Operation Katrina
Hurricane Katrina not only ripped apart houses, but families as well and there are still hundreds of people missing. Operation Connect Katrina is an online service that provides lists of the missing that anyone can download and conduct searches to find and reunite the missing with their friends and families. So far 124 missing people have been found through efforts of Operation Connect Katrina's d... posted on Sep 30, 1306 reads

Peace in a Time of War
The border between the nuclear powers of Pakistan and India not only cuts across the land, but also fills its people's hearts with fear of war and armageddon. On Sept 27th, the BBC attempted to transcend that border with technology and music in a live concert for peace linking Karachi & Bombay. The live satellite link allowed Pakistan's legendary singer Abida Parveen to sing with her Indian counte... posted on Oct 6, 1296 reads

Desert Rose
San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point is a tough neighborhood; besides its notorious gang violence, the pollution that is spewed by the surrounded freeways, power plant, and Naval shipyard, have resulted in high levels of asthma, cancer, and birth-defects among its residents. 19-year-old La Constance Shahid is working to heal the land by inspiring young residents to raise the native plants that ... posted on Oct 10, 1060 reads

Curitiba
How did the backwater town of Curitiba Brazil become a model for city planning? Much of it started with the vision and daring of its young architect mayor in the 1970's, Jaime Lerner.

When Curitiba's central street, Rua Quinze-was scheduled to be obliterated with an overpass, Lerner insisted instead that it should become a pedestrian mall, however there was no real way to convince ... posted on Nov 25, 985 reads

The Gift
After witnessing a friend survive Lupus thanks to a generous marrow donor, Brooks Dame became inspired to " help someone out with a small little miracle of their own” and signed up to be a bone marrow donor, a painful and dangerous procedure. A year later Brooks received a call that a match was found; a 30 year old man with a wife and kids was desperately fighting Leukemia. Nervous, but buoyed ... posted on Jan 28, 1366 reads

Rain Garden
When rain falls on impervious surfaces, such as roads, it absorbs contaminates as it drains away into waterways. UK researchers have found that rain gardens, a shallow depression in a garden containing bark much and shrubs, can remove up to 99% of these toxins. As the world's population urbanizes and cities continue to grow, rain gardens can be a viable, beautiful, and inexpensive solution to poll... posted on Feb 4, 1816 reads

Rugmark International
Rugmark International was founded in 1994 to eliminate child labor in carpet manufacturing. In Nepal, Pakistan and India, the organization monitors factories, certifies carpets made without child labor, and rescues and educates child laborers. In consumer countries, it seeks to create market preference for certified rugs, which could result in the rescue of thousands of children from forced labor ... posted on Feb 26, 1320 reads

A Small Hero
When his mom rolled off the bed and hit the floor, 8-year-old Jacob Clini knew three things: she was not moving, she needed help and he had to find a telephone. Remembering what his teachers and his cousin had told him about 911, Jacob picked up the phone, punched in the three numbers and saved his mother's life.... posted on May 1, 1987 reads

Assisting Discovery
For 24 years, National Award Winning teacher, Rafe Esquith has continued to work at Hobart Elementary, an inner-city school in Los Angeles. Hobart is the second largest elementary school in the country and 90% of its students live below the poverty line. Esquith's unorthodox teaching methods push these kids past their limitations: His ten-year olds volunteer to show up at 6:30 in the morning, not ... posted on Mar 17, 1665 reads

Begging For Change
Does the money you give to charity really make a difference? Are all those dollars pouring in really helping? Why are there still so many homeless, hungry, drug-addicted, unemployed Americans? In 1989, frustrated by those nagging questions, Robert Egger gave up his dream to start a night club and launched the D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington. It collects food from local restaurants, caterers, a... posted on Mar 21, 1786 reads

Helping Ourselves, Healing Ourselves
Each year, Interplast, a US based nonprofit, sends a steady stream of expert surgical teams and medical supplies to developing countries all over the world, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Vietnam. The teams of volunteer surgeons spend two weeks at each location, performing as many free operations as time permits. By correcting disfigurements resulting from conditions such as cleft lip... posted on Mar 26, 1013 reads

Bridging Art & Spirituality
Meet Sister Wendy Beckett, Britain’s self-taught art nun turned international celebrity -- who never watched TV before she was on it. A nun in the contemplative tradition, she lived most of her life in silence and seclusion before a chance encounter led to her becoming the unlikely presenter for a series of highly acclaimed art documentaries. Today she is one of the world’s best known and best... posted on Apr 16, 1755 reads

Many Acorns, Many Oaks
Fact or fiction, can't say, but it's inspiring, and it's about the difference a single determined person can make in the world when they put their mind and body to the task. Elzeard Bouffier, a pre-WWI shepherd in solitude, takes it upon himself to restore the ruined ecosystem of the isolated and largely abandoned valley in the French Alps by singled-handedly cultivating a forest, tree by tree, pl... posted on Apr 15, 1662 reads

Leading With Kindness
A new way of managing is emerging. Some of the world's most successful companies are realizing that the better they treat their employees, the more productive they get. College opportunities, flexible schedules, advanced health care plans or transparency between ranks are only a few examples of a new phenomenon known as leading with kindness. Businessmen and professors William F. Baker and Michael... posted on Oct 27, 6046 reads

A Book that Rose from the Ashes
Acclaimed poet and novelist Maxine Hong Kingston returned from her father's funeral to find her home in flames. The fire destroyed the manuscript and all backup copies of a newly written book, "The Fourth Book of Peace". Though initially devastated, Kingston moved past her personal loss and began a workshop for those who had lost much more: Vietnam War veterans. In the process of helping them move... posted on May 7, 2000 reads

Tuesdays With Morrie
"Morrie Schwartz who was a favorite college professor of mine back at Brandeis University in Boston. He and I were very close. I took every class he offered over four years. When I graduated, I lost touch with him for sixteen years until one night I happened to catch the Nightline program and I saw Morrie talking to Ted Koppel about what it is like to die. That's the first I learned that Morrie ha... posted on Oct 18, 3714 reads

Big Mountain, Little Steps
Steve House cemented his status as one of the world's best mountain climbers last September in Pakistan, when he and a partner reached the top of Nanga Parbat via a new route up the Rupal Face, a 14,000-foot vertical wall of rock, snow and ice considered the largest and highest relief in the world. As extraordinary as that was, what really sets House apart in the testosterone fueled sport of climb... posted on May 17, 1406 reads

Be-ing Other-centered in Business
He teaches them to be grateful and wants them to meditate. But Prof. Srikumar Rao's isn't a spiritual teacher: he teaches at Columbia Business School! In his gentle voice, he asks them to stop living in a "me centered" world and start living in an "other centered" one. In one exercise, students spend an hour each day for a week helping someone else without expecting anything in return. It may not ... posted on May 24, 2192 reads

Katrina Cottage
The house everyone has been talking about isn't the biggest, fanciest or most expensive. But rather a 308-square-foot house that may change the way United States deals with emergency housing and affordable housing. Katrina Cottage, as its called, is a factory-built, do-it-yourself, expandable home that utilizes local architecture including a wide porch, and lots of windows for air and daylight. ... posted on Jun 4, 2746 reads

Wandering Scribe
A woman becomes homeless, so she gets into her car and drives. Except she has nowhere to go - so she stays in the car, with all her possessions heaped in the back, sleeping in the front seat, parking in secluded streets. For eight months, no one notices her, because she makes sure she looks respectable. But this is the information age. And even though she doesn't speak to anyone, she can go int... posted on Jun 5, 3274 reads

This I Believe
It was started in 1951. Each day, millions gathered by their radios to hear compelling essays from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Harry Truman as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists and secretaries and people like Marty Mann, the first woman to join Alcoholics Anonymous. It was a radio show called 'This I Believe' where people shared their person... posted on Jun 10, 2607 reads

Science Behind Your Smile
We study twins, chimps and lottery winners, but still don't understand happiness. In his new book, 'Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile', Dr. Daniel Nettle suggests that although people believe they will be happier in the future, they in fact seldom are; that societies don't get happier as they get richer; and that people are consistently wrong about the impact of future life-events on their... posted on Jun 7, 3220 reads

The New Face of Giving
A charity that provides water to African villages posts locations of new wells using Google Earth, and a 13-year-old contributor in Manhattan tracks the progress. A cancer charity accepts "micro-donations" of $5 by text message. An orchestra in Michigan begins posting videos of its performances on YouTube to try to draw patrons. The United States long has been a nation of givers, but a new generat... posted on Oct 22, 2163 reads

100 People Who Shape Our World
Imagine 100 celebrities like Tom Cruise, Laura Bush and Sandra Day O'Connor each writing a profile on say Pope Benedict, Bill Clinton or Oprah Winfrey. What would the compiled result look like? Like Time magazine's much-awaited 2006 Time 100 project! A collection of profiles on one hundred men and women, whose power, talent or moral example are transforming our world. Click here to see Time's comp... posted on Jun 16, 3080 reads

The Man Who Memorized Pi
Daniel Tammet lives with extraordinary ability and disability. He can't drive a car or tell right from left. But he can figure out cube roots quicker than a calculator and holds the European record for recalling pi to the furthest decimal point. Daniel is an "Autistic savant" -- a term that refers to individuals with autism who have extraordinary mental skills. But while most savants can't tell us... posted on Jun 21, 3551 reads

Kindness Repayed, and the Birth of a Star
Sandy Greenberg was struck blind while studying at Columbia University. How did he manage to stay in school? His roommate read his textbooks to him -- every night. Not a commitment that many would find easy to make. Sandy went on to graduate with honors. Not long after he got a call from his roommate, who told him unhappily that he no longer wanted to be in grad school -- he wanted to sing instead... posted on Jun 28, 3405 reads

Developing a Language of Compassion
Believing that it is our nature to enjoy giving and receiving in a compassionate manner, Marshall Rosenberg, in his classic book "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion" talks of answering two questions. What happens to disconnect us from our compassionate nature, leading us to behave violently and exploitatively? And conversely, what allows some people to stay connected to their compa... posted on Jun 24, 1685 reads

Nobel Laureate's Odes To Common Things
Pablo Neruda: the Nobel Prize-winning poet who turned appreciation of sight and sound into a fine art with his "Odes to Common Things". Everything was fair game to this poet: he wrote hauntingly beautiful odes to his socks, to a lemon, to a cat, to ironing, to bees, bicycles, a bed and even the dictionary! In his poems everyday objects become an excuse to explore the beauty and wonder we so often ... posted on Jun 30, 1784 reads

Why Multi-Tasking Can Be Unhealthy
Multi-tasking has become something of a heroic word in our vocabulary. But is it really an inarguable virtue? We’re not talking about chewing bubblegum and walking a straight line at the same time -- while automatic actions, or what the researchers call "highly practiced skills," can be done while thinking about other things, research shows that any key decision-making requires full attention. W... posted on Jul 4, 2310 reads

Journalism for the People
He spends nine months of every year living in the poorest districts of India -- and then writes with a passion about the problems he witnesses first-hand. Award-winning journalist P. Sainath is credited with having fundamentally changed the understanding of poverty in India, and for playing a significant role in redefining it worldwide. Sainath reports on ordinary people struggling against tremend... posted on Jul 25, 1409 reads

Class of One
Before her first day at school in New Orleans, Ruby Bridges' mother told her: "Now I want you to behave yourself today, Ruby, and don't be afraid." Ruby and her mother went to the school, where so many people were outside shouting and throwing things. She seemed to be remembering her mother's words as she entered the school without showing any fear at all. Despite the fact that it was 1960, there ... posted on Jul 17, 2555 reads

Mozart Soothes Aching Elephant
Suma, a 45-year-old elephant and long-time resident of the Zagreb Zoo, was bereaved and inconsolable after her pachyderm partner of tens of years died of cancer. Until, of course, she heard Mozart. At the sight of five musicians preparing themselves to start a concert, Suma became very nervous and aggressive, peppering the intruders with little stones that she blew out of her trunk. "But as soo... posted on Jul 27, 2467 reads

Couples Create Charity Registries
Jen Crane and Tom Frohlich are banking on the generosity of friends and family to collect as much money as possible when they get married - but not for selfish reasons. They are encouraging guests to make donations in their honor to their favorite charity. With 2 million annual weddings in the US, and an average price tag of $26,000, more and more couples are looking a bit deeper. "We're trying... posted on Jul 30, 1397 reads

41 Letters To Younger Selves
If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self what would that letter say? In this inspiring new publication "What I Know Now" forty-one famous women from diverse fields write letters to the women they once were, filled with the advice and insights they wish they had then. Honest, wise and compassionate these letters reveal rare glimpses of the personal struggles and triumphs of... posted on Aug 8, 4760 reads

Imagine: A Run Across America
Imagine: the 100 million disabled people in developing countries, who today must crawl on the ground, suddenly owning a wheelchair. That's the goal of Free Wheelchair Mission, which will benefit from the efforts of William Hibbard, a long time marathon runner, as he undertakes a cross-country trek to raise money to deliver 25,000 wheelchairs worldwide. Titled, "Imagine: A Run Across America", Hib... posted on Aug 12, 1449 reads

Smashing a Law of Physics?
Free energy anyone? Ireland-based Steorn, a technology firm, issued a challenge to the world's scientific community last week to give its verdict on technology it says smashes one of the basic laws of physics by producing "free energy." Sounds too good to be true, and so Steorn has placed an ad in The Economist seeking 12 top physicists to examine the technology -- based on the interaction of magn... posted on Aug 21, 2124 reads

Reading the Animal Mind
Dr. Temple Grandin is convinced that she experiences the world much as an animal does because of her autism. Grandin has a legendary ability to read the animal mind and understand animal behaviour when no one else can. Best-known for convincing McDonalds to work with more humane slaughterhouses, this animal scientist/writer/professor and arguably the most famous and accomplished autistic person i... posted on Aug 25, 2384 reads

Theater For The Disabled
Belfast, Maine, is home to a Jesuit brother named Rick Curry, whose breads are making headlines and whose National Theater Workshop of the Handicapped is making history. Born without a right forearm, Bro. Curry's parents taught him to never use his handicap as an excuse. The concept for the National Theater Workshop for the Handicapped came after he was turned down for a role in a mouthwash commer... posted on Sep 9, 1953 reads

Giving Up a Dream to Save a School
Twelve-year old Jon Farrar spent two years building up his "Yankee Account" from money put aside from birthday/Christmas gifts and earned doing chores around the house. His ultimate dream was to see his favorite baseball team play this summer in Yankee Stadium. He was $1000 closer to that dream when he first heard that his middle school was short of funds and in danger of being closed. Jon made th... posted on Sep 15, 2119 reads

Frustration Transformed Into Inspiration
The quote above contains lines from the 'The Invitation' -- one of today's best-known pieces of inspirational poetry. Oriah Mountain Dreamer wrote it after coming home from a party, frustrated with the superficial social interaction. The next day she emailed the piece she had written to some friends, having no idea that the poem would take on a life of its own. It traveled all around the world, an... posted on Sep 23, 3262 reads

Cancelled Wedding Benefits Charity
When painful circumstances forced 29-year-old Kyle Paxman to call off her wedding, she found a way of turning the heartache into an opportunity to be of service. She and her mother canceled the band, photographer and florist, but learned they would not be reimbursed for the reception and block of rooms they had reserved. So they turned her reception into a benefit for the Vermont Children’s Aid ... posted on Sep 24, 3043 reads

The Blind Photographer
It wasn't until after Pete Eckert went blind that he really started to see things. When the 48 year old former carpenter went blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa six years ago, he did the first thing he wasn't supposed to be able to do. He became a photographer. Eckert was 28 when he was deemed legally blind; he spent the next decade earning several degrees, including one each in sculpture and ceramic... posted on Oct 7, 2832 reads

Altruism: a Neural Kick from Within
What motivates people to act anonymously kind? Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland, wanted to find exactly that -- the neural basis for unselfish acts. So they decided to peek into the brains of 19 volunteers who were choosing whether to give money to charity, or keep it for themselves. They found that the part of the brain that was acti... posted on Oct 18, 2566 reads

GlobalGiving Olympics
While preparing for the 1980 Olympics, two-time Olympic Pentathlon champion Marilyn King sustained a spinal injury that left her bed-ridden. King was determined not to end her career on her back -- and to finish in the top three at the Olympic trials. Unable to put in the grueling hours of required practice, King spent time watching films of successful pentathletes, visualizing and feeling herself... posted on Oct 28, 1277 reads

The Health Benefits of Faith
In a study comparing the associations between faith and health, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center physician has shown the improvements in life expectancy of those who attend religious services on a weekly basis to be comparable to those who participate in regular physical exercise! Dr. Daniel Hall compared the impact of regular exercise, statin therapy and religious attendance, and showed ... posted on Oct 30, 2420 reads

Hospital Learns From Car Racing
Hospitals don't usually model their processes after car racing, but in an unlikely collaboration, Britain's largest children's hospital has revamped its patient hand-off techniques with lessons learned from the choreographed pit stops of Formula One racing. In 2003, Dr. Allan Goldman and surgeon Martin Elliot were watching a race unfold when they noticed striking similarities between patient hand-... posted on Nov 23, 2918 reads

Portraits For the Homeless
For those struggling to afford a place to live, posing for family portraits can seem like a luxury. But this fall at a homeless shelter in California, people did exactly that. On the other side of the camera were local photography students -- who had been learning not only about lighting and shutter speeds but also about ethics, service and the power of images to catalyze social change. Before eve... posted on Nov 29, 1637 reads

Booker Prize Winner's Vision
Booker Prize winning novelist Ben Okri is often hailed as one of Africa's greatest writers. His first-hand experiences of civil war in Nigeria inspired much of his writing which encompasses with ease the mundane and the metaphysical, the individual and the collective. Okri's interest in education has led him to publicly and poetically stress the importance of self-discovery and intuition in the le... posted on Dec 19, 1913 reads

Soccer as a Tool for AIDS Prevention
Created over the summer of 2006, Lusaka Sunrise is a 7 minute short film that examines how soccer/ "football" is fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. Through the work of several organizations, the powerful and commonly accessible platform of soccer is facilitating the spread of knowledge and providing African youth with the skills, understanding, and community support to live HIV-free. Lusaka Sunrise take... posted on Dec 1, 1769 reads

Scientifically Shown Benefits of Touch
When neuroscientist Jim Coan scanned the brains of married women in pain, he spotted changes that may help to shed light on an age-old mystery. As soon as the women touched the hands of their husbands, there was an instant drop in activity in the areas of the brains involved in fear, danger, and threat. Touch, a key component of traditional healing, is being increasingly studied in mainstream medi... posted on Dec 5, 2109 reads