Publish2 Ode Magazine - And now for the good news Newsgroup

10 ways to change your life instead of your lightbulbs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:46:12 -0500

Eat your vegetables. Ride your bike. Cook for your friends. Drink from the tap. See? Living ethically is easy...

The 100 best books of the decade

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:39:12 -0500

The Times of London recently released its 100 best books of the decade, and (for the most part) its scope is pretty admirable. Your humble editor (who, admittedly, has only read a handful of these) highly recommends Half of a Yellow Sun and My Name is Red in particular.

The strange life of Lew Wallace

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:27:05 -0500

Today, he's most famous for writing the 1880 novel Ben-Hur (later made famous on film c/o Charlton Heston). But Lew Wallace's personal story is nearly as interesting as that of the Jewish prince he made so memorable. Wallace wasn't merely a novelist - he was also a Civil War hero, an ambassador to Turkey, a violin-maker, an amateur historian, an inventor and (for a time) the governor of New Mexico. Oh, and Billy the Kid tried to murder him!

Using bacteria to detect landmines

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:10:39 -0500

Scientists from Edinburgh University believe that green, glowing bacteria might help unearth the world's most dangerous landmines. The bugs would be mixed into a colorless solution and sprayed in troublesome areas. When in the presence of a mine, the bacteria forms glowing green patches - and warns travelers of potential danger!

Cash for caulkers?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:03:21 -0500

The so-called "Cash for Clunkers" program was one of the more unambiguous success stories of the U.S. stimulus package. Accordingly, a growing alliance (including Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr and former President Bill Clinton) is calling for a similar approach to home weatherization - right down to the silly nickname. Think about it - the housing market has slowed business for contractors and construction workers, homeowners are always looking to lower bills and concerned citizens like to save resources. Could this be the next step forward on the road to economic recovery?

Oxford Dictionary's word of the year

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:41:21 -0500

Each year, the New Oxford American Dictionary unveils its "Word of the Year." This year's choice "has both currency and potential longevity," according to Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program. Click here to discover the winner - and see a few amusing runner-ups as well. Luddites and those weary of economic terminology might want to skip this one...

An amusing take on bio-diversity

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:26:32 -0500

Well, this certainly isn't the most academic approach to the topic. But who needs scientific terminology when you can have fun with leaves?

An ode to old dogs

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:50:23 -0500

Ok fine... maybe they aren't great with new tricks. But according to The Washington Post's Gene Weingarten, old dogs "show exorbitant gratitude and limitless trust. They are without artifice. They are funny in new and unexpected ways. But, above all, they seem at peace." Thanks to Ode reader Charity Moschopoulos for the link!

Meat-free and green

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:45:53 -0500

James E. Mc Williams of The Washington Post is getting less bashful about not eating meat: "As a vegetarian I've always felt the perverse need to apologize for my dietary choice. It inconveniences people. It smacks of self-righteousness. It makes us pariahs at dinner parties. But the more I learn about the negative impact of meat production, the more I feel that it's the consumers of meat who should be making apologies." Here, he crunches some numbers about the livestock industry, the dark side of "grass fed" beef and basic animal welfare.

How African refugees are scoring Silicon Valley Internet jobs

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:39:16 -0500

When Leila Chirayath Janah arrives at the Dabaab refugee settlement in northeastern Kenya, she has an unusual agenda. Leila is the founder of Samasource, which connects "jobless, displaced refugees to the rest of the world through legitimate Internet-based jobs." The 27-year-old innovator tries to keep her work pragmatic: "Donors love health and education. It's so sexy; everyone loves to be the one to save a life by buying a mosquito net or building a school. But in reality, when you look at what the developing world really needs, it's a connection to markets."

Cooperation among nomads in Mongolia

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:03:26 -0500

Batorj Gongor of Mongolia spends most of his time in the temporary housing structures of Ulan Bator: "On the surface, his pitch is straightforward. One hundred tugrik (about 7 cents) won't buy a bus ride across town or enough water to supply a family for three days. However, if every household along one block contributes 100 tugrik a day, soon there will be enough money to borrow against for emergencies or invest in neighborhood improvements." But Gongor promotes more than fiscal responsibility. He looks to cultivate a sense of solidarity among a stridently independent community not often used to conversing with its neighbors.

Triumph of a dreamer

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:48:58 -0500

Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times (and, while we're at it, Ode reader Charity Moschopoulos) share with us the story of Dr. Tererai Trent. Dr. Trent was born in the mid-60's in Zimbabwe, where she worked herding cattle until an aid group called Heifer International allowed her to come to the U.S. to pursue an education. As she climbed the academic ladder, Dr. Trent overcame a variety of hardships, including poverty, domestic abuse and family illness. Now she's a program evaluator for Heifer International and, for Kristof, "a reminder of the adage that talent is universal, while opportunity is not."

An ode to climate change funds

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:35:18 -0500

More and more, ethical investments not only make moral sense, they make fiscal sense as well. “There has been a strong development of the climate change sector despite the [financial] crisis, which has been a positive – in Asia, there have been subsidies and initiatives we haven’t seen before,” says Bruce Jenkyn-Jones, investment director at Impax Asset Management, the environmental specialist. When in doubt, bet on green!

Sesame Street raises HIV awareness in South Africa

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:17:28 -0500

Meet Kami. Kami's name comes from the Setswana word “Kamogelo,” which means “acceptance.” Kami is five years old, bright yellow, fluffy, adorable - and HIV positive. She recently arrived on Sesame Street in South Africa to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in a country with an alarming rate of infection...

Good ecological news from Europe (and an international boost for cap and trade?)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:09:19 -0500

Climate Progress is confident about international environmental legislation: "Europe made a major commitment under the Kyoto Protocol that U.S. conservatives have been telling us for years it would never achieve. In fact, the Europeans are poised to surpass their targets under the terms of the Protocol. It is no longer plausible for those who don’t want a U.S. cap-and-trade system to point to the European Trading System (ETS) as a failure. Quite the reverse." Click here for the specifics...

New documentary explores the conflicted relationship between capitalism and poverty

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:03:24 -0500

Philippe Diaz's new documentary The End of Poverty? takes a skeptical look at global development in our current age. But Diaz' film is no nostalgic, Marxist call-to-arms either, according to Salon's Andrew O'Hehir. Instead, it argues "that systematic problems require systematic solutions, and that the basic conceptual model of capitalist economics -- endless and unlimited growth -- is a dangerous fantasy that can only end in disaster."

A vanished Persian army in the deserts of Egypt?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:32:20 -0500

Here's another great link from Ode reader Charity Moschopoulos... "Bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones." These were all recently discovered in the Western Sahara desert, raising hopes that the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II might finally be found. "We have found the first archaeological evidence of a story reported by the Greek historian Herodotus," says Dario Del Bufalo, a member of the expedition from the University of Lecce.

The evolution of New York City

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:23:15 -0500

Between 1938 and 1943, the Federal Works Progress Administration authorized "700,000 stark, unsentimental black-and-white pictures" of each borough of New York City. A second commission followed in the 1980's - this time covering 800,000 properties. Today, we can see the results, and marvel at the transformations...

Brazil pledges deep emissions cuts

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:08:33 -0500

Brazilian chief of staff Dilma Rousseff will propose voluntary emission reductions of 38-42% by 2020 to the Copenhagen climate change summit this December. She hopes the gesture will encourage rich nations to take climate change more seriously: "We are already an example to the world. But the fact that we are going to announce a significant objective does not mean we do not know that the responsible ones are the developed countries."

Learning a foreign language online

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:14:18 -0500

"With the boom in social media, it makes sense that learning a language online would take on a Facebook-like component." So begins Elizabeth Landau of CNN's attempt to learn Russian (often for free) online. Her journey takes her to websites like Livemocha, which pairs her with like-minded Russians attempting to learn English. She also tries Lang-8, which allows her to keep a daily journal in an unfamiliar language, which is later edited by an online community. Click here for more exciting options...

The "time bomb" effect of one-sided news

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:58:37 -0500

File this one under "informative" rather than "positive"... New research from the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests that long-term exposure to biased news coverage manipulates the political views of the public, regardless of any skepticism about the media encountered. Michael Bruter, a senior lecturer in European politics at the school, calls this the "time bomb" effect - in which cynicism delays the impacts of certain ideologies, rather than defending against them.

Recycled (and powered by dirty diapers)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:56:06 -0500

Here's a story that's inspiring AND disgusting... In May 2010, Knowaste Ltd., will open a recycling facility in the U.K. - and they'll generate a good bit of their energy from soiled diapers. According to the company's website, up to 98% of diapers and incontinence pads can be removed from the waste stream using their icky-but-innovative technology!

The Fairtrade Foundation helps tea producers in India

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:18:48 -0500

When the organization was founded 15 years ago, the idea was fairly simple - "offer growers a minimum price to make production cost effective and then pay a premium on top, to be invested in social projects – normally education, health, environment, energy and pensions." The idea is still working. The Chamraj tea estate in Southern India was one of the first to be certified. It's owned by Indians and produces 40,000kg of green leaf and 10,000kg of black leaf each day, 8% of which is Fairtrade. The organization's premuim has largely gone to improvements in education - including computers, laboratories and several school buses.

Countering stereotypes with statistics about American Muslims

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:11:18 -0500

In 2007, the Pew Research Center found that "nearly eight out of ten Muslim-Americans say that they are happy with their lives in the United States." Twenty-four perecent claimed they were "very happy." Sixty-three percent saw "no conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society."

Bike commuting is up 26% in New York City!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:01:55 -0500

Cycling is really taking off in the Big Apple. Protected paths on Broadway, Eighth Avenue, Allen Street, and Kent Avenue in Williamsburg have contributed to the dramatic increase in bike commuting. And the upswing is part of a bigger trend - in 2008, it rose by 35 percent!