History Is Made In Annual Hot Dog Eating Competition: Competitive eaterJoey Chestnutis celebrating victory, a new record – and we’re pretty sure a colossal stomach ache – after this year's annual Hot Dog-Eating Contest on Coney Island, New York. Chestnut ate a record-setting 75 dogsand their bunsto beat his competitor by 33 dogs. This marks Chestnut's 13thtime taking home the Mustard Yellow Belt over the past 14 years. In the women's competition,Miki Sudochowed down on a record 48 and a half hot dogs and buns to beat her own personal record and notch her 7thstraight contest win.
Source:ESPN
Goodbye, cities and open floor plans: How COVID-19 is changing the face of real estate
It's a mainstay of home improvement shows like Good Bones and Property Brothers, but some experts say the whole "open concept" concept might go the way of the sunken living room, thanks to COVID-19.
The open floor plans are characterized by knocking down walls, to give an open flow to a home, generally from front to back door. However, some realtors are seeing some changes in what new homeowners want, according to an article in theColumbus Dispatch.
"Our homes have become a gym, a workplace, a school, a restaurant, a playground during the coronavirus pandemic,"Amanda Pendleton,of real estate site Zillow, tells the publication. "We think open floor plans...could be falling out of favor. Homebuyers might be looking for more private spaces, home offices, mud rooms to keep the dirt out, sanitary updates to bathrooms [like] touchless faucets, [and] self-cleaning toilets."
Luxury home developerCindy Stumpotells ABC Audio that she's seen some post-pandemic changes, too. In Boston, whereher companyis based, clients have been leaving condos in the city and buying bigger single-family homes in the suburbs.
Stumpo explains that while some are first-time home owners investing in a luxury single-family residence, others are adding a fitness center, remote office space, and outdoor pool to their renovation wish lists.
Similar shifts are happening in other major cities as well.
"Stuck in their homes with limited access to outdoor amenities because of the coronavirus quarantine, people now want one thing most of all: room to move," she explains. "Buyers want more space and more comforts within their own house."
These home buyers are craving amenities they might have gone elsewhere for in the past.
The goal is a safer environment in the wake of a new pandemic, or COVID-19 having a second wave.
Berlin Wants People To Stop Wearing Deodorant On Public Transport In Order To Fight Coronavirus
In an attempt to convince Berliners to wear their masks properly while on public transport, the BVB, the company that runs the city’s U-Bahn, trams, and buses has a new approach according to a report from Deutsche Welle: encouraging riders to forgo deodorant. In a tweet sent earlier this week that for all intents and purposes resembles any other official policy advisory by the BVB, the company bluntly said “you leave us no choice” but to forbid deodorant.
The logic goes like this. In order to stymie the spread of covid-19 but ease lockdown restrictions, Berlin (and the rest of Germany) has instituted a mandatory mask policy in public spaces, including on public transport just like most other cities around the world. While compliance has been high, and fines for neglecting to mask up are even higher, many aren’t wearing their masks properly, covering only their mouths while leaving their noses exposed. That’s a big problem.
Probably bigger than you think. Hopefully, New Yorkers and straphangers in other cities will be able to internalize the importance of properly masking up before a deodorant ban is necessary to keep them in line. Though I do believe the normal rancid smell of the subway might do the trick on its own.
Link:Jalopnik
Singles Are Having Kids With Strangers As Part of the Co-Parenting Trend
They’re skipping love and marriage and going straight to the part about a baby in a carriage. The latest child-rearing fad — co-parenting — is on the rise as singles desperate to have kids link up to raise children together — romance be damned. The concept is simple: Two strangers who want kids, but don’t have partners, team up to have and raise a child together.
There’s even a TV show, Fox’s “Labor of Love,” in which suitors compete to be co-parent to a former “The Bachelor” contestant; the finale airs July 16. The unusual arrangement is drawing so much interest, there’s now a slew of co-parenting websites, including Modamily, CoParents.com, Pollen Tree and Pride Angel. Much like dating sites, users set up profiles with photos that detail their interests, beliefs and parenting styles in order to find their perfect co-parenting match.
“It works similarly to any of the traditional dating sites, except everyone here is very interested in starting a family,” said Ivan Fatovic, the founder of Modamily, the first co-parenting site in the US. On Modamily, users swipe on each other’s profiles and hit “Don’t Like” or “Like” to start a conversation. They can opt for free, premium or annual subscription options with varying degrees of benefits. Fatovic, 44, who encourages romance between co-partners, also offers a personal matchmaking service for $2,500 to $10,000.
Link:New York Post