scenario.

Clothes and food will probably always be stuff we buy in person. But if you have to get, say, plastic bins or patio furniture, stuff that you don’t need to try on or kick the tires, where are you going to get them, the store full of crazy people and screaming brats you have to drive half-an-hour to get to and may not have them in stock, or the website where you click, order, and they show up at your door?

So essentially, whether this passes or not, Amazon ultimately wins?

Yep. Something the big box stores might want to take note of.

The post Why The Last Thing Big-Box Stores Want Is An Internet Sales Tax appeared first on UPROXX.

bigcatrescue:

BIG cats love boxes too!

French retailer Inderwear describe their String Latéral Flash Bleu Alter underwear as “original and ultra sexy” one-sided g-strings that provide “comfort and lateral support by the [fabric's] high elastane content.”

I would like to hear from the guys here. Is the one-sided banana hammock thong a comfortable cut? Just curious. I would like to go on record saying that if I undressed a man and he was wearing these, he would be my new hero. Guys, you can buy a pair here if you want to impress the special lady in your life. Just make sure she has a sophisticated sense of humor. [Laughing Squid]

Worst manties

10 Photos »

Rojo, a 5-foot-tall llama, was happily accepting hugs from passersby at a fair when someone suggested his calm demeanor would make him a great therapist. That’s when a lightbulb went on for his owner, Lori Gregory. She started Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas, and now takes Rojo, along with his alpaca BFF Napoleon and a few other furry camelids to visit children’s hospitals and retirement homes throughout the Portland area. The animals always get a great response from patients and caregivers, and help people forget their worries for awhile. “Everybody has their gifts that they’re given,” says Gregory. “And I believe our llamas are our gift that we share with the community and world.” Check out the sweet video to see Rojo and Napoleon in action! [KOIN 6]

Comic readers know her as the first full-time female Robin but up until now, Carrie Kelley did not have that role in official DC Comics continuity. That’s about to change. 

Since Damian Wayne’s death, the Batman and Robin title has been readying rotating backup relief for the Dark Knight. Well in an exclusive interview with the New York Post, writer Peter Tomasi reveals Carrie Kelley will be making her New 52  debut. But will she be Robin?

The gatefold cover for the issue certainly makes it look that way but covers can be deceiving. If you’re not familiar with the character, Carrie Kelley was introduced in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. While a classic Batman tale, it was out of continuity, meaning she didn’t exist in DC proper. The same goes for her role in their Ame-Comi title.

“What you’ll find out once you crack the book, is that she’s not exactly the ‘new Robin,’ but I don’t want to spoil the story and her introduction into Bruce Wayne/Batman’s life,” Tomasi told the NY Post. “In regards to how long she’ll be around, let’s just say that it’s a helluva lot longer than ‘one issue.’ I’ve got plans for Carrie that play well into the future.”

Tomasi says her introduction is “organic and heartfelt and ties into Damian’s death” and that she’s certainly not Robin immediately. From the look of this one page from the issue, it appears she’s donning the Robin outfit at a costume party.

So who exactly is this version of the character? “It’s a New 52 version, but we’re staying close to Frank Miller’s visual template and personality of Carrie Kelley,” said Tomasi. “She’s a college kid who’s got spunk and speaks her mind. This is not an alternate-earth Robin, this is simply a girl named Carrie Kelley who we learn knew Damian which in turn weaves her into the fabric of the DC Universe for the first time in 25 years.”

Tomasi never said directly Carrie Kelley would be Robin. He also danced around whether or not past Robin, Tim Drake, or the newly introduced wiz-kid Harper Row would wind up taking up the mantle. And we should also point out, former Robin/Batgirl Stephanie Brown wasn’t mentioned by the interviewer or writer. But I’m happy Carrie Kelley being introduced and I’m happy Tomasi is excited to write about her.

Batman and Red Robin #19 hits stores April 10.

(via Comic Book Resources)

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Yesterday, Parks and Recreation showrunner Michael Schur alerted us via … Read More

You probably already know you should store tomatoes outside of the fridge for better shelf life. If you want your tomatoes to last as long as possible, how you store them—stem-end up or down—also can make a big difference. More »

Ready your nightlights — today marks the release of … Read More

There’s not much more I can say to preface this awesome episode of “Kid Snippets” except to say children trying to explain adult things will never not be funny.

(via Laughing Squid)

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Ok, so I didn’t see the first Percy Jackson movie but Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters might have piqued my interest. And not just because Nathan Fillion and Glimmer (Leven Rambin) and Caesar (Stanley Tucci) from The Hunger Games are in it. Ok, mostly that.

(via io9)

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Guests of Big Heart Ministries' annual Christmas meal dug into hot food on a cold afternoon outside a church on Second Avenue near Fair Park in December 2011. (Rex C. Curry/Special contributor)

For six years the city of Dallas and two ministries have been locked in a legal battle over their right to feed the homeless and hungry wherever and whenever they find them. But at long last, U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis ended that tussle today — for now, at least — by siding with Rip Parker Memorial Homeless Ministry and Big Heart Ministries.

In the final judgment you’ll find below, Solis calls the city’s Food Ordinance a violation of the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And, the judge writes, “The City of Dallas is permanently enjoined from enforcing Ordinance 26023 against plaintiffs,” who have also been awarded attorneys fees and costs.

It was Solis who, in 2011, denied the city’s attempts to get the case thrown out in the first place.

The judge’s ruling comes nine months after the city attorneys and Scott Barnard, who represented the ministries, squared off in his courtroom over the ordinance, which the ministries claimed violated their biblical duty to feed and comfort the hungry while spreading the gospel. The city, on the other hand, contended that by feeding the homeless, the ministries were enabling them to remain on the streets.

Solis, though, didn’t agree with the city’s argument.

“The Court does not make a judgment about whether the City has an interest in regulating the operations of homeless feeders,” he writes in his 39-page findings of fact and conclusions of law that also follows below. “However, in this case, the homeless feeders are religiously motivated institutions that are afforded statutory protection to practice their religions without being substantially burdened by government regulation. The Ordinance’s Homeless Feeder Defense requirements were instituted based on speculation and assumptions. The City did not establish that any of its interests have been harmed by Plaintiffs’ conduct.

“What the City did establish is that it wants to provide as many homeless people as possible with food, social services, showers, safety, job counseling, and beds in an effort to get them off the streets. The City believes that organizations that that feed the homeless on the street are thwarting the City’s efforts to get the homeless off the streets. The City has not established that its interest in regulating Plaintiffs in this way justifies the substantial burden on Plaintiffs’ free exercise — in other words, it has not established the balance weighs in its favor.”

Barnard says the judge’s ruling is “particularly moving coming as it does on the eve of Good Friday and Easter.” And he says his clients are “excited about getting back to sharing food with the homeless.”

The ministries never stopped during the course of the litigation, but did curtain their activities — in part, says attorney Lizzy Scott, because Dallas police kept cracking down on their efforts to feed the homeless.

“As recently as last Sunday one of our clients was out sharing food with the homeless near downtown, and he was told he wasn’t allowed to do it in the Central Business District,” she says. “Now he’s very excited to get back to the ministry.”

The city has no response save for these few words: “The City Attorney’s Office is studying the decision and evaluating the city’s options.” It has 30 days to appeal the judge’s ruling or file for a new trial.

As Barnard notes, Solis threw in attorneys’ fees, even though he, Scott and Andrew Newman at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld took the case pro bono. They say the money will go to charity.

Says Barnard, the ruling means “relief organizations throughout the city can continue to provide critical services to its most vulnerable residents.” … [visit site to read more]

Previously: The Lean In Pie

Ann Friedman wishes she'd never taken up ventriloquism.

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"[O]ur little poem on a woman's declining fertility as she ages ties in quite nicely with the Golden Goose."
—In Singapore, they're tweaking classic fairy tales to encourage twentysomethings to reproduce. There are 16 in total; Alice seems to be having the most fun. Unfortunately none of them involves cutting oneself out of a witch. YET.

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We're all familiar with vintage-style camera effects thanks to popular apps like Instagram, but applying those modifications after you take the image doesn't look as authentic and can hurt the image quality. Instead, you can create true light leaks and special effect color with a plastic sandwich bag and a colored marker. DIY Photography explains: More »

Justin Bieber and the stache he is (jokingly?) attempting to "grow out" has been accused of battery after a confrontation with one of his Calabasas neighbors (let's just call him Mr. Wilson) yesterday. Early Tuesday morning, Bieber had a new Ferrari delivered and spent the wee hours tooling (loudly) around his hood in it. This happens regularly. More »

However campy washed-up celebs ballroom dancing while being judged by Elton John's backup dancer might be, Dancing with the Stars simply is not cool. Half-naked costumes aside, there's absolutely no edge. But last night, Swedish synth-pop duo Icona Pop took the show hostage with a neon-infused, glow-in-the-dark performance of their party-with-abandon anthem "I Love It." Despite the song's ubiquity—you may recognize it from various commercials, or Hannah's cocaine-fueled dancing on the second season of Girls, or as the theme from Snooki & JWoww—since its release last year, it's only peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. But after last night's performance on DWTS, perhaps Icona Pop has finally found the mainstream success that had been so weirdly elusive up until now. America seemed to recognize the song's infectiousness, as it lept to #11 on iTunes singles following the primetime, major network appearance More »

A new plaza: One of the renderings of the market found in the briefing council will received Wednesday

In a vote that was mostly a … [visit site to read more]

Fans of Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote's Jessica Fletcher, Veronica Mars and Precious Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency take note: Another female sleuth could be coming your way. Annie Potts (aka Janine in Ghostbusters, aka Iona in Pretty in Pink, aka M.E. on Any Day Now, aka Mary Jo Jackson Shively on Designing Women) has signed on for an ABC pilot titled Murder in Manhattan. The plot revolves around a mother-daughter detective team, according to The Hollywood Reporter: More »

Sylvia Plath, the brilliant, tragic literary giant you were Most Likely to Be Obsessed With in high school, isn't all Ariel and The Bell Jar. In 1959, she wrote The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit, a children's book about Max Nix, a boy who longs for an awesome all-purpose suit. Although all six of his older brothers find something wrong with the odd, brightly-colored suit, Max's courage and sense of self allow him to rock the unconventional look. More »

1. Become fireworks. (This is on you, loved ones.)

2. Get on the Google News Alert for "ghost."

3. Ride Disney's Haunted Mansion (I had to be escorted out when I was twelve because it was "too scary," but I think I could handle it if I was already dead).

4. Possess the body of a famous person while they're doing a talk show. Maybe Ellen, maybe just for the dancing portion.

5. Spy on my ex-boyfriends' great-grandchildren, speculate about how much better looking our great-grandchildren would have been.

6. Window shop. 

7. As part of an iron-clad will, make all my grandchildren change their names to "[Their name]edith."

8. Use a medium to convince my family that I had a hidden treasure, but leave said medium's body without revealing a location.

9. Switch the hair dyes in a Dallas-area salon for Manic Panics.

10. Stare out from the eyes of the Statue of Liberty.

11. Ask Mary Toft how those rabbits felt and what she thinks of the modern celebrity industrial complex.

12. Get a day dedicated to me in a town I've never been to, possibly through ballot-stuffing.

13. Read Infinite Jest.

14. Go to Denver, figure out what to do there.

15. Uphold tradition: moan, wail, rattle chains.

16. Show up in the mirror when a little girl says "Bloody Mary" three times at her first sleepover.

17. Have my picture taken in the form of a glowing orb or hard-to-discern swipe.

18. Inspire a horror film.

19. Live on in the hearts and minds of the people.

20. Skydive.

Meredith Haggerty works in publishing, internets here, and never, ever regrets setting up that Google News Alert for "ghost."

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