The world champ of poverty fighters
Throughout the 11 years Ode has been in print, the name Muhammad Yunus has often cropped up, and microcredit has been a recurring theme. Yet it took us until last year to track him down in Bangladesh for an extensive interview. Now that Yunus will receive the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10 in Read More...
The power of conflict
Want to boost creativity in you workplace? Start some fights. Craig Cox | September 2004 issue Years ago, I worked for a fellow who was fond of stirring up resentments between people as a way of demonstrating his personal power. The result was a morbidly fascinating workplace, in which ferocious Read More...
We are here
The success of self-help books has led to a supersaturated 'I'. It's time for the next spiritual step, a leap in human consciousness: the leap to we. In our modern society, we're all linked to one other. And the answer to our political, economic and spiritual challenges lies in co-operation, in a Read More...
Hero of our times
Tony Blair, Bono, Bill Clinon, Muhammad Ali and Kofi Annan about the man who represents justice and reconciliation. Tijn Touber| November 2006 issue Rolihlahla Mandela was born in 1918 in Mvezo, a town in southeast South Africa, the son of a prominent adviser to the king of the Thembu tribe. As a Read More...
Confessions of a foreign correspondent
Despite being African, I still reinforced all the Western media's stereotypes about the 'Dark Continent.' Regina Jere-Malanda | September 2004 issue Looking back on many years I worked as a ‘foreign correspondent’ for Western media in South Africa, I now realise that I was not only paid for 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...
Get slow in 8 days!
The ultimate toolkit to get slow. Effective and fast! Marco Visscher and Jay Walljasper | July 2004 issue Leave your watch on the bedside table. Check your e-mail only two or three times a day. Take the scenic route. Light candles before you start cooking dinner. Make up rituals. Say a silent word Read More...
Free school
For 85 years, England's Summerhill community has shown children learn more when they are in charge of their own educations Matthew Appleton | October 2006 issue A few days ago I dropped off my 13-year-old daughter Eva for a new term at Summerhill—theEnglish school famed for its emphasis on Read More...
Let's go home
It may sound oxymoronic, taking a vacation at home, but it can be genuine fun. Ode's executive editor, Jay Walljasper, discovered the joy of staying home and offers you some great ideas for a cheap holiday.Jay Walljasper | July 2004 issue It may sound oxymoronic, taking a vacation at home, but it Read More...