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July/August 2025

Newsletter

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https://tinyurl.com/Keeling-Curve-Prize

Terraformation is just one of 10 organizations recognized by the Global Warming Mitigation Project (GWMP) as winners of the 2025 Keeling Curve Prize (KCP). The Keeling Curve Prize — overseen by GWMP, a Brooklyn Story Lab partner — supports organizations developing practical, scalable answers to the climate crisis.

This year, the 10 winning organizations were announced by Jacquelyn Francis, Founder and Executive Director of GWMP, at the TED Countdown Summit main stage in Nairobi, Kenya, awarding $50,000 to each project to help expand their impact in the fight against climate change.

Learn more about the 10 winning organizations — and GWMP — here.

Travel 200 miles from any country’s shoreline and you enter the “High Seas,” the UN’s designation for international waters. The High Seas might as well be the Wild West, as there are few laws that govern this territory, which covers 43% of Earth’s surface (the ocean itself covers 71%). That chaotic lack of law jeopardizes the future health of the ocean, including the Blue Economy: the food that 3 billion people globally count on, and the economic opportunities on which 11% of the planet depends.

Elephant Mothers Elephants are a matriarchal species. This year, World Elephant Day (August 12) is honoring both the matriarch elephants AND the women conservation leaders and rangers in communities in Africa and Asia who are working to protect them.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR BROOKLYN STORY LAB READERS Expert Fundraising Offer for BSL Readers Fundraising is expensive. Yes, it takes money to make money, and hiring a consultant can be hugely impactful, but doing so can also be costly. For startups or small nonprofits already reeling from the shock and awe of recent political events, that can create a barrier to entry that has existential implications. Our strategic partners at boutique fundraising firm Hudson Ferris have come up with a dynamic solution: a new platform called Margaret, which democratizes the fundraising experience at an affordable price point (hundreds a month as opposed to thousands). Membership offers unlimited fundraising questions from experts in the field via the platform. Margaret already includes partners such as Civic Hall (which has 62,000 members), fundraising CMS platform Arreva, and donor-research tool DonorAtlas, the latter two of which have integrated Margaret into their platforms. To learn more about Margaret — and a special introductory package for the Brooklyn Story Lab community — visit here. Take a Video Tour of Margaret

July/August Calendar Though the new Administration has banned references to many, there are social-awareness days or tentpole events every month that can help organizations like yours connect to a larger, purpose-driven audience. By creating content connected to these key dates, you have the potential to create viral experiences. Here are the global dates that stand out to us in July and August. 6/30-7/3: Green Climate Fund Board Meeting (Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea) 6/30-7/3: International Business Forum (Seville, Spain) 6/30-7/4: SDG Investment Fair (Seville, Spain) 7/6-7/7: BRICS Summit (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) 7/7-7/11: Montreal Protocol, 47th Meeting (Bangkok, Thailand) 7/7-7/25: International Seabed Authority Assembly (Kingston, Jamaica) 7/8-7/11: AI for Good Global Summit (Geneva, Switzerland) 7/11: World Population Day 7/12: International Day of South-South Cooperation 2024 7/12: International Malala Day 7/14-7/23: UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (New York, U.S.) 7/17: Day of International Criminal Justice 7/18: Nelson Mandela International Day 7/27-7/29: UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) 7/29: International Tiger Day 7/31: World Ranger Day 8/5-8/8: UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (Awaza, Turkmenistan) 8/9: International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 8/10: World Lion Day 8/12: International Youth Day 8/12: World Elephant Day 8/19: World Humanitarian Day 8/20: World World Mosquito Day Day 8/23: International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition 8/24-8/28: World Water Week (Stockholm, Sweden) 8/26: Women’s Equality Day 8/27: World Lake Day 8/29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests Ask us how to create noteworthy content that connects with these dates for your purpose-driven organization or brand — or how to get more attention for your social media, digital media, or feature stories. Contact Us Let’s Tell Your Story Brooklyn Story Lab is a globally focused media consultancy that creates content solutions for purpose-driven organizations, with a particular focus on their social good commitments. Our work is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals — a blueprint for making sure no one on the planet is left behind. If you would like your purpose-driven project to reach new audiences and deliver more impact, we’d love to help you tell the story through our Content Solutions:   Articles and Impact Stories Brand Strategy Campaign Ideation and Execution Content Strategy and Storytelling Fundraising Collateral and Strategy Newsletters Op-Eds and Thought Leadership Podcasts: Audio and Video Seminars, Panels, and Moderated Events Social Media Campaigns and Events Storytelling Workshops Strategic Partnerships Video: Longform and Short Web Design and Development Please send us more information about your project so we can help you get started. Fill out our contact form here, or email info@brooklynstorylab.net.   Get in Touch

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Earth Day Sizzle Reel

from Times Square

April 22, 2025

Please donate here and possibly win a trip to the Montauk Manor:   https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/

Also, here is an interview that Paul Sladkus did with Cheryl Wills from Spectrum NY 1 before the broadcast on April 22, Cheryl is a leader in the broadcast industry, and it was an honor to be interviewed by her, so we share it again.

Paul Sladkus joins

one of America’s Leading Hosts

Cheryl Wills

NY 1, for Earth Day

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO BE INVOLVED BY SPONSORING, DONATING, AND VOLUNTEERING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE & CLIMATE WEEK KICK~OFF CONCERT IN TIMES SQUARE ON SEPTEMBER 20,21, 2025… CALL 212 647 1212 or email me paul.sladkus1@gmail.com

Please donate here and possibly win a trip to the Montauk Manor:   https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/

Lastly, if you care about your money, please tune in to WOR 710 Radio on Sunday at 10:30 AM. Here you can listen and call in to Legal Expert and Elder Care Lawyer, 14 Year NYS Representative and Dr. Phil, ET, Good Morning America…Guest Lawyer, Ann-Margaret Carrozza, ESQ. 

Ann is BRILLIANT, AND YOUR MONEY IS BRILLIANT, AND YOU ARE BRILLIANT IF YOU ARE SMART ENOUGH TO PROTECT IT.

Paul Sladkus is Ann’s Co-Host. Email me paul.sladkus1@gmail.com if you want me to ask her a question, or just call in (800-321-0710) and listen; it might be one of the most important programs in you and your family’s life.

Ann-Margaret Carrozza,

Asset Protection Lawyer,

WOR 710 AM

CALL IN Radio

LIVE Every

Sunday at 1030am

STAY WELL

Please support our nonprofit, 501 C 3, Good News Corporation at http://goodnewsplanet.com/peacedayparty/peace-day-donations/

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: “All we are is what we are with each other.” Zeal 

With Respect. Love and May Peace Prevail on Earth,  For Information Contact: 

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual,

Founder, Good News Corporation 501 C 3 212 647 1212 paul.sladkus1@gmail.com  and our Good News and Peace Worldwide Team who make our Peace Day 9/21 happen.

www.pausetheworldforpeace.org,www.goodnewsplanet.TV, www.youtube.com/goodnewsbroadcast

Social Networks: www.Facebook.com/PaulSladkus, LinkedIn Paul Sladkus, Twitter/X Good News to Go, Instagram PausetheWorld

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: ALL WE ARE IS WHAT WE ARE WITH EACH OTHER. ZEAL

For more information contact: 

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual 212 647 1212

New York, NY, Montauk, NY

PS – SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS: Looking for a vacation rental, SHORT TERM, in Montauk, this year and or entire summer in 2026, here is our listing https://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2025/04/16/36000-2br-one-of-a-kind-summer-rental-opportunty-historic-montauk-manor-montauk/  call me. Paul 917 687 1790

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By Emily Anthes

• Published Oct. 26, 2021Updated Oct. 27, 2021

The brain of a fruit fly is the size of a poppy seed and about as easy to overlook.

“Most people, I think, don’t even think of the fly as having a brain,” said Vivek Jayaraman, a neuroscientist at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia. “But, of course, flies lead quite rich lives.”

Flies are capable of sophisticated behaviors, including navigating diverse landscapes, tussling with rivals and serenading potential mates. And their speck-size brains are tremendously complex, containing some 100,000 neurons andtens of millions of connections, or synapses, between them.

Since 2014, a team of scientists at Janelia, in collaboration with researchers at Google, have been mapping these neurons and synapses in an effort to create a comprehensive wiring diagram, also known as a connectome, of the fruit fly brain.

The work, which is continuing, is time-consuming and expensive, even with the help of state-of-the-art machine-learning algorithms. But the data they have released so far is stunning in its detail, composing an atlas of tens of thousands of gnarled neurons in many crucial areas of the fly brain.

And now, in an enormous new paper, being published on Tuesday in the journal eLife, neuroscientists are beginning to show what they can do with it.

By analyzing the connectome of just a small part of the fly brain — the central complex, which plays an important role in navigation — Dr. Jayaraman and his colleagues identified dozens of new neuron types and pinpointed neural circuits that appear to help flies make their way through the world. The work could ultimately help provide insight into how all kinds of animal brains, including our own, process a flood of sensory information and translate it into appropriate action.

It is also a proof of principle for the young field of modern connectomics, which was built on the promise that constructing detailed diagrams of the brain’s wiring would pay scientific dividends.

“It’s really extraordinary,” Dr. Clay Reid, a senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, said of the new paper. “I think anyone who looks at it will say connectomics is a tool that we need in neuroscience — full stop.”

Electron microscope imagery of fly neurons. Computer algorithms were used to pinpoint where individual neurons connect, then researchers checked the computer’s work and filled in missing pieces.Credit…Matt Staley, Janelia Research Campus

‘Your fly brain is cooked’

The only complete connectome in the animal kingdom belongs to the humble roundworm, C. elegans. The pioneering biologist Sydney Brenner, who would later go on to win a Nobel Prize, started the project in the 1960s. His small team spent years on it, using colored pens to trace all 302 neurons by hand.

“Brenner realized that to understand the nervous system you had to know its structure,” said Scott Emmons, a neuroscientist and geneticist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who later used digital techniques to create new C. elegans connectomes. “And that’s true across biology. Structure is so important.”

Brenner and his colleagues published their landmark paper, which clocked in at 340 pages, in 1986.

But the field of modern connectomics did not take off until the 2000s, when advances in imaging and computing finally made it feasible to map the connections in larger brains. In recent years, research teams around the world have started assembling connectomes of zebrafish, songbirds, mice, humans and more.

When the Janelia Research Campus opened in 2006, Gerald Rubin, its founding director, set his sights on the fruit fly. “I don’t want to offend any of my worm colleagues, but I think flies are the simplest brain that actually does interesting, complex behavior,” Dr. Rubin said.

Several different teams at Janelia have embarked on fly connectome projects in the years since, but the work that led to the new paper began in 2014, with the brain of a single, five-day-old female fruit fly.

Researchers cut the fly brain into slabs and then used a technique known as focused-ion beam scanning electron microscopy to image them, layer by painstaking layer. The microscope essentially functioned like a very tiny, very precise nail file, filing away an exceedingly thin layer of the brain, snapping a picture of the exposed tissue and then repeating the process until nothing remained.

“You’re simultaneously imaging and cutting off little slices of the fly brain, so they don’t exist after you’re done,” Dr. Jayaraman said. “So if you screw something up, you’re done. Your goose is cooked — or your fly brain is cooked.”

The team then used computer vision software to stitch the millions of resulting images back together into a single, three-dimensional volume and sent it off to Google. There, researchers used advanced machine-learning algorithms to identify each individual neuron and trace its twisting branches.

Finally, the Janelia team used additional computational tools to pinpoint the synapses, and human researchers proofread the computers’ work, correcting errors and refining the wiring diagrams.

Last year, the researchers published the connectome for what they called the “hemibrain,” a large portion of the central fly brain, which includes regions and structures that are crucial for sleep, learning and navigation.

The connectome, which is accessible free online, includes about 25,000 neurons and 20 million synapses, far more than the C. elegans connectome.

“It’s a dramatic scaling up,” said Cori Bargmann, a neuroscientist at the Rockefeller University in New York. “This is a tremendous step toward the goal of working out the connectivity of the brain.”

Welcome to orientation

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Guest speaker Chelsea Clinton shared a story about her parents being the first in their families to seek higher education. The 2013 Nobel Peace Prize contender and education activist, Malala Yousafzai, sent a special video-taped message applauding India for the gains it has made in making primary education universal and reminding the audience of all that remains to be done in other parts of the world. Hollywood and Bollywood actor Omi Vaidya emceed the gala for the second year in a row, and King of Bhangra, Bikram Singh, closed out the evening with his melodic, high-energy music.

A live telepresence with children at a Pratham school in Pune, India, was one of the highlights of the evening, along with live and silent auctions that had guests out-bidding each other throughout the evening. To watch a video news release from the gala, please click here.

“What sets an organization like Pratham completely apart is that we are run almost fully by volunteers,” said Dinyar Devitre, Chairman of Pratham’s Tristate Chapter Board. “From our programs in India to our galas all over America, volunteers dedicate hundreds of hours of their time, allowing us to utilize 96% of the monies we raise directly for the children.”

Since its start in Mumbai 20 years ago, Pratham has become one of the most influential forces in India’s educational system. It currently serves the education needs of underprivileged children in 20 of India’s 28 states and is one of the WORLD’s largest non-profit organizations in the field of primary education. Pratham’s innovations have been recognized with the Kravis Prize for Leadership, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and most recently, the WISE Prize, which is equated with a Nobel in Education, for its CEO & Co-founder, Dr. Madhav Chavan, who spoke at the gala about four of Pratham’s major programs: Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), Read India, Second Chance, and Vocational Training.

“I applaud Pratham for the strides it has made in helping expand quality education for every child in India,” said Chelsea Clinton. “Pratham’s strategy of engaging all the sectors that need to work together to ensure any child anywhere gets the education he or she deserves — the government, businesses and private citizens that work collectively toward a common goal — is remarkable and should be the model followed by other countries who have similar education challenges around the world.”

About Pratham:  Pratham’s strategy centers on recruiting youth from the communities it serves and training them as teachers. More than 62,000 volunteers reach two million children in 20,000 villages. For information about Pratham’s programs and to get involved, please visit www.prathamusa.org. To watch a recent PBS NewsHour segment about Pratham’s work in India, please click here.

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KMART® AND MARCH OF DIMES® CELEBRATE $100 MILLION RAISED FOR HEALTHY BABIES
March of Dimes Presents $1 Million Grant in Honor of Kmart Fundraising Milestone

Hoffman Estates, Ill. (April 11, 2012) – In one of the most significant fundraising achievements by one company for a singular cause, Kmart announced it has reached the $100 million fundraising milestone in support of March of Dimes. After nearly three decades of charitable giving by its customers and associates, March of Dimes will recognize Kmart for its fundraising efforts with a $1 million grant in honor of the retailer for transdisciplinary research into premature birth. The grant will help fund clinical studies with scientists from different fields working together to investigate areas including maternal genetic biomarkers, placental function and genetics, and the patterns of preterm births in the U.S., among others.

As part of Kmart’s ongoing commitment to children’s health and wellness, the retailer will collaborate with March of Dimes for the 29th consecutive year to raise funds to help improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

“We are delighted to have reached such a remarkable fundraising milestone, with $100 million raised, to help improve the health of babies tomorrow,” said Lou D’Ambrosio, CEO and president, Sears Holdings. “Our associates and customers have proven the very principle on which March of Dimes was founded—that many people giving a little can make a tremendous impact. But, we can’t stop here. We challenge everyone to contribute in some way today, one small act of kindness, because together we can make an enormous difference.”

As the March of Dimes’ longest-standing corporate supporter, the two organizations have helped achieve a six percent decline According to March of Dimes. in the premature birth rate, yet more than 1,400 babies are born prematurely every day. In fact, the rate of premature birth in the U.S. has increased According to March of Dimes.  by 36 percent in the last 25 years, proving that there is still much work to be done.

“Kmart has been a cornerstone of March of Dimes since we began our formal relationship many years ago,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of March of Dimes. “The $100 million raised by Kmart has helped March of Dimes fund remarkable medical advances and successful programs of education, community-level services and advocacy to improve infant survival in the U.S. Thanks to the continued support of Kmart’s customers and associates, we are able to help improve the health for mothers and babies around the nation.”

To celebrate this achievement, Kmart and March of Dimes held a special event today at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, the historic home of the late Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, who helped found March of Dimes. The event featured speeches from Deidra Merriwether, SVP, Chief Operating Officer – Sears and Kmart formats, Dr. Jennifer Howse, President, March of Dimes and Kristina Theiss Manganiello, a mother of premature twins, who shared her inspiring story. The event also included 100 moms and dads who represent those who have been helped by the $100 million raised by Kmart and countless babies who have benefitted.

For the 20th consecutive year, Kmart also is a national sponsor for the annual March for Babies® walks, which will take place this spring in 900 communities across the country. This year, March of Dimes anticipates that more than seven million people will walk to raise money and awareness to give hope to the more than half a million babies born too soon each year. Since 1970, the March for Babies has raised $2 billion to benefit all babies.

Kmart encourages people to support March of Dimes by participating in their local March for Babies walk or by making a donation at any Kmart store nationwide through June 23, 2012. For more information on how to donate or find the nearest March for Babies walk, visit www.kmart.com/kmartforkids or www.marchforbabies.org.

About Kmart
Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a mass merchandising company that offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that includes Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, Country Living, Route 66 and Smart Sense. For more information visit the company’s website at www.kmart.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

About March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  Its mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.

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Michael Fischman Shares Easy Techniques That Relieve Stress, Promote Healing and Increase Happiness Tried By More Than 25 Million People, and Used To Increase Productivity And Work-Life Balance At Companies from IBM To NASA.

What: Stress Relief, Relaxation Techniques, and a Look at the New Book: STUMBLING INTO INFINITY: An Ordinary Man In The Sphere of Enlightenment

Who: Michael Fischman, U.S. President of the Art of Living Foundation
Stress causes untold illnesses, billions of dollars in work absenteeism, and generally takes the joy out of our lives. How can we learn to reduce stress, improve our health, and increase our happiness?

Michael Fischman takes that question personally, and has made it his lifes work to help people learn to relax, de-stress, and enjoy greater clarity of mind. As the U.S. President of the Art of Living Foundation, Fischman travels across the country and around the world, teaching people techniques for reducing stress and improving their lives in every way imaginable. His new book, STUMBLING INTO INFINITY: An Ordinary Man In The Sphere of Enlightenment (Morgan James, October 2010), tells the story of how he learned to seek serenity, and gives readers a never before seen look into a road of meditation and peace of mind.

No matter what your age, gender, profession, health, state of mind, or level of stress, Michael will share tips on stress relief, and in an interview will also discuss.

What stress is, and quick fixes to relieve stress at a moments notice

The four forms of Prahna, the subtle life force energy that controls our lives

Easy ways to increase our energy flow and reduce anxiety

How simple breathing can be used as a tool to calm the mind

Real scientific studies that show the health benefits of meditation and breathing techniques

How the foods we eat affect the way we think and feel

Why corporations from IBM to NASA have used Michaels APEX program to increase productivity and create a better work-life balance
michael fischman

His new book, the story of how he became President of Art of Living, and how others can get involved and learn these techniques The founder of the Art of Living foundation, Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and a little bit about his background as a humanitarian and spiritual leader.

Fischman will share how he first got involved and helped to found the Art of Living Foundation, and how everyone can benefit from their philosophy, relaxation techniques, and service to others.

Whether you work in a fast paced environment, are a student, a mother, have health issues, or simply want to learn how to relax, Michael Fischman can give you the golden keys to a stress free life that will open the door to your potential and happiness.

About The Author

Michael Fischman is a leader in the field of personal development. He is a founding member and current president of the U.S. Art of Living Foundation, a global non-profit educational and humanitarian organization, and is also the CEO of the APEX course, the corporate training division of the International Association for Human Values. A former advertising executive with Ogilvy & Mather, and an inspiring speaker, Fischman travels across the U.S. and around the world leading personal-development seminars that bring greater peace, awareness, and fulfillment to daily life. He current lives in Boca Raton Florida. For more information, visit www.Stumblingintoinfinity.com or www.artofliving.org.

About The Art of Living Foundation

The Art of Living Foundation is one of the worlds largest volunteer-based non-governmental organizations. Offering both educational and humanitarian programs, it holds consultative status with the U.N. and has reached people in more than 150 countries. Programs are offered for youth, business, government, prisons, people with HIV or AIDS, trauma and disaster relief, and more. Founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, its programs of personal development and stress relief have reached more than twenty-five million people.

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