Monthly Archives: May 2006

The Best form of Aid

People are going to buy things they don’t need, and now there are ways for people to buy those objects in a good way. Many consumer goods are made in questionable ways and stores around the world are starting to commit to fair trade practices.

Fair trade is arguably the best form of “aid” an individual can give to developing regions. By buying fair trade people support small, local businesses that treat employees well and encourage local economic growth. The best example of this is fair trade coffee growers.

So this Saturday May 13th is World Fair Trade Day. One company has a list of their fair trade stores in Canada.

Go out and support people, not corporations!

Aid Works

This right from the BBC:

“Giving aid directly to governments in developing countries is as effective as funding specific projects and no more prone to corruption, a study says.

The report by the Paris-based organisation of industrialised nations (OECD) shows that aid funds are being increasingly channelled this way.

The OECD says this helps recipient governments plan anti-poverty schemes.

The report is the first major review by Western countries of how billions of dollars of development aid are spent.”

Help the Environment and Move to a City

Living in a city is a healthier lifestyle choice than living in SUBurban and rural areas. Some maps and analysis are available, the maps show CO2 emissions for a few American cities. The study was commissioned by Center for Neighborhood Technology.

“Our personal transportation choices can and do impact greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. Households in the city have easier access to public transportation systems, drive less often or shorter distances, and walk or bike to their destinations. With continued investment in public transit and in walking- and biking-friendly neighborhoods, cities can further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality.”

Via Tom Paine.com

Booze for Strength

Researchers have found that robotics can use alcohol for power. This means that in the future, your prosthetic limbs will need to intake booze in order to function properly – unlike the rest of your body.

“Most robotic muscles are powered by an electrical current. As recent competitions have shown, scientists are working on many different versions of artificial muscle. But as he reported in the journal Science, Baughman’s artificial muscles are powered by chemical energy, just as human muscles are”

Operation Photo Rescue

Operation Photo Rescue is a group of people who are helping those who had their photos damaged in natural disasters recover their pictures. They are looking for people with Photoshop and image restoration skills. A very easy way to make someone’s day better and help keep history recorded visually.

OPR has a blog:
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, photojournalist Becky Sell and photo editor Dave Ellis have embarked on a mission to recover the photos and memories that would be lost to the storm.”