Playing for Change is a multimedia music project, created by the American producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group, that seeks to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. With fellow producer Enzo Buono, Mark traveled around the world to places including New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, India, Nepal, the Middle East and Ireland. Using mobile recording equipment, the duo recorded local musicians performing the same song, interpreted in their … Read more
Enoughness Finding Contentment in Life without Excess
Writing for the Context Institute, Vicky Robin developed a pledge to guide people in finding peace with what they have and what they truly need I pledge to discover how much is enough for me to be truly fulfilled, and to consume only that. I also pledge to be part of the discovery of how much would be enough for everyone not only to survive but to thrive, and to find ways for them to have access to that. Through this commitment to restraint and justice, I am healing my life and am part of the … Read more
Tool for detecting government spyware Amnesty anti-spyware app tells you if the government is watching you
A software tool to enable journalists, human rights and others defenders to scan their computers for known surveillance spyware has been released by Amnesty International and a coalition of human rights and technology organizations. The app was developed by German security researcher Claudio Guarnieri, and it's launched by Amnesty in Nov 2014 in partnership with civil rights and consumer protection organisations Digitale Gesellschaft from Germany, Electronic Frontier Foundation from the US and … Read more
Rating websites against medical corruption How technology can reduce corruption in health sector
Corruption has left many unable to trust doctors, especially in India. Several online health marketplaces launched in 2013 feature doctor ratings similar to the popular US website rateMDs.com, but are suited specifically for mobile phones so that people without computers can easily use them (see links below). Patients can compare the quality of each bidder by checking ratings and reviews. … Read more
Dance with your enemy Dancing workshops for peace
In 2013 Pierre Dulaine, world champion ballroom dancer now turned dance instructor, traveled to Jaffa, Tel-Aviv to teach a 10-week course in Latin dance with students from several segregated schools. Dulaine spent getting the Palestinian and Jewish children to dance with one another in a ballroom competition. … Read more
How to encourage people to vote Simple techniques and scientific research
The first link direct to a short and simple eHow description on how to encourage people to vote. For more in-depth understanding, the second link directs to a Yale University collection of research into voting behaviour and into methods to encourage different societal groups to vote. … Read more
Daydreaming for problem-solving Scientific research shows benefits of day-dreaming
One study by Cornell University (Ithaca, US) found that employing brain areas linked to 'off-task' mental states - including daydreaming or reminiscing - enhances performance on certain complicated mental tasks (See first link). Other studies have shown more benefits of daydreaming, such as the enhancement of creative problem-solving and increased memory function (See second and third link). … Read more
I Paid a Bribe website Countering corruption by online registration
In 2011 the I Paid a Bribe website launched in India as a platform to report corruption. In less than a year more than 10,000 bribes across 347 cities had been reported. The site also includes an option to nominate those who are setting a good example, provide tips of navigating paying a bribe and the key facts about the police that everyone should know. … Read more
Africa’s Heritage of Participarory Democracy A short article describing traditional governance structures
The link directs to a short article on the ways that traditional decision-making was organized in parts of Africa. It states that it may be a better idea to root contemporary African governance in such participatory, traitional methods, then to copy foreign methods, as is the case in any African countries, and which in many aspects does not seem to work out very well. … Read more
Minority Voices Web Training Manual For minority and indigenous activists, journalists and campaigners (in Africa)
This training manual is part of the Minority Voices programme run by Minority Rights Group (MRG). This is an EU-funded project designed to increase the inclusion of minority voices in media coverage. This manual will be used as the basis for training minority and indigenous activists, and their advocates, to undertake their own online campaigning and media work. It explains what online tools are available, how to plan an online activity and how to use those relevant tools to build a campaign or … Read more
