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A Homeless Man's Gift (Jun 25, 2008)
"On New Year's eve my husband and I stopped in San Francisco for dinner on our way back from a retreat. While eating we felt that we should do something different this year. I took a $20 bill and asked the restaurant owner to give me $5 bills." So begins this heart-warming real-life story of a couple who ventured out on the streets to give and in the process received.
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The Harlem Children's Zone (Jun 22, 2008)
Once the center of a renaissance, Harlem, New York, has slowly declined, now symbolizing urban poverty and decay. But today, there's a new renaissance under way in Harlem, with the construction of new buildings, businesses and schools. One leader is Geoffrey Canada, whose vision, quite simply, is to save children, and he has amassed a staggering amount of private money -- more than $100,000,000 -- to realize his goal. His testing ground is a 60-block area in central Harlem that he calls "The Harlem Children's Zone," in which Harvard School of Education alumnus Canada has promised parents: "If your child comes to this school, we will guarantee that we will get your child into college. We will be with you with your child from the moment they enter our school till the moment they graduate from college."
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The 12-Year-Old Teacher (Jun 16, 2008)
At a recent tutoring session, Michael moved between the laptops used by shelter residents Alicia Lewis and Heaven Sanders, both 7. He coached them for 30 minutes on typing their names, then switched to a half hour of vocabulary and math games. "Michael, I'm lost," Heaven said, resting her face on her hands. He quickly went to her computer and punched the "load" button on the keyboard to get the software working. Another student in distress, another rescue. But Michael is not just another teacher. He is 12, a sixth-grader who can't drive, vote or write much with a pencil, but he started a nonprofit when he was 11 and teaches computer skills to elementary students once a week. He doesn't regard his dysgraphia, a learning disorder that severely impairs writing, as a disability. Instead, he has turned it into a driving force.
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A Millionaire Still Living in a Hut (Jun 10, 2008)
When 27-year old Sarathbabu graduated from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, he created quite a stir by refusing a job that offered him a huge salary. He preferred to start his own enterprise, inspired by his mother who once sold idlis (rice cakes) on the pavements of Chennai, to educate him and his 4 siblings. Brought up in the slums, Sarathbabu knew what it was like to be hungry, and so decided that his way of supporting others out of hunger was to create employment opportunities. Today, his business employs 200 people and he has made millions and inspired millions with his story. Amazingly, despite his success, he still lives in the same hut in which he grew up.
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Nine Never Again's (Jun 3, 2008)
It was his childhood dream, to travel the world. So in 2003, at the age of 25, Ludovic Hubler started. To meet local people, he chose to hitch hike and never spent a cent on traveling. Exactly five years later, he ended his journey after having visited 59 countries, sat in 1300 cars and trucks, given 300 presentations. To end his journey, he writes: "The two words that I most want to say today are: Never Again." Ludovic shares nine Never Again's as lessons learned along the way.
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Science of Subtle Signals (May 31, 2008)
When MIT's Media Lab team studied one of the largest's providers of call center outsourcing, they found something curious that helped them predict the success or failure of almost every call -- within just a few second of the call! And oddly enough, they studied neither the specific words that the operators used nor the logic of their conversations, but only the physical voice signal: the measured variations in tone and pitch. Successful operators, it turns out, speak little and listen much. When they do speak, their voices fluctuate strongly in amplitude and pitch.
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World's Largest Group Hug (May 29, 2008)
Thousands of students from 10 Canadian high schools think they may have squeezed into the Guinness Book of World Records with the world's biggest bear hug. Organizer Peter Lamothe, who works at St. Matthew Catholic High School, estimated that 12,000 students, teachers and parent volunteers took part in a gargantuan group embrace Friday as part of an effort to raise more than $150,000 for local nonprofits.
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7 Year Old Takes Six Bullets to Save Mother's Life (May 28, 2008)
Seliethia Parker always saw her role as protector for her 7-year-old daughter, Alexis Goggins. But it was Alexis who ended up saving her mother's life by using her little body to shield her mom from a fusillade of bullets. Doctors told Parker that her heroic little daughter, who was shot six times, would never walk or talk again. But Alexis has surprised people with her gritty toughness. She's not only walking and talking, she's expected to have a full recovery!
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Rwanda's Weapon of Mass Construction (May 23, 2008)
The 1994 genocide in Rwanda left the country in tatters, its future fraught with uncertainty. Of the more than 800,000 people killed, most were men and boys. Rwanda's remaining population was 70 percent female. Fast-forward to the present day: The economy has revived and is holding steady. Major road arteries between cities and outlying villages, which were destroyed, have been rebuilt. Today, the Rwandan lower house of Parliament is nearly half female, the highest percentage of women in any parliament worldwide. Girls are attending school in record numbers. The women of Rwanda are behind one of the most inspiring comeback stories of national transformation in recent history. And while their story is dramatic, it's not unique.
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Bicycles in Zambia (May 22, 2008)
World Bicycle Relief is a stunningly simple idea. It delivers tens of thousands of bicycles to the poorest people in the world. Why? Because simple transportation improves people’s lives more than you can imagine. All of a sudden, a child can get to school, a parent can find work, and a rural medical worker can reach eight families with AIDS. A journalist talks here of what the gift of a bicycle can mean in Zambia.
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The Security Guard's Idea (May 16, 2008)
"Ten years ago, I was dissatisfied with my job working as a Vice President at a bank. Often, due to my standing as Vice President, I'd watch someone greet me respectfully but then turn around and respond dismissively to a fellow employee. In reaction to this obvious inequity, I made it a point to be even more respectful of individuals who were below me on the corporate ladder. One of these individuals was a security guard who oversaw the parking lot of the building where my office was located. This man was consistently gracious to everyone and it was easy to think of him as a friend." So begins this charming real-life story that shows how some of the best ideas in our lives come from unexpected sources.
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Top 10 Tips from Gandhi's Words (May 15, 2008)
A 27 year old student from Sweden, Henrik Edberg, shares "Gandhi's top ten fundamentals for changing the world": Change yourself. You are in control. Forgive and let it go. Without action you aren’t going anywhere. Take care of this moment. Everyone is human. Persist. See the good in people and help them. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self. Continue to grow and evolve. The full article has related quotes by Gandhi and Edberg's own reflections.
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The Healing Power of Portraits (May 13, 2008)
On the fourth floor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, they're doing cutting-edge research on bladder cancer, the mechanics of cancer stem-cell replication, and the healing power of portraits. That's right, portraits. The aim of the project is for an artist to study the interaction between patients and caregivers and to develop a set of paintings based on observation. The work is being done by Scottish-born artist Mark Gilbert. A few years ago Gilbert did a whole series of portraits on some hospital patients in London. And it was during these sittings that Mark says he first noticed the medicinal effect of having one's portrait done.
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Films For the World, By the World (May 10, 2008)
Over a span of four hours today -- on Saturday, May 10th 2008 -- twenty-four short films made "by the world, for the word" will be broadcast on television and transmitted over the internet and to cell phones everywhere. Welcome to Pangea Day. "In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference and conflict," the event's creators say, "it's easy to lose sight of what we have in common." Tune in, watch, and recognize.
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Being the Change & Singing It (May 5, 2008)
In this lovely and listenable new music video by singer/songwriter Kat Edmonson, intentions are set forth one-by-one, hand-scrawled and held proudly aloft on makeshift cardboard banners. A short-order cook seeks to "include everyone." A young boy whose smile betrays a missing tooth says he'll "make friends with the world." A woman kneels in her garden with a sign saying she'll "support small farms." The song's title? As Gandhi expressed before her and the Austin, Texas-based Edmonson now sings, "Be the Change That You Want to See."
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Where Does Creativity Hide (May 1, 2008)
Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother's expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She chose to write fiction instead. Her much-loved, best-selling novels have been translated into 35 languages. In this TED talk Tan digs deep into the creative process, journeying through her childhood and family history and into the worlds of physics and chance, looking for hints of where her own creativity comes from.
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Kids for Peace (Apr 29, 2008)
Hana Craft likes to sing, play the piano, and play sports at school. But at just 9 years old, she's also focused on making the world better. "Peace is important to me because when I grow up, I want my kids to live in a safe and kind world," she says. Hana is an original member of Kids for Peace, an organization cofounded by her mom, Jill McManigal, and a local teen who's passionate about promoting peace. Kids in the group work to create a culture of peace, both locally and globally. "Hana inspired me to start Kids for Peace. We were reflecting on the state of our world and all the violence and wanted to be part of the solution," says Ms. McManigal.
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If New York City Taps Ran Dry (Apr 28, 2008)
If New York City's taps went dry, what would its inhabitants do? In this new PSA from charity: water, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly helps us consider this very possibility as she walks to Central Park to collect dirty water for her family--as do millions of mothers in Africa each day. Directed by Hotel Rwanda's Terry George, the PSA made its national debut on American Idol Gives Back earlier this month. All involved in the production donated their time.
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Be A Better Leader, Lead a Richer Life (Apr 23, 2008)
Traditional thinking pits work and the rest of our lives against each other. But taking smart steps to integrate work, home, community, and self will make you a more productive leader and a more fulfilled person. "In my research and coaching work over the past two decades, I have met many people who feel unfulfilled, overwhelmed, or stagnant because they are forsaking performance in one or more aspects of their lives. They aren't bringing their leadership abilities to bear in all of life's domains -- work, home, community, and self (mind, body, and spirit). Of course, there will always be some tension among the different roles we play. But, contrary to the common wisdom, there's no reason to assume that it's a zero-sum game." In this article, the founding director of Wharton's Leadership Program and of its Work/Life Integration Project.
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Does Counting Your Blessings Really Help? (Apr 21, 2008)
While many would agree that "counting your blessings" is a worthwhile practice, there hasn't been much experimental research on whether gratitude really has a positive impact on our lives. Several studies have found that gratitude correlates with positive emotions such as happiness, pride, and hope, but experimental work -- showing that gratitude causes these things -- is scarcer. Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough figured it would be worthwhile to explore this notion. Their method of study was both ingenious and simple: they would ask 201 students in a health psychology class to respond to a weekly questionnaire. Everyone rated their well-being, was tested on a measure of gratefulness, and reported on their physical health and level of exercise.
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