Bike Cops Plant Seeds of Kindness
Usually an encounter with the police is not cause for celebration. But a few bicycle cops in Minneapolis are turning that notion on its head, tending to local youth in underserved neighborhoods through bike education, giveaways such as helmets and even new bikes, and just providing a caring presence. The free bikes and helmets are just icebreakers that allow the officers to give children attention... posted on Aug 08 2010, 1,352 reads

Less Give More
As the saying goes, life at the bottom is nasty, brutish and short. For this reason, some might assume that people in lower social classes will be more self-interested and less inclined to consider the welfare of others than upper-class individuals. A recent study, however, flips this idea on its head. Experiments by Paul Piff and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley concludes ... posted on Aug 07 2010, 4,110 reads

Forget Brainstorming, Boost Creativity
Brainstorming in a group became popular in 1953 with the publication of a business book, "Applied Imagination". But it's been proven not to work since 1958, when Yale researchers found that the technique actually reduced a team's creative output: the same number of people generate more and better ideas separately than together. In fact, according to University of Oklahoma professor Michael Mumford... posted on Aug 06 2010, 5,219 reads

A Course in Miracles
Arriving in a new city, I broke my leg shortly after starting graduate school. Feeling lonely and homesick, so many blessings I never expected came my way. Many small acts of kindness stayed with me. There were the bus shuttle drivers who gave me the luxury of being picked up from any place and made sure I got connections to wherever I was going. And the many people who held doors for me - small t... posted on Aug 05 2010, 4,133 reads

The Blazeman: An Ironman
Completing in an ironman triathlon is no small feat - a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride followed by a marathon (26.2 mile run)! Jon Blaise recently completed all of this while having a debilitating disease called ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), which attacks the motor neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain and spinal cord. "I think when I'm sitting in a wheelchair, down the road... posted on Aug 04 2010, 3,095 reads

Misfit Entrepreneurs
Imagine Walt Disney at the age of nineteen. His uncle asks him what he plans to do with his life, and he pulls out a drawing of a mouse and says, "I think this has a lot of potential." Or Springsteen. After a show one night, his father, who hated the guitar, asked him what he thought he was doing with himself. How does he tell his father, "I'm going to be Bruce Springsteen"? All great things begin... posted on Aug 03 2010, 5,272 reads

The Art of Effective Apology
We've all felt it. The dreaded blow to our gut or the blush of pride when we realize that we did wrong, we were at fault, and now it's time to own up. Though unpleasant at first, apologizing is actually a sign of strength, not weakness. Author John Kador notes, "Leaders who apologize are seen as confident, signaling the three qualities that most modern leaders desire to communicate: humility, tra... posted on Aug 02 2010, 9,303 reads

Story of a Ballerina
"She lived in the shanties, the poverty-stricken shanties, but she had a desire far beyond the reach of her environment." Sibahle Tshibika, a ballet dancer from a poor township outside Cape Town, South Africa, is training with a United States ballet company--all because of a documentary, and an email from a caring viewer. "Ghetto Ballet" chronicles four dancers, including Tshibika, as they auditio... posted on Aug 01 2010, 3,212 reads

Food: The Solution for Conflict?
Tucked away in a humble corner of Pittsburgh, Penn., rests a colorful take-out stand that is connecting people from around the world through food and art. The idea is simple: start a restaurant that serves food from countries that the US is in conflict with. Run by three artists, Conflict Kitchen has become an incubator of cross-cultural conversation. One guest notes, "Food is a pathway to positiv... posted on Jul 31 2010, 2,450 reads

Meditation Boosts Focus
These days, it seems nearly impossible to pay attention to one thing for a long time. A new study indicates that meditation helps people focus because it enables them to discern small differences between the things they see. The research was inspired by work of Buddhist monks, who spend years training in meditation. "You wonder if the mental skills, the calmness, the peace that they express, if th... posted on Jul 30 2010, 4,825 reads