If you’re less than inspired by  politicians in the United States, you simply need to look a little further south to feel more inspired. Uruguay’s seemingly incorruptible president has been called the world’s poorest and most generous leader. Jose Mujica offers the world a model for leadership through his  character as a statesman and a…Read More


Dolores Hart was the first woman to kiss Elvis Presley on screen. Successful, beautiful—and in love with a man she intended to marry soon—she left it all behind, not long before her wedding day, to become a nun. If you want to know more and you get HBO, watch God is the Bigger Elvis, an…Read More


Anyone who lived through the recent election and its aftermath knows how destructive anger can be. It’s become the lingua franca of much political commentary, it seems, and simmered in the behavior of many people for weeks after Nov. 6. It also seems to be a temptation for Congress these days as we approach the…Read More


Retirement can sometimes be the time to start really making a contribution.  When John Mika, 58, discovered how much teachers in Buffalo, N.Y., were spending, out of their own pockets, for school supplies, he decided to do something about it: Name: John Mika Role: Substitute teacher, everyday philanthropist The Problem: As a substitute, he discovered…Read More


Find your inner hero

In hurricane sandy relief

Hurricane Sandy has brought out the hero in thousands of volunteers who responded by putting themselves at the service of those in need, day after day—many of whom are still without power even now.  Early on, in the crisis, a small group of devoted nurses at Langone Medical Center quickly became a symbol of human…Read More