Born in 1915, Thomas Merton was was an American Trappist monk, writer, mystic, poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. He wrote more than 70 books (including his bestselling autobiography Seven Story Mountain, published in 1948) over the course of his life, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a form of pacifism that was […]
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. Even before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work, Milne was a noted writer (primarily as a playwright). Even more notably, after fighting in WWI in the British Army, Milne wrote a scathing denunciation of […]
Monty Python was a British comedy troupe primarily composed of six men — Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. — who conceived, wrote, and performed the sketch comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Their skits uniquely combined brilliant comedic timing, […]
Morris “Morrie” Schwartz was an author and a sociology professor at Brandeis University. The subject of the best-selling book Tuesdays with Morrie (written by Mitch Albom), Morrie epitomized what it can mean to be a human being – via the joy with which he danced, via the earnestness with which he treated others, and via […]
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in January of 1942, Ali is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport’s history. A controversial and polarizing figure during his early career, Ali is today widely regarded as much for the values he exemplified outside the boxing ring as he is revered […]
Originally an illegal immigrant, Jorge is the founder of the An Angel in Queens Foundation, a non-profit organization that delivers free home-cooked meals to the poor in Queens, New York. In 2004, Muñoz began his labor of Love, initially collecting food from local businesses and handing out meals to underprivileged people three nights a week. […]
Born June of 1966, Mutombo is a Congolese American retired NBA professional basketball player. Now retired from professional sports, he has become even more well known for his humanitarian work. As a 7 ft 2 in, 260-pound center, Dikembe was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players of all time, winning the NBA […]
Richard Nares lost his son in 2000 to a battle with cancer, and along the way met dozens of families with children fighting a similar fight – families that didn’t have the means &/or the support to regularly get their children to treatment centers; single moms forced to take leave from jobs without pay, kids […]
Despite free primary education being mandated 10 years ago by the Kenyan government, educating girls is still not a priority for the rural Maasai culture. According to the Kenyan government, only 11% of Maasai girls in Kenya finish primary school. In addition, even though the practices of genital mutilation and child marriage are now illegal […]
Released in 2000, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” is an adventure comedy film written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film’s story is a modern satire loosely based on Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. It follows the tale of three verbally proficient yet […]
Kenneth Nichols O’Keefe is an American-Irish-Palestinian citizen, a peace activist, and a former United States Marine and Gulf War veteran. By his own admission, he was discharged from the U.S. Marines because he “spoke out openly about abuse of power by my ‘superiors,’ and as a consequence I paid a heavy price. I realized that […]
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