See How This Musician Brings New Sounds to Life With Custom Guitar Pedals

Mark Bennett, a talented individual residing in St. John's, is not only designing guitar pedals but also breathing life into new sounds through his innovative creations. In the cozy confines of his basement studio, witness firsthand how Bennett crafts these unique devices and listen to musician Nick Earle as he draws inspiration from one of Bennett's custom-made pedals. Prepare to be uplifted as their collaboration opens up a world of endless musical possibilities!

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Famous Children's Book Writer Robert Munsch Just Donated His Personal Archives To a Canadian Library

Beloved children’s author Robert Munsch is giving back to the community that helped shape his career. The 80-year-old writer has decided to donate his personal archives to the Guelph Public Library, ensuring that his stories — and the joy they’ve brought to generations — will live on for years to come. The collection will include original drafts of Munsch’s stories, notes from publishers, letters from fans, photographs, and a range of unpublished materials. It will also feature more than 75 of his picture books and artifacts from his 40-year career, which has made him one of the most cherished storytellers in Canadian history. Munsch, best known for classics like Love You Forever, The Paper Bag Princess, and Mortimer, became famous not just for his books but for his animated storytelling style that captivated children across the country. “I write books for kids, I talk to kids, and I listen to kids,” he once explained on his website. The Guelph Public Library announced that Munsch and his wife, Ann, approached them in 2024 about the donation. The collection will become part of the library’s archives at its new Central location, which is scheduled to open in 2027. “We are excited to have the archives of Robert Munsch added to the Guelph Public Library,” the Munsch family said in a statement. “The library has been a large part of our family’s lives. When our children were young, Robert would take the kids every week to pick out new books. Robert Munsch is happy to continue to inspire kids and adults alike through the archives.” Eleni Hughes, the library’s supervisor of archives and records management, said the collection will give future readers a rare window into Munsch’s creative process. “The library is honored to house and provide access to Munsch’s archives to foster a deeper understanding of the stories that shaped many of our childhoods and the man who created and brought them to life,” Hughes said. Munsch’s decision comes at a deeply personal time. In a New York Times profile published in September, he shared that he had applied for Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program after being diagnosed with dementia. He also spoke candidly about watching one of his brothers suffer from the disease and his wish not to prolong his own decline. Under Canadian law, MAID applicants must give active consent at the time of the procedure, and no date has been set for when Munsch might follow through. His daughter later reassured fans in a Facebook post that he is still doing well. “My dad is doing well but of course with a degenerative disease it can begin to progress quickly at any point,” she wrote. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Munsch didn’t always plan on being an author. “I studied for seven years to be a Jesuit priest, only to find that I was lousy priest material,” he once joked. His path changed when he began working in a preschool, where he told stories to children to keep them entertained. One of those stories would later become Mortimer, his first published book. He and his wife eventually moved to Guelph, Ontario, where both worked at the University of Guelph’s preschool lab. It was there, encouraged by colleagues and students, that Munsch began sharing and publishing his stories — the beginning of a remarkable literary journey. Now, decades later, his words are coming home to Guelph in a different way.

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Father Finds New Job After Son's Viral LinkedIn Post Inspires Overwhelming Community Support

When 93-year-old Pete Judge lost his job as a grocery store cashier last fall, he had no resume, no LinkedIn, and no idea what to do next. What he did have was a son who believed in him — and a community of thousands of strangers ready to step up. “This is Pete. He’s my dad,” began the LinkedIn post from Patrick McCarthy, a communications and marketing professional. “My dad lost his job yesterday. I would tag him here, but he doesn’t have a LinkedIn.” What followed was a simple, heartfelt appeal that would quickly go viral. Pete had spent decades in the service industry, working jobs at Walgreens, Fry’s, and most recently Winco. He wasn’t a corporate manager or a white-collar worker. But he had something just as valuable: he knew how to connect with people. Customers loved him. His empathy, his warmth — it kept people coming back. So when he was suddenly laid off, Patrick knew his dad wouldn’t have the professional network to navigate the modern job market. That’s when he turned to LinkedIn. “I wholeheartedly believe in the magic of this community,” Patrick wrote, asking anyone in need of a customer service rockstar to reach out. And they did — in a big way. Within days, the post had been shared over 500 times and drew hundreds of comments. Offers and leads poured in. One manager at a Sprouts grocery store said Pete sounded like the perfect hire and mentioned a role that could even pay his daily wage in advance. Another person thought he’d make an excellent tour guide for REI. Someone else invited him to a weekly career coaching group. Even LinkedIn chimed in: “Pete sounds like a top-tier employee! 💙” The outpouring was, as Patrick later described, “an astounding outpouring of love, hope, support and camaraderie that I never thought social media could bring.” And it worked — Pete got a new job. Patrick shared an update weeks later, reflecting on what the moment had meant to both of them. “2023 was the year that gave me more hope in social media,” he wrote. “From that post came hundreds of new connections, some new friends and more people than I can count that saw us and heard us and cared. Even just a little bit.” He added, “Though social media can take a lot of us into those places of darkness and loneliness and self-criticism, there's something special about the people on LinkedIn. The people that are here for the right reasons. And it feels like I've found a lot of them.” Alongside the post, Patrick shared a photo of himself, Pete, and his young son Sebastian taken in Phoenix a few days after Pete’s story went viral. “Forgive the squinty eyes from the pale PNW boys,” he joked. “February sun in the desert is still really bright.” In a job market that’s increasingly uncertain, and in a digital world that often feels isolating, this story was a reminder that human kindness still shows up. Sometimes, all it takes is one post and a little faith in people.

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A Paving Company is Turning 1 Billion Plastic Straws Into Driveways and Patios — Here's How

A paving company in the U.K. is turning plastic waste into driveways — and they've just hit a major milestone. Oltco, based in Cornwall, recently announced that its Recycle Bound product has now repurposed the equivalent of 1 billion plastic straws through paving projects across the country. The latest installations in High Wycombe, near London, helped push the company past that landmark figure. Recycle Bound, which launched in 2019, is a resin-bound surfacing solution that blends recycled plastic waste with stone and other aggregates to create durable, low-maintenance paving. The company says it’s their strongest surface yet — able to withstand heavy foot traffic, moisture, and even high temperatures, all while remaining permeable to meet urban drainage requirements. But it’s not just about strength. Each square meter of Recycle Bound paving contains the equivalent of 3,000 plastic straws or 100 plastic bottles — a significant amount, especially when you consider that the average U.K. household recycles only around 270 plastic bottles a year. “It’s incredibly inspiring to be part of something that’s making such a positive impact, not just here in High Wycombe, but across the country,” said Oltco director Adrian Eyre in an interview with Bucks Free Press. “The response to Recycle Bound has been fantastic, and it’s clear that the community is truly passionate about sustainability.” That enthusiasm comes at a time when the U.K.’s recycling system is under pressure. A 2024 report from Greenpeace found that only 17% of the country’s plastic waste is actually recycled. The rest is either incinerated, shipped abroad, or ends up in landfills — where it can leach harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater or contribute to the buildup of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By taking hard-to-recycle plastics — like straws, takeaway containers, and packaging — and locking them into long-lasting surfaces, Oltco’s approach offers a creative way to keep those materials out of landfills and oceans. Their projects have included everything from patios and footpaths to courtyards and commercial spaces. And while resin-bound paving won’t solve plastic pollution on its own, solutions like Recycle Bound show that it’s possible to rethink waste — not just as something to dispose of, but as something to build with.

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This Mom Launched a Creative Letter-Writing Kit to Inspire Kids in a Digital World

A forgotten letter in a childhood box turned out to be the start of something much bigger for Jennifer Yang — and now, thousands of kids are rediscovering the joy of handwritten notes. Yang, a mom of two, was cleaning up when she stumbled across something she hadn’t seen in years: a letter she wrote in third grade to a friend who had moved away. She had meant to say thanks for their friendship — but never mailed it. She was waiting on her parents to buy stamps, and somehow, the moment passed. That tiny memory hit her with surprising force. “Dearist was really born out of a simple truth, that a handwritten letter holds this timeless magic,” Yang told PEOPLE. “It has this quality of time travel, of putting you in another place.” That moment led her to create Dearist — a stationery and storybook series designed to teach children how (and why) to write letters, how the mail works, and what it means to connect through writing. Each kit includes materials kids need to write real, physical letters — even stamps — plus an educational three-book series that makes the whole process easy and engaging. One book walks through the emotional side of letter writing. Another explains what actually happens after a letter is mailed. The third is all about stamps — where they come from, how to use them, and why they matter. Yang says it’s more than just a cute activity. “Building empathy, giving them a time to reflect, working on that emotional intelligence and really giving kids the freedom and space [from the digital world] is at the heart of Dearist,” she said. Letter writing, she points out, was once a common skill — but that’s changing fast. “There are fewer opportunities to practice writing, especially by hand,” she noted. “We imagine kids at desks with books and pencils, but the truth is a lot of the work, especially upwards of 3rd grade, is submitted electronically these days.” Yang said her conversations with teachers and school administrators confirmed what she suspected: letter writing isn’t even part of many classrooms anymore, following the shift toward standardized testing with the 2010s Core Curriculum. “When I first came up with the idea, I tested it with some neighborhood kids,” she said. “What I learned is that a lot of kids just didn’t know why you would write a letter, much less how the mail works.” That was the spark to turn Dearist into more than just stationery. It became a tool to bridge gaps — between kids and their families, between analog and digital, and even between generations. Yang says kids are now excited to write to grandparents, cousins, and friends. Parents are often flooded with nostalgia. And educators see the value in giving kids something hands-on, reflective, and meaningful. “We’ve helped kids write and send over a thousand handwritten letters through Dearist,” Yang said. “One of the most common reactions people have is nostalgia, but that feeling is followed by a heavier feeling, that kids today are missing out on something.” That idea — of creating closeness through letters — has been with Yang since she was a kid herself. “Writing has always been a part of my life. Letter writing, in particular, was really the first tool I had for creating closeness with my friends,” she said. “Texts and email just don’t have that quality.” And as for the letter that started it all? Yang says she’s tried to mail it since, but has never been able to find the address. “I looked Rebecca W up on Facebook as well and could not find her,” she said. “Rebecca W, if you are out there, I would love to connect with you!”

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Empty Nester Reveals 8 Effective Decluttering Tips That Transformed Her Home

Deep cleaning and decluttering a home is never easy. For empty nesters, it can be even harder. After spending decades building a life and raising kids under one roof, many parents are left facing a mix of silence, nostalgia, and clutter. That’s the stage one 51-year-old mom found herself in — and she decided to do something about it. In a Reddit post that struck a chord with others in a cleaning community, she opened up about learning to keep house for the first time after her kids moved out. “In my entire life, my house has always been messy,” she wrote. “I mean, I didn’t have a disaster-level situation going on, but if someone dropped by unannounced, it would’ve been super embarrassing.” She said she used to rely on a housekeeper when her kids were younger, just to keep up. But once she became an empty nester, she realized she never actually learned the basics of home upkeep. That changed thanks to a book called Unfck Your Habitat: You’re Better Than Your Mess*, which gave her both the mindset and the tools to start fresh. She now follows a simple but consistent system — and offered eight tips that helped her turn things around. 1. Put stuff away, not down. It sounds obvious, but she says this one change made a huge difference. “Whatever you have goes right back where it’s supposed to go when I’m done with it.” 2. Do one load of laundry every day — and finish it. No more piles of clean clothes left on chairs or floors. “Just one load, start to finish. Wash, dry, fold, and put away,” she wrote. “Also, no chair or floor laundry. It gets put in the hamper or hung back up. No clothes are ever out.” 3. Make the bed. Every day. She says it instantly makes the bedroom feel more peaceful. “It just makes my bedroom look cleaner and I smile every time I come in my room,” she shared. “Plus we aren’t fighting over the covers when we get in because the bed is straightened out.” 4. Clean the rooms you use daily — daily. She and her husband mainly use the master bathroom and kitchen, so that’s where she focuses her attention. “I keep a stack of cleaning rags in my master bath… Every night, I spray the counter, wipe everything down, put everything back (that my husband leaves out), and wipe the mirror,” she explained. “I also wipe down the toilet. I find that I don’t need a huge, big cleaning of this space because I’m keeping it up daily. Same goes for the kitchen.” 5. No dishes in the sink. Ever. Even if the dishwasher’s not full yet. “Dishes are finished in the dishwasher? It’s emptied and dirty ones are placed inside while waiting for the dishwasher to get full.” 6. Shoes get put away immediately. No hallway piles. No scattered sneakers. “Shoes are put away immediately upon walking in the house,” she shared. 7. Use idle time to knock out small tasks. “If it takes less than 5 minutes, clean it while you’re waiting for something else to get done.” 8. Skip the schedule — clean a little every day. Instead of assigning cleaning days, she does small tasks constantly. “My life is kind of unpredictable, we love traveling or going out for the day so my so-called cleaning schedule would be shot to hell every time,” she explained. “It’s better this way, because now I never feel behind.” Her post struck a nerve with others going through the same phase of life — the part where the kids are gone, the house is quiet, and the clutter you once overlooked starts to feel overwhelming. But now, she says her home feels better than it ever has. “I smile every time I walk into a clean room,” she wrote. “It just feels like a fresh start.”

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New Jersey Governor Candidate Gets Surprise Visit from Army Son Ahead of Election

Just days before New Jersey voters head to the polls, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli received a surprise that brought the campaign trail to a standstill — and left the crowd cheering. Ciattarelli’s son, Army Captain Jake Ciattarelli, unexpectedly returned home from deployment in Kuwait to surprise his father at a campaign event at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa. The emotional reunion was caught on camera by New Jersey State Rep. Mike Inganamort, who shared the moment on social media. “BIG SURPRISE GUEST: Jack’s son, Jake, straight from Kuwait! God Bless and thank you for your service. It’s time,” Inganamort wrote in the caption. The footage shows Ciattarelli visibly moved as his son walks in, drawing applause from supporters gathered at the event. Ciattarelli later shared the moment on X, writing, “What a crowd and what a surprise at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa today! The energy was absolutely unbeatable – you can feel it everywhere we go.” The timing couldn’t have been more meaningful. New Jersey’s gubernatorial election is set for November 4, with Ciattarelli facing off against Democratic challenger Mikie Sherrill. As the race tightens, the moment offered a rare pause in the campaign — and a powerful reminder of the personal stakes behind public service.

This 11-Year-Old's Doll Brand is Making Amazon’s Toy Book Again

For the fifth year in a row, Orijin Bees is making its mark in Amazon’s Toy Book, continuing a streak that highlights the company’s commitment to inclusion in the toy industry. The brand, co-founded by 11-year-old Esi Orijin, has become a go-to name for parents looking for dolls and plush toys that reflect the diversity of children’s skin tones, hair textures, and lived experiences. Two of the brand’s standout collections — the Baby Bee Doll Collection and the Cuddle Bees — have already caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, earning spots on her coveted “Favorite Things” list. The dolls are widely praised for their authentic features, from curly hair to deep skin tones, offering options that are still too rare on most toy store shelves. Shoppers can find the full line of Orijin Bees products on the brand’s website, OrijinBees.com, which has served as both a sales platform and a storytelling hub. The site features not just products, but also stories and photos submitted by families who’ve finally found dolls that look like their children. Orijin Bees has grown significantly since its early days as a direct-to-consumer brand. Before landing on shelves at major retailers, the company relied heavily on online sales to reach families across the country. That strategy turned out to be more than just convenient — it was central to the brand’s identity and growth. Selling directly to customers gave Orijin Bees a unique advantage: the ability to quickly listen and respond to feedback from its community. Parents shared what they wanted to see more of, and the company listened — refining designs, adding features, and expanding its range in response to real voices. “Our community helped shape what Orijin Bees is today,” the company says on its site. “Their stories, their kids, their feedback — that’s who we build for.” But the connection goes deeper than commerce. OrijinBees.com also hosts educational resources and charitable programs, like the “Get One Gift One” initiative, where each purchase helps provide a doll to a child in need. It’s part of a broader effort to not just sell toys, but to build a culture of representation and care around them. The website has become a kind of digital village, bringing families together through shared values and lived experiences. And with each new collection, each feature in a retailer catalog or media spotlight, the brand gets closer to its mission: making sure that every child can see themselves in the toys they play with. For Orijin Bees, that mission isn’t just good business — it’s personal. And it’s working.

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Study Reveals Viewing Childlike Self Enhances Early Memory Recall

What if the key to unlocking your earliest memories was seeing yourself as a child again? A new study published in Scientific Reports suggests exactly that. Researchers found that when adults briefly saw a childlike version of their own face—reflected in real-time, as if it were their own—they were able to recall early childhood memories in greater detail than usual. It’s the first time scientists have shown that shifting how people perceive their own bodies can directly improve memory recall. The experiment, run by neuroscientists at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, used a technique called the enfacement illusion. Fifty adult volunteers took part. Half of them viewed a live video feed of their face digitally altered to look like a younger version of themselves, while the rest saw their regular adult face. In both cases, the video feed mirrored their movements, helping reinforce the sensation that the image on screen was their own reflection. After the illusion, all participants were asked to complete an autobiographical memory interview. They were prompted to recall moments from their childhood, as well as more recent events from the past year. The researchers then measured the level of detail in their responses. Those who had seen the younger version of themselves recalled significantly richer and more vivid details from their childhood. In contrast, the control group showed no improvement. Lead author Dr. Utkarsh Gupta, now a Cognitive Neuroscience Research Fellow at the University of North Dakota, said the reason may lie in how the brain encodes memories in relation to our physical self. “All the events that we remember are not just experiences of the external world, but are also experiences of our body, which is always present,” Gupta said. “We discovered that temporary changes to the bodily self, specifically, embodying a childlike version of one's own face, can significantly enhance access to childhood memories.” In other words, when people temporarily saw themselves as children, their brains may have responded by making it easier to retrieve memories that were formed when their body—and self-image—looked like that. The finding opens up new ways to explore the connection between memory and self-perception, particularly for what’s known as “childhood amnesia”—the common inability to recall memories from the earliest years of life. Senior author Professor Jane Aspell, head of the Self & Body Lab at Anglia Ruskin University, said the results could one day lead to new therapeutic techniques. “When our childhood memories were formed, we had a different body,” Aspell said. “So we wondered: if we could help people experience aspects of that body again, could we help them recall their memories from that time? “Our findings suggest that the bodily self and autobiographical memory are linked, as temporary changes to bodily experience can facilitate access to remote autobiographical memories.” While the study focused on faces, Aspell said future research could expand the illusion to other parts of the body, or create more immersive simulations—such as full-body avatars in virtual reality. These methods might eventually be adapted to help people with memory impairments or degenerative conditions. The broader implication is that our sense of self—how we feel in our own body—may play a more active role in how we access and organize memories than previously thought. “This might be because the brain encodes bodily information as part of the details of an event,” Gupta said. “Reintroducing similar bodily cues may help us retrieve those memories, even decades later.” For now, the research is still in its early stages. But it’s a step toward understanding how something as simple as changing the face we see in the mirror could help us reconnect with the earliest parts of our past.

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Brazil Launches National Geothermal Energy Program to Boost Clean Power and Energy Security

Brazil is taking a major step toward expanding its clean energy future with the launch of a new national geothermal energy program. The initiative, approved by the National Energy Policy Council and reported by Think GeoEnergy, will establish a framework to develop geothermal energy infrastructure, regulations, and investment pathways. The aim is to turn Brazil’s untapped geothermal potential into a reliable, renewable energy source that strengthens the country’s power grid and cuts emissions. “Brazil has significant geothermal potential in several regions of the country,” said Alexandre Silveira, Brazil’s minister of Mines and Energy and chair of the Energy Policy Council. “With this program, we will transform this potential into a concrete opportunity for clean energy generation, promoting regional development, energy security, and the country’s sustainable growth.” Geothermal energy is heat from beneath the Earth’s surface that can be harnessed to produce electricity or power heating and cooling systems. Unlike fossil fuels, it’s a renewable resource — the Earth’s internal heat never runs out — and it produces virtually no emissions once systems are operational. Brazil already leads globally in clean energy use, with over 90 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources. But geothermal remains largely untapped. The National Geothermal Energy Program (NGEP) aims to change that by creating policy and funding support to scale up the technology. The plan brings together several national agencies, including the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels, and the National Electric Energy Agency. It also involves a partnership between state-owned energy giant Petrobras and geothermal drilling company GA Drilling. The two will co-develop a next-generation geothermal drilling system designed to lower costs and improve efficiency. One of geothermal’s biggest advantages is cost — particularly over time. While upfront setup costs can be high, maintenance and operation are cheaper than fossil fuel extraction or combustion. Once infrastructure is in place, geothermal systems provide long-term, stable, low-cost energy. This is a crucial benefit for Brazil, where energy security and affordability remain key concerns. By investing in domestic geothermal capacity, the government hopes to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, drive down long-term costs, and create jobs — especially in regions with geothermal resources. The program also marks a shift for Brazil, which hasn’t made significant geothermal investments in recent years. With this launch, the country is signaling a renewed focus and a commitment to scaling clean energy beyond hydropower and wind. While geothermal currently makes up a small fraction of global energy production, it holds vast potential — especially in countries like Brazil that sit on tectonically active or geologically favorable ground. Brazil’s program could serve as a model for other nations looking to diversify their renewable energy mix. The NGEP sets out to deliver on multiple goals at once: cleaner air, lower energy costs, energy independence, and regional economic development. And with Petrobras onboard, the program has a heavyweight partner to accelerate real-world implementation. If successful, Brazil’s geothermal push won’t just benefit its own citizens — it could help reshape how the world thinks about the future of clean energy.

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Maldives Implements World's First Generational Smoking Ban

The Maldives has officially implemented a sweeping generational smoking ban, making it the only country in the world with a nationwide tobacco prohibition tied to birth year. Starting Saturday, anyone born on or after January 1, 2007 is banned from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products in the island nation, according to a statement from the Maldives Health Ministry. The measure, first introduced by President Mohamed Muizzu earlier this year, is aimed at building a “tobacco-free generation,” the ministry said. The ban applies to all forms of tobacco and is enforced with mandatory age verification for all purchases. It also extends to tourists — a significant move for a country known globally for its luxury travel industry spread across 1,191 coral islets in the Indian Ocean. Retailers who sell tobacco to anyone in the restricted age group face fines of 50,000 Maldivian rufiyaa (about $3,200). The country also upholds a complete ban on the import, sale, distribution, possession, and use of e-cigarettes and vaping products, which carries a penalty of 5,000 rufiyaa (about $320) regardless of age. While other countries have proposed similar legislation — including the UK, where a generational tobacco ban is still moving through Parliament — only New Zealand had enacted such a law. It was repealed in late 2023, less than a year after being passed. With this move, the Maldives now stands alone in its commitment to ending tobacco use for future generations.

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