Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of microcredit said, "If you want to solve poverty, you have to put people in a position to build their own life."

Allowing two families to build their own lives in new homes is the goal of ING's Huis voor een huis (Home for a home) program, which offers Dutch borrowers taking out a mortgage an option to donate 300 Euros (about 424 U.S. dollars) which will then be matched by the bank and used as microloans for families in Bangladesh and India to use toward building their own homes.   Read more...

The Mubarak Prize for Arts recipient this year is artist professor Muhammad Taha Hussein, a contemporary artist who illustrates the fine balance between modern and tradition.

Mr. Hussein is a gentle giant of a man who stands tall in height, with encompassing hands and has a large vision for the arts and life in general. His enthusiasm for new designs, new technique and new ideas is appealing. Especially when he recognizes his roots in historical neighborhoods in Cairo contrasted by his time in Germany. This constant balance between new and old is reflected in his work.   Read more...

People thought we were crazy. Absolutely nuts for building a service that would enable people to create their own memorial sites. To do that, people would have to admit they are one day going to die... and who wants to do that? We were told we were insane, morbid, out of our minds. But build it we did.

Now www.bcelebrated.com exists and even though some people raise an eyebrow when we describe it, those who use it describe it as profound, soothing, inspiring. The service also allows users to create private password-protected messages for loved ones. They can also prepare a notification system for when they pass away, so loved ones won't have to go searching for their contacts.   Read more...

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Finding a clean and safe swimming spot in Europe this summer is at your fingertips with the Eye on Earth World Watch map, a user-friendly resource resulting from a partnership between Microsoft and the European Environment Agency (EEA). Beaches, rivers and lakes are marked by icons which are color coded (greens are safe, reds warn against swimming areas where the water is unhealthy and swimming is prohibited) and many are marked by a thumbs up or thumbs down, indicating other map-users rated a particular area as good, bad or average.   Read more...

A fund raising Zumbathon™, a dance marathon combining fitness and philanthropy, on one of the hottest days on record this year in Pensacola, brought together a diverse group of over 70 supporters who raised $851 dollars for The Global Corner International Learning Center.   Read more...

The International Ecotourism Society unites conservation, communities and sustainable travel while promoting responsible travel to natural areas while conserving the environment and improving the well-being of local people.

According to ecotourism.org, TIES works by creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry, educating tourists and tourism professionals and influencing the tourism industry. Public institutions and donors integrate the principles of ecotourism into their operations and policies. As the world's oldest and largest international ecotourism association, TIES seeks to be the global source of knowledge and advocacy uniting communities, conservation, and sustainable travel.   Read more...

Seventeen-year-old Iraqi piano prodigy Zuhal Sultan has confirmed plans for the first-ever National Youth Orchestra of Iraq. Her ambitious program will debut in August 2009 in the northern Kurdish region, and will feature performances by a 35-piece orchestra comprised of Iraq’s most promising young classical musicians.   Read more...

Often when I travel, I look for a good local bookstore. I am curious to know what people are reading and what is the role of the bookstore in the community. Plus, I have found that books can be treasures that transport you back in history or possibly forward in time to events yet to take place.

In Cairo, I discovered Diwan Bookstore in Zamalek. It is a special bookstore featuring books in Arabic, English, French and German. When I entered, they had on display front and center their recommended books, among them:   Read more...

Recession. Economic crisis. The air is abuzz with these words, from the concerned whispers of colleagues and friends, to the speculation and predictions of the media. Who will sink? Who will swim? How bad is it? How long will it last? Although it came as a shock, the current economic crisis serves as a reminder of the oldest, most pervasive and predictable aspect of life itself: change. The only thing that is certain, is change. In our society, our attitude toward change is often of sticking our heads in the sand. We try to pretend that it doesn't exist. We become rigid, seeking the illusory permanence of routine to make us feel safe, to feel in control. Many of us spend our lives dedicated to creating a stable environment; a solid career, a dependable spouse. But even the longest marriages can end in divorce, the largest fortunes in the world can dwindle down to nothing.   Read more...