Quote of the day: 

 Once you allow yourself to identify with the people in a story, then you might begin to see yourself in that story even if on the surface it's far removed from your situation. -Chinua Achebe 

Afghan girls at Engineering competition

Credit: NewYorkTimes

Six Afghan girls who were initially denied visas twice by the US State Department in order to participate in an engineering competition have been awarded the silver medal for “courageous achievement” at the FIRST Global Challenge in Washington, D.C., US. -a competition where teams of young women and men from around the world showcase their robot creation. The gold medal in the category went to the South Sudan team. Due to great public outcry, and with just one week to the the competition, they were granted a “parole” exception to the visa denial on the basis of “significant public benefit.”


Doug and Kristine Tompkins in Chile
Credit: Tompkins Conservation

Chile has just set aside and converted 11 million acres of land into new national parks. This was aided by the largest land donation from a private entity to a country -the conservation efforts of the Tomkins Foundation -established by Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, and the late Doug Tompkins, the co-founder of North Face and Esprit. Their effort in donating 1 Million acres of land assisted Chile in its drive to set aside land and its conservation of the pristine Patagonia wilderness. The donation is expected to aid efforts in "rewilding" Patagonia, and efforts to roll back years of deforestation.


Archdaily -House on the lake, Colombia


As seen on Arch Daily, House on the Lake
Architects: De La Carrera Cavanzo

Brief: A return to the essence, a contemporary reinterpretation of the rural house in the mountains.

Theme:  Local stone, slate, steel and glass
Location: Sesquile, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Photograph: Luis Alberto Mariño


Peace. Love. Light* 


Current Listen: Louis Armstrong - Weather Bird