Five stories that have North Texas talking: Czech Stop's serious contribution in the aftermath of the West explosion, the duality of life after losing a limb, Elmo coaches children through this week's events and more.
- Sweet Relief: Journalists and well-wishers states away from the West, Texas explosions have been wondering online if the Czech Stop bakery was safe. The beloved stop en route to Austin was indeed spared. Staff went into rescue mode, doling out cases of water and serving kolaches to injured patrons who wandered in, still in shock. Barbara Schissler has worked at the shop since it opened in 1983. It's a 24/7 operation, and after the blast, Schissler said a freelance carpenter recommended that she close for repairs. But the resolute Texan saw just a few ceiling tiles down, so she kept the doors open and the kolaches coming. Czech Stop joined the ranks of unstoppable havens like Blue Colony Diner, which anchored the community in Newtown, Conn. after the shootings there, and Kajun's Pub in Katrina’s wake. [Mother Jones]
- Getting Back Up, And Running: In between reports of the manhunt and more casualties in Boston on Morning Edition, one man answered a question heavy in the air after marathongoers lost limbs this week. What will their lives be like afterward? For today’s StoryCorps on Morning Edition, Jack Richmond told his daughter Reagan about the overturned forklift that changed his life in 1987, the grief and denial; then the redemptive act of counseling other amputees at the hospital where he’d met a mammoth challenge as a young dad. "You know, you are truly blessed when God gives you the opportunity to help someone else," Jack told his 25-year-old daughter. P.S.: Richmond, a cyclist before his accident, went on to run the Boston marathon in 2001.
- Loss And Translation: What can we possibly say to children about this week’s events? As the stream of news becomes harder to duck, the bright spots in the backseat will ask questions. And parents absolutely should answer them. But it isn’t easy to find the right words. Leave it to the folks at Sesame Street to make emergency PSAs modeling how to validate feelings while reassuring children, and explaining to kids how to manage stress. For older children, the NY Times’ Learning Blog brings back its 10 Ways To Talk to Students About Sensitive Issues In the News. It’s for teachers – but isn’t that what we all are?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=080SefkwI64&feature=share&list=PL8TioFHubWFtJx3KhfYYJJbrvqLTkKCyO
- Art In Everyday Wartime: An afterschool program in a tough Washington, D.C. neighborhood uses arts to guide boys through complicated emotions and situations. The “four Cs” of Life Pieces To Masterpieces -- connect, create, contribute, celebrate – show up in songs and poems written by participants, values like “giving” and “discipline” assigned to colors for art projects and a sort of makeshift family that sustains at-risk kids. NPR’s Elizabeth Blair reports for her series about how the arts is transforming education. [NPR]
- Changing The World One Foam Project Board At A Time: Way-making research on the health benefits of organic food began with a middle school science project in Dallas. Ria Chhabra, now a sophomore at Clark High School in Plano, sought to settle an argument between her parents about the merits of organic. So she used fruit flies to help gauge the Vitamin C levels of organic produce and conventionally grown foods. She found the flies got more out of the organic feast, impressed SMU professors with her dedication to the project, and now, she’s got a scientific journal article in PLoS One. [NY Times’ WellBlog]