In 1977‚ singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie did something revolutionary: She fed her baby on Sesame Street.The Indigenous Canadian-American singer-songwriter wasn't doing anything millions of other mothers hadn't done—she was simply feeding her baby. But the fact that she was breastfeeding him was significant since breastfeeding in the United States hit an all-time low in 1971 and was just starting to make a comeback. The fact that she did it openly on a children's television program was even more notable‚ since "What if children see?" has been a key pearl clutch for people who criticize breastfeeding in public. But the most remarkable thing about the "Sesame Street" segment was the lovely interchange between Big Bird and Sainte-Marie when he asked her what she was doing."I'm feeding the baby‚" Sainte-Marie told him. "See? He's drinking milk from my breast." Sainte-Marie didn't show anything that anyone could reasonably find objectionable‚ but she didn't have her baby hidden under a blanket‚ either. From Big Bird's point of view‚ he could see exactly what was happening‚ and Sainte-Marie appeared perfectly comfortable with that.Big Bird contemplated her response‚ then said‚ "Hmm…that's a funny way to feed a baby." "Lots of mothers feed their babies this way‚" Sainte-Marie said. "Not all mothers‚ but lots of mothers do. He likes it because it's nice and warm and sweet and natural‚ and it's good for him. And I get to hug him when I do it‚ see?" Their conversation continued with Sainte-Marie answering Big BIrd's questions with simple‚ matter-of-fact‚ nonjudgmental answers‚ and it's truly a thing of beauty. Watch:That segment was filmed 46 years ago‚ and it's hard to believe some people still take issue with seeing a mom breastfeed out in the open. We've seen waves of education and advocacy attempting to normalize breastfeeding‚ and yet it wasn't until 2018 that every state in the United States had laws on the books protecting breastfeeders from being cited or fined. Even now‚ some moms still get flack for not hiding away in a bathroom or a car to feed their babies.Sainte-Marie recently spoke with Yahoo Life about how that segment came about. She had gotten pregnant during her second season on "Sesame Street" and she had her baby with her on set all the time. She'd breastfeed off camera‚ and she asked one day if the show could do something about breastfeeding. "The reason why I did that really was because when I woke up from delivering my baby‚ I was in the hospital‚ and over here on the table was a big basket of stuff from some formula company. And I preferred to breastfeed‚ but the doctors didn't understand about breastfeeding. They hadn't learned it." Even today‚ according to the CDC‚ physicians generally lack adequate breastfeeding education and training‚ so as far as we've come with education on this subject‚ we clearly still have a ways to go. Watch Sainte-Marie talk about how she came to share breastfeeding with the "Sesame Street" audience:Thank you‚ Buffy‚ for providing a beautiful example of how to talk about breastfeeding that's just as relevant today at it was four decades ago. This article originally appeared on 1.31.23

Homelessness has been on the increase in America since 2016 and the numbers exploded in 2020. On a single night in January 2020‚ there were more than 580‚000 individuals who were without a home.There are many reasons for the increase in homelessness and one of the leading causes is a lack of affordable housing across the country. Housing prices have been on a steady increase and‚ according to PBS‚ we are about 7 million units short of affordable housing in the country.So what can the average person do about this human tragedy taking place in America’s streets? Some people who would like to help don’t feel comfortable giving money to homeless people‚ although experts in the field say that most of the time it is OK.“If you don’t have money or time‚ or capacity to donate‚ I still think it’s nice to be respectful and say hello‚” Diane O’Connell‚ a community lawyer for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless‚ told the Chicago Tribune.Actress Jennifer Garner‚ 49‚ shared a great idea on Instagram for those who would like to help homeless people but aren’t sure how to do so.The actress posted a video where she filled zip-up plastic bags with everyday items that homeless people need. See on Instagram "Random act of kindness: gather these essentials in a quart sized ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need‚” she captioned the post. “A pair of thick socks. Kleenex. Hand wipes. Disposable toothbrushes. Chapstick. A couple of granola bars. I forgot this time‚ but like to add feminine hygiene products‚ too. Add $5‚ $10‚ $20 and a smile.”For those not comfortable giving money‚ they can put a gift card in the bag for a local restaurant. O’Connell says that one thing most homeless people desperately need is a hot meal.“Simple‚ cheap foods like bagels and doughnuts aren't that helpful‚” O’Connell said. “People who are homeless can usually buy things like that for themselves." Often what people experiencing homelessness need is a hot meal‚ she said‚ because that’s more difficult for them to buy.Greendrop says that the items most commonly requested by homeless people are socks and undergarments. Homeless people are always walking and have a hard time accessing laundry facilities so their socks and undergarments are often dirty or falling apart.Here are some other items that will help make homeless people more comfortable:Shampoo and conditionerToothpasteHair brushes and toothbrushesSoapLotionsNail clippersFeminine hygiene productsReusable containersGarner’s Ziploc bag tip is a great idea because it’s a simple way for people to lend a hand when they encounter someone on the streets. How many times have you been driving around‚ saw someone in need‚ but didn’t have any way to help? This way you can easily brighten someone’s day when you see them at a freeway on-ramp or in a parking lot without having to ask yourself whether you feel comfortable giving them money. This article originally appeared on 3.12.22

Pam has a little brother‚ who recently learned that he is actually her half-brother.Of course‚ half-siblings are still very much siblings‚ but Pam's brother doesn't quite grasp the concept yet and seems upset about having to part with 50% of his sister.So when she came home recently‚ she found this letter he'd written. It will make you cry‚ so have off-brand tissues on hand:OMG.As if this letter isn't enough to turn your heart into a soft pile of oatmeal‚ he also left her some of her (presumably) favorite snacks‚ like Chips Ahoy and Takis (excellent choices!).Pam‚ being a human with a soul‚ was deeply moved and tweeted out a photo of her little brother's letter: My little brother found out I\u2019m not his fully sister and I came home to this.. I\u2019m crying..pic.twitter.com/DAC0yUUBt4 — \ua9c1Pam\ua9c2 (@\ua9c1Pam\ua9c2) 1532413776 It quickly went viral. And now the whole internet is now welling up with tears. pic.twitter.com/8EP4hcS2oq— LUNA (@lilialunav) July 25‚ 2018 And others are sharing their own sibling stories:These are so‚ so sweet.I was introducing my kids to my new wife and stepson. When I explained that she was their new Stepmom‚ My Stepson (5) said to my kids Mom "Well if my Mom is going to be their Stepmom‚ you're going to be my new Stepmom!"— Disco Stu (@wharrrgarrbl) August 28‚ 2021 When I found out my oldest brother wasn’t my full brother I said and I quote “I thought he was different. But I like him more anyway”— Liy (@Its_Montana_) July 25‚ 2018 Don't say we didn't warn you about the tissues.Remember this next time you get into a fight with your sibling. Half or whole‚ doesn't matter. Love/hate is love/hate!This article originally appeared on 11.04.22

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California‚ Irvine‚ by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab‚ she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.A team of researchers at UCI had been experimenting with nanowires for potential use in batteries‚ but found that over time the thin‚ fragile wires would break down and crack after too many charging cycles. A charge cycle is when a battery goes from completely full to completely empty and back to full again.But one day‚ on a whim‚ Thai coated a set of gold nanowires in manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel."She started to cycle these gel capacitors‚ and that's when we got the surprise‚" said Reginald Penner‚ chair of the university's chemistry department. "She said‚ 'this thing has been cycling 10‚000 cycles and it's still going.' She came back a few days later and said 'it's been cycling for 30‚000 cycles.' That kept going on for a month."This discovery is mind-blowing because the average laptop battery lasts 300 to 500 charge cycles. The nanobattery developed at UCI made it though 200‚000 cycles in three months. That would extend the life of the average laptop battery by about 400 years. The rest of the device would have probably gone kaput decades before the battery‚ but the implications for a battery that that lasts hundreds of years are pretty startling."The big picture is that there may be a very simple way to stabilize nanowires of the type that we studied‚" Penner said. "If this turns out to be generally true‚ it would be a great advance for the community." Not bad for just fooling around in the laboratory.This article originally appeared 12.22.22

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