What Slime Knows
"Here in this little patch of mulch in my yard is a creature that begins life as a microscopic amoeba and ends it as a vibrant splotch that produces spores, and for all the time in between, it is a single cell that can grow as large as a bath mat, has no brain, no sense of sight or smell, but can solve mazes, learn patterns, keep time, and pass down the wisdom of generations." Author Lacy M. Johns... posted on Aug 28 2021, 3,433 reads

Piplantri: Where 111 Trees Are Planted for Every Girl Child Born
Being born a girl can be risky in some parts of the world. In communities where a dowry is expected at the time of marriage, and where education is not offered to girls so that they can earn an equal wage, a baby girl is often seen as a liability rather than as a child to be celebrated. To offset this negative view of being female, the village of Piplantri, India has chosen to overcome the stigma ... posted on Aug 27 2021, 1,938 reads

Of People, Plants and Place
"Our ancestors knew the places where they lived: every inch of land, every kind of plant, every sign of life. They made use of everything. They were intimately involved with their surroundings, immersed in the ebb and flow of the seasons. Their attention was anchored to the here and now as they watched with anticipation the gradual emergence of shoots and stems, flowers and fruits, waiting patient... posted on Aug 26 2021, 2,768 reads

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, 4,918 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, 4,825 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, 3,168 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, 13,236 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, 3,258 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, 6,930 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, 3,097 reads