Based in Pensacola, Florida, The Global Corner (www.theglobalcorner.org) provides age-appropriate activities for elementary school children to help them understand the arts, language, literature, customs, culture and food of other countries. Each school year, they focus on bringing one country to life. In 2009-2010, the focus country is Egypt. Our teachers and volunteers keep the students involved with hands-on activities that are designed not only to help them understand the world around them, but also help them learn.

Last week The Global Corner International Learning Center held a three day "trip" to Egypt. The event was open to all children who would attend elementary school this coming fall. The second day of activities was centered around Contemporary Egypt. Students reviewed previous information on the location of Egypt and the eco systems within the country. Students responded to questions during the review by answering yes in Arabic. A presentation by The Global Corner's Director, Lee Little of modern day Cairo and other cities along the Nile were also explored. Students also learned other words in Arabic which they used throughout the day including how to say: hello teacher, thank you and good bye.   Read more...

United Prosperity is a non-profit organization that helps you combat global poverty effectively by multiplying the impact of your money through loan guarantees. We are the world’s first person to person loan guaranteeing website.

There are small entrepreneurs all over the world who cannot afford to start and grow their business alone. Expanding their business may be the only means to adequately feeding their family or sending their children to school. However, banks do not lend to them without collateral, and that’s where you come in!   Read more...

This is going to be an awesome, exciting event at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York. eomega.org Many women of different generations and maybe a few men will come together to speak about their generations' experiences and how we can weave lessons learned in past generations into the realities facing all of us today. Amazing faculty will be present, and there will be keynotes, break-out workshops, evening entertainment, networking and learning about other organizations, and also just enjoying each others company on the beautiful Omega campus. In the past, these conferences always inspired and strengthened me, and have changed my life to the better in more than one way. Find more information about the Conference and the work of the Women's Institute here: eomega.org/omega/womensinstitute   Read more...

The “I KNOW” monster has reared its ugly head today in our home. Yes ... it finally has made its way here and we cannot get rid of it! The “I KNOW” monster has stolen my kid!

You know the “I KNOW” monster, because ...well ...I know you do. We all do. It grabs us while we are sleeping, usually about the time we turn thirteen and does not let go of that tight grip on us until we realize that we DON’T know everything. And of course you KNOW that can take years!   Read more...

Supporting artists in conflict zones reflects the underlying mission of Musicians for Harmony founder Allegra Klein: To promote peace and cultural exchange through music. Her non-profit organization, founded shortly after September 11, 2001, has earned significant and growing attention for its charitable and diplomatic efforts in the years since. Their annual concerts of chamber and world music are the centerpiece of an expansive program of performances, educational activities and cross-cultural exchange.   Read more...

Newsweek's Daniel Stone encourages you and President Obama to have a laugh with Ode's special laughter issue in the magazine's political blog The Gaggle.   Read more...

I want to tell you about a project a friend of mine is putting together. So, many of us acknowledge that we have a consumption problem: we consume too much, and we often don’t know the origins of the stuff we consume.

Is your T-shirt assembled in a sweatshop?   Read more...

Often our weekend plans include or necessitate the purchase or addition of something new in our lives. Maybe you need an outfit for a wedding, a new refrigerator or something smaller like cleaning products or shampoo. Whether it be toys or gadgets for your kids, a gift, or necessities like toilet paper and food, how environmentally sound and healthy of a purchase we are making is often the last thing on our minds during hectic weekend errands. We go to the store, pick up what we need and then move on to the fun stuff we wait for all week. A few minutes of thoughtful consideration before running errands can add up to big changes toward reducing our consumption.

Reducing our carbon footprint is a big task. Where to start? What makes the most difference? Tackling one thing at a time can be a manageable way to get to a greener place, so here is a challenge for all of us: Find something we have already or that you need/want that isn't green and replace it with a greener version, or better yet, get rid of it all together (in an environmentally-friendly way of course).   Read more...

Energy technology company Jetstream Wind recently announced plans that it will develop the world's first sustainable zero-emissions power plant. The plant will use power from renewable resources such as wind and solar power, which will then be converted into hydrogen and transferred back to the grid as available power, according to the New Mexico-based company.

The process is completely sustainable, doesn't create any greenhouse gasses and produces distilled water as a byproduct, a promising prospect for parts of the world without access to freshwater.   Read more...

On a recent afternoon, I went to a pottery shop outside of Tokyo and happened to meet the head potter who had stopped by to check on her staff.

After looking around the shop, I asked the potter if she had a few minutes to chat and explain her work to me. The first thing she talked about was how a potter never knew what was going to wind up coming out of the kiln. "Each kiln opening," she said, "was somewhat like Christmas morning. Sometimes you got many wonderful gifts, and sometimes you wound up with coal in your stocking, like when most of the pieces explode in the kiln due to severe changes in atmospheric weather conditions."   Read more...