Visual neuroscientist Pawan Sinha researches how our brains interpret what our eyes see — and uses that research to give blind children the gift of sight with Project Prakash.  This talk at TED is touching, inspiring, and absolutely fascinating.

The Goodfight, a band from Atlanta, GA, announced that they will give away 100% of the revenue generated by their new record “Good & Evil” towards providing people with access to clean water through the work of “charity: water“.   Charity:water is involved in building wells and training nationals to maintain those wells on 5 continents, in some of the most desperate places on earth. Find out how they are fixing the problem at charitywater.

Posted using ShareThis

Mad As Hell Doctors

This request letter was sent to President Obama’s office on 8.21.09

Dear Mr. President:

This September, as the healthcare debate rages in Congress, our core group of six doctors from Oregon will be embarking on an historic road trip across America. We will be conducting town halls in twenty-six cities as we make our way to Washington, D.C. Our mission is to educate our fellow citizens as to why a single payer health care system is the only means to lasting, substantive health care reform for this country.

All told, our group has 191 years of combined, real-world medical experience, much of it spent working in a system that serves neither patients nor their doctors. As physicians who have sworn an oath to behave in accord with the highest possible ethical, medical standards, we have all reached the same conclusion: it is our professional obligation to speak out against a for-profit system of health care that is fatally compromising the health and well being of our patients, their families and our nation.

We will be in Washington D.C. on the morning of Oct. 1 and it would be a distinct honor if you would meet with our modest delegation to discuss the future of health care as well as the moral, social and fiscal imperative of a enacting a single-payer system for America at this moment in our history.

Dr. Paul Hochfeld Emergency Room Physician -Corvallis, OR

Dr. Eugene Uphoff FamilyPhysician-Portland, Oregon

Dr. Samuel Metz Anesthesiologist-Portland,Oregon

Dr. Michael Huntington RadiationOncologist-Corvallis,Oregon

Dr. Joseph Eusterman Internal Medicine-Portland, Oregon – Retired

Dr. Robert Seward InternalMedicine-Portland, Oregon

These doctors are organising a cross-country “tour” through the US to speak out, share information, and gather support(ers) — they do not see it as a campaign, but as a “movement”.

June 2, 2010: You can vote for “Beads of Courage” to receive  $25,00 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project by going here.  A breakdown of how the funds would be used is included on this page.

PBS has also done a news spot about Kiva which is well worth watching:

Here’s some press about Kiva!