Ode to Ode

There are two magazines that I read--one to scare me and one to make me feel better. The one which I read to make me feel better is Ode Magazine.

Ode is one of the few publications dedicated to promoting good news. You can't describe their magazine better they they did:

"Ode is a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better."

The magazine started out in the mid-90s in Rotterdam, the Netherlands by Jurriaan Kamp and Helene de Puy. Four years ago they moved to San Francisco and began publishing in English. I was introduced to this positive publication by the person who has introduced me to most of the positive things in my life a couple of years ago.

My absolute favorite thing about Ode is that it covers a diverse array of news that you wouldn't find in a magazine like Newsweek or even Utne Reader or Mother Jones. Mainly because of its international scope, but primarily because of its dedication to positivity.

Just give a quick glance at the table of contents of this month's issue. There's articles about practical solutions for global warming, non-toxic cancer treatment, an interview with the inventor of the defibrillator (the heart machine, you know... from ER and Grey's Anatomy "ready... clear!"). This is all in addition to their fabulous regular columns from the likes of Paulo Coelho (brilliant author of the Alchemist, one of my all-time favorites; and I recommend everything else I've read by him, too.)

I like this magazine so much I tend to read each issue two or three times. Read it. Highly recommended. Sure beats the fear-mongering newspapers (not that I don't read those, too...)