Atlantic Philanthropies: Mobilize Seniors

Atlantic Philanthropies Launches Partnership to Mobilize Seniors (10/04/06)

Atlantic Philanthropies ( http://atlanticphilanthropies.org/ ) has announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiative to help communities mobilize people over the age of 60 in the fight against economic decline, failing schools, urban sprawl, and other serious social issues.

Through research, planning, and community projects, the Community Experience Partnership will work to increase the involvement of seniors in volunteering, employment, and lifelong learning opportunities. During the first phase of the program, thirty community foundations will receive grants of up to $25,000 to assess and better understand the opportunities for older adults to devise creative solutions for problems in their communities. The initial $750,000 in local investments will likely be followed by millions in grants for planning and implementing new programs.

“Tapping the tremendous potential of older adults to improve life for everyone in their communities is at the heart of this initiative,” said Laura Robbins, head of Atlantic’s U.S. Aging Program. “In communities across the U.S., the energy, skills, and experience of people over 60 are ready to be unleashed. Imagine how much stronger communities will be when they choose to benefit from the time and talents of their most experienced citizens.”

“Communities Across America to Tap Boomers’ Experience to Tackle Problems.” Atlantic Philanthropies Press Release. 9/28/06.

• http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10004725/story

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Eye-Catching Images of Nature

Eye-Catching Images of Nature, Made With a Common Machine
Published: October 10, 2006

For the past half century, Dr. Eisner, now an emeritus professor at Cornell, continued his travels in the fields of entomology, evolutionary biology, chemical ecology and conservation. Some of his best-known research was on the explosive chemical outburst of the bombardier beetle, which he and his colleagues analyzed and photographed.

Dr. Eisner became known not only for his research but also for capturing the natural world in astonishing images… Recently, however, the limitations of Parkinson’s disease led Dr. Eisner to explore the capabilities of a new tool for capturing the natural world: the color copier…

How did these images come to be? “…There were only two provisos. Parts had to be laid out upside down on the copier’s stage, because the copier ‘sees’ the stage from beneath, and the arrangements, once composed, had to be covered with a black velvet cloth to exclude ambient light from the picture.”

Copiers, he suggests, might be useful for children, for adults in nursing homes, or for anyone who has limited mobility and access to the natural world. They can produce stunning images. At a cost of a few hundred dollars, he said, every nursing home could have one.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/science/10eisn.html