Bread For My Neighbor
Ten years ago, at the age of twelve, Craig Kielburger gathered a handful of his friends over pizza to discuss a newspaper article about a young boy in Pakistan who was sold to a carpet weaver at the age of four. He wanted to figure out how they could help. Their brainstorming session gave rise to what is today the largest network of children helping children in the world. Today the youth volunteer... posted on Apr 1, 1379 reads

The World as an Organization
Will there be a bee hive on the cover of the next issue of The Economist? Likely not. But new research does show that bumble bees and other insects provide $57 billion in pollination services as well as other free labor in the U.S. alone. Unfortunately, several bee species are on the verge of extinction. By putting a dollar value on the work done by insects, the researchers hope to raise interest ... posted on Apr 7, 2673 reads

The Artist Who Was A Horse
His artwork has been described as having the "fire of Pollock" and the "fixed gaze of Resnick." Now, a Reno artist will be making his international debut, having been invited to exhibit his work in a juried art competition in Italy. He won't be going abroad, however, to bask in the aura of great Italian masters. Instead, this artist will remain at home, contemplating his next masterpiece while gna... posted on Oct 23, 3196 reads

Silence at the Emmys
Hundreds of millions around the world recognize his face, yet he bought clothes from a thrift store, drove a humble car and lived in a simple home. In 1984, he even issued a statement to the Supreme Court to say that he had "absolutely no objections" if consumers taped his telecast, violating the copyright rule. In 1999, when inducted into the TV Hall of Fame, he used his moments of glory to bri... posted on Apr 10, 2666 reads

Stand-by Energy Drain
Talk about non-intuitive: a typical microwave oven uses more electricity for its digital clock than it does in heating food! Why? Well, while heating food requires more than 100 times what it takes to power a clock, most microwave ovens stand idle -- in “standby” mode -- more than 99% of the time. Lawrence Berkeley Lab's Alan Meier did research in Florida, California, and Japan, and found that... posted on Apr 11, 1729 reads

The Altruism of Children
This may hard to believe for those of you who have to bribe kids to do chores, but the latest scientific research indicates that children are born altruistic. Psychology researcher Felix Warneken, at Germany's Max Planck Institute, performed a series of ordinary chores in front of 18 month old toddlers like Using clothespins to hang up a towel or arranging books. Sometimes he "struggled" with the ... posted on May 7, 3918 reads

Challenging the Cult of Speed
He had a major Aha Moment when he caught himself trying to save time by looking up one-minute bedtime stories to read to his son. Carl Honore began a deeper inquiry into the “cult of speed” that informs life in the 21st century; the result was “ In Praise of Slowness,” a book that explains how our world got so fast, the dangerous implications of this, and why conscious slowing down just mi... posted on Apr 19, 1633 reads

Email More Honest Than Phone Calls?
April Fool's Day isn't the only time to catch lies. A Cornell University study has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in e-mails. Participants were asked to keep track of their social communications for seven days, noting when they lied, and how the lie was transmitted. The study found that participants lied 1.6 times per day. 37% of these lies we... posted on Apr 27, 2265 reads

One-word Sidewalk Sermons
Talk about a man with an eternal message. At least 50 times a day for more than 30 years he wrote the word 'Eternity' in chalk all across the public streets and sidewalks of Sydney. For years no one knew who this mysterious one-word sermon was authored by. Arthur Stace's story is fascinating. Born into a deeply troubled family, he grew into a homeless, recovering alcoholic who could barely write h... posted on Apr 25, 5147 reads

The Bravest of the Brave
"The bravest of the brave," "The greatest man I have ever known." These are the words of those who knew Capt. Mbaye Diagne, a young Senegalese army officer who served in Rwanda as an unarmed U.N. military observer. He was a hero, in the spirit of Oskar Schindler in the 1940's. From literally the first hours of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Capt. Mbaye simply ignored the U.N.'s standing orders not ... posted on Apr 23, 1601 reads

Hummingbirds Move to Stay Still
If you're lucky, you've seen them in all their jewel-like splendor hovering over your garden flowers. But did you know that the hummingbird is the only bird known to fly backwards, forwards and upside down, in addition to being able to hover? Their extremely rapid wing beat that goes as high as 200 beats per second, coupled with their unique ability to rotate their wings in a half circle are what ... posted on Apr 29, 1957 reads

Small Change, Big Difference
Small Change, Big Difference: a Cambridge University study concluded that making small, simple changes to your lifestyle can have a significant impact on how long you will live. Researchers found that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can add three years, not smoking can add up to five years, and increasing exercise by a moderate amount can tack on three years. What is one of the ... posted on Apr 28, 2473 reads

No More Sodas in Schools
The largest beverage distributors in the United States have agreed to halt nearly all soda sales to public schools. Under the agreement, the companies have agreed to sell only water, unsweetened juice and low-fat milks to elementary and middle schools. "This is really the beginning of a major effort to modify childhood obesity at the level of the school systems," said Robert H. Eckel, president ... posted on May 4, 1418 reads

A Woman With A Perfect Memory
A woman’s nearly perfect memory has stumped neurobiologists. Ask her what happened on August 16, 1977 (or any other random date) and she can recall the day of the week, usually what the weather was like on that day, major events like the fact that Elvis Presley had died, and even that a California tax initiative passed on June 6 of the following year! Now known only as AJ, she wrote James McGaug... posted on May 16, 2900 reads

The Science of Me
Scientists say they can map out your medical destiny: what diseases you’ll get and how you’ll die. But would knowing the future improve your life? Two reporters went to find out and wrote a cover story for the London Times. One of them says, "I don't want to be dramatic about this, but I think I might have saved my life."... posted on May 26, 3899 reads

An Act of Kindness in 1988
Mary Menth Andersen had just married Norwegian Dag Andersen. She was looking forward to starting a new life with him. But first she had to get all of her belongings across to Norway. The date was November 2nd, 1988. At the airport she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness: "You'll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, t... posted on Oct 16, 10258 reads

Japan Dresses Casual To Save Energy
People in Japan have thrown off their ties and stuffy suits this summer in a bid to save energy! The government has asked workers to dress lightly and set the temperature of their air-conditioned offices at no lower than 28 degrees Celsius. The first 'Cool Biz' drive in 2005 helped cut carbon dioxide emissions by 460,000 tonnes -- equivalent to the combined emissions from one million Japanese hous... posted on Jun 6, 1858 reads

Connecting Minds and Machines
We react naturally to the signals our brains send out to our bodies. Science has long been able to listen into the signals the brain sends, but is just now learning to turn those signals into meaningful action. The result is restoring movement and speech to the disabled.... posted on Jun 12, 1894 reads

South American Twist in Time
Einstein proved that time was relative, but he may not even have known about this: researchers studying the language and gesture of South America's indigenous Aymara people found that speakers often simply refused to talk about the future on the grounds that little or nothing sensible could be said about it! Scientists realized that the Aymara actually have a concept of time opposite to all the wo... posted on Jun 15, 2804 reads

Seven Year Old Surgeon
Deemed by some to be "the cleverest boy in the world" a boy from a small village in India performed his first successful surgery at the age of seven! Akrit Jaspal speaks four languages, he is trying to find a cure for cancer and is studying for a bachelors in science. His hero is Spiderman, and Akrit is now twelve years old. Well aware of his special gifts, this ambitious young humanitarian says, ... posted on Jun 23, 3888 reads

Appetite for Risk: Bridging Poetry and Business
When John Barr speaks about risk, it's natural to assume he's talking about finance. He's actually not. It's true that Barr has been active in investment banking for more than 30 years -– mostly at Morgan Stanley. But recently, Barr, who has written poems that have been published in six collections, was named president of the Modern Poetry Association, which recently received a $100 million gift... posted on Jul 7, 1709 reads

Writing Emails with your Mind
While no spoons were bent, this was definitely mind over matter. Sitting stone-still under a skullcap fitted with electrodes, American scientist Peter Brunner stares at a computer. Without so much as moving a nostril hair, he suddenly begins to compose a message -- letter by letter -- on a giant screen overhead. Brunner and colleagues from the Wadsworth Center in New York were demonstrating a "bra... posted on Aug 15, 3004 reads

The Power of One
It might just be the most moving 1-minute video you have ever seen: Made by OneEarth.org, The Power of One combines evocative visuals with a moving original score by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer, featuring historical and contemporary exemplars who have impacted the world and illustrated that when working toward greater good, the power of one becomes the power of many. Check out this deeply ins... posted on Jul 8, 4059 reads

Optimal Brain Performance? Try Solitude.
Ask UC Davis Neurobiologist Leo Chalupa what is needed to attain optimal brain performance, and his answer will likely shock you. He knows that there are programs offered now to make virtually any region of your neocortex a more efficient processor. Parents are urged to begin such regimes in preschool children and adults are told to take advantage of their brain's plastic properties for profession... posted on Jul 9, 2576 reads

Humble Grocer Donates Millions
Waldemar Kaminski spent a lifetime running his family's small East side grocery store. He never stopped working there -- not even after quietly making millions in the stock market. During his long life, Kaminski donated millions of dollars to relatives and friends in need, as well as making generous contributions to a cancer organization. His one condition? No one was to know of his generosity unt... posted on Jul 11, 3073 reads

From Child Slave to Film Director
At the age of four, he worked nine hours, seven days a week; he was "paid" a bowl of stale rice a day, which he shared with his widowed mother in a bamboo hut on the roadside. Few odd jobs later, he ended up at Muktaneer -- a shelter for homeless children -- where the seven year old not only got food but also time to play! His favorite toy was the "camera". And three year later, Sahiful Mondal'... posted on Jul 18, 2108 reads

Taking a Class in Happiness
Some 2,000 pupils at English state schools are to have special classes in happiness under a pilot scheme aimed at cutting depression, self-harm and anti-social behaviour. "The move comes as experts warn that record numbers of young people are on the verge of mental breakdown as a result of family break-up, exam pressures and growing inability to cope with the pressures of modern life," the report... posted on Jul 28, 2422 reads

The Boy Who Sees with Sound
Ben Underwood doesn't seem to know he's blind. There's Ben zooming around on his skateboard outside his home in Sacramento; there he is playing kickball with his buddies. To see him speed down hallways and make sharp turns around corners is to observe a typical teen –- except, that is, for the clicking. Completely blind since the age of 3, after retinal cancer claimed both his eyes, Ben has lear... posted on Aug 2, 2869 reads

Learning from the Bees
When it comes to bees making decisions, the question is whether the bee or the hive is the individual. Here's how the honeybees do it: when hives of honeybees get too big, they split up; the old queen flies off with a swarm of 10,000 bees or so and over the course of several days, scout bees search for real estate and come back to do waggle dances to promote their finds. So, then, how do the bees... posted on Jul 26, 2426 reads

Solar Powered Trash Cans
It's boxy and green but it's one of 50 solar-powered trash cans installed on the sidewalks of Boston. Equipped with trash compactors, the new receptacles can now hold a lot more trash and are much easier to manage. "Developed by a Jamaica Plain inventor, they are powered by photoelectric panels, which supply power to motor-driven compactors inside. Workers extract neat, 40-pound trash bricks ins... posted on Jul 31, 1435 reads

Singing To The Dying
After singing to a friend who laid in a coma with AIDS in 1990, Kate Munger realized that it would be her life's work. A few years passed and in August of 1997 driving back home from Montana, she committed herself to sing for any animals she encountered who have been killed on the road. Based on the inspiration of those two events, Kate Munger started the Threshold Choir -- small, volunteer-run ... posted on Aug 1, 2492 reads

The Ten Faces Of Innovation
What is innovation all about? It is about the roles people can play, the hats they can put on, the personas they can adopt. Tom Kelley, CEO of Ideo -- the top-notch firm that has designed things as diverse as the palm pilot and stand-up toothpaste -- talks about the ten personality types it takes to keep creativity thriving. (Interestingly he believes our tendency to play Devil's Advocate is one o... posted on Aug 10, 3274 reads

A Mountain Climber's Gratitude
In 1993, Greg Mortenson became very ill when climbing Mt. K2, the world's second tallest mountain, in the Himalayas. As he recovered for seven weeks in the small Pakistani village of Korphe, he was so touched by the kindness he received that he vowed to return to build their first school. True to his word, he founded the Central Asia Institute, which has built 55 schools across rural Pakistan and ... posted on Aug 22, 2415 reads

The Man Who Transformed Dacoits
It almost sounds like a page out of a storybook. He walks into the deep ravines of India's Chambal Valley to greet notorious gangsters with some sweets and an unflinching presence of compassion. Then one fine day, 654 bandits lay down their weapons in front of a small Gandhi statue and volunteer to go to jail: all in return for a scripture of their choice. Practically everyone would classify thi... posted on Aug 24, 2291 reads

Small-Mart Revolution
Wal-mart: those who love the retailer say that it provides 1.8 million jobs and makes life's necessities affordable to its 176 million weekly customers with limited incomes; those who hate the $312-billion-a-year behemoth refer to the "externalities" of those low prices -- the environmental degradation caused by sourcing cheap goods, the public services required by low-paid employees unable to mak... posted on Aug 30, 2358 reads

Twins Reunite Via the Internet
A pair of 3-year-old twins from China who were adopted separately by American families have found their way into each others' arms. The girls' mothers -- Holly Funk, of suburban Chicago, and Diana Ramirez, of suburban Miami -- met on a Web site for parents who had gone through international adoptions. After a flurry of e-mails comparing photographs and biographical details, DNA testing proved th... posted on Aug 27, 2543 reads

2 Million Alcohol Cars of Brazil
Brazil's new generation of cars and trucks adapted to run on alcohol has just hit the two-million mark, motor industry figures show. "Flex-fuel" vehicles, which run on any combination of ethanol and petrol, now make up 77% of the Brazilian market. Brazil has pioneered the use of ethanol derived from sugar-cane as motor fuel; it began its Pro-Alcohol programme more than 20 years ago to promote the ... posted on Aug 26, 1597 reads

Basketball Star Sports Fifteen Dollar Shoes
In shopping malls across the United States a revolution is brewing --inspired by a celebrity basketball player who is taking on the global might of companies such as Nike and Reebok. Star NBA player Stephon Marbury has embarked on a "change-the-world" mission that could transform the economics of the sportswear and sponsorship market. Teaming up with a leading US retailer Marbury is endorsing an ... posted on Sep 1, 3436 reads

Swirling Cash on Highway 5
A sales representative on the way to a business call made an unscheduled stop in the middle of the highway after noticing the cash swirling around his car. Ted Neitzke got out of his car and began collecting the bills while dodging the traffic, a total of a dozen $20 bills and two $1 bills, $242 in all. Then he called the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department to turn in the money. "I was just hop... posted on Sep 11, 2108 reads

Balancing Homework
Latest research shows that for high school students, there is no academic benefit studying beyond two hours a night; for middle-schoolers, 1.5 hours. In short, balance is key. Duke University professor Harris Cooper, the nation's best-known researcher on homework, also found that elementary school students get no academic benefit from homework -- except reading and some basic skills practice. But ... posted on Sep 13, 1903 reads

Schoolgirl to Experience Zero Gravity
Nigerian schoolgirl Stella Felix rises at 5 a.m. to do chores and then walks nearly an hour to get to school. When she gets back home, homework is done by candlelight. This Saturday, Felix soared above all that, becoming the first Nigerian to experience what it is like to fly in space. Thanks to a U.S. group that aims to give more people access to the wonders of space, Felix was the first of many ... posted on Sep 25, 1988 reads

Greatness: Nature or Nurture?
"What makes Tiger Woods great? What made Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett the world's premier investor? We think we know: Each was a natural who came into the world with a gift for doing exactly what he ended up doing. As Buffett told Fortune not long ago, he was "wired at birth to allocate capital." It's a one-in-a-million thing. You've got it - or you don't. Well, folks, it's not so si... posted on Nov 13, 5401 reads

100$ Ripples of Goodness
Pastor Gary Marzolf had a plan, an idea he got from the book "The Kingdom Assignment." On a Sunday last fall, he asked for 50 volunteers from his church in Iowa, to come up to the altar. "They were shocked that I was handing out $100 bills," Marzolf said, "because this is not something the church normally does, to give away money." Members were told to use the money to do something good, then they... posted on Sep 29, 1777 reads

Musical Training Fosters Brain Power
The latest research shows that young children who take music lessons show more advanced brain development and improved memory than those who do not. The Canadian scientists also claim to have found the first evidence of musical training being linked to greater attention skills. After a year, musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence s... posted on Oct 3, 1815 reads

Harvard's Crowded Course On Happiness
The most popular course at Harvard University this semester teaches happiness. Positive Psychology, a class whose content resembles that of many a self-help book but is grounded in serious psychological research, has enrolled 855 students, beating out all other classes. 35-year-old Tal D. Ben-Shahar, the lecturer who teaches the course, describes how students might increase the likelihood of trans... posted on Oct 10, 5109 reads

Writing A Novel in 30 Days
Ever feel like there's a book inside you waiting to be written? Chris Baty and 21 of his friends did. In 1999 they started National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in San Francisco. Meeting every night for one month, they held themselves to a 2000-words-a-day requirement. No coffee refills or bathroom breaks if you didn't make the count. Something about the process worked: people who'd never imagi... posted on Oct 17, 2244 reads

Need A Lightbulb? Change the World.
Sitting humbly on shelves in stores everywhere is a product, priced at less than $3, that will change the world. Soon. It is an ordinary item that cuts to the heart of some of our world's most profound and urgent problems: Energy consumption. Global warming. Dependence on oil. The product is the compact fluorescent light bulb, a quirky-looking twist of frosted glass called a "CFL," or an "energy s... posted on Oct 22, 2084 reads

Modest School Teacher Wills Millions To Charity
Roberta Langtry spent most of her career in Toronto working as a speech therapist specializing in helping children with autism. When she died, at the age of 89, she willed a stunning $4.3 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, a charity that buys environmentally sensitive land and turns it into nature reserves. Her gift turned out to be the largest donation ever received by an environmental ... posted on Oct 24, 2622 reads

The Effect of Food on the Brain
Recent studies at the National Institute of Health (USA) are yielding astounding results about the effects of Omega-3 fatty acid supplements on the brain. Another study at Aylesbury Jail (UK) showed that when young men were fed multivitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, the number of violent offences they committed in the prison fell by 37%. Although no one is suggesting that poor diet alo... posted on Oct 26, 2394 reads

Clinton's Global Initiative
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was created by Bill Clinton to develop a new model for philanthropy in the 21st century. For three days last September, CGI brought together some of the world's best minds and problem solvers. The organization functions like a marketplace for global change, where those with the passion to make a difference -- and others with the means to finance them -- come tog... posted on Nov 17, 3310 reads