{"id":559,"date":"2018-04-04T22:28:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-05T05:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/?p=559"},"modified":"2018-04-17T23:46:37","modified_gmt":"2018-04-18T06:46:37","slug":"newsletter-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/newsletter-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Align Center Newsletter #27"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"sparkDid you catch a glimpse of the blue moon this past Easter weekend? In this post-long weekend issue, we have an alternative from the doom and gloom of your 24-7 news cycle with positive news from around the globe. We start with traditional healers in Australia’s medical system, a beach in Mumbai going from dump to turtle hatchery in a short time, altruism from an unlikely source in SF, and the winner of the Global Teacher Prize. Listen in to a podcast with the psychologist who consulted for Pixar’s Inside Out and read stories from women diagnosed late with autism. In the digs, a 100-day art project kicks off, and Jane Goodall launches a free course. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\u25e6 selected words<\/h1>\n

Aboriginal Healers Make Headway in Mainstream Health<\/a><\/h2>\n

Ngangkari healers, highly regarded in their communities, have brought their 60,000-year-old traditions to Royal Adelaide Hospital and clinics across Australia as a form of complementary alternative medicine. Previously it was a struggle to get Indigenous clients to see a mainstream doctor, but with Ngangkari techniques, including smoking ceremonies, bush medicine and spirit realignment, patients have reported better pain management and improved attendance rates at clinics.
\nABC Australia (3min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Mumbai Beach Goes from Dump to Turtle Hatchery in Two Years<\/a><\/h2>\n

In what the United Nations has called the “world’s largest beach cleanup project”, Versova Beach has been rejuvenated into a pristine coastline when once it was covered in plastics and garbage. Through the efforts of volunteers over the past two years, manually picking up trash and even sleeping overnight to protect the hatchlings as they make their way to the sea, the fishing village off the Arabian Sea last week saw 80 turtles leave their nests.
\nThe Guardian (3min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The World\u2019s First Subsidy-free Offshore Wind Farms<\/a><\/h2>\n

As part of a nationwide clean-energy push, the Netherlands has awarded contracts to a Swedish energy firm to build the first two wind farms in the North Sea, the first such project in the world not subsidized by public funds. Three more wind farms have been awarded since, upping the capacity to 7 gigawatts, enough to power over five million homes. (meta note: this article from MIT’s The Download has a unique TL;DR format).
\nMIT Technology Review’s The Download (2min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Crypto Company Fills All Requests on Crowdfunding Site DonorsChoose.org<\/a><\/h2>\n

San Francisco cryptocurrency startup Ripple announced on an episode of Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” an unprecedented $29M donation to the nonprofit DonorsChoose.org. Many teachers use the site to post requests for music instruments and school supplies, and this donation, the single largest virtual currency gift to a single charity ever, has effectively cleared the crowdfunding platform of every request.
\nSan Francisco Chronicle (4min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 listen in<\/h1>\n

Survival of the Kindest: The New Rules of Power<\/a><\/h2>\n

While researching the groundbreaking movie Inside Out, giving audiences a unique perspective on emotions, Pixar to UC Berkeley professor and psychologist Dacher Keltner. The Director of Berkeley’s Social Interaction Lab and author of Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, Dacher has dedicated his career to understanding how emotions shape how we interact with the world and each other. In this podcast, he discusses the main drivers of life satisfaction, how to influence your social and work life in positive ways, and the simple steps towards a happier, more meaningful life.
\nThe Knowledge Project by Farnam Street (1hr 19min podcast)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 eat well<\/h1>\n

Coconut Red Lentil Dahl<\/a><\/h2>\n

Dahl is simply a dish prepared with lentils or pulses (a legume’s grain seed). This nourishing vegan recipe takes only half an hour, is packed with plant protein, and uses common spices like curry and turmeric (if you’re without dried coriander, substitute with cumin, fresh cilantro, Italian parsley or basil).
\nRunning on Real Food<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 read slow<\/h1>\n

Travel Is No Cure for the Mind<\/a><\/h2>\n

Ever since The Oatmeal and Wait But Why, it seems Web comics are proliferating on the web. And why not, it’s an effective medium for bringing humor to deeper topics. In this adaptation of Seneca’s letter on the subject of travel, from the writer and illustrators at More to That, leverage their signature triangle headed character for reflections on adventure, familiarity, wonderment, and gratitude.
\nMore to That via Medium (16min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It All Made Sense When We Found Out We Were Autistic<\/a><\/h2>\n

“I’m Maura Campbell. I was born with the social skills of a used teabag.” Stories from seven women diagnosed with autism late in life, and how the diagnosis changed how they looked at the world and themselves.
\nBBC Stories (15min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 current read<\/h1>\n

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life<\/a><\/h2>\n

Recommended by many sources, not only as a primer on good writing but on life, Anne Lamott shares her struggles as a writer as well as vivid stories from her childhood. Instead of focusing on grammar and structure, Lamott’s direct yet humorous style in offering her thoughts on writing are relevant to anyone putting pen to paper, while the true value is in the bits of philosophy on everyday life sprinkled across the book.
\nBird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (237p book)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 dig this<\/h1>\n

What I’m digging lately:<\/p>\n