All Perspectives
What six piles of pennies can mean in Rwanda: why I KivaThe author of 'The International Bank of Bob' lays out the groundwork for establishing 'The International Bank of You.'
The hottest global trend is localBright lights and big cities are impressive. But from home-grown food to neighborhood bike paths, community cleanups to small-time bookstores, local is where life happens.
A new bank for rural poor: the local post officeProviding banking services at post offices around the world could better reach the rural poor, who often live far from any bank.
Green housing: In Buffalo, it's not just for rich peopleCan cities build sustainable housing that's affordable, too? Buffalo, N.Y., did and created a job-training pipeline in the process. Here's what can happen when a neighborhood takes the lead.- Readers RespondReaders Write: GOP can attract Hispanics; Keystone pipeline spells destructionLetters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of March 18, 2013:聽Republicans need to do more to appeal to Hispanic voters, such as emphasizing the need for a better economy and more jobs.聽There is no real argument for increasing US energy security with the Keystone XL pipeline.
Updated water wheels power India's rural mountain economyWooden water wheels have long captured energy from mountain streams. New versions work even better, helping provide a local, sustainable source of energy to Indian villages high in the Himalayas.
Difference MakerKimberly Ritter stands up to child sex trafficking in US hotelsKimberly Ritter discovered that some US hotels harbor a horrifying secret 鈥� child sex trafficking. Now she and her employer are urging the hospitality industry to confront the problem.
An oasis of community and support for Latina momsIn California, many Latina mothers find themselves cut off by domestic responsibilities and language barriers. But with the help of trusted mentors, they鈥檙e learning new skills and strengthening their support networks.- Readers RespondReaders Write: Why suicide rate fell in Japan; Gun ownership for self-defense is based on fearLetters to the Editor for the March 11, 2013 weekly print issue:聽It is the young people of Japan who really deserve the credit for a decrease in suicides 鈥� not the government; Large numbers of citizens carrying a gun for聽self-defense shifts America from the 'land of the free, home of the brave' to 'land of the restricted, home of the fearful.'
Sierra Leone combats the outrage of child soldieringThe Child Soldier Initiative will train the army and police in how to engage with children in combat situations, as well as educate youths about the problem.
Playworks coaches teach games, prevent bullying at recessThe nonprofit group Playworks provides 360 schools in low-income neighborhoods fun, organized activities for children during recess, allowing them to return to class refreshed and ready to learn.
After Newtown: a time for solaceDec. 14, 2012, will long be remembered in Newtown, Conn., and well beyond. Tears will long be shed. Prayers and comfort will long be needed.
Bosnian woman helped make rape a war crimeNusreta Sivac's efforts to gather testimony from women across Bosnia helped win convictions in court and categorized rape as a war crime under international law.
Difference MakerJack Reece helps a Noah's Ark of animals in IndiaFrom elephants to buffaloes, dogs to donkeys, Help in Suffering (HIS), a nonprofit animal welfare group in Jaipur, India, treats animals large and small at low or no cost.
Can music help heal Mali's war wounds?One of Mali's biggest stars, the singer-songwriter Salif Keita, says music can help bring peace and reconciliation to his homeland, which has been torn apart by an Islamist uprising in the north.
Zardozi helps Afghan women stitch together their own businessesThe NGO Zardozi helps women in Afghanistan start their own businesses by using a skill that most of them already know: sewing.
Ding-dong! Living Goods calling with life-changing productsLiving Goods delivers products 'to the doorsteps of the poor' in Uganda and Kenya, such as anti-malaria treatments, fortified foods, solar lamps, reading glasses, and sanitary pads that dramatically improve their health and well-being.
Chinese communism: cause or club?It has long since walked away from its founding principles, but the Chinese Communist Party still has a hammerlock on power in the world's most populous nation. How long will the Chinese people tolerate a ruling clique that can't be voted out of office?
Push for biogas in Kenya asks women to get their hands dirtyWomen are among those being trained as masons to install biogas digesters in Kenya, providing households with cheap, clean energy and helping to slow climate change by replacing wood, gas, or kerosene.- Readers RespondReaders Write: The advantages of a decreasing Western birth rateLetters to the Editor for the March 4 weekly print issue: A聽growing birthrate adds to the problems of global warming, hunger, disease, and warfare;聽Human population should be managed; Since technology is replacing people, why do we need more kids who will grow up to face fewer jobs?
