News Anchor Responds To Hurtful Letter About Her Weight With Eloquence

 

A Morning News 8 anchor received an extremely insulting letter surrounding her weight which called her a "bad example" for young girls across America. The News anchor handled the situation with poise and understanding and teaches us all something in her response.

If you want to learn more about the actual correlations between weight and health and the associated myths that lead to bullying and bigotry like this, check out The Fat Nutritionist.

Johnny Cupcakes - Inspirational Entrepreneur

Johnny Earle, better known as JohnnyCupcakes, started his t-shirt line in 2001 at the age of 19 selling merchandise out of suitcases from the back of his car. Now, Johnny is recognized as one of the 30 most innovative businessmen in Massachusetts and was voted America's #1 Young Entrepreneur by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Johnny Cupcake has expanded to 6 Bakery locations world wide where he sells his iconic t-shirts, sweaters, shorts, under garments and pins. You will not find his garments in any other retail store which adds to the exclusivity of the brand and reflects his authenticity to not "sell out" to corporate America. Motivated by passion and not greed, Johnny is an inspiration to the Nobul Brand.

Johnny created a lecture series on how to start a unique business with little to no start up money. He travels to colleges, universities and high schools around the country to share his experiences and spread knowledge around good business practices.

Viraj Puri - Who says a 13 year old can't change the world?!

As we all know, social media is a common vessel for modern day bullying. So much so that 'Cyber Bullying' is something that has touched all of us in some way.  We have all seen those extreme comments on an Instagram or Twitter post. Some people's reactions are to fight back. Others are to stay quiet and not get involved. Others sit back and wonder how someone could be so mean and hurtful without even knowing who they are insulting nor their audience. Well, a young man by the name of Viraj Puri has taken a very unique approach to cyber bullying. 

Check out this BBC exclusive video that depicts the basic idea behind Viraj's anti-bullying approach. We find this analytic approach to be profound for such a young mind! Not convinced? Check out his blog - Bullyvention. This blog exhibits his work with Capital Hill to create intriguing heat maps based on formulas that categorize social media conversations with bullying keywords and tones. 

Viraj has done all the work for us. If you agree with him that "even if we save just one person from committing suicide, it makes a huge difference," let your voice be heard! Write on Washington!

Michael Sam - Our Man! Top NFL Prospect Proudly Says He's Gay

Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman at the University of Missouri, came to tell the world in an ESPN interview that he is an "openly proud gay man." Sam was named the top defensive player in the Southeastern Conference and is expected to be picked in the NFL draft in May 2014. Sam's choice to publically acknowledge his sexuality before beginning his professional career shows extreme courage.

Sam thanked ESPN, NYTimes and the NFL for their support on his recently created Twitter account @MikeSamFootball where he already has 61K followers! We are inspired by Michael Sam to be truthful and fearless!

Pope Francis on LGBT Rights: #PopeSpeakOut on Twitter Campaign

Pope Francis' famously tolerant quote "Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the lord?" begs for substantial change within the Catholic Church. This one statement does not guarantee any practical change and there is a lot more the Pope can do to help LGBTs around the world who face legal and physical victimization. 

So, what can you do to ask the Pope to do more? You can join the New Way Ministries Twitter Campaign with #PopeSpeakOut to persuade Pope Francis to speak out against anti-LGBT laws around the globe.

Much more needs to be done for the LBGT community but, small strides are more helpful than none. The fact that the head of an institution that has been so openly homophobic and intolerant for so long has any kind words to say about Gays is a step in the right direction. Huffington Post's Gay Voices Editor, Noah Michelson, says Pope Francis' words are "hopeful."