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Seaweeds May Be Earth’s First Plants
 A trove of seaweed-like fossils unearthed in southern China may be some of the oldest plants ever discovered. Until now the earliest definitive evidence of complex creatures resembling modern organisms was about 580 million years old. This new series of fossils predates those by anywhere from 20 million to 56 million years. “It’s not the oldest multicellular life,” remarks a co-author of the study. “But it is a collection of the oldest diverse, complex and macroscopic multicellular life.” Read More >>
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London Tours With Homeless Guides
 A few homeless people in London are now working as tour guides, offering others a view of the city from their perspective. Organized by a grassroots group called Sock Mob, the tours have both practical appeal as well as existential, “challenging your view of what it means to be a person living in London.” “The best thing is the human touch,” said one tour recipient. “Within seconds, you forget the guide is homeless. You’ll chat, laugh, talk about books, dreams, colours. So comforting after years of cold guides who know their speech by heart, have synchronised their jokes. Here it is all about talking, exchanging thoughts.” Read More >>
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‘Barefoot’ Grandmothers Electrify Rural Communities
 “If you ask any solar engineer in the world, ‘Can anyone make, install and maintain solar power in a village?’ they say it’s technically impossible. And if I say a grandmother is making it who is illiterate, he can’t believe it, it’s beyond his comprehension,” says Sanjit “Bunker” Roy. A social entrepreneur and founder of the Barefoot College, Roy has been championing a bottom-up approach to education and empowering rural poor since 1972. Turning grandmothers into solar engineers is one of his favorite pastimes. Read More >>
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Squeeze Out Your Creative Juices
 John Cleese, a humorous and wise personality, discusses how to unleash the creativity that every individual possesses. Among his witty and insightful points include shifting activities when we get stuck, staying clear of distractions, and carving out space and time away from the daily to-do list to just explore. Ultimately, he notes, tapping into our unconscious mind may be the key to unraveling its true power and magic. Read More >>
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Six New Planets: Mini-Neptunes Found Around Sunlike Star
 NASA’s Kepler space telescope has uncovered six new planets huddled around a sunlike star–odd worlds that astronomers have dubbed mini-Neptunes. Five of the new planets are closer to their parent star than Mercury is to the sun. The sixth world lies farther out, within a region that would fit inside the orbit of Venus. “This is the most closely packed known planetary system,” said study co-author Jonathan Fortney, an astronomer with the University of California, Santa Cruz. These groundbreaking findings hold enormous potential for understanding the greater patterns of our own infinite existence. Read More >>
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From Linda to Chad to Michael to You
 Whenever Linda goes out with her 7-year-old granddaughter, they play a contest: “Who Can Make the Most People Smile?” Over time, Linda subconsciously started tuning into the kindness around her. One day, while she was in line at the drug store, a young woman with a sick, crying baby was asked to come back in 2 hours; a tear trickled down her cheek, when suddenly, an older fellow sitting on the side came over and said that he had to wait for his prescription, so if she wanted, he would be happy to deliver her prescription to her… What started out as just a fun way to pass the time took off into a surprising chain of compassion! Read More >>
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8 Weeks to a Better Brain
 A pause in a busy day, meditation can be like the eye of a storm. For centuries, there’s been no logic to it. Yet more and more, researchers are beginning to map its effects on the brain. In a recent study, a team led by Harvard-affiliated researchers become the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain’s gray matter. Their conclusion? Participating in an eight-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress. Research fellow Britta Holzel remarks, “It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life.” Read More >>
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In This Issue
Also This Week
Wisdom Reading
iJourney.org excerpts of wise words: Freedom Manifests in Action, by Rabindranath Tagore
Inspiring Video
KarmaTube.org video with be-the-change actions: Magnus MacFarlane-Barro – Nourishing with Love
Kindness Story
HelpOthers.org story submitted by readers: A Tale of Two Tags
Community
 
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“I need to drive in order to be able to get to work, so when my car’s engine ‘blew up’ recently, it was a real disaster for me. The insurance company would not cover the cost of the repairs and I didn’t have the money to pay for it myself. It was beginning to look like not only would I lose my car, I might also lose my job! Then unexpectedly, a friend who had heard about my situation somehow, without even being asked, sent me a cheque to cover the cost of the repairs. What made this more amazing was that I had only know her for a few months! In the accompanying letter she explained that when she had been my age someone had helped her out of a difficult situation – now it was her turn to help someone else. She said she hoped that when I was in a position to help someone else one day, I would pay it forward to them. This incredible gesture made my day and my year!” — SamiHearken
Sangha of Auspicious Companions 