Radiohead Joins the Gift Economy
Radiohead's new album, In Rainbows will be out Oct. 10. What makes it easily the most important release in the recent history of the music business are its record label and its retail price: there is none, and there is none. In Rainbows will be released as a digital download available only via the band's web site, Radiohead.com. Drop the albums' 15 songs into the online checkout basket and a ques... posted on Oct 02 2007, 1,945 reads

Bill Clinton & My Commitment
Bill Clinton recently introduced MyCommitment.org, a new initiative which aims to provide all people with the resources to take action and make a real change in their communities and around the world. The website is inspired by the idea that as global citizens, we all have the unprecedented ability to help others achieve their dreams and realize a better future. Anyone -- regardless of age, incom... posted on Sep 30 2007, 3,651 reads

Promoting Peace Through Employment
For Ron Bruder, the tragedy of 9/11 served as a pivot point into active philanthropy. A real estate developer from NY, he was particularly interested in tackling the social conditions that potentially lead to violence -- specifically, the lack of jobs. The time he had spent doing business in Northern Ireland confirmed Bruder's notion that the path to peace and democracy lay not in military interve... posted on Sep 28 2007, 3,034 reads

Bangladesh's Floating Clinic
She'd always known that most of her 147 million fellow Bangladeshis lived in poverty. But when Runa Khan travelled through the country, she understood for the first time just how hard life could be. Back home, she cried for days. "There was so much misery, there," she remembers. "I couldn’t walk away from this problem." Khan, 48, resolved to find ways to help residents of northern Bangladesh get... posted on Sep 27 2007, 2,039 reads

A 22,000 Mile Run
It is a strange sight to see: a woman running down a Pennsylvania’s Route 45 with a large cart in tow. 60-year-old Rosie Swale Pope has been running since she left her home in Wales nearly four years ago. Rosie, as she's called, is trying to raise awareness about the importance of being screened early for cancer. If you can save someone's life by reminding them to go for an early checkup that's... posted on Sep 26 2007, 1,867 reads

Born Free Art School
He's walked the tightrope at a circus, worked the midnight shift in a silk factory, been part-time ragpicker and a fulltime beggar on the streets of Bangalore. A long CV for a 13-year-old but the past isn't what Nagaraj likes to talk about. Though he can still amaze you by sprinting across a parapet in true circus style, it's his skills with the brush that this blossoming artist is most keen to sh... posted on Sep 19 2007, 2,718 reads

An Epidemic of Volunteerism
Polls show that while confidence in America's democracy and government is near an all-time low, volunteerism and civic participation since the '70s are near all-time highs. In 2006 more than 61 million Americans dedicated 8.1 billion hours to volunteerism. Political scientists are perplexed about this. If confidence is so low, why would people bother volunteering? The explanation offered by this T... posted on Sep 13 2007, 2,551 reads

Kabul's Heroes of Healing
Orthopedic specialist Najmuddin Helal has just one requirement for prospective recruits at Afghanistan's largest prosthetics workshop in Kabul. Watching staff from technicians to security guards to helpers in the centre's physiotherapy sessions walk past with unsteady gaits, it's easy to spot. They are all disabled, and nearly 80 percent of them are landmine victims. "We employ only disabled," smi... posted on Sep 11 2007, 1,907 reads

A Village Transformed By Light
In Gudda, a village with very little, residents are literally beaming. Just two years ago, villagers had never seen light after dark, unless it came from the moon. Then, solar light arrived and changed everything. There are no real roads that lead to this tiny village in Rajasthan that houses about 100 families. There is no electricity -- power lines don't extend out here. Water is scarce, too. T... posted on Sep 07 2007, 1,813 reads

Ten Amazing Women You've Never Heard Of
There are plenty of women in the news, and while some are good role models, many aren't. So where are the role models? Sure, there are high profile heavyweights but what about the women who have blazed trails or championed causes who don't get daily headlines? There are thousands of them out there, yet their names don't often make the nightly newscasts or get mentioned in dinner party conversation... posted on Sep 05 2007, 6,101 reads