The Disunited States of America
Looking a half-century into the future, a maverick businessman warns that America may fall apart as a nation. He believes the U.S. can avoid this fate--but that it will require some radical steps right now.
Jurriaan Kamp

Gulag Pyongyang
New graphic novel paints daily life under North Korea's dictatorship Marco Visscher

...and nothing else
Urtekram, the Danish pioneer in organic food and natural-care products, has nothing to hide. The company considers it the most normal thing in the world to do good things in the world. Marco Visscher

Editor's letter
There are no limits to ownership Jurriaan Kamp

An unlikely hero
Risking her life, Mukhtar Mai envisions a better future for women Kim Ridley

How Africa developed the West
Without Africa's wealth and resources, the West would not have prospered. A conversation on the Western debt to Africa. Marco Visscher

How to create a real ownership society
As George W. Bush promotes his corporate-controlled vision of an "ownership society," other observers explore what a true ownership society would look like. Jonathan Rowe

It's not sexy being green
A sense of fun is your best strategy for changing the world Jay Walljasper

Some rights reserved
The rising stinginess of intellectual property rights has sparked a creative response: open source. Tijn Touber

The co-operative revolution
Membership in co-operatives has doubled over the past 30 years, especially in the developing world. In Bolivia, for instance, a quarter of all savings are held by a single co-operative credit union. In Kuwait, 80 percent of retail sales are rung up by co-ops. Colombia's second-largest employer is a health-care co-operative. In this article, Oscar Arias S Oscar Arias Sánchez

The miracles we miss every minute
Rob Brezsny has been diagnosed with pronoia--the opposite of paranoia. He sees a conspiracy of goodness in the world and invites you to become co-conspirator. Rob Brezsny

The romance of Aboriginal knowledge
Steve Birkbeck develops sandalwood cosmetics with the help of Australia's original people Marco Visscher

When possessions become a burden
The richer we get, the fewer possessions we have. A contradiction? Futurist Jeremy Rifkin predicts that owning things is quickly becoming outmoded. Access and use are the key words for tomorrow's economy. Juurd Eijsvoogel

To soy or not to soy
What should you think about the new research linking soy products to cancer and other health risks? Tijn Touber

The recycled technology of Ranjana Mitra
Ranjana Mitra founded Share-IT, which keeps used computers out of the waste stream by refurbishing them and donating them to poor families. Launched in Toronto in 2004, Share-IT has so far given away more than 75 complete computer systems and kept 23,000 pounds of electronic waste out of landfills, where components can leach mercury, lead and other toxins into the environment. At the end of its lifespan, equipment returns to Share-IT for safe recycling or disposal. Mitra grew up in Calcutta, India, where she watched her grandmother collect scrap metal and other reusables. Kim Ridley

Where did the night go?
Light pollution is more than an aesthetic problem Jay Walljasper

"God speaks to everyone all the time"
Author of the international bestseller Conversations with God, Neale Donald Walsch reflects upon God's role in our lives and what we can do to make a better world. Tijn Touber

One last thing...
"We should stop debating" Marco Visscher

Playing with your emotions
Taking charge of feelings so they don't rule your life Tijn Touber

The freeing power of grief
Surrendering to your sorrow heals even the deepest wounds. Sobonfu Somé

A coffee journey
Olaf Hammelburg

Who owns Alaska's oil?
What happened when Jay Hammond started thinking of other ways to share the gifts of nature Peter Barnes