Walking up to the PLUSAA wheelchair factory in Leon, Nicaragua, you wouldn’t think that it is a place that changes lives every day. The floor of the workshop is concrete and peppered with cracks. Dust from the dirt courtyard outside leaves everything covered with a fine coat of brown earth. The walls are mostly bare, except for the tools that hang neatly in their place.

PLUSAA provides custom-made and fitted wheelchairs at little or no cost to people with disabilities. It is one of the few alternatives to the used, donated American wheelchairs that are sent to Nicaragua in huge quantities every year. These used wheelchairs, while donated with the best of intentions, can have negative impacts on the health and psyche of people with disabilities and often end up in wheelchair graveyards, massive areas where hundreds of broken wheelchairs find their final resting place.   Read more...

Shai Agassi, featured in a January/February Ode article, has plans big plans for electric cars. Founder of Better Place, he has contracts with several countries not only to mass produce electric cars but also to create the infrastructure that will make them practical.   Read more...

Less than a week ago, 47-year-old Susan Boyle was unemployed, and pretty much unknown beyond her hometown (in her own words: "a collection of villages"), outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.

As of midnight last night (Dubai time), the video of Boyle’s audition performance for Britain’s Got Talent 2009 has generated worldwide media coverage based on almost six million views, close to 40,000 five-star ratings, and 36,000 comments on YouTube.   Read more...

People watching has always been one of my favorite activities, and there is no better place to do this than in a foreign culture. I've been in Japan for more than twenty years now, but in many ways, I still feel like a "stranger in a strange land." I say this in a totally positive sense, as I love being drawn into human interactions that leave me contemplating the richness of life.

One of my favorite rituals is breakfast in a local restaurant. I like sitting by the window, as the view gives me a wonderful perspective on the world. By viewing without being seen, I'm entranced by the opportunity to take in life in a pristine form. Here's some of what I get to see.   Read more...

In an insightful couple of minutes, futurist Paul Saffo discusses the pitfalls of trying to solve environmental problems with an old mindset. In the long term, the solutions that work are not quick fixes, or wholesale abandonments of development. Instead of trying to fix things for our generation, we should focus on learning to be "good ancestors."   Read more...

All are invited to join in thousands of events in hundreds of cities, in over 65 nations, spanning 6 continents, coming on Saturday, April 25th, 10am local time worldwide. A global wave of mass teach-ins and exhibitions will enable you to be part of the Tai Chi & Qigong participatory events that will wrap our planet in healing intention.

You can learn more or find a local event to attend by visiting www.worldtaichiday.org   Read more...

"Welcome Back" is an animated celebration of springtime by artist Jeff Scher. Click here to watch "Welcome Back."

I watched the video on the website of New York Times and it made me think that nature does not need a 'change management plan' or a 'mission statement' to grow. What if this beautiful film could represent the essence of our ideas, dreams and business plans?   Read more...

The fact that you can find free content on the internet is no surprise to anyone, but I thought it might be useful to start a list of things you can find for free on the internet. Things you can find for free, legally. While I'm writing in very broad, basic strokes, I hope this list will spark some ideas for the bored and the budgeting. Please comment and add your favorite resources!   Read more...

Of course, as soon as humanity discovers how to make large explosions, it begins to looks to create a violent application of that technology. Explosions, however, have many civilian applications. Such as, on a smaller scale, the quick and safe demolition of buildings. So why not find non-violent applications of atomic explosions?

The US government has been funding research for civilian use of atomic bombs since the 1950s.   Read more...

Amateur Steve Wilson, a rookie golf player in the Masters competition, is finally achieving his dream. After 10 years of professional golf and four years since he was reinstated as an amateur, “People ask if I’m a late bloomer,” Steve Wilson said. “Maybe I’m a slow learner.”   Read more...