Sunday, September 30, 2018

Need a tie or purse for a job interview?

The Riverside branch of the New York Public Library has created a "Grown Up Work Fashion Library" where folks of any age can check out a necktie or briefcase or purse for three weeks, provided they don't have any library card fines greater than $15.


The initiative began when a librarian teaching a class about "finding a job" told her students not to wear a backpack to a job interview. They were all very surprised, and said they did not have "any nicer stuff." The goal of the Grown Up Work Fashion Library is to help anyone with limited resources get accessories for interviews, graduations or other "business-like occasions.."

Saturday, September 29, 2018

"You know that somebody loves you

Custodian Herman Gordon has been spreading kindness at Bristol University for more than 11 years. This summer, students of the British university decided it was time to return the favor.
Students launched a crowdfunding campaign to send Gordon, originally from Jamaica, on a weeklong trip to Kingston to see his family for the first time in nearly a decade.
"I started it because I know everybody loves Herman for his happy energy," said medical student Hadi Al-Zubaidi, who had the idea for the fundraiser. "I thought sending him to his home country of Jamaica would be a beautiful way of giving back for all that he does."
    The campaign went viral thanks to Facebook posts on an anonymous campus confessions page. Normally used for gossip, the page quickly became a force for good. Students raised about $2,000 for plane tickets in a matter of days.
    But the contagion of kindness didn't stop with Bristol students. Sandals Resorts came across the fundraiser and invited Gordon and his wife, Denise, to spend two nights at their luxury hotel in Montego Bay -- a belated present for the couple's 23rd anniversary.
    Herman Gordon and his wife at Sandals Montego Bay
    Gordon, who moved to England at age 12 and rarely gets to visit his Jamaican family, was overwhelmed with emotion when students gave him the money for the trip. Expecting nothing, he opened a plain envelope to find hundreds of dollars and a letter that brought him to tears.
      "On behalf of the students at Bristol, we would like to thank you for all the positive energy you have given to us throughout the years," read the note. "You have brightened many of our days and we want you to know that we love and appreciate you."
      In a video capturing the moment, Gordon said, "When you see things like this, you know that somebody loves you."

      Friday, September 28, 2018

      Act of kindness brings tears of joy

      Television station FOX5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, has a group of employees called the Surprise Squad. They go into action when someone deserves recognition, and they were busy one autumn day. That's when Daniel Rivas, 17, tried to get a date for the Shadow Ridge High School homecoming dance. Nobody accepted his invitation, perhaps because he has Down syndrome. Then a 10th grader named Kylie Fronius invited him to the dance. He accepted. Kylie said she didn't ask him out of pity, but because she expected to have a wonderful time. She doesn't see him as disabled, but only as "learning in a different way." When the FOX5 Surprise Squad heard that, they made sure it was an evening the kids would never forget.


                                                                                                                                                  FOX5
      Kylie had just arrived at Daniel's home to pick him up for the dance when the Surprise Squad arrived with TV cameras. Kylie would not need to drive. The couple would go to the dance in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, and on the way, they stopped at Bistro 57 for a supper of Daniel's favorite food, spaghetti. Daniel's mom, Tonya, wept as she remembered how often they'd driven past the restaurant but "couldn't afford to eat there." When they arrived at the high school, a red carpet had been stretched to the curb and other students were on both sides, cheering. But the Surprise Squad wasn't done yet. During the evening, FOX5 interrupted  the dance to announce that both Kylie's family and Daniel's family would enjoy free vacations at Disneyland. Then the owner of the local Nissan dealership gave Daniel $10,000 for his continuing education after high school (he wants to be a chef). Finally, the owner led everyone outside to the school parking lot and showed Kylie a  beautiful Sentra wrapped with a bow. "It's yours," he said, as she burst into tears. Everyone agreed it was the best homecoming dance ever, all because of one act of kindness.

      Thursday, September 27, 2018

      Does a two year gap really matter?

      An older gentleman in England named Eric Bogliani had a huge crush on his sister's girlfriend Elaine way back in elementary school. When they met, he was 7 and she was 9-going-on 10. Eric's mom felt that was too great an age difference, so she told him he was not allowed to have a crush on her.


      Now fast-forward half-a-century. They're both in their 60s now, so two years mean nothing. They reconnected on Facebook a few years ago. They hit it off, starting dating, and recently got married, but you'll never guess where. They elementary school they attended together is now a community chapel with a licensed wedding venue. That's where they tied the knot -- the same place they first met almost 60 years ago.

      Wednesday, September 26, 2018

      Dude, we're totally twins!

      Today's crumb comes from the US edition of The Guardian.  Anais Bordier always knew she was adopted. She was born in South Korea but raised in France by parents who look nothing like her. Her adoption papers said she was the only child of a very young unmarried woman. In 2012 Anais was studying fashion in London when a fellow student posted a YouTube video of her on her Facebook page. But she never made the video! As she watched it, she realized it was an American girl who looked exactly like her. Her American look-alike was Samantha Futerman. Sam was also born in Korea, and they had the same birthday. Finally Anais got enough courage to message Samantha to "check out my Facebook page." When Sam wrote back, she enclosed a copy of her adoption records. Both girls were born in the same clinic. Sam wrote to Anais, "Dude, we're totally twins!"


      When a friend, Dr. Nancy Segal, offered them DNA testing, both girls swabbed their cheeks together on Skype and agreed to meet. Sam came to London. They realized they have the same sense of humor and understand each other perfectly. Then Dr. Segal called to say they were identical twins.

      Says Anais, "I had a very happy childhood and never felt anything was missing, but there was one thing I wanted: to look like someone else in my family. What could be better than an identical twin? I'll always have her in my life now."  Thanks to YouTube.

      Tuesday, September 25, 2018

      A gold medal for Korean diplomacy?

      Speaking of the photo below, political scientist Ian Bremmer said, "This is why we do the Olympic games." It shows Lee Eu-ju, 17, of South Korea, and Hong Un-jong, 27, of North Korea, smiling together for a selfie during the training period before the gymnastics games in Rio.

                                                                                                                                         Facebook
      North and South Korea are technically at war, and political relations have been tense for many years, but Olympic sports bring everyone together. Both girls competed as individual qualifiers in artistic gymnastics. They failed to win the championship in their round, but most who saw this picture agree they earned a gold medal for diplomacy.

      Monday, September 24, 2018

      Vilma Wong is a nurse with a long memory

      Vilma Wong, 54, is a nurse at a children's hospital near San Francisco, California. Last month she met a new resident at the hospital named Brandon Seminatore. He's studying to be a childhood neurologist. When she saw his badge, she remembered his name from almost 30 years ago.


      She knew him because he was once a patient of hers. She even remembered that his father was a policeman. Brandon was born two months premature and weighed only 2 pounds 6 ounces. He spent his first 40 days in intensive care, where Wong nursed him. Brandon's parents told him to be on the lookout for her, because she was their favorite nurse. Vilma says getting to work with someone she helped save is the "best reward a nurse could get."