Hasta La Gadget!

For as long as she can remember, Jennifer Giuffre-Donohue took an active interest in her health. In college she studied exercise physiology and worked as a personal trainer. Later, she taught gym classes and trained clients in their homes. She had a passion for nutrition, and especially loved helping other people take control of their own well-being.

As time went on, though, Giuffre-Donohue, a Long Island mother of two, felt herself slipping. She wasn’t getting enough sleep or eating as well as she knew she should. Exercise disappeared from her life. And as someone who put family first, she had trouble balancing family commitments with the need to schedule time for herself to recharge, to the point that even thinking about herself brought on feelings of guilt.

“I was one of those people who needed that kick in the head from the universe,” she told The Huffington Post.

In 2009, the universe sent a signal she couldn’t ignore: doctors diagnosed her with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a kind of blood cancer. She was 37. The perspective-shifting news helped her rediscover the healthy habits that had always been so important to her. More than that, it taught her to stop putting off until tomorrow the things she cared about most.

For Giuffre-Donohue’s full story, see the video above.

This video is part of a series highlighting the causes and consequences of burnout, and the ways ordinary people are rejecting our culture of overwork and reclaiming their lives. To share your story, email thirdmetric@huffingtonpost.com.

Producers: Gregory Beyer and Jordan Jayson
Videographer/editor: Amber Genuske
Graphics: Noelle Campbell

Piers Morgan is back.

The former CNN host will join the Daily Mail Online as editor-at-large for the US, the newspaper website announced Tuesday.

Morgan will “write several times each week, bringing his own experience and perspective to bear on the big US stories of the moment,” the Mail said.

Morgan himself announced the news on Twitter Tuesday.

BREAKING NEWS: I have a new job.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 30, 2014

In the Daily Mail’s statement, Morgan said that he is very excited about the new role, calling the site “an addictive pleasure.”

“News should never be boring and MailOnline tells the stories of the day in a compelling, informative and entertaining way that grabs the interest of its readers,” Morgan said. “As Editor-at-Large (US) I plan on breaking down the biggest stories that matter to Americans and analyzing them in a way that will generate discussion and create debate.”

Capital New York’s Alex Weprin pointed out that Morgan already had ties to the Mail, so it’s not an entirely fresh hiring.

This is more of an expansion of duties for Piers, he already writes weekly column for Mail on Sunday.

— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) September 30, 2014

This will be Morgan’s first new gig since “Piers Morgan Live” was cancelled in March following disastrous ratings and backlash due to his outspoken views on gun violence in America. Morgan stayed with the network under contract even after the show ended, but announced in September that he would be officially leaving.

There is no question the climate change movement has reached a huge turning point over this last month and especially the last week. The final UN estimate is that over 400,000 people marched in the streets of New York City last Sunday. Even if the media failed to report this news accurately, it doesn’t really matter any more.

No one can stop this movement now. More than 1500 groups, scientists, religious organizations, students, people from all walks of life marched — not just in NYC, but all over America and the world. The camaraderie was electric, reinforcing and empowering.

What is even more astonishing are the social media reports coming in from the UN. Since #Climate2014 was launched six months ago they have reached 127,000,000 people worldwide, with an exposure of nearly 3 billion impressions. These numbers are phenomenal and have exceeded all expectations.

What this shows is that people all over the world are truly paying attention. This is a movement that should not be taken lightly. We are strong and powerful, and we are just beginning.

By convening a global summit on climate change, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the urgency of the issue. The summit also unleashed a tidal wave of outrage from people everywhere who were looking for a way to express their concern that governments were not doing enough about climate change.

And, our own President gave one of the most eloquent statements he has ever given on this subject, “For all the immediate challenges that we gather to address this week — terrorism, instability, inequality, disease — there is one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate.”

This brings me back to our short sequel to the official UN climate summit film shown last week and it is called, “A World of Solutions.” Ironically, the gist of this film was the first treatment we sent the UN staff to show the world leaders on September 23.

Director Louie Schwartzberg and I had similar visions about the beauty and natural violence of evolution and the millions of years it took before human beings arrived on this planet. Then beginning with the Industrial Revolution, in less than two hundred years, man had almost brought this beautiful, complex creation to the brink of extinction. Inconceivable … right?

We wanted to show that we are still in peril, but more, we have the means to solve our problems in the present. There are many reasons to be optimistic and hopeful.

Part of that hope was to make a comparison of the semi-conscious mycelium root/soil system of the earth that feeds all plant life to the burgeoning Internet-connected global society we are evolving into today. If we could learn to use the Internet and mass media wisely we could be a powerful means for good and for progress.

Louie asked a writer friend of his, Andrew Dickson, to try his hand at a script. Andrew, as you will see, takes us on a wonderful journey through time.

The UN group had long before told us this was not the right treatment for the opening ceremony and, of course, they were right. So, a few months before the summit we had to stop filming this version and start the other film from scratch. However, we had completed enough of this one that we wanted to finish it. We loved its message.

Louie and I wanted to show that perhaps it is possible to create a thought revolution that might transcend politics, if we could only work together as a force of nature today — and we must — to make the changes necessary in time to be able to look our children in their eyes tomorrow.

When we finally locked the music and color on “What’s Possible,” we literally had one week to finish this film. We already had Morgan Freeman read the script when he read the UN one, so that was good. Then Hans Zimmer was able to use the music he composed for the first one and rearrange it brilliantly for this one at the last minute.

So now, a week after this newly empty nested mother of three showed her first film at the UN opening ceremony for the climate summit, she is able to show you an unintentional second film as well. It is called, “A World of Solutions.” I hope you enjoy it as well as you did the first one. May it bring you hope and courage. That is our only intention. Please enjoy.

You can get started now, by sharing our film and its message of hope on social media. Or by clicking here, where you’ll find several powerful climate petitions directed straight at world leaders.

This post is part of a month-long series produced by The Huffington Post in conjunction with a variety of events being held in September recognizing the threats posed by climate change. Those events include the UN’s Climate Summit 2014 (that was held Sept. 23, 2014, at UN headquarters in New York) and Climate Week NYC (Sept. 22-28, 2014, throughout New York City). To see all the posts in the series, read here.

Sunday Mirror editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley apologized this week for using photographs of two women without permission in the case that led to the resignation of a top Conservative politician.

The paper admitted to using photos of women without their consent as part of an undercover investigation to take down several politicians believed to be using social media to talk to women, the Guardian reported Monday.

An undercover reporter, now identified as Alex Wickham, created a fake Twitter account and pretended to be a female party activist to trap politicians. Wickham connected with several politicians before eventually chatting with Brooks Newmark, the Minister for Civil Society, and exchanging sexual pictures. The images and messages were then obtained by the Mirror, causing Newmark, a married father of five children, to eventually step down.

The paper claimed that the pictures used on the fake social media account were of models, but new revelations show that unauthorized photos of other women were used. The paper apologized, stressing that none of the photos were published in the Mirror.

One of the photographs used was of Malin Sahlén, a Swedish model, who said she never gave permission for her image to be used.

“I do not want to be exploited in this way and someone has used my image like this feels really awful, both for me and the others involved in this,” Sahlén said.

Another woman, Charlene Tyler, criticized the newspaper for its distasteful decision.

“I hope the MP is okay,” she said. “It makes me feel really awful that this will ruin his life. The fact that a newspaper was stealing my photograph is quite wrong. The newspaper’s taken it too far.”

Aladdin is such a superhero that an anonymous fan gave him a shiny green costume over the summer.

“He loves dressing up. To him, that’s a sign that he’s going to work,” says his owner, Michele Schaffer-Stevens, who has been caring for Aladdin for about a year and a half now.

Aladdin’s job is as a volunteer therapy dog. He goes to schools, nursing homes, libraries — anywhere people may find comfort in a dog wearing a fancy outfit.

Well, almost anywhere.

Photo credit: Valerie Bruder Photography

A Philadelphia-area hospital stirred controversy this summer after rejecting Aladdin for its therapy dog program, seemingly on account of his pit bull-shaped head.

After an outraged response from members of the therapy dog and animal rescue communities, Richard P. Miller, Virtua hospital’s president and CEO, issued a statement that the hospital does not discriminate against dogs by breed. Miller said Schaffer-Stevens hadn’t filled out the correct paperwork and invited invited her to try again.

Last week, Dean Mazzoni, a vice president, called to say that Aladdin is still out, “because of his breed,” she says.

“They were not going to process his application because they were not going to get involved in the controversy,” Schaffer-Stevens says. “They heard from both groups, the pro pit bull people and the negative pit bull people and their job was simply to care for patients.”

Virtua’s comment on its position comes from spokeswoman Peggy Leone, who issued this statement:

At Virtua, we have witnessed the benefits of pet therapy with hospitalized patients who are dealing with the effects of their conditions. The participating volunteers and their pets in the Pet Therapy Program have brought joy and hope to those who are recuperating and we are committed to continuing this program.

When considering the application of volunteers, whether they are human or pets, many factors are taken into account and not all volunteers are accepted. Virtua retains the right to accept or deny any volunteer application.

Our priority continues to be caring for people who are sick or injured. That priority will continue to drive our decisions in the future.

The hospital refuses to answer further questions about Aladdin or its policy toward pit bulls generally.

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Those on Aladdin’s side have not been so shy in sharing their policies.

Barbara Silverstein has been working with therapy dogs for a quarter-century and is the main administrator for South Jersey Loving Paws, where she essentially plays matchmaker to people with therapy dogs and groups looking for those dogs’ assistance.

Silverstein was Aladdin’s evaluator, back in the beginning of the summer, and says he “is phenomenal. Gentle, sweet, loving. He makes people smile.”

When she learned that Aladdin had again been rejected, she sent an email around to the other members of South Jersey Loving Paws, telling them she’d removed Virtua from the database of therapy dog opportunities, because “Virtua is discriminating against some dog breeds even though they are Registered Therapy Dogs and will not allow them into their program. I cannot support or promote any facility that discriminates because of breed!

“Discrimination,” the email goes on to say, “can only be stopped when enough of us stand together.”

They’re standing together. Silverstein tells HuffPost she knows of at least a half-dozen members who have pulled their dogs from Virtua’s program.

One of them, Alan Braslow, won’t allow his shepherd/Lab mix Amber to participate because “being an animal advocate, I have a very big problem with breed discrimination and ignorance,” he says. “Sometimes you just have to take a stand for what is right. And I have and will continue to share my decision with everyone I know in the therapy dog and rescue community as we cannot allow this to continue.”

Another, Judy Hutnik, said in an email to other therapy dog owners — shared with HuffPost — that her German shepherd Desi will no longer visit the hospital because “even though Desi and I love volunteering at Virtua, I have decided that doing what is right is more important than all the hard work we have gone through to be a part of Visiting Paws. If loving dogs like Aladdin are not given a fair chance at becoming therapy dogs at Virtua because of their BREED, then Desi and I wish to remove ourselves from the program.”

Aladdin at the time of his rescue

Aladdin was painfully skinny in April 2013, when he arrived at a New Jersey animal shelter, with broken legs and a broken tail, a dozen missing teeth and wounds all over his body.

“He greeted everyone with a wagging tail, but you could see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes that someone else was going to hurt him. If he thought he did something wrong or you were going to hurt him, he would drop to the ground belly-up and scream,” says Schaffer-Stevens, who has a history of fostering emaciated pit bulls through a group called Lilo’s Promise Animal Rescue.

She’d been called by the shelter to see if she could help with this one, but found this dog’s situation to be “truly heartbreaking. For months, he would jump if you touched him while he was sleeping,” she says. As this dog came to trust her, her three human sons and three other pit bulls, Schaffer-Stevens came to realize that he was hers for keeps.

For Aladdin to become a therapy dog, after this beginning, took him maintaining the right disposition despite all he’d been through, plus a lot of time and a lot of training.

His transformation is so striking, so inspiring, that Aladdin is the spokesdog for Lilo’s Promise, and has been profiled in magazines. He’s appeared in a hubba hubba anti-cruelty ad campaign featuring Jon Dorenbos of the Philadelphia Eagles.

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It’s all in the effort of helping those who need comfort — and in rehabilitating the image of his kind of dog, those labeled as pit bulls, that are killed by the millions in shelters across the country every year. Even the families who will take them home face a punishingly small pool of available housing, a tough time finding insurance, laws that prohibit or restrict the keeping of pits, and a host of other obstacles that make it hard to give these dogs a good and ordinary life.

Showing this discrimination to be all the more senseless: The term “pit bull” doesn’t refer to a breed of dog, but to several types of terriers, and to any kind of mutt who shares some of those terriers’ physical characteristics, regardless of genetic heritage.

Schaffer-Stevens doesn’t actually know what breed of dog Aladdin is. He’s got the square-shaped head. The rest is a mystery.

“He has never been genetically tested, but we will be doing so this fall as a fundraiser for Lilo’s Promise‘s medical fund,” she says.

Aladdin with his three pit bull siblings

Schaffer-Stevens is frustrated that long after pit bulls have proved themselves as therapy dogs — just look at Michael Vick’s former dog Leo — Aladdin has to keep fighting this particular battle.

“I love Aladdin with all my heart and lately I’ve been grateful that he doesn’t understand the hate and small-mindedness that people/corporations like Virtua perpetuate. I’m happy that all he knows now is to give and receive love because that’s how the world should be,” she says.

Even still, if this hospital were to come back and ask her to come in after all, she’d do it.

“Of course I would work with Virtua or any other group that would welcome Aladdin,” she says. “He brings so much to people when they really need it.”

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Find out more on the Aladdin Nation Facebook page. And email HuffPost’s animal welfare editor at arin.greenwood@huffingtonpost.com if you have an animal story to share!