Distilled to its most basic form, GOOD is about the various ways, big and small, people give back to their communities. One wishes that the sort of human kindness we herald would come naturally, like breathing or yawning, but we understand how difficult it can be to give a damn. If caring about this stuff were easy, there wouldn’t be an entire nonprofit sector designed to winning your money and consideration.

Owing to this internal struggle between selflessness and selfishness, our GOOD Challenge for February is to snap you out of the selfish habits into which we all sometimes fall and make you a great citizen—for a month, at first, but hopefully for ever after come March. To do this, we’ve partnered with Eric Liu, author of Gardens of Democracy, and Liu’s Guiding Lights Network, an organization dedicated to promoting civic engagement.


Each day this month, we’ll ask you to do a different task. It could be something as simple as supporting a local business instead of a chain, or yielding in traffic. Other, more time-consuming tasks will ask you to register to vote if you haven’t already, or sign up for a library card. Nothing will be unmanageable, and everything will put you on the path to becoming a better citizen, regardless of where you live.

As usual, consider this post an open invitation to join in the challenge. Check GOOD.is at 8:30 a.m. EST every day of February to see that day’s task. Or, sign up for the challenge newsletter below. On Twitter and Facebook, we’ll be using the hashtag #30DaysofGOOD to keep you abreast of our progress, and we hope you’ll use it to let us know how you’re faring as well.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in March, when we’ll all be brighter, more informed, and friendlier people.

Propose an idea to promote GOOD citizenship in your community, and you could win $500 to make it happen.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJMiUUoPdkM

  • Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
    Dogs have impressive observational powers.Photo credit: Canva

    Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.

    “A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”

    His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.

    pregnancy signs, dogs and pregnancy, pitbull behavior, pet intuition, dog overprotection, Reddit stories, viral Reddit, dog instincts, canine emotions, dog owner tips
    Otis knew before they did. Canva

    Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.

    So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”

    The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.

    Any chance your wife is pregnant?

    ZZBC | Reddit

    The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!

    “The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”

    Redditors responded with similar experiences.

    Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.

    realityisworse | Reddit

    So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?

    Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”

    The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.

    This article originally appeared last year.

  • Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.

  • ,

    Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories

    Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.

    While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.

    When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.

    Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.


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