Grateful News June 2015

This month’s Grateful News focuses on grace, inspiring images, celebration, and generosity via innovation.

Obama’s Full Eulogy For Rev. Clementa Pinckney

“As a nation, out of this terrible tragedy, God has visited grace upon us…We may not have earned it, this grace, with our rancor and complacency, and short-sightedness and fear of each other — but we got it all the same…But it is up to us now to make the most of it, to receive it with gratitude, and to prove ourselves worthy of this gift…”
» Full Story

Environmental Photography Winners Announced

The winning entries of the Atkins CIWEM show us the work of humanitarian projects, intimate portraits of individuals, and the remarkable flora and fauna around the world. The extraordinary photos make us open our eyes, wanting to know more and more.  » Full Story

Supreme Court Declares Same-Sex Marriage Legal In All 50 States

Justice Anthony Kennedy, in a recent Supreme Court ruling, wrote of same-sex couples, “They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law,…the Constitution grants them that right.”  » Full Story

Old Hardware, A New Twist: The No-Pay Phone

Jesse Wakeley noticed a phone booth in Portland Oregon and found a working phone in it and a sign that read, “No coin needed for any calls.” The phone company, Futel, is providing this service for those who cannot have phones, and making a big difference in their lives.  » Listen to or Read the Full Story

An ambitious Write a House plot: bring artists and new housing to Detroit

The non-profit operates with three outcomes in mind: provide vocational training for  residents and promote employment; work to revitalize neighborhoods and reduce  vacant property rolls; and support writers who can contribute to the literary and cultural life of the city. » Full Story

Oslo creates world’s first ‘highway’ to protect endangered bees

From flower-emblazoned cemeteries to rooftop gardens and balconies, Norway’s capital Oslo is creating a “bee highway” to protect endangered pollinators essential to food production.  » Full Story