The VisionQuest Game
Feb 10
Several years ago, I created a website for an innovative divination game that some friends and I have been perfecting over the years. I have finally redone that website, modernizing it and making it much more user-friendly. The new website contains updated photos of the game, descriptions of how the game is played, and lists of recommended game decks, both handmade and commercial. What makes this particular guidance tool different from other age-old divination systems is that it marries four principles that have emerged and merged during our particular time period: it combines the wisdom of diverse spiritual traditions; it draws upon the life experience, knowledge, and intuition of individual players; it evokes the power of group consciousness and prayer; and it encourages people to infuse the game with deeper meanings by creating their own game decks, rules and rituals...
The Good Deeds Of Tim Tebow
Jan 29
Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts. Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat...
NDE: Powerful, Life-Changing Near-Death Experience Quotes (Updated)
Jan 24
A collection of powerful, life-changing quotes from people who have had near-death experiences, as well as those who have researched this very important topic...
The Life, Near-Deaths & Death Of Ben Breedlove (Updated)
Jan 18
After cheating death three times, Ben Breedlove, 18, finally lost his life on Christmas night after suffering from a heart attack. But not before he recorded videos of his life and near-death experiences and how at peace he felt when he believed he was leaving the world...
The Power Of Music
Jan 09
Jack Leroy Tueller’s decision to play his trumpet for the last remaining German sniper threatening his unit so moved the sniper that he couldn’t shoot, and surrendered the next morning. By choosing to play “his love song” Jack recognized the fear and loneliness common to all of us. Now 90, he shares his precious story with us...
Unsolved Mysteries: Ice Woman
Dec 23
A woman freezes and is not only brought back to life, but fully recovers...
Trey Ratcliff: ‘Five Reasons Why I Don’t Care If My Stuff Is Pirated’
Dec 19
All of my stuff is pirated. Everything from my HDR Video Tutorial to eBooks to Apps. Fine. It's all there on PirateBay and MegaUpload and all that stuff. Here are the reasons why I don't mind...
Secret Santas Popping Up Around The Country
Dec 19
At Kmart stores across the country, Santa seems to be getting some help: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers' layaway accounts, buying the Christmas gifts other families couldn't afford, especially toys and children's clothes set aside by impoverished parents...
Dewey Bozella: The Calm Within
Dec 17
Dewey Bozella (born 1959) is a former amateur boxer who is best known for being falsely imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. Convicted in 1983 for the murder of an elderly woman, Bozella served 26 years in prison before having his conviction overturned in 2009...
Music: Diane Bardwell’s New Album: ‘Emergence’
Dec 17
Emergence takes the ancient art of chanting in one’s own language and gives it an original, contemporary, and exceptionally evocative treatment, featuring seven very unique chant-songs in English, each of which invites contemplative depth, soul-centered singing, and spiritually vibrant movement...
One Of The Most Remarkable Near-Death Experiences Ever (Updated)
Dec 12
This special report contains three parts: In part one Anita Moorjani describes her near-death experience; in part two, Anita is interviewed by NDERF; in part three, Anita responds to a question posted on the NDERF website. Taken together, this is an exceptionally interesting, informative, and inspiring overview of not just the NDE experience, but how the profound insights gleaned from such an experience can be applied to every day life...
Karma Kitchen & The Gift Economy
Dec 05
Karma Kitchen first opened in Berkeley on March 31st 2007, by several volunteers inspired to seed the value of a "gift economy". Run by volunteers, their meals are cooked and served with love, and offered to the guest as a genuine gift. To complete the full circle of giving and sustain this experiment, guests make contributions in the spirit of pay-it-forward to those who will come after them. In keeping this chain going, the generosity of both guests and volunteers helps to create a future that moves from transaction to trust, from self-oriented isolation to shared commitment, and from fear of scarcity to celebration of abundance...
Photo: ‘I’m The Hero Of This Story…’
Dec 04
"I'm the hero of this story..."
Movie: ‘The Power Of One’
Dec 04
The Power of One is the story of a young English boy named P.K. and his passion for changing the world. Growing up he suffered as the only English boy in an Afrikaans school. Soon orphaned, he was placed in the care of a German national named Professor von Vollensteen (a.k.a. "Doc"), a friend of his grandfather. Doc develops P.K.'s piano talent and P.K. becomes "assistant gardener" in Doc's cactus garden. It is not long after WWII begins that Doc is placed in prison for failure to register with the English government as a foreigner. P.K. makes frequent visits and meets Geel Piet, an inmate, who teaches him to box. Geel Piet spreads the myth of the Rainmaker, the one who brings peace to all of the tribes. P.K. is cast in the light of this myth. After the war P.K. attends an English private school where he continues to box. He meets a young girl, Maria, with whom he falls in love. Her father, Professor Daniel Marais, is a leader of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. The two fight to teach the natives English as P.K.'s popularity grows via the myth. Maria is killed. P.K. looses focus until he sees the success of his language school among the tribes. He and Guideon Duma continue the work in hopes of building a better future for Africa...
Inspiring Story: ‘A Soft Answer’
Dec 02
A turning point in my life came one day on a train in the middle of a drowsy spring afternoon. The old car clanked and rattled over the rails. It was comparatively empty -- a few housewives with their kids in tow, some old folks out shopping, a couple of off-duty bartenders studying the racing form. I gazed absently at the drab houses and dusty hedge rows. At one station the doors opened, and suddenly the quiet afternoon was shattered by a man bellowing at the top of his lungs -- yelling violent, obscene, incomprehensible curses. Just as the doors closed the man, still yelling, staggered into our car. He was big, drunk, and dirty. He wore laborer's clothing. His front was stiff with dried vomit. His eyes bugged out, a demonic, neon red. His hair was crusted with filth. Screaming, he swung at the first person he saw, a woman holding a baby. The blow glanced off her shoulder, sending her spinning into the laps of an elderly couple...
#Occupy Bat Signal For The 99%
Dec 02
From the Occupy Wall Street website: "On November 17th, tens of thousands of people peacefully gathered in Foley Square in solidarity with #OWS. It was a powerful night of music, chant, and protest. We marched across the Brooklyn Bridge finding strength in our numbers and inspiration in our shared resolve to challenge the neoliberal economic system that controls our government and destroys our communities. As we marched a beautiful light appeared in downtown Manhattan...."
Must Watch & Read: Paul Stamets: How Mushrooms Can Save The World (& Cure Cancer)
Nov 24
Mycologist Paul Stamets describes several paradigm-changing breakthroughs in his work with mushrooms, including mathematically perfect engineering, oil and nuclear waste cleanup, controlling insects which spread numerous global diseases, fighting viral infections, and boosting the human immune system. He also describes how mushrooms were used to cure his mother of breast cancer and why our old forests should be saved as a matter of national defense...
Bunker Roy: Barefoot College
Nov 20
In Rajasthan, India, an extraordinary school teaches rural women and men -- many of them illiterate -- to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. It's called the Barefoot College, and its founder, Bunker Roy, explains how it works...
The Near-Death Of A Child
Nov 15
In March of 1990, while vacationing in Florida, our family was involved in a serious car accident: a head-on collision with a drunk driver. After the impact, my husband was pinned inside the wreckage and writhing in pain beside me. As I turned and looked into the back of the car, I could see Rose Marie was not seriously hurt. But, to my horror, Kayla was no where to be seen. Her side of the car had been obliterated by the crash. I thought at first that she might be tangled within the wreckage, but seconds later discovered she had been thrown out of the seat and into the hatchback of the car. A bystander hurried to our aid, wrapped Rose Marie in a jacket, and carried her to a bench some yards from the car so that I could attend to Kayla. Kayla's eyes were closed, her face was an ashen white, and her body was still and motionless. I was sure she had died. To spare my husband from this knowledge, I gathered Kayla's limp body in my arms, lifted her out of the car, and stepped a short distance away. The moments that followed are forever imprinted on my memory...
Occupy Wall Street Hugs
Nov 14
Hugs for police from Occupy Wall Street protesters...
Michael Pawlyn: Using Nature’s Genius In Architecture
Nov 10
How can architects build a new world of sustainable beauty? By learning from nature. At TEDSalon in London, Michael Pawlyn describes three habits of nature that could transform architecture and society: radical resource efficiency, closed loops, and drawing energy from the sun...
A Sister’s Eulogy For Steve Jobs
Oct 30
I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives (and our not yet furnished apartment) and help us. Later, after I’d met my father, I tried to believe he’d changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people. Even as a feminist, my whole life I’d been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I’d thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother...
Declaration Of The Occupation Of New York City
Oct 30
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known...
How Consensus Works At Occupy Wall Street
Oct 30
How the consensus process works with the Occupy Wall Street Movement...
Remembering Steve
Oct 19
Over a million people from all over the world have shared their memories, thoughts, and feelings about Steve Jobs. One thing they all have in common -- from personal friends to colleagues to owners of Apple products -- is how they’ve been touched by his passion and creativity. You can view some of these messages here...
Steve Jobs: Imitated, Never Duplicated (Updated)
Oct 18
Here’s a guy who never finished college, never went to business school, never worked for anyone else a day in his adult life. So how did he become the visionary who changed every business he touched? Actually, he’s given us clues all along. Remember the “Think Different” ad campaign he introduced upon his return to Apple in 1997? “Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.” In other words, the story of Steve Jobs boils down to this: Don’t go with the flow...
Emmanuel Kelly On The X Factor 2011
Oct 08
Emmanuel Kelly on The X Factor 2011...
The Jive Aces Present: ‘Bring Me Sunshine’
Oct 03
The Jive Aces have been awarded a prestigious Silver Telly Award for the "Bring Me Sunshine" video shortly after topping 1 million views on YouTube. It has also just been given an Indiefest Award of Merit and won "Best Music Video" in the New York Indie Film Festival as well as being featured in several other film festivals...
The Urban Farming Guys
Sep 28
The Urban Farming Guys is a band of pioneers, farmers, and fans, running hard to put the most innovative, accessible, low tech and reproducible solutions for self sustaining community into the hands of everyday people from the inner-cities to the Nations. Beginning with energy, agriculture, and housing technologies, we are beating a path for communities and villages to thrive in any economy. And we are putting videos, diagrams, principals, parts lists and full technology into your hands in our open source knowledge base. Next we are putting them to the test in the hostile environment of the inner city of Kansas City as 20 families now have acquired homes and land within a 5 block radius of each other in Lykins Neighborhood as our first prototype of Sustainable Community. And Lastly to establish a sustainability school and training center...
Steve Jobs Resigns As Apple CEO (Includes Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University Speech)
Aug 24
After 14 years as Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs resigned his post on Wednesday and was replaced by Tim Cook, who previously was the company's Chief Operating Officer. Jobs, in turn, was elected as chairman of Apple's board of directors...
Over-The-Top, Infectiously Delightful Wedding Video
Aug 14
Do ordinary wedding videos put you to sleep? Check out this fabulous wedding video: "Yalda and Ben: The Musical"...
Thousands Line Up For Free Dental Services In Woodstock
Aug 13
Some 4,000 people stood in line for free dental services Friday at a church in Woodstock. The two-day clinic at First Baptist Church of Woodstock provided 100 dental chairs and more than 1,600 volunteers, including 300 dentists...
Mariachi Connecticut Serenades A Beluga Whale
Aug 04
Mariachi Connecticut serenades a beluga whale...
WikiLeaks Video: What Does It Cost To Change The World?
Jul 03
What do MasterCard, Visa, Bank of America, Paypal and Western Union all have in common? They help you pay for what you want? Well, yes... that is unless you want to help WikiLeaks make the world a better place...
Korea’s Got Talent: Sung-bong Choi
Jun 09
Korea's Got Talent: Sung-bong Choi...
Homegrown Revolution (Award-Winning 2009 Short Film)
Jun 08
Homegrown Revolution is a short film that was never created for a film festival circuit but has a true homegrown, homemade story behind its creation. The original version of Homegrown Revolution was made in three days for a lecture Jules Dervaes gave at the University of California Los Angeles in October 2007 on the topic of Slow Food. It received a wildly enthusiastic response from the students and, subsequently, attracted an avid following on YouTube, with over 500,000 views to date. This new version of Homegrown Revolution was created in 2009 and went on to screen at many film festivals throughout the world...
Urban Homestead’s New YouTube Channel
Jun 08
Urban Homestead now has a channel on YouTube...
The Oprah Winfrey Show Finale
May 31
On September 8, 1986, the first national episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show was broadcast into homes across America. Now, 25 years later, Oprah steps onto the stage for the last time to share her greatest lessons and hopes for her viewers...
Heather Dorniden: The Runner Who Didn’t Give Up
May 13
Heather Dorniden of the University of Minnesota races the 600m at the Big 10 Indoor Track Championships. She falls, she gets up, she miraculously wins...
Eric Whitacre: A Virtual Choir 2,000 Voices Strong
May 05
In a moving and madly viral video last year (see below), composer Eric Whitacre led a virtual choir of singers from around the world. He talks through the creative challenges of making music powered by YouTube, and unveils the first 2 minutes of his new work, "Sleep," with a video choir of 2,052. The full piece, which premiered April 7, 2011 on YouTube, is also included below...
Carl Sagan: Pale Blue Dot (Two Versions)
Apr 23
Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" - two versions...
Video: Terje Sorgjerd’s ‘The Mountain’
Apr 16
Terje Sorgjerd visited El Teide, Spain's highest mountain, to film this amazing video. According to Sorgjerd, El Teide "is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars". The mountain is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world's best observatories...
Video: The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering)
Mar 21
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering)...
A Letter From Sendai
Mar 17
Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful...
Video: Hans Rosling: 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes
Feb 21
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. Now he explores stats in a way he has never done before -- using augmented reality animation. In this spectacular section of 'The Joy of Stats' he tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers -- in just four minutes. 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...
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