Maybe you’ve already seen Randy Pausch’s well-known “Last Lecture?” It became a very popular download for some time. He was also interviewed at length by Diane Sawyer, a good friend of his.

Who is this man and why is he considered one of the most inspiring people of 2008?

Randy was a Carnegie Mellon University professor who had only 6 months to live because of his pancreatic cancer. He gave a final lecture on time management at the University of Virginia on November 27, 2007.

This wasn’t your ordinary lecture, given by an ordinary professor. This was one man’s last chance to relay some powerful messages to the world before he passed on, leaving his wife and children.

If you can only watch a few minutes of this inspiring lecture, do so:

The Last Lecture

Many of you may have heard about this case:

Percy Schmeiser, a small farmer in Canada, was being sued by the megacompany Monsanto , in one of the most ludicrous and opportunistic lawsuits of the century (in my humble opinion.)

The agrochemical company Monsanto took Mr. Schmeiser to court for growing their genetically modified canola without paying them. Problem being, he never wanted to grow any genetically modified crops in the first place. He wanted just the opposite. Monsanto’s unwanted seeds blew onto his farm and began to grow.

This is one of the problems with genetically modified organisms - they are not containable. Seeds can blow for hundreds of miles, infecting presumed organic crops. But to be sued for a company’s environmental neglect? That’s just plain greedy.

Positive news? Mr. Schmeiser won the lawsuit. He will be reimbursed a measly $660. BUT the message is clear: agricultural chemical companies will be held responsible (ideally) for their contamination and do NOT have the right to sue based on their own disservice.

Both Percy and his wife Louise have become heros in their own right, winning the “Alternative Nobel Prize.” The couple was honored “for their courage in defending biodiversity and farmers rights and for challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws.”

Percy Schmeiser’s website

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“In the last 50 years, humans have experienced the chaos of the technology we have created. Technology separates us from each other and from ourselves. The gift of nature is to provide the green space, the sanctuary, the solace, the reflection, the peace to bring us back.”

- Tom Stoner, TKF Foundation Co-Founder

There is not one of us who don’t feel the power of a garden, even the most seasoned, city-dwelling souls. Gardens are a space of refuge, of calm. The air is a little cleaner, the beauty more abundant. Some of us have natural proclivities in the garden (i.e. a “green thumb.) Others couldn’t grow a weed but still value the the power of a garden.

TKF is a foundation that’s been placing gardens in needful places for over 12 years. One of the most “needful places” was Western Correctional Institution, where TKF created a sacred place for the inmates that has been transformational. In the garden, there is a human sundial, where an inmate can connect with the sun and the stars and locate himself in time and space. There is also red roses for violence and white roses for hope. And lastly, there is a “well of unspoken truths” where the inmates can deposit thoughts on paper, thoughts that will never be read by another human.

How can you tend to your garden today? Maybe it’s just a small houseplant but let’s give our plants extra love. They help our souls and they are living with us, too.

Western Correctional Facility Garden

I know of several friends who are very concerned about the holidays. They just don’t have the budget and can’t purchase the landslide of gifts they used to. They feel guilty, as if only 3 or 4 presents is just not enough.

It’s hard to hear, frankly. I remind them that there was a time when you only gave one gift and chances are, you handmade it. Or you celebrated by sharing food and wine and life. Somewhere along the line, we’ve equated holidays with excess and we’ve never looked back. But if there was ever a time to re-evaluate our attitudes surrounding the holidays, it’s now…and for a number of reasons.

Most of us are feeling the brunt, on some levels, of a problematic economy. Our wallets are a little thinner and our budgets a little tighter. In addition, there is a lot of dissension in our world; a continuing war in Iraq, Africa experiencing nationwide conflicts, just to name a few. Its hard to celebrate fully when there’s so much need and difficulty in so many places. On top of that, we have severe environment issues we’re contending with - more stuff just burdens our aching planet.

Of course, that’s not to say we shouldn’t celebrate. It’s more important than ever to give and receive LOVE during the holidays. Thing is - love doesn’t mean gifts. It means love.

This holiday, practice giving yourself as a gift (no, not wrapped in a bow!) Give your time, your understanding. Give patience in an area you don’t normally give it. Give of yourself. And give the gifts a break. Don’t we all have enough stuff by now? Love is the gift that keeps giving!

India has itself a new, self-imposed Parliament of youths who seek change.

At first, Ishita Chaudhry gathered friends who were serious about social activism in the confines of her garage. Since then they have grown exponentially.

People help out in all sorts of ways, some of which are distinctly original. JR Hildebrandt is one of those out of the box thinkers, that’s for sure. Mr. Hildenbrandt took carving pumpkins to a whole new level when he made his into a boat. That’s right, a 760-pound pumpkin boat, with a chair, a small heater and room for himself.

He is making an 8-day trek to raise money for a charity that provides special needs children with memorable trips. What better way to raise money for this cause than having a memorable trip oneself?

“We’ve sent children to Disney Land or Disney World. We’ve sent them to NASCAR races, we’ve even sent one little girl to Jamaica on a cruise and I wanted to take it a step further,” he said.

Believe it or not, Mr. Hildenbrandt has an extended history of pumpkin mobility. He won Wisconsin’s Nekoosa Great Pumpkin Race where he took around 10 minutes to paddle a 300-yard course.

He does admit the smell can be a troublesome element to his longer treks.

Lesson learned? We often think of charity in very linear ways. What’s something unusual you can do today to help your fellow human? Or animal? Or environment?

Not your average Cinderella!

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Gillian Howell is involved in the entire whisky-making process

Some other noted names to appear on Management Today’s “35 women under 35″ list include well-known designer Stella McCartney.

She has the right sort of personality, and she takes on a lot of responsibility for someone who is only 26 Stephen Davies, Managing Director

Interestingly, Gillian had never planned on the life of a whisky distiller but liked the size of the company. She wanted to genuinely feel connected to a smaller company and not feel like another “cog in the wheel.”

“This is a lot more hands on,” she explained. “There are loads of different aspects to the job, it’s really varied.”

Does she have to drink the stuff in order to keep her job? Luckily not! At her level, a simple smell of the stuff is enough to tell her what’s needed.

Whenever women enter a predominantly male arena, its always positive news…especially when she may be considered one of the best distillers in the last century!

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Buddy is not your average German shepherd - though German shepherds are far from average dogs. They are extremely intelligent and fiercely loyal dogs. But when Buddy’s owner, Joe Stalnaker, had a seizure in his Phoenix home, it was Buddy who called 911. That’s right - a dog called 911 and got the help his owner needed.

Buddy was adopted from a Michigan-based clinic called “Paws with a Cause” which trains assistance dogs. Buddy, at the age of 18 months old, is able to press programmed buttons until an operator is online. The operator then sees on the screen that this household has a trained dog to aid and assist in medical emergencies. The operator dispatches help immediately.

So what can be heard on the recording of the 911 call? Whimpering and barking.

Once the dog’s owner was rushed to the hospital, he spent several days recovering…and grateful he had such a well-trained and intelligent dog.

Buddy and his owner Joe Stalnaker

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According to Haley Stern, the project started simply enough. Her cousin was coming in for a visit and wanted to see the world-renowned Bronx Zoo. When they went to see the “Congo Gorilla Forest,” it was love at first site.

According to Haley:

Deep in my heart something told me that these gentle creatures needed me. One day, my parents rented “Gorillas in the Mist” for me to watch, but during the poaching scenes, I couldn’t believe that was ACTUALLY happening!? I was so terrified, my parents and I adopted “Kubana”, an infant mountain gorilla. But, I had a feeling I had more of a part to play, being an animal lover and all.

I decided to start a school club “Kids Save Apes” that would include a small group (3 to 5 members!) of close friends that would go around raising awareness. We all had our favorite types of apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos, or gibbons), so we researched them and decided to put our work on a website (http://www.freewebs.com/kidssaveapes ). And boy, word spread.

It all happened so fast, but now, we have 20+ members, from all over the world. We have KSA-UK (our United Kingdom Branch), KSA-CA (Canadian Branch), KSA Tanzania (our Tanzania, Africa, branch) and we have USA members in Vermont, New York, Florida, California, and Massachusetts. So far we have raised $1000 (with credit from our partners, Ape Aware and G.O.P.G).

On May 3rd we had a fundraiser, and we hoped to raise $800 to adopt 14 apes and make a generous donation of $100 to the Great Ape Trust (http://www.iowagreatapes.org)

During the rest of the year, we will be presenting at a Roots and Shoots (http://www.rootsandshoots.org) fair, and meeting Dr. Jane Goodall PhD- a great hero in the activist world. We have also been discussing projects we can do with our Tanzanian Branch, such as tree planting in Tanzania. We also hope to fully update our website. One thing we hope to do is touch a poacher’s life, so he’ll put down his knife - even just one poacher. Our main goal is to save the apes from extinction - maybe even from being endangered.

There is often a natural affinity between children and animals. This affinity, for Haley, has meant actual change. We can only imagine the good she’ll do for the animal kingdom as she gets older.

Haley Stern and friend with Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist

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