Neat Things that Neat People are Doing....

Since the world is full of creative people doing all kinds of interesting things, I thought I'd make this a weekly or monthly topic. Last night I picked up a copy of Ode magazine while I was at my mom's house, and found quite a few good stories of good things people are doing around the globe. Ode magazine is dedicated to good news, and I think we all need to hear more good news. I sure do.

1. There are the two Dutch artists, Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas, who are helping out in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by repainting hundreds of apartments in the neighborhood. They are getting locals involved too, which is helping the locals to build their job skills.

For more: www.odemagazine.com/favelapainting

2. The Green School in Bali is an inspiration to everyone wanting to "go green," and proves that even schools can do it. Made of bamboo, the students learn about respecting the environment, and how to build a sustainable world. They also learn to harvest rice, and take classes in music, dance, theater, and Indonesian, in addition to other core subjects. Source: Ode Magazine

3. Another great Ode story: wanting to take the world media back into their own hands, a group of African journalists has created a website about Africa, by Africans. For one things, they want to give their perspective on things going on locally, but also they want to balance the good news with the bad, and are tired of the world media only reporting about the AIDS epidemic, or the latest news on Darfur. In addition, A24 is 24 hour news, so it's constantly being updated.

For more: http://www.a24media.com/

4. Last but not least, Ode magazine reports on a new organization called "By Art We Live," an org. dedicated to letting children create art for art's sake, and not as a means to an end, or something to be incorporated into another subject. They have photographed and interviewed children around the world doing art.

For more: www.byartwelive.com