The Gist Network

Breaking the glass ceiling {video}

Rebekah Hood — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:21:50 +0000

Now this is what I call, “girl power.”

America by the numbers

Rebekah Hood — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:11:07 +0000

Take a looksie at a neat breakdown of some random facts about America from coast to coast. (click the image)

parade.com

Three Cups of…Lies?

Rebekah Hood — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:11:15 +0000

I am one of the owners of the over four million copies of humanitarian Greg Mortenson’s moving book, “Three Cups of Tea.” Now, I am one of the millions questioning the best-selling book’s accuracy.

This week I was severely disappointed to learn that large parts of “Three Cups of Tea” may not be true, according to a recent 60 Minutes expose (a VERY interesting 15 minute piece. I encourage you to watch it.). Then again, the book may be entirely true. We just don’t know yet.

What is most definitely true is the fact that questions have been raised surrounding Mortenson’s praise-worthy accomplishments and non-profit organization that works to build schools (especially for girls) in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The person raising many of the questions is ironically enough Mortenson’s former financial backer and friend, Jon Krakauer. You can see his arguments in the 60 Minutes piece linked above, and read his expose on “Three Cups of Tea” here.

Mortenson has responded to the allegations saying he is not a journalist and therefore does not take notes. Thus, he admitted that some parts of his stories got “compressed.” Sounds fishy to me.

Someone sharing my sentiments is New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof. Not only does Kristof know Mortenson, but he knows the world of non-profits, and the fight for women’s education well too. I found his take on this sticky situation quite interesting.

Human beings are inherently imperfect. We fail and we fall. Regardless of what shakes out with Mortenson, I hope that his mission to give girls in volatile countries like Afghanistan the priceless and freeing gift of an eduction will continue.

Terrific TED talks {video}

Rebekah Hood — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:46:07 +0000

TED.com

In February I had the privilege of being accepted to the 2011 TEDxAustin conference. This was only the second TED (if you’re not familiar with TED, you need to get familiar. Now. ) event held in Austin, but the bar has been set extremely high for the following years!

My favorite talks were:

Robyn O’Brien – She’s a mom turned food allergy awareness advocate. Her data about the U.S.’s food supplies was disturbing yet believable, and her genuine passion for the subject of her speech earned her the first standing ovation of the day-long conference. I have started to change my diet because of her TED talk. Click HERE to watch her talk.

Gilbert Tuhabonye – He is the champion runner behind Austin’s training group, Gilbert’s Gazelles. A native of Burundi, Gilbert survived a massacre and escaped the country with literally just his life. He spoke about running your life with joy. His radiant smile was enough to spread joy through the entire crowd! His story is touching, and truly inspirational. Click HERE to watch his talk.

Joaquin Zihuatanejo – He’s a spoken-word poet and teacher. He practices what he preaches and it’s just plain awesome. You have to watch his talk to understand. Click HERE to watch his talk.

Overall, TEDxAustin was a great experience. I can not describe the feeling of being in a room with 500 of the most inspiring and smart movers and shakers in Austin, the state, and even the world (one speaker was from Germany!). It was so humbling and motivating at the same time.

Here’s to TEDxAustin 2012!

The future of The Gist

Rebekah Hood — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:14:54 +0000

Loyal Gist readers (and curious stragglers),

I’ve got good news and bad news.

Good news: I have recently been blessed at work and have been given sole responsibility for a new project for my TV station’s website. This is a project exactly like I have been hoping and praying for!

However…

Bad news: Because this new project will be fairly labor intensive, (time-wise and mentally speaking…you all KNOW I’m not about to start doing heavy lifting in the newsroom) I unfortunately will have to cut back on the time I used to spend working on The Gist.

More good news: This does not meant I’ll be turning The Gist’s lights out! Au contraire! I plan to post as often as I can, and continue infiltrating your worlds with useful, useless, and all-around entertaining knowledge. I just wanted you to be aware that there may be some down time, and I wanted you to know why.

Also, I’m always interested in posting quality content from friends, so if you’re interested in writing for The Gist drop me a line at rebekah@thegistnetwork.com.

Thank you for your support of The Gist! I hope it will continue to evolve far in to the future.

Reading is sexy

Rebekah Hood — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:50:29 +0000

Thanks to a Gist post last August, the talented Emily Moberly and I have struck up a virtual friendship. We are separated by distance (she lives in California) but it’s like we are soul sisters. We each have similar goals — primarily that of making a difference in this world.

Emily founded a non-profit called Traveling Stories. She founded the organization after teaching English in Honduras and realizing how much a lack of books impacted her students.

“This was the first time in my life that I lived in a place with almost no access to reading material,” Emily says on the Traveling Stories’ website. “I decided that as their English teacher I would do all I could to make them fall in love with reading. So, for Christmas I went home and when I returned to Honduras I brought with me 40 books which I introduced to my students as ‘Ms. Moberly’s Libary.’” Though she is now back in the United States, she still receives letters from her students telling her how much those books meant to them.

Thus, Traveling Stories was created upon Emily’s return to the United States. She believes “that books not only strengthen minds and inspire dreams, but they also help people overcome the obstacles preventing them from becoming the best version of themselves.”

Emily and her team at Traveling Stories are opening kids’ minds around the globe! They’ve started libraries in Sudan and El Salvador and are hoping to expand and do projects in America as well.

That brings me to how YOU can get involved and help Traveling Stories send books to children who need them!

The organization is creating a calendar for next year — the 2012 Reading is Sexy Calendar, to be exact. The goal? Promote reading in a new way!

“Five of San Diego’s finest professional photographers have donated their talent and have been shooting for the calendar since January,” Traveling Stories says on their fundraising website.

In an effort for full disclosure, Emily has been generous enough to feature The Gist in the calendar!

Three thousand calendars will be released in the fall. Proceeds from calendar sales will fund library projects in print-poor communities.

Learn more about Traveling Stories here and learn how you can donate to or order a Reading is Sexy calendar here.

Watch Traveling Stories’ video about the calendar:

Lara’s horror story

Rebekah Hood — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:28:26 +0000

On Feb. 11 while many were celebrating Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, one American journalist there to cover the news tragically became the news.

CBS News reports that the network’s chief foreign correspondent, Lara Logan, “suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers.”

And before you say, “She shouldn’t have been there. After all, she’s just a pretty face who reads the news,” (as is often said about women in my profession) know this:

“Logan has reported extensively from the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq, sometimes coming under fire while embedded with U.S. military units. She has repeatedly put herself in the line of fire. But an Egyptian mob celebrating the toppling of Hosni Mubarak on Friday turned out to be more dangerous, for Logan, than wars fought with bullets and bombs.” – The Daily Beast

Her attack sheds light on the plight of women in that country, as well as female journalists. Perhaps now, change can come.

Thankfully, Logan is being released from the hospital today, though I am sure her emotional healing will take much longer.

Zap colds with zinc

Rebekah Hood — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:00:04 +0000

Scientists are now saying zinc can probably cut your colds short! This is great news since “it” seems to be going around my city and office…and boyfriend, for that matter.

Since I’ve taken two Zicam tablets in the past 12 hours, this New York Times article reaffirmed my faith in zinc.

People power prevails {video}

Rebekah Hood — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:51:44 +0000

In an unexpected move, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned Friday morning. His vice president made the historic announcement below:

After 18 days of protests the people’s wishes were granted as their despised president left the office he’s held for decades, and turned rule over to the country’s military. Reports indicate Mubarak has left Cairo, thus why his second in command did his dirty work for him.

According to the BBC, their reporter Jon Leyne in Cairo “said the announcement caught everyone by surprise: all over the city, drivers honked their horns and people fired guns into the air. But the army takeover looks very much like a military coup…”

ABC World News posted this incredible photo of Tahrir Square at the moment when Mubarak’s resignation was announced:

photo credit: DigitalGlobe, ABC World News

However, Egyptians must be careful what they wish for. Their government is now wide open for any kind of takeover; we hope one of democracy and freedom, but that is not certain.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof said in his column Friday: “May Mubarak’s resignation mark a milestone toward their [Egyptians'] goal — and I think it is, but it’s not the end of the journey. And let’s hope that the United States makes absolutely clear that it stands for full democracy, not just for some kind of false stability that derives from authoritarianism.”

Cities of love

Rebekah Hood — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:29:01 +0000

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I felt like I needed to do something at least somewhat related to everyone’s favorite fake holiday.

Check out which U.S. cities The Daily Beast ranked highest for finding that special someone (Or, roll your eyes, gag a little, and move on to the next Gist story). I think there may actually be somethin’ to this (and yes, Austin is toward the top of the list)!