Roman Catholic nuns are on a 9-state bus tour to protest the House Republican budget, which cuts federal dollars to food pantries, shelters, schools, and hospitals.
Photo Credit: Des Moines Register.
Roman Catholic nuns are on a 9-state bus tour to protest the House Republican budget, which cuts federal dollars to food pantries, shelters, schools, and hospitals.
Photo Credit: Des Moines Register.
Infographic: The Rise of Americans With No Religion
- GOOD Partnerships and Column Five contributed in Religion and Mindfulness
Today, one in five in the American public doesn’t identify with any religion, the highest share since Pew Research Center began this poll in 2007. Who makes up this group, and what implications does the growing trend have for secularization, politics, and spirituality?
After three years of fighting with the Austrian government, atheist Niko Alm, who supports the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, finally won the right to wear a “religious pasta strainer” in his driver’s license photo. Like it or not, this is what freedom of religion actually looks like.
Nominate an Awesome Person for ‘People Are Awesome’
Every week, GOOD brings you news of another person who we think is deserving of the moniker “awesome.” Men and women all around the world are changing lives and communities via acts of unnecessary valor and heroic decency. Starting today, we’re accepting nominations for your favorite people, groups, or businesses to run in our “People Are Awesome” feature.
To submit your nominees, click here (and be sure to include a high-resolution image for us to use in case your nominee is chosen!)
People Are Awesome: Man Moves in With Parents So a Homeless Family Can Live in His House
- Liz Dwyer wrote in Cities, Generosity and People Are Awesome
“You don’t have to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet or Oprah,” to help someone in need says Los Angeles attorney Tony Tolbert. The 51-year-old is certainly walking the talk in a seriously inspiring way. He gave his home—rent free and fully furnished for an entire year—to a homeless family. And he’s moving back in with his parents so he can do it.
Tolbert’s mother, Marie, says when she first heard about her son’s plans, she asked him, “Have you lost it?” But the family has a long tradition of service and extending a helping hand to those in need. Tolbert’s father, Jimmy, who was a prominent entertainment lawyer before getting Alzheimer’s, set an example for his family by always opening a spare bedroom to people who needed a place to stay.
Tolbert reached out to a Los Angeles shelter for help finding a family which led him to Felicia Dukes, a mother of four, who recently moved into his home. As you can see in the video above, the tears flow when Dukes talks about Tolbert’s generosity. “My heart just fills up,” she says. “I’m just really happy.”
“Kindness creates kindness. Generosity creates generosity. Love creates love,” says Tolbert. “And if we can share some of that and have more stories about people doing nice things for other people and fewer stories about people doing horrible things to other people, that’s a better world.”
Superpowers of the Crowd: Japanese Commuters Lift Train to Rescue Passenger
- Adele Peters posted in People Are Awesome, Public Transit and Japan
When a woman fell under a train car at a station north of Tokyo, everyone on board joined together to lift the 32-ton train up so she could escape. Pretty amazing.
People Are Awesome: Man Embarks on Year of Random Kindnesses
Ryan Garcia, a Chicago resident, says a single week of self-improvement through kindness, or even a month, is too easy. With his five-month old daughter in mind, Garcia decided he was going to embark on a year of good things, during which he’d better the world—and himself—by doing an act of kindness per day for friends, strangers, and anyone else in need. He’s done things from cleaning off snow on all the cars on his block to giving free hugs.
Nothing Stops This Badass Blogger
- Hannah Wasserman posted in Living, Creativity and Fashion
Awesome story about this fashion blogger who has spastic muscular dystrophy. She is uses a wheelchair but that hasn’t stopped her from entering the fashion industry just like any able person.
Scott Benson’s animated music video for Rendezvous’s head-bobbing track “The Murf” packs the entire evolution of our little species into three and a half minutes. From our first attempts at crushing each other with rocks to future intergalactic exploration, it’s a gorgeous meditation on who we are and where we’re going.
Evolution, it’s a pretty awesome thing.
People Are Awesome: Politicians Slash Gas Prices for Needy Drivers
A small community in Florida is getting a Valentine’s Day, thanks to politicians interested spurring a sense of community. An energized county commissioner, Jose “Pepe” Diaz, is spearheading an effort to encourage local businesses to care for their communities. Diaz and nonprofit group Neighbors 4 Neighbors convinced a Sweetwater gas station to offer gas for the insanely low price of $2.14 per gallon today (get it?).
People Are Awesome: A Detroit Florist Gives Away Bouquets Just for Being Kind
A bundle of flowers definitely makes a day brighter. Lori Morrison, a florist from Plymouth, Michigan, came up with something called a “Good Job Bouquet,” a simple reminder that someone in the Detroit area still cares. Morrison will hand-deliver a floral arrangement to a winner each week as a token of her, and her neighbors’, appreciation.
In which Matt shows 270 pounds worth of excess skin from weight loss.