New Ridesharing App Wants Drivers Armed

A new ridesharing app called Black Wolf, that will compete with Uber and Lyft, recently launched in Atlanta and New York.

What makes Black Wolf, stand out? The driver of your vehicle can be armed with a gun. Black Wolf founder Kerry King Brown told a local news station in Atlanta, Georgia, “What I’m creating is a necessary evil. It’s a necessity,”

The company launched last week and first gained widespread attention over the weekend after going viral on Reddit. Brown says it's “executive protection” for people who are worried about their personal safety, as the country reels from a seemingly never-ending barrage of mass shootings and mundane interactions that quickly escalate into gun violence.

Drivers will need to pass a background check, and are trained to de-escalate any situation if a confrontation should occur on the road. Brown says he’s worked as a private investigator and bodyguard, and claims many of the drivers who work for the company come from military and security backgrounds. An Atlanta news outlet showed a clip of Brown near Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, strongly suggesting he worked as a bodyguard for the controversial congresswoman.

If you look through the app, which is available for free on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, you'll see three different services: Armed Executive Protection, Unarmed Executive Protection, and School Executive Protection. The school-based option is being marketed as a way to send children to school more safely.

“Every Black Wolf App vehicle comes equipped with GPS Tracking and Live-streaming technology that allows our riders to share with their loved ones,” the company says on its Facebook page.

The Black Wolf rideshare app has social media accounts on major platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, but it’s not clear yet whether the app will launch in other cities. Uber launched its ridesharing option with just a select number of cities in 2012 but was in 65 regions by the following year.

With the U.S. government’s political roadblocks to do anything to make Americans more safe from random shootings, various businesses are coming up with their own solutions. One company has built a gigantic collapsible safe-room that’s being marketed to schools, while other companies have developed tactical school equipment—including bulletproof backpacks and bulletproof school desks.

Our our everyday lives have turned into a war zone, but until Congress acts, these are some of the solutions we are likely to see grow in popularity over the next few years.

Do you love taking cruises? Now you can take not a three hour, but a three year cruise!

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale of  Life at Sea Cruises. They just announced they're accepting reservations for their first-ever three-year cruise. It will travel 130,000 miles, visit 135 countries across seven continents, and stop in 375 ports of call, all aboard the MV Gemini.

At each port, the ship will dock for several days to allow passengers to explore at their leisure. It visits 13 wonders of the world, including Egypt's Pyramids, and Mexico's Chichén Itzá, more than 100 islands, including numerous Caribbean and Central American visits, and spends 98 days in South American and Antarctica.

The ship provides everything anyone would need to live at sea for several years: spacious cabins, dining and entertainment options, recreational areas like a wellness center, sun deck, pool, and lots work spaces for those who want to live the nomad life at sea -digitally. There's a business center with meeting rooms, 14 offices, and a business library for your Zoom call needs.

“Life at Sea Cruises offers the ultimate cruise without having to sacrifice the comforts of home,” Irina Strembitsky, director of sales and marketing, said. Adding, “It’s your home at sea with the world as your backyard.”

The cruise ship also has other practical amenities:  a 24-hour hospital, which offers guests free medical visits, lectures and classes, and volunteer opportunities at various ports. 

The three-year cruise departs from Istanbul on Nov. 1, 2023, with additional pick-ups in Barcelona and Miami later in 2023. Pricing starts at $29,999 per year. The company also offers payment options starting from $2,499 per month, which includes food and beverage. Cabin options range from 130-square-foot interior rooms to 260-square-foot balcony suites.

This sounds amazing! If you want to see what it's all about: lifeatseacruises.com.

Alternative living is a big thing right now, because it's all about affordability, and portability. People are making homes in very different places, in very different ways. Here are some cool and unique alternative living spaces.

-Carla Rea

Shipping containers, etc. Not only do container homes have a unique and ‘one of a kind look, they're extremely durable and have a simple set up process. All of the home’s utilities are self contained and ready to easily be connected once on-site.

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The interior of a shuttle bus is a big reason people choose them - especially for van life. Shuttle buses have a wide and long interior that's larger than most vans, with enough clearance for even taller people to stand. There is also more space on the roof for solar panels, awnings, and vent fans. And Shuttle buses/Minibuses typically have a long row of windows that bring in tons of natural light. They aren’t the simplest vehicles to maintain, and because they aren’t as common on the road you may have difficulty finding a mechanic to work on them.

School buses that are renovated into livable spaces are affectionately called “skoolies” to those who live in them. School buses can become skoolies once they are retired, decommissioned, and purchased by innovative DIYers with time and money to transform the bus into their dream home. There are definitely driving and parking challenges, but if you want a unique home - on wheels - a skoolie might be for you.

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The tiny-house movement is an architectural and social movement that advocates for downsizing our living spaces, simplifying, and essentially "living with less. Some states in the U.S. now consider any home under 1,000 sq. ft. to be a tiny (or micro) home, expanding the offerings for many eager enthusiasts. Tiny houses are built to last as long as traditional homes, use traditional building techniques and materials, and are aesthetically similar to larger homes.

iStock / Getty Images Plu

For those who have no problems with living on the water, consider a houseboat. It’s a great choice that allows you to literally move your home to a new location if you are searching for a fresh start. Used houseboats can be purchased for as little as $40,000. Modern houseboats come with everything you would expect, including modern appliances and utilities. The difference is you pay a fraction of the price of a traditional home!

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Although it may not be the most common living style, but if you own the land that your treehouse is built on and own the treehouse itself then yes, you can live in a treehouse! Treehouses can't be easily hooked up to electric power lines. Additionally, because of safety concerns, running wires through a tree might not be the best idea. But you can consider using alternative energy sources, like solar or wind-power.

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