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Commencement Address to the Class of 2009

University of Portland, OR - Paul Hawken delivers this challenging and encouraging commencement address.  "What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world."
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Reflections on the Art of the Landscape

Architect Maya Lin is best known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Here she discusses her new work that reshapes the landscape with the intent to help us reshape our view of the natural world. » Full Story

In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars

VAUBAN, Germany — Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars. » Full Story

As economy worsens, neighbors share

CHICAGO - From big ticket items like woodchippers and lawnmowers to smaller things like extra vegetables from home gardens or fancy cake pans, neighbors are adjusting to the economy by sharing.  It's also knitting together communities.
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First female Poet Laureate named

Carol Ann Duffy has been named as the new Poet Laureate, the first woman to be appointed in the 341-year history of the post.  "I look on it as a recognition of the great woman poets we have writing now," she said.
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What Are Friends For? A Longer Life

In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends.  » Full Story

Finnish teacher unlocks music for special-needs students

HELSINKI, FINLAND - Jamming on keyboards, bass guitar, and drums, four young men fill a basement room with harmony. Simplified, accessible music notation lets their talent, not their needs, take center stage.
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Greening of the American Hardhat

Green jobs are an almost magical solution to our present problems, promising to bring people back to work while creating a more environmentally sustainable world. See how construction workers in Boston are learning about their new work.
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Lost Aboriginal language revived

The sounds of a lost language echo across a packed classroom in suburban Sydney as high school children help to revive an ancient part of Australia's rich indigenous culture. At Chifley College, where around a fifth of the students are Aboriginal, Dharug is taught twice a week with great energy through repetition and song.  » Full Story

For a few minutes, Arabs and Jews united by music

HOLON, ISRAEL - Lately, Israelis and Palestinians seldom mix in any setting, but for about an hour the enmity vanished. A dozen performers and about 30 survivors connected through music and, perhaps, gave one another some empathy for lives intertwined by conflict but separated by borders. » Full Story