august 31, 2014

My step mother shared this with us today via email and it made the blog easily! If you haven't heard any of Kid President's previously filmed motivational talks, this one is very apropos of the beginning of school.

Remember that we are all teachers and that we can all create a better world.

august 30, 2014

All Things Considered ran a cool piece yesterday that profiled a few men who have spent a lot of their adult life in prison. The piece was titled, "I am not an inmate. I am a man, and I have potential".

The segment speaks to the way that the idea of manhood is understood on the outside, as opposed to once he's on the inside. Kevin Moody, one of the men who particpated in the segment, had this to say:

"It definitely ... gave me a lot of time to think. And I started saying, 'OK, I've been proclaiming to be a father, proclaiming to be a man. But the whole time, everything I ever done was for myself".

Listen to the story here.

august 29, 2014

BIG NEWS, FOLKS!

Today, California state legislature passed the "Yes Means Yes" bill. This would change the definition of consent on college campuses so that the onus is no longer on the victim to verbally say "no". This may seem like a small change in semantics, but some people are up in arms.

But when you really break this down to its most basic elements, shouldn't both parties consenting be a pretty basic thing to ask for?

Via Feministing.

august 28, 2014

Jimmy Fallon and the rest of the gang at The Tonight Show decided to do something about all the sad news that we have been hearing lately. With the help of local NBC news reporters, they gave us something to smile about, even if it isn't real.

august 27, 2014

Today, Slate posted a series of audio clips that feature moderate conservative 7th circuit judge Richard Posner countering a host of arguments against marriage equality with logic.

You go Judge Posner!

Read the whole thing here.

august 26, 2014

The Daily Show has been off for the past two weeks, as has The Colbert Report. It is pretty common when two of my favorite newsmen are gone for me to miss them, but never has that feeling quite like it did this time. In light of the shooting of Michael Brown, and the subsequent violence from a police force that horrendously mishandled everything from the get go, I was really wishing I had their commentary to say all the things I wanted to say.

Tonight, Jon Stewart returned with this scathing critique of media handling in his absence.

august 25, 2014

Matt Damon did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with toilet water to bring attention to clean water access as well as water-shortages worldwide.

august 24, 2014

Feet in 2 Worlds is a New York City-based organization that publishes the work of immigrant journalists. NPR shared this wonderful piece about women who prepare food at their houses of worship.

august 23, 2014

Playboy published something completely wonderful. I can think of plenty of men who could stand to see this chart.

Via Feministing.

august 22, 2014

How many of you, like me, spend a ton of time online, bopping around and opening a ton of tabs? What if I told you that all of that surfing could make positive change for others?

"Now, a web app called Tab For A Cause will take your browser's blank canvases and transform them into a way to donate to charity. Each time you click "new tab" in Chrome or Firefox, the app populates the page with blogs about causes such as education and poverty, as well as advertisements."

You can stop wiping your eyes, you read that right. With this new app, your time online can do some good. I know this may sound too good to be true, but I encourage you to read their FAQ page, which shares links to their financials.

Check out a full write-up on them from The Huffington Post. 

Download Tabs For A Cause on your computer now.

august 21, 2014

ALL coaches should be like this!

The Little League World Series team from Rhode Island lost to a team from Chicago on Monday, and this is the speech their coach offered.

august 20, 2014

The ice bucket challenge, started as a fun way to raise money and awareness for ALS. It has come under fire in the past week for a host of reasons, one of which being that people seem to have forgotten that you have to not only dump water on your head, but also donate $10.

That being said, I still love this idea and it still warms my heart to see people dumb such cold water on their heads. Check out my favorite Philadelphia Phillies player, Chase Utley, taking it to a whole new level.

I can't embed the video on this page, but click here to see it.

august 19, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENT: 

Sorry for the draught, everyone. I have been out of town and was without internet. I have posted retroactively for all the days that I missed, so you can get a nice, big dose of good feels. Enjoy!

The events that have been taking place in Ferguson, MO are devastating, to say the least. There has been much hurt and much wrong. That's why I feel like every little bit of good helps.  

Today, NPR, ran a story about teachers in Ferguson taking their day off to try and do what they could, albeit small, to make things safer for the children in the community.

Get the full story here.

august 18, 2014

How cool is this?!

Three teenage siblings from Georgia have created this app to allow citizens to publicly log any and all interactions they have with local law enforcement. 

"We’d like to know which regions in the US provide horrible law enforcement services as well as highlight the agencies that are highly rated by their citizens. In addition to putting more power into the hands of citizens when interacting with law enforcement, we believe that highly rated police departments should be used as models for those that fail at providing quality law enforcement services.” -Ima (a senior)

The app will also allow individuals to become familiar with their rights, know where the closest police stations are, and organize events in your local community.

Via Feministing.

august 17, 2014

Local smiles, y'all!

The man who brought Chicago the "you are beautiful" sign on Lakeshore Drive

is at it again, and this time, he wants you to GO FOR IT!

I have been loving the "you are beautiful" sign since I moved here, and never knew much about it. It turns out, positive messages are just what artists, Matthew Hoffman does.

Read more here. Via the Chicago Reader.

august 16, 2014

Yesterday, history was made. Mo'Ne Davis became the eighteenth girl to participate in the Little League World Series, and the first to pitch a shut out!

ESPN ran a story featuring interviews with several young girls watching the game in Williamsport about how it made them feel, and the results are bittersweet:

"I like how she goes against what everyone says. "It's kind of daring. I think it would get really overwhelming." -Joclin Johnson, 13

august 15, 2014

Short and sweet today. Someone has figured out how to make your very own dancing baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy!

I dare you not to smile!

Via Paste.

august 14, 2014

Today, Missouri State Police took control in Ferguson, a welcome change. Captain Ronald Johnson, a St. Louis native with family in Ferguson, spent a portion of the day walking and talking with demonstrators

Read more here.

august 13, 2014

Great story about Panic! At The Disco deciding to create something positive out of a Westboro Baptist Church protest.

A few months back, the band heard that the WBC was planning to picket an upcoming show, they decided make lemonade, so to speak.

But they went even further than that. Thirteen picketers showed up before the show, which would have amounted to a $260 donation. Panic! decided to round that up to an even $1,000.

What a beautiful example of love prevailing over closed-minded hate.

Read the full story here.

august 12. 2014

Yesterday, many people were rocked by the news that beloved actor and comedian, Robin Williams, had taken his own life. The internet has been pouring out remembrances and tributes in the hours that have passed, many of which have been incredibly moving.

In Boston, people have taken to the parks. More specifically, people have flocked to the bench in a Boston park where Matt Damon and Robin Williams filmed one of the most iconic scenes in Good Will Hunting. It began with one person,

That person left their chalk, and soon the love spread.

Robin Williams played many roles and wore many hats. He touched innumerable people, in the way that only incredibly talented and genuine people can. He will be sorely missed, and never forgotten.

See more powerful photos here.

august 11, 2014

Check out this really cool new design for a futuristic zoo that would be completely different from the way that we generally conceptualize of zoos. There will be no buildings, no cages, no traditional enclosures. 

This zoo would allow for a closer "interface" between humans and animals and would create more genuine habitats and ecosystems that zoos are typically able to offer.

Listen to an interview with the zoo's designer and read a full article here.

august 10, 2014

It's been too long since I posted a Sunday PostSecret, so here it is.

Check out more at PostSecret's website.

august 9, 2014

Yesterday, an Illinois school finally righted a decades-old wrong. Back in 1959, a student by the name of Alva Early wasn't allowed to graduate, despite having completed all the requisite courses. Early was black, and had decided to have lunch in a park that was for whites only.

"We were just trying to send a message that we were people too." -Alva Early

Several colleges pulled their acceptance of him, but he was able to attend a small community college before graduating from University of Illinois. He went on to get a doctorate in Divinity and became an accomplished lawyer.

Read and listen to the full story via NPR.

august 8, 2014

A post that is equal parts happy and sad.

Earlier this year there was a story in the news that was totally heartbreaking. 19 year-old Renisha McBride was shot outside her home-city of Detroit. After a car crash that left her injured and disoriented, she sought help and knocked on the door of the first house she got to. The homeowner, Theodore Wafer, said he felt threatened, and used deadly force.

Today, Theodore Wafer was found guilty on three charges, one of which was second-degree murder. It isn't nearly enough, but it's something.

Read more here.

august 7, 2014

In my opinion, you can never have too many examples of the internet doing kind things, especially when we are all surrounded by stories of trolling and cyber-bullying that are proliferating so many internet pages at this point. For today's inspiring story we are headed to reddit. Many people know reddit as the internet. This is where so many things happen. There are sub-reddits for just about every topic and huge communities that can help each other with all kinds of things from answering questions to helping a post gain attention.

Yesterday, a reddit user posted asking if someone would be willing and able to Photoshop the medical tubes out of a photo of an infant daughter, who died in the hospital. In less than 24 hours, he got his wish.

Read the whole story here.

august 6, 2014

This silly chart about the anatomy of songs via I Love Charts. What's your favorite genre?

august 5, 2014

Hello everyone, here comes a wonderful story of one person make the world a better place.

Newly appointed president of Kentucky State University, Raymond Burse, just took a $90,000 pay cut, so that the lowest paid people at the university could earn an hourly wage of $10.25 (as opposed to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour).

From the article:

"The pay raise certainly doesn’t appear to be a publicity stunt, as it will reportedly remain in place, and apply to new hires, even after Burse’s tenure at the school is over."

This story via Slate.

august 4, 2014

An artist in New York is working on a tree that will bear forty different kinds of fruit. Through grafting, Sam Van Aken, is hoping to foster this tree to bloom with flowers and fruits of every kind. The photo below is a rendering of what it could look like in a few years.

Read more, and listen to his wonderful interview, via NPR.

august 3, 2014

Rookie is a website for and by teenage girls. It updates constantly to talk about things that girls are talking about, and offers genuine, inclusive, information that isn't filtered through mainstream media. You may have heard of them before because of their "Ask a Grown Man/Woman" series, which features celebrities on a webcam, answering a few questions from Rookie's readership.

The most recent installment is from our favorite TV goofball, Stephen Colbert, who stepped out of his character to offer some beautiful advice to young women.

august 2, 2014

A few months ago, the Lego company was taken to task by Charlotte Benjamin, a seven year old girl. Charlotte wrote a letter to the company sharing her observations that there just weren't many lego options for girls, and that ones that were out there, weren't up to snuff.

"All the girls did was sit at home, go to the beach, and shop, and they had no jobs...The boys went on adventures, worked, saved people, and had jobs."

This week, Lego responded with a female scientist kit, designed by geophysicist, Ellen Kooijman.

Read more here.

august 1, 2014

After his first 500 days on the job, Pope Francis has created a list of "10 tips for a happy life".

Here are the bullet points:

1. Live and let live
2. Be giving of yourself to others
3. Move quietly
4. Have a healthy sense of leisure
5. Sunday is for family
6. Find ways to make jobs for young people
7. Respect nature
8. Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy
9. Stop proselytizing
10. Work for peace

Read more in this breakdown by Vox.

july 31, 2014

Esquire ran a profile yesterday on their website of Dr. Willie Parker. This profile was published after a decision Tuesday that ruled a new Mississippi law, which would shut down the state's only abortion clinic, was unconstitutional.
I feel that any and all people who fight for the rights of women and women's health are worth of our smiles, but Dr. Parker stands out for one particular reason - he's a Christian.

"Parker, whose decision to become an abortion provider is deeply rooted in his Christian faith, quit his obstetrics practice to do the procedures full-time after Dr. Tiller was assassinated five years ago. These days, he travels around the country providing abortion care in areas where access is most limited and is an eloquent advocate for reproductive justice. "

Dr. Parker's story will be printed in this month's forthcoming Esquire magazine. Please take them time to read it, either online or off the shelves.