LOVE ANGELES

Is the "Coffee Party" the Next Big Thing?

Source: CBS - Looking for change, but not quite ready for a revolution? Disappointed in President Obama and Congress, but not ready to turn your back on Washington? Prefer a double, non-foam latte over a cup of Earl Grey? The Coffee Party might be for you.

Months after the Tea Party erupted onto the national scene at health care town halls, an alternative, more pro-government group of citizens is emerging to say they're angry, too -- they just want less yelling and more talking.

Just as the Tea Party organized to remind the Republican Party what its conservative base stands for, the Coffee Party movement is organizing to represent citizens who believe in government solutions for national problems but aren't necessarily enthralled with Democratic leadership. After gaining steam online over the past few months, the Coffee Party is launching its first national event this Saturday: National Coffee Party Day.

What is the Coffee Party, and How Did it Start?

The Coffee Party is a loosely organized movement that has yet to adopt a platform -- but it has a message that its members feel is resonating across the country.

It started with a Facebook note from Annabel Park, a documentary filmmaker from the Washington area, who felt like venting about the Tea Party. She was inundated with feedback from people who agreed that the Tea Party did not represent the America they knew. The sentiment snowballed into a Web site that attracted 170,000 visitors in its first week and Facebook page that as of Friday morning, had more than 110,000 fans -- just beating out the number fans of the Tea Party Patriots page.

Park explains the movement in an introductory video on the Web site: "We object to obstructionism and extreme political tactics that are, I think, are fear based, not reality based and in many ways just deliberate misinformation," she says. "So we're organizing. We want people to understand that we're voters... We need everyone engaged in the political process. That is the only way our government can function, as an expression of our collective will."

The Coffee Party is about open discussion and deliberation for the purpose of solving common problems. The group welcomes everyone and embraces diversity -- ethnic, geographical and even political diversity. There's one caveat Park gives in her opening statement: "If you don't believe the government has any role, than yeah, you should join the Tea Party."

What's Going on Saturday?

This Saturday, local Coffee Party organizers will hold more than 350 meetings, in nearly every state, for the Coffee Party National Kick Off. National organizers are encouraging local leaders to convene groups of no more than eight people at a local coffee shop to discuss the issues that matter to them.

"We just wanted to find a way to make it fun and bring back that feeling of civic pride that pretty much all Americans had in 2008," Eric Byler, one of the leaders of the national Coffee Party, told Hotsheet. "What I saw was people who were really, really proud to get a chance to vote for John McCain -- after eight years, to vote for a war hero -- and people proud to vote for the first 21st-century, multi-ethnic, citizen of the world candidate. I felt so good about our democracy in 2008... we're just trying to bring people back in."

The groups on Saturday will be encouraged to come to a consensus about what issues matter to them the most. Each group will take a picture at the coffee shop with a sign that reads "coffee and..." with the issue of their choice. National Coffee Party organizers will collect the pictures on their Flikr account to create an "issues mosaic."

Shouldn't Voters Seeking Government Solutions be Happy with Washington Right Now?

The issues likely to come up at Saturday's meetings could very well arise at a Tea Party meeting.

"We want jobs with decent pay for all Americans," the Coffee Party declares on its Facebook page. "We want affordable health care and education. We want our government to cut wasteful spending and practice fiscal discipline. We want regulation of Wall Street to protect consumers and promotion of financial literacy."

The coffee partiers share a lot of the same grievances as tea partiers -- even though they are much more likely to have voted for President Obama.

But the recession hit everyone, explains Frances Lappe, a best-selling author and follower of the Coffee Party movement. Liberals and conservatives alike are hurt by a government that caters more to special interests than its citizens, she said, especially in a time of economic hardship.

Lappe is releasing a second edition of her book "Getting a Grip," which explores the process of creating a "living democracy." The aftermath of the 2008 election compelled Lappe to update her book, which was written during the Bush era.

"I, too, was in some way lulled into the idea that a change at the very top could bring about the kind of systemic, cultural change I believe is very necessary," Lappe told Hotsheet. "Clearly, changing the president is not going to do it. In a way, the disappointment that many have felt is the greatest gift Obama has given us -- to disabuse us of the notion there is a quick fix."

Nothing will change, Lappe says, until power is no longer concentrated in the hands of the few and the wealthy.

Health Benefits of Kindness by Mr. Positive

I have been a subscriber to the Mr. Positive daily newsletter ever since I bumped into my friend and Mr. Positive himself, David Boufford, last summer. I couldn't believe it, I met someone even more positive than me! David has dedicated his life to helping people see the affirmative side of things. I am grateful to know him and to read his e-letter first thing in the morning. I just had to share this one from yesterday morning...

Source: MrPositive.com - I met a homeless man last night who said "Hey do you have any spare money?" my first reaction was 'Heck no, I don't have any 'spare money' in these tough times and I felt bad for not helping but it sure seemed true in that moment.

Then as I proceeded to process my transaction at the ATM machine I realized that while I may not have a bunch of 'spare money' right now - all my needs are met and I even have enough to share.  I am truly blessed. His question also reminded me of the golden rule to treat others as you would like to be treated and to absolutely be grateful for all I have right now.

So, as I was getting back in my car I happily slipped him some cash and thanked him for the opportunity to share. As a bonus I instantly I felt good...but I didn't know that I was receiving health benefits too! Then this morning while searching for something inspiring to share I found this report on the "Health Benefits of Kindness" and with Random Acts of Kindness Week coming up (Feb. 15-21) I thought how perfect...Here's to kindness, your health and well being!"

Health Benefits of Kindness - www.actsofkindness.org

Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental. Here are some key points:

*Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders serious and minor, psychological and physical.

*A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a “helper’s high,” involving physical sensations and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.

*Stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. Helping reverses feelings of depression, supplies social contact, and decreases feelings of hostility and isolation that can cause stress, overeating, ulcers, etc. A drop in stress may, for some people, decrease the constriction within the lungs that leads to asthma attacks.

*Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation.

*A decrease in both the intensity and the awareness of physical pain can occur.

*The incidence of attitudes, such as chronic hostility, that negatively arouse and damage the body is reduced.

*The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered.

*An increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved.

*Once we establish an “affiliative connection” with someone – a relationship of friendship, love, or some sort of positive bonding – we feel emotions that can strengthen the immune system.

*Adopting an altruistic lifestyle is a critical component of mental health.

*The practice of caring for strangers translates to immense immune and healing benefits.

*Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining, or faith group attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income.

Source: Luks, Allan. The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. New York: iUniverse.com, 2001. Our thanks to the Niagara Wellness Council, Niagara Fall, NY, for compiling this list from Luks’ book. The Niagara Wellness Council may be reached by email at niagwellness@opticlick.com.

Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb 15-21, more info www.actsofkindness.org

Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch Take on Mt. Kilimanjaro to Raise Awareness

Source: USA Today - Enduring cold, little sleep, and, now, a blizzard, actors Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch join United Nations Foundation exec Elizabeth Gore and others on a most challenging quest to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.

The reason for this extreme adventure?

To raise awareness and funds for the global clean water crisis (over 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water) says Biel in an interview with People magazine:

"Meeting the people and community in Tanzania … has been an invaluable and eye-opening experience for me," Biel says after landing there Tuesday. "My hope is that others will be inspired to find ways that they can help; starting simply in their homes and continuing to other parts of the world. We are all in this together."

To follow their expedition and support the cause with a donation of water, visit www.summitonthesummit.com.

Kentucky Couple Win $128M Powerball Prize

Source: Yahoo – A central Kentucky autoworker is lucky he held on to the $128 million Powerball ticket he bought on Christmas Eve during some last-minute shopping — after all, it was printed by mistake.

Lottery officials said Rob Anderson and his wife, Tuesday, were winners of the largest jackpot in the state's history.

On Wednesday the couple was introduced at the state lottery headquarters in Louisville. The Andersons said they didn't initially believe they had won the $128.6 million jackpot after buying lottery tickets together for 12 years.

"We didn't hit it, that's not us," Rob Anderson said he told his wife after showing her the winning ticket the morning after the Dec. 26 drawing. "Something's not right!"

Rob Anderson, 39, said the winning ticket was a misprint that he decided to keep while buying stocking stuffers at a Georgetown, Ky., gas station. He wanted to buy $1 lottery tickets for three people, but the clerk goofed.

"The clerk ran the $3 Quick Pick but he put it all on one ticket, and I was like, doggone it, I needed three separate tickets," Anderson said.

The clerk asked him if he wanted to keep the ticket, which had three sets of random numbers.

"Yeah, I got a couple extra dollars," Anderson said, and he bought three more tickets to give as gifts.

When he arrived at home, he tossed the ticket on his dresser and didn't think about it until the Sunday morning after the drawing. When he remembered it, he checked the Powerball numbers and they matched one of the sets of numbers on the botched ticket: 32-36-37-41-53 and Powerball 30.

The couple, who work at a plant building seats for Toyotas, said they were hesitant to go public about the winnings. They declined to say if they had children.

"We're really grounded people," Rob Anderson said. "My wife taught me well, so to speak, to hang on to that dollar and see how far it gets you. We'll still clip coupons and still look for the clearance rack."

He said they would like to go back to school. His proposed major? Finance.

Tuesday Anderson said they have a dream of visiting Hawaii and she wants a new car.

The couple said they haven't decided if they'll return to work and whether they'll take a lump sum payment, which would be worth about $63 million.

Prior to this jackpot, the largest ever won in Kentucky was $89.3 million in 1996.

Ode Magazine

Source: Ode Magazine - Ode is a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better.

Ode was founded in the spring of 1995 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands by Jurriaan Kamp and Helene de Puy. Kamp, a former editor and correspondent with the leading Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad, and de Puy wanted to create an alternative to mainstream publications, a magazine that was open to new inspirations and new visions from around the world. The cover of the first issue - a close-up image of a radiant woman laughing out loud - captured the joy and spontaneity they wanted Ode to embody.

For the first nine years of its existence, Ode was published in Dutch. But in the summer of 2004 Kamp and de Puy, who are partners in marriage as well as in publishing, moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to launch the English-language edition of the magazine. Ode now appears ten times a year in both English and Dutch, with a worldwide circulation of more than 100,000. Over the past 12 years, Ode has helped make the 'alternative' media space more mainstream. The magazine profiled people like clown-doctor Patch Adams, guru Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil long before more conventional publications made them household names.

During this time, Ode also built a community of readers who are passionate about the magazine and the issues for which it stands: positive social, environmental and economic change. Because these readers have a lot to say for themselves - and to each other- Ode created a new website that allows them to communicate, socialize and contribute to Ode. Odemagazine.com's mix of print and online journalism with user-generated content and social networking makes it unique on the Web.

In print and online, Ode's aim is to bring a new reality into view, to explore opportunities for positive change in our daily lives and our daily minds.

Humanity 2.0: Jeff Skoll Makes Movies That Matter

Source: Ted.com - Film producer Jeff Skoll talks about his film company, Participant Productions, and the people who've inspired him to do good.

Why you should listen to him:

Jeff Skoll was eBay's employee number 2 and president number 1. He left with a comfortable fortune and a desire to spend his money helping others.

The Skoll Foundation, established in 1999, invests in, connects and celebrates social entrepreneurs - offering grants to people who build businesses, schools and services for communities in need. Every year, it presents the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford, and runs Social Edge, a networking site for social entrepreneurs.

His production company, Participant Productions, is what Skoll calls a "pro-social media company," making features and documentaries that address social and political issues and drive real change. His film North Country, for example, is credited with influencing the signing of the 2005 Violence Against Women Act. Participant's blockbuster doc, An Inconvenient Truth, is required viewing in classrooms around the world, and has unquestionably changed the debate around climate change. [All of Participant Media's films are outstanding and for the betterment of humanity] 

The clip below is from a few years back, but the story it tells is more than relevant today, not to mention the fact that Participant Media has continued to create telling film for the betterment of our planet, including The Soloist, Food, Inc., The Cove and many more:

Thousands Watch Rose Parade in Pasadena

Source: LA Times News - The 121st Rose Parade kicked off just after 8 a.m., led by grand marshal Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the hero pilot who guided a US Airways plane to a safe landing in the Hudson River last January after a bird strike knocked out its engines.

After a tough year that left many wishing for uplifting news and more heroes, spectators said they appreciated the choice of "Sully."

"How wonderful to have someone as grand marshal who saved lives. It goes right along with the theme of the parade," said Margo Bishop of San Clemente, who comes to the parade every year with her friend, Jan Horner of Altadena.

The 2010 parade, with the theme of "A cut above the rest," honors "everyday heroes." The lineup offers plenty of other champions to admire, some in the flesh and some made of plants.

The Subway Restaurants float presents portraits of famous athletes, crafted of onion and poppy seed. The West Covina entry honors the Tuskegee Airmen and features 15 veterans from the original World War II fighter group of African American military men -- as well as airplanes made of carnations and eucalyptus. Perched atop China Airlines' float is "Nezha," aka "The Third Prince," a character from Chinese mythology who subdued demons.

Not to mention the hundreds of horses and tuba players marching with the 41 floats, 22 marching bands and 23 equestrian units. Tournament of Roses officials estimate that it takes 18 million flowers and 5,000 gallons of glue to make it all happen.

This year, the parade and the Rose Bowl game that follows will honor the late Gary J. DiSano, the president of the Tournament of Roses who died Sept. 20, just three months before he would have presided over the parade. His wife and children will travel the parade route in the president's car.

For the second time, tournament officials will allow television viewers and other parade watchers to vote on a "Viewer's Choice" award on the website of KTLA-TV Channel 5, which televises the parade.