All Perspectives
Progress WatchUS violent crime rate down for fifth straight yearAlthough crime historically spikes during hard economic times, the US is currently bucking that trend. Both the national violent crime rate and murder rate were down in 2011, reports the FBI.
The goal: Help India's poorest of the poor brickmakersIrish nonprofit GOAL teaches seasonal brickmakers in Kolkata to read and do math, a crucial step toward self-sufficiency.
Country star switches from feudin' to healin'Country music singer Toby Keith, once known for his acrimonious feud with the country trio the Dixie Chicks, now spends his time raising funds to build a center to improve the lives of children receiving medical treatment and their families.
Does nation-building work?The term "nation-building" smacks of colonialism. But when war has broken a country, nation-building is a moral duty -- and the best way to build is with equal parts outside and inside effort.
Points of ProgressAs Europe peers into economic chasm, Africa's economy is risingReports by the African Development Bank, World Bank, and McKinsey show how Africa continues to offer a bright spot in the global economy.
Beyond standardized tests 鈥� teaching empathyMore than ever children need skills in how to work with changing teams of collaborators and how to seek solutions rooted in the needs of others, the author says.
Difference MakerIndia's feisty 鈥� and effective 鈥� environmental championSunita Narain has learned that being an environmentalist in India means being an advocate for the poor 鈥� and for immediate action.
Difference MakerChina's Great Leap Forward: One man's quiet crusade to remember the disasterMao Zedong's Great Leap Forward campaign aimed to launch China into a Communist utopia. It ended in famine that killed tens of millions 鈥� a disaster that Beijing is still reluctant to acknowledge.
Versatile engines power up rural African villagesMultifunction platforms (MFPs), engines powered by diesel or local vegetable oil, can do everything from turning on the lights to milling grain and powering tools.
Heat-absorbing ceramic stoves cut fuel useIn Malawi, a new kind of cooking stove made from local materials requires much less fuel than traditional stoves, cutting the need for firewood and benefiting families and the environment.
Nigerian banker urges a businesslike approach to poverty in AfricaTony Elumelu, who has become one of Africa鈥檚 most prominent philanthropists, calls his idea 'Africacapitalism' 鈥� an African-run effort that uses business concepts to fight poverty.- Readers RespondReaders Write: Death penalty can reduce suffering; Gun laws protectLetters to the Editor for the June 4, 2012 weekly print magazine: We can't apply a simplistic 'cost-benefit' analysis to the death penalty.聽Stand Your Ground laws give Americans the freedom to defend ourselves with force, but don't guarantee we will use it.
Doing well by doing goodAltruism in the glue of society, the "social capital" that binds human and financial capital. Communities where people care for one another also have lower unemployment rates and higher quality of life.
Catchafire matches talented volunteers with opportunities to serveCatchafire 鈥� with 10,000 volunteers and 2,500 organizations signed up 鈥� connects skilled professionals with meaningful volunteer projects.
Difference MakerFrom the good life to digging up land mines in CambodiaWhile living in Palm Springs, Calif., with retirement looming, Bill Morse chose to move to Cambodia to help activist Aki Ra rid the country of land mines that kill and maim.
From gangs to gardens: Community agriculture transforms a San Francisco neighborhoodTen years ago, the residents of a crime-ridden San Francisco neighborhood started planting gardens on Quesada Avenue 鈥� and everything changed.
Progress WatchIn Saudi Arabia, a quiet tide of reformDeclining the revolutionary model that Egypt established in overthrowing Mubarak, Saudi reformers are working for a shift in mind-sets as well as policies 鈥� and making headway.- Progress WatchSaudi girls find freedom in cleatsA high-energy evening soccer game between two girls' teams is part of a growing female sports movement in conservative Saudi Arabia.
Five microcredit programs innovate to break the cycle of povertyMicrocredit programs in developing countries now include other features such as connections to markets and savings accounts, as well as business development, health, and education services.- Readers RespondReaders Write: Does gun ownership kill or preserve life?Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of May 28, 2012: Armed defense is effective when talking isn't. Don't stereotype gun owners. Time to end the devastation from America's 'gun culture.'
