Leila Chirayath Janah, a friend of GOOD, recently launched a nonprofit venture called Samasource. Samasource aims to connect educated workers in disadvantaged communities in India and Africa with Silicon Valley companies that need people to do small, web-based tasks like data entry. Think of it as Kiva for work.

One of her first tests of this concept was in a refugee camp in Kenya. Boing Boing reports:

Shortly after launching Samasource, [Leila] read an Oxfam report that…

Leila Chirayath Janah, a friend of GOOD, recently launched a nonprofit venture called Samasource. Samasource aims to connect educated workers in disadvantaged communities in India and Africa with Silicon Valley companies that need people to do small, web-based tasks like data entry. Think of it as Kiva for work.

One of her first tests of this concept was in a refugee camp in Kenya. Boing Boing reports:

Shortly after launching Samasource, [Leila] read an Oxfam report that…

In John Kerry’s words:

“I know the difference a generation of young Americans in motion can make.

I was in college at a time of great political ferment and fundamental changes to our social fabric: the Civil Rights Act, the beginning of the counterculture and the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that set us on a disastrous path of deepening involvement in Vietnam.

When I came home from war disillusioned, I joined with millions of young…

In John Kerry’s words:

“I know the difference a generation of young Americans in motion can make.

I was in college at a time of great political ferment and fundamental changes to our social fabric: the Civil Rights Act, the beginning of the counterculture and the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that set us on a disastrous path of deepening involvement in Vietnam.

When I came home from war disillusioned, I joined with millions of young…

In response to Patrick James’s article, Three Years of Silent Retreat, I’ve posted some thoughts about mastering artistry in modern times.

“She has been a powerhouse of creativity and business acumen for one of the world’s most innovative companies. Marissa Mayer is leading the way in keeping America number one.” —Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Original article: Marissa Mayer: The Visionary: Women of the Year: glamour.com

Only the ACLU would think of this: They have banded with parents and student of Palm Beach County and mounted a trailblazing class-action lawsuit, the only of its kind (ever?), claiming that students’ constitutional rights are being violated by the incredibly horribly awful schools there, which result in low graduation rates, particularly among blacks and Latinos.

The county, for its part, says it’d doing a fine job, of course. So let’s look real quick at the numbers.

According…

Interviews from the Alliance of Youth Movements summit: Natalia Morari.

On the 6th of April of this year, 15,000 Moldovans rallied in the streets the day after their national election to protest the Communist Party’s rigged victory. It might have looked like any post-election protest in an emerging democracy but there was an important difference: This protest was organized entirely through new media—Twitter, email and text messages, and social networking sites. The number of peaceful protesters continued…

If we don’t eat dogs, should we eat any meat? Should you care about the vegetarian author’s latest provocation? I do.

Almost everything intersects with animal agriculture. Almost everything we talk about and care about: whether it’s the environment; whether it’s what it means to be human; whether it’s how we treat people; how we treat animals; consumption; America’s place in the world.  Basically, animal agriculture is the most important example of each of these things…

If we don’t eat dogs, should we eat any meat? Should you care about the vegetarian author’s latest provocation? I do.

Almost everything intersects with animal agriculture. Almost everything we talk about and care about: whether it’s the environment; whether it’s what it means to be human; whether it’s how we treat people; how we treat animals; consumption; America’s place in the world.  Basically, animal agriculture is the most important example of each of these things…

Leila Chirayath Janah, a friend of GOOD, recently launched a nonprofit venture called Samasource. Samasource aims to connect educated workers in disadvantaged communities in India and Africa with Silicon Valley companies that need people to do small, web-based tasks like data entry. Think of it as Kiva for work.

One of her first tests of this concept was in a refugee camp in Kenya. Boing Boing reports:

Shortly after launching Samasource, [Leila] read an Oxfam report that…

Leila Chirayath Janah, a friend of GOOD, recently launched a nonprofit venture called Samasource. Samasource aims to connect educated workers in disadvantaged communities in India and Africa with Silicon Valley companies that need people to do small, web-based tasks like data entry. Think of it as Kiva for work.

One of her first tests of this concept was in a refugee camp in Kenya. Boing Boing reports:

Shortly after launching Samasource, [Leila] read an Oxfam report that…

In John Kerry’s words:

“I know the difference a generation of young Americans in motion can make.

I was in college at a time of great political ferment and fundamental changes to our social fabric: the Civil Rights Act, the beginning of the counterculture and the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that set us on a disastrous path of deepening involvement in Vietnam.

When I came home from war disillusioned, I joined with millions of young…

In John Kerry’s words:

“I know the difference a generation of young Americans in motion can make.

I was in college at a time of great political ferment and fundamental changes to our social fabric: the Civil Rights Act, the beginning of the counterculture and the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that set us on a disastrous path of deepening involvement in Vietnam.

When I came home from war disillusioned, I joined with millions of young…

In response to Patrick James’s article, Three Years of Silent Retreat, I’ve posted some thoughts about mastering artistry in modern times.

“She has been a powerhouse of creativity and business acumen for one of the world’s most innovative companies. Marissa Mayer is leading the way in keeping America number one.” —Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Original article: Marissa Mayer: The Visionary: Women of the Year: glamour.com

Only the ACLU would think of this: They have banded with parents and student of Palm Beach County and mounted a trailblazing class-action lawsuit, the only of its kind (ever?), claiming that students’ constitutional rights are being violated by the incredibly horribly awful schools there, which result in low graduation rates, particularly among blacks and Latinos.

The county, for its part, says it’d doing a fine job, of course. So let’s look real quick at the numbers.

According…

If we don’t eat dogs, should we eat any meat? Should you care about the vegetarian author’s latest provocation? I do.

Almost everything intersects with animal agriculture. Almost everything we talk about and care about: whether it’s the environment; whether it’s what it means to be human; whether it’s how we treat people; how we treat animals; consumption; America’s place in the world.  Basically, animal agriculture is the most important example of each of these things…

If we don’t eat dogs, should we eat any meat? Should you care about the vegetarian author’s latest provocation? I do.

Almost everything intersects with animal agriculture. Almost everything we talk about and care about: whether it’s the environment; whether it’s what it means to be human; whether it’s how we treat people; how we treat animals; consumption; America’s place in the world.  Basically, animal agriculture is the most important example of each of these things…

People of Hope Crafts’ coordinator travels to El Salvador every year to work with our artisan groups on product development. This is a brief description of part of her visit last January, when she traveled to Guarjila.

There I was, sitting on the plane anticipating yet another exciting visit with the artisans! The sunset from the window was just amazing. What a way to start yet another exciting journey!

I was looking forward to spending one-on-one time…

Interviews from the Alliance of Youth Movements summit: Natalia Morari.

On the 6th of April of this year, 15,000 Moldovans rallied in the streets the day after their national election to protest the Communist Party’s rigged victory. It might have looked like any post-election protest in an emerging democracy but there was an important difference: This protest was organized entirely through new media—Twitter, email and text messages, and social networking sites. The number of peaceful protesters continued…

Interviews from the Alliance of Youth Movements summit: Daniel Teweles.

STAND, the student-led arm of the Genocide Intervention Network, began in 2004 as an effort to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Now STAND works not just to end mass atrocities in places like Sudan, Burma, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but to prevent them, and has grown to include 800 active chapters in high schools and colleges nationwide, making it one of the largest…

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became obvious that America was frustratingly ill-prepared to house people displaced by a natural disaster. Michael McDaniel took this as a design challenge. His Exo housing system—inspired by the humble styrofoam cup—could be deployed quickly and cheaply to help us when we need it most.

Interviews from the Alliance of Youth Movements summit: Oscar Morales.

From Obama’s campaign fundraising to the election protests in Iran, we’ve all heard that Twitter and Facebook are rewriting the rules of public engagement. Guest blogger Erin Mazursky talked to participants at the Alliance of Youth Movements summit in Mexico City to find out how the nonprofit leaders of tomorrow are using technology.

Oscar Morales is one such leader. In January of 2008, he created a Facebook group…

The Hottest Thing on Wheels (or Rails)

As the new transportation secretary, Ray LaHood has been tasked with remaking our transportation infrastructure into one that focuses more on sustainability than widening highways. It’s a tall order but, so far, we’re impressed with his approach.

1. For supporting high-speed rail.
When Obama squeezed $8 billion for high-speed rail into the recent stimulus package, LaHood got on board fast. His grant program for rail projects already has nearly 300 applications. They’re…

Finding a Better Way to Fight

It’s pretty much unanimous, at this point: The war on drugs has sucked us all down with it. Each year it accounts for more than a million arrests and costs the United States tens of billions of dollars. The impact of the war’s failed policies can be seen everywhere: There are arrest rates with their damning racial biases; the overcrowded state and federal prisons; and the fact that we spend…

Interviews from the Alliance of Youth Movements summit: Roots of Hope.

From Obama’s campaign fundraising to the election protests in Iran, we’ve all heard that Twitter and Facebook are rewriting the rules of public engagement. Guest blogger Erin Mazursky talked to participants at the Alliance of Youth Movements summit in Mexico City to find out how the nonprofit leaders of tomorrow are using technology.

Verónica Nur Valdéz and Felice Gorordo, ages 25 and 26 respectively, are the co-founders…

The Bright Green Hope

Alex Steffen, the CEO and executive editor of the website Worldchanging, is pushing the boundaries of environmental activism to better places. We salute him because:

1. He coined the term “bright green,” referring to the modern school of environmentalism he helped found. Bright greens reject environmentalism as simply a lifestyle choice in favor of a more aggressive approach to sustainability, one that looks to technology and design as the bellwethers of change.

2. He was…

A Conference Within Reach

In the words of one attendee, PINC is “like TED, without the politics.” The acronym stands for People, Ideas, Nature, Creativity, which are the themes of this annual under-the-radar conference. Held in the Netherlands, PINC brings together speakers from every imaginable discipline to share brilliant new ideas, stories, and visual presentations. They generally have little in common other than a passion for what they do, and an absolute faith in the power…

Doing Justice to Climate Activism

Michael Wolkind is the lawyer who defended the Greenpeace activists for disrupting operations at a British coal power plant.

In October, 2007, six Greenpeace activists climbed the chimney at the Kingsnorth power station, a coal and oil plant, in Kent, England. The dramatic 650-foot ascent was followed by a frightening rappel down the side to paint a political message.

They did it as a protest against a dirty plant and a shocking government…

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became obvious that America was frustratingly ill-prepared to house people displaced by a natural disaster. Michael McDaniel took this as a design challenge. His Exo housing system—inspired by the humble styrofoam cup—could be deployed quickly and cheaply to help us when we need it most.