Reporting Poverty: Interview with Katherine Boo
While covering poverty and social welfare for the Washington Post in 1993, Katherine Boo was commissioned to write a magazine profile of the new vice president. For most reporters, such an assignment would signal entry into the big leagues. Social issues are regarded as a beat journalists cover until they are deemed important enough to interview politicians, bureaucrats, people of power. "In journ... posted on Sep 29, 4876 reads

Love Leads Into Mystery: Raising A Child With Asperger's
"Daniel teaches me that all rules are arbitrary, answers are illusory, future visions are incomplete. He teaches me about the psychic wounds I carry into my parenting, and my only choice is to heal myself. He teaches me to be more patient, more accepting, more tolerant not just of him but of other kids. I see a nine year old hyper boy out in public these days, and I don't get irritated with him; i... posted on Oct 10, 10110 reads

Families Held Together By Love ... & Skype
We live in a world in which some of the people we are closest to are often not near us at all. When we document our day-to-day existence in photographs and Instagrams, these people are absent. Their presence in our lives is missing from our digital memories. Photographer John Clang's series Being Together seeks to correct this. Using Skype and projectors, he captures families visually as they are... posted on Sep 20, 4626 reads

Is Time Really Money?
"Time is money in the West. Workers are paid by the hour, lawyers charge by the minute, and advertising is sold by the second ($117,000 per second at this year's Super Bowl). Think about this: The civilized mind has reduced time, the most obscure and amorphous of all intangibles, to the most objective of all quantities -- money. With time and things on the same value scale, I can tell you how many... posted on Nov 9, 24474 reads

Detroit's Good Food Cure
"What happens when the Motor City transforms itself into the capital of grow-your-own food? There are more than 1,200 community gardens in Detroit--more per square mile and more per capita than in any other American city. The number of community gardens is just a fraction of the number of kitchen gardens that families grow in yards and side lots. Locals are learning more about nutrition and feelin... posted on Oct 25, 10678 reads

A Weaver's Reflections
Pam Hiller's weaving teacher, Aziz, taught her not to fix mistakes, but to stop and notice -- and then work with them. "It wasn't just paying attention with the mind; it was also listening with the body," says Hiller. "When someone is learning to weave they literally tie the strings in knots. There's a reason I think that we refer to ourselves as getting knotted up in our emotions because that's t... posted on Oct 13, 3623 reads

The Action of Light
"The working class daughter of a Jewish mother and Sicilian father, Joan Di Stefano was working to help with the bills at fourteen. A few years later she was "slinging drinks" to pay tuition for her classes at the San Francisco Art Institute. At seventeen, while working at Macy's in downtown SF, on her lunch-breaks she often visited a bookstore around the corner. That's where she picked up a copy... posted on Nov 14, 5409 reads

Rick Van Beek's 12-Year-Old Inspiration
Rick Van Beek used to smoke two packs of cigarettes and chew a tin of tobacco a day, and the only exercise he got was playing in a Monday night softball league. But two years ago, Van Beek quit smoking, lost weight, whipped himself into shape and started running. It turned out that all Van Beek needed was a little inspiration to get off the couch."If you want to be a runner, you have to have somet... posted on Oct 16, 12685 reads

Throw Your Life a Curve
"According to Juan Carlos Mendez-Garcia, one of the best models for making sense of a non-linear world is the S-curve, the model we have used to understand the diffusion of disruptive innovations, and which he and I speculate can be used to understand personal disruption -- the necessary pivots in our own career paths. [...] Our hypothesis is that those who can successfully navigate, even harness,... posted on Oct 11, 20392 reads

The Man Who Left Hollywood For His True Calling
In a former life Scott Neeson was a high-powered Hollywood exec responsible for the global success of box-office hits like Titanic and Braveheart. But eight years ago, after a poignant experience at a Cambodian garbage dump, he quit his job, sold his mansion and traded in all the trappings of success to dedicate his life to underserved children in one of the poorest countries of the world. Today ... posted on Oct 20, 67328 reads

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Watch this fascinating talk visually unfold before you through witty and beautiful illustration. Dan Pink makes the case that there are hidden truths behind what really motivates us. Namely that it's not the age-old motivators of money and power that drives us, but our desire for autonomy, mastery, and purpose.... posted on Nov 2, 8047 reads

Remembering What We Have Forgotten
Discovering the writings of Peter Kingsley (In the Dark Places of Wisdom, Reality and now A Story Waiting to Pierce You) reminded me of what a mystery it is to be alive. One is always forgetting this, especially in this era of science's stupendous discoveries and the astonishing advance of techonology. It's as if we have the power to figure everything out. Does this confidence in our knowledge sta... posted on Nov 23, 4404 reads

The Danger of a Single Story
Growing up in Nigeria, author Chimamanda Adichie only read stories about blue-eyed British children, playing in the snow and eating apples. She loved these stories, but she could not connect to these stories. Growing up in an English-speaking former colony, Adichie nevertheless embraces Nigerian history and tradition to write critically acclaimed diasporan literature. Watch her discuss her own you... posted on Nov 21, 3386 reads

The Learning Curve of Gratitude
"Eight weeks ago, I was released from the hospital after suffering a pulmonary embolism. I had just finished a tour and a week after returning home, severe chest pain and terrible breathlessness landed me in the ER. A scan revealed blood clots in my lungs. Everyone told me how lucky I was. A pulmonary embolism can take your life in an instant. I was familiar enough with the medical term, but not f... posted on Nov 26, 12277 reads

Short On Time? Try Something Awe-Inspiring
"Always plugged in and constantly juggling tasks at work and at home, many of us feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things we need to do. But wouldn't it be awesome to feel like you had more time? In fact, a new study suggests that experiencing awe -- which psychologists define as the feeling we get when we come across something so strikingly vast in number, scope, or com... posted on Dec 3, 14482 reads

You Are Not Your Body
We often define ourselves by things that are "outside" us: relationships, work, family - even our own bodies. But what would it mean to have your life dramatically altered and your body irrevocably damaged? Who would you be then? In this TEDx talk, walking paraplegic Janine Shepherd, explores the impact of loss on the human psyche and the universal quest to find meaning and fulfillment. It is only... posted on Nov 28, 6070 reads

Help for Caregiving Kids
"At 13 years old, Nickolaus Dent is his mother's primary caregiver. He's responsible for the grocery shopping and cooking. He cleans the house. He does all the laundry. His mother, Janine Helms, has been battling HIV for as long as Nickolaus can recall, and her health has deteriorated in the last couple of years. Nickolaus makes sure she takes her medication. He often helps her get dressed, and at... posted on Dec 1, 4251 reads

Tammy Strobel's Tiny Home
"In the beginning of September, Tammy Strobel and Logan Smith moved from Portland, Oregon, to a ranch in northern California. But unlike many homeowners who move, the couple did not have to put their current home on the market or pack up their belongings into moving trucks. Instead, they simply attached their 128-square-foot home (which is on wheels) to the back of a Ford F350, and drove 400 miles... posted on Mar 5, 10658 reads

What I've Learned From the Children in My Life
In 1989, eighteen-year-old Shaheen Mistry arrived in Mumbai for a visit from the United States. After a poignant encounter with the city's street children she called her parents in the US and announced her decision to stay in India for good. Shaheen went on to found the inspiring non-profit Akanksha, dedicated to educating and empowering children from underprivileged backgrounds. Today she heads T... posted on Dec 16, 21807 reads

The Wisdom of Babies
"For years I worked with families who were very abusive to their children. Over time, I came to realize that all of the suffering that the children collected -- whether it was domestic violence or child abuse or neglect -- was a result of the absence of empathy in the parent. I saw that if you haven't experienced love, it's very difficult to know how to love. So what can we do to break this cycle ... posted on Jan 25, 0 reads

Could Boredom Be Curable?
"Philosophers and scientists alike have found ways to describe boredom as an experience, from the ochlos of ancient Greeks to the unresolved conflicts of modern psychodynamic theory. But when it comes to what actually triggers boredom, an answer has remained elusive. Boredom can occur in a perplexingly broad range of situations and seems to involve both our external environment and our inner resou... posted on Mar 8, 7038 reads

More Than Human: Striking Animal Portraits
""Erasing the awe-inspiring variety of sentient life impoverishes all our lives," historian Joanna Bourke wrote in her poignant meditation on what it means to be human. And yet our relationship with animals and our understanding of their inner lives remain inadequate at best. In 2010, photographer Tim Flach gave us his extraordinary dog portraits. This year, he's back with More Than Human -- a col... posted on Dec 18, 63196 reads

The Power of Whimsy
Public spaces serve multiple functions for society and, more and more, they are being utilized in ever-creative ways. In many of these cases, whimsy seems to be at the heart of the matter, even if it is not the main driver. For instance, in a bid to improve public health by encouraging more people to use the stairs instead of the escalator, The Fun Theory (a Volkswagen initiative) transformed a se... posted on Jan 9, 21877 reads

Second Chances on Rikers Island
"This place is about transformation. The students learn that if you can transform this environment, you can transform your life, yourself. We try to use the program at the gardens to help people build self-esteem," says James Jiler, who runs the GreenHouse program at Rikers Island in New York. Though a prison that holds nearly 16,000 short-term detainees is an unlikely site for a garden, the men a... posted on Jan 23, 11934 reads

Solar Sisters Spreading Light in Africa
"In Uganda, some 90% of the population lives without access to electricity, according to World Bank figures. Enter Solar Sister -- a group aiming to eradicate energy poverty while creating economic opportunities for women. Using an Avon-style women's distribution system, Solar Sister trains, recruits and supports female entrepreneurs in East Africa to sell affordable solar lighting and other green... posted on Dec 22, 4579 reads

6 Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolutions
It's New Years -- time to reflect on your aspirations and set meaningful goals to improve your health and happiness. Which sounds great, right? But how many of us actually keep our New Year's resolutions past January? Not many, according to a study by author and psychologist Richard Wiseman. His research found that 52% of resolution-makers were confident that they'd achieve their goals, yet only 1... posted on Jan 1, 12105 reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012!
Ever year we are amazed by everyday stories of compassion, warmth, and love that fill our world with with inspiration and hope. Collected here are 10 uplifting stories from 2012 about the kindness of ordinary people of all ages and from all walks of life.... posted on Jan 3, 6985 reads

The World Needs More Love Letters
Finding a letter of encouragement in the mail or tucked unexpectedly in the unlikeliest of places is sometimes all we need when in doubt or feeling down on our luck. And imagine receiving this note anonymously, as if some magical force out there knew just what you needed to hear and wanted you to know that you haven't been forgotten. In the fall of 2010, in the midst of her own depression and lon... posted on Jan 11, 26569 reads

Journeys for Good
"A little more than three years ago, Steve and Joanie Wynn were looking to get out of a rut. Their video production company, Bayside Entertainment, was in a slump along with the rest of the economy. So when Joanie Wynn stumbled upon Roadmonkey Adventure Philanthropy, a fledgling business started by a former New York Times war correspondent, she thought, here's a chance to do something different --... posted on Feb 3, 5588 reads

Instant Grants In The Park
A group of calling itself the Federation of Students and Nominally Employed or Unemployed Artists spent four hours giving away "instant grants" in a park in New York City. Photographers, knitters for the homeless and artists of all types lined up for small grants. The funds were raised or donated by the federation and the exercise went deeper than just dollars for some. As one recipient noted: "It... posted on Jan 17, 3076 reads

The Wisdom of Babies
"For years I worked with families who were very abusive to their children. Over time, I came to realize that all of the suffering that the children collected -- whether it was domestic violence or child abuse or neglect -- was a result of the absence of empathy in the parent. I saw that if you haven't experienced love, it's very difficult to know how to love. So what can we do to break this cycle ... posted on Jan 26, 40087 reads

Music As A Three-Dimensional Experience
The music program at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland, California opened my eyes. It happened at a student concert and was a subtle thing, hard to put in words. It all comes to light in our interview with Melanie DeMore who was a key part of their program for 21 years. "I think that whenever you go to a concert, whatever it is, the people should leave feeling way bigger than when they came i... posted on Feb 16, 3859 reads

A Family Living (And Thriving) Without Money
"A Berlin family of three has been living on practically nothing but love and the goodwill of others for more than two years and counting --not as a victims of the rough economy, but as activists who are on a money strike to protest what they call our "excess-consumption society.""... posted on Feb 23, 18046 reads

Mr. Wright's Law of Love
No one falls asleep in Jeffrey Wright's high school physics class. Exploding pumpkins, hovercrafts and an experiment involving a bed of nails, a cinder block and a sledgehammer, are some of the crazy stunts that keep the students enthralled. But it is a simple lecture - one without props or fireballs - that makes the greatest impression on his students each year. The talk is about Mr. Wright's exp... posted on Mar 9, 7560 reads

Jane Goodall: On the Future of Plants & Chimps
"Over the course of 45 years studying the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, Jane Goodall revolutionized our understanding of our closest primate relatives. A champion of animal conservation and the author of 26 books, she turns her attention for the first time to plants with her upcoming book Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants." In this interview the ren... posted on Mar 12, 4496 reads

Insights From The Science of Meaningful Life
"'The science of a meaningful life'-- has exploded over the past 10 years, with many more studies published each year on gratitude, mindfulness, and our other core themes than we saw a decade ago. 2012 was no exception. In fact, in the year just past, new findings added nuance, depth, and even some caveats to our understanding of the science of a meaningful life. Here are 10 of the scientific insi... posted on Mar 13, 19657 reads

How Do You Measure Your Life?
"Every year, HBS Professor Clayton Christensen teaches students that well-tested academic theories can help them succeed not just in business, but in life. He expounds upon those lessons in his book, How Will You Measure Your Life? (...) "You'll see that without theory, we're at sea without a map or a sextant," Christensen writes. "If we can't see beyond what's close by, we're relying on chance --... posted on Mar 17, 9666 reads

The Power of Thanks
In "Sidetracked" Why Our Decisions Get Derailed, and How We Can Stick to the Plan," Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, explores a range of fascinating subjects, including how emotions influence decisions and the often thorny matter of understanding the perspectives of others. Blending social science and real-world examples, Gino's book also highlights the science of... posted on Mar 28, 9811 reads

Write Therapy: Patient As Narrator
While illness is universal, many of us find it difficult to face its grim truths. But writers and celebrities like Susan Sontag, Christopher Reeve, and Michael J. Fox among others have tackled the subject head on through their writing. In the last 20 years, increasing numbers of patients have written crisis or illness memoirs that have far reaching ripple effects. While the writing itself can be c... posted on Mar 24, 14904 reads

Mark Twain's Fan Mail
"Over the course of his prolific career, Twain received countless letters from his adoring readers and, occasionally, his critics. Two hundred of them, written according to the style of the era's wonderfully quaint epistolary etiquette, are collected in Dear Mark Twain: Letters from His Readers...His correspondents ranged from school children, businessmen, farmers, and political activists, to con ... posted on Mar 27, 11596 reads

Why Mind-Wandering Robs You of Happiness
""The main thing is to get what little happiness there is out of life in this war-torn world," Clare Boothe Luce advised her young daughter, "because 'these are the good old days' now." And yet most of us are conditioned to escape into the past, into the future, into our to-do lists -- to wander off away from the present, even as we chronicle the moment in real-time on various lifestreaming platfo... posted on Apr 4, 28342 reads

The Persuasive Power of Uncertainty
"When we started this research, we had the same hypothesis that a lot of people would have, that being more certain would be generally better when you're trying to persuade somebody or convince somebody to do something. And so, we were originally thinking expressing confidence or certainty might be a solution for people who lack credibility to gain influence. And so, we did some studies to look in... posted on Apr 9, 6885 reads

How to Change the World with Hot Cocoa & Neruda
"Wake up. Don't press snooze. Sling your legs over the side of the bed. Right. Left. Turn on music. Good, good music...You need a life soundtrack. Has anyone told you that yet? Pick out something spectacular from your closet. Feel good in your skin. Put on an item that tells some kind of story. Always have a story to tell, just a wrist or coat sleeve away. And if that yellow sweater ain't got a st... posted on May 28, 36528 reads

Stay A Lover of Little Things
"No matter what big cities you go off to and big opportunities you are graced with, always take time to acknowledge the little things. Never give up on the things that make you smile, because smiling is one of the most important things we can do in this world. Find time to just wander. With No Direction. No Plan. No Time Restrictions. Look for beauty everywhere you go. The ladybugs on the windowsi... posted on May 1, 58080 reads

Hold A Piece Of the Pain: Lessons from My Daughter
"We were in the downtown area of our city when we drove past something I will never forget. Many homeless people were crowded around this broken-down truck. A man on the truck was holding up an orange saying 'Merry Christmas' and throwing out the orange for someone to catch. When I saw people pushing each other to get to the oranges, that made my heart drop. They were fighting for a piece of frui... posted on May 19, 35392 reads

Debunking the Myths of Happiness
Psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky is an expert on the subject of our most common happiness myths. One pervasive myth is that a desired change in lifestyle such as getting married or striking it rich will make us irrevocably happy. Research has shown that while these events may cause happiness in the short term, their positive effects are unlikely to last as long as we might hope. A second myt... posted on Jun 12, 27442 reads

Jessica Cox: The World's First Arm-less Pilot
Jessica Cox is the world's first licensed arm-less pilot. Born without arms, she has never let this obstacle stand in her way. With a dauntless spirit and valiant creativity, she not only drives and plays piano but has also become the first arm-less black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association. Her story reminds us of the infinite capacities of the human spirit, and what we can do when we make... posted on Apr 18, 5705 reads

A World Without Landfills
These two local heroes changed the tide of their communities through a deep commitment to nurture a healthy planet and unwavering courage to follow their hearts' calling. They're part of a "growing global movement to significantly reduce the amount of trash we produce as communities, cities, countries and even regions. It's called the zero-waste movement...Adilla is a grassroots recycler -- also ... posted on Jul 27, 23055 reads

Avoiding the 'I'll-Give-Back-Later' Trap
Steve Davis is president and CEO of PATH, an international nonprofit whose goal is to help communities break longstanding cycles of poor health. The cross-sectoral skills he attained during his earlier work in other organizations, he says, are crucial when it comes to adapting innovations to the places that need them most. In this interview, he talks about his approach to leadership and the import... posted on Oct 26, 14228 reads

Guiding Rage into Power
San Quentin is one of the nation's most notorious maximum security prisons. But it is also known for an unusual inmate rehabilitation program. Insight-Out's Guiding Rage Into Power (GRIP) Program offers an in-depth journey into the participants' ability to understand and transform violent behavior, track and manage strong impulses, and replace these behaviors with an attitude of emotional intellig... posted on Apr 25, 4124 reads