John Oliver goes off on a terrible practice that was supposed to be outlawed in the 1830s.
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When Harriet Cleveland opened her door one morning, the last thing she expected to see was a cop.

And when she did, it didn't even cross her mind that he might be there for her because the only thing she had done was get a traffic ticket.


Except he was.

Since Harriet didn't have enough money to pay her ticket, the court handed the collection responsibility over to a private company that slapped enormous fees onto the cost. Every time she tried to pay off the ticket, all the money she handed over went to cover the fees, not the ticket itself. And the fees kept increasing anyway. Eventually, she had to decide between paying the fees and covering her food and utilities.

So she gave up. And she went to jail.

The worst part? She's not alone. Not even close.

Debtors prisons' — throwing people in jail for owing money — are theoretically illegal. The federal government outlawed them in 1833, and most states followed shortly thereafter. And yet, shady cities and towns across America are bringing them back.

And that's ... well, John Oliver pretty much sums up what that is.

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Marine veteran Paul Coppola is a wonderful example of the transformational power of service dogs.

Ten years ago, he was rocked by two explosions in an attack that took the lives of 17 Marines in Afghanistan. The attack left Coppola with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and an injured back.

Coppola didn't think his struggles warranted a service dog but after prodding from his wife, he was paired with Dobby, a four-year-old black Lab mix trained by veteran organization Operation Delta Dog.

Dobby and Paul soon became best friends and partners in life.

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via © Jakub Gojda/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021 and © Zoe Ross /Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

Two of the winners of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards.

A few weeks ago, Upworthy shared the hilarious winners of the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards and the winner was a well-timed shot of a monkey who appears to have hurt the family jewels on a suspension wire. (Don't worry folks, no monkeys were harmed for the awards.)

The awards were created six years ago by Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks to promote positive awareness of animal welfare issues. The competition has been so successful, the duo decided to branch out and create the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, where photographers can submit pictures of their furry friends for a £2,000 ($2650) prize.

Donations generated by the competition go to Animal Support Angels, an animal welfare charity in the U.K.

This year's winner is Zoe Ross for "Whizz Pop," a photo of her labrador puppy Pepper who appears to be tooting bubbles.

“We never ever thought that we would win but entered the competition because we loved the idea of helping a charity just by sending in a funny photo of Pepper," Ross said in a statement. "She is such a little monkey, and very proud of herself, bringing in items from the garden and parading past you until you notice her. She is the happiest puppy we’ve ever known and completely loved to pieces.”

Here are the rest of the winners of the 2021 Comedy Pet Photo Awards.

Overall Winner: Zoe Ross "Whizz Pop," Penkridge, U.K.

© Zoe Ross /Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

Did this puppy swallow a bubble?

Best Dog Category: Carmen Cromer "Jurassic Bark," Pittsboro, North Carolina

© Carmen Cromer/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"My golden retriever, Clementine, loves to stick her face in front of the hose while I water the plants. Her expression in this photo made me think of a tyrannosaurus rex, hence the title, "Jurassic Bark." Duh nuh nuuuh nuhnuh, duh nuh nuuuh nuh nuh, dun duh duuuh nuh nuh nuh nUUUUUUhhhh." – Carmen Cromer

Best Cat Category: Kathrynn Trott "Photobomb," Ystradgynlais, U.K.

© Kathrynn Trott/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

Jeff stealing the limelight from his brother Jaffa.

Best Horse Category: Mary Ellis, "I Said 'Good Morning,'" Platte River State Park, Nebraska

© Mary Ellis/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"I like to visit the stable horses before I begin my hike at the State Park. This is the reply I received when I said 'Good morning.'" – Mary Ellis

All Other Creatures Category: Sophie Bonnefoi, "The Eureka Moment," Oxford, U.K.

© Sophie Bonnefoi/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"Cutie and Speedy are two chicks hatched from eggs placed in an incubator at home in August 2020. They spent their first few weeks indoors. In the photo, they are just over two weeks old. They were curious about everything. This is the day they discovered their own shadow. It was hilarious to see them wondering and exploring that 'dark thing' that was moving with them!" – Sophie Bonnefoi

Junior Category: Suzi Lonergan, "Sit!" Pacific Palisades, California

© Suzi Lonergan/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"Our granddaughter gave the command to sit. Beau is very obedient." – Suzi Lonergan

Pets Who Look Like Their Owners Category: Jakub Gojda, "That Was a Good One!" Czech Republic

© Jakub Gojda/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"This photo was taken by accident during the photography of my ex-girlfriend with her beloved mare. For this cheerful moment, I thank the fly that sat on the horse's nose and he instinctively shook his head." – Jakub Gojda.

Highly Commended: Chloe Beck, "Hugo the Photobomber," Walsall, U.K.

© Chloe Beck/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"This is my best friend Faith, her husband Alex, and their cheeky Sproodle, Hugo. Faith wanted a photograph to mark a special occasion—her first outing after shielding at home for 14 months. Hugo jumped into the frame at just the right moment!" – Chloe Beck

Highly Commended: Luke O'Brien, "Mumford and Chum," Coventry, U.K.

© Luke O'Brien/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"Losing the opportunity to play with my human bandmates during lockdown, Flint, my rescue dog, soon taught me that we didn't just have sharp bones in common, but musical ones, too. He soon became the perfect substitute for a collaborative stomp up at home, so much so that we felt we deserved our own band name (Muttford and Chum). With my camera set up remotely during this shoot, I think it's fair to say that the image is proof that his conviction as a performer matches my own." – Luke O'Brien.

Highly Commended: Kathryn Clark, "Wine Time," Cichester, U.K.

© Kathryn Clark/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"It's that time of day again! Little Blue enjoys it almost as much as me." – Kathryn Clark.

Highly Commended: Diana Jill Mehner, "Crazy in Love With Fall," Paderborn, Germany

© Diana Jill Mehner/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"This is Leia. As you can see, she definitely loves playing with all the leaves in autumn. It was really tricky to take this picture because you never know what the dog is going to do next." – Diana Jill Mehner.

Highly Commended: Christine Johnson, "Boing," Crosby Beach, U.K.

© Christine Johnson/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"I was busy playing with my dog on the beach and this dog came to play. I liked the shapes he was making in the air." – Christine Johnson

Highly Commended: Manel Subirats Ferrer, "Ostrich Style," Platja del Prat de Llobregat, Spain

© Manel Subirats Ferrer/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

Nuka playing hide and seek at the beach.

Highly Commended: Colin Doyle, "Nosey Neighbor," Bromsgrove, U.K.

© Colin Doyle/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"According to Ozzy, we need a new fence panel ASAP. He is fed up with Chester our nosy next door neighbor spying on him every time he has a meal." – Colin Doyle.

Highly Commended: Corey Seeman, "A Warm Spot on a Cold Day," Michigan

© Corey Seeman/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"Two of the morning regulars at the dog park are Gary (hound mix with the jacket) and Kona, one of the most chill dogs ever." – Corey Seeman.

Highly Commended: Lucy Slater, "So What?" San Diego, California

© Lucy Slater/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"This is how I like to sit!" – Vincent the cat

Highly Commended: Mollie Cheary, "Photobomb," Poole, U.K.

© Mollie Cheary/Animal Friends Comedy Pet Photo Awards 2021

"Bailey was so excited to see her friends, she couldn't sit still for a photo!" – Mollie Cheary

TD Bank

Tanya Whitaker (right)

True

Tanya Whitaker's life mantra is a large part of why she's so driven to help those in need in her community of Clinton, Maryland. It boils down to a Gilbert Young painting called "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."

"I knew I needed to do something to help break down systemic barriers and build bridges for not only the underprivileged, but the underserved," Tanya tells Upworthy. "I am assisting my brother in our community."

Tanya has been working to lift up underserved communities in almost every aspect of her life. She works in the career and technical education department for the District of Columbia's State Superintendent of Education, and helps students realize goals they didn't even know were possible. That work informed the development of her nonprofit, Skills Today Advance Tomorrow Development Center (STAT DC), which aims to "advance the economic mobility and social progress in low and moderate-income communities," she explains.

Even before starting STAT DC, Tanya felt compelled to help people have access to what they need, regardless of their circumstances. This became particularly clear to her during the pandemic, which left so many more people in need of food and/or shelter. "It has been my experience through this pandemic that all economic lines have been blurred," she says.

One thing that really stood out to her is how many children went hungry during the pandemic because schools were closed.

"America was faced with the fact that most school-aged children were getting most of their nutritional needs from the school," explains Tanya. "And without that outlet to tap into, parents were forced to get into food lines that they never thought would be part of their daily or weekly needs."

In response to the need she saw, Tanya created a sizable network of volunteers to feed the homeless in her community. Just like in her day job, she's the manager making it all happen, from organizing donations, deliveries and all the other working parts it takes to carry out such a gargantuan task on a regular basis. "I have such an awesome group of dedicated volunteers," says Tanya. "This could not be done to this magnitude without such a group." Even her 78-year-old father is involved.

Tanya Whitaker (left)Photo courtesy of TD Bank

She often doesn't have enough funds to cover the costs of her food distribution program. Thanks to a donation from TD Bank from their #TDThanksYou campaign, however, she should be able to keep her work going through the holidays — when food insecurity and homelessness are most prevalent in the U.S. "This directly impacts the daily operation of the food distribution. What the public does not see is the day-to-day expenses that we incur to make this happen," says Tanya.

TD Thanks You is TD Bank's annual campaign that aims to bolster its customers, colleagues, and communities by giving back to them in meaningful ways. This year, the 2021 #TDThanksYou campaign is highlighting stories of people who are spreading positivity and optimism in their communities without asking for anything in return. Tanya's work certainly seems to fit the bill.

Tanya's team distributes food every Thursday, but that means organization and packing of food has to begin Tuesday. Food is assembled into sections, non-perishables, meat, dairy, frozen food and produce. Thursdays tend to be the busiest days because they typically get a surprise batch of food that needs to be sorted. After all the food is sectioned out, they start assembling it into bags and prepare those bags for distribution.

Tanya's been able to keep food distribution efforts of this magnitude going with the help of several businesses. And she made those connections by literally knocking on doors.

One relationship came about when she realized a nearby mall, and its parking lots, had been sitting unused. "I drove around the parking lot until I found a security office door. I knocked on what seemed to be an abandoned, empty room, and met my wonderful angel, Ms. Carolyn Martin, the property manager for the Landmark Mall's division for Howard Hughes Corporation."

Tanya explained her mission to feed the homeless, and the next day, Ms. Martin welcomed her to use one of the mall's parking lots free of charge.

"It is imperative that we, as socially responsible individuals, not wait on government programs or a 'knight in shining armor' to come to the rescue," says Tanya.

People like Tanya use compassion and fervor to fight food insecurity, homelessness and economic inequality every day. They're not waiting for a "knight" to come to the rescue; they just pick up the proverbial sword themselves.

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.

Dolly Parton was the picture of grace in her 1977 interview with Barbara Walters.

Dolly Parton is a beloved icon whose appeal somehow bridges a diverse audience. Even people who aren't big fans of her music admire her for her kindness, philanthropy and unflappability.

Barbara Walters is a now-retired broadcast journalist who gained international fame for her candid interviews with well-known figures. Though she was renowned for her interview techniques and willingness to ask tough questions, sometimes her questions could be somewhat tactless.

Put those two together 44 years ago and you get a shining example of Parton's grace and wit in the face of tasteless questions about her looks, her breasts and criticisms lobbed at her. Parton has always been who she is and portrayed the outward appearances she wants to portray, and she calmly and deftly navigates Walters' patronizing line of questioning with impressive poise.

Watch:

So much of Barbara Walters' commentary and questioning comes across as condescending and judgmental, but Dolly Parton transforms that negativity into a positive portrayal of who she is, where she's from and what she's all about.

When Walters told her she was beautiful and didn't need the wig and the make-up and the outrageous clothes, Parton told her it was a choice she's making. “I don’t like to be like everybody else," she said. “I would never stoop so low to be fashionable, that’s the easiest thing in the world to do.

"I'm very real as far as my outlook on life and the way I care about people and the way I care about myself and the things I care about. I just chose to do this, and show business is a money-making joke and I've just always liked telling jokes," she added.

Walters asked her if she ever feels that she is a joke, since people make fun of her.

“Oh I know they make fun of me, but all these years the people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually on them,” said Parton. “I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent. I’m sure of my love for life and that sort of thing. I am very content, I like the kind of person that I am. So, I can afford to piddle around and do-diddle around with makeup and clothes and stuff because I am secure with myself.”

The questions about Parton's breasts were particularly tacky, especially by today's standards. But Parton handled it all beautifully. Her responses are a masterclass in grace and her self-assurance is a refreshing model for us all—especially now that we can see how she has stayed true to herself all these years. Anyone who has ever wondered why Dolly Parton's appearance is what it is will learn a lot from this interview, and anyone who wants to learn how to maintain dignity and class in the face of inconsideration will learn a lot as well.