How To Escape Perfectionism
"According to the World Database of Happiness (yes, there is one), Iceland is the happiest place on earth. The secret to their happiness? Eric Weiner, Author of The Geography of Bliss, traveled to Iceland to find out. After interviewing a number of Icelanders, Weiner discovered that their culture doesn't stigmatize failure(...)That's one reason Iceland has more artists per capita than any other na... posted on Sep 17 2009, 10,765 reads

Lend A Helping Hard Drive
"Today starts the only widespread community service project I've ever heard of inspired by a Web browser (...) the goal of Mozilla Service Week, organized by the makers of Firefox, is to connect technically savvy volunteers with projects in need of their geeky help." This short piece shares more about an exciting initiative currently underway.... posted on Sep 15 2009, 2,205 reads

One Man's Trash
Among the traditional brick and clapboard structures that line the streets of this sleepy East Texas town, 70 miles north of Houston, a few houses stand out: their roofs are made of license plates, and their windows of crystal platters. They are the creations of Dan Phillips, 64, who has had an astonishingly varied life, working as an intelligence officer in the Army, a college dance instructor, a... posted on Sep 13 2009, 3,729 reads

Bach In The Hills
Getting lost on Shillong, India's roads, with clouds and thoughts for company, is most often a matter of pleasure. If you have drifted near Neil Nongkynrih's house in Pokseh, the music will find you. On a regular day, the house fills the neighbourhood with melody -- the strain of a violin, the lilt of the piano as it plays a Bach fugue and voices of children singing. This is home to a unique exper... posted on Sep 11 2009, 1,873 reads

Holocaust 'Children' Meet Their 100-Year-Old Hero
Last week a steam engine pulled into London's Liverpool Street Station. On board: 22 Holocaust survivors who had traveled 700 miles across Europe from Prague in the Czech Republic. And there to meet them on the platform: the man who saved their lives 70 years ago. Back then Sir Nicholas Winton was an ordinary, fun-loving London stockbroker. But when he heard stories from friends in Prague of Jews... posted on Sep 10 2009, 3,558 reads

What We Need Is Each Other
There is a new worldwide movement developing, made up of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that movements are not organizations, institutions or systems. Movements have no CEO, central office, or plan. Instead, they happen when thousands and thousands of people discover together new possibilities for their lives. They have a calling. They are called. And togethe... posted on Sep 09 2009, 4,640 reads

Make A Gratitude Adjustment
As a child, Chris Peterson absolutely hated writing thank-you notes. His aversion continued right into his 40s, until one day he knew he had to face it. A psychology professor at the University of Michigan, Peterson regularly gave his students an unusual homework assignment. He asked them to write a "gratitude letter," a kind of belated thank-you note to someone in their lives. Studies show such l... posted on Sep 08 2009, 6,481 reads

Andre Agassi's Second Act
"Life's blessings are not handed out evenly," tennis star Andre Agassi told the crowd a couple of days ago, still settling back in its seats after a spontaneous standing ovation. "Caring means doing." He was being honored for his work on behalf of the Andre Agassi Foundation, which has raised $75 million to date and used it to start a charter high school in a poor part of Las Vegas. This year, eve... posted on Sep 04 2009, 3,390 reads

Do-Gooders with Spreadsheets
"The World Economic Forum here in Davos is the kind of place where if you let yourself get distracted while walking by a European prime minister on your left, you could end up tripping over a famous gazillionaire -- and then spilling your coffee onto the king on your right. But perhaps the most remarkable people to attend aren't the world leaders or other bigwigs. Rather, they are the social entre... posted on Sep 03 2009, 2,434 reads

Survival of the Kindest
He may well be the psychotherapist with the simplest recipe: kindness. According to Piero Ferrucci, freedom starts with being kind. To others. And yourself. This Ode article shares a thought-provoking glimpse of Ferrucci's thinking on kindness and its relationship to forgiveness.... posted on Sep 02 2009, 8,162 reads