Young, Foo Fighters, others wow thousands at Central Park concert to call attention to poverty

Neil Young, the Black Keys, Foo Fighters and others wowed thousands who turned out Saturday night for a free concert in Central Park to call attention to poverty worldwide.

Dubbed the Global Citizen Festival, the concert also featured K’naan, John Legend and Band of Horses, with Young’s performance capping off the evening.....

The concert was scheduled around the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month and organizers used an innovative approach to ticket distribution so that many concert-goers were forced to learn about an array of global problems in order to get a ticket.

Anyone wanting free tickets had to register at globalcitizen.org, which then required users to watch videos or read information about poverty-related issues. Each time material was consumed, users could earn points toward a drawing for tickets. Points were also accumulated by sharing information by way of Twitter or Facebook.

Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/tens-of-thousands-attend-central-park-concert-to-call-attention-to-poverty-knaan-begins-show/2012/09/29/c1171a00-0a92-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html

Watch John Legend perform "Imagine" at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZKw0vcj7Ka8#!

Indian PM reclaims title of economic reformer

"India’s Prime Minister has quietly endured months of parliamentary gridlock and unceasing criticism: Time magazine chastised him as an “underachiever” and The Washington Post said his political legacy was destined to be that of a “tragic figure.” Now Mr. Singh has responded with a series of reforms aimed at reviving both economic growth and his image as a vibrant and powerful leader."

Read more at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/indian-pm-reclaims-title-of-economic-reformer/article4568441/

Kandeh Yumkella: Energy chief on a mission to end poverty

U.N. energy chief Kandeh Yumkella knows first-hand what access to electricity can bring to the developing world.

Growing up in the West African country of Sierra Leone, he would often study by candlelight as frequent blackouts would leave his university dormitory without power supply. Today, as director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Yumkella is using his experiences to ensure no one in the world is left in the dark.


Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/20/world/africa/kandeh-yumkella-energy-poverty/index.html

2012 Social Entrepreneur Awardees

These 26 social entrepreneurs "have created organizations that work in very diverse fields, for instance increasing the agricultural productivity of poor farmers in Myanmar, building village-level hydro power plants in Indonesia, providing unemployed youth in the Middle East with skills training and job placements.......

If you are a journalist, tell their story. If you are in the private sector, reflect on whether you can bring core strategic assets of your business to bear on increasing their impact. Only by working much smarter, faster - and most importantly, together - will we solve the urgent social and environmental challenges of our time."

Read them all at: http://www.schwabfound.org/pdf/schwabfound/seoy/2012_Social_Entrepreneurs_Awardees.pdf

16 People Who Worked Incredibly Hard to Succeed

Successful people in every field are often said to be "blessed with talent" or even just lucky.

But the truth is, many worked harder than the average person can even imagine.

From athletes like Michael Jordan to executives like Howard Schultz, these people are known for waking up early and working toward a goal while other people are still in bed, and staying later than everyone else too.

Old fashioned hard work. Anyone can do it. Let these people be an inspiration.

Read more at: http://www.businessinsider.com/16-people-who-worked-incredibly-hard-to-succeed-2012-9

London Paralympics: Profiles of excellence

Ahmed Kelly lives the impossible dream at London Paralympics:
http://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sport/ahmed-kelly-lives-the-impossible-dream-at-london-paralympics/story-fndukor0-1226464881030

Polio survivor dreams of winning medal for Pakistan:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C08%5C28%5Cstory_28-8-2012_pg2_11

Paralympics an inspiration to war-wounded athletes:
http://news.yahoo.com/paralympics-inspiration-war-wounded-athletes-112517668--oly.html

Alex Zanardi takes an emotional gold at Brands Hatch:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/9523221/Paralympics-2012-Alex-Zanardi-takes-an-emotional-gold-at-Brands-Hatch.html