Poetry in Motion: Forensic Astronomers Solve Whitman Mystery

[What would happen if we tried to uncover the inspiration for every piece of Art? Would we go crazy with wonderment/wondering? Can there really be only "one true" motivating factor, or isn't there a multitude of influences acting upon us during every moment of creativity?]

Poetry in Motion: Forensic Astronomers Solve Whitman Mystery: "Was the 'strange huge meteor procession,' as described in Walt Whitman's famous poem Leaves of Grass , based on an actual event?"

Hate Groups? Not in Our School

[I especially love that the entire school took a proactive stance in support of what they believe in, instead of against something. They chose to speak out for love, for inclusivity, for acceptance. As a community, they decided to stand/gather for something positive and peaceful. Even better, the decision-making included all constituencies of the school from administrators to teachers to students to parents -- that is what a community should and must do. That is what an institution of learning and education should inspire/instill in its students. Yay for Gunn High School!!]

Hate Groups? Not in Our School: "When an anti-gay hate group decided to visit their school, the students of Gunn High drowned out their protest with a celebration of acceptance."

Breaking News! $1.5B For Child and Maternal Health

Breaking News! $1.5B For Child and Maternal Health: "

Huge, huge news: Just now, at the Women Deliver conference in DC, Melinda Gates announced that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committing $1.5 billion in grants toward maternal, newborn and child health over the next five years.

Specifically, these grants will include training frontline health care workers, introducing low-cost, effective interventions to stem newborn infections and treat birth complications, and educating mothers about simple lifesaving practices like keeping newborns warm with their body heat.

Below is an excerpt from her remarkable speech:

Today, we are committing to make new grants totaling $1.5 billion over the next five years to support family planning, maternal and child health, and nutrition programs in developing countries.

This new pledge will complement our spending in other areas that affect women’s and children’s health, such as developing and delivering children’s vaccines, and preventing pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

I’m also making women’s and children’s health my personal priority as co-chair of the Gates Foundation.

My commitment to you is that I will continue to talk to leaders in rich countries about making funding pledges and following through on them. I will continue to talk to leaders in poor countries about making women and children a policy priority.

We will continue having this conversation about the work we’re doing together. We hold the future in our hands.

ONE’s Erin Hohlfelder is at the actual conference with Melinda now and will report back more soon.

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Youth Portraits of Eco Heroes

Youth Portraits of Eco Heroes: "A group of East Bay middle and high school students from Berkeley's Young Artists Workspace (YAWS) chose environmental heroes and each created their own unique artistic portraits."

Fixing Planet Earth: A Not-So-Modest Proposal

Fixing Planet Earth: A Not-So-Modest Proposal: "Only a nonviolent revolution, like the one led by Gandhi, can meet the challenge of the climate crisis."