"making a difference"

In talking with my grandfather the other day about my new project to stay positive, he suggested I go to the Christian Science Monitor for articles.  Based on the name, and being rather non-religious, I was curious if it was only Christian or was geared toward Christian scientists, wrong ! Once again, my 90 year old grandfather proves he is still the smartest man I know.  So...here's the scoop, I went to the CS Monitor page and noticed a wholly different approach to front page news, a mix of good and bad, positive and negative, whoo !  It seems like I struck gold in finding positive articles more easily than digging through the dredge as I was before. I even found a whole page reserved for articles about people making a difference, THIS is my kind of news source.

Now I have a project for this post today, I'll be giving you my top choice article from what is presented on this page, but I want your feedback, too ! Check out the various articles, glance over their content, and tell me how they made you feel inspired or brought a smile to your face!

Let me give you the generic page as to check out the articles : CS MONITOR - MAKING A DIFFERENCE

My fave article : In Syria, the fight for women's rights means helping both genders, Sarah Birke

I love all articles about the education and empowerment of women.  Reiterated by "Half the Sky," and the amazing story of the 29 new female lieutenants in Afghanistan, women are an incredibly ignored resource in many countries... think of all the changes economically, socially, politically that would be brought about if half of a country's entire population wasn't deliberately neglected. This article indeed shows that a more empowered, more educated, and more free population of women is in fact a key factor in the success of nations dominated almost entirely by men.  How could I not have a smile on my face for advancing women's rights ?

Now it's your turn, send me some feedback !

News for the soul

Hello friends,

Sorry for my lack of post the other day, I have made up for it by finding two spectacular gems of positivity. I must be honest, and my mom can vouch for this, recent news headlines have really been getting to me, it's hard for me to not feel irritable and stressed when reading the most popular articles. But I ask, who wants to hear about conflict all day and all night ?  Welcome to a plaguing problem for smart people everywhere, drama and negativity are attractive.

Courtney and I discussed this the other day, but think of television shows like the "Real" Housewives...first, they are not really that "real", let's acknowledge that, and second, their sole purpose on these shows is perpetuate drama for an hour a week ! I am passing no judgement on anyone for watching these shows, I am just as guilty as anyone else; it's so easy to get caught up in the negativity.  So let's be positive this week, and try and cut out as much of this kerfuffle as possible.  The journalists writing about positive-outcome issues, about success and not failure, are so, so important, let's take a look at some pieces that highlight this talent !

First, from the Detroit Free Press : Detroit students get new school options by Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki

Any good news about Detroit is wonderful news, especially for us Michiganders.  It's always a big question, how do we help Detroit ? Here we are presented with an excellent option : Education.  Like the article about post-apartheid schools in South Africa, opening these new, smaller schools in Detroit will allow students to get the attention they deserve, and with high hopes for graduation of both high school and college students, how could you not get excited ?  There is nothing quite as empowering as a good education, and all children have the right to it.  It will be so exciting to see how these programs work for students and to watch a new generation of Detroit students emerging.

Second, from the LA Times : Afghan women break barriers in a male bastion: the army by Laura King

To preface this article, I want to share a little blurb about a book I'm reading, called "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn.  First, I recommend that all read this book, or at least check out the website : http://www.halftheskymovement.org/.  All you need to do is read the title : "Half the Sky : Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" and you feel like you've stepped into this eye-opening journey into helping others succeed across the globe.

And thus we turn back to my second uplifting article for the day.  It details the accomplishment of 29 Afghan women in becoming lieutenants in Afghanistan; makes you wanna shout "YOU GO GIRLS" at the top of your lungs, right ?  Laura King explains that Afghanistan was not always such a difficult place for women to excel as it had become about 15-20 years ago.  Well, ladies, you've set a huge example and we're damned excited about it!


Here's hoping your day was half full, if not I hope these articles added some improvement...but just in case :

What's good in the world today ?

Howdy folks, time for today's uplifting morcels of good press. For today, I am going to talk about two articles that have brightened my day, I hope they do the same for yours ! 


First article, TIME MAGAZINE: Tech Pioneers : 10 Start-ups that will Change your Life


I encourage all of you to take a look at each of these 10 smart people doing inventive things.  


For example, we have Andrew Schiermeier, CEO of Medicine in Need.  Where the poor in the world have lack of access to modern medicine and technology, this guy steps in to make it not only available, but as said in the article : "By turning the conventional wisdom of billion-dollar drug development on its head, MEND is creating a market for health care in the places that have always needed it most" (Alex Perry, TIME Magazine).  Then there are the two indian inventors, Lakshminarayan Kannan and Vijay Babu, who created an ATM machine to allow the privilege of taking out money from a machine to all, not just the rich.  In addition, the fear of theft is quelled by a highly advanced system detailed in the article, and as written by Elliot Hannon, "is built to dispense soiled notes without a hiccup in villages where crisp bills are often suspected of being counterfeit," cool right ? Read more at the link posted above ! 

Second Article, BBC NEWS : Northern Iraq : Eco-Tourism wonderland ?

Hey, is this a positive article about something going on in IRAQ ?! Awesome !  So what's the dealio ? Well, in Northern Iraq there is wondrous beauty worth visiting.  Detailed in the article is the new project to install eco-tourism as a new source of income for the country.  Of course, there are setbacks, some of which are detailed in the piece, but isn't it exciting to know that amidst all the negativity, the "uncertainty", that there are people working to transform the image of Iraq of the past decade into a budding new tourist place ? I think so ! 

Sometimes it takes a little searching to find new articles, because frankly, it's much easier to talk about what's wrong, than what is right...we all know that from experience.  But the end result of taking the time is the treasure trove of some really well-written pieces about some exciting people and places -- that's a whole lotta 'right' in my opinion.  

Now, back to real life, keep those positive hats on today, and if...per chance...you feel the buzz of good news wear off, my preferred and tested treatment is chocolate cherry bread with full on chocolate chunks and super juicy cherries...MMM

Hi there !

Well, I decided this project of mine would be better served by making a blog, instead of constantly posting articles on my facebook (you'll just get blog updates now !).  Here's the skinny : I came back from France just over a month ago and was so taken aback at the amount of negative media we pound into people's brains all day long, no wonder we are so stressed all the time ! I knew that there had to be positive news out there, like a recent article in the New York Times about successful post-apartheid schools in South Africa where the success rate of children is 9/10.  Or the fact that humans have evolved to feel pleasure from pain in the heat of a chili.  But it takes the backseat to the big issues, of course, and any other sort of negative media (i.e. anything having to do with Glenn Beck).  This is as much a project for myself as for anyone who chooses to read this blog (which may ultimately just be my mother) because frankly, if I read every single headline on CNN, NYT, Wall Street Journal, I would need an NCIS marathon and a gigantic pile of macarons to lift the weight of negativity off my shoulders.  My goal is to present an article a day, maybe more about something important, interesting, and positive going on in the world today !

This is not to say that following world and nationwide news isn't important, it's good to keep up with the day to day changes, world politics, regime changes, etc., it's a globalizing world and it's important to be involved. HOWEVER, if I see or listen to one more stupid news piece about some idiot trying to deface religious property or burn holy books, or another article about intolerance in general, I am going to stuff my mouth full of habanero peppers and hope I feel better.   Thus I have created, with help from a suggestion from my friend Jesse, Contented News...pun intended (thanks, Jesse!). Here are the last three articles I posted on my facebook for your reading enjoyment (literally, as all of them will hopefully spark some sort of smile on your face!).

1. New Schools in South Africa Serve the Underserved - NYT

2. A Perk of Our Evolution: Pleasure in Pain of Chilies - NYT

3. Lost' frogs found after decades - BBC NEWS