Childhood unplugged
My struggle to save my kids from consumer culture. Leah Dobkin | April 2008 issue A war is raging between parents trying to raise children and corporate America trying to raise customers. As a parent of three children, I think I'm losing, or at least losing my mind. I've tried to educate my Read More...
Animal magic
A dolphin a day can keep depression at bay. David Servan-Schreiberr | April 2008 issue On the island of Curaçao in the Dutch West Indies is a centre for “dolphin therapy.” At the entrance, a sign on the wooden door suggests this is ritual space: “To respect the privacy of patients and their Read More...
Disappointing the devil
On facing the terrors of life with joy in your heart. Paulo Coelho | April 2008 issue We need more than multinationals to achieve economic Read More...
Making slavery history
Just say no to corporations that use forced, unpaid labour. Amy Domini| April 2008 issue As a responsible investor, I like to think about how I can use the power of my investments to create a better future. I look for opportunities to invest in companies that are rolling out energy-saving Read More...
Tax the beautiful
Ugly people should be compensated for their obvious disadvantage in society, argues Gonzalo Otalóra. Marco Visscher | April 2008 issue Gonzalo Otólora, once a pimply teenager, has written Feosexual, an ironic book about his decision to ignore people's opinions about his looks. In his native Read More...
Can fast food be sustainable?
An aphorism by James Geary, author of The World in a Phrase and Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists. Gearly,James| April 2008 issue A memory is an intricate, ever-shifting net of firing neurons and crackling synapses. Memory is not some vast cerebral warehouse filled with rows and rows of Read More...
The subtleties of sage
Why cooking is a lot like communicating. | April 2008 issue Every language has a limited number of words and finite grammatical rules. Yet we can use them to create an endless number of sentences and tell countless stories. The same applies to cooking: The number of ingredients is limited and the Read More...
The subtleties of sage
Alex Lin is fixing old computers - and the planet. | April 2008 issue Alex Lin, a 14-year-old living in Westerly, Rhode Island, is like most kids today. He plays sports, hangs out with friends and worries about the future of the Earth. But unlike most teenagers—or people of any age—he’s Read More...
Lighten up
A photograph of the world at night shows evidence of the need for better power supply in developing nations. | April 2008 issue This manipulated photograph, showing the world at night, provides ample evidence of the need for a better power supply in developing nations. Since the 1970s, Read More...
Professor of happiness
French psychiatrist Christophe Andre a self-confessed pessimist, unlocks the mystery of what makes us happy. Peter Van Dijk | March 2008 issue For the second time in two weeks, I took the train from the Netherlands to Paris, and for the second time in two weeks I missed my connection in Rotterdam Read More...