Differently Abled
Javed Abidi, affected at birth with a spinal malady and confined to the wheelchair by medical negligence, is working to provide political visibility and economic opportunities for disabled persons. He rejuvenated the Indian chapter of Disabled People's International, a worldwide organization of people with disabilities, and mobilized the emergence of several grassroots groups across the country. S... posted on Dec 14 2008, 1,856 reads

The Good Life For $5000 a Year
Most people monitoring the current fiscal crisis are fixated on what they could lose. Vermonter Jim Merkel is focused on what everyone could gain. After the 1989 oil spill, Jim set out on a mission to radically simplify his life. "There I was," Merkel recalls in his book, "a jet-set military salesman who voted for Reagan by day, and a bleeding-heart pacifist, eco-veggie-head-hooligan by night." ... posted on Nov 30 2008, 5,609 reads

40,000 at a Farm in Colorado
As a thank you to customers, after being informed of raids in local churches where food was being stolen, two farm owners in Platteville, Colorado sent out an open invite to their community to help themselves to any of the harvest off their 600-acre farm! Joe and Chris Miller, the farm owners, were stunned when more than 40,000 people showed up. "'Overwhelmed' is putting it mildly," they said of... posted on Nov 26 2008, 3,141 reads

16-year-Old Sails Solo Around the World
Michael Perham, 16, is the youngest person to have sailed across the Atlantic alone. He set out on his latest voyage from Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, on Saturday morning. He will be alone at sea for over four months and his only contact with family will be through satellite link-ups. Michael said: "I'm a little bit nervous but otherwise really, really excited. "It's just the feeling of being compl... posted on Nov 20 2008, 2,202 reads

Singing For Supper
Three young men having been walking across Britain without any money, camping out and relying on the kindness of strangers to survive. Calling themselves "singing adventurers", they have taken three major trips in the past three years, sleeping wherever they can and foraging for food. They sing three-part folk songs, ancient and modern, wherever they are welcomed. They "busk in heaving towns, chan... posted on Nov 19 2008, 2,751 reads

Finding A Lifeline & A Friend
In 2000, after 31 years of robust health, James Chippendale, a wealthy Dallas business executive who had traveled much of the world, was found to be suffering from a lethal form of leukemia. Mr. Chippendale's doctors told him that his only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant, and that the likelihood of finding a matching donor seemed bleak. More than 5,000 miles and a world away, Klaus... posted on Nov 13 2008, 4,676 reads

A Dying Boy's Last Wish
Brenden was the kid who ran the fastest, climbed the highest and dreamed of becoming a marine photographer. Leukemia took away all those things, but not his wish to help others. "He's always thought about others. Never complained about having to go through this, ever," said his mother, Wendy Foster. When Brenden was first diagnosed with leukemia, he and his mom began a new tradition. Every night t... posted on Nov 11 2008, 6,773 reads

4800 Books and 10 Legs
In a ritual repeated nearly every weekend for the past decade here in Colombia's war-weary Caribbean hinterland, Luis Soriano gathered his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, in front of his home on a recent Saturday afternoon. Sweating already under the unforgiving sun, he strapped pouches with the word "Biblioburro" painted in blue letters to the donkeys' backs and loaded them with an eclectic cargo of ... posted on Oct 29 2008, 2,995 reads

Dave's Pay-It-Forward Gas Station
Five years ago, Dave lived at the Dignity Village homeless camp in north Portland. Last week, he was buying gas for customers at a local gas station. Dave, who requested that his last name not be printed, said he couldn't have overcome the challenges he faced without the kindness of others. He's hoping his generosity will encourage others to "pay it forward," echoing his good deeds. "I wouldn't be... posted on Oct 24 2008, 4,800 reads

Choosing Life: The Story of Jim Maclaren
A 300-pound, 6-foot-5 All-American football player, Yale student and aspiring actor Jim MacLaren's life literally ended after he was hit by a 40,000-pound city bus in his early twenties. Pronounced dead at the accident scene, he awoke from a coma eight days later, his left leg missing below the knee. Fast-forward a few years. MacLaren, supported by a prosthetic leg, becomes the top amputee triathl... posted on Oct 20 2008, 4,463 reads