In a Bomb Shelter Under Kyiv, a Professor Taught Peace
When the war in Ukraine started, like many people, Professor David Dowling felt helpless. "I couldn't shake off the idea that I wanted to do something more," Dowling told ABC News. Last fall, he travelled from Pepperdine University in California to war-torn Kyiv to teach a course in conflict and dispute resolution at Taras Shevchenko National University. "Being with these students, with these amaz... posted on Mar 20 2024, 1,185 reads

Why this Retired Professor Gives Driving Lessons for Free
Retired professor Gil Howard, 82, stumbled into a second career as a driving instructor. But he's no ordinary instructor. "He is the go-to teacher for women from Afghanistan, where driving is off limits for virtually all of them. In recent years, Mr. Howard has taught some 400 women in the 5,000-strong Afghan community based in Modesto, Calif., part of the Central Valley. ... For many Americans, l... posted on Mar 18 2024, 1,303 reads

'Doctor, Doctor, I Declare': Dennis Ludlow in Conversation
In this charming interview, actor Dennis Ludlow reflects on his first role, having had no stage experience, in the premiere of Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize winning Buried Child at San Francisco's Magic Theater. As he says, "It all began when our back porch caved in. My childhood friends and I made a fort out of it, 'The Daddy-O Club,' and put on little plays in my backyard."... posted on Mar 13 2024, 1,003 reads

Dishes in the Sink
When Bethany Renfree was 20 years-old, she lived with her three young daughters in a low-income apartment in California. Like most of the tenants, Renfree was a single mom. Life was full and overwhelming. One cold morning, as Renfree shuffled into the kitchen, she looked at the sink piled high with pots and pans and dishes. "These pots were caked in grease and burnt because I actually didn't reall... posted on Mar 10 2024, 4,645 reads

From Accessing Your Ignorance to Accessing Your Love
"Ed had an amazingly minimalist teaching style. He did not give lengthy lectures. He never used a superfluous word. Ed the teacher inverted the relationship between learner and educator. Normally that relationship is based on the professor knowing things that the students don't, a learning structure in which the professor conveys information and insights through lectures, discussions, and readings... posted on Mar 01 2024, 2,811 reads

With a Soft Breath: How My Daughter Rides Horses
"I've begun to teach my 3.5 year old daughter to ride horses on her own. ... I grew up with horses, and learned to ride alone at a similar age, and when I was a teenager, I began teaching others to ride around the time I was training horses and working with traumatized and "problem horses". Having grown up in the USA, I grew up surrounded by a lot of ways of being with horses that were fundamental... posted on Feb 24 2024, 7,543 reads

Something Old Is Something New
"When Rue MaCall walked down the aisle at her wedding in September, everything she wore was second-hand, borrowed or stitched from someone else's discarded fabrics. Her earrings were made from tassels she found in a donation bin. A friend lent her pearls purchased 50 years ago. She made her dress by hand, finding all the second-hand silk, thread and lace she needed from a single source, the Ragfin... posted on Feb 23 2024, 1,651 reads

Why 1,200 Widows Will Be Surprised With Flowers Today
After the birth of her fourth child, Ashley Manning started a flower business as a respite from the whirlwind of family life. On Valentine's Day in 2020, she gifted a bouquet to her son's preschool teacher, who was widowed. Months later, at the end of the school year, that teacher told her, "I just want you to know how much that meant to me, that you thought of me on that day." Inspired, for the h... posted on Feb 14 2024, 1,302 reads

Widower Transforms Grief by Offering Home Repairs for Free
Meet Danny Chauvin, a 76-year-old US military veteran from Waveland, Mississippi who's battling grief and PTSD in an unparalleled way. After losing his wife and struggling with the stark quiet of his home, Chauvin knew he needed to find something to keep busy. One of the favorite parts of his marriage was the small, mostly repair tasks that his wife would ask him to do around the house. He realize... posted on Feb 06 2024, 1,494 reads

Today You, Tomorrow, Me
"In 2010, Justin Horner was driving down a busy freeway in Portland, Ore., when his tire blew out. He pulled over to the side of the road and made a sign that said he needed help. Three hours later, a van finally pulled up. Out came a family of four. They were Latino, and their young daughter acted as translator between her parents' Spanish and Horner's English, so that they could work together to... posted on Feb 04 2024, 2,650 reads