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Philadelphia residents begin rebuilding after deadly explosion: "It looked like the end of the world"

Philadelphia residents begin rebuilding after deadly explosion: "It looked like the end of the world"

CBS News7 days ago
The day after a powerful explosion leveled part of a Nicetown block, neighbors are returning home — the beginning of a long recovery.
The explosion, which occurred Sunday morning on the 1900 block of West Bristol Street, killed one woman and left two others hospitalized, including a longtime employee of the Philadelphia City Council. The blast partially collapsed three rowhomes and forced dozens of nearby residents to evacuate.
As of Monday, police confirmed that two of the most damaged homes would be demolished. City agencies, including the fire and police departments, and representatives from the Red Cross and Salvation Army, went door to door assisting residents and assessing structural concerns.
For Damir Noland, who lives with family members on nearby Bonitz Street, just behind the blast site, the scene was surreal.
"When I came outside, it looked like the end of the world," Noland, 27, said. "It looked like it was snowing, and a lot of smoke. I didn't know what was going on. I really thought it was a bomb first, like a bomb just went off."
Inside Noland's home, the impact blew the back door off its hinges. While the electricity has been restored, the gas remains off in many homes.
"We're trying to fix it as we go," he said. "A little bit at a time."
City officials opened Edward T. Steel School as a temporary shelter Sunday. On Monday, it remained open as a community support hub, where volunteers handed out food, water and supplies.
"They got the school open for us, so that is good," Noland said. "They got food and stuff for us. They ordered a pizza. They got food trucks."
Noland described the chaos and confusion that erupted right after the explosion.
"It was crazy. I never saw nothing like that in my life," he said. "As soon as [my mom] heard the boom, she just ran off the block."
Despite the destruction, Noland praised the quick response of emergency crews.
"The firefighters did a good job. They was here in 2.5 seconds, getting it put out and everything," he said. "If they wasn't as fast as they was, it could have been a lot worse. So yeah, shout out to the firefighters."
City officials have not yet determined the cause of the explosion. An investigation is ongoing.
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Bedford Town Council approves land swap to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Farm
Bedford Town Council approves land swap to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Farm

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Bedford Town Council approves land swap to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Farm

Joppa Hill View Joppa Hill Educational Farm is situated on 35 acres of land leased from the town of Bedford. The Bedford Town Council approved plans for a strategic land adjustment within the Joppa Hill Conservation Area to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Educational Farm. At the June 11 meeting, the council voted unanimously to take 8.3 acres (near the educational farm) out of long-term conservation status so it can be used for municipal or farm-related purposes. In exchange, 25 acres of land (previously designated for municipal use) would go into permanent conservation. The Joppa Hill Conservation Area is a 190-acre parcel of land owned by the town of Bedford and subject to a conservation easement by the Piscataquog Land Conservancy. The conservation easement limits certain uses of the property to protect the land, but has provisions for two soccer fields, an educational farm and a municipal zone for possible future use. Joppa Hill Educational Farm leases 35 of those acres and operates as a working farm and community hub open to the public every day. According to reports from Chris Bandazian, president of the farm, and Drew Cline, former chairman of the farm's board, the original proposed 25-acre municipal zone is not suitable for building. The thought to preserve an area for municipal use was established in the early 2000s with nothing particular in mind for its use. Attempts to develop the land would be difficult and expensive and would be better used for conservation, according to Cline. 'The amount of impact to the property no matter where you would try to put anything was pretty strong and the shape, soil and habitat make it really inconducive to building anything there as opposed to what it's currently being used for, which is conservation,' Cline said in the meeting. 'We really walked through the whole area to figure out if it would be cost effective or feasible and it was a real challenge.' Bandazian said when the 25 acres were mapped, they found that the land mainly consisted of wetlands and steep slopes. 'It revealed what you would observe on the field, virtually everything was a wetland and even what appears to be dry land most of the year cannot be used for farm equipment because it's so wet.' Bandazian said in the meeting. 'To be able to use it would require a lot of land clearing, fill, and a 10-foot retaining wall on each side.' Bandazian suggested the parcel be put in long-term conservation and 8.3 acres of land closer to the farm be excluded in exchange. The 8.3 acres would include an already disturbed area that could help alleviate parking issues and support educational programs for the farm. Chairwoman Lori Radke called it a win-win. 'The town doesn't have a lot of conservation and I think this is a great opportunity to conserve what we have,' Radke said. 'We want to make this the best place for having both municipal and conservation.' Executive Director of Joppa Hill Educational Farm Sarah Grosvenor said they will work with the Piscataquog Land Conservancy to finalize the land adjustment. 'There's no actual plans in place for building anything on that 8.3 acres yet,' Grosvenor said. 'It just gives us more freedom if we did want to end up proposing something to the town on a future project.' The farm is taking additional measures to preserve the health of the land and its animals. 'We are no longer providing grain cups for visitors to feed animals because we want to prioritize the health of our animals,' Grosvenor said. 'Some of our animals were overweight and two sadly passed away because of an over abundance of carbohydrates and starch, and having too much grain contributed to that.' Joppa Hill Horses Grazing Three horses graze on a pasture at Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford. The farm also implemented rotational grazing for the livestock, which is a pasture management method where animals are moved between different grazing areas to let the grass rest and regrow. This helps keep pastures healthy, improves soil quality, and gives animals fresh forage more often. Grosvenor said the new changes have come as a surprise to the public, but she hopes they will understand the farm's vision. 'Our mission is to preserve the land and the farm as a working farm where we can continue to provide educational opportunities through a variety of different ways,' she said.

Your response to this baffling optical illusion could depend on where you grew up
Your response to this baffling optical illusion could depend on where you grew up

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When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Last year we covered the 'coffer' illusion, a visual riddling that was blowing/bending/frying/breaking the internet's collective mind. And like all the best illusions, it seems this one keeps on giving, as new scientific research has revealed that your perception of it could be influenced by one unexpected factor. For the uninitiated, the coffer illusion depicts what appears to be a series of rectangles – but actually contains 16 circles. They're initially hard to spot, but once you've managed it, they can't be unseen (spoiler alert: they're in the gaps between the rectangles). How quickly you find the circles, though, could depend on where in the world you grew up. As reported by the Guardian, a study led by Ivan Kroupin at the London School of Economics has explored how people from different backgrounds interpret the coffer illusion, found that "people in the UK and US saw it mainly in one way, as comprising rectangles – while people from rural communities in Namibia typically saw it another way: as containing circles." So why the difference? The suggestion is that those hailing from western industrialised countries "are generally exposed to highly 'carpentered' environments, with lots of straight lines, right angles," whereas rural Namibians, for example, see the circles first because "their environments being dominated by structures such as round huts instead of angular environments." "During the data collection, it was quite striking to see individuals immediately identify and describe features of an image - circles - which took all authors a significant amount of time to identify at all," the study explains, before going on to suggest different responses to the illusion could hint at larger visual discrepancies between people. "In sum, the world does not look the same to all of us—the present results show this at the very least. And it remains a possibility that such cultural variation exists even at layers of visual perception previously assumed to be universal."

Women Who Married "The Rich One" For Financial Security Are Sharing What It's Like Now, And It's A Must-Read Conversation
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Content warning: Discussions of abuse. Recently, Charlie Kirk told a crowd of young women that they should reconsider pursuing an "MRS degree" when going to college — an outdated, sexist term popularized in the twentieth century to mock women who supposedly went to college just to find a husband. The thing is, in a society where women couldn't open bank accounts, buy homes, or build credit without a man's signature, in many ways, marriage was often the sole path to social and financial security. Even today, the gender pay gap persists, with women making on average just 84 cents to every dollar earned by men. And when women step away from the workforce to have children, they often return to lower salaries and limited opportunities — aka, the "motherhood penalty" — whereas when men become fathers, their wages increase, also the phenomenon known as the "fatherhood premium." In a culture that still rewards men as the default breadwinners and punishes women economically for doing the same work (or even tells them outright they should just pursue a MRS degree instead), it's not surprising that some view marriage as a financial safeguard. Not necessarily because they want to (despite the tired and often overused "golddigger" stereotype), but sometimes because they feel they have to. So, when someone on Reddit asked women who married "the rich one" for financial stability to share what life's been like now, it opened up a revealing and necessary conversation about the systemic pressures at play shaping women's choices. The answers highlight what happens when marriage becomes a form of economic survival — and, more often than not, just how often the tale unravels. Here's what they shared: 1."I'll speak for my mom. She thought she was marrying the rich one. My dad tried to talk her out of it. He even offered to pay her more than child support for her not to do it (not out of just who my dad is). That pissed her off and she married him anyway. I won't go into details about the stuff I went through, but he was not a safe person to be around. He was a big-time manipulator. He tied my mom up with 6 million dollars in debt. She had no idea until she wanted a divorce — that's when she found out he was putting his debt in her name for his failing businesses." "She ended up having to file for bankruptcy to leave him, but the divorce took years. He would constantly hire new lawyers just to keep the process going. She almost didn't make it out in one piece mentally. It's been a long road for her. She hasn't made the best decisions in relationships (I had to cut her out of my life for a while because of it), but after some very extensive therapy, she's doing much better." —Ok_Ad_5658 2."My first husband was very wealthy. When we were dating, that was fun, and he loved to spoil me and treat me to awesome things. After we were married, he became very controlling and definitely used his wealth and money to control and assert his dominance over me. I became very anxious and cried all the time, went on antidepressants, and went to therapy." "Eventually, he became physically intimidating, and I left him. Miraculously, all the depression and anxiety went away. Now I'm happily married, middle-class, stable, and married to the kind one. Better choice." —DaphneDork 3."I gave up my acting/directing career to be with an ex-partner, as I thought that I wouldn't succeed in my career, and I resigned myself to a life of normality. When I got dumped, the biggest thing that hurt was that I chose the safe path, and things still didn't work out. So the moral of the story is, don't give up your passions and career for a so-called 'normal life,' because when the worst happens, you're only left with yourself, and your previous skills and experience, and it can be hard to re-enter the workforce. I got lucky, and I'm much happier now pursuing the things I truly want." —notthewoopers 4."I was engaged to the 'rich one' and got away. It was NOT WORTH IT. The abuse — physical, sexual, emotional, mental, etc. It was extremely lonely...I always remember being sad on vacation. I'm on an expensive vacation in a beautiful resort, where normal people would be thrilled. But instead I was miserable and alone and honestly pissed that our usual routines were on hold and therefore I was expected to be in his presence all day." "Do not do it. Life is too short for misery, and you deserve true love. Money is just money — it can come and go. Love and happiness are what life is about. People will say all day, 'Well, I don't pay any bills.' There isn't a bill in this world that costs more than my peace and happiness." —Born_Boysenberry4327 5."A bit different. He became rich while we dated. We were both not working when we met. I was on leave from teaching after a death in my family. He had just moved to my city and was looking for work. He was a freelance graphic designer and landed a gig at a start-up company. This was around 2010, when mobile apps were just taking off, and things like Instagram were just coming out. Design after design, he won awards, and the company blew up because of him. Life was fun when there was money, parties, and award ceremonies. After a bit, drugs and drinking got in his way, he became more abusive, tried to kill me, and I left. He was fired and blacklisted." —WearyEnthusiasm6643 6."I am highly educated and have a successful career of my own, but he had built wealth that was far beyond anything I'd ever make. We married young, when he was setting up his company. I encouraged him, and we had a close partnership for many years. Eventually, he wanted more and more control and wanted me to be more of a trophy wife, less of a partner." "He had an affair, and we got divorced. He attacked me through expensive lawyers, and I made it out with my own savings and pocket change. I've gotten over it and am on a totally different path in life, prioritizing my career and being more open to living for joy and purpose in my own life. I'm single, don't know if I'll ever remarry or have a family, but not concerned with it at the moment. What's for you is for you." –flechadeoro 7."My friend married a guy she did she was also looking for someone wealthy (she is also highly educated with a good job that could earn well). Honestly? I'm not sure how much of it was love for her or how much of it was wanting a kid before she got too old. I think she didn't really know ended up being very controlling. He wouldn't let her change anything about the house. She got pregnant and he was the least supportive partner you can imagine." "He wouldn't keep pregnancy-safe food in the house and would fill the fridge with things you're not meant to eat while pregnant. He didn't want to pay for her to stay home, but was also unsatisfied if she worked. He didn't want her to be close to family, whilst he had zero boundaries with his own family. Whilst she was postpartum, he didn't want her to he also basically refused to pay for anything for the baby. People assume that they'll marry a rich person who is generous, but many rich people only really care for themselves, or are happy to use it as a control tactic. She left him before their baby was 1 year old. And naturally, he ended up a nightmare to co-parent with. Because he doesn't understand kids and wants his baby to behave like some idealized older child rather than in a way that kids that age actually behave." —linerva 8."I met my ex in college. He was in a field that offered high incomes right after graduation, so while we were not rich we were very comfortable. He became very controlling and mean, and watched every penny I spent, getting upset if I bought an extra non-perishable grocery item because it was on sale. Mind you, he did not do any shopping or cooking. I waited probably too long to divorce him because I was worried about the big drop in income and stability. But I finally did it, and while it was tough financially for a long time, I was fine and so much happier without him." —YouMustDoEverything 9."My friend married the 'rich one' because he is rich and she is living out the 'If you marry for money, you earn every penny' phrase. There is also not an insignificant age difference, the in-laws are assholes, the husband is a tightwad, and the family business is in a somewhat volatile industry dynamic. But he's rich, so she doesn't have to work outside the home, so she sort of got what she wanted?" —ilikesimis 10."This is not the same thing, but I didn't marry for love; I married my husband because we were good partners. He was financially stable enough that I could stay at home with our daughter, which I think we both wanted. I think we have a different kind of love for each other that has grown over time, but it's not a very romantic relationship, and I'm honestly happier than I was when I was deeply in love in the past." —I-Am-Willa 11."It's worked out well. I didn't pick him just because he's rich, but I've been with men similar in habit and compatibility to him who didn't have as much money. It's nice not to have to worry about whether we have enough money to pay the bills. And we can vacation where we want because we want to, and not pick places just because they are budget-friendly. The kids can participate in the activities they want and won't have to pick a lower-tier college in the interest of saving us money or reducing their own student loan burden. I do work because I want to, but I don't have to work jobs I hate or hours that suck because we have the household financial security to weather the storm of temporary unemployment." "I really think it's just the doesn't hurt me. I think money gives people the means to be themselves, and my husband is a good guy to the core. He doesn't have the need or desire to control the narrative, which combined that desire with money, you have the perfect abusive tornado potential." —azulsonador0309 finally, "My husband isn't rich, but he makes good money, works really hard, is very responsible, and could afford to live on his own when we met. We got married for things other than money and love, but we do love each other. I was only 22 and I didn't go to college, so I wasn't financially stable in the same way. I worked and paid for everything I had and took care of my younger sister financially, but I lived with family and felt trapped. So it made sense getting married would help me, but the thing I wish I realized back then was not to become as financially dependent on him." "We had a rough patch, and I realized I didn't have anything or anywhere to go if we got divorced. I recently returned to school to get out of dead-end jobs and have financial independence/security. Overall, I think people should check both boxes by picking someone you enjoy being around and actually like, as well as them being financially stable." —corkblob Did you marry "the rich one" for financial stability? What was the reality, and what do you wish you'd known before saying "I do"? Share your story in the comments. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here. The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.

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