Thousands of spectators turned out this month to watch the choreography of trainers and dogs at a herding competition in Dawsonville, Georgia. Herding or stock dogs can be of many breeds, and even a fictional pig did the job in the movie “Babe.” But it’s the border collie that is most closely associated with the practice.

“Border collies are what we call ‘class on grass,’ ” said farmer and dog trainer Mike Northwood. “They’ve got style and class, and do their work on grass.”

Northwood, from northern England, was one of the judges at the U.S. Open Stock Dog Trials in Dawsonville. He runs several farms and owns more than 5,000 sheep, and says he is “absolutely dependent” on his dogs.

The dogs act as both traffic cops and psychologists when herding sheep, cattle, and even ducks or geese.

Because the dogs and livestock may sometimes be far out of whistle or voice range of the shepherd or rancher, experienced dogs are trusted to make decisions about how best to move the animals on such occasions.

“We have a tendency to let the dogs work out the problems for themselves,” Northwood said. “They can’t hear your commands if you are a half a mile away. And that’s the beauty of the border collie. It thinks on its own.”

(It’s important to know that border collies do not always make the best pets. They are very active dogs and need to work and stay busy in order to thrive. They are not lap dogs but work dogs and can become neurotic and problematic if not directed properly.)

Source: CNN

Here’s some beautiful photos to showoff this “class on grass” dog. Thanks for your tireless service!:

Perspective is everything. It’s so easy to get spun out on our own endless, constant thoughts. Today, come up with some creative ways to be present, quickly and simply.

A friend of mine swears by this:

“When I feel like I’m stuck in my own head, I just look up at the sky for a minute. Well, more than look at it - I take it in. I realize the space, the openness. Sometimes just a few seconds is enough to derail the buzz going on in my head.”

What way can you become more present? Maybe it’s a bath, a breath, a song, a laugh, a stretch, a walk, a talk, a yell, a smell, a dog, a plunge into cold water…

This last year, we’ve talked about the power of solar cookers in numerous countries in need. And nowhere has that become more evident as of late than in Haiti.

Food is cooked with solar energy in solar cookers (or solar ovens). They are an ideal addition wherever there are predictable hours of sun many days of the year. Solar cooking and baking are easy and safe around children. Solar cookers are clean, convenient, non-polluting and easy on the environment. And, for millions of people living in arid, fuel-scarce regions of the world, solar cookers can literally save lives

Solar Cookers International is just one organization that is making sure the Haitians get some quick and immediate relief. Here’s some basic information, if you want to help or learn more:

In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Solar Cookers International (SCI) has received numerous calls from donors and friends wishing to make contributions or otherwise support relief efforts in Haiti, particularly with the hopes of sending solar cookers and water pasteurization indicators (WAPIs) to the quake’s victims. We are inspired and encouraged that so many of you have recognized the vital role solar cooking and solar water pasteurization can play in these relief efforts.

SCI is now working with Sun Ovens International, Friends of Haiti Organization, and local NGO partners to bring much-needed solar cookers and WAPIs to the people of Haiti as the country begins its long road to recovery. Please contribute to this effort and help us bring simple, life-saving skills and technologies to a country suffering not only from a massive earthquake, but from never-ending poverty and lack of cooking fuel due to extreme levels of deforestation.

A $40 gift pays for a solar cooker, cooking pot, and WAPI for a Haitian family.

We all now the dangers of clinging on too tightly or feeling the need to control others. It feels like an addiction, where we turn our focus away from ourselves and onto something or someone else, for which we have no control. If you’ve been there (and haven’t we all?) here are some quotes to lead you back to yourself:

As I started to picture the trees in the storm, the answer began to dawn on me. The trees in the storm don’t try to stand up straight and tall and erect. They allow themselves to bend and be blown with the wind. They understand the power of letting go. Those trees and those branches that try too hard to stand up strong and straight are the ones that break. Now is not the time for you to be strong, Julia, or you, too, will break.

– Julia Butterfly Hill





Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.

– Oprah Winfrey



By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.

– Lao Tzu



Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.

– Raymond Lindquist



Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties.

– Gail Sheehy



Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.

– Author Unknown



Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.

– Ann Landers



Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.

– Gerald Jampolsky



Let go. Why do you cling to pain? There is nothing you can do about the wrongs of yesterday. It is not yours to judge. Why hold on to the very thing which keeps you from hope and love?

– Leo Buscaglia

Letting go doesn't mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.

– Anon

Loving someone is setting them free, letting them go.

– Kate Winslet



People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

– Thich Nhat Hanh



Some think it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go.

– Sylvia Robinson

There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.

– Gloria Naylor



Stand up and walk out of your history.

– Phil McGraw

The harder you fight to hold on to specific assumptions, the more likely there’s gold in letting go of them. — John Seely Brown

True love doesn’t have a happy ending, because true love never ends. Letting go is one way of saying I love you.

– Author Unknown

Truly loving another means letting go of all expectations. It means full acceptance, even celebration of another’s personhood.



– Karen Casey

There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new life.

– Author Unknown

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.

– Joseph Campbell

Source: Great Inspirational Quotes

Prince William listens to families speak at a reception of The Child Bereavement Charity held at the Sladmore Contemporary Art Gallery, London. Photograph: David Bebber

Princess Diana is known alive and posthumously for her world-wide charity work. Her son, Prince William, is carrying on her legacy with his recent work with the Child Bereavement Charity.

“Losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can endure,” William said at event organized by the organization.

“Never being able to say the word ‘mummy’ again in your life sounds like a small thing. However, for many, including me, it’s now really just a word -- hollow and evoking memories,” said William, the second in line to the British throne after his father, Prince Charles.

While it may seem that the world is made up of the “haves” and “have nots”, we all grieve the same. Losing a friend or family member strikes the deepest chord, resonating through a lifetime.

Reading that a man second in line to become King concerns himself with the word “mummy” is touching and intertwined with the human experience that we’re all part of.

From left to right: Julia Samuel - Founder Patron, Child Bereavement Charity, HRH Prince William, Ann Chalmers - Chief Executive, Child Bereavement Charity, and Jamie and Eleanor Wroath, showing the Prince photographs of their daughter Miranda who died suddenly aged 15 months in January 2008. Jamie, Eleanor and their son Samuel (4) have been supported by the Child Bereavement Charity.

Princess Di with her sons

Sometimes, we create wonderful events in our lives. And sometimes amazing events happen to us. This story exemplifies people’s innate connection to wildlife and their occasional need for our aid. How can you help out an animal today (and yes - as little extra love and attention count!)

4 Deer Saved from Certain Death in Alaska Sea Passage Way

A foursome of young button bucks fell upon some good luck Sunday as they were pulled from the icy waters of Stephens Passage by a group of locals out to enjoy the last few days of recent sunshine.

These good Samaritans describe their experience as “one of those defining moments in life.” A group of four juvenile Sitka black-tailed deer. They swam right toward the boat, then, they started to circle the boat. They were looking up and looked like they needed help.

Four deer swim toward the Satre’s boat Sunday. Once they reached the vessel, Satre said they began to circle the boat and looked obviously distressed. The typically skittish and absolutely wild animals came willingly and once on the boat, collapsed with exhaustion. They were shivering.

Four Sitka black-tailed bucks pulled from the waters of Stephens Passage Sunday recover on the back of Tom Satre’s 62-foot charter vessel, the Alaska Quest. All deer were transported to Taku Harbor and witnesses reported they all recovered from what appeared to be exhaustion and a bit of hypothermia. Once the group reached the dock, the first to be pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back, then leapt into the waters of the harbor and swam to shore. He quickly disappeared into the forest. Two others followed suit, after a bit of prodding and assistance from the group.

One of the four Sitka black-tailed bucks pulled from the waters of Stephens Passage Sunday is seen being transported via wheelbarrow by Tom Satre after reaching Taku Harbor . Witnesses reported all the deer recovered fully from what appeared to be exhaustion and a bit of  hypothermia.

From left: Tom, Anna and Tim Satre help one of the “button” bucks to its feetafter they rescued it from Stephens Passage. Four bucks in all were rescued.

Source: Northern Sports Network

This is a nice little piece from the Economist, which suggests that if you want to make sound investments you should put your money into happy companies. Apparently, recent research by the Wharton business school indicates that Fortune Magazine's '100 best companies to work for' have routinely outperformed their less happy competitors on the stock exchange. It could be that strong and effective leadership is the key to both profitability and employee satisfaction, of course. Either way, it's good news!

The Olympics have been going on a long, LONG time. Our collection of quotes includes the new and the very old!

"So you wish to conquer in the Olympic games, my friend? And I too, by the Gods, and a fine thing it would be! But first mark the conditions and the consequences, and then set to work. You will have to put yourself under discipline; to eat by rule, to avoid cakes and sweetmeats; to take exercise at the appointed hour whether you like it or no, in cold and heat; to abstain from cold drinks and from wine at your will; in a word, to give yourself over to the trainer as to a physician. Then in the conflict itself you are likely enough to dislocate your wrist or twist your ankle, to swallow a great deal of dust, or to be severely -thrashed, and, after all these things, to be defeated."

~ Epictetus (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.135)

The greatest memory for me of the 1984 Olympics was not the individual honors, but standing on the podium with my teammates to receive our team gold medal.

~ Mitch Gaylord (American gymnast, 1984 Summer Olympics)

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

~Pierre de Coubertin (founder of modern Olympic Games)

The Olympics have been with the world since 776 B.C., and have only been interrupted by war, especially in the modern era.

~ Bill Toomey (American decathlete, 1968 Summer Olympics)

Perhaps I don’t give the impression that I’m hurting on the track. But that is because I am animated by an interior force which covers my suffering.

~ Noureddine Morceli (Algerian athlete, 1996 Summer Olympics)

Maria Nafpliotou, in the role of an ancient Greek high priestess, lights a torch from the Olympic Flame during the handing over ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at the Panathenian marble stadium in Athens on October 29, 2009. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

Olive oil provides Palestinian farmers with close to 50% of their annual income. But because of conflict the region, Palestinian farmers are facing serious obstacles that stand in the way of their livelihood.  . Almost 75% of Palestinians live below the United Nations poverty line.

Fairtrade olive oil will offer an economic lifeline for Palestinian farmers. The oil,  Zaytoun, will give a real economic boost to the Palestinian farmers.



The product will be launched to coincide with the start of Fairtrade Fortnight (23 February - 8 March).

The olive oil will be launched at a Co-operative store in Archway, London by Palestinian farmer Mahmoud Issa.

Learn a little more about Fairtrade products on link above.

Fairtrade is an immediate step you can take in your life to help others in the world…and get incredible product to boot!

With a population nearing 3 million, Guayaquil in Southern Equador is home to more than 200 gangs and 60,000 gang youth. But the streets are a little quieter these days and considerably more safer, due to the divine workings of Nelsa Curbelo, a 66-year-old former nun and teacher and a true social reformer.

Unafraid to examine the inner workings of gangs in her neighborhood, for years she spent enmeshed with the gangs, asking questions, trying to understand. And instead of dismissing the kids she was meeting as delinquents, she took the time to find out about the positive aspects of gangs: togetherness, teamwork, camaraderie

"By far the most terrible thing I learned," says Curbelo, "is that assaulting, harming or killing others is a way to say, 'I am here. What needs to be enhanced is the power to build life, So Ser Paz [her organization based on peace] offers the local youth a way to "feel present without committing a crime."

As the crime rate drops in Guayaquil drops substantially because of Curbelo and Ser Paz’s social efforts, she has this to say:

"Love is the greatest power in the universe. Love is more powerful than violence, more powerful than the atomic bomb. Love has the power to transform lives, to change cities and the whole world. Only love has this deep creative power. I am absolutely sure of it."