52 Weeks, 52 Jobs
Fifty-two jobs in 52 weeks may sound horrific to some, but that's Sean Aiken's goal. Aiken's job-shopping odyssey began in February 2007, after he graduated as a class valedictorian with an undergrad degree, but no idea what to do for a living. Aiken's solution? To direct his passion into his job search by creating a personal employment agency on the Web. On his site, www.oneweekjob.com, he solici... posted on Apr 02 2008, 4,285 reads

Capturing Final, Precious Moments
In the muted light of the maternity ward, photographer Sandy Puc' works steadily, composing portraits of infant David. "If you want to put your lips right on the top of his head?" she asks David's father. "There. That's beautiful." There is always a final kiss to capture. David was stillborn early this morning. His parents, Gina and Rob Harris, will take home his plastic hospital bracelet and his ... posted on Apr 01 2008, 3,636 reads

Joe's Journey
When a truck slammed into Joe Damon's car in 2006, the 48-year old husband, father, businessman and athlete suffered a devastating brain injury that left him in a coma for five weeks. "Joe's Journey" tells the story of everything that was lost that day, but more importantly, of all that survived. Through powerful and deeply personal encounters with Joe, his wife, children and close friends, this f... posted on Mar 31 2008, 3,356 reads

Garden Variety Revolution
Earthworms are the original recyclers. They eat garbage, shred plant residue, and then spread the broken-down matter as they burrow into the ground.The worms also mix and aerate the soil, improve its drainage, and provide channels for roots to take hold. With the help of a talented social entrepreneur, hard work, and good luck, earthworms are making history again at TerraCycle Inc. The eco-friendl... posted on Mar 28 2008, 2,468 reads

The Woman Who Gives Away Computers
Forty-seven-year-old Lorraine Kerwood confounds expectations. One of eleven children, she grew up under challenging circumstances. Teachers labeled her mentally challenged and assigned her to special education classes. A wide variety of low-paying, blue-collar jobs followed. Yet, when Lorraine returned to school at the prodding of a friend, she became an academic star, eventually graduating magna ... posted on Mar 27 2008, 2,791 reads

The 'Do One Nice Thing' Lady
It began in the simplest way. Over lunch with girlfriends, Debbie Tenzer listened as they argued over the state of the world –- war, crime, schools in Los Angeles -– and how they felt helpless to change anything. Tenzer found herself resisting that view, and began to think what she could do. She started with small gestures of kindness one day of the week. Friends soon suggested she post these ... posted on Mar 26 2008, 4,288 reads

A Small Dose of Hope 30 Years Ago
"When I was in my first year of college, I hit a stretch where every area of my life was a disaster, I felt hopeless and alone, and more depressed than I knew was possible.On one such day, I was walking from class across campus to catch my bus home, head down, fighting tears of total despair, when a guy came down the sidewalk toward me. I had never seen him before. Embarrassed at being seen in suc... posted on Mar 20 2008, 5,087 reads

The Art of Holding Babies
'"Carol Lee?" On our flight to New Orleans, the "Fasten Your Seat Belts" sign had just come on. Carol Lee was reading her book. She lifted her head, "What do you want to do in life?" I asked. I expected her to say she wanted to travel to Europe. Carol Lee turned to me and said, "I would like to hold babies." "Hold babies?" I was stunned. "You've got grandchildren." "I would like to work in a hospi... posted on Mar 09 2008, 5,953 reads

Never Too Old To Serve
Mack Staley was in line at the county dump one morning in 2001 when, "A fella in front of me had a truck full of stuff for the landfill," he said. "There was a perfectly good wheelchair in the back." Staley asked the woman at the gate if she got items like that very often."Oh, all the time," she replied. "People throw lots of good stuff away." That's when Staley, now 81, decided to open up Home Ca... posted on Mar 08 2008, 2,665 reads

An Unusual Punishment
What punishment should be imposed on a man who shot a police officer almost 40 years ago and fled to Canada, but went on to live an upstanding life as a husband and father who worked in a library? There was a rare answer here on Friday: Require him to give $250,000 to a foundation that helps the families of injured Chicago police officers. Joseph Pannell will serve just 30 days in jail and two yea... posted on Mar 05 2008, 3,391 reads