Who does more unpaid work, men or women?

According to a recent letter by Bill and Melinda Gates, "Unless things change, girls today will spend hundreds of thousands more hours than boys doing unpaid work, simply because society assumes it's their responsibility." Here are the details.

A laundry detergent company in India just created a two-minute ad rejecting this sexist double-standard of time poverty that holds women back. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (who is pretty busy herself) wrote, "This is one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen, showing how stereotypes hurt all of us and are passed down from generation to generation." You can see it too, by clicking on this link.  www.facebook.com/ArielCompleteIndia/videos/973817686039654/

Is flying today worth all the hassle?

Recently a group of Delta passengers flying from JFK to LAX were surprised. Somewhere over the desert, the pilot came on the intercom to apologize that the movies they were watching would be temporarily turned off. Seat back screens went dark. Why the interruption?

                                                                                                                        Google.com
The pilot explained that since the weather was perfect that day, he'd obtained approval to give everyone a tour of the Grand Canyon. He mentioned that, since it was a special sight, he would turn the plane a few times so folks on both sides would get perfect views. Then he narrated the scenes below, and suggested that window-seat passengers lean forward to give their neighbors a better look. Grateful passengers were reminded that sometimes, even in planes, travel can still be fun.

Top secret Rosies were more than pretty faces

In 2011, the City Council of Philadelphia, PA, officially declared Feb. 15 as ENIAC Day, and you'll be surprised when you find out why. The story begins in 1942, when men were fighting overseas in WWII and mathematicians were needed to program the world's first general purpose computer, called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer). Six young women from Philadelphia were chosen to work on the classified government project. The 1,500 square foot ENIAC hardware featured 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 10,000 capacitors. All the ladies had to do was program and debug it.

                  Photo from International Communications Agency/Wikimedia Commons

Working double-shifts, six days a week for three years, they wrote programs using mechanical calculators, and sometimes crawled inside ENIAC to replace faulty tubes. One said her job was to "look like a girl; act like a lady, and work like a dog." When ENIAC was unveiled in 1946 as a "Giant Brain," the young women who spent years debugging it were used as attractive models to help show off the machine. They were not even invited to the celebratory dinner after the unveiling, but when their hidden heroism eventually became known, the Philadelphia City Council named a day in their honor. In 2014 they were remembered in a documentary called "Top Secret Rosies." The trailer will touch your heart. To see it, visit vimeo.com/18327205

Special note to "Crumbs of Comfort" readers

Since this blog began, 555 Crumbs of Comfort have been discovered, shared, and archived chronologically on the right side of this page. Over 19,000 page views have been welcomed from readers in the United States, Russia, Brazil, Portugal, Ukraine, Poland, Canada, South Africa, Germany and Spain. A heartfelt THANK YOU to readers who email heartwarming stories from local media for use as future crumbs. Let's keep appreciating crumbs of good news until we can "have our crumb cake and eat it too." With this in mind, blog author Dave Horn just wrote a book about the many times when God's presence has influenced his life. Here's the cover.

The memoir recalls his decade working for The Christian Science Monitor (back when it printed five editions daily) and memorable moments while writing for several Indiana newspapers. One of his feature stories actually inspired a reader to donate a kidney to a complete stranger! Watch for an official announcement this spring when the book becomes available from Hawthorne Publishers.

Amish man runs away from sin

A few years ago, Leroy Stolzfus, 22, got involved with "some stuff" he shouldn't have. He is Amish, and his brother suggested he start running whenever he felt tempted to sin. At first he ran two or three miles and thought, "Wow, this is hard!" but he kept training and ran his first full marathon in 2012.

                                                                          Photo by Daniel Zampogna/PENNLIVE.COM/ap
Recently, Stolzfus, who lives in Gordonville, PA, ran the 22.6 mile Harrisburg Marathon in traditional Amish clothing, including a long-sleeve button-down shirt, slacks and suspenders. He crossed the finish line after three hours, five minutes and 45 seconds. That's less than one minute short of qualifying for the Boston Marathon at his age. He does not blame his Amish attire for slowing him down. He believes long-distance running is "20 percent training and 80 percent mental." He feels running is not about breaking records. He says running has greatly improved his life, adding that "Life is a lot better for me now."

A tribute to teachers everywhere

Gabrielyn Watson touches many lives as choir director at Morgan Park High School on the south side of Chicago. One of her former pupils, Peter Frank, went on to become a finalist in Season 10 of "American Idol," and now works in the entertainment industry in California. But not long ago, he heard that his high school choir director went through a "rough patch" with her health, so he returned to Morgan Park to encourage her, and he wasn't alone. Other graduates who once sang in Ms. Watson's choir returned with him. They hid in doorways as she entered the school corridor for what she believed would be a "televised teacher interview."

                                                                                                                       YouTube video
Watch this YouTube video to see and hear what happened when Frank stepped into the hall in front of Ms. Watson and began singing "Amazing Grace." Then another of her former choir members stepped from a doorway and sang with him. And another, and another, and another (some of whom she had not seen for years) joined the chorus. Eventually she sang with them, but not before she dropped to the floor, sobbing. When he was her student, she bought Frank a tux for a choir competition because he could not afford one. After singing, he wept as he admitted to her, "Because of you, I am everything I am today." Watson says, "It's just great to feel loved, and that what you do matters." This video shows the power of love.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHH6oQl9z5k

A better idea than a boat?

Before Christmas last year, Marty Burbank worshipped at Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, CA. The 51-year old attorney was planning to buy a boat, but when he heard a sermon on "giving," a better idea popped into his head. He knew very few kids at nearby Rio Vista Elementary School would go to college. Their parents never went, and could not afford it. Even so, some teachers at Rio Vista decorate their rooms with college colors and emblems, so children would at least know about higher education. Kindergarten teacher Tessa Ashton decorates her room with Indiana University emblems, and her kids, shown below, sing the IU Fight Song several times a day.

                                                                                               Courtesy photo / Marty Burbank
Her students became concerned recently when Mr. Burbank visited their room with a message for their teacher and it made her cry. He told her he will spend about $1 million to pay college tuition for all 26 boys and girls in her room -- the Class of 2032. "I'd rather not have a boat and get these kids through school," he said. As soon as he left, Ashton taught a lesson about "happy tears." The children don't fully understand the value of Burbank's gift yet, but they have a clue. Six-year-old Jessyca Resendiz said, "College is a big place where there is a fountain. It has a big cafeteria that has coffee and bread. Now she plans to go to the place with the fountain, and become a doctor.