Meet the Man Who Quit His $40,000 Job To Make $120,000 Walking Dogs

In 2019, Michael Josephs was making just under $40,000 a year as a special needs teacher at a private school in the Financial District of New York City. That’s when he decided to get a job as a dog walker to supplement his income. Before long, the 34-year-old discovered that there was more money to be made walking dogs than in teaching. He quit his job and now brings in around $120,000 a year from his dog-walking business, Parkside Pups. Clients pay $20 for a 30-minute walk, and Josephs has more clients than he knows what to do with. His business is so lucrative that he was able to buy a home in nearby Middletown, New Jersey, as well as a new car. Today, he has five full-time employees and his business spans from Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan, as well as in Connecticut. “I love this business,” said Josephs. “They give you excitement and loyalty, and there’s not many downsides to that.”

Continue Reading...

Bioengineers Devise a Way of Growing Skin in the Shape of a Hand That Can be Pulled on Like a Glove

If you’ve ever tried gift-wrapping an odd-shaped present like a teddy bear, you can appreciate the challenge that surgeons face when grafting artificial skin onto an injured hand or foot. Now, bioengineers have devised a way of growing skin in the shape of a hand to make it easier for surgeons in the future to graft the personalized skin onto burn victims. The engineered skin currently comes in flat pieces that, like wrapping paper, can be difficult and time-consuming to stitch together around an irregularly shaped body part, such as a hand or foot. The new skin dramatically minimizes the need for suturing, which reduces the length of surgeries and improves aesthetic outcomes. Another compelling use would be face transplants, where wearable skin would be integrated with underlying tissues like cartilage, muscle and bone. In the future, researchers envision grafts that could be custom-made from a patient’s own cells. With only a 4X4 millimeter skin sample, enough cells can be cultured and multiplied to create enough skin to cover a human hand.

Continue Reading...

Pepsi Is Bringing Back Their Peeps-Flavored Soda

If the idea of a Peeps-flavored Pepsi is your thing, you’ll be happy to hear that this marshmallowy drink is coming just in time for Spring and Easter. The limited-edition Peeps Pepsi — or Peepsi — made its debut and was a social media hit in 2021, then took a hiatus last year due to the pandemic. Although there’s no official word from Pepsi on the release of Peeps Pepsi, those in the know say it will be available during the 8-week period of February 13 through April 7, 2023. You should expect to find the Peeps-flavored Pepsi at grocery retailers, including Target, Walmart and Amazon. This year, the Peeps-flavored soda will be available in 20-oz. bottles at around $2.50 and 7.5-oz 10-packs in stores around the country for about $6.

Continue Reading...

9-Year-Old Pennsylvania Boy Becomes One of the Youngest High School Graduates Ever

David Balogun, who happens to be just 9 years old, loves science and computer programming. After taking classes remotely from his family home in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem, David recently received a high school diploma from Reach cyber charter school, based in Harrisburg. The achievement makes David one of the youngest children to ever graduate from high school. The only person on the list who was younger than David when he graduated is Michael Kearney, who still holds the Guinness world record for youngest high school graduate that he set when he was just 6 years old in 1990. He went on to obtain his master’s degree at 14 years old. Meanwhile, David has already started accumulating some credits toward his college degree, saying that he wants to become an astrophysicist as a life profession. Aside from being a member of Mensa, David is also pursuing a black belt in martial arts and enjoys playing the piano. David’s parents both have advanced academic degrees, so it’s clear that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Continue Reading...