Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik are the latest in a line of journalists and activists who died because they chose to go into the most forsaken regions of the world, where wars ravage and violence is a constant threat, to share the reality of what they find.

War is hell, but better we know the truth of a situation than to turn a blind eye. As long as humanity finds its self embedded in conflicts, we must also have the courage to see and know the horrors around us. It is only with knowledge and wisdom that we can hope to effect change.

Marie Colvin had this to say about her work and profession, “Covering a war means going to places torn by chaos, destruction, and death… and trying to bear witness. It means trying to find the truth in a sandstorm of propaganda when armies, tribes or terrorists clash… Despite all the videos you see from the Ministry of Defence or the Pentagon, and all the sanitised language describing smart bombs and pinpoint strikes… the scene on the ground has remained remarkably the same for hundreds of years.”

Can you imagine a world without war? Truly, it seems like a distant, improbable dream but not so long ago slavery was a legal action in countless countries. It’s just been a few generations and now we try to explain this unjustifiable, shameful piece of global history to children in terms they can understand.

Change can happen. The common and brutal can become the unthinkable. Keep that in mind. Together let’s hope for better, bear witness and light candles where we can in the darkness.

One day we may just find we have put down our weapons, find compassion and not fear in the eyes of strangers, and struggle to explain to our grandchildren why a horrible thing called war once existed. When that day comes, we will truly honor those who have fallen for centuries to give a face to a human tragedy.

Please click here for the New York Times article on Marie Colvin, Remi Ochlik and the Syrian conflict they were covering.
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War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.
~Martin Luther King Jr.

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In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.
~Jose Narosky

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War does not determine who is right – only who is left. 
~Bertrand Russell

Four distinct species of tiny... it's easy to see how they were overlooked!

Size isn’t everything, but the latest sensation in the science world owes it’s fame to a serious lack of mass.

Four itsy-bitsy species of miniature chameleon were recently discovered in Madagascar by some very keen eyed scientists.

One of those, Brookesia micra, reaches a maximum length of just 29mm or little more than an inch!

For more about these tiny reptiles, check out the entire BBC Nature report.

Not small enough for you? A gecko species, the Sphaerodactylus ariasae and S. parthenopion are even smaller. These little guys hold the record for “uber tiny” with a maximum length of just 18mm long.

The smallest of the small... a Gecko takes the tiny-town prize.

Give yourself the gift of Marcel and watch this short clip. You can thank me later… (Click here to watch part one too!)

Here’s more info about the minds behind Marcel:

Jenny Slate, the voice of Marcel, is an alum of Saturday Night Live and plays Stella on HBO’s Bored to Death. Dean Fleischer-Camp is a writer, director, and animator whose work has screened around the world. They live together in Brooklyn, New York. There is now a book out featuring Marcel and probably more to come …

A family home that defies the norm... amazing what determination and creativity can make!

Everyone should have a home of their own but let’s be honest, when the average new home costs upwards of $270,000 (it’s $400,000 in Boulder, Colorado), having a spot to hang your hat and call your own is out of reach for a lot of people. That didn’t stop Simon Dale. Instead, the prospect of massive mortgage payments pushed him right over the edge, into poorly charted territory of the do-it-yerselfer. For less than $4,800 he built his family an eco-friendly home in Whales, Great Brittan.

Hobbits would envy this little gem of a home; people are certainly eying it with interest. It was intentionally designed as a low-impact, woodland home that was build almost entirely of found materials in the area. The home is nestled in a hill (energy saving) and is filled with light, curves, a vast weaving of wood and a lot of creative design elements. The Dale’s effectively brought the outdoors into their home and made a space that is both whimsical and welcoming.

When all was said and done, Simon says it took 4 months to complete and 1,000-1,500 man hours and less than £3,000 in expenses (not including labor). It is a space designed to minimize impact with skylight, solar panels, composting toilet and repurposed -found materials.

Tools necessary: inquisitive mind, willingness to research, hammer, chisel, chainsaw, a few friends, determination and a lot of manual labor.

Found lumber that forms the frame and a beautiful woven ceiling

Think building a home is only for skilled laborers and craftspeople, think again. Simon had this to say about his building kno-whow “I am not a builder or carpenter, my experience is only having a go at one similar house 2yrs before and a bit of mucking around in between. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again. “

How organic of you! And lovely, too.

Simon Dale’s family home is certainly a testament to the fact that if you can dream it and have the will to do, there is no limit to what you can accomplish.

Check out his website, A Low Impact Woodland Home, for more images of the construction, final product and information about their home and building your own earth friendly sanctuary!

This short 4 minute clip eclipses so many movies that devote hours in an attempt to make you believe in the love their characters supposedly share. It’s beautiful and simple and profound.

Now, this doesn’t have to be your vision of love, but I think that anyone and everyone can appreciate the power of love to bring lives together and form a bond that joins them for a lifetime. Here’s to love… in its many forms.

With that in mind, do something out of love today. I’m not talking about the standard Valentine’s blend of red roses and chocolate. That’s fine and dandy, but love is for everyone. So, maybe today you can also find inspiration to do something that isn’t about that notion of romance: buy a meal for someone who needs it or give an ear to a friend or family member. Love, it’s yours to give.

Let’s spread a little love …

Sip from THAT cup.

For example: Some are born outside the norm, called “disabled” and that label can box their capacity in the eyes of a lot of the world.  Those tight confines are misleading (whatever the ‘limitation’ of the ‘disability’ are), but take another look and you have the chance to see gifts, skills or the wealth of wisdom they have to share.

Maybe it is innocence that they offer, or kindness, or a savant level of awareness… there are a lot of ways they can give back, just don’t believe in the box. Believe in the limitless potential that is waiting to be found. Take Stephen Wiltshire, for example. He’s an autistic artist who’ll completely blow you mind.

Below is an example of one of his works of art. Stephen took a 20 minute helicopter ride over New York City and then drew this stunning illustration FROM MEMORY. After three days of drawing, this intricate 18 foot piece of art is nearly finished:

Stephen Wiltshire recreates the New York skyline in stunning detail from memory - Image by Barcroft Media

Consider your mind blown.

London’s Daily Mail reports that he listens to music when creating, because it helps him to focus. He’s wowed the art scene with his recreations from memory of city scapes around the globe.

Here are two more amazing drawings- Globe of London and Venice:

Stephen was born in London, England and was mute as a child and unresponsive to the outside world. He was diagnosed as Autistic when he was 3… the same year his father died in an automobile accident.  When he showed an interest in drawing at 5 in the Queensmill School of London that interest was encouraged and he began to communicate through art. He remained mute until he was 8 years old and then his art was the tool that drew him out of his shell…

His website says that “The instructors at Queensmill School encouraged him to speak by temporarily taking away his art supplies so that he would be forced to ask for them. Stephen responded by making sounds and eventually uttered his first word – ‘paper.’ He learned to speak fully at the age of nine.”

Amazing. He still isn’t good with words, but his artistic genius says so much. Stephen’s ability to draw from a photographic memory has gotten a lot of  attention: along with being made Member of the order of the British Empire for services to art, he opened a permanent gallery on the Royal Opera Arcade in London. Not bad!

Thank heaven his connection to art was embraced by the people around him… imagine such a gift laying dormant, unknown and untouched because of predetermined assumptions about an autistic boy’s ability to create or learn.

Stephen... you are beautiful!

And yes, he is a mollusk that wears shoes and talks in the cutest voice you’ve ever heard.

Want more info?

Jenny Slate, the voice of Marcel, is an alum of Saturday Night Live and plays Stella on HBO’s Bored to Death. Dean Fleischer-Camp is a writer, director, and animator whose work has screened around the world. They live together in Brooklyn, New York. There is now a book out featuring Marcel and probably more to come …

Let us all reach that mountain top together...

Today calls for a quote from one of the most powerful speakers and seekers of social justice of the 20th century. In a time full of upheaval and protest, when many might say that all of this is unsettling, inconvenient or messy, here is a highligh from Martin Luther King Jr’s powerful sermon called ‘When Peace Becomes Obnoxious‘. His words remain vivid and piercing and shed light on why we must speak up… why we must never lose our voice or the will to use it:

“…peace is not merely the absence of this tension, but the presence of justice. And even if we didn’t have this tension, we still wouldn’t have positive peace. Yes, it is true that if the Negro accepts his place, accepts exploitation and injustice, there will be peace. But it would be a peace boiled down to stagnant complacency, deadening passivity, and if peace means this, I don’t want peace.

1) If peace means accepting second-class citizenship, I don’t want it.
2) If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want it.
3) If peace means being complacently adjusted to a deadening status quo, I don’t want peace.
4) If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don’t want peace. So in a passive, non-violent manner, we must revolt against this peace.

Jesus says in substance, I will not be content until justice, goodwill, brotherhood, love, yes, the Kingdom of God are established upon the earth. This is real peace–a peace embodied with the presence of positive good. The inner peace that comes as a result of doing God’s will.”

And another favorite quote… one of so many amazing statements:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Since 1955 it's been on the run, but this killer still needs to be put down.

This is a good day. India was once regarded as the epicenter of polio, but things are looking up – as of today it has been a full year since the last new polio case was announced in the country. Poliovirus has long been a monster that raises its terrible head in periodic epidemics around the globe… leaving fear, lifelong paralysis and death in its wake.  It looks like the beast may be starting to wimper.

It’s hard to imagine that not so very long ago, polio was a very real threat to children in the United States. At the height of the epidemic, in 1952, the U.S. had nearly 60,000 cases with more than 3,000 deaths reported  but the discovery of a vaccine in 1955 drove the monster back into the darkness and within 10 years (with universal vaccinations) the infections dropped to a mere 61. The world had become a safer place for everyone.

Still, even with a vaccine readily available there are many countries who have not had the will or infrastructure to provide vaccinations to their citizens and so the horrific affects of this condition can still be seen (especially in impoverished communities) around the world. Four countries stand out: Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria, (often known by the acronym PAIN) because they have “endemic” wild polio that has yet to be reined in.

And as long as there are outbreaks of the virus all of us, especially children are at risk.  In this global, jet setting world the dangers are even more readily apparent. In fact, 2009 and 2010 there were outbreaks of polio in 23 previously polio-free countries when they were  re-infected by outsiders or individuals returning from infected regions of the world.

The Scary Facts:  1 in 200 infections of Polio leads to irreversible paralysis. Of those paralyzed, 5% to 10% die after their breathing muscles become immobilized. Currently, there are over 350,000 polio survivors in India, many with crippling limb deformities.

The Good News: Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from 350,000 to 1,349 reported cases in 2010.

One drop at a time and the world is changed. (Credit: Richard Wainwright http://www.richwainwright.com)

The World Health Organization praised India and leaders in the fight against polio for the achievement but cautioned that the work isn’t over yet. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan had this to say “The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is in full emergency mode and focused on using this momentum to close this crippling disease down.”

This achievement is in no small part thanks to the efforts by other countries, individuals and organizations. Decades of work by the Rotary Club and more recently The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (which has given about $6 billion to fighting this epidemic as well as measles, AIDs, and Hepatitis B) have worked ceaselessly to remove this threat from the world.

Right now the monster is mostly caged, but given time and continued diligence, it’s very likely that this threat will no longer leave its terrible mark on humanity. That’s good news we all can rejoice in.

AAANNNND here’s an update on the story (three months later) from the Ellen Degeneres Show.
Small spoiler: Zak & Michelle Anderegg kept “Puppy” and named him Riley! Good deeds do get rewarded (in our hearts and sometimes on stage).