freerice=feelgood

When I was younger, my father used to subscribe to Reader's Digest. I think I eagerly awaited its arrival more than he did. I would pore over its contents in a very methodical manner, starting with Laughter is the Best Medicine, then page by page for the cartoons and jokes then maybe the True Story (such drama!) but not before settling into the real business: Increase Your Word Power. I don't know where my love of words came from, but I believe my appreciation for words and lexicology started there. As a teenager, it was not altogether uncommon for me to curl up in the swivel rocker with a dictionary. It was not something I admitted freely to just anyone.

Since October 2007, a site called FreeRice.com uses the same vocabulary game but with a twist: for every word you get right 20 grains of rice is donated to the UN World Food Programme. The first day, 830 grains of rice were donated. As of this past weekend, 30,944,161,000 more grains have been donated.

Check out the site. It's not a registered charity, but the UN WFP has acclaimed its phenomenal success. In light of the current global rice crisis, this may be your easiest feelgood act of the day.