A Surgeon's Compassionate Pricing Model
As a surgeon based in eastern Nebraska, Demetrio Aguila, MD, has drawn patients from 34 states, 6 countries, and 4 continents, not only because of his innovative, life-changing surgeries for people suffering with chronic pain, but because of the compassionate payment option he offers: in lieu of dollars, patients can donate community service hours for their procedures. For example, if a patient ne... posted on Aug 25 2021, 4,861 reads

Vandana Shiva: For Love of Mother Earth
"Vandana Shiva started out in quantum physics, something her school didnt even teach, but which she taught herself well enough to eventually study for a PhD in Canada. Somewhere in there, she met the tree huggers of the Chipko movement in the forests of Uttarakhand, the forests her father worked when she was a child, and it became clear that a life other than the one she intended lay in front of h... posted on Aug 23 2021, 4,777 reads

A Modest Purchase
"Today I went down to the local gravestone vendor to see if I might pick up some pieces of broken stone. Why wouldn't scraps accumulate from flaws or mishaps in the ordinary course of cutting and dressing memorial stones? It seemed reasonable to think I'd be able to pick up some nice pieces of marble and granite for next to nothing from such discards. And since Mountain View Cemetery, over a hundr... posted on Aug 22 2021, 3,163 reads

My 94-Year-Old Dad Talks About COVID-19
"I want to try to get a better handle on this global situation by looking at the past, to see how humanity dealt with similar challenging situations. I'm not talking history books or documentaries-- I'm talking about real thoughts from someone who has been around the block -- namely, my dad (Dr. James Algiers), who at 94 has experienced many world events, and as a physician has treated thousands... posted on Aug 21 2021, 13,156 reads

Doubts
This delightfully animated poem by Julie Flanders urges you to "construct an orchestra of belief in your head," thereby getting rid of the doubts that can eat your dreams. Do not let them in, do not let them play, because doubts will take over your mind as they linger, and never go away. Doubts serve as clouds blocking the sunshine that leads to happiness and joy.... posted on Aug 20 2021, 3,252 reads

Fire Season
"I used to think that I would live to see the future of my visions. Now I only hope that my grandchildren's grandchildren will walk in a kinder world, alive to a multidimensional kinship, knowing that everything they can see, hear, and touch is sacred. I do not know how much will have to burn before we abandon our patterns of behavior that are poisoning the Earth, destroying Her wild places. Befor... posted on Aug 19 2021, 6,867 reads

From Tolerance to Appreciation
Marilyn Turkovich has dedicated herself to cultivating appreciation and understanding of diverse cultures, faiths and ways of life that exist around the world. She has worked since 2013 with the International Charter for Compassion (CFC), an organization founded to support the movement initiated by Karen Armstrong's Charter of Compassion, and founded on "the fundamental principles of universal jus... posted on Aug 18 2021, 3,047 reads

Hilma af Klint: Enigmatic Mystic & Mother of Abstract Art
"In 1986, those art historians who see art as some form of linear progression 'improving' with time received a rude shock. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's exhibition The Spiritual in Art -- Abstract Paintings 1890 -- 1985 introduced a hitherto unknown woman artist. The issue was not just that this art was so exquisitely beautiful -- but that the paintings had been painted in the early 20th ... posted on Aug 17 2021, 6,550 reads

Finding the Mother Tree
"In this in-depth interview, Dr. Suzanne Simard--the renowned scientist who discovered the "wood-wide web"-- speaks about mother trees, kin recognition, and how to heal our separation from the living world."... posted on Aug 16 2021, 7,270 reads

The Quest to Understand Consciousness
"Every morning we wake up and regain consciousness -- that is a marvelous fact -- but what exactly is it that we regain? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio uses this simple question to give us a glimpse into how our brains create our sense of self."... posted on Aug 15 2021, 8,328 reads