Wonder Cox

          Happy Independence Day! Just to put this out there, I found a picture of Laverne Cox as Wonder Woman. You're all welcome. (Here's the link to the original twitter post by @_DownToEarth.) What better way to celebrate my country's independence than to post a picture of this iconic woman as one of our most iconic superheroes? Go, Laverne! 

"The Games have Always Been a Little Gay", says Canada

          Despite never having been there, I've always held a fondness to Canada. Even during all the drama of this year's Olympics, the Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion, which is dedicated to encouraging diversity in the workplace, decided to make this ad that only made me like the country even more. It features two luge sledders in morph suits doing... Well, you'll see what they're doing. Not only is the 33 second video hilarious, but it admittedly has a good point. Sorry, Russia.  

          Also, Facebook and other social media users are being encouraged to "Keep the Games Gay" by changing their profile pictures to the image below. Who thought that luge would be the key to supporting LGBT people in Russia? 

And here's a little hint at what my next post will be about with this magical mystery photo:

Oh, whoops. That's my cat. I meant this one:

Thanks for reading! Please like, share, and comment!

The Olympic Soap Opera that is Sochi 2014

          The Sochi Olympic Games has been full of drama so far, and the games haven't even begun (and no, I'm not talking about Lindsey Vonn's knee).

          I'll be happy to help keep you guys up to date on that from a world-improving standpoint. 

          Today, I'll talk about the Russian anti-gay law. For those a little uncertain on exactly what it means, the law passed in 2013 bans "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" that could be accessible to  minors, effectively making it illegal to spread gay rights material or even suggest that same-sex relationships are equal to heterosexual ones. The law has caused outrage worldwide, and even the legendary Sir Elton John called out the country for this "vicious homophobia" on his official website, saying that "Whatever the intention of Russia’s homosexuality and pedophilia propaganda laws, I am absolutely clear from my own personal experience that it is proving deeply dangerous to the LGBT community and deeply divisive to Russian society." Here's a quick excerpt from his complete statement. 

          "The people I met in Moscow – gay men and lesbians in their 20′s, 30′s and 40′s - told me stories about receiving threats from vigilante groups who would ‘cure’ them of homosexuality by dousing them with urine or beating them up. One young man was stalked outside a gay club by someone posing as a taxi driver who tried to garrote him with a guitar string because he was a 'sodomite'. Everyone shared stories of verbal and physical abuse – at work, in bars and restaurants or in the street – since the legislation came into force last June. And, some of the vital work providing HIV prevention information to the gay community has been labelled 'homosexual propaganda' and shut down."

          However, it's not just bad news today- many countries, people, and companies have echoed Elton's sentiments. Here are a list of who is speaking up, and how. 

• AT&T- the company was one of the first Olympic sponsors to officially object to the law.
• The USA- among the official U.S. delegation to the games are gay former Olympians Caitlin Cahow and Brian Boitano, an apparent move to show disapproval of Russia's policy.
• Google- you've probably noticed Google's new Google Doodle (above left). Along with the quote from the Olympic Charter shown beneath it, makes Google's stance on the Russian anti-gay law quite clear."The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play."  
• Human rights activists worldwide- protesters are speaking up across the globe for the right of LGBT people to live in peace and equality. 

          That's all for today, guys- stay in the Olympic spirit as the games begin, and don't miss the opening ceremony tonight! 

          -Fox

Sources: The Official Site of Elton John, NBC News, the Guardian, Philadelphia Daily News

New Year's Eve 2014: Resolutions and Cookies

          Happy New Year! 

          It's shortly after midnight where I am, and I am really psyched! Tonight's been great for me, probably my best New Year's Eve ever. Karaoke machine + closest ten friends + cookies = happy Lily. But How was your New Year? Please post in the comments!

          So I promised I would post with my resolutions, and here it is. 

          I have three resolutions. The things that I would like to affect are myself, those directly around me, and the world at large. 

1.           Myself- I want to promise myself that I will practice my yoga every day because it makes me feel happy and keeps me healthy, but I also that I will not let negative messages around me distort my positive image of my kickass, curvy, healthy body. No body dysmorphic disorder relapses! 
2.           The world around me- never insult anyone, or judge them. I want to make sure that I'm always kind with my words, but I want that kindness to be genuine, not just politeness. Judging people is also unfair when we never really know their stories. I only want to make (tactful) negative comments when they're intended to be helpful.
3.           The world at large- make at least five blog posts a week, no matter how small, and keep trying to spread the positive message of acceptance and self acceptance. 

          Enough about me, though, how was your New Year? Even if you don't have any resolutions, what are your plans for 2014? Please post in the comments! 

New Year's Day, Resolutions, and Not being a Government Official

          New Year's is fast approaching, so I thought I'd make a little special post about something that interests me- New Year's resolutions. 

          We all know that feeling at midnight of "THIS IS MY RESOLUTION AND I'M SO TOTALLY PSYCHED THAT I WILL ABSOLUTELY CARRY THROUGH WITH IT", but then we actually rarely do carry out our plans. It's always fun to say, "I'm going to apply for and get that prestigious job with a huge salary!", but unless you're extraordinarily ambitious and full of self-discipline, I don't know if that will really happen. So let's try to find a resolution that we're still motivated to carry out, but isn't quite so... Out there. And remember, the more World Improving it is, the better!

1.           Write down three things that bother you about the world around you. These can range from "my room is really messy" to "my local homeless shelter may have to foreclose" to "terrorist attacks are ruining people's lives". No matter how small or how big the issues, write them down- just make sure it's something that's really important to you, not somebody else. 
2.          Under each issue, write down three things that you could do to improve it. They don't have to be insane, like "become a government official and reinvent my country's approach to (insert cause here)." Something like "donate $10 a month to the Red Cross" works too. 
3.          Look over the three things under each issue, and cross out the easiest and the most difficult. You'll be left with one medium-difficulty resolution for three important issues. This way, you can actually make a difference, without setting yourself up for failure. 

     TIP: Don't make any of your resolutions about something that makes you feel bad about yourself. "Be more popular," or "lose weight" are not only very vague, but won't help you feel good about who you are and only contribute to the Barbie/G.I. Joe stereotypes. Alternate goals could be, "make friends in my new theatre club" or "take a Pilates class at the YMCA so I can be more healthy and active". 

          I'll be sure to update you guys on New Year's with my resolution, meanwhile, have a very happy and World-Improving rest of 2013!