One friend had just the other day told me this story about his friend. Today I saw it on FB.
I love love love how he saw something different. What a beautiful little melody .

Ah, the power of music ! This is just a beautiful example of a positive vibration catching fire and literally crossing any and every cultural boundary. It proves once again, Love is universal. Happiness is universal. How I caught the wave; first a girlfriend nearly 6,000 miles away writes "Oh, I LOVE that song I've been dancing all over the house!" HMM, I haven't heard the song before. So I pop over to Youtube and check it out.  #Happy is quite a catchy tune. Then another friend posts a video of happy for me with a bunch of college students singing the lyrics & dancing with abandon. What was great about this version is that they shot & danced all over Prague and they totally nailed all of the historical & off the beaten path sites of the city   :  )  Today I happened to see a clip of #PharrelWilliams talking to #Oprah about how this song has swept the globe and he was seeing these videos for the first time. He's got tears in his eyes, just literally overwhelmed by the fact that this song has made more than 35M people happy and prompted tens of thousands to make their own video !

If something is going to go viral online I have an extra special pleasure when it is something that lifts us up, lightens the load, shakes off some of the dust and the rust and shows the best of us. I get that same warm fuzzy feeling listening to #Happy as when I see the postings for the #HumansofNewYork project ( #HONY ). There's something fun about watching people dance. This song touches people in a place that really allows them to let down their guard. It's lovely. It's real. You'll laugh out loud from pure joy of its authenticity. When Pharrel Williams was talking to Oprah about how this song started, he said no one really was interested until his made the video - and noteworthy, it is indeed. It's called Happy - The World's First 24 Hour Music Video. It's just that - 24 hours of that song played out at a gas station and all over with PW and people from everywhere singing it with conviction and dancing with abandon all over their town. This totally peeked my attention because there is only ONE other song in my world that can stand that test - 24hour loop-to-loop playtime. . . .If you're interested, write me a message.

#Happy is really a catchy tune. The videos from around the world show us again how much we're the same inside. Hello Mumbai! Shout out to New York City!  It's not even possible to not dance to or at least tap your foot, snap a finger.  Rarely it seems, is there that special magic in music that happens when the melody really swings, the singer surprises repeatedly with their lightness and sensitivity and then you realize that every word in the lyrics is a truth that reaches across the miles & millennia.  It's like a mantra.

Come along if you feel like a house without a roof
Come along is you feel like happiness is a truth
Come along if you feel you know what happiness is to you
Come along if you'd feel like that's what you want to do

Check out www.24hoursofhappy.com
Enjoy!  Special shout out to Pharrel Williams for sharing this with us all . . . .  peace.
Just a note, for 'gepgraphic' reasons I was not able to post this video from its original source - The #OprahWinfrey Network (OWN), only from FB. Not all content from the USA is available worldwide. There is much randomness in the sharing, but we can still tell the story and share the love . . .Be HAPPY !

If you have been following this website and Good News Revue blog you may have noticed a lot of changes lately. That's a good thing ! We are definitely under construction so we just wanted to say 'Thanks for being patient while we make permanent improvements.
It's in the Egg stage :  )  Happy Easter !

This story definitely belongs in the Good News Revue. This is an example of the best of us.

Culture.
Let's  view it as a verb.
CULTURE: - to grow in a prepared medium.

Jose Calderon's TED talk is incredibly moving. He talks about working with your hands and working with your mind, language learning, a life of service, family and sharing with the next generation. He's a fan of actively creating the culture you'd like to see . . .listen in.


Finding Cesar Chavez - a transformative moment: Jose Calderon at TEDxClaremontColleges

This is such a great page on Facebook. Do you know it? It seems there are so few really authentic exchanges between people but every one of these is real and raw and many are truly touching. The comments too from other humans, not only from New York, but from all over the world, are great too !

Enjoy and check it out - there's a website also.

I've said for many years that sometimes we need a dose of humor to have the real conversations necessary to begin to make some adjustments. Here's a comedian that worth his weight in gold.
Introducing . . . . drum roll, Please . . . . Mr. Lee Camp ! He's one of the checks and balances in a democratic system. BTW, so is Russel Brand from the UK and so was Bill Hicks! Check them out on YouTube.

If you are squimish about adult language, please skip this one.

This is one awesome kid! I want to be him when I grow up. This is exactly the type of thing we are trying to convey . . .what is a cultural compass? It's a proactive creation of the life we love. Enjoy the video, share it & say these 20 things more often ! Peace.

I love the idea of a #Nudge , a small suggestion to help people make smarter, better changes in behavior that serve all in the end . . . We all know that exercise is healthy and good for us but how to prompt people to exercise more? These folks had a simply brilliant idea . . .make it fun !

The results? I believe they speak for themselves . . .a 66% increase for more exercise ! That's a big win!
Do you know of other good ideas like this elsewhere or have a great idea yourself you'd like to see? SHARE IT !

""All male and female citizens have the same rights and duties. They are equal before the law without discrimination," states article 20 of the text, which was approved by 159 lawmakers out of the 169 who voted.
The formula was agreed between the ruling Islamist party Ennahda and the secular opposition during negotiations to end months of political crisis that followed the assassination of an opposition politician by suspected jihadists last year. Ennahda sparked a storm of controversy in 2012 when it tried to introduce gender "complementarity" rather than equality into the post-uprising constitution.
...
On Sunday, the assembly also forced a successful revote on a proposed amendment that would make it unlawful to accuse someone of apostasy, after a deputy claimed he had received death threats because a colleague accused him of being an "enemy of Islam"."

Read the full article from #HuffingtonPost HERE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/tunisia-gender-equality_n_4547963.html

Containers to the World. It's an international festival happening for several years now and currently going on in 7 cities in the Czech Republic. The container. Shipping containers placed in public spaces and used as a platform to symbolize everything that city is or could be. What does it contain? The Cultural Compass Institute partnered this year with the young Czech non-profit To the World! (k svetu) to bring you this festival for the first time in Prague . This fest is in full swing now with hundred of events in 6 locations around the city. Come for concerts, performance art, circus acts, lectures, film, round table discussions and much much more. Follow the fest goings on on Facebook and here on our CC website as the HOT PROJECT. The Cultural Compass Institute is also making a ducumentary film about the fest and our work. We're showcasing two of our new programs: Gift of Music, with a concert by CCI partner Mike McNulty & music workshops  + Good News, Good Neighbors; Meet & Greet and round table discussion about the neighborhood all happening  on three consecutive Sundays in May. check out the program info also here on our website.

"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?" or Why not pay attention to the children? They know . . .or . . .Take the time to smell the flowers and listen to the music. Sometimes it's an extra special gift to yourself.

Share if you took the time to read this :)

The Key to Happiness

In love with Florida, one couple headed south and discovered a fresh island cottage under a mango tree.|

Text by Elizabeth Raines Beeler


In Key West, some houses brighten the landscape as much as the lime trees and vibrant sunsets the island is known for. Take Casa Mango, the vivid cottage tucked beneath the oldest mango tree in town. Originally a two-room bungalow, the 1928 structure gained a rambling, imaginative feel thanks to several additions and renovations, but retained just enough of the authentic shotgun plan to allow tropical breezes to blow straight through.

West Virginians Don and Betsy Harrold spent years vacationing in Florida and searching for a home there. "We just slowly moved farther and farther down the coast, scratching the rest of the state off the list," Don says. Then they reached Key West.

On this island, any style goes. Don and Betsy walked through enough homes to realize that some locals saw beauty in Hemingway-esque dark wood interiors. But that look wasn't for them. "We wanted a house with a lighter atmosphere," Betsy says. "A fun, happy house that would really feel like a vacation home when our three children and five grandchildren visit." After looking at about 30 homes, they finally found what they wanted. The cottage with the turquoise floors was the one they couldn't pass up.

With a soothing hue already underfoot, the Harrolds enlisted Suzanne Brown of Gordon Alvarado to further the effect. "We went through several palettes, but I just loved the bright ones," Betsy says. Drawing inspiration from the tree out back, they coated the home's exterior in vibrant mango. "Traditionally, homes in the tropics have blue ceilings to give the illusion of sky and to deter bees and hornets," Suzanne says. "You can sit on the sofa and feel like you're outside."

The interiors came together in a spectrum of ocean blues. White walls, upholstery, and architectural accents allow the sea-inspired hues to pop. In the living area, an Akari paper lantern by 20th-century artist Isamu Noguchi hangs overhead, lending a modern edge. Below, sea glass shades swirl in a custom coffee table. Functional curtains with velvet trim and tiebacks soften the look and provide a visual divide between the living and dining areas. "It's a bit of island, a hint of Bohemia, and a touch of tradition all at once," Suzanne says. "That's what I love about island design. You can create a room in any style and still have it read as tropical."

At the Harrolds', the line between indoors and out is blurry. "Pop open any window and you can smell a variety of fragrances," Betsy says. In the living area, a wall of doors extends the space onto a courtyard, where the soothing palette continues. Turquoise decking surrounds an aqua-tiled pool and leads to two small bedrooms. While the home has two conventional baths, the Harrolds usually opt for the outdoor shower shaded by the mango tree's sinuous branches.

"We spend six or more months a year here in Key West―never enough," Don says. In a town full of color, on an island that punctuates Florida's vibrant Keys, they've found their own bright spot.

From the July/August 2008 Issue

Printed from:
http://www.coastalliving.com/homes/decorating/key-to-happiness-00400000000526/

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What happens when an economist and a reporter end up in New York City and India in the same week? These two observant, sensitive people have a life changing experience when they notice the stark differences in what foods people are able to buy while living at the poverty line. This begins a whole new project to document what life if like around the world for and what's for dinner for the poorest.
See their photo documentary broken down by country, monetary amount, food group and food type.: 

http://www.thepovertyline.net/

This is quite possibly the MOST IMPORTANT news article of the year. Without exaggeration.
It's been deeply disturbing watching my government take away more and more freedoms as they lie left and right. Freedom isn't free and being a soldier is a noble profession, except today in America. I feel I have the right to comment on this. I've served my country for nine years and I too saw plenty that was going awry. God protect the whistle blower. He's a critical check and balance in a democratic system.  this is an excellent article by someone who's been there . . .

Reprinted from Huffington Post for you. Democracy is an audience participation sport. Get in the game! 
Our future depends on it.


'Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Hot on the Blog Lewis LaphamEric E. SchmidtDaniel EllsbergDr. Peggy Drexler
Daniel Ellsberg Former American military analyst who sparked a national uproar in 1971.

GET UPDATES FROM Daniel Ellsberg   A Salute to Bradley Manning, Whistleblower, As We Hear His Words for the First Time Posted: 03/12/2013 9:13 am Follow Press Freedom , Wikileaks , Bradley Manning , Bradley Manning Wikileaks , Freedom Of The Press Foundation , Press Freedom , Bradley Manning Trial , Whistleblowers , Politics News
share this story 55230632 Submit this story Today, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, an organization that I co-founded and of which I'm on the board, has published an audio recording of Bradley Manning's speech to a military court from two weeks ago, in which he gives his reasons and motivations behind leaking over 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks.

Whoever made this recording, and I don't know who the person is, has done the American public a great service. This marks the first time the American public can hear Bradley Manning, in his own voice explain what he did and how he did it.

After listening to this recording and reading his testimony, I believe Bradley Manning is the personification of the word whistleblower.

Secrecy surrounding trial

Manning faces some of exact same charges I faced forty two years ago when I leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times and eighteen other papers. The only difference is I was a civilian, so I could stay out of jail on bond while the trial was going on, and was able to talk to the media throughout. I took responsibility for what I had done on the day of my arrest, and I was able to explain why I did it.

But thanks to the judge's rulings in Manning's case, the public has barely heard anything from Manning at all. No official transcripts of the proceeding are released to the public, and when documents like the judge's court orders are released, it is weeks after the fact -- and only in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

Now I hope the American people can see Manning in a different light. In 1971, I was able to give the media my side of the story, and it is long overdue Manning is able to do the same. As Manning has now done, I stipulated as to all the facts for which I was accused. And I did that for several reasons, and I suspect that Manning had the same motives.

First, it was to exonerate a number of people who were suspected of helping me, like former Defense Department colleagues Mort Halperin, Leslie Gelb and others. I was able to state flatly they did not know about the release in the midst of President Nixon's anxious desire to indict several of them.

And Manning, in saying he took responsibility for the leaks and describing in great detail how he did it, was able to say Julian Assange and Wikileaks had nothing to do with his decision to leak. WikiLeaks had not giving him any special means beyond what a normal newspaper would do.

Now, there's really now excuse for the grand jury chasing Julian Assange for conspiracy to commit espionage to continue. If they're not going to indict the New York Times--and there is no constitutional basis for them to do so--there's no reason for them to investigate or indict Assange or WikiLeaks.

As the former general counsel of the New York Times James Goodale once said, "Charging Julian Assange with 'conspiracy to commit espionage' would effectively be setting a precedent with a charge that more accurately could be characterized as 'conspiracy to commit journalism.'"

The second thing Manning did with his statement -- which you can finally hear today -- was to explain his motives (he could not do that while he was still putting the responsibility on the government -- by pleading not guilty -- to prove what he had done beyond a reasonable doubt).

They were the same motives I felt 42 years ago. We both felt the horror of reading about deceptive, and even criminal, activity. We both felt the public needed this information and should have had it years ago. So we both released classified documents about a bloody, hopeless war.

Such criminal, dangerous, and deceptive behavior by the government can only be changed if Congress and the public are informed of them. And when official secrecy allows the government to cover these facts up, the only way to bring them to the public is to break secrecy regulations.

Torture

Some of the most critical documents leaked by Manning revealed torture by the Iraqi government, which the US knew about, and according to the international treaty on torture, the US should have required investigations.

In fact, the Iraq war logs show hundreds of instances of cases of torture, and in every case, the soldiers were given the illegal order not to investigate.

In his statement to the court, Manning talks about an incident where he thought men who were apprehended shouldn't have been, and that they were being handed over to the Iraqis to possibly be tortured. He went to his superior and was told to forget about it.

Bradley Manning, by releasing this information, is the only solider who actually obeyed this law, the international treaty, and by extension, the Constitution.

Manning was discriminating

Critics have alleged that a major difference between my case and Manning's is that I was discriminating in what I leaked, while Manning wasn't. He just dumped some material that doesn't need to be out, they say. This is simply false.

First, it's important to point out most of the material he put out was unclassified. The rest was classified 'secret,' which is relatively low level. All of the Pentagon Papers was classified top secret.

But in a fact no one seems to observe from his statement, Manning was working within a "SCIF," which stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. To get into a SCIF, a soldier needs a clearance higher than top secret. This means he had access to the highest classified material, such as communications and signals intelligence. This means he could've put out information top secret and higher, and purposely chose not to do so.

Aiding the enemy

It's important to remember through all this that Manning has already pled guilty to ten charges of violating military regulations (few of which, if any would be civilian crimes) and faces twenty years in jail. Yet the prosecutors are still going ahead with the absurd charge of "aiding the enemy," a capital offense, of which the prosecutors are asking for life in prison.

Nixon could have brought that charge against me too. I was revealing wrongdoing by our government in a public way, and that information could have been read by our enemies in Vietnam. Of course, I never had that intent and Manning didn't either. We both leaked information to provoke a domestic debate about military force and government secrecy. And to say we did so to aid the enemy is absurd.

This charge could have huge effects on the free speech of anyone in the military and journalists across the country. Any op-ed that is critical of military tactics or any news story that exposes misdeeds of the government can potentially lead to a capital offense.

Worse, the charge purports to apply to anyone, not just the military. It's blatantly unconstitutional.

Peace Prize

For the third straight year, Manning has been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize by, among others, Tunisian parliamentarians. Given the role the WikiLeaks cables played in the Arab Spring, and their role in speeding up the end of the Iraq War, I can think of no one more deserving who is deserving of the peace prize.

He's also deserving of the Congressional Medal of Honor. This medal, awarded by Congress--and not the executive branch--is given to military personnel, who during wartime, do what they should do for their country and their comrades, at the greatest risk to themselves.

Of course, there have been many who shown great courage on the battlefield in Afghanistan and Iraq. But some have noted that we don't have the named heroes of the kind we did during World War I and World War II, such as Sergeant York or Audie Murphy.

I see a hero in these wars whose example should inspire others. His name Bradley Manning.'

The Cultural

I want you to broaden your view of what culture is. Be active in its creation. Culture is a culmination of so many elements and attitudes. Remember that when you speak of culture, and cross-cultural relations that could be across geographic, economic, generational, linguistic, gender or even across species divides. It is so much more than different ethnic or national groups. Here a lovely example of an unlikely friendship of normally natural adversaries. And why not?

#CISPA is back.

Remember when we defeated the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) last year? Well, it's back with a vengeance. The leading Republican and Democrat on the U.S. House Intelligence subcommittee re-introduced the cybersnooping bill this week.  
We beat it once. We can beat it again. Click here to tell your lawmakers to support privacy and oppose CISPA.  
To refresh your memory, Demand Progress co-founder Aaron Swartz called CISPA 1.0 a Patriot Act for the Internet. But now they've rebooted the effort, and Rolling Stone says that with CISPA 2.0, "Congress is trying to kill Internet privacy again."  
The bill gives companies like Verizon and AT&T protection from customers' lawsuits when they give the Feds information about your Internet use.  
Amazingly, Congress and big businesses are claiming they need to violate our privacy to protect us from Iranian and Chinese hackers, but they refuse to put any basic privacy protections in writing. 

Quick and easy contacts for your representatives HERE:
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/cispa_is_back/?akid=2004.1907179.bIXCuz&rd=1&t=2

All original, all for a Good Cause.
Useful products and gift items. Proceeds from sales go to support programming of the non-profit civil society organization at The Cultural Compass Institute, o.s..

Have a look on Pinterest. Like, Buy, Share

http://pinterest.com/culturalcompass/cultural-compass-merchantile/

Fascinating new research by psychologists in Australia have discovered that harmony and acceptance of what is pleasurable is a learned thing . . . 'This recent work suggests that every culture may develop its own rather arbitrary rules for what music sounds right and wrong.'

Read more from this BBC article.
www.bbc.com/future/story/20130129-how-are-we-wired-for-sound

Good News Revue Entry of the Week . Sharing the good news  - Sportsmanship in brotherhood and respect.
Please ENJOY & SHARE

http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/12/19/inenglish/1355928581_856388.html

Examine what is truly important in our lives.
Rampant consumerism gone awry is an outcome of our efficiency in production.

How about more with less . . .increasing consumption simply because one can dramatically cheapens the value of goods as a whole, so how about a culture of need and not taking more than is necessary?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKkEjl-RSfc&feature=youtu.be

A Noun : Encompassing all of these aspects . . .


1. a. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.b. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.c. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.d. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.2. Intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced by it.3. a. Development of the intellect through training or education.b. Enlightenment resulting from such training or education.4. A high degree of taste and refinement formed by aesthetic and intellectual training.5. Special training and development: voice culture for singers and actors.6. The cultivation of soil; tillage.

But as a VERB . . .now that where The Cultural Compass Institute finds its inspiration . . .

1. to grow in a prepared medium.


Hmm, now what would happen if we looked at this great big huge thing called :Culture' in a more proactive way and didn't just accept the accumulative history of our combined knowledge and tastes but actively began to craft the 'Culture' we want?

What would our schools look like? How would the curriculum change? Would we put more emphasis on better communication skills, financial know-how and Best Practices?

How might our neighborhoods change to reflect more of the elements that serve and fewer of the less desirable? How many Great Good Places does your town include? What is a Great Good Place, you ask? Simply one that is a gathering spot outside of the home where one regularly visits and supports you emotionally and socially in a sense of community - outside the family and outside or work. It's your second home where everyone knows your name, they are happy to see you, and give you the devil when you act like a jerk! many times these places are coffee houses, sometimes pubs, lunch counters, senior centers or community centers. the important thing is, to have them!

Just a few questions we regularly put out to the universe at large and you specifically . . .