Who Let The Dogs Out?

Be careful what kind of music you play around your dogs…because they may be listening. A recent study from researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland shows that dogs have favorite kinds of music, too. The study examined how dogs responded to different music genres. By judging positive behavioral changes, they determined that reggae and soft rock are the most popular among your furry pals. Additionally, the study decided that individual dogs have particular music tastes, just like their owners. But this isn’t the first time people have examined the effect of music on dogs. In 2015, the Scottish SPCA determined that classical music has a calming effect on dogs. Back in 2012, a study at Colorado State University determined that heavy metal increases anxiety in dogs. So, if you think your dog perks up at the sound of Bob Marley, you may be right.

Under The Sea

Seven continents? Try eight. Scientists may have just discovered an ancient “lost continent” underneath Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. They are calling the discovered continent “Mauritia,” and they believed it formed part of modern-day Madagascar and India. Apparently, the rest of the continent sank under the ocean around 84 million years ago, and they are just now discovering the pieces scattered throughout the Indian Ocean. The key to the discovery was finding an ancient mineral called zircon on the island of Mauritius. The mineral was older than the island itself, so it was then that they discovered the possibility of the lost continent. “Mauritia” was probably part of the giant supercontinent “Gondwana,” which existed more than 200 million years ago and later broke up into the continents of Antarctica, Africa, Australia, and South America. Now, scientists are studying this break-up of the continents in order to better understand the Earth’s history and what else they might have missed.

At The Push Of A Button

Coder Nathan Pryor has used his programming skills to make donating to a nonprofit organization as easy as the push of a button. In this instance, he transformed an Amazon Dash Button so it automatically donates $5 to the American Civil Liberties Union every time that he pushes it. After getting frustrated with some of the government’s administration policies, he wanted to fuel his frustration into something productive. He found his inspiration within the Amazon Dash Button. Amazon created the Dash Button in 2015 so that people can automatically order specific household items by simply pressing the button. Put a Tide Dash Button on your washing machine, and every time you push it, a bottle of laundry detergent will be ordered and delivered to your house. After its release, hackers programmed the button to do things such as order pizza or track work hours. In response, Amazon released a customizable Dash Button last year. Pryor used this to streamline the process of donating. Every time he is frustrated by an administrative policy, he pushes it. (He’s donated $30 in the past week.) Pryor has since shared the coding information online in hopes that this is the future of nonprofit donations.

Beckham’s Blunder

The seemingly perfect, beloved English soccer star, David Beckham has been caught in an email scandal. Last week, Football Leaks, (the soccer version of WikiLeaks), released emails allegedly from Beckham to Simon Oliveira, his faithful friend and PR guy. One of emails ranted about his not being “knighted” or given the title “Sir David.” Another email demanded UNICEF to give him around $7,000 for a flight to their charity event in Asia. As the story has spread quickly in England, Beckham’s camp has claimed that the emails are “doctored” because of an alleged blackmail plot against Oliveira’s company. Regardless of the fact that Beckham may or may not have written these emails, it sounds like he won’t be becoming a knight any time soon.

Accessible Archive

As music’s biggest night is quickly approaching, there’s been more and more talk of the late Prince and the fate of his music archive. Throughout his life, Prince was very vocal about his dislike of music streaming and fought his record label for the rights to his creations. Regardless of this widely known fact, many major media outlets are reporting that his music will be available on streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify on the night of the Grammy Awards. So, after 18 months of being exclusively signed to Tidal and only providing them with select music, Prince’s music will be even more accessible. Last year, Prince was the ninth most successful artist, and with the new deal with these major streaming services, he is poised to be even more successful on the billboards.

Out Of Vogue

The cover of Vogue’s upcoming March issue prides itself on having a diverse cast of “all-American” models. The cover features some of the biggest stars in the industry: Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Imaan Hamaam, and plus-sized model Ashley Graham, among others. Unfortunately, the magazine is coming under some harsh scrutiny. While the cover is supposed to focus on diversity, the lack of diversity is incredibly glaring. While the cover features women of different ethnicities, they all are fair-skinned, and there is only one plus-sized model out of the seven. In addition to the lack of body shapes, the magazine is also being accused of photoshopping Hadid’s hand to cover Graham’s stomach. In these politically charged times, Vogue is trying to “make the case that there isn’t just one type of American girl.” While the sentiment is true, it appears that Vogue could stand to remember that American girls not only vary in size, but in skin tone as well.

National Treasure 3: The Secret Room

Nicholas Cage is the voice of our future. Okay, so maybe that isn’t completely true, but it is true that there is a secret room in Mount Rushmore. This secret room was designed by the monument’s sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. The room was designed to hold the historical records of the United State’s greatest achievements, along with an 800-foot stairway and bronze eagle. Unforunately, Borglum died before his room was finished. In 1998, the National Parks Service finally completed the room. It’s not quite as cool as the City of Gold hidden inside Mount Rushmore, but it’s still pretty neat.

Define “Cruel and Unusual Punishment…”

Mississippi lawmakers are advancing a bill that would bring back electrocution, gas chamber, and firing squad as forms of execution. The reason for this is that some Mississippi lawmakers believe that the drug they would have to use for lethal injection should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Mississippi has not executed any prisoners since 2012 and currently have 47 on death row. They are hoping that by bringing these execution styles back, they can bring down that number. If you’re questioning why gassing, electrocution, and firing squads are any better than lethal injection, you’re not the only one. The bill is moving on to the Senate for further debate.

Save The Whales

Currently, hundreds of volunteers are working in New Zealand to save the hundreds of whales that were found beached on a remote bay. This is one the largest beachings in the country’s history. Over four hundred whales were found on the shore, with about 300 hundred already dead by the time that volunteers arrived. Volunteers are trying to keep the whales alive by pouring water over them. Once high tide hits, the volunteers must race to push as many whales as possible back out to sea.

Pop Culture Announcement

Ben & Jerry’s is back and better than ever. They just released their newest product, Pint Slices. Pint Slices look like Klondike bars but are filled with delicious Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors, including Americone Dream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup. They are currently being sold in packs of 3 for $4.99 at Ben & Jerry’s shops and will be sold at grocery stores nationwide soon. Next time you need to binge, these are the perfect dessert.