Delivering Smiles
After facing food insecurity as a child, Shawn now ensures families in his community have enough to eat
11.13.20
True
This year more than ever, many families are anticipating an empty dinner table. Shawn Kaplan lived this experience when his father passed away, leaving his mother who struggled to provide food for her two children. Shawn is now a dedicated volunteer and donor with Second Harvest Food Bank in Middle Tennessee and encourages everyone to give back this holiday season with Amazon.
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Over one million people in Tennessee are at risk of hunger every day. And since the outbreak of COVID-19, Second Harvest has seen a 50% increase in need for their services. That's why Amazon is Delivering Smiles and giving back this holiday season by fulfilling hundreds of AmazonSmile Charity Lists, donating essential pantry and food items to help organizations like Second Harvest to feed those hit the hardest this year.
Visit AmazonSmile Charity Lists to donate directly to a local food bank or charity in your community, or simply shop smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible products to your selected charity.
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File:Pornhub-logo.svg - Wikimedia Commons
A 2015 survey conducted by the National Union of Students found that 60% of respondents turned to porn to fill in the gaps in sex education. While 40% of those people said they learned a little, 75% of respondents said they felt porn created unrealistic expectations when it comes to sex. Some of the unrealistic expectations from porn can be dangerous. A study found that 88% of porn contained violence, and another study found that those who consumed porn were more likely to become sexually aggressive.
But now the thing that breaks those unrealistic expectations… might also be porn? Pornhub has launched a sex education section.
The adult website's first series is simply titled, "Pornhub Sex Ed" and contains 11 videos and is accessible through the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center. The section also contains articles, some showing real anatomy and examples in order to bust myths people may have picked up on other portions of the website.
<p>The video series covers everything you need to know about sex and were too afraid to Google, including male and female anatomy, STIs, communication, and how to prepare for sex. The series even covers how to have safe sex during the pandemic, because your gym teacher probably never taught you how to put a face mask on a banana.</p><p>While studies have <a href="https://www.webmd.com/sex/news/20170512/study-sees-link-between-porn-and-sexual-dysfunction#1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">linked watching porn to erectile dysfunction</a>, porn is still a popular pastime for many. Pornhub gets 130 million visitors a day, in fact. And while porn is far from educational (because the pizza boy is never going to break out into a math problem when he asks for a tip), the website does want to inform and educate viewers on IRL sex. "For many people, their first real exposure to sexual imagery is from popular culture, where dramatization and entertainment value distort what real sex is like. That's why the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center created this new video series: to provide a go-to resource for people to learn about how to have sex safely and get visual answers to common questions about sexual experiences," Pornhub Vice President Corey Price said in <a href="https://www.pornhub.com/press/show?id=2071" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a release</a>. </p><p>One of the more surprising things about Pornhub's Sexual Wellness Center - aside from the fact that it exist – is who visits it. Just over half of all visitors are millennials under the age of 35, and over 70% of visitors are men. "One third of our visitors are over 45 — that tells us that we are never too old to learn a thing or two about sexuality," Dr. Laurie Betito, Director of the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center, said <a href="https://www.scarymommy.com/pornhub-sex-ed-video-series/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">per Scarry Mommy</a>. "Our sexuality is not static; it is ever evolving, which is demonstrated by our numbers."</p><p>After all, you can't really expect a team of cheerleaders to resort to <em>unusual </em>fundraisers when trying to get themselves to Dallas!</p>
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It isn’t always easy to ask for help. But when organizations like Bread for the City bring you into their family, anything is possible.
11.19.20
True
A lot of people here are like family to me," Michelle says about Bread for the City — a community nonprofit located in Washington DC that provides local residents with food, clothing, health care, social advocacy, and legal services. And since the pandemic began, the need to support organizations like Bread for the City is greater than ever, which is why Amazon is Delivering Smiles to local charities across the country this holiday season.
Watch the full story:
Amazon is giving back by fulfilling hundreds of AmazonSmile Charity Lists, and donating essential pantry and food items to help organizations like Bread for the City provide to those disproportionately impacted this year.
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My father trafficked me throughout my entire childhood. It looked nothing like people think.
07.31.20
I saw this poster today and I was going to just let it go, but then I kept feeling tugged to say something.
While this poster is great to bring attention to the issue of child trafficking, it is a "shocking" picture of a young girl tied up. It has that dark gritty feeling. I picture her in a basement tied to a dripping pipe.
While that sounds awful, it's important to know that trafficking children in the US is not all of that. I can't say it never is—I don't know. What I do know is most young trafficked children aren't sitting in a basement tied up. They have families, and someone—usually in their family—is trafficking them.
<p>I'm pretty open about my story. My father trafficked me from the ages of about 5 or 6 until I was a teenager. Knowing this, I can say, I was never once tied up in a dark place such as this picture. It's important for people to educate themselves on what trafficking can really look like.<br></p><p>Many, many times I walked into an amusement parks dressing room—Hershey, Dorney, etc.—with my father, told to wait in the stall, and a few minutes later another man came in acting like he was looking for his daughter. And that easily, a "drop" was made. Out I would walk holding his hand, nothing anyone would think twice about. Usually I'd be given something like an ice cream cone, etc. </p><p>And like me, these children are often not treated "badly." I mean, yes, they're treated awfully and violated beyond words. I mean they're are not hit, tied up, or beat up. Most of the time, they're treated with fake kindness (which really fucks up children's trust later on in life). But they're often praised, given treats, and made to feel like what is happening is a good (and normal or because they're special).</p><p>How many vacations we went on where I was left for a minute at the pool, until a man came and I left with him for a while. Airports where I was passed over to another man in a crowd, looking like any girl going from her dad or uncle to her dad or uncle. Again, a public drop and nothing suspicious.</p><p>Most children trafficked in the US are so conditioned they don't know anything else. It's their normal. I think back as an adult and think, "Why didn't I scream out for help? Make a scene?" But I had to forgive my inner child. There was no reason I knew to scream out for help. I wasn't in danger; this was just my normal life.</p><p>I say all of this to simply say, it's really important we bring attention to child trafficking in the US. VERY important. And posters like this can get the conversation going, but we also need to educate people that it doesn't all look like this. I lived in Robesonia, a tiny nothing town. My father was a little league coach. My mother knew and helped some with these happenings; and she was just a stay-at-home, small town mom. These things happen everywhere and can look very normal.</p><p>Best thing we can do is talk to children. We don't need to be graphic; but teachers, schools, need to talk to children about things like this in a child-safe way. Assume these children aren't being taken to doctors. Teachers can make a huge difference. Talk to children. Go with your gut. Schools need to not be scared to act on what they feel. Conrad Wesier had a social worker in the elementary school who pulled me out of class on more than one occasion after teachers noticed "things" and it went nowhere. Social services were never notified. And they should have been. Period.</p><p>And what you can do is watch. Pay attention. Be mindful. If you're waiting in line at a park, notice who goes in and out with what child. If you see something; speak up. If you're wrong, fine you ruined someone's day, apologize. If you're right, you saved someone's life.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ufi/reaction/profile/browser/?ft_ent_identifier=ZmVlZGJhY2s6MTAxNTgyMzUxOTMyNTE5NzA%3D&av=754553191" target="_blank"><em></em></a></p><p><em>This post originally appeared on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MelanieCholishsBook/posts/102675324870555" target="_blank">Melanie Cholish's Facebook page</a>. It has been edited lightly for publication. </em></p>
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While many of us have understandably let the challenges of 2020 get under our skin and bring us down, a young man from Florida was securing his place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full triathlon.
For the majority of people, a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride or a 26.2 mile run would be difficult on its own. The Ironman competition requires participants to complete them all in one grueling race. In a statement, Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock called Chris "an inspiration to all of us." She continued, "We are incredibly proud of Chris and the work he has put in to achieve this monumental goal. He's become a hero to athletes, fans, and people across Florida and around the world."
Nikic's journey to become an Ironman started off as a challenge far less lofty. He and his father, Nik, created the "1 percent better challenge." The idea was to keep Chris motivated during the pandemic and beyond. According to The Washington Post, the idea was for Chris to improve his workouts by one percent each day because he "doesn't like pain" but loves "food, videos games and my couch." The plan was to keep building strength and stamina while keeping his eye on the grand prize of completing a triathlon. Nik told the Panama City News Herald, "I was concerned because after high school and after graduation a lot of kids with Down syndrome become isolated and just start living a life of isolation. I said, 'Look, let's go find him something to get him back into the world and get him involved,' so we started looking around and we were fortunate that at the same time Special Olympics Florida started this triathlon program, and I thought, 'What a great way to get him started, get him in shape and get him to make some friends.'"
<p>The day before the race, Chris posted on social media, "Tomorrow I wake up and go from being a boy with Down syndrome to an Ironman." And that is exactly what he did. Chris was required by state race officials to be tethered to a guide during the running and swimming portions of the competition. Despite facing the adversity of falling off his bike and being attacked by ants at a nutrition stop as reported by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/health/first-person-with-down-syndrome-completes-ironman-scn-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>, he still crossed the finish line under the 17-hour cut off to make his time official. </p><p><br></p>
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<p><br></p><p>Shane Facteau, the Ironman Group's COO says that Nikic played an important role in keeping spirits up and moral high during a time when it has been difficult to hold large scale competitions such as the Ironman race. </p><p>As Facteau told the Panama City News Herald, "I can say on an individual level that he has had a huge impact on our team. It's been a rough year in a lot of ways. We had to move a lot of races, and I think he may not understand this but the positive impact he has had on individuals in our organization has been tremendous. It's so good to see the team be around him and feel the positive energy. He's pushing the boundaries of what's possible. He's putting himself out there, and that's something people need to understand," Facteau continued. "He's taking the opportunity, and there's always risk in that there's the chance of success or failure. We love to see people of all shapes and sizes do that."</p><p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a34276109/chris-nikic-ironman-triathlon-down-syndrome/" target="_blank">Runners World</a> last month, it appears that Nikic sees the Ironman competition as a stepping stone to greater heights. "My dream is to buy my own house, buy my own car, [and] get a smoking hot blond wife from Minnesota."</p><p>In the words of the great John Mellencamp, "Ain't that America."</p>
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