 |
|
May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Kindness taught in school's online class
By
Linda Shaw
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
SEATTLE — If you recently found a shiny gold dollar coin in downtown Bellevue, Wash., thank the kindness class. Ditto if you stumbled upon a piece of glass art in Seattle's Pioneer Square, or a lottery ticket taped to a bus shelter with a note saying, "This may be your lucky day."
Since mid-September, the 250 people in Puget Sound Community School's online course learned about kindness by practicing it.
Along the way, they took emotional risks, repaired relationships, improved their outlook on the world, and realized kindness is contagious.
Signing up for the class "just felt like the right thing to do in order to step outside of myself and see the world as a helpful, kind place, as opposed to a frightening place," said Barbara Kyllingstad, who enrolled as a way to combat the isolation she's felt since she got laid off from Washington Mutual this year.
"I feel a lot more peaceful and positive about the world."
The phrase "random acts of kindness" first showed up at least a decade ago, a play on the expression "random acts of violence." Since then, books, movies and even national organizations have sprung up to keep the trend going.
Puget Sound Community School's kindness class — now in its 15th year — is a homegrown example that this year drew a record number of students. A few were teenagers who attend the small, private school near the Chinatown International District, which serves grades six through 12, but many were friends and friends of friends who live as far away as Poland.
Class instructor Andy Smallman, co-founder of the school, calls it a "positive virus."
Smallman offered his first kindness class just to the teens at his school, where creating a nurturing environment is central to the educational philosophy. It was so successful he offered the second class online, inviting anyone, anywhere, of any age, to sign up.
"It was the idea of throwing a little pebble into a pond and seeing how far the ripples would go," he said.
The first assignment: Do something kind for yourself. Like airplane passengers instructed to put on their own oxygen masks first in an emergency, we all need to tend to ourselves before we can care for others, Smallman says.
The second assignment: Do something kind for someone you love.
Then for a neighbor. Then for a stranger.
Smallman also stretches the definition of kindness. Assignment No. 10, for example, was to do something useful.
Class members wrote anonymous compliments to co-workers, left homegrown pears out for passers-by, cleaned street storm drains, picked up trash and slipped a $20 bill inside the next empty cup a barista would pick up.
A woman who lives in Astoria, Ore., bought a $15 Fred Meyer gift card and left it on the windshield for a young mother who had just entered a nearby unemployment/welfare office.
Another kindness student, after running a half-marathon, gave her participation medal to the 76-year-old man who finished last, because race organizers by then had run out of medals.
Shortly after the killing of the four Lakewood, Wash., police officers, Chris Falskow, a 48-year-old real-estate agent and a board member at Smallman's school, went to a Starbucks near his office where officers from Seattle's Harbor Patrol often go, and paid in advance for their next order.
Falskow says he was inspired by an Edmonds, Wash., man who also bought coffee for police officers — evidence, he says, that one kind act often begets another.
"If more people realize what they do with their acts of kindness ... we will live in a better place," he said.
Victoria Clearwater, who has a child at the school, said she was struck by how much these small acts of kindness enrich her own life.
"When a kinder option is chosen, it truly radiates out and comes back to you."
Smallman asked class members to share reports of their deeds on the class homepage, and to reflect on their feelings about what they've done. But since it was an informal class, they weren't compelled to do so. There were no grades or credit, although students at the school could apply the activities to some requirements there.
Some participants chose not to write about what they have done because they felt that would be self-serving. In past classes, Smallman says, some have made a strong case every kind act is ultimately selfish. And there's probably some truth to that, he said, but he personally doesn't care.
To him, it's about forging ties among people. "If I'm doing something nice for you, of course I'm doing something nice for me because we're connected," he said.
Some people also question whether small kindnesses add up to much. Smallman says he tells students they just don't know, that what might seem insignificant on the surface may actually have a large impact.
He recounted a friend's story about a boy who, after a storm, was throwing starfish back into the sea. An old man asked whether helping just a few of them mattered.
The boy threw another into the water and said, "Makes a difference to that one."
To see all the assignments and reports from the Kindness Class, see: http://onlinekindnessclass.wordpress.com/
Interested in a private Judaic studies instructor — for free? Let us know by clicking here.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes inspirational material. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
We want your comments! Please let us know what you think by clicking here.
© 2010, The Seattle Times
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
|
