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The power of optimism in a pessimistic world
Tired of reporting blood and guts Once upon a time a young man named Jurriaan Kamp worked as a free-lance journalist in war-torn areas. One day he realized that the more bombs fell and the more people were horribly injured, the more he got paid. That’s when he began to suspect there was Read More...
The vaccine dilemma
From time to time you’ll hear that we’ve lost our connection to the foods we eat. That we no longer know what we’re sticking in our mouths; where it comes from, how it grows, and what it took to get a crop from the field to the table. We don’t disagree with those points. In fact we want to Read More...
Landscaped landfill
Hiriya Mountain operated as a colossal waste facility for half the 20th century. Now called Ariel Sharon Park, it’s one of Israel’s prized possessions. Comprised of 565 million cubic feet of garbage and climbing more than 275 feet into the air, what was known as the Hiriya Waste Management Read More...
Legume seeds lower cholesterol
Pulses might be the most important food you’ve never heard of—the dried seeds of plants in the legume family, which includes beans, lentils and chickpeas. They have long been considered an important part of any healthy diet—in fact they are a staple food for many indigenous diets Read More...
“Talking is very primitive”
Earlier this year, at the annual meeting of the World Future Society, futurist Jose Cordeiro sparked controversy with his claim that speech will soon be outdated. Cordeiro, founder of the organization’s Venezuela chapter, foresees spoken word being replaced by brain-to-brain Read More...
Watermelon extract lowers blood pressure
Beloved as a refreshing summer treat, watermelon may also have major benefits for heart health, new research has shown. Thirteen obese adults with high blood pressure were randomized to receive watermelon extracts of l-citrulline and l-arginine or a placebo for 6 weeks. Each day during the 6-week Read More...
Is nothing something?
Why does the world exist? What should you do when you feel sad? These questions are basic but the answers are elusive. Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist Zen Master and best–selling author, answers these questions and others posed by children in his new book Is Nothing Something? published by Parallax Read More...
Energy hackers
After Chris Dalby found instructions online for track-ing home energy use, he installed a monitor in his house, so he could see how much energy he was consuming at any time. Then he experimented, flipping stuff on and off, to see what used how much energy and how he could save. “There is a Read More...
Traveling perspective
Does traveling make one optimistic? I pondered this question during the 20-hour flight from Nairobi, Kenya to San Francisco, California. I was returning from a week in Mombasa, Kenya attending meetings and giving a keynote speech about my International Bill of Rights work. My answer: yes. Even when Read More...
Mind over molecules for arthritis pain management
If you expect something to hurt, it probably will. This simple premise has now shed new light on how we adapt to chronic pain and suggests that so-called “talking therapies” like psychotherapy and meditation could offer relief to millions of people suffering from arthritis and other Read More...