Today is Giving Tuesday, the annual antidote to the shopping madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As the name suggests, the day is an occasion for giving rather than buying, and it’s been a massive success in recent years. In 2023, people donated a collective $3.1 billion on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving — and we bet that number can be beat this year. Learn more about the holiday, and check out our December Cause of the Month for one idea of where to donate.
UNESCO Just Designated Sausage Stands as a Heritage Site
JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images
Much more than a place to grab a bite, Vienna’s sausage stands were recently added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Called “Würstelstand,” the humble stalls go back generations and are known for bringing different backgrounds and cultures together over an iconic snack in the Austrian capital. “The special thing about it is that it’s a form of gastronomy everybody can afford,” Mayor Michael Ludwig said in a statement, per the Associated Press. “Here the general director and, during the opera ball, a celebrity stands next to a worker and the street sweeper who just finished cleaning the street. That unites people.” Japanese sake-making, henna art, Arabic coffee, and dozens of other cultural practices around the world could also be named beacons of heritage this week, as the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage convenes for its annual session in Paraguay. Browse the full list.
Together With Pacaso
The Newest Trend in Real Estate
Forget DIY renovations — co-ownership could do to real estate what Uber did to taxis. It’s simple: buyers share ownership of a high-value asset, splitting costs while enjoying all the benefits. And it’s spreading like wildfire, growing 21% per year. Take vacation homes, for example. They’re expensive to own and vacant most of the year. Co-ownership lets people fully utilize these properties at a fraction of the cost. Companies like Pacaso are already leading the charge. Through their digital marketplace, users buy, sell, and finance vacation home shares. It’s been a huge success. They’ve already handed keys to more than 1,500 happy homeowners, earning Pacaso $100 million in gross profits. And for the first time, everyday investors can own Pacaso stock. Learn more about investing in Pacaso before their share price changes Thursday.
This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com.
Environment
Montana Org Is Protecting Endangered Grasslands and Wildlife With “Invisible” Fences
Photo by Louise Johns / PERC
Many are on the fence about, well, fences. Here’s why: When fences are put up around farms or ranches, they can cause harm to grasslands and native wildlife, including endangered species. So to get the benefits of boundaries without many of the downsides, farmers in Montana are trying “invisible” fencing, also known as virtual fencing. “Nothing’s changed with barbed wire fencing in 150 years; nothing’s really changed with fencing on ranches for the last 150 years, until this new technology — virtual fencing — came around,” Brian Yablonski, CEO of the Property and Environment Research Center, told NBC Montana. While the barrier works like a fence, it doesn’t look like one. Instead, cattle wear GPS-enabled collars that emit a sound if an animal nears a boundary. This keeps livestock in one place while removing barriers to wildlife migration and minimizing damage to the land. The Property and Environment Research Center has allocated $250,000 to be dispersed to applicants who want to embrace the new tool. “The purpose of the fund is to try to advance this pioneering, innovative technology in a way that works not only for the rancher but works for conservation outcomes as well,” said Yablonski. “We think that’s a win-win.”
Humanity
Minnesotans Donate Record-Breaking Amount in Statewide Giving Event
siraanamwong/ iStock
Living up to their “nice” reputation, Minnesotans celebrated the season of giving in a big way: They donated more than $37 million to nonprofits during last week’s Give to the Max Day, a record high in the event’s 16-year history. “I think what we’re seeing right now in our communities is an interest to try and support one another, have a place where we can come together and give together,” Jake Blumberg, executive director of GiveMN, told CBS News. The organization said over 10,000 donors (from Minnesota and beyond) supported around 6,500 nonprofits: “That is a lot of people giving $5, $10, $100 where they can,” Blumberg added. The beneficiaries include animal rescues, homeless shelters, and schools, and many of them rely on Give to the Max as their largest annual fundraiser. “The true power of yesterday’s generosity lies in the countless lives and communities that will be transformed across Minnesota,” Blumberg said in a press release.
In Other News
The first new asthma and COPD treatment in five decades is being praised as a potential “game changer” (read more)
NASA tested a model of its sci-fi-looking commercial airplane (read more)
Needles crafted from bones suggest early humans were tailoring clothes in the last ice age (read more)
Many Mainers experienced their first big snowfall of the season — and the sights couldn’t be more idyllic (read more)
Moana 2 is making waves! The sequel set a new box office record for Thanksgiving weekend (read more)
Inspiring Story
Merriest elf on the block
Iowan John Reichart helps decorate every house on his block for a very sweet reason: to make the season special for his wife, Joan. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years back, and Christmas lights are his way of keeping the holiday as merry as possible for everyone, especially her. “I’d do anything to make her happy,” he said. Check out the festive scene — and learn how you can take part in a letter writing campaign that neighbors put together for the couple.
Photo of the Day
The Metropolitan Museum of Art/ Instagram
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is filled with treasures from some of the greatest artists in history — and every two years, its own staffers get a chance to display their pieces in those hallowed halls. The latest such exhibition, titled “Art Work: Artists Working at the Met,” concluded Sunday: See the staffers posing with their work.
Needed’s Black Friday Sale Is Still Going
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, but Needed’s sale on its expert-backed nutrition supplements is still going. From now through Sunday, you can get 25% off the purchase of a new subscription with the promo code BESTDEAL. It’s the best sale of the year from the brand, which provides unrivaled nutrition for fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and women’s health.
