Amsterdam - Head Matters (HM-OK!) presenteert het eerste CO2-neutrale relatiegeschenk en kerstpakket. De geschenken zijn Fair Trade-producten met een stijlvolle, luxe uitstraling die voldoen aan het MVO-principe. Ze zijn ecologisch verantwoord en bovendien CO2-neutraal te maken door middel van de Gold Standard Projecten, erkend door het Wereld Natuur Fonds. Bij Head Matters (HM-OK!) heeft de werkgever een gevarieerde keuze uit verrassende geschenken uit Afrika, Azië en Latijns-Amerika. Door de aankoop van deze producten kunnen producenten en toeleveranciers investeren in het verbeteren van hun leef - en werkomstandigheden.

HM-OK! is Fair Trade   Read more...

Op zaterdag 13 december organiseren StoereVrouwen een 'duurzame middag' in Utrecht. Wil je verzekerd zijn van een plaats, meld je dan vast aan. Stuur een e-mail naar generaal@stoerevrouwen.nl o.v.v. 'duurzame middag' en het aantal personen.

Dubbel genieten! Genieten van het leven en tegelijkertijd bijdragen aan een betere en leukere wereld? Dat kan! Duurzaam genieten is hot. StoereVrouwen besteden op stijlvolle wijze aandacht aan mens, dier en natuur en laten zien dat maatschappelijke betrokkenheid leuk en sexy is!   Read more...

In 1996, after some fifty-three years of consciously and subconsciously seeking the purpose of life and answers to connected questions, I wrote the first part of the book "The Milk Is White", a philosophical treatise, and said to myself, ‘Why am I writing this book when all that is needed by seekers of the Truth is already available from many sources? Why do I embark on this with no experience in such an endeavour and with the knowledge that 'little me' will be attempting to convey some rather awesome spiritual truths?’

I had no idea how this would turn out and was responding to an inner prompting, a recent meditation period during which a computer keyboard floated down accompanied by the message, "The answer lies in the keyboard!" and advice to us in the Edgar Cayce Readings that we should start where we are, with what we have in hand, and leave the result to God - the Creative Force.   Read more...

Ode organiseert in samenwerking met The Project Network en HearthMath Benelux de allereerste Hart Verbindings Dag.

Dit is dé dag om je nieuwsgierigheid te voeden met moderne technieken die de weg tonen naar verandering. Maar dit is ook het moment om contacten te leggen met gelijkgestemden, allen aangetrokken door dezelfde vraag: 'Hoe leggen we verbinding met ons hart om meer waarde in het leven te vinden?'   Read more...

‘It was interesting to look at the same situation as always, but in a different way. Working with SharePeople has given us new ideas on how to analyse our business'... These are the words of Alak Kumar Jana, manager horticulture co-operation in India.   Read more...

The boy and girl stand close together, sweaty palms touching, eyes averted and waiting for their cue, and then the music starts. Is it another episode of the OC? No, it’s ballroom dancing. A new phenomenon is touching the nation’s youth, and I could not be more thrilled. Through ballroom dancing, young people are touching each other, in a positive way. Self-expression and self-esteem are being reinforced in a new way through one of the oldest forms of movement - dance. The fact that someone is attempting to make ladies and gentlemen out of kids on the brink of awkward adolescence, is nothing short of a miracle. Letting young people know that some adults view them in a positive light, genius!   Read more...

A soon-to-be-published study by The Archives of Internal Medicine shows that some forms of cancer may under some circumstances go away without treatment. Doctors say if their findings turn out to be credible, it could change the way we approach the disease. Women diagnosed with breast cancer, for example, might be advised to opt for “watchful waiting,” whereby a tumor is monitored, rather than immediately removed, to see if it might shrink without treatment. The New York Times reported on this story and said, "At the moment, the finding has no practical applications because no one knows whether a detected cancer will disappear or continue to spread and kill."

Doctors say that if the theory turns out to be credible, this could turn into a huge point of interest within the medical community. Women diagnosed with breast cancer could be allowed to opt for a watchful waiting process, monitoring a tumor within the breast to see if it grows before deciding how to treat it.   Read more...

The Green MicroGym in Portland, Ore. is stocked with more than just hand weights and power bars. The workout rooms are filled with generators, which are linked to various machines and equipment like stationary bikes and treadmills. When gym members come to work out, they are not only keeping their bodies in shape, they are keeping the gym running.

The gym currently relies on the solar panels to cover about 40 percent of the operational energy. They are attempting to increase that number. They have a calculated need of 240 hours a day on the equipment to reach the goal of the gym being 100 percent self sustainable.   Read more...

Australian based outdoor outfitters, Northland Professional recently began a marketing campaign using billboards that give away free merchandise. Northland attaches samples of caps, gloves and scarfs on 50 billboards throughout the city of Ganz. They call the campaign, "Free love". It will run through the end of November.   Read more...

Recent press coverage of the dairy industry has been less than positive: lack of access to pasture, use of antibiotics and genetically modified feed have all made headlines.   Read more...

Over 125 million people around the world are dependent on coffee as their only income and many of them live on less than $2 a day. Coffee Kids is a non-profit that supports grassroots initiatives to provide coffee-farming families with options outside of coffee.

We support initiatives in economic diversification and microcredit, health care, education and other community-based activities to create vibrant communities. We currently work with 12 different groups in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Peru.   Read more...

The economy is hurting big businesses, but what about the little guy? The guy with socially conscious ideas and new developments in the works? They're getting together and sounding off at a place on the web called Ideablob.com. The website is a community and sounding board for social entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Instead of continuing "non-disclosure agreements", the website encourages entrepreneurs to share ideas and tips to success while promoting new ideas and fresh visons. Each month the website wards $10,000 the best new small business idea, which is voted on by ideablob.com users.   Read more...

Do you walk for half an hour a day? On the way to work? From your parking spot downtown to the cafe? Or maybe around the block on a cool, crisp fall evening? If you do, you could unknowingly be reducing your risk of cancer.

New research shows half an hour of walking at least five days a week can help prevent cancer, and slow down the progression of the disease if you already have it. This is because exercise lowers insulin levels - the hormone that causes most of the body's cells to process glucose in your blood.   Read more...

Wie doet er mee met de opzet van een eco resort in hartje Kroatie? Er is voldoende vermogen. Welkom zijn bevlogen doorzetters die toegewijd willen meedoen met iets waar wellicht een leven aan gewijd kan worden.   Read more...

Offshore Energy 2008: de Nederlandse offshore- en energiebeurs De eerste Offshore Energy 2008 wordt georganiseerd door Navingo BV en is een initiatief van Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Noord-Holland Noord (NHN).   Read more...

FitforMe stelt de consument in staat vitamines af te stemmen op de persoonlijke behoefte. Na het doen van de gratis online voedingstest op www.fitforme.nl krijgt men inzicht in de eigen vitamine inname. FitforMe raadt vervolgens één of meerdere van zijn producten aan om eventuele tekorten gericht aan te vullen. Er zijn altijd diëtistes aanwezig voor ondersteuning en advies. Vanwege de persoonlijke benadering en het innovatieve karakter is FitforMe genomineerd voor de LiveWIRE Young Business Award 2008.   Read more...

In december dragen alle innocent smoothies bij De Bijenkorf, de Coffee Company, de Total tanksstations langs de snelweg en Sandays Bakeries zelfgebreide wollen mutsjes. Met deze actie wil Innocent Drinks, de producent van de 100% natuurlijke smoothies, aandacht vragen voor eenzame ouderen in Nederland.   Read more...

The Creators Inn is a new venture from the creators of the Swedish clothing brand Elvine. It offers people who consider themselves creative types a free place to stay with no strings attached. The project is funded by various independent donors throughout the city of Gothenburg, Sweden where it is based, but mostly by the Elvine clothing brand itself.

Creators Inn is located near the city center of Gothenburg. The center is just a ten minute walk. Foreign visitors are given priority for rooms, but all writers, artists, and creators are welcome.   Read more...

The video above is a representation of some of the ideas that are being thought up as a result of the competition sponsored byNike and Ashoka's Changemakers. The goal of this contest is to create more opportunities for women in the world of athletics, and to recognize women in their communities who are contributing through athletic endeavors.   Read more...

Starbucks customers in Loveland, Colo. are paying it forward by paying it backward. People are showing up to the drive-through and coffee counter to find that the person in front of them has footed their bill.   Read more...

The Free Hugs program began four years ago in Sydney, Australia. SInce then, there have been hundreds of Free Hugs campaigns throughout the world, and now, Free Hugs has a new goal.   Read more...

About 30 Indian teenagers have started putting together their own newspaper called The Yamuna. The paper is printed in New Delhi and features articles of social relevance. The girls launched their project in 2007 as part of the Gandhi Media Literacy Program (GMLP), a group whose aim is to help develop writing skills of India's youth and encourage them to raise their voices against social injustice and concerns.

The newspaper's printing schedule is set in accordance with the examination schedules of the students involved. The large editorial staff has a variety of interests and opinions, allowing them to create interesting longer feature stories, interviews and even cartoon strips. The students keep in touch through email and talk about journalistic principles like good news judgment and what stories will be included in upcoming issue.   Read more...

It's true that sometimes things aren't as they seem...but that is not the case with Jens-Peter Jungclaussen, founder of Teacher With The Bus. Jungclaussen is exactly that. He is a teacher...with a bus.

There are two buses, actually. One is a mobile venue used to "drive kids to learn, naturally," and the other is a sustainable school bus with 52 seats, wi-fi, and a state-of-the-art sound system to take kids kids out to nature. After all, with the Teacher With The Bus," Everything is a field trip".   Read more...

My friends and I have created a holiday tradition that I believe many others would enjoy as well because it involves getting together with friends, enjoying food and exchanging gifts - but costs almost nothing. It is called a Recycled Yankee Swap Pot Luck

A pot luck is when everyone brings a dish and whatever they would like to drink to the party, therefore, no one has to worry about footing the bill for food and beverages and you end up with a wide variety of wonderful food prepared by your friends. For anyone who either does not cook, a simple bag of chips or nothing at all is acceptable. There is always more than enough food to go around.   Read more...

The Amphibian Project was created to raise awareness about amphibian decline. Recently, they have launched a fundraiser to help protect the Large-crested Toad, a critically endangered species in Mexico.

Their website says, " The Amphibian Project recognizes that people care about wildlife and genuinely want to be good stewards of the earth. Unfortunately, the environmental problems of today

Omroep LLiNK heeft de finalisten bekend gemaakt van de grote ledenwerfactie. De omroep riep een maand geleden iedereen met een goed idee dat bijdraagt aan een leefbare wereld op een filmpje te maken en zo veel mogelijk mensen op die film te laten stemmen. Stemmers moesten wel eerst lid worden van LLiNK, dat voor haar voortbestaan voor 1 april 2009 honderdvijftigduizend leden nodig heeft.   Read more...

Ode en het door Between-us <www.between-us.nl/> opgerichte non profit Green Heroes Sustainable Innovation Network <www.green-heroes.org/> gaan samenwerken om informatie over duurzame innovatie te delen en om groene startende bedrijven te verbinden met ervaren professionals vanuit de hele wereld. De samenwerking begint online en vanaf januari 2009 zal Ode Magazine elke maand een speciale pagina wijden aan nieuws op het gebied van groene innovatie afkomstig van Green Heroes.   Read more...

Er zijn veel sites die de energiebedrijven vergelijken op prijs, service etc. WISE vergelijkt in haar campagne 'Groene Stroom? Ja Graag!' de energiebedrijven op milieukwaliteit.   Read more...

My wife and I have been married for a little over a year now. She was born and raised in Brazil, has olive-complexion skin, long black hair, and, as Vice President-elect Joe Biden described his wife during the event in Springfield, IL, when President elect Obama introduced Biden as the vice-president selection on the Democratic ticket, “Is smokin’ hot.”

My wife’s mother is a native of Paraguay, and her father is a native of Brazil. I was born and raised in the United States, Texas to be exact, have white complexion skin, short brown dirty blond hair, and am lucky to be my wife’s husband. My mother and father our both natives of Texas.   Read more...

Author, businessman, and programmer Daniel Suarez (aka Leinad Zeraus) explains how bots, (i.e. automated computer programs) decide important aspects of our everyday life, affecting everything from our jobs to our health.   Read more...

Geocaching says it is the sport where you are the search engine. The goal of the "sport" or "game" is to use your own personal GPS device to locate hidden containers called geocaches outdoors and share your experiences with others online. This is a new activity for people of all age groups, "with a strong sense of community and support for the environemnt."

Geocashing.com encourages everyone involved in the project to share their experiences with each other and to be mindful of the environment. Their program, "Cache In Trash Out" holds annual events and smaller community events to educate geocahcers about the environment. They also always encourage geocahce searchers to bring trash bags with them when they go out hiking and searching.   Read more...

What would you think if you saw a massive oil spill? Would you think, "Oh no, this is horrible," or "What can I do to help?" If you're a man named John Francis you might think, "I'm going to give up motorized transportation..."

That is exactly what Francis did in 1971 after witnessing the oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. For 22 years, he gave up driving and riding in cars all together. Francis did not let his new found dependence on walking constrict him at all. He took treks across the United States and South America hoping to inspire others.   Read more...

Nieuw-Zeeland mag zich wereldleider noemen in duurzaam en verantwoord toerisme. Het land is de grote winnaar bij de uitreiking van de Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2008.   Read more...

In het decembernummer van Ode verschijnt, voor de derde keer alweer, de jaarlijkse boekenspecial, met daarin van verschillende plekken in de wereld de plaatselijke boekentop-10. Op Ode.nl introduceerden we onlangs onze eigen boekentips met een tweewekelijkse selectie van recent verschenen boeken die Ode graag onder uw speciale aandacht brengt.   Read more...

ZEEKRACHT is een initiatief van Stichting Natuur en Milieu en heeft als visie heel Nederland van schone zeestroom te voorzien, door windmolens te bouwen in zee.   Read more...

You've tried everything to cure your cold: medications like tylenol, home remedies, staying in bed all day and drinking plenty of Vitamin C. Have you tried smiling? If not, Sheldon Cohn, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University thinks you should.

New research shows that a positive attitude brings fewer cold symptoms. Cohn's research included interviewing 334 volunteers three evenings a week for two weeks to assess their mental state. Volunteers were given a squirt of rhinovirus, the germ that causes the common cold, and were checked for five days afterward for signs of infection.   Read more...

Frank Furedi defines truth as the "experience of meaning," cautioning against confusing the debate of truth with the conflict between religion and science.   Read more...

Jongeren, ouderen, geïnspireerden en geïnteresseerden, doe mee aan de jongereninspiratiedag op 22 november 2008, georganiseerd door Jong MenS, de jongeren binnen de politieke partij voor Mens en Spirit.   Read more...

Op 20 november, de Internationale Dag voor de Rechten van het Kind, komen ruim honderd scholieren uit het hele land in actie voor kinderrechten. De jongeren presenteren tijdens het KidzWise Event in Dierenpark Amersfoort hun plannen om kinderrechten meer bekendheid te geven. De vijf beste plannen worden beloond met een KidzWise Award.   Read more...

Het Nationaal Sustainability Congres is het grootste jaarlijkse evenement in Nederland op het gebied van duurzaamheid. Na 7 succesvolle edities in de periode 2000-2006, gericht op duurzaam/maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen, is het congres met ingang van de editie in 2007 (Rotterdam) gericht op de volle breedte van duurzaamheid.   Read more...

AlertMe is a security system...but not just any security system. This new technology, released in January of 2008 can monitor doors and windows without the annoying wires and drilling before hand. Instead, AlertMe uses small sensors placed at strategic points throughout the home.

How about your energy-saving needs? AlertMe has taken care of that too. In September, they announced a new application that will use an energy monitoring SmartPlug, which will allow users to control devices automatically from remote locations.   Read more...

Hoe duurzaam zijn onze dagelijkse boodschappen? We kopen vooral wat we nodig hebben en wat lekker is. Maar de productie en handel van dagelijkse voedsel- en drankproducten kent veel oneerlijke aspecten. Fairfood zet zich in voor de verbetering van wereldwijde arbeidsomstandigheden, een einde aan milieuschade en een eerlijke wereldhandel.   Read more...

Tien kinderen van 14 kiezen het duurzaamste gebouw van Amsterdam. Kinderen van Nu, Dutch Green Building Council, de Gemeente Amsterdam en de Provincie Noord-Holland reiken tijdens het openingsprogramma van het 9e Sustainability Congres op 27 november in de Rai in Amsterdam een prijs uit voor het meest duurzame publiek toegankelijke gebouw van Amsterdam.   Read more...

You've heard the expression "raining cats and dogs", but for one central California woman, the part about cats is almost literally true....It looks like a storm of cats rained down upon Lynea Lattanzio's 12-arcre ranch where she feeds and cares for over 600 feral and abandoned cats. Lattanzizo keeps the cats alive and healthy in hopes of having them adopted to good homes.   Read more...

...Or so a study has come to believe. In a study focusing on the state of Alaska, Dr. Alexander Wagenaar, a professor at the University of Florida's Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, concluded that while higher taxes on alcohol can make a night out more expensive, it can also save lives.

Based on the idea that high taxes prevent some drinkers from perhaps over-buying, the study, which spanned nearly three decades is fairly decisive. And looking at all that information caused each researcher to develop a key eye when examining death certificated from 1976 when it began to 2004. By tracking the number of deaths, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded study showed the relationship between high alcohol tax years compared to low years. The the results were startling.   Read more...

Christians...Muslims..Jews, and people of all different faiths are coming together to write a document called the Charter for Compassion. Throughout the next four weeks, the Charter will come together with the help of participants all over the world who speak many different languages. Many religions leaders from all over the world have already lended their voices and support to the Charter, but anyone is allowed to participate. The goal of this document is to inspire religious people to focus on what brings them together with those of different faiths, instead of what divides them. The final document will involve all major world religions and will be released in 2009.   Read more...

Dr. Binayak Sen is a public heath specialist, and national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties in the Chhattisgarh state of India. He has won awards for his promotion of human rights and has helped poor people in India maintain health care.

On May 14, 2007 Dr. Binayak Sen was arrested on charges of supporting the Maoist party (for drawing attention to the unlawful killing of several indigenous tribal people in his region).   Read more...

Midwestern grocery store cashiers have looked at me, dumbfounded while I tried to purchase a thorny, green, pine cone-shaped vegetable. Well, for the grocers out there, that vegetable is PLU code 4084. And for the rest of us, it's just an artichoke.

The artichoke is a member of the thistle family and originated in northern Africa, southern Europe and the Mediterranean. The Dutch introduced the British to this amazing plant in the 1500's, although it was not brought to the United States until the 19th century.   Read more...

Artsen vertellen kinderen op de basisschool hoe belangrijk het is om zuinig met hun lichaam om te gaan. Met het project ‘Je lichaam en jij’ krijgen kinderen van groep 7/8 op speelse wijze voorlichting over het belang van gezond eten, bewegen en de gevaren van alcohol en drugs. Op 10 november gaat het eerste pilotproject in samenwerking met het Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis van start in Amsterdam.   Read more...

Bij La Place drinkt u voortaan een eerlijk glaasje wijn. De restaurantketen schenkt vanaf begin december wijn van Stellar Organics Winery, een biologische en Fairtrade wijnproducent uit Zuid-Afrika. De werknemers van Stellar Winery hebben een aandeel van 26 procent in de wijnkelder en van 40 procent in de teelt. Handel onder Fairtrade-voorwaarden betekent voor hen een betere gezondheidszorg, vrije huisvesting en gesubsidieerd onderwijs voor hun kinderen. Tijdens de biologische productie wordt uitsluitend gebruik gemaakt van compost en organische materialen. De wijngaarden zijn in volledig evenwicht met de natuur. Dit komt zowel de gezondheid van de werknemers als het milieu ten goede.

Kijk voor meer informatie op www.laplace.nl   Read more...

Graag breng ik het symposium Lead the Way onder uw aandacht (3 december 2008, Rode Hoed in Amsterdam). Deze dag staat in het teken van leiderschap in de 21ste eeuw, maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen, duurzame ontwikkeling en bedrijfsethiek.

De dag bestaat uit levendige debatten, inspirerende lezingen en interactieve workshops door de Amsterdamse grachten.   Read more...

De Stichting Expertisecentrum Gelijke Waardering M/V en het Godinnenspektakel Netwerk roepen op tot een nieuwe emancipatiekoers. Met de website www.godinnenspektakel.nl, de bijbehorende acties, mediacampagne en het Godinnenspektakel Event wil het Expertisecentrum Gelijke Waardering M/V aandacht vragen voor de noodzaak om vrouwelijkheid en vrouwelijke waarden dezelfde status en waardering toe te kennen als hun mannelijke equivalent.   Read more...

Op 13 december geeft internationale zangeres Simone Awhina samen met top trompetist Dirk Bak een kerstconcert. Tijdens dit bijzondere concert worden uiteraard een aantal prachtige kerstnummers ten gehore gebracht om u alvast in de kerstsfeer te brengen.   Read more...

Between advice from the current U.S. President, to higher-ups in the now-ruling Democratic party, U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama has everyone's two cents to sift through. Even yours.   Read more...

Vanille Lattes, Mocha Frappacinos, Brewed Coffee; caffeine makes life that much better. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. Not only is caffeine a necessity for the early morning hours, but some distributors are now going the extra mile with sustainable coffee farming and fair trade certification. American super coffee shop: Starbucks announced earlier this week its thirteen new goals, as part of Starbucks' good business practices guidelines initiative, Shared Planet. The company plans to meet all of the goals by 2015. Goals include ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement.

“Starbucks Shared Planet is not just about how important it is to us that we’re a socially responsible company, it’s to reaffirm Starbucks leadership in the retail and coffee industries and the communities in which we are operating,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company, to Triple Pundit. “During this time of economic uncertainty we realize that we have the opportunity and the responsibility to keep our focus on our commitment to keep our communities strong, and I’m proud of what we’re doing to live up to the guiding principles of this company.”   Read more...

America Recycles Day will take place on November 15th, and the National Recycling Coalition wants you to be involved - even if it's just a little bit.

On their website, they write, "It all comes back to you. Even a small shift in your attitudes and actions, multiplied many times over by others accepting this challenge, can change the world. Maybe you'll throw those soft drink cans into the recycle bin, or buy recycled-content products..."   Read more...

At this juncture in human history, urgent global crises challenge us to learn to live sustainability, in harmony and gratitude with one another and with the living universe. The changes required of humanity are broad, deep, and far reaching. Only by acting swiftly and creatively can we birth a planetary culture that will bring well-being to every form of life in the Earth community.

The good news is that a compelling new story of our potential as a whole human species is emerging, a story of collaboration, citizen action, dialogue and new understandings propelled by unprecedented levels of democratic freedom, multicultural exchange, and access to communication technologies. It is nothing less than the story of our collective evolution.   Read more...

The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) has a mission to "energize and nurture long-term civic engagement in local initiatives that create and maintain healthy, just, safe and environmentally sustainable communities".

In November NEGEF will be giving a grant to their 1,000th unique group. This means that over 1,000 volunteer community groups around New England will be working on solutions in their community: local food, local energy, land & water stewardship, to name but a few issues.   Read more...

Playpumps and Kiya are two inspirational and exemplary initiatives that have been celebrated by Pop!Tech, Oprah, Jay-Z, former President Bill Clinton, National Geographic, MTV, CNN, PBS, and NBC. Playpumps, provides fresh drinking water to thousands of people in Africa via an incredibly simple, innovative, and scalable system, while Kiva, facilitates peer-to-peer loans via the Internet to allow impoverished people develop their own businesses.   Read more...

These days it's pretty hard to come up with solutions to not lend a helping hand. Whether there's a tornado that rips through town, a hurricane washing homes out to sea, or an after school program short of helpers, opportunities to volunteer at non-profits are overflowing. Cross-Cultural Solutions, a non-profit organization was founded in 1995. It has been focusing on operating and facilitating international volunteer programs for over 10 years, with over 4,000 volunteers participating each year. With a worldwide staff of over 300 people in 12 countries, and offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, crossing cultural paths has never been easier.   Read more...

Operation Christmas Child starts this week. That is, the Christian nonprofit organization that has over the course of 15 years delivered over 61 million boxes of gifts to young children throughout the world this holiday season. All over the US churches are collecting shoe boxes full of gifts to be delivered to poverty-stricken children around the world. Though the organization is headed by Samaritan's Purse, a Christian organization that has been doing charitable deeds for 35 years, the group's main prerogative is bringing the joy of gift-giving to those who are without. Through shoe-box gifts, filled with hard candy, school supplies, toys, hygiene items and other nicknacks, children from Uganda to Peru, the Philippines to Mexico, can enjoy what so many take for granted: presents.   Read more...

Thai politician Mechai Viravaidya describes the creative measures for Thai birth control which grew from the 1970s overpopulation crisis. Methods included "de-sexing" the birth control pill by calling it a "family welfare vitamin" and asking monks to bless contraceptives.   Read more...

"Ubuntu, a traditional African philosophy, recognizes how we are inextricably bound in each other’s humanity. Translated as, “I am because you are,” Ubuntu describes a sense of unity between people through which we each discover our own strengths and virtues. Featuring healer Credo Mutwa, GreenHouse Project director Dorah Lebelo, and former Deputy Minister of Health Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, this glimpse of South Africa shows compassion as a way of life." - from Global Oneness   Read more...

With Barack Obama's election to the highest office, many of us sigh with relief since the course for change and equality is open.

Only days after this landslide decision by the American people, the same electorate decided against allowing the huge LGBT minority to enjoy the same rights and means for fruition and fulfillment that the straight majority has been able to opt for for centuries: marriage and the legal framework to raise children in a loving, secure and protected environment.   Read more...

Goed nieuws is ook nieuws! Daarom organiseert de website http://www.zinfo.nl op vrijdag 7 november voor de tweede keer de Nationale Goed Nieuwsdag.   Read more...

11 september 2009 t/m 2 oktober 2009 - Grote Kerk, Den Haag

Stichting Kanker in Beeld organiseert in het najaar van 2009 voor de 3e keer de vijfjaarlijkse Grote Manifestatie. De Grote Manifestatie zal plaatsvinden in de Grote Kerk te Den Haag en zal bestaan uit meerdere onderdelen.   Read more...

Everyone needs a voice, no matter how young, says Ishita Chaudhry, founder of India's Youth Parliament Foundation. After India's Gujarat violence and riots in 2002, Chaudhry gathered support to help inform the country's young people of various national issues, from how to control riots to understanding the food crisis. The now 23-year-old holds that the country needed a forum for young people's voices to be heard and topics understood. Now six years later the Delhi, India native's foundation is going strong drawing on support from NGO Pravah's SMILE fellowship and The Ashoka Foundation. Plus, in 2007 they were legally incorporated. Just this year the organization was given the Seen and Heard 2008 Award, an International UK based award given by British Telecom and The UK Youth Parliament to recognize exceptional initiatives that have created platforms for young people. And Chaudhry herself picked up a nomination for the MtvIndia Youth Icon as well.   Read more...

It is a commonplace that sometimes you need to leave your country in order to find it. This Election Day found me in Graz, Austria, where I am attending the Elevate Festival, an annual four-day gathering that brings together cutting-edge indie music with a forum on political culture. This year’s theme was the commons.

At 4 o’clock in the morning, I found myself awake, watching President-Elect Barack Obama’s stirring speech in Chicago’s Grant Park. I was watching on CNN International, but two Austrian channels were also covering the event live, no small indication of the intense interest with which people around the world are watching Obama’s improbable political journey. People here are mesmerized by Obama’s quintessentially American story: the son of a Kenyan man and a Kansas woman who by dint of hard work, resourcefulness and self-reliance, catapults himself into the White House. Could there be a more persuasive telling of the American Dream?   Read more...

"Girls living in poverty are uniquely capable of creating a better future," says the Girl Effect, an organization that advocates education instead of poverty, business advancement instead of arranged marriage, and hope instead of desperation.   Read more...

Eindelijk is hij er; de Nationale Wellness Kadobon, de eerste "bewust kiezen" kadobon van Nederland! Online kopen, betalen én ontvangen.   Read more...

The Obama rally on Tuesday night attested to the American peoples' desire for change and appreciation for politics. But a few great things happened that night, and not just on the podium. These photos have become a Web-based phenomenon capturing the essence of what today brings for the United States' future. And I think we can all appreciate the landmark events that will continue to happen throughout the next years.   Read more...

Don't miss the first conference on EFT in the Netherlands! We have invited 3 UK EFT Masters (Gwyneth Moss, Ann Ross and Paul Lynch) and 2 neurofeedback specialists for the USA (Donna Bach and Gary Groesbeck) to come and show us their very special EFT techniques and profide neurofeedback (EEG). This is an unique oportunity to see what happens in the brain when applying EFT. Come and see it for yourself! Go to the conference website for all informatie eftbyworkshopnetherlands.com.

THE EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS 31 December 2008!   Read more...

It might not be St. Patrick's Day, and you may not be Irish, but lately everyone is going green. Even trucks are going green. Or at least the United Parcel Service is. One of the world's largest package distributers in the world. "As part of a public-private partnership to increase the commercial availability and use of alternative fuel vehicles, UPS announced its first purchases of a little-known technology: the hydraulic hybrid vehicle," according to CSRwire, promising intense fuel savings and environmental benefits.   Read more...

If you ever need a little pick me up, and don't have time for a good book, a nice cup of coffee or a chat with a friend over the phone, maybe cartoons are for you. No seriously. Every day I'm shocked by the amount of appreciation I have for a woman named Natalie Dee (and her husband, Drew).

She might not have a Wikipedia entry, but the sketch cartoonist definitely uses the web to the best of her ability. Her daily cartoons can be seen on her website NatalieDee.com . Some might be crass, while others can make the often hilarious point a good news story just can't. See October 8's posting if you don't believe me.