What are you grateful for right now?

I've got a lot going on right now, but I'm taking a cue from Well-Heeled: I'm grateful for iTunes free song Tuesdays and the beautiful sunny weather.

And the new solid shampoo that I bought that magically turned my hair into a lush, pretty-smelling mane. Rawr.

And the Carnival of Feminists is tomorrow! The carnival submission form appears to be down, so send in your last-minute submissions to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com! (BTW, I'm going to post the carnival at around 9-10pm EST. I know it's late. I'm busy!)

What are you grateful for right now?

Good Humanity Sunday 3/2/08

As part of my ongoing search for proof of good humanity, I thought I would share this gem, which I found on Consumerist. Basically, Staples tried to rip off this old guy for computer repairs and this guy Michael stepped in and fixed it for him for free!

The senior, who had been lulled into Staples for a free tune up that suddenly cost $39.99, didn't understand why he needed to spend money on a "diagnostic screening ($49.99), virus removal services ($150), and more RAM (~$150)." Michael intervened and offered to look at the computer free of charge. He couldn't believe what he found when he popped open the computer.

Great story. Go read the rest. It's a cautionary tale and proof of good humanity all rolled into one!

In an attempt to bring some kind of stability to my posting schedule, I'm going to try to start (or end, depending on your calendar) your week off right with some proof of good humanity every Sunday. If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Good Stuff

I've been on an increasingly desperate lookout for what I like to call proof of good humanity. Basically something, anything that proves we haven't lost the ability to do good as a species.

I found a shining beacon of positivity with the Carnival of Good Stuff posted over at Pollywog's Pond. My post on how to make people think you care about them is included, as are a pretty random collection of... well, good stuff. Go read! Happiness abounds!

Pull out some hope for me

I've been looking for some Proof of Good Humanity lately, to no avail. Anybody got some to share? It can be something good you heard on the news, or read in the blogs, or something good that's going on in your own life.

I'd love to hear it.

My NYC Subway Hero

I've been kinda stressed out lately, no more than anyone else really. So I haven't really been eating regularly and I'm getting over a cold. This morning I was crammed, sardine-style into the downtown 5 train when we hit some delays. The normally 3-4 minute ride from 59th St to Grand Central stretched over 10 minutes and I was getting hot. And weak. And...

Fade to black

I woke up on the platform at Grand Central (SRSLY EEW). Someone put down a newspaper, which I very much appreciate. There was an annoyed-looking MTA worker in an orange vest standing a few feet away and a woman crouching over me. Everyone else blurred past me, hurrying to get to work on time.

The woman called me Sweetie and asked me if I was alright, what day it is, who the president is, etc. She helped me up, walked me upstairs and bought me a juice after I incoherently explained that my blood sugar was a little low. Then I realized I didn't have my bag with my wallet/cell phone/ipod inside. She was carrying it for me.

As my disorientation cleared and I felt I could get on by myself, I asked her name. "It's Aida," she said, "and I hope you feel better." And then she left. I just stood there for a minute, incredulous that a complete stranger would take time out of her morning commute to help me, just when I was really questioning my faith in humanity.

Thanks Aida.

Non-profits I like: RAINN

(A semi-regular post that features, duh, not for profit agencies and organizations I like and support.)

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is one of those non-profits doing the really shitty work that absolutely needs to be done. They're the largest national anti-sexual assault organization.

Here are some scary stats:

• Someone is sexually assaulted in America every 2 and 1/2 minutes.
• 80% of rape victims are under age 30.
• Almost 60% of sexual assaults go unreported.

RAINN runs a national sexual assault support hotline and has an online support line in beta. They run educational programs that reach over 120 million Americans each year. They're considered the go-to source on sexual assault statistics, prevention and information. Donate here. Check out the whole site though, because the people at RAINN are a huge reason why sexual assaults in the US have dropped almost 70% since 1993.

I was going to put a feminism tag on this post, but chose not to because issues RAINN deals with are not confined solely to women, although we do make up the majority of the victims. Again from the website, "About three percent of American men — a total of 2.78 million men — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime according to the 1998 Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women study." Men are also much less likely to report a sexual assault.

It's easy to be against rape and sexual assault. It takes some effort to do something about it. RAINN has volunteer opportunities here. Be a good human and do it, please.

Of Saints and Real Estate

My grandparents put their house up for sale over the summer. It's huge: 5 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, formal dining area, fireplace, etc. The price is exceedingly reasonable/ somewhat low, in my opinion. And yet they've only had 2 people even stop by to look, nevermind actually make an offer.

The problem? Well besides this whack housing market, the house is located in Western NY, a region that has been hemorrhaging people since the '70s, including me.

My grandparents are awesome people. They opened their huge-ass house to their kids and grandkids when they needed some help or a place to stay at the expense of their privacy and a whole lot of money. They're in their mid-60s right now and are so freaking sick of Lake Effect snow. They just want to pack up and head down South where they can enjoy their retirement without astronomical heating bills.

The main story of the housing slump is the ridiculous number of foreclosures and all the people losing the homes they really couldn't afford in the first place thanks to wildly unscrupulous lending practices. However, there are also people like my grandparents with the exact opposite problem - they are stuck with a house they don't want and can't find a buyer.

So I've decided to put god on their side, in the form of his servant, St. Joseph. If you haven't heard the story, apparently you just bury good old St. Joe upside down next to your mailbox and then he'll work his stepdad o' the savior magic and voila! You'll sell your house!

I got my St. Joe from Home & Beyond, but you can also find them at your local Christian store or by Googling "St Joseph statue." If you think about it, you probably know someone struggling to sell their house. Be a good human and pick one up for them. Then you can take all the credit when they get deluged with offers.

BRR!

(February 2007: That's me. And my old neighbor in the full length camo snowsuit Yeah, the snow is as tall as I am.)

I'm originally from Western NY. You know, by Buffalo, where it snows a lot. Then I went to school in Oswego. Maybe you heard about it on the news? I'm intimately familiar with the dreaded lake effect snow. What I'm trying to say is, it gets really cold. And snowy. And sucky.

And now that I live in NYC, the weather has been a lot better. But this week it's been freaking cold! And I haven't fully unpacked since moving here (don't judge!) so I couldn't find my winter coats. That blue one in the photo is so warm and awesome. I've had it for years and it's held up to some brutal winters.

I thought, "This is no problem; I'm from Upstate! I've lived with snow and bitter temperatures all my life! Only the locals (or what I used to imagine the locals looked like) would need a coat down here. I'm too tough for this." And so on.

But I was wrong. As it turns out, without my awesome Columbia Bugaboo, I'm no tougher than the locals. I found it today and I was soooo relieved.

I started thinking, what if I didn't have a winter coat at all? Lots of people don't. So this woman in San Francisco (do they even need coats there?) started One Warm Coat, which is where you can donate warm winter outerwear, find a coat drive in your area or start one of your own. They even get sponsors like the Burlington Coat Factory and The Gap to pitch in. Awesome right? So look them up, then be a good human and look in your closets and donate! One Warm Coat makes sure that the coats and mittens that they receive are given away for free to those who need them.

Planned Parenthood is Awesome

I'm a huge fan of Planned Parenthood. I used to go there when I didn't have health insurance and they gave me birth control pills for $15/pack. That's a good deal!

But besides the money I saved on pills, they saved me a lot more by making helping me choose not to have children. From their website, "For 90 years, Planned Parenthood has served women and men who want to decide when and whether to have a child — who believe that every child should be wanted and loved."

That's not to say that I wouldn't love a child. Duh - of course I would! But I definitely don't want one, not right now. I'm seriously considering getting rid of cable so I can have an extra $60 or so per month - there's no way I could afford a kid. And that's the thing, every child should be wanted and loved. Love isn't enough to raise a family.

But what I really like about PP is that they're more than just birth control and abortions. They offer a full range of reproductive health services to women in an honest, supportive, non-judgmental way. From what I've been told, the doctors and nurses there don't make whole lot of money, but they work there because they know they're providing an invaluable service.

I was just reading a PP sponsored blog, Emily X, "the true-life diary of a frontline Planned Parenthood worker and activist." It mostly features various PP doctors, nurses and volunteers talking about their interactions with protesters and picketers at their local health center. This was in response to anti-choice groups starting a picketing campaign from 9/26-11/4, called "40 days for life." The Nov 2 posting, from a doctor who practiced in the same clinic as Dr. Barnett Slepian isn't particularly riveting - it's just some guy talking - but when you think about it...holy shit! There was a very real chance that he could have been killed and yet he still went to work everyday to provide these services for women. That's ballsy. If I ever saw him out, I'm sure I'd buy him a drink.

In sum, Planned Parenthood is awesome. The people working there provide great services, even in the face of danger. You can find a local health center by going to their website. I just thought you should know.

Jim Jams

I recently found out about the Pajama Program. They donate pajamas and books to kids in foster care throughout the country. Boring right? Did I lose your interest? While this charity doesn't exactly provide life-saving services, I think it's really important.

There are over 800,000 children living in foster care in the United States.

Think about that.

That's 800,000 kids who were pulled from their homes because their parents were unable or unwilling to provide a safe, loving and nurturing environment.

They don't have pajamas to wear to bed so they sleep in their jeans. They don't have the nightime ritual of taking a bath and snuggling under the covers for a bedtime story. 800,000 kids who don't get to experience this simple and enduring form of love.

That's why this charity is so great. Their purpose is very specific - give kids pjs and a book to read for bedtime, just a small homey comfort in an otherwise confusing and hurtful world.

Dove Onslaught

Ok, I totally love the new Dove video. I love the message and I love that it goes a little far with the plastic surgery snippets.

I really like the marketing scheme Dove is currently working. The whole "you're beautiful just the way you are - with our products" is a refreshing change from the industry standard of "you're hideous/fat/wrinkly/etc., but our products will make you into a beautiful flower."

As much as I like this, I'm just not going to buy more Dove products. I tried the shampoo when they first debuted it and my stylist said, "I want you to go home and dump that shit down the drain. It's sucking all the shine and moisture out of your hair." So I did. But the deep moisture body wash is pretty great.

ANYWAY, I hope this Campaign for Real Beauty actually permeates the entire marketing landscape. It's scary just how many messed up images we're inundated with on a daily basis. Yuck.