I Wish This Was ...
At first glance, it looks like someone plastered "Hello, My Name is" name tags all over the city. Take a step closer, and the tag reads, "I Wish This Was..." A public installation artist, designer, and urban planner, Candy Chang likes to make cities more comfortable for people. She came up with the project, ideal for its super low barrier of entry, to allow her fellow citizens to express their ide... posted on Apr 25 2011, 3,734 reads

Love, Honor, and Thank
If you've ever lived with anyone else --from a spouse to a college roommate --you've probably had conflicts over doing the dishes, the laundry, and countless other household chores. But researchers Jess Alberts and Angela Trethewey have found that a successful relationship doesn't just depend on how partners divide their household chores; it also depends on how they each express gratitude for the ... posted on Apr 24 2011, 15,277 reads

Roses of Peace Bloom
"The rose is a universal symbol, liked by everyone. It appeals equally to everyone's heart. The exchange of roses, the shaking of hands and extending goodwill between people of different races, religions or parties in conflict, helps to create a more conducive and positive atmosphere." A 28 year-old peace activist in Nepal is bringing people in conflict areas together through one simple act: givin... posted on Apr 23 2011, 8,535 reads

The Sharing Economy Emerges
Peer to peer exchange of goods and services has skyrocketed way beyond craigslist.org and Couch Surfing. Now, access to goods and skills is becoming more important than ownership of them. And that has sparked a "Sharing Economy". Gartner Group researchers estimate that the peer-to-peer financial-lending market will reach $5 billion by 2013. Botsman says the consumer peer-to-peer rental market wil... posted on Apr 22 2011, 3,873 reads

5 Ways Laughter is Good For Health
Ever felt lighter after a good laugh? Physiologically speaking, that's no coincidence. Laughter is shown to increase blood flow, strengthen immune system, reduce muscle pain, lower blood sugar and shed calories. Along similar lines, singing or listening to music can improve the brain's auditory and language processing functions, and decrease insomnia, stress and stroke. Regular grounding practices... posted on Apr 21 2011, 5,411 reads

72 Hours to Transform Your City
A hundred designers, 10 urban challenges, very little money, and no sleep. That's the recipe for 72 Hour Urban Action, a three-day marathon for designers to improve their city. Founder Kerem Halbrecht first debuted the concept at the Bat-Yam Biennale of Landscape Urbanism in Israel in September, where 120 participants working in 10 teams got three days and three nights to solve problems in public ... posted on Apr 20 2011, 3,251 reads

The Art of Giving
First there was Ehren. Then Fariba, and Ashley. Ehren Tool: "Literally a woman took a photograph of a bowl that I made for her and sold the photograph of the bowl for thousands of dollars in New York. You can't ask for thousands of dollars for a ceramic bowl. [laughs] But the photograph will last only fifty years; the ceramic piece will last a couple of thousand. So rather than accept five dollars... posted on Apr 19 2011, 2,770 reads

Restaurant Chain Displaced By Students
When a 1,300-outlet fast-food chain announced plans to open a branch on the campus of the University of California Berkeley, a group of students protested. Given the nature of the city's resonance with local, seasonal and organic food, this wasn't a surprise. However, the students not only defeated the chain but also took their victory one step further by raising $100,000 to replace the fast-foo... posted on Apr 18 2011, 5,650 reads

Bell Curve of Empathy
Rhesus monkeys can be trained to pull a chain to obtain food but will refuse to do so if this means another monkey receives an electric shock. How do those monkeys compare with Nazi concentration camp guards? It was childhood tales of Nazi atrocities that first set the Cambridge psychologist, Simon Baron-Cohen, on the path of studying human cruelty and empathy. Instead of "evil", Simon frames such... posted on Apr 17 2011, 8,491 reads

Our Mentors Are Where We Are
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Wherever you go, there you are"? The same could be said for our mentors. Shannon Cutts spoke to a crowd of several hundred students at Truman State University about body image and eating disorders. The truth she shared with students is that most of us simply don't have time to stop and analyze all of the messages that come at us each day. Most of us don't even have... posted on Apr 16 2011, 4,594 reads