
Dec 27, 2023 A Tradition That Keeps Christmas Trees Alive, Literally Read the full story of this sustainable Christmas Tree tradition here.
Dec 24, 2023 In India, leaders from various walks of life (and countries like Vietnam and Dubai!) came together for a 4-day "Laddership" retreat. Saee echoed what many felt, "The whole experience has moved me beyond words. I could actually experience 'Law of Love' working for the last whole week after returning home. I saw people around me differently, as a whole, and not just through the lens of my expectations. My response to everyone around me was changed, with family, on emails, on messages. I was feeling connected with some warmth in my heart continuously. I was engaging with day to day challenges but not worried about it, and that allowed me to a ladder for all kinds of unexpected possibilities." On the last day of the retreat was this video: Lead Like Great Conductors It had everyone in splits! Laddership in action. :) To join a virtual version of this retreat, check out February Laddership Pod
Dec 23, 2023 Jeffrey Mishlove was the host of a popular series called, "New Thinking Allowed". He is the author of "The Roots of Consciousness," "Psi Development Systems," and "The PK Man." He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in the world from an accredited university that says, "Parapsychology." It was awarded from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1980. He is also the Grand Prize winner of the Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding postmortem survival of human consciousness. Why are we sharing this? Because he has just hosted his bot on our platform. Check it out: https://ai.servicespace.org/jeffreymishlove/ask
Dec 21, 2023 Historic Ruling Returns Ancestral Land To The Siekopai People Now that the Ecuadorian justice system has recognized the Siekopai people as the rightful owner of 42,360 hectares in Pë'këya, which contains the tribe’s most important sacred places, they will be able to return to the ancestral home from which they were expelled in 1941. The judicial decision is “historic,” says Justino Pianguaje, head of the Siekopai Nation. It is the first time Ecuador has recognized an Indigenous population’s right to possess a territory that has been declared a protected area. The court has also obliged the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador to apologize publicly to the Siekopai for failing to protect their rights. To recover the land, they had to show that they were the original inhabitants. The ruling says this condition has been proven. Read the full story here.
Dec 20, 2023 Little Boy Asks Woman In Wheelchair How To Do Wheelies, Sparks Sweet Friendship It was the first time Hannah Hutzley had ever seen a child in a wheelchair, in person. She was in her wheelchair, shopping, when she heard a little boy whisper, “Hi… do you know how to do wheelies?” When she showed him how she did wheelies, his face lit up. His dad came over to help him, and Hannah said she almost cried because it was such a beautiful moment. Hannah was injured when she was 19, and that’s given her a new perspective on life, especially when seen through the eyes of a kid. “They just see it as how cool, you have a wheelchair and you can have fun with it.” It’s so cool that she gets to be that role model for someone else, she says - and it’s started a friendship.
Dec 18, 2023 Executive Sleep Out Raises Awareness Of Homelsss Youth And Money To Assist Them
Dec 16, 2023 Need Therapy? In West Africa, Hairdressers Can Help. Joseline de Lima, a single mother of two who was grieving her brother’s death and had lost her job at a bakery, got help from an unexpected counselor: her hairdresser, one of about 150 women who are helping to provide mental health care in one of the world’s poorest regions. Togo has only five psychiatrists for more than eight million people, and families seeking to treat a relative suffering from severe mental health issues often resort to traditional remedies or forced isolation. Bluemind Foundation organizes the three days of training. Hairdressers are taught how to ask open-ended questions, spot nonverbal signs of distress like headaches or disheveled clothes and how not to gossip or give detrimental advice. Some 150 hairdressers have so far received the honorary title of “mental health ambassador” after undergoing the training. [...] The hairdresser, Tele da Silveira, is one of about 150 women who have received mental health training in West and Central African cities from a nonprofit trying to fill a critical gap: provide mental health care in one of the world’s poorest regions, where counseling remains barely accessible, let alone accepted. Ms. da Silveira began with gentle questions and encouraging words as she braided or blow-dried Ms. de Lima’s salt-and-pepper hair. More careful listening followed, then the suggestions for new braiding styles and walks to a nearby lagoon, which Ms. de Lima described as “lifesaving therapy.” “People need attention in this world,” said Ms. da Silveira. “They need to talk.” Read the full story of these "mental health ambassadors" here.
Dec 15, 2023 'Signs Of Life': Sycamore Gap Tree Will Live On, Experts Say A 200-year-old sycamore tree near a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northumberland, England that was felled this past fall in an suspected act of vandalism will live on through viable saplings. The tree is situated near Hadrian's Wall, that once marked the ancient frontier of the Roman Empire, and was a famous spot for people to visit during vacations, walks and picnics. The felling had sparked public sadness and outrage as arborists rushed to the scene to try to preserve the tree. Plans to create a lasting tribute to the tree are underway, including how best to use the wood salvaged from its large trunk. [...] "[We] are encouraged by positive signs of life, and are hopeful that over 30 per cent of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings (scions) will be viable," said Andy Jasper, the National Trust's director of gardens and parklands, in a statement sent to NPR. "Over the next year, we'll be doing all we can to nurture the seeds and cuttings, in the hope that some will grow into strong, sturdy saplings," Jasper said, "providing a new future for this much-loved tree." Read the full story here.
Dec 14, 2023 South Korean Women Reimagine Family In An Aging Society Eun Seo-Ran, 43, and her adopted daughter, who is 38, are among many women in South Korea who are reimagining family in an aging society with strict gender roles and a patriarchal family culture. While only those related by blood, marriage between a man and a woman, and adoption are recognized as family, women who choose to stay single are pushing the government to recognize a broader range of companionships as family, often driven by concern about who will care for them when they grow old or get sick. Some one million Koreans lived with friends or partners as of 2021 but cannot access benefits and services available to married couples and families, and have few rights If a companion dies. Lonely deaths are increasing, many among men in their 50s or 60s. But even as proposed legislation to widen the legal definition of family is stalled by conservative and evangelical claims that it would effectively allow same sex marriage, women are creating grassroots social and healthcare cooperatives themselves, and Seo-Ran's story has inspired many single women living with friends to consider adoptions. Read the full story here.
Dec 13, 2023 Swedish City Takes On Loneliness With A Simple Hi While hobbies keep many in the northern Swedish city of Luleå going through the cold dark winter months, loneliness remains a problem, especially among 16 to 29 year-olds. So authorities in Luleå have launched a campaign to encourage people to say hello to one another. The Säg hej! (say hello!) campaign aims to create a friendlier city by nudging people towards small but significant social interactions. Adverts are running on buses, and workshops are being held in schools. Åsa Koski, who works for Luleå municipality, came up with the idea for the campaign. She wants the city, which is undergoing a period of rapid growth as it tries to attract tens of thousands of new people to work in “green” industry and other services, to stay pleasant, safe and friendly even as it grows. [...] Being greeted by strangers makes people feel “more seen and a bit more like you belong”, she adds. “Research shows that it has an effect on health and often an effect on wanting to help each other. If you say hi to your neighbours you are more likely to help them.” Read the full story here.