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5 iconic places you need to visit before climate change ruins them.

A new report from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has highlighted 31 World Heritage Sites at risk of being seriously damaged by our changing climate.

Many of them are popular tourist destinations, and all of them would be devastating to lose — many represent important pieces of our culture and history.

Here are five iconic landmarks that are in serious danger from climate change and what it would mean to lose them:

1. The Galápagos Islands could see its food web collapse, forcing animals that rely on it to abandon its shores.

Off the coast of Ecuador lies the stunning archipelago of the Galápagos Islands. It's home to many species of animals, including tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, and, yep, even penguins! There are tropical, sun-loving penguins in the Galápagos!

It's a magical place.

Photo by Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images.

Unfortunately, the weather system known as El Niño is getting worse, and it could disrupt the livelihoods of the Galápagos' unique collection of creatures. As the UN report states:

"El Niño affects the entire food web, with warmer waters reducing the upwelling of nutrients that usually characterizes the cold waters around the Galápagos, resulting in a reduction in phytoplankton availability and causing small fish and invertebrates to migrate away, as well as reducing the growth of algae on which many species rely."

Food webs are called webs for a reason. Every part of them structurally relies on the other parts; if even the smallest part is in danger, the whole thing is in danger.

Photo by Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images.

After a visit to the Galápagos, Charles Darwin started positing his theory of natural selection, which forever changed the way we look at the natural world. The islands aren't just a beautiful vacation spot — they're home to a historic, culturally important, and fragile ecosystem.

2. Yellowstone National Park could become a dry wasteland.

Yellowstone became the world's first national park when President Grant signed the Yellowstone Act in 1872, designating the region a public "pleasuring ground" (probably right before he realized how weird that sounded).

People from all over the world come to see Yellowstone's jaw-dropping landscapes, cheer for the Old Faithful geyser, and see bison and moose, all the while wondering how to pluralize "bison" and "moose."

Photo by Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images.

Unfortunately, according to the UN report, Yellowstone is a candle burning at both ends. Warming temperatures are causing shorter winters and longer summers, which means less snowfall feeding the rivers, lakes, and wetlands during winter months, as well as a longer, more dangerous fire season during summer months.

Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.

The vibrant forests of Yellowstone could be replaced with drier shrublands. And no one wants to Instagram that.

3. The Statue of Liberty is at "'high exposure' risk from sea-level rise due to the extremely low elevation of the island and its vulnerability to storms," according to the report.

In what is perhaps the greatest metaphor of all time for the threat climate change poses to our national interests, America's giant copper symbol of freedom and security is in pretty serious danger.

Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images.

For generations of immigrants, the Statue of Liberty has been a beacon of hope, an outstretched hand in a world of fists, a light at the end of the tunnel of tyranny where they could finally be free.

It remains a symbol of the promise of a second chance, comforting the tired, poor, and huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.

Rising sea levels, which are already a real-life disaster, could bring to life the iconic disaster-movie image of the "ruined Statue of Liberty." That would be a tragedy.

4. Stonehenge could become unstable and inaccessible due to flash flooding.

Stonehenge was constructed thousands of years ago by either ancient humans or aliens, depending on who you ask, and no one really knows how they did it. First of all, some of the stones were from 200 miles away. Second of all, the wheel wasn't even invented yet — it was barely a glimmer in the eye of some ancient Steve Jobs.

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images.

There are theories, sure — everything from brute force to druid magic to this guy, who figured out how to move giant stones with the clever use of tiny stones (honestly, my money is on him).

Stonehenge gets over 1 million visitors a year. Climate change, combined with such heavy tourist foot traffic, could threaten the structural integrity of the world's most famous ancient monument.

"Of most concern for Stonehenge are increasing rainfall amounts, more extreme rainfall events and worsening floods," says the UN report. "Flash floods can result in damage through gullying and wetter conditions are also expected to increase the impact of visitors walking on the site."

Photo by Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images.

Frankly, if Stonehenge is in danger, that should be one of the biggest warning signs of all. The monument has stood for thousands of years and has remained in remarkably good shape. If the changing climate has the ability to ruin its winning streak, we should all be shaking in our boots.

5. Venice, Italy, is already sinking — but rising sea levels are making the floating city drown even faster.

Venice is one of the World Heritage Sites "most at threat" from sea level rise.

"Flooding at especially high tides or as a result of storm surges has always been an issue for Venice. But now, with sea levels rising, the problem is becoming much more severe," the report says.

Photo by Franco Debernardi/Getty Images.

The report also suggests that flooding in Venice could damage the buildings that sit on the lagoon, as it did in 1966. Venice's floodgates will also have to remain closed longer and longer, which could lead to worsening stagnant water pollution.

Venice is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, and the city relies heavily on those tourist dollars. If the tourists stop coming because of the damaged buildings or unstable structures, the economic impact on the city will be massive.

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

Beyond economics, though, Venice is a city filled with history and vibrant culture. Its Renaissance architecture and old-world charm draw so much tourism for a reason. It's a beautiful place, and we should do what we can to keep it around.

The biggest takeaway from the UNESCO report is that climate change, left unchecked, can damage a lot more than we think.

There's a seemingly insurmountable amount of work to be done if we want to save these World Heritage Sites from their impending doom. There are some who say it's impossible, but humans have already done more improbable and incredible things.

We built a giant copper lady on an island to dedicate a nation to liberty. We protected 3,400 square miles of natural habitat by declaring it a national park. We discovered the origin of species. We built a city that floats on the water. We built ... whatever Stonehenge is.

And while that last thing was (debatably) created by aliens, the point is this: Humans are capable of amazing things. Stopping the effects of climate change can be one of them.

All it takes is the doing of it.

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This mobile company is changing wireless for GOOD - here is how

Via T-Mobile

Project 10 Million

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The holiday season is a great time to spread kindness to loved ones and strangers alike. That’s not just common sense, it’s science. Research suggests that people are happier when they can see their generosity making a positive impact on someone else. You don’t need to give a huge amount, either: even donating a few dollars produces a “warm glow” for the giver and helps out a person in need.

When it comes to mobilizing communities to spread kindness to one another, T-Mobile doesn’t just talk about making the world a more joyous, equitable place—they deliver when it matters most.

“We don’t wait for change, we make it,” said Brigitta Witt, T-Mobile's vice president of social impact and sustainability. “T-Mobile makes that change by focusing our efforts on three key areas. We strive to close the digital divide; promote diversity, equity, and inclusion inside and outside our walls; and build a more sustainable future.”

As we look ahead to 2022 and beyond, Witt noted that the challenges facing people and the planet cannot be solved by one company, sector, or country. But acknowledging this interconnectedness doesn’t preclude the company from giving big and taking bold steps to create a connected world where everyone can thrive.

T-Mobile's inaugural 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report details their full scope of ESG initiatives, from post-disaster aid in Puerto Rico to climate risk mitigation to programs that invest in youth entrepreneurship like the Changemaker Challenge. Here are some of the highlights that set them apart:

Bridging the Digital Divide

To ensure everyone can participate in our increasingly digital world and the 5G economy, T-Mobile launched Project 10Million, a $10.7 billion campaign to give fast, reliable internet to 10 million student households in underserved communities.

Via T-Mobile

Through this initiative, T-Mobile partners with districts like California’s 35,000-student Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to ensure students have equitable access to the tools they need to excel in school. As one of the most diverse in the country, one-third of OUSD’s students are learning English for the first time, and almost 9 out of 10 low-income students in its K–12 schools lack home internet connections.

“This left a huge disparity between those prepared with the tools for meaningful remote learning and those without,” Witt explained.

T-Mobile and #OaklandUndivided worked together with OUSD to give hotspots and wireless devices to students. With the help of Project 10Million, Witt said OUSD improved its student connectivity rate from 12% to 98%.

OUSD is just one of the thousands of school districts T-Mobile hopes Project 10Million will reach with free or highly subsidized data plans to Bridge the Digital Divide. As of September 2021, they have connected more than 3 million K–12 students across the country.

Equity In Action

The widespread outrage surrounding the murders of unarmed Black people and subsequent protests for racial and economic justice compelled T-Mobile to use its platform and voice to drive action and expand its existing diversity and inclusion commitments. This meant rethinking Equity In Action across its entire business.

Witt noted that in response to the murder of George Floyd last year, both T-Mobile and their employees (through a matching program), donated to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund for a total of $550,000. Additionally, as part of a $25 million commitment that had previously been made to drive their broad diversity and inclusion work, they immediately donated to five organizations: NUL, NAN, NAACP, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and NCBCP for a total of $1.25 million.

The donations to nationally-known organizations are just one prong of T-Mobile’s Equity In Action commitments.

Via T-Mobile

In addition to the investments they’ve already made, the company has also established new programs for their employees, customers, and communities. Their NextTech Diversity Program provides career training and placement for thousands of underrepresented candidates to take on roles as 5G network technicians, while their Lead Magenta Next program creates more opportunities for previously untapped talent and strengthens their recruiting pipeline. Witt added they also recently launched a company-wide training called One Team, Together Learning Journey, which will take all employees through an expansive multi-year experience to help them form more inclusive habits in the workplace.

Mobilize for a Thriving Planet

Witt noted that meeting these social responsibility goals isn’t possible if we don’t have a healthy, thriving planet that’s resilient in the face of a changing climate. The company is on track to meet their goal of sourcing 100% renewable energy for their total electricity usage by the end of 2021. That goal, set back in 2018 with the RE100 pledge, was an industry first.

Via T-Mobile

“We take responsibility for our environmental footprint by putting a stake in the ground to go green to preserve our planet for future generations, while also setting an example that others can follow to do the same,” Witt said.

As part of its effort to Mobilize for a Thriving Planet, T-Mobile is also keen on reducing atmospheric carbon. They set two carbon reduction targets grounded in the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), and they’re “future-proofing” network infrastructure against the effects of climate change.

How you can help

T-Mobile is making thoughtful, meaningful investments towards its social responsibility goals, but they know engaging their communities is the best way to reach those in need.

Due to the pandemic, many are unable to afford holiday gifts for their families this year. You may be one of those people, or you may know someone who is struggling.

That’s why this December the company is partnering with Pay Away the LayAway, “an amazing organization working to make a difference for families in need by paying off their layaway balances that include gifts for their children, such as games, toys, books, backpacks, clothes, and coats,” Witt explained. “We understand how much of a financial strain the pandemic has put on families.”

T-Mobile is rallying employees and the general public to raise up to $1 million for this cause, and there’s still time to get in on the action. From now through December 14, everyone can join in donating to Pay Away the LayAway. T-Mobile is asking people to retweet the #TMobileGivesBack post to trigger a $5 donation to Pay Away the LayAway.

“Because of the way we’ve set up this campaign, one-click or tweet will help make the difference for a family this holiday season. It’s so easy! And when we all work together, we can make a bigger impact,” Witt said.

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Epic coworker spat over two workplace cats, Jean and Jorts, just keeps getting funnier

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Jorts the dumb orange cat, Jean the smart Torty, and their overly concerned coworker Pam have people rolling.

If you thought cats were quirky, wait until you hear about the humans who have cats in their workplace.

In the popular AITA subreddit, in which people share personal stories and ask other users "Am I the Asshole?" it's common to find bizarre scenarios in which people behave in head-scratching ways. But a recent AITA inquiry takes the prize for the most hilarious, strange and thoroughly entertaining saga of workplace weirdness ever shared.

The initial story shared by Reddit user u/throwawayorangecat is funny enough, but the follow-up is even better.

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Forty million American adults are functionally illiterate, meet the woman striving to help them

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When Deidra Mayberry was a child, she struggled with reading. Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, she did her best to hide it. And she was pretty good at hiding it. As her family moved around a lot, due to her parents' military career, she adapted and kept hiding it — making it all the way through school without anyone really noticing.

After graduating from high school, she started looking for support to improve her reading skills.

"I was turned away because I was over the age of 17, and other private options like one-on-one tutoring were financially out of reach for me."

Deidra promised that one day she'd do something to fix it. After struggling for years, and eventually finding support, she started a nonprofit to help other adults facing their own challenges with literacy. Now she's striving to help the almost 43,000,000 adults who still are struggling. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), 21 percent of adults in the United States (about 43 million) fall into the illiterate/functionally illiterate category.

For Deidra, college was the first time she experienced and understood what functional illiteracy was. Someone who is illiterate is unable to read or write at all, but someone who is functionally illiterate has some reading skills — they're just not strong enough to manage daily living and employment tasks.

She was able to graduate by taking extra summer semesters, spending long nights studying, changing her major when it got too hard, and getting help from her dad.

"I was so proud that I actually made it through college and graduated," Deidra says. "But once I started to apply for jobs, reality kicked in fast. I never truly fixed my literacy problems. Instead, I found ways to work around them in order to spare myself the embarrassment and shame that I already felt daily."

"I relied heavily on movies to teach me and give me exposure to things in life that would help me relate to others," she says. "This caused me to live a life of fear, limitations, and hopelessness."

"I felt unworthy because I knew I had this big secret — and thought if people knew, they would see that I had no value."

Deidra continued to live like this for years until she had a lightbulb moment.

"I was working so hard to hide my literacy struggle in order to make it work, but I asked myself, 'What if I worked just as hard to fix it?'"

She found the courage to tell a friend, who began tutoring her. "The hope, courage, and confidence she helped me find was the beautiful moment of empowerment that reminded me to create and provide a resource for people just like me."

That's exactly what she did. On March 12, 2020, she and another friend decided to start a nonprofit to help other adults that were functionally illiterate. And even though COVID-19 shut down businesses and sent people into lockdown the very next day, she didn't let it stop her.

"I just believed God was with me and the time was still now because people have been waiting for this," she says.

She launched Reading to New Heights, an organization that teaches adults the fundamentals of reading with one-on-one, confidential and virtual tutoring sessions with certified educators.

"The curriculum that our educators teach from allows our adult learners to revisit the fundamentals of reading and comprehension as if they are learning them for the first time," Deidra says. "Basic reading foundations such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension are exactly what adults struggling with illiteracy need in order to build competent literacy skills and fill the gaps that illiteracy causes in education."

And most importantly, these services are provided at no cost, so that anyone who needs them has access.

"Though illiteracy and functional illiteracy can affect anyone, people in low-income and underserved communities of color are more likely to be limited in education, income, and workplace advancement opportunities because of it."

"Illiteracy and functional illiteracy can be directly linked to higher prison populations, lower household incomes, and inaccessibility to quality healthcare," Deidra explains. "By committing to developing the fundamentals of reading, our adult learners overcome both the psychological and environmental limitations of illiteracy."

Since they launched, the nonprofit has been featured on Fox 4 News, which gave them the exposure they needed to grow from three adult program participants to 20 — and they hope to continue growing. They have also been accepted into an Incubator Program with the United Way, which is designed to support them while they build their business.

Deidra is one of Tory Burch's Empowered Women this year. The donation she receives as a nominee is being awarded to her new and growing nonprofit.

"It's kind of ironic, the very thing I was ashamed of and thought I had to hide for years was the one thing that, once I shared it, not only freed me but gave me hope and provided a way to help others," Deidra says. "I love that my story has been about helping others find the courage to share and take the first step to start their literacy journey."

To learn more about Tory Burch and Upworthy's Empowered Women program visit https://www.toryburch.com/empoweredwomen. Do you know an inspiring woman like Deidra? Nominate her today!

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14 ways empowered women are already changing our world for the better

Courtesy of Alice Saisha and Farwisa Farhan

Tory Burch and Upworthy have partnered to honor incredible women making an impact this year.

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"There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.” — Malala Yousafzai

When women are encouraged to nurture their gifts and empowered to embrace their ambitions, they can truly change the world for the better. Upworthy and Tory Burch partnered this year to help women do just that by honoring amazing women for their contributions and giving them $5,000 on behalf of the Tory Burch Foundation to donate to a non-profit of their choice.

Meet the 14 women who have been honored in 2021 for their diverse commitments to making the world a more hopeful, healthy, and just place.

Victoria Sanusi: Destigmatizing Mental Health

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Victoria Sanusi started the Black Gals Livin' podcast with her friend Jas in 2018. Victoria and Jas chat about various things, but listeners especially appreciate how the podcast destigmatizes mental health. “I think perhaps for our listeners, hearing someone who looks like them experiencing low moods, depression, and anxiety makes them feel less alone,” she says. Sanusi donated her $5,000 to the Black LGBTQIA+ Fund, which helps fund therapy sessions for people in the Black LGBTQIA+ community.

Though 2021 has been a tough year for many, these impressive women and their organizations are giving back to their community in incredible ways. Empowered women inspire others, and if we want to see greater progress in our world, we need to empower more women.

Thankfully, that’s something we can all help with. Tory Burch and Upworthy are looking for more extraordinary women to honor, so if you know an empowered woman, nominate her here. Learn more about Tory Burch and Upworthy's Empowered Women program here.

Let’s all celebrate the amazing women in our lives and give them the gift of recognition they deserve.

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A viral photo of a calm dad and a screaming toddler holds an important parenting lesson

Justin Baldoni/Facebook

Actor Justin Baldoni exemplified patient parenting when his daughter had a meltdown at the store.

This article originally appeared on 06.23.17


Young kids don't always pick the best times to have emotional meltdowns.

Just ask any parent.

Grocery stores, malls, and restaurants (or any place with lots of people around) in particular seem to bring out the worst in our little ones, prompting explosive tantrums that can make even the most stoic parent turn red-faced with embarrassment.

But why be embarrassed? It's just kids being kids, after all.

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