What is it? Crafted by people all over the world and drafted by a multi-fath, multi-national council of thinkers and leaders, the Charter for Compassion asks that we practice the Golden Rule: to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. It reminds the faithful (and the faithless, like me) that founders [...]

Acclaimed conductor brings music education to neighborhood kids Twin Cities Planet – Mckenzie Martin – In 2008, Alsop founded OrchKids, an after-school music education program in low-income neighborhoods throughout the city. Through the program, students learn musicianship with the goal of improving the students’ social, academic and behavioral skills. Last year, 30 students participated in [...]

Area resident Derek Kauanoe launched moiliilimatters.com at the end of May as a way to connect neighbors and create dialogue about issues in the community. The site offers many of the same functions as Facebook or MySpace — personal profiles, photo and video galleries, live chats, discussion boards, groups and blogs — along with a [...]

[ takeways: listservs (what's that?) still work. blogs and facebook are good too. anonymity breeds contempt. community online <-> community on earth. but of course there's catch ] When a small fire suddenly sparked in one wing of the high-rise, it set off the sprinkler system, which, in turn, caused damage in many units. Unlucky [...]

The Mission Possible initiative to find solutions for struggling charities came into sharper focus Tuesday, when 25 volunteers gathered to winnow down the best among hundreds of solutions offered by supporters. After nearly three hours of discussion, the most popular ideas included: Finding easier ways to donate, such as transferring interest paid on checking accounts [...]