All Perspectives
Beyond big dams: turning to grass-roots solutions on waterMega-dams and massive government-run irrigation projects are not the key to meeting world鈥檚 water needs, a growing number of experts say. For developing nations, the answer may lie in small-scale measures such as inexpensive water pumps.
Difference MakerLynn Zwerling's knitting group for male prisoners opens up their worldA retired salesperson saw how the act of knitting, and a supportive environment, could calm inmates and even help them give back to society.
'Mama Hawa' helps rape victims in Somalia, wins UN awardHawa Aden Mohamed, a former Somali refugee, returned from safety in Canada to her war-torn country to shelter and train Somalis who have fled war, famine, and violence.
Protecting mangroves is cheaper than building coastal protection, expert saysPreserving mangrove forests helps regulate rainfall, reduce the risk of disasters from extreme weather and sea-level rise, provide breeding grounds for fish, and capture carbon dioxide to slow climate change.
Another way to help your favorite charity: Lend it moneySupporters of the Nature Conservancy can invest funds for a term of one, three, or five years, earn up to 2 percent in interest, and get all their money back.
Mobile tech helps farmers save time, water, electricityAn innovation from an India-based company may transform the way farmers manage their irrigation systems by giving them the ability to turn pumps on and off remotely with their cell phones.
You can call me "A.I."Artificial intelligence may soon reach the point where it can answer questions that make it seem indistinguishable from human intelligence. But machines and humans are a long way from answering the most basic question of all: Where did intelligence itself come from?- Readers RespondReaders Write: Test scores can't measure teachers; Poor civics education threatens US democracyLetters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of September 17, 2012: Many schools no longer teach civics 鈥� or even much history 鈥� leaving students without the聽lessons that create informed, engaged citizens. A teacher's goals 鈥撀爏haping human lives, as well as imparting specific knowledge and skills in the process 鈥� can't fully be measured by numbers on a year-end test.
Activists urge nations to strengthen global cluster bomb treatyA meeting in Oslo, Norway, seeks to strengthen an international agreement to ban cluster bombs. There鈥檚 'no good reason' for any country 'not to come on board and to sign up to the convention,' says the Cluster Munition Coalition, a disarmament group.
Difference MakerDanielle Gletow lends a helping hand to children in foster careShe started One Simple Wish in her home to help people grant 'wishes' to kids in foster care.
Nigeria's Okonjo-Iweala seeks reform without the 'godfathers'Western nations and international agencies admire the reform efforts of Nigeria's new finance minister. But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala faces daunting challenges in cleaning up embedded corruption.
Cash rewards spur poor communities to pay for sanitation projectsThe East Meets West Foundation tries cash awards to encourage families and communities in Vietnam and Cambodia to build latrines and hand-washing devices.- Readers RespondReaders Write: The perils of allowing women in combatLetters to the Editor for the September 10, 2012 weekly print issue: The policy decision to allow women to serve in infantry combat should only be made after diligent consideration of the long-term effects 鈥� on women, the military, and the country.
A lab uses remote sensors to measure how well aid projects workSWEETLab places sensors on latrines, cook stoves, and water filters in the developing world to better understand how they are being used..jpg?alias=standard_600x400)
Looking for new ideas? Get yourself to the developing worldFrom jeans to medical devices, products from India and China are disrupting markets in the West.
The many forms of exploitationAcross the world, women, children, and men are forced or pressured into jobs that keep them in modern-day servitude. Some involve sexual exploitation. Millions more are central to the goods and services the developed world enjoys.
Tropical Storm Isaac triggers microinsurance payment to Haiti's budding entrepreneursIn Haiti, an inexpensive insurance plan helps ensure that female entrepreneurs won't be wiped out by a tropical storm.
Preserving Mexico's folk art masksBill LeVasseur has collected hundreds of Mexican masks from remote villages that now hang on the walls of his museum in San Miguel de Allende. He's singlehandedly preserving a piece of Mexican culture that few realize is still thriving today.- A word about comments on CSMonitor.comWe've shifted our approach. Comments on articles aren't available on most articles. You can still contact us, though.
Six solutions to lifting the world's farm workers out of povertyAgriculture will not be viable while the vast majority of its workforce lives in poverty. Innovative changes can break the cycle of poverty.
