Sometimes It Just Takes a Penny
In this real-life kindness story, a man inspires generosity in a homeless woman after being approached by her for money. Having just heard good news in a friend's life, he offers to buy food for her and shares his inspiration with the homeless lady: "Something nice happened to my friend recently, after a lot of struggles. When you came in, I thought that I should keep that chain of goodness going ... posted on Jun 23 2011, 3,050 reads

Soap That Saves Lives
Perhaps he noticed because his father was a soapmaker in Uganda. When Derreck Kayongo learned how much soap was thrown away by hoteliers in the US, and that 2 million children die each year due to a lack of santitation, he decided to do something about it. He started Global Soap Project. Volunteers across the U.S. collect the hotel soaps and ship them to the group's warehouse in Atlanta. On Saturd... posted on Jun 22 2011, 3,094 reads

Measuring the Wisdom of a Crowd
The "intelligence" of a group can be measured, according to a new study, and it has little to do with the brain power of its individual members. What makes a team more intelligent has more to do with the group's interactions. More equal participation and greater social awareness on the part of its members are the key factors in predicting a group's intelligence. "It really calls into question our ... posted on Jun 21 2011, 6,806 reads

Why Gratitude Is Good
"Count your blessings," we're often told -- but what good does that do us? Plenty, according to Robert Emmons, the world's leading scientific expert on gratitude. After a decade of research, Dr. Emmons has found that people who practice gratitude have stronger immune systems, feel happier and more optimistic, and are more generous and compassionate. In this thorough article from Greater Good magaz... posted on Jun 20 2011, 77,096 reads

The Reading Promise: An Extraordinary Father-Daughter Story
When Alice Ozma was in the fourth grade, her family was going through a rough patch. Her parents had just split up, and her older sister had recently left for college. Ozma was suddenly spending a lot more time alone with her dad, Jim Brozina, an elementary school librarian. So Ozma and her father made a pledge: to read together every single night for 100 days. But after 100 days, they just kept g... posted on Jun 19 2011, 4,623 reads

A School for the Homeless In Las Vegas
Principal Sherrie Gahn knew she had a problem that a traditional public school could not fix. Inside Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegas, nearly 85 percent of the children are homeless. That's 518 kids out of 610. "When I saw the children eating ketchup for lunch, and wanting to take it home," she says, "it just crushed me," says Gahn. So she came up with a plan involving the kids, their p... posted on Jun 18 2011, 6,278 reads

25 Reasons to Embrace Criticism
Criticism isn't always easy to receive -- and yet, it can be transformed into an opportunity for personal growth, emotional development, time efficiency, improved relationships, and self-confidence. This article shares 25 reasons to embrace criticism: "I realize criticism doesn't always come gently from someone legitimately trying to help. A lot of the feedback we receive is unsolicited and doesn'... posted on Jun 17 2011, 36,491 reads

Social Media for Social Change
Kecia Cruz's son had been sleeping on a cold linoleum floor since returning to live with his mother nearly two weeks ago. Cruz has served time in prison and her son is a recovering drug addict. Cruz sees her child's return as a second chance. She didn't want him sleeping on the floor, but she didn't know where to turn. Her neighbor had an answer: Beremedy -- an organization that utilizes social me... posted on Jun 16 2011, 3,794 reads

The Neuroscience of Improv
How does an act of imagination happen? How does the mind create on command? Recent experiments have attempted to figure out the mystery behind this kind of creativity, from John Coltrane letting loose on a saxophone to Jackson Pollock dripping paint on a canvas. These are works made entirely in the moment -- their beauty is spontaneous. Researchers have found that before a single note ... posted on Jun 15 2011, 6,228 reads

5 Classic Commencement Speeches
It's graduation season, so commencement addresses by actors, politicians, writers, musicians and other luminaries are sweeping the world of higher education, sharing advice ranging from the humorous to the profound. Even for those of us that aren't students, it becomes an opportunity to reflect on the most compelling, provocative and deeply inspirational speeches of years past. This article highl... posted on Jun 14 2011, 15,482 reads