She Believed in Him

From Upworthy - 

Matthew Tejeda has big plans for how he'll help others who started off like he did — with the odds stacked against them. 

Having bounced around from home to home as a kid, relying on the help of friends and without the guidance of parents, Matthew had a rough transition into adulthood.

When school ended and he had no place to call home and no schoolmates' couches to crash on, Matthew was finally homeless.

According to Forbes magazine, a friend of Matthew's arranged an interview for him with a Starbucks manager, Debbie Dooknah. Debbie knew about Matthew's situation when she met him, and decided he was qualified and could do well if given a chance.

She trained him and kept his personal life between the two of them — she was the only one he worked with who knew he was sleeping in a shelter when he'd leave his work shift.

He had his work uniform stolen out of the laundry at the shelter, and he was unable to sleep at the shelter on the nights when it was loud.

He says a tenacious mindset is what helped him hang on.

"I just kept reminding myself that if I put one step after the other I could make it happen. My good friend Liz is an author of the NYTimes Best Seller 'Homeless to Harvard' and in one of her speeches she said 'What transforms a life? One empowered choice after the next over time.' I think that accurately described my thought process at the time. I knew what failure felt like and that absolutely wasn't an option."

Matthew also carried a key in his pocket every day. It was a talisman to remind him what he was striving toward — a home to call his own.

He eventually got his own apartment by saving his paychecks, along with a little help from a brilliant Starbucks program. 

Starbucks partners (employees) who want to chip in to help other partners in need are able to do so through their "CUP Fund" (Caring Unites Partners). With that and his savings, Matthew was able to cover the deposit and first month's rent to move into his first home of his own. 

The manager, Debbie, who took a chance on him, is now his best friend.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-homeless-kids-path-crossed-with-a-kind-starbucks-manager-the-rest-is-history?c=upw1

The Future of Medicine

From BioStamp - 

BioStampRC™ is the first research system designed for the human body. The BioStampRC system features the groundbreaking technology of the BioStamp® Sensor, a body-worn sensor so flexible and soft that it naturally conforms to the contours of the human body. BioStampRC Sensors are discreet, allowing study subjects to move from lab to home, through exercise and sleep, remaining unaffected by the tightly-coupled Sensors capturing a wealth of data.

BioStampRC™ Sensors: state of the art wearable sensors that can be placed on numerous body locations for targeted data collection

The BioStampRC system is seamlessly integrated into the researcher workflow through easily accessible tablet and web applications. Simple online study setup and on-demand pricing save valuable time and resources, enabling researchers to spend more time on finding insights.

Sensor Placement

http://www.mc10inc.com/our-products/biostamprc

A Solo Trip With a Toddler

From Upworthy -

A dad took his daughter on a trip, just the two of them, and wrote down what he learned.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-dad-took-his-daughter-on-a-trip-just-the-2-of-them-and-wrote-down-what-he-learned?c=upw1

Lessons Learned

An excerpt from The New York Times -

Learning Lessons From Outrage

There is so much we have learned from this painful election season and the rise of a demagogic real estate developer.

We have learned that a human branding machine who grew up in the shadows and spotlight of New York City’s cutthroat media knows intuitively how to exploit that media.

We have learned that too many in the media are ever so willing to be exploited if the exploitation is mutual and money is to be made.

We have learned what conditions make the prime environment for the rise of a demagogue: disaffection, demographic change, the demise of hope and opportunity and the dislocation of traditional power and privilege from automatic inheritance of prosperity.

We have seen that divisive, dangerous leaders don’t necessarily rise because of stirring oration or a clear and compelling vision. They can be quirky, disarming and idiosyncratic, with a vague, hollow message that says little even as it promises much.

We have learned the dangers of doubting the depravity and desperation of some who would follow such a man despite, or possibly even because of, his offensive rhetoric and outrageous policies.

We have learned just how much ugliness exists in this country, and what it looks like when it finds a voice, a leader and a reason to gather and unite.

We have learned that the Republican establishment has no clue who the Republican base is anymore, or if they do, they thought wrongly that they could control them by feeding them crumbs of obstruction and vague aspirationalism from their table of excess. In fact, that base has been gorging itself on fear and anger, vileness and the possibility of violence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/21/opinion/learning-lessons-from-outrage.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

That's a Lot of Mac N Cheese!

From Now I Know -

Thankfully, They Left the Expensive Ketchups at Home

The Barenaked Ladies are eclectic, all-male singing group from Canada. Their most well-known song, "One Week," topped the Billboard Hot 100 list in the fall of 1998. But you may be familiar with another of their songs, titled "If I Had One Million Dollars." The song, which was an early staple of the band's live shows, is a somewhat-silly discussion of the types of things bandmates would buy for their would-be loves if they were only rich enough to do so. You can read all the lyrics here and you'll see what I mean -- the group imagines purchasing a tree fort outfitted with a tiny fridge; a Picasso; a chesterfield (that's a couch, for non-Canadians); a monkey; and, relevant to our purposes, Kraft Dinner, pictured above. You can listen to that section of the lyrics here, and to get a real feel for that part of the song, you really should. But here's the relevant text, just in case.

If I had a million dollars
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft dinner

But we would eat Kraft dinner.
Of course we would, we'd just eat more. And buy really expensive ketchups with it.
That's right, all the fanciest ket--Dijon ketchup.
Mmmm!
Mmmm!

Kind of silly, yes, but it's not as crazy as you'd think, especially if you're a non-Canadian. Kraft Dinner -- which is what Americans call Kraft Macaroni and Cheese -- is a big, big deal in Canada. Wikipedia explains:

Kraft Dinner has been called the de facto national dish of Canada. Packaged in Quebec with Canadian wheat and milk, and other ingredients from Canada and the US, Canadians purchase 1.7 million of the 7 million boxes sold globally each week and eat an average of 3.2 boxes of Kraft Dinner each year, 55% more than Americans. The meal is the most popular grocery item in the country,  where "Kraft Dinner" has iconic status and has become a generic trademark of sorts for macaroni and cheese. It is often simply referred to by the initials K.D. 

So yeah, if the Barenaked Ladies had a million dollars, they'd still eat KD. They'd just eat more of it, as the lyrics state. (Let's ignore the adding ketchup up stuff -- that's just gross.) After all, one can never have enough Kraft Dinner. 

http://nowiknow.com/thankfully-they-left-the-expensive-ketchups-at-home/

Cat Burglar

From The Huffington Post -

Brigit has a big problem. When it comes to her male neighbors’ underwear, the adorable kitty just can’t help herself.

Every night the 6-year-old Tonkinese prowls around the city of Hamilton on New Zealand’s North Island.

And every morning, her owner Sarah Nathan wakes up to find stolen men’s briefs and socks dumped inside her house.

Sarah Nathan - Now it's getting silly. This is Brigit's haul from the last two months.
Every morning we wake up to more. I've put notes in every letterbox in the street.
Someone must be missing this stuff.
Please share if you know someone who lives in the George St area.

“It’s an absolute obsession,” Nathan told the New Zealand Herald on Sunday. “A night does not go by without her bringing things home. I got up this morning and there were another four socks in the house.” 

Since January, Brigit’s stolen 11 pairs of underpants and more than 50 socks. At a previous home, Nathan said her thieving feline would return with “a bit of everything.” 

“She was much less discerning, now she’s decided menswear is the thing, and it’s a very specific kind of underpants that she likes,” Nathan said. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cat-underwear-new-zealand-thief_us_56ee53dce4b03a640a6aaecb

What a Job Interview!

From The Huffington Post -

A New Orleans teen landed a new job after he helped stop a robbery during his interview.

Last Saturday afternoon, Devin Washington was interviewing for a new job when a thief tried to steal cash from the register at Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken restaurant on Chef Menteur Highway, The Times-Picayune reported. 

The 18-year-old job hunter made the perfect first impression when he leapt from his seat and placed the suspected robber in a reverse bear hug. Popeyes assistant manager Dominique Griffin grabbed the suspect’s arm and manager Danyanna Metoyer — who’d been conducting the interview — blocked the door to prevent escape.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/teen-catches-robber-interview-job_us_56efac8de4b09bf44a9dbb51

Another Idiot

From USA Today -

Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore made reprehensible, sexist comments about women’s tennis before Sunday’s final at the BNP Paribas Open.

He later apologized in a statement.

Well, Serena Williams wasn’t going to look past Moore’s remarks.

She fired back at Moore following her 6-4, 6-4 defeat in the final to Victoria Azarenka.

Williams said via ESPN:

“Obviously, I don’t think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that. I think Venus [Williams], myself, a number of players have been — if I could tell you every day how many people say they don’t watch tennis unless they’re watching myself or my sister, I couldn’t even bring up that number. So I don’t think that is a very accurate statement. I think there is a lot of women out there who are more … are very exciting to watch. I think there are a lot of men out there who are exciting to watch. I think it definitely goes both ways. I think those remarks are very much mistaken and very, very, very inaccurate.”

Williams also didn’t buy that Moore’s statements could have been taken out of context.

“Well, if you read the transcript, you can only interpret it one way. I speak very good English. I’m sure he does too. You know, there’s only one way to interpret that. Get on your knees, which is offensive enough, and thank a man, which is not — we, as women, have come a long way. We shouldn’t have to drop to our knees at any point.”

Spot on, Serena. Spot on.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/03/serena-williams-responds-indian-wells-ceo-raymond-moore

Music Gadgets

No Need For Red Lights?

http://www.itworld.com/article/3045942/car-tech/mit-hopes-to-eliminate-traffic-lights.html?google_editors_picks=true

Smart People

An excerpt from The Washington Post -

Why Smart People Are Better Off With Fewer Friends

~~~~~~~~~~

"The effect of population density on life satisfaction was therefore more than twice as large for low-IQ individuals than for high-IQ individuals," they found. And "more intelligent individuals were actually less satisfied with life if they socialized with their friends more frequently."

Let me repeat that last one: When smart people spend more time with their friends, it makes them less happy.

~~~~~~~~~~

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/03/18/why-smart-people-are-better-off-with-fewer-friends/?wpisrc=nl_rainbow

Legos for Gardens

FLOTUS in Pictures

From The Root - 

Wicked smart.  Funny.  Poised.  Gracious.  Powerful.  Beautiful.

This is why we love her.

Check out the slideshow about midway down the page.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/lists/2016/03/michelle_obama_is_dope_these_pictures_explain_why.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

"Working" Piglet

Faded Sounds

From The Museum of Endangered Sounds -

http://savethesounds.info

It opens to a retro page giving directions.  You simply have to click on the icons to listen, click again to stop them.  Click close this page and enter the museum.

Enjoy!

Medal of Freedom Winner

The 1st Fifteen

From the Root -

Last week, in response to the lynching photo found at a Joe’s Crab Shack in Minnesota, I wrote a piece explaining “post-racial racism” (which has also been referred to as “Chad Crow”—Jim Crow’s laid-back cousin):

In post-racial 21st-century America, no one actually wants to admit to being racist. They’ll do racist things, say racist words, think racist thoughts, support racist business, vote for racist politicians and even willingly benefit from racist policies and business practices, but the moment you actually bring up racism, they’re like, “Who, me? Never! I can’t be racist. Andre Iguodala is my favorite athlete, and my best friend almost had a black girlfriend in 2004!” And they do this because owning up to it and letting everyone know exactly who they are could be social suicide. ...

[Post-racial racism] is an evolved form of racism that allows people to exist ensconced within racism’s confines while never having to complete a registration form ...

I then listed 13 examples of this type of racism. But there are so many more that I decided to extend that list to 35:

1. “Racism doesn’t really exist” racism;

2. “You’re the real racist for thinking and talking about racism” racism;

3. “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” racism;

4. “It’s a class thing, not a race thing” racism;

5. “If black people want to get over racism, they need to stop segregating themselves” racism;

6. “I know what’s good for you better than you do” racism;

7. “I hate the NBA” racism;

8. “I’m not a racist; I’m a realist” racism;

9. “Look how cool and witty and ironic I am when I do this remarkably offensive thing” racism;

10. “Can you provide some evidence that the racist thing that happened was actually racist and not just happenstance?” racism;

11. “Let’s talk about diversity and have panels about diversity and invite the media to these panels about diversity but never actually make a real effort to be more diverse” racism;

12. “I know what happened was racist, but my feelings were hurt when you pointed it out, and we need to talk about my feelings instead of the racist thing now” racism;

13. “I don’t think anyone is paying attention, so let me sneak this really racist thing in real quick, like a cheat day for my no-racism diet” racism.

14. “I have a black boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, so I can’t be racist” racism;

15. “I had sex with a black person and that sex resulted in a black child, so I can’t be racist” racism;

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/03/_35_types_of_post_racial_racism.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

A Novel Approach

From The Atlanic - (bold is mine)

But this vision of homogenous, altruistic Nordic lands is mostly a fantasy. The choices Nordic countries have made have little to do with altruism or kinship. Rather, Nordic people have made their decisions out of self-interest. Nordic nations offer their citizens—all of their citizens, but especially the middle class—high-quality services that save people a lot of money, time, and trouble. This is what Americans fail to understand: My taxes in Finland were used to pay for top-notch services for me.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/bernie-sanders-nordic-countries/473385/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=March%2017%2C%202016&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All

Good News From Chicago

From Vox -

Chicago’s City Council voted unanimously yesterday to get rid of the sales tax on tampons and pads, becoming one of the first major US cities to do so.

The council voted to reclassify the feminine hygiene products as "medical necessities," exempting them from taxation. Right now they are subject to a 10.25 percent sales tax, a combination of city and state taxes.

http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/3/17/11253628/chicago-tampon-tax

Make Your Own App

http://www.lifehack.org/374267/10-ways-make-your-own-app?mid=20160315&ref=mail&uid=789627&feq=daily