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After 50 Long, High-Heeled Years, Barbie Finally Gets to Wear Flats

It might have taken half a century, but Barbie can finally give her feet a break.

According to a June 4 Mashable article, the iconic doll will finally have flat feet and adjustable ankles as part of Mattel’s new “Barbie Fashionistas” line of dolls. That means Barbie can now wear flats, sandals and even sneakers for the first time in her 56 years.

Mattel says the Fashionistas line is meant to reflect “the world girls see around them.” Not only do the Barbie Fashionistas dolls have flat feet to reflect more modern-day tastes; this collection of dolls is also decidedly more diverse than Barbie is known for being. Barbie Fashionistas will come in “eight different skin tones, 14 different facial sculpts, 18 eye colors, 22 hair styles, and 23 hair colors,” Cosmopolitan reports.

The choice to make Barbie a bit more modern might be a response to the doll’s waning popularity in recent years, with growing competition from other kid’s toys — especially dolls named Anna and Elsa — taking an increasing chunk out of sales.

But it’s still amazing that it’s taken so long for Barbie to venture into different styles of footwear. Yoga Teacher Barbie, Surgeon Barbie and Firefighter Barbie all walked on their tip-toes. When the feet contain about 25% of the bones in our bodies, it’s hard to fathom how badly Barbie’s feet must have hurt after wearing high heels for so long.

This is especially true when recent scientific studies — and even the fashion industry itself — have acknowledged that high heels cause pain and limit physical activity when worn more than three times per week. Not only is it unrealistic to convey to young girls that successful women always wear high heels, it also might be unhealthy.

So go, Barbie. Fake walk and fake run anywhere your newly-flat feet will take you. Just be sure to keep your Instagram updated with tastefully-filtered photos of all the new shoes you’ll be buying.

Oakland Pipe Repair Company Offers Discount to Veterans

Starting on Memorial Day, Evenflow Plumbing in Oakland, California, began offering military veterans a 10% discount on conventional and trenchless sewer pipe repair work.

Virtual Strategy Magazine reports that the 10% discount is good through June 30th. The reason for the discount is personal for Gary Dimodana, the owner of Evenflow Plumbing, who is a veteran himself.

“I served six years in the Navy where I learned my trade as a plumber and I come from a family of World War II heroes,” Dimodana said. He went on to explain how both his grandfathers served in the war in the Pacific Theater.

“My grandfather, Robert Bruce Wallace, was a captain in the Army Air Core. He flew A-20 and B-17s in the Pacific. He had 46 successful bombing missions,” he said. “My other grandfather served in the Marine Corps and was one of Carlson’s Marine Raiders in the Philippine Islands. [They] both served with distinction from 1942 to 1945.”

Dimodana’s company serves the entire East Bay of California and is known in pioneering the trenchless pipe repair method, which uses pre-existing pipes to guide the new pipes in rather than removing them entirely. The company provides a free consultation for residential customers as well as for people trying to earn a Private Sewer Lateral (PSL) Certificate, which is mandated by Oakland.

The PSL Ordinance, regulated by the East Bay MUD, requires all residential properties sold within the Oakland district to have their sewer laterals and pipes tested in order to gain the PSL Certificate. The ordinance is part of an effort to reduce the amount of clean water that enters the sewers, water which comes from cracked or broken sewer lines on private residential property.

Evenflow Plumbing also offers a free camera drain inspection service to help homeowners determine if old sewer lines need to be replaced in order to qualify for the PSL Certificate.

A relatively new method, trenchless pipe repair has been on the residential market for 10-15 years. It is popular with homeowners due to its gentle handling of properties. Conventional pipe repair methods often require digging large trenches in a property’s lawn in order to get to the pipes.

When the Flood Waters Rise, Cars Often Hit the Hardest By Water Damage

Over Memorial Day weekend, people living throughout northern Texas and Oklahoma faced some of the most severe, record-breaking flooding they had ever seen.

In Houston alone, more than 4,000 homes faced significant damage due to the floods — but it’s not just homes that were damaged by rising waters. According to findings from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, as many as 10,000 cars have been damaged or totaled due to these floods.

And there’s nothing stopping those who own one of these cars to sell them to someone else while neglecting to mention the vehicle’s water damage. As a result, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper issued a warning advising consumers hoping to buy a new or used car to be on the lookout for water-damaged cars.

“Our hearts go out to flood victims as they work to clean up and rebuild,” Cooper said in a statement. “Even though the floods didn’t hit North Carolina, consumers here need to watch out for dishonest dealers who may try to trick them into buying flooded cars.”

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) estimates that flooding causes more than $3 billion in damage each year, making it the No. 1 natural disaster affecting the U.S. To prevent such losses, many car sellers with questionable moral compasses will put flooded vehicles through a rigorous cleaning process, making it tough to detect water damage until weeks later. However, it’s illegal in many states to sell a car without disclosing the fact that it has water damage.

“Thousands of cars have been flooded in Texas and Oklahoma, and it won’t be long before they pop up for sale across the country,” said Cooper. “Be on guard so you don’t get stuck with a flooded car.”

Vehicular water damage goes beyond having wet carpets. Because cars aren’t designed to be submerged underwater, flood waters can rust out its internal parts, including the car’s transmission.

To avoid buying a water-damaged vehicle, Cooper advised car buyers to always check the car’s title and to have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic you trust before making the purchase. Ultimately, if you come across a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Elderly Woman Crashes Through Fence, Lands in Swimming Pool

There’s a reason why 80-90% of the fence applications seen by U.S. zoning committees are for privacy fences. Some neighborhoods are just a little too much to handle. Zany neighbors, though, can’t always be stopped by fences, as one homeowner in Grand Rapids, Michigan recently discovered.

At the end of May, an elderly woman crashed her car through a fence separating a CVS Pharmacy and a home’s backyard. The woman was in CVS’s drive-thru when she put her car in reverse, hit the gas, and sped through the fence and into the homeowner’s pool.

Fortunately, the pool had no water in it at the time, and the elderly woman did not appear to be seriously hurt. According to Grand Rapids Police Officer Scott Klawon, the woman was sent to an area hospital with “not obvious” injuries.

Police at the scene requested a crane to get the elderly woman’s car out of the empty pool.

This sort of situation is not all that uncommon. At the beginning of June, a teenage, California-driver fell asleep at the wheel after studying for hours, sending his pickup truck careening through a fence, and crashing alongside a swimming pool. The teenager miraculously evaded death, as one of the fence’s two-by-fours speared the windshield, continued on through the steering wheel, and somehow missed impaling the driver.

“I guess in the rolling motion when the young man rolled off the roadway, it must have tossed him to the side and that board just missed his torso,” said Monica Zech of the City of El Cajon Heartland Fire and Rescue.

Although these incident were unfortunate, things could have been much worse. Jeremy McCracken, a 22-year-old, New Zealand man, died after his car crashed through a fence and down a bank, stopping just meters away from a home. Police did not suspect drugs or alcohol were a contributing factor in the crash.

“I guess anything is possible at the end of the day,” said Jefrey Banks, the son of Grand Rapids-homeowner whose fence bordered the CVS. “You don’t expect anything like this.”

Despite Being Bullied, This 8-Year-Old Boy Grew Out His Hair for a Good Cause

Most people choose to change their hairstyles every once in a while as a way to switch up their style. In fact, one study has found that 44% of women decide to change their hairstyle because they’re bored, while another 61% do so because they want a change.

But despite being teased for looking like a girl, one 8-year-old boy grew out his hair for two years for a completely different reason: to donate this hair to children who had lost theirs.

According to Time, second grader Christian McPhilamy, of Melbourne, FL, cut the hair he’d been growing and produced four 10-inch-long ponytails. On May 20, he sent his locks to Children With Hair Loss, a Michigan-based nonprofit foundation that gives hair replacements and wigs to children at no cost.

“Christian has such a huge heart,” Christian’s mom, Deeanna Thomas, said. “I don’t even know if there are words to describe how proud I am of him.”

In a Facebook post, Thomas explained that McPhilamy endured his fair share of teasing and even bullying for choosing to grow out his hair, “from his peers calling him a girl to even coaches and family friends telling him he should cut it or offering him money to.”

But what inspired McPhilamy to think of donating his hair in the first place?

It all started one evening two years ago, when Thomas and her son were browsing the Internet to find things that interested him. While Christian usually looked up information about animals, that night he stumbled across an ad from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for hair donations.

After listening to Thomas’ explanation that cancer patients often accept hair donations to conceal their hair loss, Christian’s mind was made up — and no one could change his mind, Mashable reported.

“Usually when Christian sets his mind to something, he pretty much goes with it,” Thomas said. “He doesn’t let anything falter his goals. I was pretty confident that he was actually going to follow through with it.”

North Carolina Dry Cleaning Business Caused 40 Years of Contamination in Neighborhood

A former dry cleaning site in Durham, NC is still posing a toxic contamination risk nearly 40 years after it shut down.

One-Hour Martinizing Cleaners was located at 1103 W. Club Blvd from 1963 to 1975, but it wasn’t until 1993 that subsurface contamination was discovered resulting from the chemicals used for dry cleaning.

Before the invention of the Martinizing process, which became popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s, dry cleaners used flammable solvents, which had to be used far away from populated areas. The invention of Martinizing chemicals allowed dry cleaning to be done within one hour in town rather than being sent away to a separate dry cleaning plant.

But with the popularity of chemicals like PERC, also called PCE or tetrachloroethylene, and other dry cleaning solvents came pollution caused by the substance’s runoff.

And those chemicals have lingered in the soil. The 2,925-square-foot building where the dry cleaning business was housed had to be demolished in 2011 to prevent continued contamination of nearby soil and groundwater.

Hart & Hickman, which specializes in groundwater remediation services, sampled groundwater in April and found that the water still contains higher levels of PCE than recommended. This was 15 months after the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources approved of an EHC injection, which is used to decrease the amount of toxins found in groundwater.

Groundwater provides drinking water for about half of all Americans and makes up 95% of the country’s freshwater sources. But when it becomes contaminated with chemicals, like those used by dry cleaning businesses all over the country, then it can cause serious problems for those who are drinking that water.

Long-term exposure to PERC can cause damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys and even lead to cancer. These problems have likely affected those living in Durham’s Trinity Park neighborhood if they’ve been exposed to the chemical.

So far, Hart & Hickman has reported that the PERC in the monitoring wells nearby has decreased by somewhere between 86% and 98% through remediation efforts. However, two wells still have more than 2.5 mg/L of PERC, and even though levels haven’t increased, they are still higher than recommended.

Several units in the Trinity Park area no longer face contamination, but two residences on Dollar Avenue and the Triangle Family Church are still affected. Remediation efforts will be ongoing through next year and will include another EHC injection to reduce the amount of PERC in the soil.

So far more than $2.2 million has been spent on remediation for the area. Officials have met with the public in recent weeks to let them know about the remediation process.

Business Owners in Glendale, CO, Allege Abuse of Eminent Domain

The city council of Denver suburb Glendale, CO, unanimously voted to allow the use of eminent domain to facilitate a $175 million development, despite the 100-plus protesters who packed the chamber last month.

“If you pass this measure tonight, every business in Glendale — whether it’s Target or Shotgun Willie’s — will have to ask if they’re making the right decision investing in this city,” Denver resident Jeanne Price said in her testimony. “The answer would be no.”

Still, the council decided that the city’s urban renewal authority should be allowed to use eminent domain to acquire the property in question, a 42-acre site on the banks of Cherry Creek now slated to become a dining and entertainment complex. Eminent domain refers to the government’s right to take ownership of a property for public use. The government is required to compensate the owner, but the owner need not consent to the sale.

The city currently owns about 40% of the total site.

In an apparent attempt to soften the decision, however, the council did add provisions requiring that the city attempt to negotiate with current property owners of the other 60% of the land.

That would still displace small and medium-sized businesses such as Authentic Persian and Oriental Rugs, which owner Saeed Kholghy says has been run as a family business in that same spot for two and a half decades. Supporters of the council’s decision might say that the company can sell Persian rugs (defined by their thick pile of 160 knots per square inch, distinct knotting and unique designs) somewhere else. But many long-time customers bemoaned the possibility of the council forcing it to move.

Kholghy also asserted that he has been negotiating with the city for almost 10 years, but that the exchange has become adversarial in the past year. “If you want to do something, you have to work with us,” Kholghy told the council.

After the vote, some in attendance left demanding recalls of council members.

Is a Famine Ahead for the Diet Industry?

According to a survey conducted this month for Fortune, the future of the diet industry is looking a little lean.

The survey, carried out by SurveyMonkey, found that although 77% of Americans say they’re actively trying to eat healthier, only 19% say that they’re “on a diet.” That fits with data from research group NPD, showing that the number of women who say they’re dieting has dropped a full 13 percentage points in the past 20 years.

Weight Watchers has seen sales decline for the past two years and is projecting another weak year for 2015. Nutrisystem, which had skyrocketing revenue only a few years ago, is bringing in 21% less than it was in 2011. Jenny Craig and Medifast haven’t done much better.

Even in the grocery store, frozen diet meals aren’t selling well. Sales of Weight Watchers dinners have dropped by 17% in the past five years; that figure is 11% for the Healthy Choice line and around 25% for Lean Cuisine. There’s little indication things will be turning around, either, with market research firm Euromonitor predicting the category as a whole will dip another 8% in the coming five years.

Weight Loss in America
Does that mean either that Americans don’t need to lose weight — or that they have given up trying?

No, Fortune cautioned when reporting its results. Roughly a third of American adults are obese. But in general, people seem to be choosing fresher foods over “diet” options and looking at holistic health options that balance calorie-counting with exercise.

The American weight-loss industry — still a $64 billion market as of last year — is expanding in areas such as health clubs.

Mandates put in place by the Affordable Care Act have also helped to shift many weight-loss services away from the commercial world and into the medical one, as plans are required to cover some kinds of plans supervised by nurses and doctors.

A More Diet-Savvy World?
But, as one recent incident so painfully illustrated, there are still plenty of people looking for the next so-called miracle diet.

Last week, a journalist revealed that a headline-grabbing study claiming to demonstrate that chocolate can help people to lose weight was simply an elaborate hoax designed to underscore problems in how the media vets scientific information before reporting it.

So how can consumers make smart decisions about diets when they apparently can’t trust so many of the sources reporting on them? The bottom line is that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Making simple substitutions (a dip made with Greek yogurt, for example, has 67% fewer calories and 88% less fat than most sour cream-based dips) is always a good step. But the bottom line is fresh foods, moderate calorie counts and exercise are the most effective combination for the vast majority of people looking to lose weight.

Chiropractor Battles in Brutal Destruction Derby

Creating demand is one of the best business strategies out there. About 22 million Americans visit their local chiropractors for treatment each year, 35% of whom seek out treatment for back pain caused by accidents, muscle strains, sports injuries or other situations; but even so, it can be tough for Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) to generate demand. After all, any attempt to do so would likely result in assault and battery charges.

Unless you’re as clever as Matthew Stammerjohan.

This past May, the Californian chiropractor participated in the Calaveras County Fair Destruction Derby after winning the chance to do so through a Friends of the Calaveras County Fair drawing.

“It was brutal,” said Stammerjohan. “They [the other drivers] took me out in the first heat.”

Fortunately, Stammerjohan’s pit crew got him back in the game, where he continued to spread destruction and mayhem. Eventually, he was one of the last two standing, putting him in the finals.

Naturally, Stammerjohan did not enter the “brutal” destruction derby to hurt people and generate new business; auto accident injuries are quite serious. Even the victims of the most minor fender bender should probably see a chiropractor. Injuries may even occur at speeds less than five miles per hour. Stammerjohan merely wanted the free publicity that came with participating.

Although it’s hard to believe that such minor accidents can be injurious, research on low speed rear impact tests show that 29% of people developed the symptoms of whiplash at speeds of just 2.5 miles per hour. What’s more, a rear end collision of just 10 miles per hour can produce up to nine Gs of force on a victim’s neck.

Whiplash is also far more serious than people make it out to be. Though it takes a couple days to begin to affect the victim, whiplash will eventually cause pain and stiffness in the neck, a decreased range of motion, pain when shaking or nodding the head, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and/or blurred vision.

While accidents do happen, they’re not as often as most might think. As one study from 2005 concludes, “These data suggest that derby drivers sustain less chronic neck pain after multiple car collision events than might otherwise be expected.”

Ultimately, Stammerjohan held his own in the finals, but says that “I let the big boys battle it out.”

The Top Cause of Injuries at Yellowstone National Park May Surprise You

In the wake of news that a 16-year-old Taiwanese girl was recently gored by a bison as she posed for a photo at Yellowstone National Park, much of the country is abuzz about the risks of being injured by wildlife while visiting the park.

However, these types of injuries are much rarer than you might think.

In fact, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, the chances of being mauled by a bear while visiting Yellowstone are a microscopic 1 in 2.1 million. When it comes to more docile creatures like bison, these odds shrink even lower. Only one or two bison-related incidents occur each year, if any.

The real cause behind most visitor injuries at Yellowstone? Slips, trips, and falls.

“The most common injuries in the park are typically from trips, slips and falls,” Traci Weaver, public affairs officer for Yellowstone, said.

In May, a 71-year-old man fell into the park’s Grand Canyon while trying to take a photo. Luckily, he only fell 25 feet before stopping himself on a precipice. Park rangers were able to rescue him as he braced himself on the side of the cliff.

“That was pretty incredible,” Weaver said. “If he’d have fallen just a little bit in either direction, it would have been fatal. He would have fallen over 150 feet.”

Slips, trips and falls like these aren’t just a common occurrence at Yellowstone. Every year, these injuries result in an astronomical 95 million lost days of work across the country.

Even rarer are the injuries and deaths that are caused by the park’s geysers and geothermal features. In the park’s entire history, only 20 people have died, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. As long as visitors stay on the marked boardwalks near these features and follow the park’s safety guidelines, they should be safe.

And while wildlife attacks are rare, it’s still wise to respect these animals’ boundaries. The park has launched numerous campaigns to educate its millions of visitors on staying safe around wildlife. Yellowstone park officials advise visitors to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from the bison, elk and bighorn sheep that roam the park.

“We just hope people come here and safely enjoy the park,” Weaver said. “It’s always unfortunate when somebody gets injured while they’re out on vacation. We have our safety rules in place for a reason, and we just hope people adhere to them.”