Miscellaneous
Community-based tourism: Going native
For life-changing trips that boost local economies, try community-based tourism. Ode Editors | April 2009 issue Leo Caprez outside of a yurt in Kyrgyzstan. Photo: Leo Caprez At the end of a business trip to Central Asia last summer, Leo Caprez decided to see Kyrgyzstan. So he signed on for a Read More...
Sufi Rapper: An excerpt from Abd al Malik's autobiography
Abd al Malik on his journey from drug dealer to rap star to Sufi mystic. Ode Editors | April 2009 issue Abd al Malik performs with DJ Laurent Garnier at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse I lived Islam as a body of commandments that I only needed to put into practice Read More...
Video: Abd Al Malik,
"Gibraltar" is the title track of Abd al Malik's hip hop/slam poetry album. The album reflects Malik's personal experiences in turning a life of violence around, as well as his perspective on the mixture of his Congolese and French backgrounds. He uses Gibraltar as the symbolic meeting point of Read More...
Video: Aviv Geffen,
Aviv Geffen, an Israeli pop artist, has been advocating peace through his music for fifteen years. He has received death threats for his open criticism of government policy. "Cry for You," originally written for a friend killed in a car crash, was sung by Geffen in honor of the assassinated Read More...
Improve mental health with neurofeedback
How you can train your brain to help reduce stress, enhance creativity and improve mental health. Blaine Greteman | March 2009 issue As Vicki Wyatt attaches electrodes to my scalp with a generous glop of slimy goo, I'll admit I'm a little skeptical about the calming effects of the treatment I'm Read More...
In search of nature's pharmacy
How the indigenous people of Peru are growing medicinal plants to preserve their livelihoods-and their fragile ecosystems. March 2009 issue Sandro waves to me from the crowded arrival gate. He's the cousin of Sergio Cam, whom I first met 10 years ago and with whom I've been working ever since. Read More...
Social entrepreneurs go mainstream
Never let a crisis go to waste. Social entrepreneurs take this economic upheaval to be a blessing, providing a chance for business to transition from an anonymous, complex system to one that is direct and transparent. Andrew Tolve | March 2009 issue In the wake of the 2008 financial flameout, Read More...
Blue Energy: A potential source of renewable energy
What do you get when saltwater and fresh water meet? A clean, renewable source of power called blue energy. Diane Daniel | March 2009 issue The blades stutter a bit at first, but after a couple of halting starts, the tiny propeller on the miniature windmill is soon turning at top speed. The fuel: Read More...
Good morning, world. This is your wake-up call
Physicist-turned-futurist Peter Russell argues that only communal creativity can get us through current environmental and economic crises. Michael Shapiro | March 2009 issue Peter Russell, a Cambridge-trained physicist and futurist who has written about consciousness for four decades, should have Read More...
An address I hope President Obama will deliver
What he needs to say and do to create an economy that serves human rather than financial values David Korten | March 2009 issue Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. presidency on a promise of change. Before his inauguration, indeed before his election, I drafted the following as my dream for the Read More...