Remember those OxiClean commercials with the in-your-face pitchman? That was Billy Mays. Mays died years ago, but he’s lived on in meme form. Why? We ask his son Billy Mays III, his biggest frenemy, and a host of others to explain why someone who was squarely in the age of television continues to appear online in strange and provocative ways. It’s the story of an American staple whose consumerist existence belies a personality that, in the end, was surprisingly wholesome. 

Kind World

Kind World Presents: Endless Thread's look into the life and legacy of Bill Mays

Today, we present the very first episode of Anything for Selena, a new podcast from WBUR and Futuro Studios. Growing up along the US-Mexico border, Maria Garcia felt torn between her two identities as Mexican and American. But then, something changed her life. She discovered Selena — the Mexican-American pop icon who proved she didn’t have to choose. In the premiere episode of “Anything for Selena,” host Maria Garcia explores how Selena helped Maria find her own place in the world.

Kind World Presents: Selena And Me

Listen to the trailer for "Anything For Selena," a new podcast from WBUR and Futuro Studios coming in January 2021. Subscribe now so you don't miss it! About The Show: On March 31, 1995, nine-year-old Maria Garcia came home to find her mother glued to the TV, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. The phone kept ringing. Relatives in Mexico and the States wanted to know if Maria’s family was watching, too. American networks and Mexican programming aired the same top story. Selena Quintanilla, the Grammy-winning ascending Mexican American popstar had been killed — swiftly, violently — by the president of her fan club. The story shook the country and changed Maria’s life. In "Anything For Selena," host Maria Garcia goes on an intimate, revelatory quest to understand how Selena has become a potent symbol for tensions around race, class and body politics in the United States. The series weaves Maria’s personal story as a queer, first-generation Mexican immigrant with cultural analysis, history and politics to explore how, 25 years after her death, Selena remains an unparalleled vessel for understanding Latino identity and American belonging.

Kind World Presents: Anything For Selena

The perception that the U.S.-Mexico border’s been effectively sealed shut because of the pandemic is wrong. Lots of people are still crossing. Actually, the biggest, most dramatic change in who can’t cross right now; you’re not going to find those folks at the official ports of entry. Instead, you have to look inside migrant shelters, at the refugees who can’t seek asylum in the U.S. right now and are instead stuck in border towns. So that's what we do today. We talk to a migrant stuck at the border in Tijuana, and a doctor from Los Angeles who's trying to help. About The Show: “Port Of Entry” is about the unexplored subcultures, creativity and struggles at the U.S.-Mexico border. The KPBS podcast tells personal stories from people whose lives are shaped by the tension reverberating around the wall. This is a show for border babies, urban explorers or those who wonder what happens when two cultures are both separated and intertwined.

Kind World Presents: Port Of Entry

Listen in as five Kind World producers discuss how the show has grown and evolved in its seven-year run.

Kind World Says Goodbye

Science says giving can make us happier than having more money. Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Dunn suggests ways to rethink the way we give in order to make it feel like a source of joy rather than an obligation.

Giving Can Make Us Happier

When Jenn Carson found out her father was a serial killer, she began to think she was doomed to follow a dark path. But then she met a teacher who helped her change her life forever through simple acts of kindness

Encore: A Teacher's Aid

Adam Grant, organizational psychologist at UPenn, says kids who are taught kindness and caring at an earlier age may be more likely to succeed as adults.

The Surprising Benefits Of Raising Kind Kids

A chance meeting between a school volunteer and a Marine leads to a slew of unexpected acts of kindness. Plus, how small gifts and tokens from neighbors helped a mother and daughter as the young girl struggled with a mysterious illness.

Encore: A Connecting Flight

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy shares with us the startling effects of chronic loneliness and how we can combat this public health crisis -- even in a socially distant world.

Feeling Lonely? You're Not Alone.

A man confronts his dark past and a random act of kindness that led to a 20-year philosophy. 

Encore: Love For The Least Loved

Priya Parker is an expert on gatherings. She gives us tips on creating deeper social bonds and more collective meaning through our get-togethers. 

Have More Meaningful Gatherings, Even During COVID

Six years after their story, "A Second Mother To Me," originally aired on Kind World, we catch up with Michael Tambone and Frances Schmitz to talk about the importance and power of a "chosen family."

A Chosen Family

Our listeners share profound acts of kindness they've experienced throughout their lives, including how kind acts propelled a woman out of homelessness. 

Kindness In Your World

A man became stuck at an airport for 7 months and his only source of hope was a determined stranger. PLUS how a small town helped a family of refugees rebuild their chocolate empire. 

Encore: Stuck In Transit

Kind World is a show about how a single act of kindness can change someone's life. In each episode, hosts and reporters Yasmin Amer and Andrea Asuaje search the world for good news stories that will restore your faith in humanity. A production of WBUR.

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