Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Shannon Purser of 'Stranger Things' tweeted about body image, and fans rejoiced.

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People said Colin Kaepernick disrespected veterans. Veterans are defending him.

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Since electing to protest police brutality by sitting down during a pre-game performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner," San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has faced accusations of showing disrespect to America's veterans.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees told ESPN that Kaepernick's protest bothered him "all day long," citing the sacrifices made by the service members in his family.  

CBS commentator Boomer Esiason was even more explicit:

"I find it completely disrespectful, not only to the military, but to the men and women who wear the blue uniform and protect our cities every —— day," the former Jets quarterback said at a network event, according to a Newsday report.

But it turns out there are a lot of actual veterans who not only don't feel disrespected but are really into what Kaepernick did.  

Using the Twitter hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick, many former soldiers, sailors, and Marines voiced support for Kaepernick's protest and welcomed the conversation it started.

Many chafed at the notion of being used as a political prop.

Others expressed their solidarity with the quarterback.

Still others noted that defending Kaepernick's right to speak his mind is part of the job.

Veterans, like any other group, don't all think the same thing at the same time.

Some service members and their families, like Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Alejandro Villanueva, who expressed disappointment with Kaepernick, or Gold Star mother Teri Johnson, whose critical open letter to the quarterback went viral, believe that regardless of intent, the flag is sacred and deserves to be honored all times.

Others believe that the importance of drawing attention to racial injustices in policing justifies taking a breather from the national anthem every now and again.

The best part? This is America, man.

And in America, we all get to have our own opinion.

Thanks in large part to, you know, veterans.

Veterans. Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

They deserve our respect.

But we should probably listen first.

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Book lover? This magical destination is a must for your bucket list.

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This a story about a bookstore. But this isn't just any bookstore.

No, this place is borderline magical. If it sounds like a fairytale, it's only because it resembles one. (Looking at you, Belle.)

It's basically a paperback palace that will make you want to throw your e-reader into the sea. Or at the very least, get lost in a good book. Photo by Miguel Vieira/Flickr.

It's called El Ateneo Grand Splendid and you'll find it Buenos Aires, Argentina.

From the outside, it's a large but otherwise unassuming bookstore in the heart of the Barrio Norte neighborhood.

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

But step inside, and you're met with breathtaking views of fresco ceilings, opulent plush curtains, soaring balconies, and all the trimmings that make this a store unlike any other.

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

Oh, and you'll also find 21,000 square feet of books on books on books. And a few more books for good measure.

Even the beautiful building's backstory deserves a place among the shelves.

Built in 1919,  the original building (then known as Teatro Grand Splendid) served as a premiere performance space for the region's top tango talent. Dancers like Roberto Firpo and Francisco Canaro once graced the stage, dazzling audiences with the help of live musical accompaniment.

As the popularity of live dance waned, the building was transformed to a movie theater in 1929, making it the first cinema in Buenos Aires to show sound films.

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

Popularity and use of the cinema ebbed and flowed, though. And by the turn of the 21st century, the Grand Splendid was in dire straits.

The building and its beautiful fixtures and trimmings were slated for demolition. But in the knick of time, popular Argentine bookseller Grupo Ilhsa leased the building and transformed the space into its flagship location of their Ateneo chain, keeping the historical integrity and spirit of the esteemed performance space intact.

Nearly 100 years after opening, El Ateneo Grand Splendid welcomes more than 1 million visitors each year.

Locals and tourists of all ages come to see the spellbinding space.

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

It's filled with books and music you might find at a typical chain bookstore with most of the titles in Spanish.

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

Many cozy up with a good book in one of the former theater boxes.

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

Or get some work done amid the frescos. (Good luck going back to a coffee shop after this.)

Photo by Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

Speaking of coffee, if you need a bite to eat, look no farther than the theater's former stage. It's now a cafe.

Some visit the store with no agenda at all. It's the perfect place to rest, relax, and take it all in.

Photo by Yann Duarte/Flickr.

Argentina's love affair with books isn't limited to El Ateneo Grand Splendid, either.

Buenos Aires has more bookstores per capita (nearly 25 per 100,000 residents) than any other city in the world. Books are exempt from Argentina's 21% sales tax, and popular book sites like Amazon don't do business in the country, making brick-and-mortar bookstores an important part of the community.

"Culture is very important to the people of Buenos Aires," Antonio Dalto, business manager for El Ateneo told The Guardian. "Even young kids read books, we see them here every day. Books for teenagers are one of our biggest sellers."

Bookstores and libraries have the power to take you on journeys you never imagined.  

Back in time, deep in space, through history and faraway places, reading brings new ideas and concepts to life. That's why it's so important to celebrate literacy, the written word, and the magnificent spaces that stoke our imaginations.

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A guy penned a glorious letter on why we should ban 'men in suits,' not burkinis.

He's got a point.

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A man named Henry Stewart of London wrote a letter to the editor this week in The Guardian.  

And it's certainly worth a read.

Photo by Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images.

Like most letters to editors, it was probably easy to miss. It wasn't splashed across a front page or heavily promoted by the paper online.

But in fewer than 100 words, Stewart's letter totally nails the absurdity of banning burqas and burkinis (full-body bathing suits some Muslim women wear), which has become a hot-button issue on the world stage in recent weeks.

Stewart argues that if we're going to start policing clothing for the sake of public safety, it clearly makes the most sense to start with men in suits:

Stewart writes:

"No woman in a burqa (or a hijab or a burkini) has ever done me any harm. But I was sacked (without explanation) by a man in a suit. Men in suits missold me pensions and endowments, costing me thousands of pounds. A man in a suit led us on a disastrous and illegal war. Men in suits led the banks and crashed the world economy. Other men in suits then increased the misery to millions through austerity. If we are to start telling people what to wear, maybe we should ban suits."

Although the short message only took up a few inches of space in print, it's made big waves online, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on Imgur and making its way to the front page of Reddit on Aug. 31, 2016.

Clearly, Stewart's words are resonating.

Stewart's letter comes amid several communities in the French Riviera banning burkinis on public beaches.

The bans, which cropped up after recent terrorist activity in France — namely, the truck attack in Nice on Bastille Day — have sparked debate about the rights of minorities in a secular country, public safety, and what some see as religious oppression of women.

Photo by Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images.

But what are these bans really about?

These new restrictions are an extension of France’s ban on full-face coverings — legislation that indirectly targets Muslim women. A main objective of that 2010 law is to ensure public safety by keeping criminals from hiding behind concealed clothing, according to some officials.

Many French leaders in favor of the new bans have also pointed to the sexist nature of full-body swimsuits, arguing burkinis are clearly at odds with gender equality.

But public safety and sexism really aren’t the motives behind these new measures. Islamophobia is.

Photo by Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images.

If the bans were really about ensuring equality, we’d be banning the modest swimwear some Jewish and Christian women wear, too, the Chicago Tribune’s Steve Chapman argues. And if the French government is really concerned about the rights of Muslim women, regulating burkinis is the last thing they need to be doing anyway.

"If some Muslim men employ violence or threats to control their wives and daughters, the target of government policy should be detecting and ending that sort of abuse," Chapman writes. "Forbidding burkinis is like trying to combat rape by telling women they can't have sex."

Burkini bans are hypocrisy at its worst, according to Chapman, as they suggest "France must dictate what Muslim women wear to teach them that no one may dictate what they wear."

They don't make sense, and they don't keep us safer.

Stewart's letter to the editor comes from the perspective of a Londoner. But much of what he says holds true in the U.S., too.

Men in suits (not Muslim women) were largely responsible for the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 — a move that didn't make us safer but did contribute to the political destabilization of the region and cost thousands of American lives.

Men in suits (not Muslim women) were largely responsible for the Great Recession, their recklessness and greed costing Americans trillions of dollars in household wealth, pulling millions into poverty.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

As far as being mugged, there's little evidence to suggest a man in a suit is any more or less dangerous than anyone else.

But one particular man in a suit is helping to fuel the rising rates of Islamophobia that American Muslims have to live with each day.

As some jurisdictions make moves to restrict clothing for Muslims in the name of equality and safety, they're policing a group that, ironically, is already living more at-risk of violence and discrimination.

Islamophobia is on the rise in the U.S. and many places throughout the West, with hate crimes against American Muslims tripling in 2015 from the year prior.

Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images.

Much of that spike can be attributed to a backlash from terrorism at home and abroad. And harmful, ignorant rhetoric about Muslims coming from certain politicians in the wake of those attacks only stokes the fire.

As Stewart summed up so perfectly, it's ludicrous to treat Muslim women like suspected criminals just because of their clothing.

And if we want to tackle the injustices some groups have inflicted on others, Muslim women certainly aren't the first group to put on trial.

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These 'book ninjas' give commuters free books to read while they ride.

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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Meet Carrie Mae Weems, the artist who first fought back against the male gaze.

"You have to make what you want to see in the world. That is basically your obligation if you're an artist."

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When photographer Carrie Ann Weems didn't see herself represented in the art world, she took it upon herself to create that representation.

Image by Carrie Mae Weems, courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

The 63-year-old artist opened up about her important career in a recent Lenny interview, explaining that her black-and-white photos — especially her simple yet incredibly powerful "Kitchen Table Series," completed in 1990 — portrayed her as she wants to be seen, not how others wanted her to be seen.

In her photos, Weems is in charge, representing her life as she sees fit. It's a beautiful example of self-expression.

She explains in the interview:

"I realized at a certain moment that I could not count on white men to construct images of myself that I would find appealing or useful or meaningful or complex. I can't count on anybody else but me to deliver on my own promise to myself. I love Fellini. I love Woody Allen. I love the Coen brothers, but they're not interested in my black ass."

​Image by Carrie Mae Weems, courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

"I needed to speak to and across the ways in which women had been discussed in film, theater, and photography. I needed to speak of representation and systems."

Weems is most famous for challenging the dreaded male gaze with her photos.

She noticed that men took photos of themselves that were "deeply frontal," while women were often turned to the side in photographs, or had some of their face obscured. So she made the choice to represent herself in her work face-on, something that had rarely been done before by a woman. She tediously set up a camera, processed and printed the film, figured out what she had done wrong, and did it all over again the next day.

In her work, especially the "Kitchen Table" series, you can see her vulnerably revealing itself — in her kitchen and beyond. Weems makes a powerful statement about being present, fearless, and in control in her art.

Eventually, her work set a new standard for visual storytelling by exploring subjectivity in both domestic spaces and public spaces.

Weems isn't alone in her struggle to find herself represented as a woman in the world, especially in art and especially as a woman of color.

Other renowned female artists have joined Weems in this fight throughout the years, famously taking control of representation by making themselves the subjects of their work, too.

Cindy Sherman, for example, famously transforms herself into people from all walks of life — male or female. She relies solely on herself to create these images that challenge us to think about class, race, and gender. Marina Abramović, often referred to as the "grandmother of performance art," is also known for her gutsy risks in the art world, like her project "The Artist Is Present" where she sat across from strangers for hours at a time, sharing silence with them.

These women continually push the boundaries of what it means to be a female artist today. They are meticulous and deliberate, while constructing images of their reality as a woman in the world. There's no hiding behind their work because most of the time, they are their work.

​Image by Carrie Mae Weems, courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Carrie Mae Weems boldly laid the groundwork for female artists today.

"I always thought about the pictures of myself as not necessarily of myself but as an entity, a form that could express something that needed to be expressed," she told Lenny.

She created a platform for unapologetic honesty and empowerment, and we can never have too much of that.

I often take for granted how easily I can take a selfie and send a depiction of myself out into the world. But that hasn't always been the case. When Weems started working, she was intentional and precise. She wanted women everywhere to be seen for who they really were. She was a bold risk-taker. And she changed things in a big way.

This is what happens when you stand up for yourself in a world that doesn't seem to have room for you. It's risky. It's terrifying. But it's worth it. Thank you for your boldness, Carrie!

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Special thanks to the artist for allowing me to share her work.



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A man thought it was OK to question her son's tutu. Was he ever wrong.

'I will not let angry strangers tell my son what he can or cannot wear.'

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When people ask Jen Anderson Shattuck's 3-year-old son about the sparkly tutus he likes to wear, he says they make him feel beautiful and brave.

He wisely says there are no rules about what boys can wear or what girls can wear.

Jen says people are generally pretty accepting of the tutus ... except for people like the stranger Jen and her son met a few weeks ago. Check out Jen's Facebook post below about what the man said and how she responded:

My three-and-a-half-year-old son likes to play trucks. He likes to do jigsaw puzzles. He likes to eat plums. And he...

Posted by Jen Anderson Shattuck on Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Here's the full text:

My three-and-a-half-year-old son likes to play trucks. He likes to do jigsaw puzzles. He likes to eat plums. And he likes to wear sparkly tutus. If asked, he will say the tutus make him feel beautiful and brave. If asked, he will say there are no rules about what boys can wear or what girls can wear.

My son has worn tutus to church. He has worn tutus to the grocery store. He has worn tutus on the train and in the sandbox. It has been, in our part of the world, a non-issue. We have been asked some well-intentioned questions; we've answered them; it has been fine. It WAS fine, until yesterday.

Yesterday, on our walk to the park, my son and I were accosted by someone who demanded to know why my son was wearing a skirt. We didn't know him, but he appeared to have been watching us for some time.

"I'm just curious," the man said. "Why do you keep doing this to your son?"

He wasn't curious. He didn't want answers. He wanted to make sure we both knew that what my son was doing---what I was ALLOWING him to do---was wrong."She shouldn't keep doing this to you," he said. He spoke directly to my son. "You're a boy. She's a bad mommy. It's child abuse."

He took pictures of us, although I asked him not to; he threatened me. "Now everyone will know," he said. "You'll see."

I called the police. They came, they took their report, they complimented the skirt. Still, my son does not feel safe today. He wants to know: "Is the man coming back? The bad man? Is he going to shout more unkind things about my skirt? Is he going to take more pictures?"

I can't say for sure. But I can say this: I will not be intimidated. I will not be made to feel vulnerable or afraid. I will not let angry strangers tell my son what he can or cannot wear.

The world may not love my son for who he is, but I do. I was put on this earth to make sure he knows it.

I will shout my love from street corners.

I will defend, shouting, his right to walk down the street in peace, wearing whatever items of clothing he wants to wear.

I will show him, in whatever way I can, that I value the person he is, trust in his vision for himself, and support his choices---no matter what anybody else says, no matter who tries to stop him or how often.

Our family has a motto. The motto is this:

We are loving.

We are kind.

We are determined and persistent.

We are beautiful and brave.

We know who we are. Angry strangers will not change who we are. The world will not change who we are---we will change the world.

Jen's Facebook post has been met with an outpouring of support since she posted her story.

It's been shared over 51,000 times, and the comments have been empowering and supportive overall. Sure, there will always be haters. And yes, tutus are frilly, sparkly garments often associated with girls and princesses, sugar and spice and everything nice. But is there a rule that says boys can't also love those things? Nope.

Jen's not alone in her open-minded approach to her kid's self-expression. Charlize Theron was recently criticized after her son was photographed dressed as Elsa from "Frozen," but she supported his choices just like Jen did.

Kudos to Jen (and other moms like her!) for encouraging this awesome display of self-expression. And kudos to her young son for not letting small-minded people get in the way of his desire to express himself!

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Advice for talking to women wearing headphones ignores why women wear headphones.

An article struck a nerve with some, sparking an important conversation.

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There's an article making the rounds on social media called, "How to Talk to a Woman Who is Wearing Headphones."

It's written by self-described dating and relationship expert Dan Bacon, and it's equal parts funny, sad, and scary. The truth is that if a woman is wearing headphones, she probably (OK, pretty much definitely) doesn't want to be interrupted for a chat with a stranger.

Leaving someone wearing headphones alone is just one of those unwritten rules of polite society. Headphones are basically a universal sign meaning "Leave me the eff alone."

Twitter users came out in force to respond, letting the author know exactly what they thought of his advice:

Now, reader, if you're wondering to yourself: "Sure, but if I can't (or shouldn't) try to strike up conversation with strangers, how am I supposed to meet new people? What about the future of courtship?" it's worth examining where that concern comes from.

Lindsey M., a board member at Stop Street Harassment, offered some helpful answers to common questions about why this type of interaction isn't welcome.

"This concern presumes, as a default, that it is acceptable to gamble a woman's discomfort or sense of safety against the odds that there's a shot of success," Lindsey wrote in a Twitter direct message. "That willingness to gamble is male privilege: It centers the desire to pick up a woman over the possibility that she wants to be left alone."

Photo by iStock.

Why don't disinterested women just politely say no? For one, in trying to ignore you, she already has said no. Additionally, it's not nearly that simple, as saying "no" has been known to lead to even more aggressive harassment and even physical violence.

"There are plenty of consensual ways to meet and connect with women, and intentionally choosing cold approaches of women whose only act of participation was walking in your line of sight is the ultimate expression of male entitlement," Lindsey added.

Studies have shown that street harassment has a very real, very negative effect on various aspects of its victims' lives.

"The threat of harassment leads women to adjust their schedule, how and when they commute, where they choose to live, what they wear, what social or work functions they attend, how or where they work out, etc.," Lindsey wrote.

It's also important to remember that it's not any single interaction that leads to this feeling, but rather the fact that women are bombarded with unwanted male attention from an early age. It all adds up over time.

GIF from "Watchmen."

There's also the scourge of "pick-up culture," which spawns many of these "how-to" guides to dating that encourage men to use tactics of emotional manipulation and physical intimidation to trick women into engaging with them.

"Street harassment and 'pick up culture' perpetuate the objectification and gamification of women, which carries its own set of costs on women and girls' mental health, self esteem, and social standing," Lindsey explained.

Approaching strangers wearing headphones is different from most other public interactions because, for many, avoiding social interaction is exactly why the headphones are there in the first place.

Martha Mills breaks it down at The Guardian:

"The very reason I and many other women wear headphones isn’t as a trivial obstacle to some throbbing hormone mountain, nor as a challenge for those blessed with an abundance of ego. It’s a defence. ... We fill our ear holes to stop you from getting in."

Earbuds in? Stay away. Photo by iStock.

True story. She continues:

"If you’re in a bar or party, her flirtatious smile may be the come-on you’re looking for, but be prepared to accept that you read it wrong, politely wish her a good evening and toddle back off. ... If you’re looking for a horde of single, eligible women all looking for friendship-maybe-more in one convenient place, try a dating site."

The point isn't that you can never spark up a conversation with a stranger. Rather, it's that men need to respect social cues — not find ways around them.

To review: Remember that you're not entitled to anybody else's time, attention, or space. If someone is wearing headphones, they're probably not up for conversation, and you should respect that.

As artist and author Kate Leth illustrates:

And if you feel like you absolutely must be able to chat up women in headphones, try this first:

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5 hilarious comics that prove you can be a good parent and still act like a child.

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When I was younger, I thought that when I became an adult, things would make more sense and life would be easier.

I believed this because I didn’t see adults having temper tantrums. I just assumed that, once people became adults, things got smoother. I assumed the world of chaos and confusion would magically dwindle and subside.

But my 18th birthday came and went, and the feeling of "adult" was nowhere to be found. Sure, I wasn’t having temper tantrums anymore (or should I say, too many temper tantrums), but my life still seemed chaotic and confusing.

So I decided that maybe it would happen when I was a parent — when I became a mom, I’d feel like an adult.

But again, my ideas dissolved as I attempted to parent using the recommended "shoulds" and "musts" of mainstream parenting books.

Sara Zimmerman/Unearthed Comics.

Eventually, I’ve come to realize that I’m just a big kid stuck in an adult’s body.

I always thought at some point my body AND mind would develop into a full-grown human who acted mature and could handle the world in both its glory and devastation (aka an "adult"), but that’s still not the case. And no, this doesn’t mean I am irresponsible. Yes, I love my daughter like any parent would.

It just means that I am constantly redefining what I feel it means for me to "adult" while parenting and simultaneously trying to NOT mess up too terribly.

Sara Zimmerman/Unearthed Comics.

To be honest, I sometimes wonder if life might be simpler for me if I did act like a "real adult."

You know, someone who acts more mature, dresses neatly, drives without blasting rock n’ roll, doesn’t cuss or dance like a goddess invoking earth spirits at outdoor music festivals, makes pretty casseroles and actually enjoys watching swim practice at overly stuffy chlorinated pools.

But, that’s not me.

Sara Zimmerman/Unearthed Comics.

As other moms make their homes spotless before parties, I shuffle junk into corners and throw decorative sheets over the piles.

As others make Pinterest-perfect hors d'oeuvres, I bring organic Fruity-O’s bracelets and bags of snacks laid out on a picnic blanket. As others talk about the weather, I’m asking what makes us feel alive and wondering, "Why we aren’t doing these things now!"

And between work, exercise, relationship building, and my own play, I dedicate that time for me and my daughter. This is time where, despite me not being that perfectly mature adult, I try to be present with just her, whether it’s in the sandbox, playing pretend, doing art, or just cuddling on the couch.

Though I probably "should" be teaching her how to cook a perfect lasagna and act politely, I’d much rather let her be 8 years old for a bit longer and teach her how to make that perfectly bizarre silly face or dance crazy to rock n’ roll or pretend we’re fairies in a forest, or explain how to properly wear underwear on her head as we fold the laundry.

Sara Zimmerman/Unearthed Comics.

In all this trying, my main goal is to parent the best I can while still remaining me, which means nope, I’m not a "real adult."

I am not perfect,. And yep, there will be a lot of immaturity, silliness, and messing up while I try with my best intentions.

And, hopefully, just hopefully, my daughter will learn how to honor that incredible childlike innocence and playfulness by bringing it through her entire life, too, so she also can feel free in non-adulting as she makes waves in her world.

Sara Zimmerman/Unearthed Comics.

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Love Unearthed Comics? You can help keep it going by contributing a few dollars through Patreon.

Sara Zimmerman is the creator of Unearthed Comics, and she keeps herself busy as a cartoonist, artist, mom, entrepreneur, web/graphic designer, climber, and drummer.

You can follow Unearthed Comics here on Facebook and Twitter.



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These students painted their parking spots, and the results are a win for arts education.

Art for art's sake.

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Last week, Martha Caldera tweeted a photo of her parking spot at West Orange High School that went insanely viral because, well ... just look at it.

Martha loves the rapper Drake and is also often late to school, so she decided to paint a clever take on his album titled "If You’re Reading This It's Too Late." Obviously, lots of people empathized with her message, with more than 24,000 Twitter users retweeting the photo.

"I'm happy my high school lets seniors do this, it's awesome!" Martha said.

Meanwhile, Mark Hamilton and his son decided to paint a spot dedicated to "Napoleon Dynamite" — a favorite movie of theirs.

"My son was elected Senior Class President. This was during his campaign. 'Vote for Pedro' came up often in discussion. It fit," wrote Mark.

Since the students and parents seem to love this creative outlet, West Orange High School has turned painting parking spots into a yearly tradition.

Here's a shot of all the spots from a drone that one student's father (who also happens to be a professional photographer) took in August:

Taken one day after all the art was completed. Photo by TK Photography.

His daughter Sara's spot was inspired by her favorite Disney movie, "Tangled":

Sara sitting on her parking spot. Photo by TK Photography.

Most of the seniors who painted their spots drew inspiration from something personally meaningful to them. Whether it's a song, a movie, or a famous quote, they thought out of the box to bring each idea to painted fruition.

And West Orange isn't the only school doing this. Several high schools in Texas have also adopted the painting practice.

It's incredibly refreshing to see schools embracing artistic expression this way, especially considering how many art programs have been cut since the 2008 recession.

According to U.S. News & World Report, funding has been cut from more than 80% of schools in the United States in the last eight years, and the first things to go are almost always art programs.

This is a real shame because studies have shown that students who are exposed to art education are actually more proficient in reading, writing, and math.

Not only are art courses vital to students' development, they can be instrumental in building skills needed for those coveted, high-paying jobs.

Drew Faust, president of Harvard University, put it succinctly: "The ability to innovate—a skill that nine of out ten employers agree is the most important for new hires—requires thinking beyond immediate needs and making creative leaps. Where better to model this approach than in the arts and humanities?"

Even though it may seem like a simple project, allowing students to express themselves through painting their parking spaces sends an important message to the rest of the education community: Art has an impact on our present and our future.

Photo by TK Photography.

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James Gaines explains: 4 epically wrong myths about the HPV vaccine.

America is a bit behind on the HPV vaccination trend. I'll explain why that's a problem.

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Remember when I explained how polio isn't really a thing anymore in the U.S.?

A polio victim in 1947. Photo by Sonnee Gottlieb/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

That's because we invented and then distributed vaccines to as many people as possible. Today, polio's gone from a modern scourge to a hazy shadow, infecting fewer than three dozen people in 2015. And even with a recent set back in Nigeria, we're incredibly close to making polio a thing of the past.

Well, thanks to another vaccine, we might be able to drive another disease into the shadows, too.

HPV, also known as the human papillomavirus, is a big family of viruses that live in human beings. Some strains are relatively harmless, causing problems like common warts. Others, however, are much more serious.

Some strains of HPV can be spread through sexual contact and are known to cause several different kinds of cancer, including almost all cases of cervical cancer.  And these cancer-causing strains are incredibly common: About 14 million Americans catch them every year. HPV is basically the common cold of sexually transmitted infections.

10 years ago, however, we got a vaccine for HPV. And the latest numbers show it's been incredibly effective.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

The vaccine, which is meant to be given to kids sometime between their pre-teen years and early 20s, specifically targets some of the strains of HPV known to cause cervical cancer (from here on, I'm going to use "HPV" to specifically refer to these strains, by the way). Early tests on the vaccine showed a lot of promise, and this year those numbers have been seriously backed up.

Earlier this year, a worldwide study suggested an up to 90% drop in infection rates in countries with a high level of immunization.

They also showed an 85% drop in the kinds of pre-cancer signs associated with cervical cancer in those populations.

In the U.S., however, pickup on the HPV vaccine has been a little slow, possibly because of stigma and a few common misconceptions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, only about 50% of U.S. boys ages 13-17 and about 62% of girls got at least one round of the vaccine (it takes three shots, spaced a few months apart, to become completely immunized). This is great compared to other years — the numbers are rising — but compared to other countries, we're still a bit behind.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

What are some of those misconceptions?

1. "HPV isn't common enough to worry about."

Actually, we know that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Like I mentioned above, each year about 14 million people catch it and about 27,000 cases of HPV-caused cancer are diagnosed.

2. "Vaccines are risky."

Actually, we know that vaccines — including the HPV vaccine — are on the whole pretty damn safe.

3. "You only need the HPV vaccine if you're sexually active, so I don't need to give it to my kids."

It's true that people who've never been sexually active aren't really at risk of HPV, but immunizing a teenager can protect them well into their adult life. Plus, the best time to prevent infection is before they've ever been potentially exposed, so giving it to kids actually makes a lot of sense.

4. "It's only for girls. My son doesn't need it."

Boys can benefit from it too. While it's most well-known to cause cervical cancer, HPV can cause other kinds of cancer too as well as genital warts. Plus, by getting vaccinated, a man can protect any sexual partners he might have!

(This reluctance may also have a bit to do with the stigma surrounding the fact that HPV is an STI, too, but talking about STIs is an important part of sex education and something we shouldn't shy away from.)

We're on our way to putting HPV on the same bookshelf as other extinct diseases, like polio and smallpox.

A girl gets an HPV shot in Honduras. Photo by Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty Images.

In an article by the BBC, professor Ian Frazer, one of the scientists who created the first HPV vaccine, was quoted as saying, "If we vaccinate enough people, we will eliminate these viruses."

A world without the single greatest cause of cervical cancer? And we get a whole lot of other cancers down at the same time?

Yeah, that sounds pretty great.

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Remember 'Shutter Island'? Now it's an urban farm for low-income families.

After years of vacancy, this island is returning to its original 1600s purpose as a farm.

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You might recognize Boston's Long Island as the basis for the thriller movie and book "Shutter Island."

Based on a Dennis Lehane novel and set in an isolated asylum in the Boston Harbor, the movie is probably best remembered as Leonardo DiCaprio's second theatrical attempt at a Boston accent, for better or for worse.

Photo via ENTRTNMNT/YouTube.

In real life, though, the 225-acre Long Island has served a number of interesting purposes over the years.

Local Native American tribes used it as a farm when the English settlers first arrived in the 1600s. And yes, it was once home to a mental institution — though not quite as intense as the one depicted in the movie.

But over the years, the island has also functioned as a military fort, a hotel and resort, a refuge base for ex-Nazi scientists, a home for unwed mothers, and an addiction rehab center.

Photo by Doc Searls/Flickr.

For nearly 20 years, until 2014, the island even served as the city's largest homeless shelter.

It once housed more than 700 people. But it wasn't just any shelter: Residents also worked a large farm plot while they lived there, growing their own food and learning crucial new skills for after they left the island.

However, in 2014, city engineers condemned the only bridge out to the island as being unstable. And as a result, people without homes and in recovery were rushed off the island and into various group homes on the mainland, leaving farm fields, equipment, and other facilities abandoned.

Photo by Monika Schroeder/B.good, used with permission.

But now, after several years of vacancy, Long Island has returned to its original 1600s purpose as a farm ... with a clever modern twist.

It all started when a local restaurant chain called B.good screwed up while catering a 700-person event for Camp Harbor View, which creates summer programs that cater to at-risk Boston youth from low-income communities. B.good co-founder Jon Olinto figured that he owed an apology and a personal visit to the organizers of the event.

But when he went to speak with the staff at Camp Harbor View, Olinto ended up in discussion about the potential for that abandoned farm on Long Island instead, where the camp used to host some of their programs.

"It was all about, how we can build community, how can we keep this relationship," Olinto said. "It was never about, 'We can launch a farm.' I mean, getting on a boat? That's ridiculous." (Yes, the bridge is still out, so all transportation for now to and from the island is done by boat.)

Photo by Monika Schroeder/B.good, used with permission.

The Hannah Farm project came together fast and furiously.

The main idea was simple: B.good would take over management of the three acres of abandoned farmland on Long Island to grow a wide range of produce, from green and yellow beans to cherry tomatoes to kale and beets and radishes and herbs.

During the summer, they'd also be helped by local teenagers through Camp Harbor View. The teens would help out around the farm while also learning skills for potential future employment.

The summer camp aspect of the program would include a "Farm Club," where campers would learn how to prepare wholesome and delicious meals from the produce that they themselves had farmed. And campers would be provided with breakfast and lunch while working on the farm, too.

75% of the food grown at Hannah Farms would go to the working teenagers and other low-income families in the area, with the other 25% going to local B.good restaurants.

Photo by Monika Schroeder/B.good, used with permission.

The farm's first harvest at the end of August 2016 provided nearly 700 pounds of food to over 250 low-income families. And that was just the beginning.

Due to a late start, Olinto only expects about 20,000 pounds of produce by the end of the first fall harvest. But he fully expects to double that in 2017.

"At the core of B.good from the beginning, we've always tried to do something positive and I think we have a history for that," Olinto said.

In the future, they also plan to partner with Fair Foods, a long-running Boston-based nonprofit that sells fresh, affordable produce to families in low-income areas. And they'll continue their "Farm Club" food education program through the school year, too, as part of a new teen center initiative in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.

Photo by Monika Schroeder/B.good, used with permission.

Can a for-profit company do good, help others, and help themselves? Olinto believes it's possible.

"Entrepreneurial spirit creates change, and it can be a force for good," he says. "And I hope in some small way that there can be a model for how companies can help improve communities."

For the hundreds of families being fed by the once-defunct farm on the former Shutter Island, that mission is certainly making a difference.

Check out what the folks at B.good are up to, below:

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A big thanks to B.good for all their hard work and taking the time to talk to us! (Also for their delicious, wholesome food.) They didn't pay us to write this post; we just love what they're doing! They have 25 New England locations plus 15 more throughout the Northeast if you want to check them out.



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