John Wooden died June 4, 2010, not quite four months shy of his 100th birthday. The revered basketball coach is still missed. In a period of twelve years, the UCLA head coach won ten NCAA national championships, seven of them in a row. From 1971 to 1973 he led his team to 88 consecutive...
I grew up in a farming area, where the labour of Mexican migrants was essential and taken for granted. It never occurred to me to wonder why so many skilled farmers had to leave their own country in order to make a living. It was many years before I understood the long history of...
Two innovative British Columbia businesses have come up with an clever scheme that links farms with schools and community-based organizations. Their Farm Bag Fundraiser program gives schools and organizations a way to support local farmers and raise funds at the same time. It is a win for both ends of the equation, as farmers gain a...
If the Kenyan orphanage had been surrounded by a sturdy fence, Omari would not have been slashed in the face by a machete-wielding thug. He was protecting the 35 children at the Faraja Orphanage, which is run by his mother. Though he and the children survived the attack, they were terrified, knowing it would...
Until a young woman posted a video calling for a boycott of Girl Scout cookies, because the organization allowed a transgender scout to belong, I had no idea a friend’s beautiful daughter was now her handsome son. She sent me a link to the video below. I watched it with a big smile on...
In the Mathare Valley slum of Nairobi a group of young people is working to make their dream of a better future become reality. The Mwelu Foundation puts cameras in their hands, teaches them film production and journalism and a sense of responsibility toward their community. Julius Mwelu is founder and artistic director of...
Children know, and most adults remember, how completely absorbing life can be when nothing exists, in one bright moment, beyond a sense of wonder. Nearly anything can bring it on—watching a leaf fall from a branch, hearing the whistle of wings as a flock of Canada geese flies overhead, making the first tracks on...
When Wired magazine publishes a piece about “The 5 Best Toys of All Time”, I automatically figure technology figures in there somewhere, even if the toys are as simple as the old Erector Sets, Lincoln Logs and Tinkertoys I loved as a child. I was so wrong. When Jonathan Liu wrote the piece for...
When Stacey Monk met Mama Lucy Kamptoni, she was so inspired she started a Twitter campaign to show her gratitude by raising money for Mama Lucy’s dream. Mama Lucy had a small chicken farm in Tanzania. With money from her sales, she started a village primary school in 2003. Now the school serves nearly...
Remember all those hand shadow puppets you used to make as a kid? Fortunately, Australian Raymond Crowe never grew out of the joy of making them. He tours the world creating hand shadows, going by the whimsical title of “Unusualist”. His Web site is a whimsical as his art, and you can follow...
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