Understanding whiteness: The first step to ending racial discrimination
The Optimist Daily is first and foremost a platform dedicated to solutions and the people behind them. But this week it has become more blatant than ever that there is a problem in our country in dire need of a solution—and this time it is us who need to be the ones coming up with the Read More...
How Instagram became a platform for laid-off chefs to earn income
When you look at Victor Aguilera’s Instagram account, you’ll see a few selfies along with several photos of arepas, a griddled corn cake common in Venezuela. They’re pictured grilled, fried, filled with avocados and cheese, or steak and plantains. But Aguilera is not just an arepa Read More...
10 actions you can take to promote racial justice in the workplace
As our top story of the day explains, understanding whiteness is the first thing white people must do to end racial discrimination. The next order of business is for white people to be vanguards of equality and racial justice in all areas of society—whether it be at home or at work. But how Read More...
Hiring America: The case for creating a 21st-century climate corps
When millions of Americans were jobless during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the US government created a number of public works programs to get people working as a part of the New Deal. One of those works programs led to the creation of the environmentally focused Civilian Conservation Corps. Read More...
The surprising reasons a bike boom is great for American cities
COVID-19 has drastically changed not only how much we travel but how we get around. With people looking to get out of the house while avoiding public transit, bicycles are suddenly an enticing choice. They promise speed, freedom, and fresh air on newly quiet streets. Sales of bikes in the US in Read More...
How teachers can revitalize themselves after this difficult school year
As the school year comes to a close, many educators are realizing that it’s hard to find focus and stay passionate in times of disaster and uncertainty. The speed of school closures and the rapid move to distance learning allowed little time for proper planning and training. Educators weren’t Read More...
This insulin-releasing implant could allow diabetics to ditch needles
Imagine a device that lets people with diabetes use an app or remote control to give themselves a boost of insulin when they need it, without an injection. Researchers from ETH Zurich have developed a prototype device that can do just that, using electrical jolts to control gene expression in Read More...
Spain is implementing a universal minimum income. What is that?
In April, we shared a story about the Spanish government’s plans to introduce a basic income program—though it wasn’t clear whether it would be implemented on a country-wide scale. This week we got to know that Spain has decided to implement what it’s calling a national minimum income, Read More...
Community fridges are popping up in New York to solve local food insecurity
In early February, Thadeaus Umpster found a free refrigerator on Craigslist. He intended to use the glass-door fridge, the kind you might find in a supermarket, to store donations for the weekly food share he helps run in Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn. Just one problem: When he brought it Read More...
AI gives this prosthetic leg the ability to adjust to different terrains
While it can be relatively easy for a person with lower limb amputation to walk on flat ground using a basic prosthetic leg, walking up stairs or across uneven terrain with a prosthetic can be incredibly challenging. That’s why scientists are turning to robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) Read More...