SPECIAL ALL HOW-TO EDITION!
For music festival goers and people who commute to work on public transportation: How to walk efficiently through crowds. (via Wired)
For students: How to email your professor. This good, hilarious advice might just help you get that extension. (via The Rumpus)
For Unitarian Universalist young adults who want to help revitalize YA ministry: Join Kinsi at Spirituality and Sunflowers for his series on the topic.
For those who find themselves in sticky, etiquette-related situations: How to avoid being rude. (via Mighty Girl)
For people who want to eat better---and do it with their friends: How to start a dinner co-op! (via GOOD)
For do-gooders who want to do better: How to "spice up your charitable efforts." (via Slate)
For people with squirrels in the attic: How to get a wild animal out of your house. (via Apartment Therapy)
For moms and dads: How to parent with more joy and more sanity. Scroll down to the comment section for pearls of wisdom. (via Mission Amy K.R.)
For those of us in need of a little summer fun: How to make your own "extended polymer chains from household chemicals"---or, in other words, Silly Putty. Sylvia of the Super-Awesome Mini Maker Show shows us how. She's really great. (via Craft)
For gardeners without green space (and veggie-loving homeowners without green thumbs): How to collaborate with your neighbors to grow and share produce using "free yardsharing service" Hyperlocavore.
29 July 2010
22 July 2010
The Yes! Digest -- July 22nd, 2010
This is: Spoonerism Day. Celebrate the birthday of William Archibald Spooner (and the "peculiar speech error" that came to bear his name) by reading "The Mion and the Louse"!
Spirit food: "The answer is built right into the word": Amy Krouse Rosenthal on kindness.
Brain food:
Churchy things/A concern: "A Florida church with "Islam is of the devil" signs in its front lawn plans to host an "International Burn A Quran Day," on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this year." (via The Pew Forum)
UU voices: At AlterNet, Be Schofield wonders if religious liberals are "providing legitimacy and credibility for fundamentalism, violence, oppression and bigotry done in the name of religion." (via The Friendly Atheist)
Curiosities:
Spirit food: "The answer is built right into the word": Amy Krouse Rosenthal on kindness.
Brain food:
- Reasons why the moon landing---which happened 41 years ago this week---was not a hoax.
- "40 Things You Need To Know About The Next 40 Years" (via The Smithsonian)
- Is that food in your fridge still safe to eat? What's the deal with expiration dates, anyway? StillTasty tells you everything you need to know.
- Find the Harley-Davidson brand appealing.
- Are "unaware of meat-cancer link."
Churchy things/A concern: "A Florida church with "Islam is of the devil" signs in its front lawn plans to host an "International Burn A Quran Day," on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this year." (via The Pew Forum)
UU voices: At AlterNet, Be Schofield wonders if religious liberals are "providing legitimacy and credibility for fundamentalism, violence, oppression and bigotry done in the name of religion." (via The Friendly Atheist)
Good answer: Thanks to "student researchers at the University of Cambridge," the world finally knows how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.
Curiosities:
- Your weekly dose of Muppet: The Swedish Chef makes popcorn (and) shrimp; performs electronica. (via BoingBoing)
- The 11 Most Overrated Things Ever (via The Huffington Post)
- Do you need to say you're sorry? Call the Anonymous Apology Line.
Young adults of note: Carte Goodwin, a 36 year-old lawyer, has been appointed to fill the senate seat left vacant by Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who died last month at the age of 92. (Goodwin is now the youngest person serving in the senate.) Goodwin's first act after being sworn in this week was to vote to extend unemployment benefits to those Americans who have been out of work for longer than 26 weeks.
15 July 2010
The Yes! Digest -- July 15th, 2010
This is: Gummi Worm Day! The creepy candy is 29 this year, which makes it (technically) a young adult! Celebrate by making (and sharing) some dirt cake.
Spirit food: "Something only you can see" -- Filmmaker Jean Sebastien Monzani wants to help you gain access to happy secrets. (via The Rumpus)
Brain food:
A concern/UU news: The Rev. Paul Sawyer, minister emeritus at the Throop Unitarian Universalist Church of Pasadena, California, died this week of pancreatic cancer. His obituary really makes me wish I'd known him. (via The Los Angeles Times)
Churchy things:
"[W]e have on one hand the persisting intuitive sense that the universe is not alien to us, that our existence is not accidental and our complexity and brilliance are not simply unaccountable extravagances on the part of evolution. On the other hand we have the conviction, also no doubt intuitive to the degree that it is strongly held, that we are indeed creatures of accident, alone with our brilliance unless accident has come up with like creatures elsewhere." --- the fabulous Marilynne Robinson writes, at the Huffington Post, on science and religion.
Curiosities:
Spirit food: "Something only you can see" -- Filmmaker Jean Sebastien Monzani wants to help you gain access to happy secrets. (via The Rumpus)
Brain food:
- Last month, we found out that caffeine doesn't work the way we think it does. So how does it work, exactly?
- Gravity is an illusion! (So says this guy.)
- Benefit from playing violent video games.
- Are "being hit with unfair charges, fines or incarcerations."
- Are choosing to vacation with their parents.
A concern/UU news: The Rev. Paul Sawyer, minister emeritus at the Throop Unitarian Universalist Church of Pasadena, California, died this week of pancreatic cancer. His obituary really makes me wish I'd known him. (via The Los Angeles Times)
Good answer!: Scientists in Great Britain claim to have solved the ancient chicken-egg conundrum. So which really did come first?
Churchy things:
"[W]e have on one hand the persisting intuitive sense that the universe is not alien to us, that our existence is not accidental and our complexity and brilliance are not simply unaccountable extravagances on the part of evolution. On the other hand we have the conviction, also no doubt intuitive to the degree that it is strongly held, that we are indeed creatures of accident, alone with our brilliance unless accident has come up with like creatures elsewhere." --- the fabulous Marilynne Robinson writes, at the Huffington Post, on science and religion.
Curiosities:
- Your weekly dose of Muppet: A history of Muppet bands, including "Nine Inch Snails."
- Just lovely: here, the history of evolution told in graffiti. (via Brain Pickings)
- Two American institutions are rebranding: the YMCA is now just "The Y," and the NPR in National Public Radio now stands for...nothing.
Young adults of note: In the first installment of the Rumpus's "Talks With Teachers" column, an anonymous YA high school teacher from Brooklyn talks about her students, what drew her to teaching, and more.
01 July 2010
The Yes! Digest -- July 1st, 2010
This is: Canada Day! Celebrate Canada's birthday by checking out Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's annual (and awesome) Canada Day posts at her blog, Yarn Harlot. Also, please take a minute to visit the site of the Canadian Unitarian Council!
Spirit food: "Somewhere someone dreams of your smile, and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile, so when you are lonely remember it's true; somewhere, someone is thinking of you." -- Dr. Seuss (Thanks to Hana!)
"After seven months of talks, Meadville Lombard Theological School and Andover Newton Theological School have agreed to join forces." The two seminaries, which serve students preparing for Unitarian Universalist ministry, will unite to form a "new interreligious 'university-style' theological institution" to be opened in June 2011. (via UU World)
UU voices: Is Unitarian Universalism a sort of Western Taoism? James at Monkey Mind explores what this might mean.
A joy:
"Electrolux, the world's second largest home appliance maker, said on Tuesday it will harvest bit of plastic from floating garbage islands in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as from three European seas, and use the material to manufacture six showcase vacuum cleaners." (via GOOD)
A concern:
Churchy things:
Young adults of note: Thanks to founder Micki Krimmel, NeighborGoods.net has now gone national! Sign up to help the people in your community save money and make friends by lending and borrowing!
Spirit food: "Somewhere someone dreams of your smile, and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile, so when you are lonely remember it's true; somewhere, someone is thinking of you." -- Dr. Seuss (Thanks to Hana!)
Brain food:
- The science behind "morning breath." (via The Washington Post)
- Did Michelangelo paint a human brain stem on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? (via Boing Boing)
- Why is Facebook's Farmville so popular? Because it "entangles users in a web of social obligations." (via Mental Floss)
- "Are blindingly self-aggrandizing and entitled"; lack empathy.
- Sure do talk funny. (via BuzzFeed)
"After seven months of talks, Meadville Lombard Theological School and Andover Newton Theological School have agreed to join forces." The two seminaries, which serve students preparing for Unitarian Universalist ministry, will unite to form a "new interreligious 'university-style' theological institution" to be opened in June 2011. (via UU World)
UU voices: Is Unitarian Universalism a sort of Western Taoism? James at Monkey Mind explores what this might mean.
A joy:
"Electrolux, the world's second largest home appliance maker, said on Tuesday it will harvest bit of plastic from floating garbage islands in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as from three European seas, and use the material to manufacture six showcase vacuum cleaners." (via GOOD)
A concern:
"According to the U.N., there were over 15 million recognized refugees around the world at the beginning of 2009, and another 826,000 asylum seekers. More than half of the world's refugees are in Asia and another 22% are in Africa; both regions where many governments are ill-equipped, legally and economically, to handle the volumes of people requesting protection in their borders." (via Time)
Good question!: Why do we dream? (via Live Science) Bonus question: What do our dreams mean? Consult this list of the most common ones to find out. (via Bits & Pieces)
Churchy things:
- Contrary to popular belief, most scientists are not hostile to religion. (via HuffPo)
- Pope Benedict XVI announced this week that he will create a new office at the Vatican to "fight secularization and re-evangelize the West." (via AP)
- Your weekly dose of Muppet: What kind of bird is Big Bird, anyway? One Ph.D student decided to find out.
- Were you thinking of naming your child Stallion? If you live in New Zealand, you can't---it's against the law. (via Mental Floss)
- Alex Trebek + Auto-Tune technology = One amazing Jeopardy! category (via Joe. My. God.)
Young adults of note: Thanks to founder Micki Krimmel, NeighborGoods.net has now gone national! Sign up to help the people in your community save money and make friends by lending and borrowing!
24 June 2010
The Yes! Digest -- June 24th, 2010
This is: International Fairy Day. Celebrate magic by perusing this Flickr photo set of natural and made fairy homes.
Spirit food:
Hey you
A joy: Craft Hope organizes people all over the world to use their best creative impulses and their hands to help people in need. Get involved with their latest project by visiting their website or joining their Facebook group.
A concern: Times are tough for young adults in need of work, and it seems they might be getting even harder: according to this piece from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review some companies are specifying that only people who are currently employed may apply for jobs with them. (Wondering what it's really like out there? To read about one recent college graduate's search for employment, check out this Diary of an Unemployed Class of '10 Philosophy Major in New York City at The Awl.)
Churchy things:
Young adults of note: Emily Hammond, a student of public health and epidemiology at Boston University, has spent the spring serving people and doing research in Kenya. She is chronicling her experiences at her blog, Another World.
Spirit food:
Hey you
begin again
Again?
again again you'll see
it's easy begin again
-- Grace Paley
Brain food:- What can Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL) tell us about how human beings think and learn? (via Discover Magazine)
- It turns out that allergies evolve as technology does: people are suffering from cell phone dermatitis as their skin reacts to the nickel in tech devices. (via Boing Boing)
- This piece in New Scientist examines why humans are so adept at lying.
- "Trust technology heavyweights such as Apple, Google and Microsoft more than social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter."
- Are "not safety-conscious," at least in England.
- Abuse Adderall? According to this piece at the Huffington Post, up to 30% of college students use the ADHD drug inappropriately and/or without a prescription.
A joy: Craft Hope organizes people all over the world to use their best creative impulses and their hands to help people in need. Get involved with their latest project by visiting their website or joining their Facebook group.
A concern: Times are tough for young adults in need of work, and it seems they might be getting even harder: according to this piece from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review some companies are specifying that only people who are currently employed may apply for jobs with them. (Wondering what it's really like out there? To read about one recent college graduate's search for employment, check out this Diary of an Unemployed Class of '10 Philosophy Major in New York City at The Awl.)
Churchy things:
- "What Is Religion?" The show at this online art gallery explores the possibilities.
- Why are some young adult Christians reluctant to identify as "evangelical"? (via ABC News)
- Your weekly dose of Muppet: Watch Grover and friends dance to "The Song of Wonder," a 70's-era movie theme from Pakistan. (Bonus: Will the bad economy spell doom for Sesame Street? "Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) has proposed legislation that will end federal funding for PBS." (via Joe. My. God.))
- John Waters has some advice for you.
- The longest tennis match ever (ten hours and counting) will continue today at Wimbledon. (via BBC)
Young adults of note: Emily Hammond, a student of public health and epidemiology at Boston University, has spent the spring serving people and doing research in Kenya. She is chronicling her experiences at her blog, Another World.
17 June 2010
The Yes! Digest -- June 17th, 2010
This has been: International Fathers' Week. Looking for a creative way to honor your dad? Take some inspiration from these families' traditions and then check out New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's list of non-necktie, make-the-world-a-better-place Father's Day gifts.
Spirit food: "What is the basic nutrition for the soul? For some air, night, sunlight, and trees are necessities. For others, words, paper, and books are the only things that satiate. For others, color, form, shadow, and clay at the absolutes. Some women must leap, bow, and run, for their souls crave dance. Yet others crave only a tree-leaning peace." -- modified slightly from Clarissa Estes
Brain food (juice edition!):
A joy: These little pellets---called seedbombs---can help make your city or town a greener, more beautiful place. Sponsor a seedbomb vending machine visiting Kickstarter. (via The Daily What)
A concern: "A California environmental group found levels of lead in children's juice products that far exceed state law---and in some cases also exceed federal levels for young children."(via NPR)
Good question!: "Can whale poop stop climate change?" (via Mother Jones)
Churchy things: Back on April 12, I posted about a piece in the Boston Globe that examined the phenomenon of "non-believing clergy." This paper from Tufts University asks ministers who no longer subscribe to the creed of their faith about the evolution of their religious beliefs. (via The Washington Post)
Unchurchy things:
Young adults of note: Zach Anner became an instant internet celebrity when he posted his audition tape for Oprah's "Your Own Show" competition on YouTube this week. If he wins, Anner (who has Cerebral Palsy) will host a travel show "for people who never thought they could travel." Vote for Zach at the link!
Spirit food: "What is the basic nutrition for the soul? For some air, night, sunlight, and trees are necessities. For others, words, paper, and books are the only things that satiate. For others, color, form, shadow, and clay at the absolutes. Some women must leap, bow, and run, for their souls crave dance. Yet others crave only a tree-leaning peace." -- modified slightly from Clarissa Estes
Brain food (juice edition!):
- Can drinking 8 ounces of apple juice daily help people with Alzheimer's disease feel less agitated? (via Science Daily)
- And can pickle juice keep athletes from getting muscle cramps? (via The New York Times)
- "Falling behind on traditional milestones," "ritualistically infantalized."
- Better at saving money than the average American.
A joy: These little pellets---called seedbombs---can help make your city or town a greener, more beautiful place. Sponsor a seedbomb vending machine visiting Kickstarter. (via The Daily What)
A concern: "A California environmental group found levels of lead in children's juice products that far exceed state law---and in some cases also exceed federal levels for young children."(via NPR)
Good question!: "Can whale poop stop climate change?" (via Mother Jones)
Churchy things: Back on April 12, I posted about a piece in the Boston Globe that examined the phenomenon of "non-believing clergy." This paper from Tufts University asks ministers who no longer subscribe to the creed of their faith about the evolution of their religious beliefs. (via The Washington Post)
Unchurchy things:
- Want your 20s to be a roaring success? Learn from these people. (Already out of your 20s? Write your younger self a letter!)
- Your weekly dose of Muppet: Back in the late 1960s, Kermit and friends made training videos and advertisements for computer giant IBM. (via Elizabeth McCracken)
- We now all have words for the peculiar sadnesses of modern life. Behold: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.
Young adults of note: Zach Anner became an instant internet celebrity when he posted his audition tape for Oprah's "Your Own Show" competition on YouTube this week. If he wins, Anner (who has Cerebral Palsy) will host a travel show "for people who never thought they could travel." Vote for Zach at the link!
09 June 2010
The Yes! Digest -- June 10th, 2010
AND WE'RE BACK! The Yes! Digest will continue all summer long. Check in every Thursday!
This has been: National Headache Awareness Week. According to the press release put out by the National Headache Foundation to commemorate the event, there are 30 million migraine sufferers in the United States. To learn about how migraine headache affects people of all ages, check out the New York Times Migraine blog, which concluded in March 2008.
Spirit food: "Perhaps everything terrible is, in its deepest being, something that needs our love." --Rainer Maria Rilke
Brain food:
UU voices: Shawn of Live Laugh Write talks at Magpie Girl about being a "soft" Unitarian Universalist.
A joy: "Transgender travelers no longer will need surgery in order to change their stated genders on U.S. passports." (via AP)
Good question!: “Why does God have an initial capital letter?” Secular Huminists want to know.
Churchy things:
How to: Save your local public library! (via GOOD)
Young adults of note: These 20 writers (who all happen to be under the age of 40) are producing great works of fiction. Several of them were interviewed on NPR this week---you can listen to the segment here. (via The New Yorker and WBUR)
This has been: National Headache Awareness Week. According to the press release put out by the National Headache Foundation to commemorate the event, there are 30 million migraine sufferers in the United States. To learn about how migraine headache affects people of all ages, check out the New York Times Migraine blog, which concluded in March 2008.
Spirit food: "Perhaps everything terrible is, in its deepest being, something that needs our love." --Rainer Maria Rilke
Brain food:
- Could it be that caffeine doesn't actually make you more alert? (via Cosmos)
- "Plastic never leaves. It accumulates in the environment, in our food chain, and in our bodies." Drink from one of this art installation's polluted water coolers and you'll never look at a Snickers wrapper the same way again. (via Fast Company)
- "You might be surprised just how much that amount of oil could power, if it weren't being used to kill pelicans and ruin fishermans' lives." (via BuzzFeed)
- "...bright and ambitious, but they are horribly cursed with a breathtakingly narrow frame of reference.”
- ...highly educated but still poor.
- ...constipated? (via Reuters)
UU voices: Shawn of Live Laugh Write talks at Magpie Girl about being a "soft" Unitarian Universalist.
A joy: "Transgender travelers no longer will need surgery in order to change their stated genders on U.S. passports." (via AP)
Good question!: “Why does God have an initial capital letter?” Secular Huminists want to know.
Churchy things:
- The honey in "the land of milk and honey" may actually have been...honey? Who knew?
- Stephen Hawking says that the existence of God---in the form of "a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship"---"seems most impossible".
- California's Fair Political Practices Commission may be fining the LDS church more than $5,000 for its role in the Proposition 8 campaign, which denied equal marriage rights to gay couples in California. The LDS (or Mormon) church contributed large amounts of money---some of it unreported---in order to get Prop 8 passed. (Thanks to Cindie for the link!)
- If a real show choir did the kind of mashups performed on Glee---violating copyright laws in the process---how much would they have to pay in fines? A heck of lot, actually.
- Looking for something to read this summer? The Los Angeles Times has 60 books for you.
How to: Save your local public library! (via GOOD)
Young adults of note: These 20 writers (who all happen to be under the age of 40) are producing great works of fiction. Several of them were interviewed on NPR this week---you can listen to the segment here. (via The New Yorker and WBUR)
20 May 2010
Notice: Break for Conference Prep!
Hi, all---
Just a note to say that posting will mostly likely be sporadic during the next two weeks as I prepare for the BCD YA conference on June 5th. I will return to regular posting (most likely on a Tuesday/Thursday summer schedule) on June 8th. Please check back periodically for new content!
Thanks and many blessings---
Jen.
Just a note to say that posting will mostly likely be sporadic during the next two weeks as I prepare for the BCD YA conference on June 5th. I will return to regular posting (most likely on a Tuesday/Thursday summer schedule) on June 8th. Please check back periodically for new content!
Thanks and many blessings---
Jen.
19 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 19th, 2010
Spirit food:
"Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer." -- Rainier Maria Rilke, LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET (translated by Stephen Mitchell)
Brain food:
- Cookies can teach science! (via Boing Boing)
- Television is controlling your every move (whether you know it or not.) (via The Rumpus)
UU news/UU voices: Former UUA president Rev. John Buehrens---whose new book, A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion in the 21st Century, comes out this month, writes about how "Americans of progressive religious values" can employ the Golden Rule when thinking about political issues. (via The Washington Post)
A joy: "The board of directors of the 1.2 million member National Association of Realtors (NAR) has approved a rule that bans its members from discriminating against clients based on their sexual orientation." (via Joe. My. God.)
A concern: As of yesterday, one thousand American soldiers have died while fighting in Afghanistan. (via The Rachel Maddow Show)
Churchy things: "A nun and administrator at a Catholic hospital in Phoenix has been reassigned and rebuked by the local bishop for agreeing that a severely ill woman needed an abortion to survive." (via AP)
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: Artists remember Jim Henson.
- Stereomood provides the soundtrack for any mood or occasion---for free! (via Very Short List)
17 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 17th, 2010
This is: IDAHO, The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. To honor it, watch this powerful short film in which gay men living in countries where homosexuality is illegal tell the stories of their lives. (via Joe. My. God.)
Spirit food: "It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. -- K.T. Jong (Thanks to Kat!)
Brain food:
UU news: The Unitarian Universalist Church of Jamestown, New York, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this week. (via The Post-Journal)
UU voices: One new UU at Wonder What That Means writes movingly about what Unitarian Universalism means to her.
A joy: "After more than three weeks of efforts to stop a gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, BP engineers achieved some success on Sunday when they used a milelong pipe to capture some of the oil and divert it to a drill ship on the surface some 5,000 feet above the wellhead, company officials said."(via The New York Times)
A concern: "The same networking systems that allow modern cars to communicate with services like OnStar also allow the cars to be hacked." (via Boing Boing)
Churchy things: "Kids are leaving their churches because the churches are unhealthy, not because they’re too conservative. Sheep who are shepherded well don’t tend to wander."
Unchurchy things:
Spirit food: "It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. -- K.T. Jong (Thanks to Kat!)
Brain food:
- Do people in San Francisco really talk like this? Can someone let me know? (via The Rumpus)
- "How do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? The mystery is solved." (via Very Short List)
UU news: The Unitarian Universalist Church of Jamestown, New York, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this week. (via The Post-Journal)
UU voices: One new UU at Wonder What That Means writes movingly about what Unitarian Universalism means to her.
A joy: "After more than three weeks of efforts to stop a gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, BP engineers achieved some success on Sunday when they used a milelong pipe to capture some of the oil and divert it to a drill ship on the surface some 5,000 feet above the wellhead, company officials said."(via The New York Times)
A concern: "The same networking systems that allow modern cars to communicate with services like OnStar also allow the cars to be hacked." (via Boing Boing)
Churchy things: "Kids are leaving their churches because the churches are unhealthy, not because they’re too conservative. Sheep who are shepherded well don’t tend to wander."
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: Jim Henson died 20 years ago this week. At his memorial service, Jerry Nelson---the voice of Emmet Otter---performed "Where the River Meets The Sea" with Louise Gold.
- "Up in Canada, they're having strip spelling bees. The rules: you can keep your underwear on if you want, no booing, and no audience photography." (via Jezebel)
14 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 14th, 2010
This is: National Chicken Dance Day. What are you waiting for? Get to it!
Spirit food: "Every one of is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life [...] And onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another---that is surely the basic instinct... Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is." -- Barbara Kingsolver, HIGH TIDE IN TUCSON
Brain food:
UU news: "The Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees voted May 6 to ask the General Assembly to approve pulling the 2012 General Assembly out of Phoenix, Ariz." (via UU World)
UU voices: At UUJeff's Muse Kennel and Pizzatorium, Jeff Liebmann wonders why there aren't more holidays unique to Unitarian Universalism and asks if Mother's Day should be one.
A joy: "Reversing Bush's oh-so-effective abstinence-only approach, healthcare reform allocates $375 million to teach teens comprehensive sex ed." (via Jezebel)
A concern/churchy things: "A Roman Catholic school in Massachusetts has refused to admit an 8-year-old boy on the grounds that his parents relationship is "in discord" with church teachings." (via Jezebel)
Unchurchy things:
Young adults of note: "Kristin Richmond, 34, and Kirsten Tobey, 32, founded Revolution Foods, an organization whose mission is to provide school cafeterias with healthy food. Started in 2006, Revolution Foods now prepares 30,000 lunches and 20,000 breakfasts and snacks each day for kids in California and Washington, D.C." (via GOOD)
Have a wonderful weekend! I'll see you bright and early Monday morning!
Spirit food: "Every one of is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life [...] And onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another---that is surely the basic instinct... Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is." -- Barbara Kingsolver, HIGH TIDE IN TUCSON
Brain food:
- What will life be like in ten years? Forbes offers some possibilities. (via The New York Times)
- Jupiter has lost a stripe! (via BuzzFeed)
UU news: "The Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees voted May 6 to ask the General Assembly to approve pulling the 2012 General Assembly out of Phoenix, Ariz." (via UU World)
UU voices: At UUJeff's Muse Kennel and Pizzatorium, Jeff Liebmann wonders why there aren't more holidays unique to Unitarian Universalism and asks if Mother's Day should be one.
A joy: "Reversing Bush's oh-so-effective abstinence-only approach, healthcare reform allocates $375 million to teach teens comprehensive sex ed." (via Jezebel)
A concern/churchy things: "A Roman Catholic school in Massachusetts has refused to admit an 8-year-old boy on the grounds that his parents relationship is "in discord" with church teachings." (via Jezebel)
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: "Top 10 Greatest Muppet Mash-Ups Ever" (Caution: language might be NSFW) (via Boing Boing)
- Total awesomeness: Tom Waits reads the poetry of Charles Bukowski. (via The Rumpus)
Young adults of note: "Kristin Richmond, 34, and Kirsten Tobey, 32, founded Revolution Foods, an organization whose mission is to provide school cafeterias with healthy food. Started in 2006, Revolution Foods now prepares 30,000 lunches and 20,000 breakfasts and snacks each day for kids in California and Washington, D.C." (via GOOD)
Have a wonderful weekend! I'll see you bright and early Monday morning!
12 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 13th, 2010
This is: Frog Jumping Day, according to Pet In The Pocket. The website suggests that you celebrate by getting a frog or toad as a pet---which doesn't, to be honest, sound like the world's greatest idea, if only because it will require you to buy an aquarium. As a less complicated (salmonella-carrying) alternative, it also suggests you read Mark Twain's short story "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog," so...yeah. Do that instead.
Spirit food: "If you look for the truth outside yourself, it gets farther and farther away." -- Tung-Shan
Brain food: The mechanics of breastfeeding. (via Jezebel)
Young adults today...: report "bruxism" (teeth-grinding) after long-term tobacco use, at least according to this "nationwide Finnish Twin Cohort Study." (Ed. note: "bruxism" is my new favorite word, and I can't wait to use it during a game of Scrabble.)
UU news: The UUA Board of Trustees "has vowed to transform governance at the board, General Assembly, and district levels." (For details on the changes, click the link.) (via UU World)
A joy: Usually, it takes two hours to clean a bird that's been coated in crude oil. This machine cuts the time down to seven minutes. (via Treehugger)
A concern/churchy things: "Yesterday a mosque in Jacksonville, Florida, was firebombed." (via The Revealer)
Unchurchy things:
Spirit food: "If you look for the truth outside yourself, it gets farther and farther away." -- Tung-Shan
Brain food: The mechanics of breastfeeding. (via Jezebel)
Young adults today...: report "bruxism" (teeth-grinding) after long-term tobacco use, at least according to this "nationwide Finnish Twin Cohort Study." (Ed. note: "bruxism" is my new favorite word, and I can't wait to use it during a game of Scrabble.)
UU news: The UUA Board of Trustees "has vowed to transform governance at the board, General Assembly, and district levels." (For details on the changes, click the link.) (via UU World)
A joy: Usually, it takes two hours to clean a bird that's been coated in crude oil. This machine cuts the time down to seven minutes. (via Treehugger)
A concern/churchy things: "Yesterday a mosque in Jacksonville, Florida, was firebombed." (via The Revealer)
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: to celebrate Frog Jumping Day, watch Kermit hop (and doo-wop) with some cows on Sesame Street.
- Because lovers of Scrabble need more music just for them, here are "15 Spelled-Out Songs." (via The Morning News)
11 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 12th, 2010
This is: The birthday of Edward Lear, master of the limerick. It's also, appropriately, Limerick Day. Celebrate by reading (or composing) some. (This Yahoo directory has limericks on every topic imaginable, including physics.)
Spirit food: "You will find poetry nowhere unless you bring some of it with you." -- Joseph Joubert
Brain food: Depressing, but of interest: "A visual study regarding the frequent and premature death of rock-and-roll musicians." (via The Daily What)
Young adults today...: have been taken in by an "erroneous but widespread myth -- that hookahs are safer than cigarettes." (They are not---and no, the tobacco smoked in them "does not contribute to one's daily fruit and veggie quota"---but tell that to the one-in-four of us who've used one in the last year.) (via MSNBC)
UU news: "The Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens (Georgia) is deeply saddened that a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer arrested two immigrant fathers in Athens-Clarke County on April 28, as reported by the Banner-Herald in a May 1 story headlined 'Immigrants swept up in ICE operation.'"(via The Athens Banner-Herald)
UU voices: At her blog The Constancy of Change, Lessie calls on UUs and other religious liberals to have more compassion and less criticism for people whose beliefs differ from our own. We are all, she reminds us, on the same "path of sharing and love."
A (totally superficial) joy specifically for a certain kind of geeky outcast who came of age in the late 1990s: Daria: The Complete Animated Series---the show that made adolescence seem not only bearable, but funny---is now out on DVD! (via Jezebel)
A concern: The anti-feminist contingent on Facebook has designated the week of May 15 to 22 to be "National Punch a slut in the head week." As of this writing, over 19,000 people---the majority of them under age 30---plan to attend. Can someone please explain to me why this is okay/supposed to be funny? Because I really don't understand. (via Jezebel)
Churchy things: "To these monks, peacemaking requires militancy." (via The Morning News, Utne Reader)
Unchurchy things:
Spirit food: "You will find poetry nowhere unless you bring some of it with you." -- Joseph Joubert
Brain food: Depressing, but of interest: "A visual study regarding the frequent and premature death of rock-and-roll musicians." (via The Daily What)
Young adults today...: have been taken in by an "erroneous but widespread myth -- that hookahs are safer than cigarettes." (They are not---and no, the tobacco smoked in them "does not contribute to one's daily fruit and veggie quota"---but tell that to the one-in-four of us who've used one in the last year.) (via MSNBC)
UU news: "The Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens (Georgia) is deeply saddened that a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer arrested two immigrant fathers in Athens-Clarke County on April 28, as reported by the Banner-Herald in a May 1 story headlined 'Immigrants swept up in ICE operation.'"(via The Athens Banner-Herald)
UU voices: At her blog The Constancy of Change, Lessie calls on UUs and other religious liberals to have more compassion and less criticism for people whose beliefs differ from our own. We are all, she reminds us, on the same "path of sharing and love."
A (totally superficial) joy specifically for a certain kind of geeky outcast who came of age in the late 1990s: Daria: The Complete Animated Series---the show that made adolescence seem not only bearable, but funny---is now out on DVD! (via Jezebel)
A concern: The anti-feminist contingent on Facebook has designated the week of May 15 to 22 to be "National Punch a slut in the head week." As of this writing, over 19,000 people---the majority of them under age 30---plan to attend. Can someone please explain to me why this is okay/supposed to be funny? Because I really don't understand. (via Jezebel)
Churchy things: "To these monks, peacemaking requires militancy." (via The Morning News, Utne Reader)
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: In honor of Limerick Day, listen to Bert, Ernie, and the rest of the Sesame Street gang sing "The Limerick Song." (Requires Flash. To hear the song, click on track 9.)
- Need a cure for your Bieber Fever? (You know you do.) The Mountain Goats Will Cure Your Bieber Fever (dot com.) (via John Green @ vlogbrothers)
10 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 11th, 2010
This is: Eat What You Want Day, apparently. So go off your diet, enjoy yourself, and celebrate by checking out these gorgeous food blogs written by young adults:
Spirit food: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -- J.R.R. Tolkien
Brain food:
UU news: "In response to damage from flooding in Tennessee and Kentucky in early May, the Unitarian Universalist Association has set up a relief fund to help UU congregations that have suffered losses." (via UU World)
UU voices: Rev. Dr. Daniel O'Connell "offer[s] prayers in the Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist traditions." (via Saint Louis Today)
A joy: "40 years after tumult, a ceremony: BU invites class of Kent State year" to receive their diplomas onstage. (via The Boston Globe)
A concern: In Uganda, "[f]or every 100 people put on treatment, 250 are newly infected, according to the United Nations’ AIDS-fighting agency, Unaids." (via The New York Times)
Churchy things: "Ten Ways Christians Tend To Fail At Being Christian" (via Huffington Post)
Unchurchy things:
Spirit food: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -- J.R.R. Tolkien
Brain food:
- "[F]ake medical treatment can work amazingly well": on the power of the placebo. (via The Boston Globe)
- This song has been in my head all weekend. It's catchy and educational (and may, though I'll never be able to prove it, have contributed to the migraine I had Sunday night/Monday morning.) Enjoy! (via Elizabeth McCracken, on Twitter)
UU news: "In response to damage from flooding in Tennessee and Kentucky in early May, the Unitarian Universalist Association has set up a relief fund to help UU congregations that have suffered losses." (via UU World)
UU voices: Rev. Dr. Daniel O'Connell "offer[s] prayers in the Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist traditions." (via Saint Louis Today)
A joy: "40 years after tumult, a ceremony: BU invites class of Kent State year" to receive their diplomas onstage. (via The Boston Globe)
A concern: In Uganda, "[f]or every 100 people put on treatment, 250 are newly infected, according to the United Nations’ AIDS-fighting agency, Unaids." (via The New York Times)
Churchy things: "Ten Ways Christians Tend To Fail At Being Christian" (via Huffington Post)
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: Lena Horne---who died Sunday night at age 92---helps our furry friend Grover to overcome his shyness.
- I really wish these Brontë sisters superhero dolls existed (and that I had one.) (via BuzzFeed)
Notice!
Due to an unscheduled migraine, The Yes! Digest will return tomorrow, Tuesday, May 11th. My apologies, and I'll see you then!
07 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 7th, 2010
This is: No-Pants Day. It's also International Tuba Day. Do with this information what you will. Please make sure it's hilarious.
Spirit food: "My belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up. So which one's the real hero?" -- Mitch Hedberg
Brain (junk) food: "Fake Science: For When the Facts Are Too Confusing." (via The Morning News)
Young adults today...: "are increasingly dissatisfied with narrow interpretations of the Bible and more inclined to "live and let live." (via USA Today)
UU news: The Lakeland UU Fellowship of Wayne, New Jersey, had its peace sign---which was five feet tall and had its concrete base sunk into the ground---stolen last week. It has not been found. (via NorthJersey.com)
UU voices: At her blog, Amor Del Mono writes about OWL OUT, which takes the UUA's Our Whole Lives sex ed program into the community.
A joy: Can't get to yoga class? There's an app for you: "Yoga Journal magazine’s iPractice 2.0, a mobile yoga class for iPhone and iPod Touch." (via The New York Times)
A concern: "An E. coli outbreak possibly linked to tainted lettuce has sickened at least 19 people in Ohio, New York and Michigan, including students on three college campuses, prompting a recall throughout much of the country." (via Huffington Post)
Churchy things: The Pope has declared the Shroud of Turin to be authentic. (via The Revealer)
Unchurchy things:
Have a wonderful weekend (and Mothers' Day!) See you Monday morning!
Spirit food: "My belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up. So which one's the real hero?" -- Mitch Hedberg
Brain (junk) food: "Fake Science: For When the Facts Are Too Confusing." (via The Morning News)
Young adults today...: "are increasingly dissatisfied with narrow interpretations of the Bible and more inclined to "live and let live." (via USA Today)
UU news: The Lakeland UU Fellowship of Wayne, New Jersey, had its peace sign---which was five feet tall and had its concrete base sunk into the ground---stolen last week. It has not been found. (via NorthJersey.com)
UU voices: At her blog, Amor Del Mono writes about OWL OUT, which takes the UUA's Our Whole Lives sex ed program into the community.
A joy: Can't get to yoga class? There's an app for you: "Yoga Journal magazine’s iPractice 2.0, a mobile yoga class for iPhone and iPod Touch." (via The New York Times)
A concern: "An E. coli outbreak possibly linked to tainted lettuce has sickened at least 19 people in Ohio, New York and Michigan, including students on three college campuses, prompting a recall throughout much of the country." (via Huffington Post)
Churchy things: The Pope has declared the Shroud of Turin to be authentic. (via The Revealer)
Unchurchy things:
- Muppet link of the day: Rizzo the Rat and Bobo the Bear visit the offices of Lost. (via The Daily What)
- "The most accurate movie review ever." (via BuzzFeed)
Have a wonderful weekend (and Mothers' Day!) See you Monday morning!
06 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 6th, 2010
This is: The National Day of Prayer and the National Day of Reason. Rabbi Adam Chalom suggests it be observed as a day to do good deeds. "Don't just pray," he says, "do something!"
Spirit food: "Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." -- The Buddha
Brain food: This song "might save you from getting conned, voting for a bastard, or having a stupid fight with your spouse!" (Via Boing Boing)
Young adults today...: don't care that it's the National Day of Prayer. (via USA Today)
UU news: The UU church of Needham, MA is the first in the state to receive an Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency. (via Hometown News)
UU voices: Judy asks: "is it okay to come to church as an introvert?"
A joy: Good news for parents inclined to worry---it turns out that developmental milestones might not matter all that much. (via Slate)
A concern: Oil spills damage the environment in more ways than one---it can take up to 300 gallons of water to fully clean one oiled pelican. (via The Morning News)
Churchy things: "A gay Atlanta pastor and his partner who have been at the center of a battle over the treatment of gay clergy by the nation's largest Lutheran denomination are being reinstated to the denomination's clergy roster, church officials announced Tuesday." (via The Pew Forum, AP)
Unchurchy things: Possibly the most awesome birth announcement ever. (via The Daily What)
How to...: make ice cream using only two ingredients---no machine required. (via Instructables)
Spirit food: "Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." -- The Buddha
Brain food: This song "might save you from getting conned, voting for a bastard, or having a stupid fight with your spouse!" (Via Boing Boing)
Young adults today...: don't care that it's the National Day of Prayer. (via USA Today)
UU news: The UU church of Needham, MA is the first in the state to receive an Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency. (via Hometown News)
UU voices: Judy asks: "is it okay to come to church as an introvert?"
A joy: Good news for parents inclined to worry---it turns out that developmental milestones might not matter all that much. (via Slate)
A concern: Oil spills damage the environment in more ways than one---it can take up to 300 gallons of water to fully clean one oiled pelican. (via The Morning News)
Churchy things: "A gay Atlanta pastor and his partner who have been at the center of a battle over the treatment of gay clergy by the nation's largest Lutheran denomination are being reinstated to the denomination's clergy roster, church officials announced Tuesday." (via The Pew Forum, AP)
Unchurchy things: Possibly the most awesome birth announcement ever. (via The Daily What)
How to...: make ice cream using only two ingredients---no machine required. (via Instructables)
05 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 5th, 2010
This is: Cinco de Mayo (which you know about) and also the Great American Grump Out (which you probably don't.) The holiday's website encourages you to get ungrumpy by "[w]earing any type of smile. Secondly, carry a banana around with you. Not only is the banana the Grump Out's official fruit, but the banana provides a nutritional smile. [Hold it just right and it is a smile.] If you begin to experience any withdrawal discomfort, simply turn that smiley banana upside down. It becomes a frown. Stare at it for a moment when no one is looking."
Spirit food: "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." -- Albert Schweitzer
Brain food:
UU news: The province of Ontario, Canada is postponing implementation of a comprehensive sex ed program similar to the Our Whole Lives curriculum taught in Unitarian Universalist churches. (The Globe and Mail)
(Former) UU voices: Julia, a young adult who grew up UU, says that although she liked going to church, Unitarian Universalism left her "with no way to explain why bad things happened." She is now Episcopalian. (Readers: is she right? Does UU religious education do a disservice to children by not explaining to their satisfaction why life is the way it is?)
A joy: In this excerpt from NPR's StoryCorps project, a mother is interviewed by her 12 year-old son, who has Aspergers syndrome. When he asks whether he has turned out to be the son she wanted, she tells him that he has made her a more creative parent and person. (via Huffington Post)
A concern: Because the news this week isn't depressing enough, Newsweek has decided it's only right to inform you that any of these ten 10 "fuzzy, itty-bitty animals" could give you a deadly disease.
Churchy things: According to this Gallup poll, 83% of Americans believe there's a God who answers prayers. (via USA Today)
Unchurchy things: Why do goldfish crackers "smile back"? This diagram provides a clue. (via The Daily What)
*NEW!* -- How to...: -- *NEW!* lower your exposure to environmental toxins. (via GOOD)
Spirit food: "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." -- Albert Schweitzer
Brain food:
- Wondering exactly how chemical dispersants work to clean up oil spills? Dr. Ed Overton explains. (via The Maddow Blog)
- "Most highs for you are kind of a downer for the planet." (via Slate)
UU news: The province of Ontario, Canada is postponing implementation of a comprehensive sex ed program similar to the Our Whole Lives curriculum taught in Unitarian Universalist churches. (The Globe and Mail)
(Former) UU voices: Julia, a young adult who grew up UU, says that although she liked going to church, Unitarian Universalism left her "with no way to explain why bad things happened." She is now Episcopalian. (Readers: is she right? Does UU religious education do a disservice to children by not explaining to their satisfaction why life is the way it is?)
A joy: In this excerpt from NPR's StoryCorps project, a mother is interviewed by her 12 year-old son, who has Aspergers syndrome. When he asks whether he has turned out to be the son she wanted, she tells him that he has made her a more creative parent and person. (via Huffington Post)
A concern: Because the news this week isn't depressing enough, Newsweek has decided it's only right to inform you that any of these ten 10 "fuzzy, itty-bitty animals" could give you a deadly disease.
Churchy things: According to this Gallup poll, 83% of Americans believe there's a God who answers prayers. (via USA Today)
Unchurchy things: Why do goldfish crackers "smile back"? This diagram provides a clue. (via The Daily What)
*NEW!* -- How to...: -- *NEW!* lower your exposure to environmental toxins. (via GOOD)
04 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 4th, 2010
This is: International Respect for Chickens Day. This "annual project of United Poultry Concerns" is "designed to celebrate the dignity, beauty and life of chickens and to protest the bleakness of their lives in farming operations." Honor it by A) not eating any poultry and/or B) watching all six parts of The Natural History of the Chicken on Youtube. (If you have only five minutes, watch part 3 from 5:00 on so you can see Cotton the Japanese Silkie Bantam rooster luxuriate in his swimming pool and then get coiffed.)
Spirit food:
Brain food:
UU news: In this past Sunday's St. Petersburg (Florida) Times, Unitarian Universalist Association president Rev. Peter Morales engaged in a Q&A about UUs and UUism with (UU!) reporter Bill Maxwell. (via Facebook---many thanks to Rev. Victoria Weinstein for the link!)
UU voices: At Sassy Southern Scribblings, Melissa explains how her Unitarian Universalist values lead her to support the legalization of gay marriage.
A joy: "Through a project and contest launched last year by the Anne Frank Center USA, a New York-based educational nonprofit working with the museum in Amsterdam, 11 sites in the United States will see Frank's tree blossom." (via CNN)
A concern: Yeardley Love, a 22 year-old senior at the University of Virginia, was found dead in her off-campus apartment early Monday morning. Another UVA senior, George Huguely, has been charged with her murder. Please keep them---and their loved ones---in your hearts. (via The Washington Post)
Churchy things: "When we fall under the spell of a charismatic figure, areas of the brain responsible for scepticism and vigilance become less active. That's the finding of a study which looked at people's response to prayers spoken by someone purportedly possessing divine healing powers." (via New Scientist)
Unchurchy things:
Spirit food:
Brain food:
- Do any of those old wives' tales about pregnancy have any truth behind them? Read Linda Geddes's Bumpology column to find out. (via Boing Boing)
- Hewlett-Packard envisions a "Central Nervous System for the Earth" using "smart dust" technology. (via CNN)
- Want to build a time machine? Stephen Hawking would be pleased to help you out.
(via The Daily Mail)
UU news: In this past Sunday's St. Petersburg (Florida) Times, Unitarian Universalist Association president Rev. Peter Morales engaged in a Q&A about UUs and UUism with (UU!) reporter Bill Maxwell. (via Facebook---many thanks to Rev. Victoria Weinstein for the link!)
UU voices: At Sassy Southern Scribblings, Melissa explains how her Unitarian Universalist values lead her to support the legalization of gay marriage.
A joy: "Through a project and contest launched last year by the Anne Frank Center USA, a New York-based educational nonprofit working with the museum in Amsterdam, 11 sites in the United States will see Frank's tree blossom." (via CNN)
A concern: Yeardley Love, a 22 year-old senior at the University of Virginia, was found dead in her off-campus apartment early Monday morning. Another UVA senior, George Huguely, has been charged with her murder. Please keep them---and their loved ones---in your hearts. (via The Washington Post)
Churchy things: "When we fall under the spell of a charismatic figure, areas of the brain responsible for scepticism and vigilance become less active. That's the finding of a study which looked at people's response to prayers spoken by someone purportedly possessing divine healing powers." (via New Scientist)
Unchurchy things:
- What does the term "organic art" make you think of? Is it this? (via The New York Times)
- Someone's finally admitting what young adults have always known: "Mousetrap Never Works." (via The Daily What)
03 May 2010
The Yes! Digest -- May 3rd, 2010
This is: Pete Seeger's birthday. The singer, songwriter, activist (and UU!) turns 91 today. Celebrate by listening to his performance at last year's Newport Folk Festival or by watching this preview for Pete Seeger: The Power of Song.
Spirit food: "Songs won’t save the planet, but neither will books or speeches. Songs are sneaky things; they can slip across borders." --- Pete Seeger
Brain food: Is sleep "the greatest mistake evolution ever made"? (via National Geographic)
Young adults today...:
UU voices: On Austisable, Aspiemathematician writes about how neurotypical people and people with autism can have loving and successful relationships.
A joy: Twistable, Turnable Man, "A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein," will be released on June 8th. Preview it here. (via Huffington Post)
A concern: "The Arizona Department of Education recently began telling school districts that teachers whose spoken English it deems to be heavily accented or ungrammatical must be removed from classes for students still learning English." (via The Wall Street Journal)
Churchy things: "While [Evangelical] churches have addressed pornography use among the men in their congregations and among the clergy, a group for women who say they are addicted to pornography is new territory." (via The New York Times)
Unchurchy things: This guy manages to make "Party In The U.S.A." kind of cool. (BuzzFeed)
Young adults of note: These 20- and 30-somethings help to run the White House. (via The New York Times)
Spirit food: "Songs won’t save the planet, but neither will books or speeches. Songs are sneaky things; they can slip across borders." --- Pete Seeger
Brain food: Is sleep "the greatest mistake evolution ever made"? (via National Geographic)
Young adults today...:
- "Will Have Significant Impact on Convenience Store Foodservice in Future." (Who knew?) (Via The Financial)
- are "Andyites": "core fans" of the Toy Story franchise. (Via The New York Times)
UU voices: On Austisable, Aspiemathematician writes about how neurotypical people and people with autism can have loving and successful relationships.
A joy: Twistable, Turnable Man, "A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein," will be released on June 8th. Preview it here. (via Huffington Post)
A concern: "The Arizona Department of Education recently began telling school districts that teachers whose spoken English it deems to be heavily accented or ungrammatical must be removed from classes for students still learning English." (via The Wall Street Journal)
Churchy things: "While [Evangelical] churches have addressed pornography use among the men in their congregations and among the clergy, a group for women who say they are addicted to pornography is new territory." (via The New York Times)
Unchurchy things: This guy manages to make "Party In The U.S.A." kind of cool. (BuzzFeed)
Young adults of note: These 20- and 30-somethings help to run the White House. (via The New York Times)
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