I first saw this guy in Venice, California in 1998. I was at a window seat in a cute little bistro having dinner with a friend when a flash of pink went by on the sidewalk. Then the pink flash came back again the other way. Then again. It was a high energy ball of pink happiness. But, what was it?

Venice is known for eccentric people, but still, this one stood out. He was in a pink, full body leotard with a built-in hood. He had a cape and a very large, bright smile that covered his entire face. Oh yeah, and he was riding a unicycle, twirling and spinning around, waving uncontrollably to everyone in his line of sight. Seriously, no one got away without a great big wave hello from the Pink Man. I had no idea what this guy was up to. The questions in my head persisted. What in the world was his purpose, and what was he getting out of it? Then, just as quickly as the Pink Man fluterred into view, he was gone. This one-wheeled crazy happy pink person continued on his way, swirling down toward the boardwalk, waving hello to every lost soul he could find.

I had never seen or heard of this guy before and, after that night, I never saw him again. Until a few weeks ago when the Pink Man reappeared in Washington Square Park in New York City. A full seven years later, I was walking with my girlfriend and her brother through the park, people watching and enjoying the eccentricities of NYU students and local Greenwich Village personalities. There were the performance artists, musicians playing prehistoric drums, clowns making spiraling balloon sculptures, break dancers, old men playing Bocce Ball, sly chess players looking for a game (and an easy buck), obsessive parents in the kiddie playground and even more obsessive dog owners in the dog run. And there he was. Off in the distance I could see a flash of pink and two hands waving wildly. Back and forth, spinning and swooping beneath the great arch in the park's north end was the same weird dude I saw in Venice. It was the Pink Man, saving souls on a bright spring day in the city. I still had all the questions left over from our first encounter in Venice -- now was my chance to find the answers once and for all.

As we got closer to the Pink Man under the arch, all the same characteristics from seven years ago came into view. The huge, almost naive smile. The vigorous waving, ensuring that everyone in sight got a hello. The teasing and flirting with anyone and everyone.

"Hey, I saw you in Venice in 1998," I said.

With a great force of vigor, Pink Man dipped his left shoulder, twirled his unicycle in a 270-degree turn back toward me. He shook my hand and put his other hand on my shoulder.

"Yes. Let's see, I lived in Berkeley for a long time, but in 1998 I would have been in Venice. Great to see you."

He was genuinely glad to see me. I could tell. We kept walking and he kept rolling along, somewhat hurried -- there were hundreds of other people he needed to greet.

"Listen, I'm here in New York, but I'm on my way to Europe. Come see me there. Go to my website too: www.PinkMan.net. I'm going to Europe -- to Paris!"

Then he was off. Up and down, back and forth, all throughout the park and the rest of lower Manhattan.

I didn't get a lot of words out of Pink Man, but somehow got all of my questions answered. He's just a guy who lives from place to place, moment to moment, trying to make people feel welcome in this world. He does so by wearing a pink leotard, riding a unicycle, and waving to everyone he sees. He has ambitions greater than you and I. He wants to conquer the world with glee and cheer. He's pink, proud and pleased to help put a smile on your face if only for a day, a moment a flash.

I was stoked to have seen and actually talked to Pink Man some seven years since my first sighting. Somehow, I don't think it'll be the last time. I'll be in Paris in September with my girlfriend. Do you think? I hope we run into each other, because I have a whole new set of questions for him.
go to the Pink Man website

I love the Dragnet style, "just the facts, ma'am," presentation of seven reports of nice people doing nice things in and around Salt Lake City, Utah. Thanks to columnist, Paul Rolly, for this fun article. I hope he continues to feature these small but significant occurrences in his column.
read the piece in The Salt Lake Tribune...

Another random act of kindness in Illinois. The Peoria Journal Star does a great job of gathering nice stories from their readers.
read the story in the Peoria Journal Star...

If any of you out there have any good marketing and/or promotion ideas for NICE Magazine, drop me a line and let's talk.

D. Robert -- New York, NY
drobert@nicemagazine.org

I heard this on Morning Edition while taking a shower yesterday morning. I thought, "damn, this guy is totally jiving with NICE."

Norman Corwin, now in his 90s, is a radio legend and a prolific author of many books, plays and screenplays for TV and film. In that time he has won awards and worked with legends. His words on kindness and compassion are very inspiring, considering that in his lifetime, he has had considerable time to meditate on this subject. The fact that Corwin, in all his wisdom, chose to put this piece together (done so for NPR's "This I Believe" radio series) confirms for me the importance of addressing the declining state of niceness in our society.
read the full piece on the NPR websitel

This is story of 5 year-old Inara Amarsi and 86 year-old Florence Smith, two strangers, and a giant stuffed bunny. Smith gave Miss Amarsi the gift to help the little girl through an extraordinary time of need.
read the Toronto Sun article...

Many newspapers across the country and throughout the world dedicate the occasional column to reporting on nice things that go on around their reading area. The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, Virginia has been running a column called "Gripes and Grins." After several articles of Gripes, here's a good one reporting on Grins. It involves yet another anonymously paid-for meal (see our post entitled, "Anonymous Diner", dated April 6, 2005) and Gummi Bears.
read the article in The Free Lance-Star...

On April 22, Monterey County, California, will celebrate their second annual "Dare to Care Day." An estimated 3,000 people will go out and report on random acts of kindness. All participants will be taking instruction from a local non-profit's website. Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula will be the point organization in coordinating all this niceness.
read the article in The Herald...

Peoria, Illinois is proving to be one of the nicest places in the country, at least according to reported accounts.

Durla, a Florida woman visiting the area to care for a sick aunt, was bombarded with kindness the other day. She was targeted for two random acts of kindness and a scheduled one. It involved a helpful friend, missing money, an understanding waiter and an honest clerk. Not bad for one day.
read the post in the Peoria Journal Star...

Danny Wallace and his Join Me travelling exhibition has named Wakefiled, Yorkshire (England) as the nicest place on Earth.
read the article in Leeds Today...

Hey kids, please give a NICE sunny welcome to Willie. Willie was working outside the place I call my real job and said "Hi" to me as I was walking to buy antacids. When I came back he was still out front so I struck up a conversation with him. Willie is a member of the Doe Fund, (www.doefund.org) he has been with the program five months and is doing ok. The Doe Fund is a New York based non-profit organization whose mission is to help formerly homeless people achieve lives of independence and self-sufficiency. All my best to you Willie, thanks for the NICE chat and for smiling and saying "Hi" to someone who wasn't feeling up to snuff. Keep on truckin' Willie.

t. mac -- New York, NY

Sharing Positive Experiences -- Animals & Kids (SPEAK, for short), a program of the Washington Humane Society, helps teach kids kindness through the kind treatment of animals. If you love pets, this is a cool article to check out.
read the article in The Washington Post...

Hey kids, please give a NICE warm welcome to Sarah. I met Sarah on the R train after she offered my friend her seat. I know, I know, you might be thinking giving up a seat is pretty common, but it’s not. Once you’ve stood on the train next to an 80-year-old woman with the frame of, well, an 80-year-old woman, and watched as absolutely nobody gave their seat up for her, you know random acts of kindness are not customary. Thanks Sarah and have a NICE day!

t. mac -- New York, NY

Joe C. Galante Eisenberg, a sophomore at Binghamton University (State University of New York), pleads with his fellow students to mind their manners at the campus dining hall. He makes the case that students need to start saying please and thank you more often and stop being rude and demanding when talking with food service employees. Eisenberg proves that Generation Y (aka Echo Boomers) is very much concerned with greater societal issues, beyond their iPods and PS2s.
read the commentary in the Pipe Dream...

Tamie Brooks of Stafford, Virginia, tells of how Dianne Bray anonymously bought dinner for her and her niece while searching for cash in the cafeteria line at Mary Washington Hospital. Just a random, out-of-nowhere act of kindness.
read it in The Free Lance-Star...

Tech guru, Serge, watched the men's NIT finals at Madison Square Garden last Thursday, March 31st, between the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the St. Joseph's University Hawks (Philadelphia). Nothing like watching the winning team do the ceremonial cutting of the basketball net. Except, I don't think this feathered friend was on the team roster. Can you guess which team won?

More acts of kindness news.
read the article on The Jackson Channel 16...

You always, always, always hear or read about stories where there's a house fire, family gets displaced and community comes together to help family through ordeal. Well, here's another one. And, you know what? Every time I find such a story, I am going to post it. These stories are truly amazing and I never get tired of reading about them. I think it gives us a hint as to the inherent goodness of the human spirit. Some people think that man is born with evil and is stricken all their lives by it. Some think that man is born pure and innocent, and acquires evil. I don't know the answer, but stories like this, of Bill and Diann Levis of Hampton, New Hampshire, I think help to tip the argument toward the later.
read the article in The Hampton Union...

According to The New York Times -- based on a report to be released by the Foundation Center of New York -- an estimated $32.4 billion spilled out of the nation's roughly 66,000 independent, community and corporate foundations in 2004, compared with $30.3 billion in the prior year, a 4.1 percent increase when adjusted for inflation. The previous two years saw decreases in giving in the 2 percent range for each year.
read the article in The New York Times...

We all pay great respect to the life and death of Pope John Paul II. Christian or not, we all admired and were many ways in awe of the Pope. His politics were very conservative and made the Catholic Church somewhat inaccessible for many of us. Then again, his unwavering convictions and clarity in which he framed his policy were what many of us strive to attain in our own lives.

His campaign to promote the sanctity of life crossed over to very volatile political territory, especially in the Western world. His pro-life viewpoints often clashed with pro-choice proponents. Most recently, the Papal support of Terry Shiavo's parents to prolong her life flew in the face of death with dignity advocates. Whatever your politics, the logic of the Pope's argument was always clear and elegant -- it always boiled down to the recognition and respect for the sanctity of life. Ultimately, and perhaps ironically, he taught us in his final days how truly to die with dignity.

NICE Magazine understands that this is a highly simplistic overview of the Pope and of these highly charged issues. We do not promote any polical points of view. We do, however, think it's important to provoke thought and discussion about certain issues; and often they are of a political nature. It was hard to think of the Pope without thinking of his politics (I know I always have the image in my head of Sinead O'Conner burning the picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live). So then, enough with this disclaimer.

Here's a sampling of some articles about the Pope in our finest local newspapers:

'Genuine kindness' Edmonton Sun...

'John Paul leaves behind a legacy of friendship, kindness' Post-Crescent...

'Nevadans recount encounters with pope, tell of his kindness' Reno Gazette-Journal...

'E.V. Catholics tell of pontiff’s kindness, spirit' East Valley Tribune...

'S. Florida Jewish community laments death of pope' South Florida Sun-Sentinel...

'OTHER VOICES: At heart of pope's legacy is unwavering stand for life' Detroit Free Press...

'Gunman who tried to assassinate Pope says he's mourning' Syndey Morning Herald...

'German Papers: The Pope Wasn't so Bad After All' SPIEGEL...

D. Robert & NICE Staff

Really, this is one of those stories that just make you believe in the goodness of people once again.

Roanna Holden of Ryerson Hardwood Floors in Southeast Portland, befriended a man found sleeping in the doorway of the business. Joe Riley was a flooring laborer who had relocated to Oregon from Florida in hopes of starting a new life for him and his son. Seems what should have been a routine move turned into a nightmare for Riley. A series of mishaps led to his running out of money and options and having to drift from doorway to doorway, lonely, broke and desperate.

Instead of calling the cops or turning Riley away, Holden and the rest of Ryerson took it upon themselves to help Riley get back on his feet. They ended up finding him work back in Florida, buying him a bus ticket to get there and putting him up in a warm motel room until his departure. And for what? Nothing. The folks at Ryerson were just doing what they felt was right. They just wanted to help get Riley's humanity back. Amazing.
see article in The Oregonian...

Instead of hitting the beaches, 100 University of New Hampshire students participating in the Alternative Break Challenge (ABC) spread out throughout the country to do-good. Another story about how our esteemed coeds are deciding to take matters into their own hands. Bravo!
read the article in The New Hampshire...

Ben's Bells is an organization in Tucson, Arizona that has one yearly task -- distribute 1,000 bells across every square mile of the city. Started two years ago by Jeannette Maré-Packard, whose son Ben died from croup, a respiratory disease. Thankful to all of those in the community who supported her during Ben's illness, the Bells are meant to remind people just how much the power of kindness can have on others.
read the article in the Arizona Daily Wildcat...