Technology is Not the Answer

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October 15, 2011 a project of CharityFocus In our sheer preoccupation with technology, we do not realize the inherent artistic choices when creating technology ... and the questioning and reflection that the process of creating art implies. - Tapan Parikh - Technology is Not the Answer "Technology is not the answer. That's the conclusion I came to after five years in India trying to find ways to apply electronic technologies to international development. I was the co-founder and assistant director of Microsoft Research India, a Bangalore computer-science lab, where one of our objectives was to research ways in which information and communication technologies could support the socio-economic development of poor communities, both rural and urban. [...] In several projects to design educational technology for schools, we found that teacher and administrator attitudes were the real keys to success. Then, when we connected low-income slum residents with potential employers, limited education and training posed critical barriers. And again, when we used gadgets for microfinance operations, a capable institutional ally was indispensable. Our successes were due more to effective partners, and less to our technology." Kentaro Toyama shares further. { read more } Be The Change We're constantly creating, with objects, words, and actions. Today, question and reflect during the creation process. COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Intelligence That Transcends the GRE Is the Internet Changing the Way We Think? Whiz Kids: 5 Amazing Young Inventors Graphene Wins Nobel Prize DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 109,541 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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Barry Lopez: A Sense of Reverence for Life

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October 14, 2011 a project of CharityFocus There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light. - Barry Lopez - Barry Lopez: A Sense of Reverence for Life His travels have taken him to some of the most inhospitable places on the earth, outside the furthest reaches of human civilization. But Barry Lopez always returns to his home in Oregon to write about what he has seen. And though nature is often his inspiration, it is not his subject, Lopez tells Bill Moyers, "I'm not writing about nature. I'm writing about humanity. And if I have a subject, it is justice. And the rediscovery of the manifold way in which our lives can be shaped by the recovery of a sense of reverence for life." Lopez defines reverence as understanding "that the world will always be there, no matter how sophisticated our technologies of probing reality become. The great mystery will be there forever. Lopez was Bill Moyers' last guest on his show, the Journal. The transcript of that program follows. { read more } Be The Change Move through the day today with a sense of reverence, whatever that means to you. COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Simple Philosophy of the World's Oldest Man 8 Things That Are Better Than Free Bill Clinton Starts a Vegan Revolution! An Indicator of Genuine Progress? DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 109,507 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer

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October 13, 2011 a project of CharityFocus Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish. - John Jakes - 25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer Today, writing well is more important than ever. Far from being the province of a select few as it was in Hemingway's day, writing is a daily occupation for all of us -- in email, on blogs, and through social media. It is also a primary means for documenting, communicating, and refining our ideas. As essayist, programmer, and investor Paul Graham has written, "Writing doesn't just communicate ideas; it generates them. If you're bad at writing and don't like to do it, you'll miss out on most of the ideas writing would have generated." So what can we do to improve our writing? Here are 25 snippets of insight from some exceptional authors. While they are all focused on the craft of writing, most of these tips pertain to pushing forward creative projects of any kind. { read more } Be The Change Align your head, heart and hands when you write today. COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Secrets to Longevity Why Gratitude Is Good The Inner Landscape of Beauty Live Boldly DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 109,465 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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In Praise of Selflessness

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October 12, 2011 a project of CharityFocus Don't be a leader -- be a ladder. - Jayesh Patel - In Praise of Selflessness "Who are you doing it for? Asked that question, many entrepreneurs would answer, 'me.' There's nothing wrong with that. Plenty of great companies were built by people for whom CEO is an imperfect acronym for "He who must be obeyed." Servant leaders, by contrast, put their people and their organizations before themselves. They don't view employees as a means to an end; rather employees' happiness and satisfaction is the end." This Inc. Magazine article explores servant leadership. { read more } Be The Change The quote above comes from a remarkable man who has dedicated his life to service. An inspiring video of Jayesh Patel walking through the slums where he serves: { more } COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Remembering Steve Jobs' Insights 4 Reasons To Keep a Work Diary Not Enough Time? Try Doing Nothing The Business of Giving DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 109,406 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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A Roaming Refuge for 1200 Animals

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October 11, 2011 a project of CharityFocus If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth ... This is the real message of love. - Thich Nhat Hanh - A Roaming Refuge for 1200 Animals Raymund Wee, a former flight stewart and pet groomer, sold his Singapore-based business and used the proceeds to establish Noah's Ark CARES. What began as a place of refuge for a couple hundred animals grew by leaps and bounds after a severe flood a few years back, and soon the haven was so full of three legged, one-eyed, emotionally wounded dogs and cats that he was forced to move the entire ark to Johor where more affordable land is available. Today, more than 1,200 cats, dogs, rabbits and horses live at the sanctuary. Raymund, affectionately known as Uncle Raymund, lives at the sanctuary and is joined by an astounding group of volunteers who see to it that every animal is cared for. And here's the jaw dropper: the animals here are free roaming. They amble over several acres and are free to swim, sunbathe, climb or simply be. { read more } Be The Change Poet-activist-monk Thich Nhat Hanh shares a reflective piece: "Do You Have Time to Love?" { more } COMMENT | RATE               Related Good News Zero-Waste Living A Creative Use of Plastic Bottles Harvesting Water, Out of Thin Air Portraits of Hope DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers "good news" to 109,370 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here. Other CharityFocus projects include: HelpOthers  //  CF Sites  //  KarmaTube  //  Conversations  //  More

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