Feb. 17 was Random Acts of Kindness Day, a day that promotes deliberate generosity among people, businesses, and community groups. If you missed it, that’s fine. Random acts of kindness can be practiced anytime.
Studies have shown that kindness produces quantifiable enhancements in personal well-being, workplace morale, and community participation. The Denver-based nonprofit Random Acts of Kindness Foundation created the initiative to show how kindness benefits social and psychological health and to “make kindness the norm,” according to its website.
If you’re interested in hopping on the kindness train and want to make a significant impact, here are a few ways to get started.
Support a Black-owned business with a direct purchase
(Photo: RDNE Stock project/via Pexels)
People who wish to create positive change for those who are marginalized economically can support to a Black-owned businesses through a direct sale. It’s a good idea to verify the business’s status before making purchases to ensure that businesses are Black-owned. You can confirm at physical stores or through the company’s online platform.
Leave a 100% tip for service workers
(Photo by Kelly : https://www.pexels.com/photo/empty-cocktail-glasses-and-money-on-a-table-21771309/)
As a random act of kindness, the recommended tip amount should equal twice the regular payment or completely cover the entire service expense. Service workers who receive tips depend on gratuities because the federal minimum wage for tipped employees stands at $2.13 per hour. One substantial tip from a customer can make a major difference in a worker’s income for the day.
Donate blood
(Photo: Siri Stafford/Getty Images)
The American Red Cross has announced ongoing blood shortages. All healthy adults who meet eligibility criteria can arrange and complete a blood donation as a random act of kindness. A single donation delivers significant help to numerous patients. Blood donations are operated by the American Red Cross at sites nationwide and can be found on the organization’s website.
Write a professional recommendation
(Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty Images)
People who have worked directly with a colleague can make a substantial difference by validating their professional capabilities. This random act of kindness involves sharing a well-written LinkedIn recommendation or formal reference letter to showcase an individual’s strengths effectively. Endorsements help professionals build their careers through social proof and increase their visibility. They might even create career opportunities.
Fund a classroom or youth initiative
(Photo: Getty Images)
This can be as simple as supplying classroom materials or youth enrichment programs to help reduce the financial stress teachers face when they have to purchase these supplies from their own funds. Small donations through DonorsChoose fulfill verified requests quickly to deliver direct benefits to students and educators.
Feb. 17 was Random Acts of Kindness Day, a day that promotes deliberate generosity among people, businesses, and community groups. If you missed it, that’s fine. Random acts of kindness can be practiced anytime.
Studies have shown that kindness produces quantifiable enhancements in personal well-being, workplace morale, and community participation. The Denver-based nonprofit Random Acts of Kindness Foundation created the initiative to show how kindness benefits social and psychological health and to “make kindness the norm,” according to its website.
If you’re interested in hopping on the kindness train and want to make a significant impact, here are a few ways to get started.
Support a Black-owned business with a direct purchase
(Photo: RDNE Stock project/via Pexels)
People who wish to create positive change for those who are marginalized economically can support to a Black-owned businesses through a direct sale. It’s a good idea to verify the business’s status before making purchases to ensure that businesses are Black-owned. You can confirm at physical stores or through the company’s online platform.
Leave a 100% tip for service workers
(Photo by Kelly : https://www.pexels.com/photo/empty-cocktail-glasses-and-money-on-a-table-21771309/)
As a random act of kindness, the recommended tip amount should equal twice the regular payment or completely cover the entire service expense. Service workers who receive tips depend on gratuities because the federal minimum wage for tipped employees stands at $2.13 per hour. One substantial tip from a customer can make a major difference in a worker’s income for the day.
Donate blood
(Photo: Siri Stafford/Getty Images)
The American Red Cross has announced ongoing blood shortages. All healthy adults who meet eligibility criteria can arrange and complete a blood donation as a random act of kindness. A single donation delivers significant help to numerous patients. Blood donations are operated by the American Red Cross at sites nationwide and can be found on the organization’s website.
Write a professional recommendation
(Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty Images)
People who have worked directly with a colleague can make a substantial difference by validating their professional capabilities. This random act of kindness involves sharing a well-written LinkedIn recommendation or formal reference letter to showcase an individual’s strengths effectively. Endorsements help professionals build their careers through social proof and increase their visibility. They might even create career opportunities.
Fund a classroom or youth initiative
(Photo: Getty Images)
This can be as simple as supplying classroom materials or youth enrichment programs to help reduce the financial stress teachers face when they have to purchase these supplies from their own funds. Small donations through DonorsChoose fulfill verified requests quickly to deliver direct benefits to students and educators.
Esteemed hip-hop journalist and former XXL Editor-In-Chief, Elliot Wilson, has revealed on social media that he recently had cardiac surgery and is on the road to recovery, stating that he has “way more life to live.”
The writer, who had led his own blog, Rap Radar, and is currently the editorial director of UPROXX, HipHopDX, and Dime, showed a picture of himself, bare-chested, showing off the scar he received from the surgery. He disclosed that he just underwent the operation three weeks ago and will be recovering for the next three weeks.
“Cardiac surgery three weeks ago. Three more to full recovery. Got way more life to live. My next chapter might f**k around and be my best one.”
Cardiac surgery three weeks ago. Three more to full recovery. Got way more life to live. My next chapter might fuck around and be my best one. pic.twitter.com/ua0R3Jb8s0
Wilson has been at the forefront of hip-hop journalism for over 30 years, writing during the early days of commercial hip-hop for publications like The Source, where he served as music editor for two years. When he became the editor-in-chief of XXL magazine, the publication was The Source’s main competitor in the hip-hop publishing game for many years, setting the tone for future blogs and publications. Many magazines and websites learned from his methods and tried to emulate his path to success in the genre.
The writer was also the co-founder of Ego Trip, a hip-hop publication, which he started with Sasha Jenkins (who died last May) and later worked at JAY-Z’s Tidal platform, where he rose to become the chief content officer, years after starting his own property, Rap Radar.
Wilson’s strong, outspoken personality and controversial takes as a hip-hop journalist always kept him on the radar. He continues to have discussions and interviews with the heavyweights of hip-hop, from top-tier superstars to behind-the-scenes executives who have made their own strides in the industry.
Can you have a successful Spider-Man movie franchise without Spider-Man? For a brief moment, it actually seemed possible. Sony’s first Venom film made more than $850 million at the worldwide box office. Its two sequels also did well. The problem was that the franchise’s other Spidey-free films…uh….not so much! Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter were not exactly hits. They weren’t tough at-bats. Reviews were just as bad as tickets sales. But while Sony’s live-action Spider-Man franchise ultimately failed, the studio is not giving up on it just yet. It has plans to eventually reboot it with all new people.Sony Pictures Entertainment
During a guest appearance on The Town podcast with host Matt Belloni, Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures chairman and CEO, offered an update on the future of Sony’s live-action Spider-Man films. Rothman said the (human) Spider-Verse is not dead. He also said an unambiguous “yes” twice when Belloni asked if the studio will go back to those movies and if the next films will be a fresh reboot. Rothman said “yes” again when also directly asked if that reboot will mean “new people.”
As for the future of a live-action Spider-Verse, this seems like confirmation for something that felt like a guarantee already. This is way too popular of an IP for Sony to give up on it entirely. But the most obvious issue with the first version can’t be ignored if the studio hopes for the rebooted version to work.
Venom was famous and beloved enough on his own to carry an entire more (or three). Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter are not. They needed a Spider-Man. It didn’t/doesn’t have to be Peter Parker, either. A live-action Miles Morales or Gwen Stacy would could also be the webbed-glue that holds a live-action Spider-Verse together.
Less than six months after announcing that Cam Newton and Ashley Nicole Moss would host 106 & Sports, an offshoot of BET’s 106 & Park series, the network is ending it after eight episodes.
According to Complex, the sports show, which debuted Oct. 15, 2025, will not produce any new shows. Viewers can watch the first and only season across BET platforms. The series was recorded at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Cam Newton's '106 & Sports' show has been CANCELLED by BET+ after just 8 episodes.
Although the former star NFL quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player will no longer appear on BET+, Newton still has visibility through his weekly podcast, Funky Friday, which airs on YouTube. He also appears on ESPN’s First Take and agreed to a multi-year contract with the network last summer.
On Funky Friday, controversies often arise from his views and comments. In a recent episode, Newton admitted he can’t and doesn’t have platonic relationships, triggering a backlash.
While speaking with recording artist Demetri Wiley, Newton emphatically stated that he wouldn’t have a platonic (or, as he said it, “play tonic”) relationship with a woman.
“I’m not about to be around no woman platonically. If she’s fine, I’m not about to have her around playing like I don’t think that she’s attractive.”
He also threw in this bon mot: “Hey, we not about to be friends. I don’t have good-looking women that’s friends around me.”
Newton, according to People, has nine kids with multiple women. “I don’t know, wherever much that God gives me,” he said in 2025 when the outlet asked how many more kids he’d want. “But jokingly, and not jokingly, they really give me my purpose and there’s so many different things that I look at to say, they’re my refuge. They’re my peace. They’re my encouragement.”
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