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Welcome to The Crunch, our weekly roundup of stories from around the web; like reading the news while chomping on granola. Here’s what we’ve been chewing on lately.

Forget Black Friday, apps make sharing easier

As individuals and retailers opt out of Black Friday insanity, the sharing economy takes on a new frontier: apps. Here are five that might help you put old stuff to new use. (via )

Lab to table

Last Thursday, the FDA cleared the first genetically engineered animal for consumption. The “AquAdvantage Salmon” grows about twice as fast as its natural counterpart, and its engineered pedigree will not have to be disclosed to consumers. (via )

Why politicians need to talk about gun violence—and black lives

When politicians talk about gun violence, they focus on the tragic mass shootings like those in Newton, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado. They often overlook that the majority of gun-murder victims are black men. This story shows how one pastor in Boston helped cut the city’s gun related deaths by 63 percent. (via )

Charity ads that won’t make you change the channel

Commercials asking for charity often use cliché images of pouting puppies and babies surrounded by flies. One Norwegian organization asked the obvious question: Why does asking for donations have to compromise someone else’s dignity? Turns out that there are better ways to fundraise. (via )

Nonviolent felons can vote in Kentucky

Through Gov. Steve Beshear’s executive action, Kentucky just restored voting rights to ex-convicts who have completed sentences for nonviolent felonies. These are 100,000 people who can now vote. Kentucky was one of only four states that disenfranchised anyone with a felony conviction. (via )