He came, he sawed, he conquered

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It's been 100 years since we first sawed a person in half! As a part of a magic trick, that is. Considered the "Most Famous Illusion" ever, the first woman was sawed in two on a London stage by magician PT Selbit in 1921. The trick has continued to win over audiences for decades; meanwhile, we're helping these stories magically appear in your news feed. DATING Women use dating app to gather riot evidence for the FBI Mon Jan 18   Swiping right could have some serious consequences — especially for the male rioters who used their time at Capitol Hill to also meet women. These men took to Bumble, a dating app where women make the first move, to match with potential dates.   In response, the women started sending their profiles to the FBI. Here's what happened: In the two weeks surrounding the riots, women started noticing a surge of conservative men on the platform. These women matched with the men to trick them into sharing more information about why they were in town, with some even updating their own profile settings to "conservative" to lure more matches. The conservative men proudly uploaded photos of themselves in MAGA hats, and some even sent their matches pictures and videos of their participation in the riots as a "flex" — in other words, to brag.  The women screenshotted all this information and turned it over to the FBI, who received over 100,000 digital media tips during the first week of January.  Now, Bumble is reviewing their platform practices. The company at first took a neutral stance, but then followed up a week later with a promise to remove users who were confirmed riot participants. Two days after that, they temporarily removed the political affiliation feature of the app. Some criticized this move, claiming it protects the insurrectionists. Where did we learn about this? Check out our sources: BBC, Law And Crime, The Verge, Washington Post SHARE THIS STORY ENERGY Ethanol is fueling a debate over labeling Fri Jan 15   Turns out ethanol can be intoxicating to more than just humans. A corn-based biofuel, ethanol is an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels that, when used in gasoline, is also more corrosive. This means it can be damaging to engines, especially in small engine machines, boats, and vehicles made before 2001. To ensure drivers pump the right fuel into their vehicle, gasoline that contains ethanol is clearly labeled.   Now ethanol lobbyists want those labels removed, citing them as "useless" in a world where 95% of vehicles on the road are not at risk. Many are even pushing to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline from 10 to 15% to help a now struggling industry. Roughly 40% of the U.S. corn crop is refined into ethanol, but as the pandemic has more people at home and off the roads, demand and prices have dramatically dropped.    Meanwhile small engine makers and boaters are urging the opposite. One advocate even introduced a bill in 2020 requesting that the labels be made larger, include the word "warning," and switch from orange text to red.    In recent reports, the Environmental Protection Agency said they're considering making unspecified changes to the labels, though it remains unclear who these changes will favor. Where did we learn about this? Check out our sources: Fortune, Reuters, WSJ, Successful Farming SHARE THIS STORY SPONSORED STORY Instant coffee got a 2020 glow up Fri Jan 8   Instant and delicious are two words that haven't always gone together. But in a pandemic-driven world, investment in ready-made food and beverage is exploding. As a result, more options are emerging that take into account flavorful, quality ingredients and responsible packaging.    Coffee is among the fastest growing drinks in the space, with lockdown-driven demand for something special without additional effort. Overall, businesses and consumers alike are turning to ready-to-drink coffee, an industry expected to grow massively by 2026. RTD drink sales are already increasing as distribution to convenience and grocery stores further expand and carbonated drinks fall out of favor. Consumer demand for both greater environmental and corporate responsibility makes room for differentiation with features like glass bottle packaging, non-dairy creamers, and ethical sourcing. The market is already competitive with major players such as Starbucks, Hershey, Coca-Cola, and now even Chobani, known for their industry-changing Greek yogurt. Meanwhile coffee shops are innovating on what it even means to be a shop. Major players like Starbucks and Dunkins saw hundreds of stores close in 2020. As they begin opening again, Starbucks is expected to open more shops than they closed, emphasizing a new store experience through improved walk-thru and drive-thru designs.   And while we picked this story ourselves to meet our editorial commitments to you, it is sponsored by Explorer Cold Brew. Unlike RTD drinks, Explorer Cold Brew is a unique hybrid: a super concentrate in individual bottles, either for taking on the go or to make your coffee any way you want (in 4 caffeine levels no less!). Where did we learn about this? Check out our sources: Bevindustry, Bloomberg, Businesswire, Reuters, SB Wire, CNBC, The Conversation SHARE THIS STORY ASCII Art of the Week .-----------------------------------. |.---------------------------------.| ||                 _.._            || ||               .'  ..=`_         || ||              / _ ='. )`,        || ||             | .--:'./`\ \       || ||            .'    .-'   | )      || ||           / /:';' _   _( |      || ||          /.' | |  " | "| |      || ||         (  .|  |   __  ' /      || ||         |  |/ / \  `- /( |      || ||         )_.:./)   `--'._\       || ||        .'    `,    +  :\)       || ||       /       :`;_    : |       || ||      |        :'::`-..',|       || ||     .'   .-   \::\::::::`,      || ||     |    /`,   |::`:::::::\     || ||    /    /   \  |,:::::\::/      || ||   /    /     \  |::::::::|      || ||                                 || |`---------------------------------'| `-----------------------------------' Swipe right for a good time... to pay the crime. Art By: Michael J. Penick CONTRIBUTE TO BELOW THE FOLD Spot a story that isn't making headline news but should? Send it our way! We review community submissions weekly, and will be sure to give a shout out if your story is selected.  Submit your story! Below the Fold, 2261 Market Street, #4135, San Francisco, CA 94114, United States Unsubscribe