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| | Dose Of News Useful TodayThursday, November 21st |
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| | The Ryokan Show
| Good morning. Would you ever consider doing something crazy for a (nearly) free vacation? The Asahi Ryokan hotel in Fukuoka, Japan offers a room that costs only $1 per night - though it comes with a catch. The guest’s entire stay is live-streamed on the hotel’s YouTube channel. |
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Daily Sprinkle | “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra |
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 | Iran Unrest | Protests broke out in Iran on Friday following a government announcement of a ~16-gallon monthly gasoline limit per automobile to go along with a 41 percent increase in fuel prices. According to reports from Amnesty International, at least 106 protesters have been killed in 21 cities across the country. What’s going on now?
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared Wednesday that the unrest had been put down, although this has been hard to confirm since the country’s internet has been shut down since November 16. Iranian officials confirmed that 100 banks have been set on fire and 1,000 protesters have been arrested. Additional Middle East Protests
In early October, demonstrations materialized in Baghdad, Iraq over high unemployment, poor basic services, and state corruption, and have been ongoing for five weeks. Likewise, protests broke out in Lebanon in mid-October over a government plan to tax calls made through popular software WhatsApp, though the cause later grew to encompass overall social and economic reform, and a call to end corruption. So… what are people saying? |
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 | Democratic Debate RecapThe fifth Democratic presidential debate took place onstage in Atlanta last night. The 10 participants discussed an array of issues including health care and taxes - check out a recap below. | |
Impeachment RecapWednesday’s impeachment testimony was heard in two parts - the morning featured testimony from top European envoy Gordon Sondland, while the afternoon session heard testimony from Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia and Ukraine, and the top career diplomat at the State Department, David Hale. | |
Gantz couldn’t form coalitionIsrael’s Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz announced that he was unable to form a governing coalition after being given 28 days to do so following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous failed attempt. The announcement marks the beginning of an unprecedented 21-day period during which any member of parliament can secure majority support to form a government. | |
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 | Allegation declarationGeneral Motors has filed a racketeering lawsuit against fellow automaker Fiat Chrysler alleging that their former CEO, the late Sergio Marchionne, was central in a scheme to bribe UAW officials from 2009 to 2015 to corrupt the bargaining process and gain advantages, costing GM billions of dollars. In the lawsuit, GM has indicated that under the RICO Act, Fiat Chrysler would be liable for three times the actual damages caused - though GM has yet to specify the exact amount. | | Reuters → |
Sweet as HoneyPayPal announced the purchase of Honey Science Corporation for $4 billion - the largest acquisition in company history. Honey is widely known as the makers of a browser add-on that automatically searches and applies relevant coupons when shopping online. | | TechCrunch → |
Right on TargetTarget released its third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, headlined by 10 percent growth in apparel sales. The retailer fared well relative to the competition - Kohl’s yielded a minute 0.4 percent sales increase in that category, while J.C. Penney sales fell 9.3 percent in the third quarter. | | CNBC → |
Put to the testA SpaceX test rocket partially burst apart during testing in Boca Chica, Texas, sending plumes of gas and pieces of equipment into the sky. A company spokesperson confirmed there were no injuries from the incident, which involved a prototype of next-generation spacecraft Starship, a large rocket that will transport people and cargo to the Moon and Mars. | | The Verge → |
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 | Batting CleanupMost people don’t think too much about an item as simple as soap. But to the nearly half a million Americans currently experiencing homelessness, a bar of soap is imperative in restoring hygiene and self-confidence. That’s why when 2 million bars of donated soap arrived at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Shelter Resource Bank, the director of product donations was thrilled. The bars were donated by the founders of the company Raw Sugar Living, a beauty and bath products company with a pledge that for every one product purchased, a bar of soap will be donated to those in need. Donda Mullis and Ronnie Shugar began Raw Sugar Living in 2014 with the explicit goal of helping people and to date, they have donated over 5 million bars of soap and counting through their Raw Giving program. "A bar of soap, which we all take for granted, is probably the best thing you can have for someone of less fortunate means,” said Shugar. Together, Mullis and Shugar have created a thriving business that in turn helps other people thrive. | | NBC Los Angeles → |
Jurassic WishAlexander has found his happy place scrolling through pages and pages of dinosaur videos on YouTube, mimicking their roars and waiting for the day he can see them up close in person. The 5-year-old boy is battling a type of cancer called Langerhans-Cell Histiocytosis, which affects the body’s tissue. After receiving his second cancer diagnosis in three years, Alexander was granted a wish by Make-A-Wish of Central & South Texas to go to Disney World this November.
“We call it Dino World,” said Samuel, Alexander’s dad. “He found videos of the dinosaur park at Disney World, and he absolutely loves it.” Since learning about his wish, Alexander’s spirits are enlivened at the thought of visiting the dinosaurs at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Alexander and his family take each day in stride, knowing that helping Alexander with chemo and surgeries comes with some difficult days. “He understands what’s going on,” Samuel said. “It’s amazing what kids can grasp when you explain to them.”
“We were surprised when we got the OK [from his doctors], but we’re so happy we did,” Samuel said. “We’re trying not to focus on the cancer, but the journey it takes us on. He really is a remarkable kid.”
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Dose of Action |  | Wishes have proven physical and emotional benefits that can give children with critical illnesses a higher chance of survival. And wishes not only help these children – they also have far-reaching, positive impacts on their families and communities.
We’ve known anecdotally about the transformational power of a wish, and now a first-of-its-kind study is opening the door to possibilities of medical and financial benefits. Nationwide Children’s Hospital examined quality of life and health care utilization among patients who received a wish and a control group who did not. The study found patients who were granted a wish were more likely to have fewer unplanned hospital and emergency department visits. For children who are battling a critical illness, a wish can give them and their families the chance to believe anything is possible.
However, there is a tremendous gap between the number of wishes we're granting today and the number of wishes we need to grant in the future to achieve our vision of granting every eligible child’s wish. In the central and south Texas territory, 40 counties in total, there are an estimated 550 children diagnosed with a critical illness each year, and we are currently able to grant close to 300 wishes per year. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary as a local nonprofit, we have hopes of raising more funds to increase our wish granting capacity. Join a caring community of people who improve the lives of children battling critical illnesses.
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