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upworthy
Heroes

It's the 'biggest story in the world.' A direct appeal to one of the world's most generous givers.

If you could ask Bill Gates for anything, what would you ask?

He calls it the "biggest story in the world."

Newspaper editors aren't known for taking to the streets to campaign for things they're personally passionate about. But that's exactly what The Guardian's editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, is doing.

In 2015, Rusbridger launched Keep It in the Ground, a climate-change campaign aimed at minimizing the future extraction of fossil fuels.

But how?


Image by Marc St. Gil/EPA.

The campaign specifically targets the world's two largest philanthropic organizations: the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, asking them to move their money out of fossil fuel companies.

The goal? For the two mega-funders to divest their investments from the top 200 fossil fuel companies within five years and to immediately freeze any new investments in those companies.

The Wellcome Trust is one of the world's largest funders of medical research. And the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has a doing-good list that's a mile long. It's dedicated to closing the health gap between rich and poorer countries, taking on issues like ridding the world of malaria and polio, and controlling the spread of tuberculosis and HIV.


GIF via Giphy.

These groups don't fall easily into a "bad guy" category. They actually do a world of good. So why target them?

Because between the two of them, these two foundations own some $1.4 billion in oil, coal, and gas stocks.

So far about 202,000 people have signed on to the campaign, including a number of very influential people:

“People of conscience need to break their ties with corporations financing the injustice of climate change" — Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus

What do the two heavy-weight charitable organizations think about the campaign?

The Wellcome Trust responded that the goal ought to be working with coal and oil companies, engaging them to develop alternative energy technologies. After all, aren't these companies the best positioned to invest in new forms of energy production?

To that Rusbridger says, nope. Oil and gas companies have had their chance, they're dragging their feet, and action just can't wait.

And what about the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation? What have they said? *crickets* Nothing. They've actually been conspicuously quiet.

So the Keep It in the Ground campaign sent a message to Bill Gates personally. Here is what they said:

What do you think? Is the Guardian asking foundations to put their money where their mouth is, or are they on the wrong track? Check out more videos, campaign updates, a behind-the-scenes podcast series, and more at the Keep It in the Ground website. If you agree, here's the link to sign a petition to let these foundations know!

Education

A school assignment asked for 3 benefits of slavery. This kid gave the only good answer.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn't that part of the problem?

A school assignment asked for 3 "good" reasons for slavery.



It's not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids' homework.

Sometimes, it's just been too long since they've done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

And other times, kids bring home something truly inexplicable.
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Delivery guy finds baby turtle and his joy is contagious

Even as adults there are some things that make us so giddy with joy that you briefly feel like a kid again. It can be finding a four leaf clover on a walk, a tiny baby kitten or even warm cookies right out of the oven. Anything can give that inner child a chance to show itself but one delivery driver's inner child was captured on doorbell camera.

A FedEx driver had just delivered a package but when he's walking back to his truck he abruptly stops. The man spots something moving in the grass before picking it up to investigate it further. Turns out it was a baby turtle. Not just any baby turtle but one of the tiniest baby turtles you've ever seen and the delivery driver is immediately filled with excitement.

It was truly one of those moments where someone else needs to see what you see to release so of the joy into the atmosphere but there was no one around.

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Taylor Swift at 2022 Toronto International Film Festival Red Carpet Day 2.

The wordsmiths over at Merriam-Webster have announced their official “Word of the Year for 2023,” they say it’s something we are “thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more” than ever.

The word is authentic.

According to the dictionary, the most common definitions of authentic are “not false or imitation,” “being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character,” and “worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact.”

Merriam-Webster says the word saw a “substantial increase” in lookups this year. That’s probably because we now live in a world where artificial intelligence, deepfake technology and questionable memes challenge our basic notions of reality.

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Family

Couple takes their daughter on an 'only child moon' before she becomes a sister

The sweet and thoughtful idea has other parents taking note.

@sportsdrmorgan/TikTok

Couple takes their daughter on a "only child moon"

Babymoons have become a very popular activity for expecting parents. It’s a celebratory vacation for parents to bask in quiet, relaxing one-on-one time before the baby comes. Think of it as one last hurrah before parenthood.

However, one couple has turned the idea on its head—focusing not on themselves, but their first-born daughter who would soon become a sister. A video of their lovely “only child moon,” as they dubbed it, is currently making the rounds on TikTok and leaving people just a wee bit teary eyed.

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Woman has comically tragic adventure trying to renew passport

Envision preparing for months to celebrate your mom's birthday abroad in Dubai only to get to the airport to watch your entire family board the plane without you. One woman doesn't have to imagine because it happened to her, taking the stranded woman on multiple unwelcome adventures.

Nneoma and several members of her family planned a trip to Dubai for her mom's birthday but when it was time to board the flight, the woman was denied. She thought she had everything in order not knowing that if your passport is expiring within six months of leaving the country–you can't leave. The devastation she must've felt hearing she couldn't join her family.

But Nneoma had a plan. She would simply go to a same day passport place and renew her unexpired passport then catch a flight the next day to join the festivities. The woman planned and the universe laughed. It was not that easy.

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The grandmother was suspicious.

A grandmother always felt her middle granddaughter Lindsay, 15, looked slightly different from the rest of the family because she had blonde, curly hair, while the rest of her siblings’ hair was dark “I thought genetics was being weird and I love her,” she wrote on Reddit’s AITA forum.

But things became serious after Linday’s parents “banned” her from taking things a step further and getting a DNA test. If the family was sure their daughter was theirs, why would they forbid her from seeking clarity in the situation? After the parents laid down the law, the situation started to seem a little suspicious.

“I told my son and [daughter-in-law] that there was something fishy around her birth she needed to know. They denied it and told me to leave it alone,” the grandma wrote.

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