Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Slideshow: Buy These Things and Support Relief Efforts in Japan

We know you don't need any material goods as incentive to give, but here are some good people offering proceeds from sales to relief efforts in Japan.

Ben Jervey
By Ben JerveyMar 23, 2011
Ben Jervey
Ben is a writer and editor covering climate change, energy, and environment, and is currently the Climate and Energy Media Fellow at Vermont Law School. He was the original Environment Editor at GOOD Magazine and his work has appeared regularly in National Geographic News, Grist, DeSmogBlog, and OnEarth. He recently worked with the non-profit Focus the Nation to publish an Energy 101 primer. When living in New York City, he wrote a book, The Big Green Apple, on how to live a lower impact life in the city. A bicycle enthusiast, Ben has ridden across the United States and through much of Europe.
See Full Bio

We know you don't need any material goods as incentive to give, but here are some good people and companies offering proceeds from sales to relief efforts in Japan.

Send more tips in the comments below. Also check out our constantly updated list of other ways to help and support the rescue and relief efforts in Japan.

nuclearjapanearthquakeactionaidrelief2011 japan earthquakejapan how to helphow to helpfukushimanuclear disasterjapan reliefnatural disasters

The Latest

Robert Reich brilliantly explains why 'Millennials Don't Have Any Money'
Money

Robert Reich brilliantly explains why 'Millennials Don't Have Any Money'

a child plays Al Pacino in Scarface; Al Pacino in Scarface
Humor

TikTok shocked by 15-year-old unhinged viral clip of kids performing ​​​Scarface​​​ in school play

More For You

man siting on wooden dock

Grief is an ongoing journey.

Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash

Therapists reveal a surprising truth about grieving and why being alone might be exactly what you need

One of the many things that unite us in life is that grief, at some point, is inescapable. Whether we lose a loved one to death, experience a breakup, or simply lose touch with a very good friend, it's a spectrum of loss, and, put simply, it's inevitable.

Over the years, many therapists have supported the idea that grief is something that shouldn't be endured in solitude. And while it's true that a sense of community can be important in hard times, there are some people who just need to process much of their grief alone.

Keep ReadingShow less
Man fixing laptop

Legislation has been introduced in all 50 states that would allow you to freely fix your electronics.

Photo credit: Canva

Wisconsin just became the latest state to introduce a historic 'right to repair' law

On February 20, 2025, Wisconsin became the last state to have introduced a right-to-repair law in the United States. The new bill would require manufacturers to make repair documentation, data, parts, and tools available to owners and independent mechanics at a fair price. This law is specifically targeted towards manufacturers of agricultural equipment such as tractors, to allow farmers to either repair their equipment themselves or hire the mechanic of their choice rather than being forced to depend on the manufacturer for repairs.

As mentioned, this bill isn’t the only one. Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, California, and Oregon have already passed right to repair laws in their state, with 20 other states considering and introducing right-to-repair bills. The remaining states have had bills introduced that were turned down. As with most legislation, it could take years for a bill to be formed into law through the proper channels.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pouring a cup of tea

Brewing tea can remove harmful metals from the water.

Photo credit: Canva

Northwestern University study shows brewing tea removes lead, toxic metals from water

Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered another benefit for tea drinkers. A recent study revealed that brewing tea actually removes harmful and toxic metals such as cadmium and lead from the water. They have found that the heavy metal ions stick to the tea leaves and are trapped on them upon brewing. This means that the tea is safer to drink than the water used to make it!

The study published in ACS Food Science and Technology showed that the tea leaves acted as an absorbing filter for those heavy metals in the brewed water, with varying success depending on the type of tea, tea bag, and steeping time. The scientists found that the most effective combination of removing toxic metals through brewing would be to brew finely powdered black tea through a paper tea bag with a long steeping time.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Mamas & the Papas' Michelle Phillips holds a banana during a performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'

Michelle Phillips famously ate a banana during The Mamas & the Papas' lip-synced spot on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' Decades later, she explained why.

Screenshot from The Ed Sullivan Show YouTube channel

Michelle Phillips debunks the myth behind her iconic 'California Dreamin' banana lip-sync

Lip-syncing is probably bizarre for most musicians. The audience can tell you’re not really producing sound—often because your microphone isn’t plugged in—and the whole thing can feel a little pointless and silly. But there are actual technical reasons why some of your favorite artists were miming on national television, and it was a pretty standard practice decades ago.

Which brings us to The Mamas & the Papas, the folk-pop quartet known for their string of sunshiny hits. In 1967, they "played" a three-song medley on The Ed Sullivan Show, including a clearly lip-synced version of "California Dreamin’"—and that resurfaced footage recently went viral due to the hilarious choices of singer Michelle Phillips, who's seen peeling and eating a banana on stage. In retrospect, many media outlets and casual fans interpreted this gesture as a fruit-fueled "protest," a moment of rebellion against the studio big wigs and their lip-sync preferences. But that doesn’t seem to be quite accurate.

Keep ReadingShow less
rainbow over palm trees

The archive is located in Fort Lauderdale.

Photo by JD Rincs on Unsplash

In Florida, one of the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ archives is preserving the history of equality

Nestled in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is one of the world’s biggest collections of LGBTQ+ historical material. It resides in Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library, or SNMAL, which has called Fort Lauderdale home since 1972, some 53 years. In that time, it has been dedicated to, as they share, “inspir[ing] and promot[ing] understanding through collecting, preserving, and sharing the proud culture of LGBTQIA+ people of all stories, and their significant role in American society.”

At SNMAL, there’s not just a lending library filled with books chronicling the queer experience–one of the U.S.’s largest with over 30,000 titles of books and media–but archives filled with objects that illustrate the depth of the queer community’s impact on American culture and history. There are newsletters from the 1950s from the Daughters of Bilitis, the country’s first lesbian civil rights organization; garments from RuPaul and John Waters; fine art prints from lauded photographers like George Platt Lynes and Herb Ritts; and so much more--like the below boot from the original Broadway production of Kinky Boots, autographed by its star Billy Porter. The space also holds regular historical exhibitions that detail facets of LGBTQ+ life, like their current exhibition on trailblazing lesbian activist Edie Windsor and forthcoming exhibitions on Bayard Rustin, queer baseball, and queer life in Broward County, where the museum is located.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tattooed man getting mugshot taken

A new study suggests that if you appear less attractive, you actually appear more innocent in court.

Photo credit: Canva

New psychological study suggests being ugly could actually help you in court

Do you think pretty people have it easier than others? While "pretty privilege" is a thing, it won't take you very far in court according to new research. A study published in Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law is showing that defendants that were considered conventionally unattractive tended to get more sympathy and leniency from jurors compared to their more attractive counterparts. If you're feeling surprised by this information, you're not alone.

Previous work and conventional wisdom would conclude that attractiveness would impact jurors to vote “not guilty” compared to their less good-looking counterparts. After all, there have been psychological studies in the past that have indicated that beautiful people were seen as more trustworthy than average or "ugly" folks. However, Professor Antonio Olivera-La Rosa of Luis Amigó Catholic University and his team found opposite results.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman drinks tea next to a surprised man

An American woman challenges her British husband's tea etiquette

Representative images via Unsplash

American woman humorously questions British husband's tea-making etiquette

Tea is something that Britishers have loved for decades. For English people, a cup of tea is associated not only with refreshments but also with a stately vibe. And so, they are extra scrupulous in making the brew. This age-old English custom stirred a debate between Lisa Dallan, who goes by @yorkshirepeach on TikTok, and her husband. Lisa is a Georgian woman who moved from the US to the UK, and her husband’s tea method left her utterly confounded.

In her “tea debate” video, Lisa wrote “Who’s right? Me or my British husband” as the caption. She said in the video that she had just put the water in the kettle and boiled it. But suddenly, her husband asked, “Is the water fresh?” She was puzzled. “Sorry? What do you mean, is it from a stream? I got it from the faucet,” she replied.

Keep ReadingShow less
Senators with image of school kids eating lunch.

Senators Smith and Blessing reach across the aisle to feed school children.

Photo credit: Ohio Capital Journal/Canva

Republicans and Democrats unite to provide free breakfast and lunch to Ohio students

A bipartisan proposal could help feed young bodies and minds. Republican State Senator Louis W. Blessing III and Democratic State Senator Kent Smith worked together across the aisle to propose S.B. 109, a law that would provide free breakfast and lunch to all students in public and chartered nonpublic schools throughout the state of Ohio. Given that one in five children in Ohio go hungry according to Feeding America, this law could provide a positive impact statewide.

If passed, Ohio will become the ninth state to implement a free school meal program alongside California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont. As a side benefit, this movement would also encourage children to attend and stay in school.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025