Going Globe-al

CoolPeopleCare was featured in the Boston Globe today. We're tucked back in the lifestyle section, in a weekly column called "Online Finds." I don't think I can find a print edition in Nashville, so if you're near one, send it my way.

Welcome to all of our new Boston friends!

Rewind: Week of 4/23-4/27

Monday, April 23: Calculate Your Emissions

Add up what you're putting out.

Tuesday, April 24: The Revolution Will NOT Be Televised

TV or Not TV?

Wednesday, April 25: Malaria No More

Today is Malaria Awareness Day.

Thursday, April 26: Go Loco

Sure It's Crazy, But It Just Might Work

Friday, April 27: Global Days for Darfur

Do something meaningful.

Rewind: Week of 4/16-4/20

Monday, April 16: Use Your Windows

These things are good for more than justifying your velvet curtains.

Tuesday, April 17: Name Tag Project

Build community by using the right name.

Wednesday, April 18: Have a Conversation

You may not get deep, but you can get somewhere.

Thursday, April 19: Change Your Signature

What goes out in your outgoing emails?

Friday, April 20: Recyced T's

Start a fashion revolution.

But One Goal

Ok. We've fought it for a while now, but finally have taken the plunge.

Fought what?

Contextual ads on our site. We didn't and don't want CoolPeopleCare.org to be rife with ads, detracting from the content of our site. So, if you took a look around the site today, you'll see some new ad spots served up by Google.

And the reason we've taken the plunge is merely one-fold. We're now paying for server hosting and are attempting to defray that monthly cost with Google advertising revenue.

Google's ads are for the most part relevant to the point of being related to content on the site, and most of the time, content on the page.

So, on our homepage we've interlaced Google ads with our featured weekly links. And on our article and event detail pages we are serving up one text ad per page. So, we've adhered to our desire to keep the ads at a minimum, and we'll see if they work towards paying for our hosting every 30 days.

Feel free to let us know what you think of this new advertising shift, as well as some of the other minor enhancements released to the site today.

Thanks for your continued support.

Rewind: Week of 4/9-4/13

Monday, April 9: Useful Flowers

Put all those pretty flowers to use.

Tuesday, April 10: Farmers' Markets

Stay close to home: buy and plant local.

Wednesday, April 11: Plant a Row

One row of your garden can help millions fight hunger.

Thursday, April 12: Thinking About Pesticides

What exactly are you putting on your lawn?

Friday, April 13: Community Gardens

Don't garden in isolation.

1,500

Earlier today, CoolPeopleCare registered its 1,500th user. For whatever reason, there are that many of you who like us enough to get our emails in your inbox everyday. Combine that with the other folks visiting our site around the world, and we're talking about a major leap forward in the long march towards changing the world.

This is exciting news for us. Next week, we'll turn 8 months old. As I look back, I'm thankful and amazed at what we've done.

And, I'm excited about what the future holds - more cities, a book, more inspiration and ideas, and a better world.

Thanks to all of you that have come along on this journey with us.

A Letter from Eric Volz

A couple weeks ago we mentioned the plight of Nashville-native Eric Volz in a "5 minutes of caring" as well as shared an auto-reply email from Sen. Bob Corker regarding his incarceration. Those were very small things

Below you'll find a very big thing -- a letter from Eric to all those who've paid attention to his struggle -- and it is impossible to imagine these circumstances in our ho-hum, everyday existence. But this letter helps to add an ounce of perspective for an otherwise weighty situation. Please read it and show your support -- your support, prayers and letters equal strength...

4.4.07

A letter from Eric:

It has been some time since I have been able to get word out to tell everyone supporting me how I am doing and what is happening from my perspective.

I'm in a maximum-security prison about 20 minutes outside of the capitol city of Managua called "La Modelo." My mother has established a good relationship with the warden and he has been very kind, allowing me to visit with her and my step-father on a regular basis. As you can imagine, these visits have been invaluable in terms of being brought up to speed on all that is taking place as a result of my conviction. I have received a complete update on what is happening around the globe on my behalf. The amount of support and energy going into freeing me from this injustice is simply incredible. From a grass roots My Space campaign, letters to senators, international media, people praying and fasting, You Tube video, and all the awesome letters of encouragement and support, my spirits are greatly lifted and my strength has been miraculously restored. Your all are breathing for me! THANK YOU ALL FOR GETTING MY BACK ON THIS ONE!!! I'm eternally grateful and feel like the richest man on earth!

I have worn a small thread necklace with 2 small square ornaments for the last 5 years without every taking it off. In a very mystical experience, a priest in Jalisco, Mexico, gave it to me. He told me as long as I took care of the necklace it would protect me. I grew superstitious of the piece and felt like it provided me with some sort of divine protection. I know it might sound silly to some, but I figured it was a harmless fantasy. It has survived 5 years of doing what guys do and the thing is still there as strong as ever. Needless to say, it really freaked me out when on my third day in prison after my arrest I noticed that one of the ornaments had fallen off. It was a sure sign that what lay ahead was not going to be pretty. After over 130 days in prison my necklace has taken a beating like never before. The water we have to bathe in seems to have somehow discolored the thread.

Last week after I was told about all that was being done on my behalf, I came back to my cell glowing, and decided I would restore the necklace. I utilized a combination of candle wax, the tag from my Nike gym shorts, some yellow thread and needle. It is not as 'stylee' as before, but it has taken on a new life, as have I, and symbolizes my life force in the face of this new chapter.

The best analogy I have come across for being locked up here is that it's like being buried alive. It is like having a cave collapse around you leaving just enough room to breathe and touch your toes. At first you are shocked and terrified. Time and space come to mean something totally different than before. You sleep a lot in the beginning. It is almost like a body function similar to hibernation that activates to deal with the extreme trauma. When you are asleep, you're not imprisoned.

The physical and mental claustrophobia sets in hard and never lets up. I reached a point where I had no choice but to turn and face it, let it cut deeply, let if ferment, and then I was able to transcend the new references of time and space. At this point it becomes a state of mind called "doing time."

I have buried myself in books, I meditate and pray, I live in my head and feel very centered. My spirits rise and fall. I refuse to join a gang. I maintain my independence and only socialize when I exercise and play soccer in the gallery. Despite the hardship and loss of freedom, I am developing. I'm developing in ways that would not be possible unless I was walking this path. I see this as a test; a rite of passage. I will not be defeated and I will see each and every one of you on the free side.

A friend asked in a letter, "Where are you pulling your strength from?" The answer is - all of you are my strength. The prayers, the campaigns, the letters, the movement - without you I would be lost.

I send my deepest and purest love to every person that reads these lines.

Eric V.

Tipitapa, Nicaragua

15 Questions, 3 Minutes

Thanks to all of you out there who enjoy this site. Since you hear from us every weekday, we'd love to hear from you. Maybe you check out the site at random, or you go every day. Maybe you get our daily email, maybe you just check the calendar when you're bored.

However you use the site, we'd like to ask you 15 quick question that should take no more than 180 seconds.

And, you can win stuff. Good stuff - like shirts, coffee and gift cards.

We would love to hear from anyone out there, especially as we're planning on what to do next and how best to do it.

Hey, I Can't Find Nothin' on the Radio...

Yes, indeed. Another R.E.M. reference for a title. So, sue me...

If you've not been able to hear our new feature on WRLT Lightning 100 each weekday morning at 9:50 a.m., here's a recap of last week's spots.

Take a listen and let us know what you think...

Rewind: Week of 4/2-4/6

Monday, April 2: How Are You?

How many times a day do you ask this question? How often do you listen to the answer?

Tuesday, April 3: Windows Open or Closed?

When should you open or close your windows?

Wednesday, April 4: Check for Leaks

A quick trip outside could have you finding leaks and saving money.

Thursday, April 5: Soy Capitan

Dare to compare: Soy Milk vs. Cow's Milk

Friday, April 6: Fair Trade Chocolate

Make your sweet tooth your ethical sweet tooth.

Links of the Moment

Monday, April 2: NetSquared

Our mission is to spur responsible adoption of social web tools by social benefit organizations.There's a whole new generation of online tools available – tools that make it easier than ever before to collaborate, share information and mobilize support. These tools include blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, podcasting, and more. Some people describe them as "Web 2.0"; we call them the social web, because their power comes from the relationships they enable.

Tuesday, April 3: 7Villages

7Villages connects like-minded people together, creating a virtual army working for a common good.

Tuesday, April 3: Bring Your Own

Bringing your own is a simple, effective way to reduce waste. Clearly it is not a "solution," but a way to lessen the problem. You can help by bringing your own.

Rewind: Week of 3/26-3/30

Monday, March 26: Unconventional (Re)Uses

Reusing is better than throwing away or recycling.

Tuesday, March 27: Grant a Wish

Your resources can help make dreams come true.

Wednesday, March 28: Drive and Learn

There are lots of things you can do while driving. Why not get smarter?

Thursday, March 29: Mail Some Hope

There are lots of kids in hospitals. Send a letter to one.

Friday, March 30: Form an Opinion

Believing in something isn't a bad thing.