From Conflict to Cooperation
This year a team, which included a New York firefighter, an Israeli excombat pilot and a Ukrainian soldier, embarked on a journey across the Sahara Desert. Each had lost friends or family as a result of international conflicts and all had strong opinions on war, peace and political ideologies. Beginning in Jerusalem and ending in Tripoli, the group endured what are considered to be some of the har... posted on Mar 04 2007, 2,487 reads

Pedals for Progress
Pedals for Progress operates on the principle that "people need a hand up not a hand out." They work with partners in developing countries who repair used bikes shipped from the US and sell them at steeply subsidized rates to the working poor. The income from sales not only creates jobs for people repairing the bicycles but also provides money for the next shipment of bicycles. Each shipment gives... posted on Mar 03 2007, 2,539 reads

Nomads United
'A person with an address has abandoned the rest of the world for that one address.' Kareen Kohn is clearly not lacking in original ideas. He has no address, and as a nomad, travels to the farthest corners of the earth. Kohn is the founder of Nomads United -- a movement for young people from a myriad of countries -- which he hopes will offer an alternative to the current way of travelling that tre... posted on Mar 01 2007, 2,447 reads

$15 Music Video
Popular singer Sarah McLachlan asked what her video budget could buy, and found the answer in unexpected places. The result was this unique video, highlighting with graphics and music the normal costs of producing a contemporary video and alternate ways that money could be spent. For instance, the hair and makeup expenses for a video shoot would cost about $5,000 for a day in Los Angeles. Or, that... posted on Feb 25 2007, 4,303 reads

365 Days, 365 Plays
Some writers are congenitally prolific. But even Suzan-Lori Parks sometimes thinks she's taken that tendency a little too far. In 2003, Parks decided to write a play for every day of a year, and went on to craft more than 365 miniscripts that ranged in length from three lines to three pages. And then the dramatist made another decision: Persuade theater communities nationwide to produce all 365 sc... posted on Feb 23 2007, 2,069 reads

Motivation Maintenance
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the University of North Carolina, researches something interesting: motivation maintenance. In a recent study, his subjects were a group of paid fund-raisers who solicit money via telephone for a university -- money that supports undergraduate scholarships. A randomly selected subset of the fund-raisers had an opportunity to meet an undergraduate stude... posted on Feb 18 2007, 3,377 reads

The Man Who Moved a Mountain
Years ago, a frail, landless farmer decided to move a mountain. The challenge for Dashrath Manjhi was formidable -- a 300-ft-high rocky hill stood between his village and vital resources. With most of the cultivable land and shops across the treacherous hill, villagers were forced to cross it many times a day. Not waiting for help from the Indian government, Manjhi chose to go at it alone, selling... posted on Feb 11 2007, 3,149 reads

Creating A Web Of Giving
Thanks to San Francisco-based nonprofit Kiva.org, with just a few clicks of the mouse, most everyone can become a microfinancier. At Kiva.org, a schoolteacher in Kansas can partner with, say, an expert seamstress in countries like Kenya, Mexico and Ecuador to jump-start a tailor shop. And that's only the tip of the possibility iceberg. Founders Matthew and Jessica Flannery came up with the idea fo... posted on Feb 10 2007, 2,502 reads

Doctor Who Treats Patients -- At Any Cost
By salary standards, Dr. Bob Paeglow may be the least-successful doctor in America. Paeglow takes absolutely no salary and survives mostly on donations. Every penny he makes goes back to his patients in one way or another. Fortunately, Paeglow didn't go into medicine for the money. He went into it -- pretty late in life -- because he kept having a vision of himself in old age that he didn't like: ... posted on Feb 07 2007, 3,049 reads

America's Nicest Homeless Shelter
A space defined by its generosity, the Wellspring House near Boston is 350 years old -- and beautifully restored. "The floorboards are original, the fireplace is original, the central beams are original," says Nancy Schwoyer. "In some ways it is a bed and breakfast, isn't it? It's just that it's a bed and breakfast for homeless families." Schwoyer runs Wellspring -- easily America's nicest homeles... posted on Feb 03 2007, 2,107 reads