NEW DELHI —Their classroom is a flattened patch of dirt and rocks under the elevated rail tracks. Their blackboards are rectangles painted on a chipped concrete wall. Their teacher is a shop owner with no formal training, but a conviction that education is their only hope.
7 It’s been said that depression is the inability to construct a future. If you see hope and potential, then hold on to it, because it’s a good sign that there may be a chance at happiness and fulfillment. Don’t give up. Follow even the tiniest spark. A lot of lives have been saved that way. Best of luck.
(Source: failedsuicide)
It’s stories like this that rekindle my faith in humanity, and validate my love of meeting people and assuming the best in them. Plus, it’s a remarkable social experiment. I’d like to see more of this done. Heck, I’ve always wanted to try it…
5 Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
The Working Families Party was founded in 1998 by labor unions and community groups that were upset by the rightward shift of the Democratic Party. It made a name for itself that year by garnering 50,000 gubernatorial votes on its ballot line for Democratic candidate Peter Vallone—enough to ensure the party a place on future ballots. (To get on the ballot in the first place, a registered party must collect a given number of petition signatures.)
In the following years, the WFP elected a raft of progressives to the New York City Council, including one of its own, Letitia James—the first third-party candidate in 30 years to win a council seat. In 2010, the party’s ballot line delivered nearly 200,000 votes to Democratic New York State Comptroller Tom Dinapoli—not an enormous number for a statewide race, but enough for the WFP to be taken seriously.
But the WFP is perhaps best known for pushing legislation, including a recent Connecticut bill requiring employers to offer paid sick leave. “They had a big impact,” says Chris Donovan, Connecticut’s speaker of the House, who is running for Congress this year with support from the WFP. “They were a real boost to providing energy to the campaign, and not only convincing people it was a good idea but also electing people who would support it. Both things have to happen for a bill of that magnitude to pass.”
In many respects, the WFP is a hybrid of a traditional third party and a group like MoveOn.org; in addition to rallying behind legislation and throwing its weight to candidates, it builds grassroots campaign operations at the local and state levels, and nurtures a farm team of progressive contenders. The party played a leading role in the Reardon-Schaufler race, bringing in support from its union members and enlisting its own paid canvassing and phone banking operations. It later convinced MoveOn to pile into the race with a fresh shot of volunteers, fundraising, and online organizing.
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Perhaps because it is human nature, and all we can do is hope and press onward.
(Source: things-you-dont-know, via colorfulblackness)
Luckily, I’m a stubborn fool, so I’ll try all I want, because there’s no harm in attempting :P As long as you’re alive, you’re still trying. And as long as you’re still trying, so will I. This goes to anyone who ever feels like a lost cause. I won’t give up on you.
(Source: psychotic-suicide)
7 I think someone was cutting onions around me while I was watching it…
1 There is no greater honor than to be trusted. I dare say it’s a better compliment than love itself. To trust someone is to make yourself vulnerable. In this often cruel and difficult world of ours, putting yourself at risk is the greatest gesture you can show. That is why I value trust above everything, and could never live with myself if I violated it.
6 This video proves that true love can emerge in the most unlikely places. I’m lucky enough to have had a similar experience with my current girlfriend. Don’t lose hope people. I know it’s cliche, but no one ever knows what lies ahead.
Below is a picture of the happy couple:
2 5 It’s amazing what a little talking can do. Most people just want someone to hear them out.
Earlier this year CNN(embedded above), the BBC, and the Associated Press reported about Yukio Shige, a retired police officer who founded a non-profit organization that helps prevent suicides. Shige spends most of his days at the Tojimbo Cliffs, a scenic spot where many people come to commit suicide. When he spots suspicious-looking loners, Shige goes and talks to them to see if they are okay. Using this method, he has saved many people:
“Many people don’t have anybody to turn to when they are in dire trouble,” said Yukio Shige, a retired policeman who founded a nonprofit group combatting suicide. “Even those who are determined to commit suicide still hope that someone will come from behind and stop them from jumping off the cliff.”
NTV’s Real Time News aired an extended segment about Shige earlier this week, chronicling a few cases in which he convinces people not to commit suicide:
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