Sunday, August 8, 2010 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 and show them they are important. No matter what, the officers greet everyone enthusiastically. They push children on swings. They wade in park pools in full uniform. They lie on the ground for group pictures. "You have something to talk about and tell them, 'I want you to be safe,'" says Officer Klukow. Read More >>
back to top  Saturday, August 7, 2010 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 that the poor, not the rich, are more inclined toward charity. The increased compassion among the poor, Piff suggests, increases generosity and helpfulness, and promotes a level of trust and cooperation that may be essential for survival during hard times. Read More >>
back to top Friday, August 6, 2010 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, half of the commonly used techniques intended to spur creativity don't work, or even have a negative impact. So what does? Instead of engaging in intentional brainstorming activities, simple things like taking a break, exercise, or watching less television can boost out-of-the-box thinking and create more effective and fulfilling results. Read More >>
back to top Thursday, August 5, 2010 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 things that were incredibly hard with crutches. I tried to repay the universe for its blessings however I could. Sometimes the worst situations are also blessings: chances to witness great kindness from the universe. My first week of grad school, I was made to attend a class that I never signed up for: A Course in Miracles. Read More >>
back to top Wednesday, August 4, 2010 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, I'll know that I've fought the great fight," Jon smiles. "This is it. Your life. Face your fears and live your dreams." Read More >>
back to top Tuesday, August 3, 2010 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 with the courage to be vulnerable. There's a misfit in each of us, and to love it is the most poignant quality in every entrepreneur. Read More >>
back to top Monday, August 2, 2010 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, transparency, and accountability. Effective apology does not come easy -- none of us likes admitting that we made a mistake -- nor does it come without cost, but it is less costly than the alternatives of denial, deception, and cover-up." Kador offers up the five Rs of an effective apology: Read More >>
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"Some boys like to play baseball, some boys like to play football. He likes to do charity work," explains Zach Bonner's mom, chuckling. In 2004, six-year-old Zach went door to door with his little red wagon to collect water for the victims of Hurricane Charlie. Inspired by helping others, he started his own charity, aptly named, The Little Red Wagon Foundation. Since then, Bonner has raised thousands of dollars to purchase school supplies, food, and support services for homeless children in Florida and Louisiana. Today, the twelve-year-old is walking across the country to raise even more funds for the homeless. "It takes a lot of hard work, but it's a lot of fun," he remarks. Wise beyond his years. [ 
Ice cream: the sweet taste of summer. It's the cool reward of a job well done, a game well-played, or a tasty excuse to prolong a classic first date. While the song of the ice cream truck has the power to bring forth a lot of smiles, one company has taken this to a whole new level with their latest invention: the world's first smile-activated ice cream vending machine. Using cutting-edge technology, the creators are on a mission to encourage people everywhere to share life's small moments of happiness. Through the power of facial recognition, 3G and Facebook, the vending machine gifts each grinning user with a tasty ice cream treat. All you need to bring is a smile! [ 
Elizabeth Jameson found her art when her own brain lost one of its most basic functions. After suddenly finding herself unable to speak, Jameson was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1991. She soon came to know the geography of her own mind through countless MRI sessions. For the anxious patient, the black and grey pixels of MRI images can appear ugly and frightening. With a strong urge to reinterpret this medical imagery, Jameson writes that her MS inspires her "to create images that provide new insights into the brain and, at the same time, makes medical imaging and its representative humanity more accessible" for all who view them. Her striking artwork reinterprets the brain's scientific mysteries with a raw degree of humility and awe. [ 
"Our kids need a peaceful place," says elementary school Principal Eileen Reiter who works in Harlem, New York. "It has to be a place where kids can come and feel relaxed and feel safe and get a lot of support." Support, in this case, means more than just academic training and a hot lunch. Reiter has embraced a philosophy known as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), which teaches students ways to moderate their own emotions and manage conflicts with others. Through activities like guided meditations, conflict resolution workshops, and reflective writing exercises, SEL offers children the space to calm themselves, observe the world, and reduce emotional distractions so that they are free to concentrate more effectively on what they are learning. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan agrees with SEL's revolutionary potential. "These are learned skills," he says. "Children can have huge challenges, but when you help them learn how to handle them, you have a chance." [ 
For the past year, Laura Miller has been living a double life of sorts: administrative assistant by day, secret agent of kindness by night. The 32-year-old only recently revealed herself as the woman behind "Secret Agent L," a giver of random acts of kindness that has been brightening the days of unsuspecting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania residents since July 2009. What started with a friend's request to do a random act of kindness in honor of her birthday has rippled happiness across the city, in the form of flowers on windshields, a roll of quarters at a laundromat, chocolate bars on desks, the list goes on... Her project even attracted 80 "Secret Agent Affiliates" who are spreading kind anonymous acts around the world. "I think people are so hungry to not feel alone," she remarks. "There's so much hurt out there and my project is an attempt to heal some of that." [ 
Sally Anderson had 500 dollars to give away. How and where to give it? As she writes, "My husband suggested Goodwill. He said, 'Why not give some money to a family? It should be easy.' So we stopped at Goodwill. I saw a young man buying T-shirts and said, 'I'm part of a generosity project. I'd like to give you $20.' He said, 'Wow, thanks, that's great! Are there more people like you out there?' I was feeling very successful, so as I passed by a man, woman and child with a cart looking like they were going to do some serious shopping, I offered again, much as I had with the young man. this man looked horrified, said, 'No!' and walked away. There I was again with that awful feeling of embarrassment and awkwardness. I went over to where my husband was looking for jeans and said, 'Why do I feel like crying?' He shook his head and shrugged, 'Look, I'm not even gutsy enough to try it. Don't ask me.'" [ 
