Aug. 20, 2016 "Stranger in line helps teacher":
But when $97 flashed on the cash register, the man, later identified as Lester Brown, jumped between Drude and the cashier with a bill in his hand.
“He said, ‘Put your wallet away,’ and I just started crying,” Drude told CBS News. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Drude didn’t understand why someone would do something so sweet for a stranger.
“Because teachers don’t get the recognition that they deserve,” Drude recalled Brown telling her.
Throughout the year, Drude often spends money out of her own pocket to benefit kids in her class. The $250 tax deduction that teachers receive doesn’t even put a dent into what we put into our classrooms, Drude said.
“I teach in a very low socioeconomic area,” Drude explained. “Some of my kids can’t afford what their peers can. I don’t want them to have to deal with that embarrassment or them not even wanting them to tell me.”
Thanks to Brown, Drude’s students have the supplies that they desperately needed.
And Drude said she plans to tell her students about the man’s good deed.
“This is exactly the type of person I want to influence my kids to be,” said Drude, adding that she plans to ask him to join her class for a pizza party. “I want him to inspire my kids just like he inspired me; if any of my kids grew up to be half the man he is I’d be very proud.”
Misogynist aide: This is a personal essay of a woman experiencing misogyny from her dying father's aide. Here's an excerpt:
The aide walked in, smiled, and helped my father make his way to the bathroom. Each footstep broke my heart as I watched my dad slowly choo-choo with the help of the creep.
"I'll be right here, Dad. Take your time."
My dad smiled and whispered, "I love you, honey." My heart hurt; tears were streaming down my face.
They were almost at the door when the aide turned to me and quietly said, "And you're next. Get ready."
I should have spoken up, but I was paralyzed with fear. He was responsible for my very weak father's well-being.
I froze. Disgust and horror filled my veins. Instantly, I felt as if cement blocks were holding my feet in place and a muzzle was placed over my mouth. I tried to speak up, but I couldn't find my voice. The aide was holding the most important person in my life. I was afraid to yell back. What if he hurt my father?
And then…
My very weak, frail father roared, "That's my baby! Just because I'm weak and sick doesn't mean I won't hurt you!"
The aide turned red and began to sweat. "I'm sorry, I was kidding."
My dad yelled, "Kidding? That's MY daughter! My baby! As long as I have breath in me…even when I'm dead, I'll protect her. Apologize to my daughter NOW!"
The aide hung his head and feverishly apologized to both my dad and me. Then, right before my eyes, I watched the aide's entire demeanor change. His hands were trembling, his face flushed, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. The aide was no longer a pompous pervert; he became a nervous pubescent little boy. Suddenly, the aide reminded me of the pimply faced boys in middle school caught snapping the girls' bra straps. Weeks of being objectified came to a screeching halt. I stood tall and watched the aide exit my father's room shaken and mumbling, "I'm sorry" over and over.
The next day, my dad had a new aide. A week later, my father was discharged.
Aug. 22, 2016 "Server receives $500 tip after simple act of kindness":
A server's simple act of compassion went a long way this week.
Kasey Simmons, who works at a Dallas-area Applebee's restaurant, was waiting in a grocery store checkout line last Monday when he noticed another patron — an older woman — looking dejected.
So Simmons chatted with the woman. When she reached the register, he even paid for her groceries.
"It was only $17, but it's not about the money. It's about showing someone you care," Simmons told a local ABC affiliate.
But Simmons had no idea just how grateful the woman was. The next day, her daughter visited Simmons' workplace — and left a $500 tip on a $0.37 bill.
In a letter written on a restaurant napkin, the daughter explained that the day at the grocery store was a hard one for her mother: it marked the third anniversary of her husband's death.
"My mother did not need you to help her, but you made her year," the daughter wrote.
To clarify: we are not crying; you're crying.
Oct. 10, 2016 "Three ways we can help gay, lesbian and bisexual youth": I found this article by Gregory Ramey in the Globe and Mail on Oct. 7, 2016:
Adolescence can be difficult, but extraordinarily more so for our gay, lesbian and bisexual teens, according to a study just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Compared with their heterosexual peers, youth in the sexual minority are significantly more likely to be bullied at school (34 per cent for minorities against 19 per cent for heterosexuals) harassed online (28 per cent against 14 per cent), experience physical dating violence (18 per cent against 8 per cent) and be physically forced to have sex (18 per cent against 5 per cent).
These children are also five times more likely than other students to use illegal drugs, and 10 per cent missed school in the past month due to safety concerns. More than 40 per cent of these teens seriously considered suicide, and 29 per cent tried to kill themselves in the past month.
On almost all of the 118 health indicators in this study, our gay, lesbian and bisexual children are telling us that they are hurting to the point where almost a third of them tried to end their lives.
It’s easy enough to advocate for more mental-health services for these kids. However, the obvious question is why do sexual-minority youth experience such an incredibly difficult time transitioning from childhood to adulthood?
You know the answer. We have collectively created an environment that has made it acceptable to humiliate and demonize a group of kids who happen to be emotionally or sexually attracted to someone of their own gender. I get so weary of people telling me about their biblical opposition to homosexuality or their uneasiness with discussing these issues with their kids.
Your personal views regarding homosexuality are not justification for creating a culture that is so hostile and dangerous for our sexual-minority youth. Here’s what you can do.
Talk with your kids
Many teens have confusing sexual feelings. They may feel an attraction toward someone of their same gender that is temporary, or it may continue into adulthood. Your frank discussion with your teens will not cause them to be gay or heterosexual. It will relieve them of anxiety, and bring you closer to them.
Don’t tolerate intolerance
For years, many of us have been reluctant to speak up on behalf of sexual minorities for fear that others may view us as “one of them.” Send a clear message to your kids that ridiculing others based upon their sexual preference is not allowed.
Adults in authority
Teachers, coaches and youth workers have a special responsibility to keep our sexual-minority kids physically and emotionally safe. Let’s offer these kids our guidance and acceptance. Our caring presence is critical in helping them deal with what is still a hostile world. Dr. Gregory Ramey is the executive director of Dayton Children Hospital’s Pediatric Center for Mental Health Resources.
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Oct. 28, 2016 "Diseased kidneys now offer transplant option": Today I found this article by Lauren Neergaard. Here are some excerpts:
WASHINGTON — A bold experiment is giving some patients a chance at cutting years off their wait for a kidney transplant if they agree to a drastic-sounding option — getting an organ almost sure to infect them with hepatitis C.
Betting on new medications that promise to cure hepatitis C, two leading transplant centres aim to use organs that today go to waste, a bid to put a dent in the nation's long transplant waiting list.
Pilot studies are underway at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University to test transplanting kidneys from deceased donors with hepatitis C into recipients who don't already have that virus. If the groundbreaking research eventually pans out, hundreds more kidneys — and maybe some hearts and lungs, too — could be transplanted every year.
She jumped at the chance to enrol in Penn's study, even though doctors made clear they hoped for but couldn't guarantee a hepatitis cure.
"My son said, 'Mom, this is a no-brainer. Just do it,'" Hendricks said.
She swallowed an anti-hepatitis pill daily for three months, in addition to the usual post-transplant medications. Testing showed the drugs rapidly cleared hepatitis C out of her bloodstream. With her new kidney functioning well, she now has enough energy to play with her toddler grandson.
Nov. 23, 2016 Jennifer Pan: On Nov. 19, 2016, there was a true crime fiction book review called "Anatomy of a Murder" by Eric Andrew- Gee in the Globe and Mail. It mentioned Jennifer Pan. I think I wrote about her before. I looked her up and I wrote about her in an Aug. 2015 blog post:
Ikea sells toys for charity/ organ donations
That is the beauty of the blog, if I don't remember something (or you guys don't), I can always refer to my blog.
What started out as a typical work day ended with an early dose of Christmas cheer for a waiter from Ireland who unexpectedly received a helping hand.
Ben Millar, 22, was working at a restaurant in Houston, Texas when he began chatting with a customer about his home back in Belfast, Ireland. Millar mentioned that his girlfriend was eight months pregnant with their son, Killian, and said he hoped to eventually take her back to home to meet his family once the baby arrived.
Millar’s story must have really connected with that particular customer, because once he went to collect the bill he realized the man had left a jaw-dropping $750 dollar tip, reports Independent.
Millar immediately looked around the restaurant to thank the stranger for his act of kindness, but he was nowhere to be found. All he left was a brief note alongside his random act of generosity.
“Hopefully, this can get you back to Ireland for the holidays,” the note read.
Joy Anna Delight:
Aw!!! That gave me goose bumps! What a nice guy. There is no nicer feeling in the world than when a total stranger does a nice gesture like that. So remember that. You can too. Doesn't have to be a huge gesture either but any random act of kindness will do. IT IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON after all.
My week:
Nov. 22, 2016 Donate clothes to the Youth Empowerment Services: Yesterday I did my last driving lesson. As usual I offered to give away my things to my friends first before I donate them. My sister gave me clothes that I never wore, so I offered it to Jessica. Then she told me to donate it to a youth or a women's shelter. That's good, I didn't think of that. I was going to donate it to Value Village like how I donated all these books and magazines to them already.
I donated 5 pieces of clothing to the Youth Empowerment Services. I did offer to give to my friend Cham, but she said she had a lot of clothes already. I told her where to donate them too.
Nov. 23, 2016 What do you like to read?: I have this old email in my drafts and it was to be sent to someone, but I didn't. However, I had this kind of email sent to someone else before. Here is my question to all my friends and family (and blog readers):
I really want to be friends with you. I know it can be hard to maintain friendships when people have busy lives. That's why I send a weekly email to all my friends so we can keep in touch. Or at the very least they know what's going on with me.
I do want to get to know you more. I can curate some articles that are of interest to you. Right now I'm guessing.
Topics: Also, what kind of topics interest you?
How about entrepreneurship?
Psychology?
Mental health and wellbeing?
Happiness?
Finance and retirement?
How about book reviews and author interviews?
Nov. 24, 2016 Care.com: Today I was looking for a job on Indeed and it lead me to this website. You can hire someone for elder care, babysitting, pet care, and housecleaning.
Sacha Sterling: I have been listening to this telesummit when I look for my job. I started listening to telesummits since 2014. I only listened to 1 telsummit in 2014. In 2015, I subscribed to a whole bunch of them. This is about entrepreneurship, but it could be applied to life. It is inspirational:
Hiremymom.com: By listening to the telesummit, I heard about this website:
Nov. 25, 2016 "Knowing when to narrow and widen my focus": I know about looking for a job that's close to me like in downtown. I am able and can take 2 buses to get to a job.
Channel Zero: Candle Cove: I wrote about this before. It's about this TV show that is making kids kill people. It was scary, disturbing, and intense. It has a supernatural vibe to it. I watched the first 3 episodes as it came. Then I watched the last 3 episodes this week. It is a very strong show. I would tell you to watch the pilot and see if you like it or not.
"A child psychologist (Paul Schneider) returns to his small town home to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his twin brother and a slew of other children in the 1980s, and how it is connected to a bizarre local children's television show that aired at the same time."
The second season comes next yr:
"A young woman named Margot Sleator (Amy Forsyth) visits the No-End House, a bizarre house of horrors that consists of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms. When she returns home, Margot realizes everything has changed."
"
I would probably watch the second season, or least check out the pilot.
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