Paint inspired by a lotus flower
The efforst by Wilhelm Barthlott Tijn Touber | November 2004 issue The leaves of the Lotus plant have inspired a new type of house paint, which is manufactured in Germany by the Ispo company. It took four years of intensive research, but Ispo was ultimately successful in adding a microstructure Read More...
Bin Laden meets Gandhi
What would Mahatma Gandhi say to Osama bin Laden? And how would the world's most famous terrorist defend his actions? Two very different opponents of Western imperialism exchange words about violence, nonviolence, and the future. Bhikhu Parekh | July 2004 issue Like millions around the world, I Read More...
The power of (every)one
Philanthropist Dick Grace shows why everyone can do good things Jurriaan Kamp| November 2006 issue Dick Grace wants to do good. The 68-year-old retired stockbroker and owner of a small and successful vinery in Napa Valley, California, lives by a simple motto. In his own words: “I look for Read More...
Dude, where's your community?
What's your postal carrier's name? And 19 other questions to help you think locally. The Ecologist | September 2004 issue It’s often said that the world is getting smaller, as breakthroughs in communications and transportation make it easier for us to know what’s happening in far reaches of Read More...
What you don't know about Muslims
We define our faith in our own ways, no matter what Western media and Middle Eastern mullahs tell us. Tasneem Jamal| November 2006 issue By Recent articles throughout the media, including Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, imply that Islam is an inherently violent religion. It must be true, they Read More...
What would nature do?
The emerging science of biomimicry promises inventive breakthroughs in nearly every field of technology and designJanine Benyus | November 2004 issue Biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature, looking to nature as a teacher. One language caveat here: Inherent in the phrase “looking to Read More...
Hiphop = freedom
Don Popo raps about a better future for Colombia's kids Marco Visscher | December 2004 issue Half-way through our conversation, his eyes suddenly begin to sparkle. Don’t you get it, they seem to say? “To us, hiphop isn’t simply a music style,” he patiently explains. “To us hiphop is a Read More...
One last thing...
... "the better a country's social system, the taller its population" Marco Visscher | September 2004 issue Hold on a minute, first the figures. “The tallest people in the world are the Dutch. Then come the Scandinavians. Other socially-minded Europeans are growing fast.” But isn’t the Read More...
Arab journalists struggle for press freedom
Despite interference from Arab regimes and the U.S., hope can be found in the internet, satellite dishes and the "Al-Jazeera effect" Marco Visscher | November 2004 issue A joke circulated recently at a meeting of editors from the Middle East noted that their work was being monitored by Read More...
One last thing...
"child labor shouldn't be banned" Marco Visscher | December 2004 issue What? Shouldn’t kids be able to go to school and play outside?“Of course, that’s the image we’d like to have of children. Unfortunately, this is not reality. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), Read More...