All Perspectives
How to change WashingtonWashington isn鈥檛 working, the thinking goes.聽But what if that sentiment is wrong? What if Washington is working pretty much as it is set up to do?
Difference MakerOn a mission to make Philadelphia the most accessible US city for the artsThe benefits of experiencing the arts are well documented, but some people can be left out. This story looks at how one man and his organization have made progress in addressing this challenge.
Readers RespondReaders write: Mothers and forgiveness, reality of homelessness, how 鈥楤lack Panther鈥� affects Africans, tariffs explained for average reader, high taxes vs. life choicesLetters to the editor for the May 28, 2018 weekly magazine.
Can the Arctic teach the world to cooperate?Must exploitation and conflict inevitably accompany exploration and expansion? Or can we learn the lessons of the past and reap the benefits of expansion without falling prey to its temptations?
Readers RespondReaders write: Celebrating workers, the hearts of parents, libraries in danger, direction for White HouseLetters to the editor for the May 21, 2018 weekly magazine.聽聽
For more US parents, paid family leave becomes realityCalifornia led the way by being the first state to provide paid family leave for workers to care for sick family members or to bond with a new child. In January, the state expanded its benefits. The idea is gaining ground in the United States, showing a shift toward more compassionate workplace practices.聽
How these women crochet sleeping mats for homeless people out of plastic bagsUsually, plastic bags are solely utilitarian, and more and more, they鈥檙e maligned. But senior housing residents in Milton, Mass., are creating something eye-catching out of them 鈥� and humane.
Points of ProgressBehind death penalty鈥檚 sharp global decline, a shift in attitudes?When the United Nations was created in 1945, only eight countries had abolished capital punishment. Today, that number stands at more than 100. In nearly another 40 countries where the death penalty is still legal, the practice has been reduced.
When you鈥檙e the one who needs help: five ideasAs the head of a philanthropic organization, the writer of this column has seen what can be helpful to those in need. Here are her insights.
Finding the good beyond the crisisBy most metrics, Puerto Rico is not a success story. Yet Whitney鈥檚 story points to why it is too simplistic to look only at the negative 鈥� or only at the positive.
Readers RespondReaders write: Unique approach to urban renewal, chatting about books, salute to Steve, tribute to Billy Graham, gun violence reaction, change for 鈥榗olonias鈥�Letters to the editor for the May 14, 2018 weekly magazine.
Difference MakerShe wasn鈥檛 an environmental expert, but now she has a 鈥楪reen Nobel鈥�Claire Nouvian helped to secure an EU ban on deep-sea trawling and has received a Goldman Environmental Prize, which is given to grass-roots environmentalists who are struggling for change.
How progress drives purificationStaff writer Ryan Lenora Brown had gone to Cape Town, South Africa, to report on 鈥淶ero Day鈥� 鈥� the day the city鈥檚 faucets were going to go dry because of drought. But there had been a development.
Difference MakerHe鈥檚 building a record about those persecuted because of their religionThe Rev. Patrick Desbois didn鈥檛 set out to be an expert in the methods of genocide. But he was drawn to find answers about mass graves left by Nazi firing squads, and he鈥檚 taken up the plight of Yazidis in Iraq.
Readers RespondReaders write: Technology of the Olympics, emotions evoked by the beauty of the Olympics, the layers of another cultureLetters to the editor for the May 7, 2018 weekly magazine.
Points of ProgressOne way the US is working out its homeless problemAt a time when half a million people in America are homeless, an Albuquerque homeless work program has sparked more than 20 similar initiatives across the country.
Where maple syrup meets global economicsThe recent upheaval in Western democracies has several causes, but perhaps the greatest is this: How are they coming to terms with their shifting role in the global economy?
Readers RespondReaders write: Lifting humanity through a story, prayer after mass shootings, making sense of confusing eventsLetters to the editor for the April 23, 2018-April 30, 2018 weekly magazine.聽
Points of ProgressHow the world made macro strides in curbing microbeadsBefore the United States' decision to ban the tiny plastic exfoliants found in cosmetics and face washes, an estimated 3 trillion microbeads found their way into American waterways and other habitats each year. Britain, Canada, and New Zealand have since passed similar bans.
To improve the world, enlist girls, tooLike other girls in her south Indian village, Kousalya Radakrishnan was told to stay at home, marry young, and have lots of babies. If she and a number of her teenage friends had listened, her village would have worse sanitation, fewer library books, and no streetlights.
