Sunday, October 24, 2010 Hire Just One  During hard economic times, most people and businesses focus on earning and saving money, not giving it away. But one Philadelphia philanthropist believes that donating to charity is the key to boosting the economy and getting Americans back to work. In an effort called "Hire Just One," Gene Epstein is promoting a $250,000 effort, which donates $1,000 to charity in the name of businesses that hire an unemployed person and keep the worker on the payroll for at least six months. In turn, these charities can continue to support job retraining programs, homeless shelters, and other social services. Having already set aside money for the first 250 hires, Epstein envisions that thousands more jobs could be created if others took on his idea, too. Read More >>
back to top  Saturday, October 23, 2010 A Year Without Money  By choice, Mark Boyle basically doesn't have a cent- or, more accurately, a pence- to his name. Boyle lives in rural England in a trailer he spotted on Freecycle.org. He feeds himself by growing everything from barley to potatoes, foraging wild edibles like berries and nettles, and occasionally dumpster-diving for luxuries like margarine and bread. He brushes his teeth with homemade toothpaste and barters labor for rent, internet service, and whatever else he can't find, grow, or make. Inspired by watching a film on Gandhi in 2008, Boyle decided to spend a year without money. He liked it so much, he's still doing it. And he even released a book about the experience, entitled, "Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living". Read More >>
back to top Friday, October 22, 2010 4 Ways to a Happier Workday  Do you suffer from the Sunday night blues five nights a week? In his study at Harvard University, author Shawn Achor found that only 45 percent of workers surveyed were happy at their jobs. From his experience designing a course on happiness, working with Fortune 500 companies across 42 countries, and restarting the world's largest banks after the economic collapse, Achor concludes, "Most people believe that success leads to happiness, but that formula is backwards. The truth is that happiness is the precursor to success. When you raise your happiness, you raise your success rates and increase productivity." He shares four tips to bring happiness to the workplace. Read More >>
back to top Thursday, October 21, 2010 Soar High in Clean Skies  The time has finally come. We can not only create cars and businesses that let out zero-emissions, but airplanes as well. On September 21, 2010, a Swiss company flew its first solar powered plane from Payerne to Geneva. In a pioneering flight lasting almost four and a half hours, the solar plane was powered entirely by four electric motors and 12,000 solar cells. Scheduled to fly internationally by 2011 and trans-Atlantic by 2012, the plane's innovators hope to "promote the pioneering spirit in young people, making them aware of the importance of renewable energy, energy saving and new technologies". Read More >>
back to top Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Athelete Defies All Odds  Four years ago, Yelandi Rivero was confined to his bed at home, paralyzed from the waist down. Rivero was seriously injured in an ATV accident. Doctors told him he would never walk again. But Rivero refused to accept that diagnosis, and was determined to return to the racquetball court. Using a walker after a year and a half of rehabilitation, he started showing up again at his outdoor racquetball facility. Now, he is back on the courts with his playing partner of 15 years, Tommy Ale. In a remarkable performance, the duo finished second in the Gearbox 2010 Florida State Outdoor Racquetball Men's Pro Doubles. That match is nothing compared to the battle Rivero waged to recover from the accident. "To look back and to see where I am now, I am very thankful," Rivero reflects. Read More >>
back to top Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Not Enough Time? Try Doing Nothing  I thought I took my bike on a ride through New York City's Central Park. But really? My bike took me on one. My experience changed many times as external forces determined my mood. Happiness anticipating a great ride, frustration imagining it would be ruined by the race, relief when it wasn't, fear when people ran in front of me, fear again, followed by guilt and self-criticism, when my distraction nearly led to a crash. All in the course of a few short minutes. Which is how most of us go through our day. An angry comment puts us in a bad mood; an unexpected compliment cheers us up. It all matters, which is why the smallest comment can unhinge us. The solution, though, is simple. All we have to do is nothing. The trick: do it regularly, at least a few minutes a day. Read More >>
back to top Monday, October 18, 2010 Compassion Across Cubicles  Deb Lejeune had been working in the Foote Hospital billing office in Jackson, Michigan for only five months before she needed to take extensive unpaid leave to care for her husband, who had just received a kidney transplant. When her co-workers learned of her situation, they chipped in to help cover everything from transportation costs to house payments. "I couldn't have gotten through without their support," says Lejeune. "They are like family to me." New research is trying to understand how more workplaces can become like Lejeune's, cultivating compassion and inspiration -- while boosting productivity. Read More >>
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It's not common for important philanthropic prizes to go to people whose work involves criminal trespass and who make statements like the following: "You never know who's part of the police and who's not." But the TED conference plans to give its annual $100,000 prize to the Parisian street artist known as J R, a shadowy figure who made a name for himself by plastering colossal photographs in downtrodden neighborhoods around the world. The images usually extol local residents, to whom he has become a Robin Hood-like hero. Prize director Amy Novogratz said picking an artist like JR, who is 27 and fiercely protective of his anonymity, was an unusual choice- past recipients include figures like Bill Clinton and Bono- but the prize committee felt his work could "catalyze the TED community" to support an art-centered philanthropic project. [ 
In a world where many of us have computers, televisions, and household appliances running well after sunset, it may be hard to image life without lights. Yet 1.6 billion people in the world do. After spending two years as a volunteer in rural Ghana, Peter DiCampo decided to photograph the perspective of communities that fall dark with the setting sun. These vivid images reveal faces of children reading, actors filming, a teacher grading assignments, and families convening for dinner- all in the dim yet lucid glow of lanterns, flashlights, and life. [ 
For almost 20 years, he was there. A little guy in a metal cart, selling rice-and-bean burritos at 17th and K street. There in all weather, he became a dependable rock in the rapids of life in downtown Washington DC. He recalled not only his patrons' food preferences, but also the names of their children and standings of their sports teams. Workers who had been transferred away would come find him on their visits back. He once got a postcard from a customer traveling in Africa. It was addressed "Carlos's Burrito Cart, Corner of 17th and K." Infusing the street-corner with trust and a genuine friendliness, he ran his cart on the honor system, putting out a basket for people to drop their payment. When he told you he hoped you would have a good day," he really meant it," says one regular. "I don't think he had any idea the impact he had on people." [ 
Did you know that in New York, it's illegal to throw rechargeable batteries in the trash? Or that many office supply stores will accept your used printer cartridges? While many people know that e-waste is supposed to be recycled, items like cellphones, batteries, televisions, digital clocks and broken computers contain sensitive chemicals that can't just be tossed in the trash or landfill. But recycling responsibly requires a little research, and can be a bit daunting if you don't know where to look. Based on her own e-waste odyssey, Environmental Journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal highlights where and how to recycle your old electronics. [ 
What would it be this morning- a warm Blueberry Lemon? Banana Nut? Cranberry Orange? Oatmeal Raisin? There is always a warm muffin or two tucked into a white napkin and placed next to the morning newspaper, waiting for me once I open my front door. Who is the Mystery Muffin Giver? I try to wake up early to see if I can catch him or her in the act. So far, I've been unsuccessful. But no matter what, the muffin-giving has taken on a life of its own... [ 
Driving to a baseball game, Duane Innes saw a pickup truck ahead of him drift across lanes of traffic, sideswipe a concrete barrier and continue forward on the inside shoulder at about 40 mph. An engineer by training, Innes dodged the truck, then looked back to see that the driver was slumped over the wheel. He knew a busy intersection was just ahead, and he had to act fast. Without consulting the passengers in his minivan- "there was no time to take a vote"- Innes kicked into engineer mode. "Basic physics: If I could get in front of him and let him hit me, the delta difference in speed would just be a few miles an hour, and we could slow down together," Innes explained. So he pulled in front of the pickup, allowed it to rear-end his minivan and brought both vehicles safely to a stop in the pull-off lane. [ 
