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Runner Crawls to a Finish For Her Coach
 Jim Tracy, a cross-country coach at San Francisco’s University High School, was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and now walks with difficulty using braces on his legs and his back. But that doesn’t stop him from coaching. And inspiring. At the state meet this year, star runner Holland Reynolds collapsed near the finish line. Despite all odds, she finished the race, crawling on hand and knees in celebration of her coach. “Her body was tired, but she was mentally all there,” the official describes. Read More >>
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Children Show They Can Make a Difference
 Parents want their kids and teens to care about others – whether at school, in their community, or in need a continent away. The good news is that children “are sort of hard-wired” to want to help others, says Michael Ungar, author of “The We Generation: Raising Socially Responsible Kids.” “They want to take on responsibility.” From a second grade environmentalist to a 21-year-old peacemaker, here are profiles of five young people changing the world. Read More >>
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Mall Shoppers Get a Surprise
 Shopping can be exhausting, whether or not it’s the holiday season. Enjoying a meal of pizza and Coke in the food court one afternoon, mall shoppers were also served an unsuspecting and generous reminder of life’s spontaneous miracles. Read More >>
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Graphene Wins Nobel Prize
 Two University of Manchester scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for their pioneering research on graphene, a one-atom-thick film of carbon whose strength, flexibility and electrical conductivity have opened up new horizons for pure physics research as well as high-tech applications. Graphene is one of the strongest, lightest and most conductive materials known to humankind. It’s also 97.3 percent transparent, but looks really cool under powerful microscopes. Read More >>
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His Life’s Calling is To Die Well
 Jim Stanicki is at a party, where he’s having a great time with his family and friends. But when it’s time to go, he says he has to go, and his intention is to go well. Stanicki says it is his life that is the party. After being diagnosed with bronchoalveolar cancer almost four years ago, he has shared the highs and lows of his journey with friends online through Inspire.com, a health and wellness social network. Stanicki, who describes himself as an ordinary man, has turned to helping others. “You’re living burden-free, and that’s a real gift if you’re able to look at it in that way,” he said. “I try to tell people that this can really make life delightful.” Read More >>
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A Light in India
 When we hear the word “innovation,” we often think of new technologies or silver bullet solutions – like hydrogen fuel cells or a cure for cancer. But some of the greatest advances come from taking old ideas or technologies and making them accessible to millions of people who are under-served. One off-the-grid electricity company based in Bihar is doing just that. With an innovative solution to the 1.5 billion people living without electricity, Husk Power Systems is turning rice husks into electricity that is reliable, eco-friendly, and affordable for families who can spend only $2 a month for power. Read More >>
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The Man Who Doesn’t Ask for Money
 During a two-week period of “self-chosen exile”, Vinod Sreedhar made a radical commitment to himself: no more price tags on his work. Everything would be offered as a gift, and he would accept whatever came back his way. After the initial “noble high” of this major life decision subsided, questions rushed in. How will I make a living now? Am I setting myself up to be taken advantage of? After nearly three years of living a full-on “gift-economy” life, Vinod looks back and reflects on what motivated the decision, how he dealt with various offerings of gratitude for his work — from little or nothing to very generous — and one key element essential for this to work: unconditional trust. Read More >>
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In This Issue
Also This Week
Wisdom Reading
iJourney.org excerpts of wise words: Help Comes From the Strangest Places, by David Brooks
Inspiring Video
KarmaTube.org video with be-the-change actions: Football Player With One Arm Inspires Community
Kindness Story
HelpOthers.org story submitted by readers: The Simple Kindness of a Four Year Old
Community
 
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After the morning hustle, a lone lamp shines on a vegetable stall. With head bowed, Chen Shu-Chu is the first to arrive in the market and the last to leave. She earns marginal profits. Yet, her frugality has allowed her to donate NT$10 million (about 350,000 US $) towards various charitable causes, including schools, orphanages and poor children. The generosity of a woman with such a humble income has placed her under international spotlight, named an outstanding philanthropist by Forbes and among 2010’s top 100 most influential people by Time Magazine. Despite all the attention, she reminds us, “I have done nothing extraordinary. Everyone who wants to can do it. There are many other charitable people; we just don’t know about them.” Chen adds, “I don’t place great importance on money. When I donate to help others, I feel at peace, I’m happy, and I can sleep well at night.” [ 
