Small Things Count

In 2012, Monika Wiela, an online shoe-store owner, was moved by a homeless man holding a sign saying he needed shoes. She came back later with shoes for him, but he was gone and she had lost her chance to help him. She knew that about 11 million tons of shoes, clothing, bedding, towels, etc. go into landfills yearly, since online buying is now the way most people like to shop. She thought about all those boxes delivering purchases and wondered what she would do with all of the empty boxes in her warehouse. So she formed Give Back Box, a non-profit engaging major retailers in a recycling project in which the Earth and people in need both benefited. Read her story at https://givebackbox.com/story. Then gather all those empty boxes around your house, fill them with reusable clothing, shoes, and other good stuff, and go to givebackbox.com/amazon or another partner listed at the Give Back Box site, print a free shipping label (and tax receipt, if you want), and send it on its way. Give it a try.

I didn’t realize these two plants were so versatile. We should grow (and use) more of it.

I’m not drinking any more coffee than I used to, but now I do it secure in the knowledge that it’s actually GOOD FOR ME!  AARP cites nutritionists and medical researchers who say that drinking a cup or three of coffee benefits our risk of diabetes, protects our heart, brain, and mood, and makes our workout more effective.  For details, read Five Surprising Health Benefits of Coffee.

I’ve had a lot going on in my life recently, making me feel stressed over not having enough time to do everything. So, when I saw today’s quote, it really hit home. I offer it to you for today’s Thursday Thought. I hope it helps you de-stress. It did me.

Do you use a credit-check app, like Credit Karma, Credit Sesame? They aren’t really free. They cost us in terms of being targeted for marketing, hidden fees, and giving up our private information. Consumer reports is offering a Zoom workshop going into detail about what they found in their investigation of those apps. Hurry. It’s today, Oct. 13, at 3:00 ET/noon PT. Go to https://action.consumerreports.org/webinar_20211013_credit_apps?utm_campaign=20211012_finance&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cr to sign up NOW and get your Zom link.

Today, Nov. 11, is International Day of the Girl Child. Let’s remember that our girls lives are in grave danger in our country.  When we think of gangs, we picture rough-looking, foul-mouthed, violent boys.  Yet, the U.S. has experienced a 15% rise in girls in gangs over the past ten years.  Why? They say the gang gives them a group to belong to, people who listen to them and care about them. They don’t feel that their families and non-gang friends do any of that.I find that frightening and heartbreaking. Maybe some parents need to focus more on family and less on work–at least allow more time to spend with their daughters (hard in this economy but doable, necessary, and rewarding). Maybe schools need to engage girls more, providing instruction that draws them into areas where they can experience success and see a bright future. Maybe our churches should involve girls in more activities that show them they’re valued. Maybe there should be more opportunities for them to learn from a mentor or be part of volunteer activities or jobs that make them feel worthwhile.  Maybe some of them simply need more smiles and hugs.

I don’t know the answer. But we MUST save our girls!

The FCC could be about to help robo-callers invade our privacy even more by giving them easier access to us through “ringless voicemails.” What would happen is that, say, a political campaign would call our phone and, without its even ringing, would go directly to voicemail so they can give us their pitch. That would bypass our apps that screen for spam, warnings on our phone’s screen of potential junk calls, and caller ID (which is useless anyway in identifying spammers).

They tried this same thing four years ago but were stopped. We must stop them again.

Learn more about this and sign a petition to the FCC to NOT ALLOW this. Go to Consumer Reports’ Robocallers have a nasty new trick up their sleeves.

The old adage “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” is not only cruel and untrue but also dismisses the real reasons people go into teaching. Actually, those who can teach do, and have fulfilling lives. Those who can’t teach but use it as a side or fill-in job are not happy and spread that unhappiness to kids in their classrooms.

The old adage “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” is not only cruel and untrue but also dismisses the real reasons people go into teaching. Actually, those who can teach do, and have fulfilling lives. Those who can’t teach but use it as a side or fill-in job are not happy and spread that unhappiness to kids in their classrooms.