Is coffee elbowing its way into the tea culture of China

The Chinese drink less than 2% of the world’s coffee, but already they’re reshaping the industry. The country’s “economics have changed; people more and more understand a different living style,” said Chien. “It’s no longer just about tea.”

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160628-yuan-more-coffee-chinas-lucrative-caffeine-craze

Expanding the horizons for autistic children

Parasuram Ramamoorthy, a theatre specialist, uses face masks to help autistic children overcome the challenges of making eye contact, focusing and concentrating.


http://www.thebetterindia.com/58447/autism-artism-face-masks-theatre-autistic-children-velvi-parasuram-ramamoorthy/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d4ba46a087-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-d4ba46a087-74060141

How to preserve cultural memory in the digital age

We are drowned in data. Yet, data is ephemeral. So what do we do?

rescue the past
collect the digital present
ensure we do not lapse into a knowledge monoculture

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abby-smith-rumsey/culture-memory-digital_b_10357622.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Every one can help; every little bit counts

Diya Kundu, a 17-year-old student of DPS Vasant Kunj in Delhi, is a frequent visitor to Golabari village in West Bengal, India. She knows all the villagers and what is wonderful is that she noticed that the raw material artisans use for their work is eco-friendly. Diya developed the idea of starting a project to help them earn what they actually deserve for their handiwork.

Here's how she went about it:

http://www.thebetterindia.com/59451/west-bengal-artisans-delhi-school/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f6e4973c8d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-f6e4973c8d-7406014

The mountain hermits of Aragon

Meet Sinforosa Sancho and Juan Martin Colomer – the last inhabitants of La Estrella, an abandoned mountain village in the Maestrazgo wilderness of Aragon, Spain.

To read about this absolutely amazing couple, go to this link:

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160615-the-mountain-hermits-of-aragon

The woman behind the Democratic sit-in

Representative Katherine Clark

It was through Clark’s actions that John Lewis, the civil rights icon who helped lead the Selma-Montgomery marches in 1965, and dozens of other Democratic members found themselves sitting on the House floor protesting the GOP’s refusal to hold votes on two gun-control provisions in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

http://time.com/4380310/house-sitin-congress-gun-control-katherine-clark/?xid=newsletter-brief

David Ogilvy on the true value of Education

Perhaps the most elegant and compelling case for what we stand to gain when we exert ourselves on claiming an education comes from an unlikely champion: the legendary English businessman and Mad Man-era icon David Ogilvy (June 23, 1911–July 21, 1999).

His letter to his 18-year-old nephew is a masterpiece which everyone, regardless of age, can benefit from.

Learning is truly a lifelong adventure.


https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/06/23/david-ogilvy-education-letter-nephew/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+brainpickings%2Frss+%28Brain+Pickings%29

English is a must-know

And to help this happen, two Princeton students are helping hundreds of Indians learn English for free using mobile phones.

Created by Vaasvi Goyal and Kasturi Shah, 'Hello, Seekho' offers free audio education in English. Learners simply call the toll-free number 1800-3000-0881, pick a lesson by pressing a number from the options provided in the pre-recorded voice message and get started.

http://www.thebetterindia.com/56385/learning-english-using-mobiles-hello-seekho/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=73e51ea6d5-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-73e51ea6d5-74060141

Inspiring

Lita Cabellut is one of Spain's most successful artists, but she's barely known in her home country. What's more, the woman whose paintings now sell for six figure sums spent her early years living on the street.

"My childhood was like that of thousands of street kids around the world," says Lita Cabellut. She used to roam the streets of Barcelona with other homeless children and slept in the open air. "We looked after one another - we did whatever we liked. We took coins out of the fountains, begged Zippo lighters from sailors and stole tourists' wallets. We used to go into restaurants and say our father was in the toilet when they served us, before wolfing down the food and running off."

Now her vivid portraits can sell for $100,000 (£70,000) or more

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36580311

Inclusive

One has to live one's belief...it's easy to talk about inclusiveness, hard to live it. Here is a person who did...

Thanks to a series of fortunate coincidences, Giovanna Martelli, a member of Parliament for the Italian Left, has taken in three refugees from Nigeria who arrived in Italy by boat last year after long and arduous trips. The politician and her sister are offering housing for Mercy, 32, Favour, 34, and Augustina, 35, until they hear back about their asylum applications.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/italian-politician-nigerian-refugees_us_576840c9e4b015db1bca34b5?utm_hp_ref=world

Big wins for Five Star protest party in Italy elections

The anti-establishment Five Star Movement has made big gains in Italy, winning mayoral races in Rome and Turin, early results show. Virginia Raggi will become Rome's first female leader and Chiara Appendino has been elected Turin mayor.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36569410

India's first three women fighter pilots

The Indian Air Force inducted its first batch of women pilots into its fighter squadron on Saturday: Avani Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth. All of them cleared the first stage of training and have about 150 hours of flying. They will now go to Bidar in Karnataka for their stage-III training on the Advanced Jet Fighter – the British-built Hawk for six months before they are ready to fly supersonic warplanes.

http://www.thebetterindia.com/58738/indian-air-force-women-fighter-pilots/

China’s ambitious “Maritime Silk Road”

Four years and some hundreds of billions of dollars later, China’s ambitious global trading strategy known as the “Maritime Silk Road” or “One Belt, One Road“  is now coming to life, particularly in parts of East Africa where major infrastructure and defense projects are being built.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-silk-road-africa_us_57607839e4b0df4d586e71ec?utm_hp_ref=world

Ramadan fridge

Sumayyah Sayed, a 29-year-old Australian woman living in Dubai, launched the project of sharing fridges in early June, during the first week of Ramadan. Residents are coming forward to set up and stock sharing fridges across the city to make food and drinks available to the poor and hungry during the holy month of Ramadan — when Muslims fast during daylight hours. Food can be deposited or withdrawn from more than 70 sharing fridges in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sharing-fridges-dubai-ramadan_us_5762d428e4b0df4d586f742f?utm_hp_ref=world

A machine that can crush PET bottles and recycle them too

No need to wonder where to discard empty mineral water bottles. All you need to do is insert your bottles in conveniently located machines and walk on.

BioCrux, a compact, automatic and noiseless machine, crushes all polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into chips and pellets first, and then into recyclable flakes.

http://www.thebetterindia.com/58044/biocrux-pet-bottles-recycle/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7b76ffecd0-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-7b76ffecd0-74060141

The deep connect between cars and the radio

Entertainment media becomes obsolete at the speed of light. VCRs, CDs, Walkmans… all have come and gone. But there’s one medium that’s been around even longer than all of those. And it’s still going strong today. It’s the radio. And it’s all because of the automobile. Autos have helped keep the 100-year-old medium popular.

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160613-without-cars-radio-would-be-dead

Isn't it just fantastic? I love the radio....

This container brings the internet to people in remote areas

ZubaBox is a shipping container converted into a solar-powered internet café or classroom for people in need living in remote areas — including refugee camps. The interior of the box can accommodate up to 11 individuals at a time and gives people in traditionally marginalized communities a sense of inclusion while widening their opportunities.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/solar-powered-zubabox-internet-shipping-container-rural-areas-refugee-camps_us_5757155ce4b0b60682df2435?ir=World&section=india&utm_hp_ref=world

The end of the full stop?

The period - the full-stop signal we all learn as children, whose use stretches back at least to the Middle Ages - is gradually being felled in the barrage of instant messaging that has become synonymous with the digital age says David Crystal - a man who understands the power of tradition in language


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160611/jsp/foreign/story_90639.jsp#.V15Dvfl97IV

Helping Wayanad, India, go Carbon neutral

The date: 5 June 2016

The place: Meenangadi, a panchayat in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India

The event: The state's carbon neutrality project was unveiled by the State Finance Minister as the first of many steps the government will be undertaking to make Wayanad the first carbon neutral district in the country.


http://www.thebetterindia.com/57391/meenangadi-wayanad-first-carbon-neutral-project/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e17935b146-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-e17935b146-74060141

Bean to bar

Dana Mroueh, one of Ivory Coast's latest chocolatiers, says, "We want to show to the world that Ivory Coast is rich."

While the West African nation is the world's leading cocoa exporter, it is virtually impossible to find chocolate made in Ivory Coast from Ivorian cocoa. This is beginning to change, albeit on a small scale. There are more and more boutique cafes and chocolatiers selling and making handmade, artisanal Ivorian chocolate.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36417934

Xian'er the chubby, chatty Buddhist robot monk

Standing two feet (60 centimeters) tall, Xian'er is based on a cartoon character created by a Buddhist master at Beijing's Longquan Temple.

He's already attracted a steady stream of admirers to the 1,700-year-old place of worship.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/30/travel/china-buddhism-robot-monk/index.html

An ‘elder awakening’

Quite a few musicians are producing their best works at an advanced age. Naturally, age with its myriad experiences has seasoned their talent and revealed hitherto unknown depths.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160607-do-musicians-get-better-with-age

A true mosaic

The first ever “Miss Trans Israel Pageant” packed an auditorium at the Bima National Theater in Tel Aviv on Friday, to mark the beginning of the 2016 Pride Events in Tel Aviv. The winner of the event – 21-year-old Ta’alin Abu Hanna, a Christian Arab from Nazareth, will represent Israel at the Miss TransStar International pageant in Barcelona in September.

According to a press release put out by the organizers, the contestants “constitute a true Israeli mosaic. With different backgrounds, communities and faiths, they are an example of courage and tolerance, highlighting the theme of this year's Tel Aviv Pride events: "Women for a Change".”

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-Arab-named-first-ever-Miss-Trans-Israel-455218

The one and only Muhammad Ali

Of all that is being written about this great person, this article warmed my heart...

"Muhammad Ali belongs to the world, but he only has one hometown," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer told a crowd of mourners. "The Louisville Lip spoke to everyone, but we heard him in a way no one else could - as our brother, our uncle, and our inspiration."

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36454068


And to go with this:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/05/us/cnnphotos-muhammad-ali-rare-pictures/index.html

A beer older than the Bible

Itai Gutman, a young Jerusalemite started creating his own unique beers in small batches some 10 years ago. Today, beer is not just a profession for Gutman – it’s a labour of love.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160526-a-beer-older-than-the-bible

Restoration of a ten thousand-year-old dead coral reef

In a world first, Indian marine scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) found a dead coral reef from 10,000 years ago in the Gulf of Kutch, and decided to try and revive it. Fascinating!

http://www.thebetterindia.com/52607/world-first-indian-marine-scientists-restore-ancient-dead-coral-reef/?utm_source=The+Better+India+Newsletter&utm_campaign=91765d6594-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-91765d6594-74060141