How to Find and Support Trustworthy Journalism, by Democracy Fund
you are hungry for news you can trust, journalism that helps you make decisions about your community, reporting that holds power to account, then this is for you. This is my personal advice for people who want to support journalism that matters. It is just a starting point, it is not comprehensive, and it’ll become stronger and more useful if you add your ideas to it. Use the comments to add your list of newsrooms you subscribe to and support. Now more than ever, it is important to our democracy that we seek out and support good journalism. Every person is going to construct their media diet differently, so any list I create will be incomplete. My goal here is to provide a framew... posted on Feb 6 2017 (20,540 reads)

To Heal the Human Heart, by Robin Grille
We Know Everything About Empathy? It must have been a thrilling moment when Ernest Rutherford came up with his revolutionary model of the atom. The image of Rutherford’s atom is probably the most iconic, familiar and favourite symbol in the world of science. Remember the adorable little bunch of coloured marbles in the nucleus, with a few electrons whizzing around them in elliptical orbit? Humanity was enamoured with this symbol, every classroom had a picture of it up on the wall The Rutherfordian model for what was then believed to be the unit of existence was eminently useful for a number of purposes, and it helped to answer many questions that had mystified physicists until... posted on May 15 2021 (43,357 reads)

Ron Nakasone & The Art of Sho, by Peter Doebler
five minutes talking with Ron Nakasone and you will sense two things: a wisdom that makes you curious and a casualness that makes you comfortable. One example of this kind of relaxed intelligence was when I was having lunch with him and we were discussing some of the ins and outs of doctoral research. In an off-handed way he said, “Don’t worry about finding the answers; find the questions. When you find the right questions the answers will follow.”       Dr. Nakasone’s inquisitive nature is evident in the variety of activities he has pursued and keeps pursuing. He is an accomplished scholar in Buddhist studies (he is a member of the Core Doc... posted on Feb 22 2017 (7,987 reads)

Eight Ways to Stand Up to Hate, by Elizabeth Svoboda
no denying it anymore: Hatred is erupting all over the United States, after having long simmered beneath the social surface. In less than one week, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tallied more than 400 incidents of “hateful intimidation and harassment”—and millions of Americans now fear becoming victims of verbal and physical assaults, possibly thanks to some very threatening and violent language coming from the very top of our society. In the face of such upheaval, how can you prepare to protect those who are being threatened—to stand up for the worth and dignity of every person, even when it’s uncomfortable or scary? It all start... posted on Mar 6 2017 (26,720 reads)

Active Hope, by Joanna Macy
Joanna Macy and Chris Johnston suggest a life-sustaining civilization can be achieved with active hope. The Great Turning [a shift of comparable scope and magnitude to the Agricultural Revolution and the Industrial Revolution] involves the transition from a doomed economy of industrial growth to a life-sustaining society committed to the recovery of the world.... The Great Turning is a story of Active Hope. To play our best part, we need to counter the voices that say we're not up to the task, that we're not good enough, strong enough, or wise enough to make any difference. If we fear that the mess we're in is too awful to look at or that we won't be able to... posted on Mar 19 2017 (18,400 reads)

Why Behavioral Science Has Become the Next Big Thing for Solving Society’s Problems, by Chris Peak
since Dr. Stanley Milgram conducted his notorious experiment in the early 1960s, in which he asked participants to obediently administer a high-voltage “shock” to a victim, researchers have uncovered a wealth of fascinating insights into the human mind. But much of this study has been confined to laboratories and academia. As managing director at ideas42, NationSwell Council member Alissa Fishbane is bucking that trend by applying the lessons from behavioral science to the social sector. At ideas42, her team advises governments and nonprofits about how to better structure their programs in education, healthcare, criminal justice, ... posted on Mar 15 2017 (11,882 reads)

Anthony Chavez: Continuing His Grandfather's Legacy of Inspiration, by Awakin Call Editors
in the footsteps of his grandfather, Anthony Chavez wants to make difference in the lives of young people. "What I want to tell the youth is that their voices do matter that they can start making change now," Chavez says. He is the grandson of César Chavez, who formed the United Farm Workers union and led the Farm Workers Movement in California in the 1960s, fighting for civil rights while promoting nonviolence. "I remind students what my grandfather said, 'We don't need perfect political systems, what we need is more perfect participation,’" Chavez has said. Anthony, the oldest son of Socorro and Paul Chavez, César'... posted on Mar 22 2017 (10,758 reads)

Business The Way Nature Intended, by Giles Hutchins
is an old saying, ‘May you live in interesting times’. When someone said this to you it was viewed as both a blessing and a curse, because to live in interesting times means to face both danger and opportunity, to simultaneously embrace both breakdown and breakthrough, which is exactly what these transformative times demand of us. The UN Secretary General refers to these times as the Great Transition; Joanna Macy, Thomas Berry, Charles Eisenstein and others have referred to it as the Great Turning, due to a trilemma of social, environmental and economic factors. My own contribution to this Great Turning is to shed some light on our relationship with Nature, to ... posted on Apr 3 2017 (11,264 reads)

A Mindful Approach to Time Management, by Heleo Editors
Vanderkam is the bestselling author of multiple books on productivity and time management, including I Know How She Does It, 168 Hours, and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. She recently joined Leah Weiss, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, writer, and consultant who specializes in the application of mindfulness to workplace environments, for a Heleo Conversation on incorporating mindfulness into our day-to-day lives. This conversation has been edited and condensed.  Laura: Could you talk a little bit about what you mean by mindfulness and purpose? Leah: Mindfulness is a term that is be... posted on Apr 1 2017 (14,861 reads)

Designing for the Circular Economy, by Knowledge@Wharton North America
do you do with a toaster when you no longer want it? Until recently, no one thought about that question until the toaster was ready for the scrap heap. Today, advocates of the circular economy suggest that the best time to address end-of-life issues is when a product is first being designed. It’s at that point that it has the greatest potential for circularity. If the designers of your toaster had thought about it not as a disposable appliance but as a product with value worth preserving, your options would be considerably enhanced. That, in fact, is what the designers at the London-based Agency of Design (AoD) did. As part of a project that “looked at the end of life of ... posted on Apr 24 2017 (16,222 reads)

Spotlight on Earth Day, by Shari Swanson
its inception in 1970, Earth Day marks a global celebration of Earth and the concept of peace. It presents an opportunity to demonstrate support for environmental protection. From lush rain forests to arid deserts, thundering waterfalls to serene ponds, majestic glaciers to craggy mountains and teeming coral reefs, Earth is a complex, interconnected planet, filled with diversity and abundance. New species continue to be discovered, and the relationships among species and ecosystems are increasingly revealed in our understanding as intricate and inextricably linked. To be tenants of Planet Earth is a cause for gratitude, but we also have responsibilities to maintain and protect our plan... posted on Apr 18 2017 (11,687 reads)

Why Stories Matter, by Paul Tritschler
sitting at the window of a cafe in Notting Hill Gate in London, looking out at the passing machines and global signage. A man across the street dips into a rubbish bin, rescues an unopened plastic bottle of milk from deep inside and squeezes it into one of four over-full plastic bags, before pushing on to the next bin at a steady clip. The bins hold valuable assets to the cognoscenti, but they have to be quick to get the good stuff that people outside the circle absently throw away: a packet of cigarettes from someone who made the snap decision to quit, perhaps, a bag of blueberry muffins past their sell-by date, or an unfinished can of beer. Between Pizza Express and Prontap... posted on Jun 10 2017 (9,522 reads)

Food Not Bombs: An Interview with Keith McHenry, by Awakin Call Editors
McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs, has a vision: food not bombs changes people, service brings people together, and abundant thinking turns hearts to peace. For the last 35 years, he has worked with others to salvage surplus food, prepare it, and serve it for free in parks, at protests, and during disaster relief efforts. At these meals, volunteers distribute literature, share stories and engage in conversations that encourage people to get involved, connect and become part of an emerging, post-capitalist society. Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit, all-volunteer group of collectives that serve free vegan and vegetarian meals to the homeless and hungry as a protest to war and povert... posted on Jul 7 2017 (8,712 reads)

Dr. Toni Frohoff | Life among dolphins, by The MOON Magazine
Toni Frohoff | Life among dolphins in Interview Toni Frohoff, Ph.D., is a renowned wildlife author, science-based advocate, and marine mammal behavioral biologist who has been studying marine mammal behavior and communication for thirty years. She is the co-founder and research director at the international TerraMar Research and Learning Institute, a nonprofit cetacean research institute located in Santa Barbara, California. Dr. Frohoff is also co-founder of Wild-Wisdom, a new nonprofit that not only provides educational and experiential opportunities for connecting with what is wild and wise within and around us, but also contributes to the lives of the wild animals from whom we l... posted on Jun 30 2017 (13,726 reads)

In praise of melancholia , by Mark Kernan
knowing the extremes of sadness and joy we can never fully know or feel all that life is.   Melancholy by Edgar Degas. Credit: Edgar Degas [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. “There is something so enchanting in the smile of melancholy. It is a ray of light in the darkness, a shade between sadness and despair, showing the possibility of consolation.” Leo Tolstoy What if melancholy can be passed down through generations, not just culturally but at the level of our DNA? Melancholia has long been seen as a key element in artistic inspiration, along with a way of turning pain and sorrow into healing, and ultimately, an acceptance of life’s ... posted on Jun 26 2017 (12,696 reads)

Why are you here? Lessons about the meaning of life, by Aljoscha Dreisorner
the last couple of days, I conducted a little social experiment. I asked different people a very important question, perhaps the most important question of all: Why are you here? I wanted to know what other people think about the meaning of life and what we can learn from it. I asked my friends, I talked to my parents and I called my grandparents. I’ve asked strangers on the streets, children from friends and random people in the subway. It is absolutely incredible how willing people are to open up when you sincerely ask for their opinion on something important. And the experiences while gathering the stories are something else as well. I got kicked out of a school, had ... posted on Jul 6 2017 (15,405 reads)

Turning Waste Streams into Value Streams, by Knowledge@Wharton
first era of sustainability, call it sustainability 1.0, focused on cleaning up the planet’s growing environmental mess. Federal legislation restricted air and water pollution, as well as hazardous waste, and businesses adapted to the new regulations. Sustainability 2.0 took a broader perspective, reducing not just toxic waste, but waste of all kinds. The business community realized that less waste meant less cost and pitched in, often increasing efficiency and boosting profits in the process. But throughout this era of growing environmentalism, the linear business model, which has dominated the modern world since the industrial revolution, remained fundamentally unchanged. &ldq... posted on Jul 18 2017 (7,017 reads)

About the Heart, by Brother David Steindl-Rast
Brother David, I’d like to bring up a question that has been on my mind for some time. It has to do with what we call the heart. The heart is a great symbol in spiritual life and in Christianity especially. But the fact is that I don’t know what the heart is. When people talk about the heart they seem to do so in a number of ways. In a general sense, it seems to refer to the feelings; at other times, to love and devotion. It also refers to courage and faithfulness (as when a fighter is said to have heart). And sometimes it refers to one’s basic attitude toward life (as when we say, he had a change of heart). Probably there are other meanings, and probably they ar... posted on Jul 17 2017 (11,170 reads)

David Levins: A Weaver of Kind Voices, by Audrey Lin
in an age where we seem to be more connected than ever, research shows that we are lonelier than ever. Inspired by the writings of Thoreau, Steinbeck, and the teamwork of his community garden, David Levins decided to break down the barriers of isolation, one conversation at a time. In 2012, he initiated A Kind Voice, a nationwide, volunteer-run phone line where people call in anytime for one-on-one conversation. Simply for the sake of sharing and being kind to one another. In this Awakin Call conversation with Bela Shah, we had the privilege of hearing David’s insights and stories from sowing seeds of down-to-earth, human-to-h... posted on Aug 7 2017 (9,608 reads)

How Do I Love Trees? Let Me Count The Ways ..., by The Gratefulness Team
of you may have have noticed (or are regularly visiting) our Practice Space where we offer a Daily Question to enhance grateful awareness. Each day we are moved and uplifted by the responses that appear. The reflections are joyful, poignant, subtle, poetic, loving, generous, sophisticated, playful, deep and, of course, infused with gratitude. We delight in these reflections and wanted to share more widely. And so, in recognition of the vital role trees play in all of our lives (every day is a perfect day to celebrate a tree!), the following is a selection of responses to one of our Daily Questions: How do I love trees? Let me count the ways&... posted on Aug 23 2017 (28,387 reads)