Hey! If you haven’t seen it already, I’d like to show you this cool documentary called Jiro: Dreams of Sushi. This great documentary follows the life of Jiro Ono, a world-renowned sushi chef. He’s been doing the same job for over 75 years, even getting on the train from the same position every day! He always tastes the food before serving, and dislikes the holidays, claiming that they are too long away from work. It also follows his son Yoshikazu, who aspires to take over after his father is gone. If you have netflix, you can watch the full movie from there. Otherwise, I found the whole thing in six parts, just click on these links to the different parts.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Enjoy this awesome flick!

Hey! Just wanted to show you this cool website where you can check out tons of street art by tons of different people. Check it out here. This goes to work by Isaac Cordal in Barcelona, Spain. Awesome job, Isaac!

Hello! Today is 12/12/12, and I’m here to tell you some interesting facts about today. First off, today is Anti-Doomsday Day, which is a day for rational thinking. Rational thinking includes knowing that the world will NOT end on the 21st, for all you who believe it will. NASA has proved it won’t. Anyways, getting back on topic, today is the last of the repeating dates until January 1, 2101. at 12:12:12 today, the number will be repeated six times! at 1:21:02, it will be a palindrome, as the date will be the same forwards and backwards.

Famous birthdays today include Gustave Flaubert (Born 1821), Edvard Munch (1863), Frank Sinatra (1915), Helen Frankenthaler (1928), Dionne Warwick (1940), and Tony Williams (1945). Famous deaths today include Robert Browning, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, and Ike Turner. Lastly, today is National Ambrosia Day. All of you Percy Jackson fans out there know what it is already, but for those who don’t, it’s a food of the Greek gods that will heal severe wounds. However, the Ambrosia we’re talking about is canned fruit, Cool Whip, cherries, marshmallows, and coconut. Ew.

Well, that’s all about today’s date. Don’t forget to comment!

I’m sure you all know how frustrating it can be when your kids ask for so many things for Christmas, and then you have to go out and spend money to get it, and all the stores are crowded, and none are empty, and the process of wrapping, and trying not to wake your kid up as you put them under the tree, and the kids will forget about them eventually anyways. Wouldn’t it be great if the whole thing just… sort of… went away?

Well, in 1912, it did. While all this was happening, a man named August Belmont had become fed up with all this money-spending. He announced to a group of women that a new society was formed: SPUG. What does that stand for? The Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving. What Belmont wanted was exactly that. Don’t buy useless stuff, pay attention to what others really need. So the society started. Thousands of people joined by December, and the 10 cent dues actually helped to fund the first community Christmas Tree ceremony in America at Madison Square Park.

Soon, a men’s branch was formed, led by former President Roosevelt, and SPUG spread throughout the country. The society remained strong until WWII, where rationing was necessary. When the 1950’s came around, the society seemed to be forgotten about.

I hope you enjoyed this little chapter of American history. Don’t forget to comment!

Good morning! Today is 12/12/12, but I’m not here to talk about the date. No, I’m here to show you these 10 cool charity gifts, which are also healthy for the environment! Some may seem a bit odd, but they’re all worth it, trust me. Well, let’s start!

Gift #1: Dung. Yeah… you probably want to stop reading right about now. Don’t. That’s right, you can buy dung to increase crop yields for just 12$. I promise the other gifts won’t be gross.

Gift #2: Give a butterfly a tree. You can buy a tree for just 25$ to help save butterflies, specifically monarchs. Consider this one to help your winged insect friends!

Gift #3: “Adopt” an octopus. That’s right, you can adopt a cephalopod for 30-70$. When you “adopt” one, the money is put toward protecting marine life from harm. Plus you get all that slimy cuteness.

Gift #4: Save children. For 20$, you can have health educators teach children in poor countries about good hygiene, like hand washing. This will then reduce the risk of diarrhea by 40%, and save children! By doing this, you have saved children and thus have given yourself the title of superhero.

Gift #5: Make yourself a Scottish Lady or Lord, and save land at the same time. Yes, you can actually become a Scottish Lady or Lord for just 50$. In addition to that, you also save about one square foot of Scottish land to protect it from development. A win-win!

Gift #6: Give a family a camel. Most of us can access milk and get around pretty easily these days, but there are still some people who can’t. For those people, give ’em a camel. Not only can the camel be used for transportation, but the family also lives in a place where it’s too hot for liquid, so the camel will provide milk for them! This gift costs 85-850$, so it’s a bit pricey. However, once again, you have proven yourself to be, all joking aside, a hero. Seriously.

Gift #7: A pass for the National Parks. a pass costs just 80$, and you help preserve our land. A pass gives you a year’s access of an unlimited number of great parks!

Gift #8: Bikes, not bombs. I can’t put a price on this one, because it costs any amount. But if you donate a bike or bike part, it will be donated economic development projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Gift #9: Adopt a word. Eh… yeah. you’ll be able to discover a new word, and the money will go to helping children with communication difficulties. Yet another win-win! One word is 24$.

Gift #10: Feed a bison for a year. Yes, for just 150$, you can feed your very own bison in the Great Plains or Mexico for a full year so that they have food!

Well, that’s all the gifts for now. Consider buying some of these, and if you don’t, make sure to tell friends and family about it. Don’t forget to comment, and above all, make a change in your lifestyle!

Check out this awesome video I saw today of Porter, the world’s first driving dog! The workers at the SPCA trained Porter to drive, and as they say, dogs this smart deserve a home!

Here’s another cool work of art I think you’ll like! These paper sculptures are made from book pages depicting scenes from that book. Jodi Harvey Brown has made books like Treasure Island and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer leap off the pages that you can check out here. Great job, Jodi!