I was at Disneyland yesterday and when I walked into the Princess Fantasy Faire I welled up with tears as I witnessed a magical moment with the newest princess Elena of Avalor speaking in full Spanish to a small princess visiting from Latin America.

Aerial photos of Teotihuacan

⭐️ Fix your sleep schedule

⭐️ Improve your eating habits

⭐️ Learn a new language

⭐️ Leave your comfort zone

⭐️ Do something that makes you anxious

⭐️ Get good grades

⭐️ Make new friends

as requested by quite a few people - a masterpost of educational podcasts. links go to either the site or the itunes podcast store. an excerpt of the description is included with each.

* indicates a podcast that i listen to regularly

entertainment

*welcome to night vale - twice-monthly updates for the small desert town of night vale

*muggle cast - everything harry potter

general information 

radiolab - investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea

*stuff you should know - about everything from genes to the galapagos

*stuff mom never told you - the business of being women 

tedtalks

good job, brain - part pub quiz show, part offbeat news

news

no one knows anything - the politics podcast from buzzfeed news

wait wait…don’t tell me - weekly current events quiz

college

*college info geek - the strategies and tactics the best students use

*getting in - your college admissions companion

math

math for primates - a couple of monkeys who decided that arguing about mathematics was a better use of their time than throwing poo at one another

math mutation - fun, interesting, or just plain weird corners of mathematics

science

60 second health - latest health and medical news

the naked scientists - interviews with top scientists, hands-on science experiments

60 second science - the most interesting developments in the world of science

startalk - astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe

nasa science cast - science behind discoveries on earth, the solar system, and beyond

history

*myths and legends - myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures

stuff you missed in history class - the greatest and strangest stuff you missed

the podcast history of our world - from the big bang to the modern age! …eventually

witness - the story of our times told by the people who were there

the history chicks - two women. half the population. several thousands years of history.

entrepreneurship & finances

practical money matters - better managing their finances

the internet business mastery - learn how to create an internet based business

social triggers insider - the fields of psychology and human behavior

listen money matters - honest and uncensored, this is not your father’s boring finance show

writing & literature

professional book nerds - it’s our job to discuss books all day long

a way with words - words, language, and how we use them

grammar girl - short, friendly tips to improve your writing

classic poetry aloud - recordings of the greats poems of the past

language

esl (english) - improve english speaking and listening skills

language pod

coffee break

search in your podcast app for specific languages!

art

99% invisible - exploration of the process and power of design

tips and tricks photography 

the arts roundtable

hobbies & other

stash & burn (knitting)

practical defense - staying safe in our increasingly dangerous urban environments

zen and the art of triathlon - a triathlete’s view on living the multisport life

the art of charm - make you a better networker, connecter, and thinker

the indoor kids - isn’t just about video games, isn’t not about video games

rationally speaking - explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense

the dice tower - board games, card games, and the people who design and play them

motivational & inspirational

back to work - productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more

personal growth podcast - classic and contemporary self development audio

what it takes - conversations with towering figures in almost every field

here be monsters - exploring the dark corners of the human mind

The last survivors of the Mexican revolution, who fought alongside Emiliano Zapata. Some of them are convinced that their hero, who disappeared in 1919, is still alive. Although they’re old and feeble, several of these ‘Zapatistas’ never go out without a gun.

I’ve been lacking a little in the motivation department with the end of the school year drawing closer, so I made a little list of ways to help you stay focused until the end! 

Play your favorite song as you work through your PSET/essay/application/thing you don’t wanna do.

Make yourself a hot cup of tea (or coffee!) in a fun mug. 

Write your to-do list on a piece of pretty stationary with a pretty pen.

Set a timer and race yourself to finish things faster.

Use your imagination - your English paper doesn’t HAVE to be an English paper, it can be a Hogwart’s assignment. Sounds silly, but it works for me!

Find a new place to study. Cute coffee shop? Balcony with a nice view? New section of the library? Heck, just doing your HW on the floor instead of your desk can be more engaging. 

Dress up. You don’t even have to go anywhere, sometimes putting on proper clothing can switch your mindset. 

Conversely, you can find your comfiest PJs and fluffy socks and wear those. 

Put your hair up so it’s not in the way. When I’m focusing, my hair has to be in a ponytail so I’m not fiddling with it. 

Get a snack, preferably something healthy(ish). Drink some H2O.

Write motivational quotes on sticky notes and stick them around your study space. Or write them on your hand so you see it often. 

At the very least, put your books where you can see them. Out of sight, out of mind! 

Same goes for anything you need to get done (laundry, forms you’re supposed to fill out, anything goes!)

Go for a walk around the block and spend some time in fresh air. Jog, if you’re feeling up for it. 

Stretch out your muscles, roll out your shoulders, touch your toes. You’ll feel better if you’re not all tight and sore. 

Put on some lipstick. For some reason, red lipstick always makes me feel like a boss (even if I’m chilling in a hoodie and sweatpants). 

Write out the reasons you started in the first place. Put that list somewhere you can see it [see #12]. 

Take a power nap. I just get a fluffy blanket and sleep right on my desk. 

Talk to someone supportive. Parents? Best friend? Roommate? Your cat/dog/parakeet/goldfish? 

Stand in front of the mirror and power pose. Yes, you’ll feel ridiculous. But it works. 

Instead of inmates being able to receive donated books in the mail from family members and community groups, inmates at three New York prisons now have to purchase books selected by six, state-approved vendors. And the selection is limited. And expensive, activists say.

Novels cost $11.25 from one vendor.

A book about chess costs $29.95 from another.

And about a quarter of the titles are coloring books.

According to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the directive is in an effort to restrict contraband from entering the prison “through a more controlled inmate package program.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office has made the point that inmates still have access to prison libraries, but some say it’s not enough. “The problem with prison libraries is that [the prisons] control who has access to them,” said Amy Peterson with NYC Books Through Bars. “So people who are in solitary confinement don’t have access to prison libraries.”

Peterson’s group has been mailing books to prisoners all over the country for nearly two decades, with a focus on New York. “We get letters from people saying they had to borrow a stamp in order to write to us. So if these people can’t even afford postage, we don’t know how they’re going to be able to afford buying books from a vendor,” she said.

Read more

From the NY Daily News:

Over the past several days, inmate advocates pointed out that the vendors combined offered only five romance novels, 14 religious texts, 24 drawing or coloring books, 21 puzzle books, 11 how-to books, one dictionary, and one thesaurus.

Sign this petition from the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee

Send postcards to Gov. Cuomo and Acting Prison Commissioner Annucci

Leave a message about it at Gov. Cuomo’s office (you can follow the script from the postcard link): 518-474-8390

If you’re in NY, contact your State Senator and State Assembly Member

Donate to NYC Books Through Bars