Miscellaneous
Exposing slavery becomes easier, bringing elimination closer
A lot of stuff we use on a daily basis is still far too often made under highly questionable labor circumstances. But the Internet can help to create more transparency and that will bring about the elimination of forced labor. Made in a Free World, a group of anti–slavery advocates, has Read More...
Friends Have More DNA in Common Than Strangers
People choose friends that they share more DNA with. Researchers at Yale University conducted a study that looked at 2,000 individuals and found that friends have more gene variations in common than strangers. The study concluded that friends have the same number of gene variations as a 4th cousin, Read More...
New buses provide showers to homeless people in San Francisco
In San Francisco there are only 7 places for the city’s homeless population of 3,500 to clean themselves. Based on the idea of mobile food trucks, the San Francisco initiative Lava Mae, takes the same idea and applies it to showers. Lava Mae uses San Francisco’s donated old buses then retrofits Read More...
Stress is good for your health
While we frantically try to avoid and suppress stress, researchers are showing more and more that stress can also be good for us. It ensures better performance, keeps us sharp and is also good for our health. In the summer issue of The Optimist we go deeply into the subject of stress. Stress being Read More...
New soccer stadiums can become housing projects, silence World Cup protests in Brazil
The World Cup is over. Brazil spent about 12 billion US dollar on building 12 new stadiums as well as host the championship. And the soccer-crazy country didn’t become world champions. This outcome fuels the already strong protest forces that argue that Brazil should have spent all that money on Read More...
Finns want to be cool again, make Helsinki car free by 2025
Finland and its capital city Helsinki became well-known places on the map of the world when Nokia led the mobile phone revolution. That may now seem like a different era. But the Finns are working on a new exciting project. They want Helsinki to become the first major city to be completely free of Read More...
The most creative sustainable solutions
A refrigerator made of clay, an energy bar made from crickets, and a recycle-ATM: the sustainable top 100 from the organization Sustainia is a yearly smorgasbord of creativity. Every year Sustainia presents the Sustainia 100, an overview of a hundred innovative, sustainable solutions from all over Read More...
Extreme poverty cut in half since 2000, UN exceeds goals
Global Millennium Developmental Goals set by the United Nations in 2000 are being met, and before anticipated. A major milestone of the Millennium Developmental Goals initiative– slashing extreme poverty 50% by 2015 has been met a year early. Other targets like reducing the gap between the number Read More...
She surfs sea swells
Surfing stories have long been about freedom and leaving the world behind on the quest for the perfect wave. That is not the story Brown Girl Surf tells. Founded in 2011 by Farhana Huq, Brown Girl Surf shares the exploits of ground breaking female surfers around the world and reveals what they Read More...
Crowdsource platform to support human rights activists
Movements.org is a new online community where activists can connect to lawyers, publicists, journalists, and other human rights advocates. Members of the platform will be able to ask for advice and help on anything from asylum seeking, to organization techniques, and legal counsel. The platform has Read More...