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Bitcoin to facilitate money transfers from developed to developing countries
Money transfers from developed countries to developing ones dominate the $582-billion global remittance market. In 2014 only 5 percent of transactions were digital, but the trend is shifting rapidly as mobile phones are becoming ubiquitous in developing countries. Digital transactions offer Read More...
Divestment from coal is good business for French insurance giant Axa
The international fossil fuel divestment movement has been growing steadily, ahead of the U.N. Climate Summit in Paris later this year. The most recent announcement comes from French insurance giant Axa, who is slated to sell $559 million of its coal investments, while having committed over $3 Read More...
Solar Sister empowers women in Africa to sell clean, solar technologies
Distributing solar-powered lights and phone chargers where they are needed the most, while giving low-income women the opportunity to earn supplementary income—such is the vision behind Solar Sister, a social enterprise with a presence in Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria. With 1,500 women involved in Read More...
Why China needs to support its waste pickers
Trash is an unintended consequence of China’s economic boom, urban swell and growing middle-class. Cities’ landfills are running out of space, and waste management policies have been lagging. Essentially, the whole system has been dependent upon hundreds of thousands of individuals who have Read More...
Happiness is a matter of choice, Harvard studies find
Choosing to be happy with whatever you do, strengthening your closest relationships and exercising to maintain your health are three essential keys to happiness, according to three studies with converging findings. Here is a list of bullet points with relevant data. Can you identify any actionable Read More...
California deploys free solar panels in disadvantaged neighborhoods
For all its efforts with rooftop solar deployment, California has yet to show that decentralized renewable energy is not just a luxury that only the middle-class and high-income residents can afford. A new program run by nonprofit Grid Alternatives aims to install solar systems in disadvantaged Read More...
Toilet-to-tap-water policy inching closer to a realistic plan in parched California
California’s aquifers and reservoirs are being drained as the state suffers through its fourth year of drought. Regulators recently started working on the permitting framework for seawater desalination projects. Simultaneously, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption Read More...
Brits and Turks happiest Europeans before recession, according to map on Internet
Here is a map to ponder. Its origins are unclear, and the data is, well, dated (2008.) Nevertheless, it offers a fascinating window into a reality that seemingly goes against many preconceived ideas. Who would have thought that the French are the not grumpiest Europeans around, that Italians and Read More...
Robots’ duality in question: Technology saves lives despite potential for evil
The potential for robots to cause evil is a stark reality. At the same time, researchers and companies around the world are already demonstrating the power of robotics and AI technologies to save lives, including in the operating room and in areas hit by natural disasters. There, in a nutshell, are Read More...
Summer reading suggestion: The Monk and the Philosopher
Some books are worth bringing up time and time again. This thoughtful essay about The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life provides us with a great opportunity to revisit what remains a most compelling, intelligent—some would say enlightening—dialogue about Read More...