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Seven women who shaped the world in 2011

Women played some significant roles this past year, from making peace to crafting economic policy in the midst of a crisis. Read about Dilma Rousseff, the president of Brazil, and six others who shaped 2011.  » Full Story

A Wadi Runs Through It.

Treated for years as a dump and a sewer, the wadi has been the focus of a 10-year-long restoration project. In November 2010, it became one of the few environmental engineering projects to win an Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and it has won over plenty of fans in the Saudi capital. » Full Story

Advice From Life’s Graying Edge on Finishing With No Regrets

Most of us learn valuable lessons about how to conduct a successful and satisfying life. But for far too many people, the learning comes too late to help them avoid painful mistakes and decades of wasted time and effort. Enter an invaluable source of help: practical advice from more than 1,000 older Americans from different economic, educational and occupational strata. » Full Story

Navigating Love and Autism

Because they have a hard time grasping what another is feeling — a trait sometimes described as “mindblindness” — many assumed that those with such autism spectrum disorders were incapable of, or indifferent to, intimate relationships. But Jack and Kirsten are taking this journey of discovery and working hard to succeed. » Full Story

Edith Widder's New Crusade

The marine biologist Edith Widder has spent a career studying bioluminescent sea creatures. Now she is using the phenomenon to fight pollution.  » See video

Raspberry Pi: Rise of the $25 computer

British group Raspberry Pi aims to inspire young programmers with a computer so inexpensive that schools could hand them out to students free of charge.
» Full Story

America's disappearing post offices

The post office has long been a core part of almost every community in America. Evan Kalish is trying to visit as many as possible before they disappear. So far he has collected post marks at more than 2,700 post offices across the US.
» See video

Trendy threads from waste

The environmental impact of the global textile industry is hard to overstate. One-third of the water used worldwide is spent fashioning fabrics. Pratibha Syntex could lead in the next textile wave: low-waste, recycled cotton. » Full Story

In the Company of Animals, Healing for Humans

The Gentle Barn is a six-acre ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif. The facility heals and rehabilitates abused farm animals and invites visitors with emotional and physical challenges to interact with them. Bonding with animals is a life-changing experience for many. » Full Story

Grateful-ology: Science & Research on Gratitude

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic,” wrote John Henry Jowett. If you start practicing grateful living now, your marriage could improve, you might be exercising more, feel less depressed, sleep better, have a healthier heart, more life satisfaction, and increase your chances of living longer. » Full Story

On the Road: Elephant loses man's best friend

For nearly a decade, Tarra the elephant had been best friends with a dog named Bella -- a mutt who wandered onto sanctuary grounds and into the heart of the gentle giant. Steve Hartman has a sad update to a story of compassion between the most unlikely of friends. » Watch video
(See the earlier story about this truly inspiring friendship.)

Your Life: Gratefulness brings difficulties into focus

Life brings challenges, uncertainties, disappointments, losses and heartaches. What gratitude does for is in the midst of those times is to shape our attitude in a way that enables us to survive, keep living and even grow from the experience. » Full Story

Nobel Peace Prize recognises women rights activists

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded jointly to three women - Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. They were recognised for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".  » Full Story

Coke Bottle Lights Up Filipino's Lives

In rural Manila where homes are often built so close to each other that they have no windows or natural light, an innovation called the "Solar Bottle Bulb" is illuminating the lives of many Filipino's. » See the Video

Gertie's Ghost

Bokara Legendre, a student of Tibetan Buddhism, says she saw a sort of cosmic opportunity in her mother’s bequest to her, a chance to “change the karma” of an estate once cultivated by slaves and used by her parents as a hunting playground. She discovered, however, that some legacies aren’t so easy to exorcise. » Full Story

A parish turns to manufacturing

Unemployment in the U.S. remains highest among minority groups. But what if parishes actually created manufacturing jobs and produced goods in a sustainable, local manner? One did just that: a parish-based workshop that employs members of the local community to produce garments from fabric woven in Guatemala. » Full Story

The Soft Drink Summit

With demonstrations going on all over the U.S., it is good news to know that calm, informative discussions between "sides" can happen and promote understanding.  Here, a stockbroker and an Occupy Wall Street protester face off at a cafe table.  » See the Video

Faith in Focus: Bismillah

There is a whole lot of shaking going on. Recently, many of us experienced our first earthquake. Hurricanes rattled windows and blew tree branches about, and washed away whole towns. How do we keep calm and compassionate in the lap of great change and challenge? Cultivating gratitude is one way. » Full Story

Lost 5 Years, a Colorado Cat Finds Her Way to Manhattan

A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found on Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to her family. How she got to New York, more than 1,800 miles away, and the kind of life she lived in the city are mysteries. » Full Story

By Helping a Girl Testify at a Rape Trial, a Dog Ignites a Legal Debate

Rosie is a golden retriever therapy dog who specializes in comforting people when they are under stress. Defense lawyers argue that the dogs may unfairly sway jurors with their cuteness and the natural empathy they attract, whether a witness is telling the truth or not, and some prosecutors insist that the courtroom dogs can be a crucial comfort to those enduring the ordeal of testifying, especially children. » Full Story

A healthy Irom Sharmila can espouse the larger cause of her people

Irom Sharmila Charu, also called the “Iron Lady of Manipur” has been on hunger strike since November 5, 2000, for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in her home state. There is not one person in India or the world who would not appreciate Irom Sharmila’s peaceful commitment to her cause and not empathise with her. Yet, her cause has not been able to gain centre stage or strike the collective will of the nation. » Full Story

A Family Trade

Throughout New England and parts of upstate New York, a traveling youth circus called Circus Smirkus pitches its tents every summer, inviting one and all. This year the troupe has nine clowns, including Sam Ferlo, 14, who follows in the footsteps of his parents, honoring his father who died last year.
» See Slide Show

Instruments Of Good: The Healing Power Of Music

As founder and director of Hungry for Music, a Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit, Jeff Campbell takes in donated musical instruments and gives them to underprivileged young people. He's been doing that for 16 years and has handed out more than 3,500 instruments. » Full Story

Reviving a Habitat

Late this summer, the largest dam removal project in American history will begin with the demolition of two massive hydroelectric dams that block the otherwise pristine flow of the Elwha River in the Olympic National Park in Washington. The dams will be lowered very slowly from top to bottom, in order to do the least damage to the river and the people below.
» See Slide Show

Making positive changes: Gratefulness a powerful weapon against negative thoughts

At times like this when the economy isn’t so great and basements are flooding once again, it is really easy to become consumed with negative thoughts and attitudes about our personal situations. However, the truth is that there is still so much to be grateful for. » Full Story

In Sierra Leone, New Hope for Children and Pregnant Women

The Sierra Leone government has eliminated fees for pregnant women and children, and now thousands of women - in a country where surgery has been performed by the light of cellphones and flashlights -can afford trained medical staff to oversee pregnancies for the first time. » Full Story

For Some With Autism, Jobs to Match Their Talents

Specialisterne (“The Specialists”) is a Danish company that is improving the futures of many families by opening up job opportunities for people with Asperger’s Syndrome and high-functioning autism. Founder Thorkil Sonne created a five-month program to carefully evaluate candidates’ learning and behavior profiles, build their confidence, and prepare them for success.
» Full Story

Stradivarius Nets $16M for Japan Quake Relief

A Stradivarius violin known as the “Lady Blunt” sold for a record price of nearly $16 million, an amount equivalent to four times the previous record selling price for one of the rare violins. And better still, all of the proceeds will be donated to aid Japan’s relief efforts from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. » Full Story

Portraits of Commitment

For a week in January, 10 young photojournalists took part in a workshop held during the sixth biennial Chobi Mela Festival of Asian Photography in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Their assignment: A portrait-and-caption profile of someone who is contributing to the common dream of a better community, country or world. The common message? All our dreams have a story. » Full Story

Maggie Doyne Builds Orphanage And School For Kids In Nepal

After graduating from high school, Maggie took a “gap year” and decided she wanted to be of use and wanted to work with kids. When she met some Nepalese orphans, she discovered that a few dollars a day could make it possible for these kids to go to school. Then she realized she wanted to give these kids a real, permanent home. Today, at age 24, she has established an orphanage and a school in Nepal. » Video

Japan pensioners volunteer to tackle nuclear crisis

A group of more than 200 Japanese pensioners are volunteering to tackle the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power station. The Skilled Veterans Corps, as they call themselves, is made up of retired engineers and other professionals, all over the age of 60. They say they should be facing the dangers of radiation, not the young. » Full Story

Life changing month: Mount Madonna student visits H.H. the Dalai Lama, receives Mellennium Scholarship.

18 years ago, when Soma Sharan was just 3 days old, she was found abandoned outside of a Hindu temple in the East Indian city of Haridwar. Raised in the Sri Ram Orphanage, Sharan said it was a good life and the people there became her family. So after meeting the Dalail Lama and learning about her scholarship,  Sharan said, "I was given this chance at life," Sharan said. "I don't see doing anything but finding a way to give back."  » Full Story

At 100, Still a Teacher, and Quite a Character

In 1965, Bel Kaufman published “Up the Down Staircase,” a novel about a new teacher very much like herself.  It was on the NYTimes best sellers list for 67 weeks, but Bel is not one to rest on her laurels.  After long careers as a teacher, speaker and writer, she is still teaching college courses. “I make a living,” she says. » Full Story

Donating Lives

Julio Garcia died unexpectedly in 2010. His widow decided to donate his organs to seven different people. And they recently had the opportunity to thank her in person.  Sebastiao Lourenco, the heart recipient said “I’ll care for (this heart) with affection.”  » See video

The Man Who Dreamed He Was A Beetle

A sweet, sweet man died recently and perhaps beetles everywhere, big ones, little ones, speaking many different beetle languages, paused for a second and thought, "Oh, dear. That guy. He was our guy." Tom Eisner loved bugs.  He was among the first scientists to notice that insects communicate not only by touching and dancing, they also send chemical signals.  He unlocked many secrets of his beloved bugs. » Full Story

Love Endures Even Cancer

Gavin Snow found out he had stage 3 melanoma two months before meeting Haley Tanner. Together they have endured the ups and downs of living with a tragic disease.  » See video

Running with sheep

In Djibouti, Rachel Jones' early-morning jogs open up a world of curious encounters.  Most people were used to seeing her run alone, but they had never seen a group of 25 Djiboutian girls and a white woman running down the street – with two sheep.  » Full Story

Doctor finds higher calling when death knocks

After a close call with death on Mount Kilimanjaro, Dr. Frank Artress had an epiphany.  He and his wife decided to leave their comfortable life in California to become bush doctors, dedicated to easing the heartbreak of Africa. » Full Story

Gospel for Teens

There's a street in Harlem that comes alive every Saturday with the sound of gospel music. You won't find any church there - just a brownstone full of teenagers and the woman who draws them in. Her name is Vy Higginsen, and she started this project to save Gospel music, but it is saving more than that. » See Video Part 1, Part 2

Manuka honey 'could help fight superbugs'

Manuka honey could be used to combat some of the most hard-to-treat infections that are resistant to powerful antibiotics, scientists say. » Full Story

Afghan women's shelters safe for now

After being threatened by takeover from the Afghan government, women’s shelters in Afghanistan will remain independent for the time being. The February proposal sparked an outcry from women’s organizations and shelter operators throughout the country. » Full Story

Helping Yourself by Helping Others

Jeffrey A. Kottler, professor of Counseling at California State University, demonstrates how surprisingly easy it is to discover or create some project that might make a difference in the world. All it takes is one gesture, one action to help someone -- from that effort, other possibilities may grow. » Full Story

More College Graduates Take Public Service Jobs

If Alison Sadock had finished college before the financial crisis, she probably would have done something corporate.  Instead, she landed in public service.  She is part of a cohort of young college graduates who ended up doing good because the economy did them wrong. » Full Story

Midsize Solar Installations Grow At Light Speed

As Tim Nilsen steps into one of his barns outside Sacramento, Calif., hundreds of turkeys snap to attention. Turkeys are the name of the game at Nilsen Farms. But his property is also serving up something else — solar energy for about 750 homes in the community. » Full Story

Easing the Way in Therapy With the Aid of an Animal

In recent decades, there have been countless stories of animals helping to improve and even preserve the lives of children and adults with all manner of diseases and disabilities. Today psychotherapists are also using therapy animals to facilitate treatment for those with emotional, social and even physical problems. » Full Story

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats

Hans Rosling's famous lectures combine enormous quantities of public data with a sport's commentator's style to reveal the story of the world's past, present and future development. This time, plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine. » Full Story

Dresses for Africa

After visiting Malawi, Rachel O’Neill noticed that “the girls come last in Africa” and she wanted to do something about it.  Her idea grew into an organization that has made and sent dresses to tens of thousands of girls.  She has been amazed by the overwhelming generosity of the people who have contributed to this effort. 
» Full Story

At End-Of-The Line Prison, An Unlikely Escape

Deep in the Bible Belt, an ancient Eastern practice is taking root in the unlikeliest of places: Alabama's highest-security prison.  Dr. Ron Cavanaugh, treatment director,  says inmates who go through the course have a 20 percent reduction in disciplinary action.   » Full Story

Helping Soldiers Trade Their Swords for Plows

VALLEY CENTER, Calif. — On an organic farm here in avocado country, a group listened intently to an old hand from the front lines.  It was Day 2 of a novel boot camp for veterans and active-duty military personnel, including Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, who might be interested in new careers as farmers. » Full Story

How to Choose an Incubator

Imagine one building where tenants receive office space with constant access to other entrepreneurs and experts willing to dole out business advice.  Coined as “incubators,”  there are about 1,200 of them in the United States today. The guide here offers tips on identifying which kind of incubator might be best for you. » Full Story

Cranston East swimmer has been an inspiration to all

Around the country, there are teenagers who have garnered headlines for bullying other students who may be a little different from them.  But this is the story of Haley Howard and her teammates on their swim team — the story of teenagers who have spent the winter celebrating the uniqueness of one of their peers, rather than ridiculing it. » Full Story

The Greatest Anti-Retirement Video of All Time

Imagine being a mayor of a Canadian city for 31 years and still counting.  Imagine that city being debt-free!  Then imagine that the mayor who plays hockey lives by her words "You have to look after your people" is 88 years old.  » See video

Giving Alzheimer’s Patients Their Way, Even Chocolate

Disregarding typical nursing-home rules, Dementia patients at Beatitudes are allowed practically anything that brings comfort. Research suggests that creating positive emotional experiences for Alzheimer’s patients diminishes distress and behavior problems. » Full Story

On Forgiveness

We are in a season traditionally devoted to good will among people and to the renewal of hope in the face of hard times.  How to keep hope alive?  Without a constructive answer to toxic anger, addictive cycles of revenge, and immobilizing guilt, we seem doomed to despair about chances for renewal.  One answer to this despair lies in forgiveness. » Full Story

Under Seige in War-torn Somalia, a Doctor Holds Her Ground

Somalia has been at war with itself for 20 years. But for decades — as the government imploded, warlords took over, more warlords came and an Islamist insurgency swept across Somalia — Dr. Abdi has persevered, offering a refuge for thousands of families driven from their homes by relentless street battles. » Full Story

The Human Incubator

Sometimes, the best way to progress isn’t to advance — to step up with more money, more technology, more modernity. Dr. Edgar Rey in Bogato, Colombia, suggested a radical, yet simple substitution for the many crowded, unsanitary incubators: snuggle the premie babies kangaroo-style with their own mothers. » Full Story

Thank You. No, Thank You

A growing body of research suggests that adults who maintain an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being. Now, researchers are finding that gratitude brings similar benefits in children and adolescents.  » Full Story

Turbine-Free Wind Power

People argue that wind turbines pose a risk to birds, bats and sensitive habitats like shorelines. Others complain about the noise.  Now there is a new way to draw electricity from the wind that would resolve a lot of these issues: oscillating wind panels.   » Full Story

Swedish city ditches fossil fuels by drawing energy from waste

As befits a region that is an epicenter of farming and food processing, Kristianstad generates energy from a motley assortment of ingredients like potato peels, manure, used cooking oil, stale cookies and pig intestines. » Full Story

A research team studying the positive effects of daily gratitude says it can change people’s lives—but as Psychologist Robert Emmons says “Far from being a warm, fuzzy sentiment, gratitude is morally and intellectually demanding, it requires contemplation, reflection, and discipline. It can be hard and painful work.”   » Full Story

Opera seen through the ears

Coral Arnold loves live theatre, but thought opera just wasn't worth the trouble. But she and other blind opera fans joined the audience for a performance of The Pirates of Penzance.  During the show, two volunteers in an enclosed booth at the back of the theatre described the action on stage via a wireless radio and a small earpiece, and Arnold left the show thrilled.  » Full Story

Award to Artist Who Gives Slums a Human Face

She uses paint, brushes, and volunteers to clean up graffiti and build communities

In Philadelphia, Jane Golden oversees the Mural Arts Program, which gets citizens involved in painting over graffiti while celebrating their history and culture.  She oversees the creation of 100 murals yearly. » Full Story

In Sports, a Boost for Rural Indian Women

MacArthur Fellow an Advocate for Music Education

Violist, violinist, and music educator Sebastian Ruth is among the 23 new MacArthur Fellows for 2010.  He was awarded for providing richly rewarding musical experiences and education for urban youth and their families while forging new roles beyond the concert hall. » Watch video

Living to 100 and Beyond

Want to know what it’s like to live to be 100? Eight centenarians share their joys, sorrows, and the overall richness of their long lives.
» Full Story

In Rough Slum, Brazil’s Police Try Soft Touch

Years of hate and mistrust are thawing in some of Rio’s most violent slums. The peace officers -who come in after the military police clear the streets in gun battles - do part traditional policing, part social work. They devote themselves to winning over residents scarred by decades of violence.  » Full Story

He invites suicide jumpers for a cup of tea

Don Ritchie bought his house for the beautiful views it affords of Sydney Harbor and "the Gap," the tall sandstone cliffs that guard the harbor mouth. Rather than simply admiring those views, though, he has spent the past 40 or so years persuading tortured souls not to jump to their deaths.  » Full Story

Gratitude Takes Flight

It would take two decades for the students of Mrs. Olson's social studies class at Calle Mayor Middle School in Torrance to fully comprehend how their act of kindness would reverberate through the years. In 1989 they sent 1,000 paper cranes to Gerald Felando to help speed along his recovery from cancer.  » Full Story

Rabbis for Human Rights

The Op-Ed Columnist Nicholas D. Kristof sees how Rabbis for Human Rights are a voice of conscience in the West Bank, protecting Palestinian farmers from some hostile Jewish settlers.  » Watch video

Would You Like Flies With That? Bug Eaters Try to Get Some Buzz

Marc Dennis digs bugs. He's making "chocolate chirp cookies"—with crickets inside—for a coming art festival. For Mr. Dennis, the challenge is convincing those around him that bugs are tasty, and good for you, too—high in protein, low in fat, cheap and good for the environment. » Full Story

3-D Printing Spurs a Manufacturing Revolution

A 3-D printer, which has nothing to do with paper printers, creates an object by stacking one layer of material — typically plastic or metal — on top of another. One company is using advances in this technology to create customized prosthetic limbs with "a level of humanity." » Full Story

A Novel Approach: Free Books For Donations

While most publishers are trying to figure out how to remain profitable these days, the Concord Free Press, has been publishing books and giving them away for free. But customers are asked for something in return: A book in exchange for a donation.  » Full Story

Scenes of Ramadan

From Palestine to India, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United States and many other areas, see a series of photos celebrating the first day of Ramadan. » Full Story

But Will it Make You Happy?

Read how the Strobels felt caught in a “work-spend treadmill” and how they got out of it. New studies of consumption and happiness show that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses. » Full Story

Being Grateful to Have a Job — And Helping Others Find One

After a week of being on vacation, far away from the office and chores at home, Sarah Needleman is glad to be back to her regular routine – and not just because she loves her job. Thinking about others not as fortunate as she provided her with a strong incentive to make a greater effort to help laid-off people secure new positions whenever possible. » Full Story

Firms Help Workers Provide End-Of-Life Care

Juggling a caregiving role with a full-time job is daunting. But it can be even more difficult working during the end stages of a loved one's life. Some companies are exploring end-of-life initiatives to help their employees manage the ultimate transition. » Full Story

Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain

For the first time in three days in the wilderness, Mr. Braver is not wearing his watch. “I forgot,” he says. It is a small thing, the kind of change many vacationers notice in themselves as they unwind and lose track of time. But for Mr. Braver and his companions, these moments lead to a question: What is happening to our brains? » Full Story

Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell

McDonnell says when he sits at the drawing table it is like a meditation; the cartoons are like little prayers to the universe.  In a new collaboration with spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, McDonnell and his dogs and cats teach us about the here and now. » Full Story

Al-Andulus 2.0

Since 2003, social medium Second Life's immersive, user-built “virtual world” has attracted some 17 million people from all over our physical world.  In a study called "Digital Diplomacy," it was found that the more time that users invest in their Second Life experiences, the more they come to express high degrees of creativity and understanding of each other. » Full Story

London tries next revolution in connectivity: talking, not Tweeting

Theodore Zeldin's 'Oxford Muse' program encourages deep, in-person, one-on-one conversations that promote understanding. Some participants call it 'liberating.' » Full Story

Driving From Italy To China ... With No Driver

A team of Italian engineers launched what has been billed as the longest-ever test drive of driverless vehicles: a three-month, 8,000-mile road trip from Italy to China, not in search of silk, but to test the limits of future automotive technology.
» Full Audio Story

Bach and beyond: NYers plink on public pianos

NEW YORK — Amid an urban orchestra of honking cabs, sirens and jackhammers, piano lovers plinked out tunes from Bach's "Minuet in G" to Elton John's "Rocket Man" on the first day dozens of public pianos were placed at New York City landmarks and parks for a public art project. » Full Story

Elke Riesterer massages humans and other animals

A "citizen of the world" born in Germany, Elke Riesterer believes that elephants, giraffes, tortoises, rhinos, lizards and other sentient beings she tenderly massages at the Oakland Zoo and elsewhere should be engaged as equals. To do otherwise only increases pain and suffering in the world. » Full Story

Soccor Savior

Africa's greatest star, Didier Drogba, didn't single-handedly end his country's civil war, but such is the respect he commands that when he called for Ivorians to look beyond what divided them, the people listened.

» Full Story

Working to Help a Haven for Afghan Women Blossom

This Is Not a Weed

Plants that spontaneously grow in the city are marvels of adaptation. What can we learn from them? The very characteristics of "invasive, noxious, and weed" plants that most people deride are ones that Del Tredici admires. He calls area with these plants “emergent forests,” valuable ecosystems.

» Full Story

Making Ezra Frech's Dream Come True

Four-year-old Ezra Frech was born with an indomitable spirit.  He does not let his missing leg interfere with his active life, and says being different is “no big deal.”  When he meets his basketball hero, it’s hard to distinguish one hero from the other. » Full Story

Listening to (and Saving) the World’s Languages

Some experts believe New York is home to as many as 800 languages. In an effort to keep those voices alive, Professor Kaufman has helped start a project, the Endangered Language Alliance, to identify and record dying languages, many of which have no written alphabet, and encourage native speakers to teach them to compatriots. » Full Story

Lessons From the Lost

In Virginia there are now more missing Alzheimer’s patients than missing children.  Law enforcement officers there are learning how to search for missing persons who may not know they are lost.  » Full Story