10 Ways to Have A Better Conversation
"When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations -- and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better convers... posted on Apr 18 2016, 104,743 reads

The Magic Shop of the Brain
James Doty is a Stanford brain surgeon and a leading convener of research on compassion. In 1968, he wandered into a magic shop and met a woman who taught him what she called "another kind of magic" that freed him from being a victim of life circumstances. Now, James is on the cutting edge of knowledge of how the brain and the heart talk to each other -- both metaphorically and physically. This fa... posted on Apr 17 2016, 31,102 reads

An Unforgettable Meeting with a Reclusive Genius
Becoming increasingly intrigued by painter Agnes Martin, Hadi Tabatabai took a chance and sent the famously reclusive artist a small painting of his own. To his surprise, she responded warmly and extended an open invitation for a visit. A year later, he traveled to Taos, New Mexico to meet her. Here's the account of that meeting.... posted on Apr 16 2016, 14,390 reads

Generosity: The Most Powerful Animating Force of Art
Annie Dillard notes, "People love pretty much the same things best. A writer, though, looking for subjects asks not after what he loves best, but what he alone loves at all...Why do you never find anything written about that idiosyncratic thought you advert to, about your fascination with something no one else understands? Because it is up to you. There is something you find interesting, for a rea... posted on Apr 15 2016, 12,843 reads

8 Great Writers On Why Reverence Matters
Reverence. It's a word that has tumbled out of use and favor in today's world. And humanity has paid a high price for that loss. Here, eight writers, including Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver, speak up in voices that are lyrical, incisive, and urgent, drawing us back to the luminous heart of what it means to live reverently.... posted on Apr 14 2016, 37,653 reads

The Paper Bag Boy of Abu Dhabi
As a young boy, Abdul Muqeet's concerns are not about playing sports or being with friends. Instead, Abdul is on a mission to protect his world. After learning about the terrible effects of plastic bags on the environment, Abdul decided to take a stand. Since he was 8-years-old, Abdul has been making paper bags from recycled newspapers. To date, he has completed over 5,000 of his "Mukku bags," don... posted on Apr 13 2016, 4,390 reads

The Story of the Man Who Gave Us Pain Relief
For the longest time, doctors basically ignored the most basic and frustrating part of being sick -- pain. In this lyrical, informative talk, Latif Nasser tells the extraordinary story of wrestler and doctor John J. Bonica, who persuaded the medical profession to take pain seriously -- and transformed the lives of millions. ... posted on Apr 12 2016, 13,850 reads

Growing Up the Internet
Internet pioneer and filmmaker Tiffany Shlain thinks of the internet as our global brain. Founder of the Webby Awards and a co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, she has directed and co-written 28 films, such as "Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks." She is committed to reframing technology as an expression of the best of what humanity is capable, with all the com... posted on Apr 11 2016, 10,187 reads

Learning to Die
The beloved Benedictine monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast, tells us that "In the rule of St. Benedict, the momenta mori has always been important, because one of what St. Benedict calls "the tools of good works" meaning the basic approaches to the daily life of the monastery -- is to have death at all times before one's eyes." Learn more about his heartfelt discoveries in the following excerpt.... posted on Apr 10 2016, 14,742 reads

Eat Your Spoon
Every year, 350 billion pieces of disposable plastic cutlery and wooden chopsticks are discarded in the United States, Japan and India. Research scientist Narayana Peesapaty has come up with a solution: edible cutlery and chopsticks. These products are made of millet, rice and wheat, contain no preservatives, and have a shelf life of 3 years. They will also decompose in 3 to 7 days (unless they ar... posted on Apr 09 2016, 3,629 reads