The United States sure knows how to hold a grudge.

It’s been nearly half a century since the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba. The Cold War has long ended, and now even Fidel Castro is fading into the background, but the embargo remains.

You won’t find many people outside the United States who support it - the United Nations has condemned the embargo as a violation of international law since the 1990s - but the U.S. has remained resolute. President Bush even enacted changes to bolster the economic sanctions in 2004.

But there is reason for optimism, at last.

President-elect Obama has pledged to ease the long-failed Cuba policy. Throughout his campaign, Obama has vowed to make it easier for Cuban-Americans to visit their relatives, and increase the amount of money they’re allowed to send home to their families.

After changes by the Bush administration, Cubans living in the United States are only allowed to visit the island once every three years, and can send back a maximum of $300 per household, quarterly, to immediate family members. …read more

“The Stone Age did not end for a lack of stone, and the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil.”

For the sake of the environment, let’s hope that prediction from Sheikh Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia’s minister of oil in the 1970s, was right.

Rising global temperatures and melting ice caps are clear indications of an environmental crisis, and the urgent need for an oil alternative.

And when you look at the numbers, it’s clear that the shift towards a post-petroleum world must begin at the pump.

The United States uses more oil than any other country, over 20 million barrels a day. In fact, they use more than the next four countries on the list (China, Japan, Russia and Germany) combined.

And of those 20 million barrels, 70 per cent is used in transportation.

Hybrids are a step in the right direction, but they’re only a stopgap. While they use less gas and have lower CO₂ emissions, they can never get us to our ultimate goal - no gas, and zero emissions. …read more

Hi friends,

Today’s youth are once again showing that they are dedicated to a better world! On Christmas day, The Oprah Winfrey Show features an hour-long appearance about the O Ambassadors program — a joint project of Oprah’s Angel Network and Free The Children to engage and empower more than a million students across North America.

We are constantly honoured to meet young people like the 330 O Ambassadors who appear on the show with us, or the thousands of other youth we encounter on a daily basis around the world.

Whether it’s at our speeches or at Take Action Academies, it’s amazing to see the dedication and enthusiasm with which young people talk about social action. From poverty and hunger to education rights, there is no issue they aren’t ready to tackle.

We’re still humbled to see what has come from that single group of twelve 12-year-olds who met in Craig’s basement to fight child labour more than a decade ago. Today Free The Children has grown into a global movement of young and ambitious change-makers. … read more

Buying presents for the kids, the parents and the best friends, the bill can add up. Throw in a financial crisis and the budget gets tighter.

They say it’s better to give than to receive. But, giving gets tough when outlooks for the new year are gloomy and bailouts are on top of wish lists. Despite our best intentions, everyone is cutting back. Unfortunately, it’s charities that could be getting a lump of coal.

Like most sectors, the non-profits have not been faring well. Everyone, from local food banks to international development projects, is hurting. It’s too early to tell how many donations the season will bring in. If trends continue, they could go the way of the Dow Jones.

That’s why, more than ever, the non-profit sector needs support. …read more

Kesi’s name could not be more fitting. It means “child born in difficult times.”

Kesi was given the Swahili name at a rescue centre on whose doorstep she arrived at just 3 months old. Her mother had been killed by machetes. Kesi survived the attack but lost her left hand and received a deep wound on her foot.

She was brought to the Nyaru Menteng Rescue Center wrapped in a blanket. She was nursed back to health by the staff. Soon, the baby orangutan learned to play and climb like the others.

The Nyaru Menteng, in Indonesian Borneo, is one of world’s largest ape rescue operations. It’s seeing an influx of orangutans like Kesi, born into difficult times. …read more

When it comes to comedian Zargana, no one’s laughing.

Any person who has ever performed knows how hard this can be. In comedy, moments of silence feel like an eternity.

But Zargana, whose real name is Muang Thura, has a very tough audience. You see, the silence isn’t due to lack of skill - his sharp wit has been critically acclaimed. It’s not because his words are boring - his writing has won international awards. And, the moments don’t feel like eternity, exactly.

They feel like 45 years.

This is because Zargana’s audience is Burma and that country’s military junta is less than impressed with his political satire.

Zargana is no stranger to the inside of a Burmese prison cell. But, this time, the comedian, poet and dissident went too far. He was incarcerated for criticizing the government’s response to Cyclone Nargis and leading a private relief effort. …read more

Outrageous and solvable.

That’s how Dr. Jane Philpott sees the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Outrageous because of the scores of lives this disease has taken. Solvable through antiretroviral therapy, prevention campaigns, support and testing.

But to actually implement a solution, she needs you to do one thing – Give A Day.

More specifically, give today. Dec. 1 marks World AIDS Day – the day dedicated to bringing attention to the global AIDS epidemic. To honour this event, Philpott is asking all Canadians to donate one day’s income to eradicating the disease.

“At first, when I presented this, I thought, `Here’s a wild idea,’” she says. “But really, it’s something we can all do.”

Since 2004, Philpott has been recruiting people across the country for Give A Day campaigns. The family physician has brought law offices and hospitals across the country on board. …read more

Dumisani Rebombo is protective of his daughters.

He wants them to be happy and marry men who treat them well. It’s a dream most fathers have, but not an easy one to accomplish in South Africa. According to the country’s Commission on Gender Equality, a woman is raped every 17 seconds.

Rebombo knows this too well. That’s why he wants to make sure his daughters don’t meet someone like his younger self.

“In my youth, my friends and I, we gang-raped a girl in the village where I was growing up,” he says.

It’s a shocking statement to hear - especially from a man like Rebombo. The 47-year-old is at the forefront of the fight for gender equity in Africa, travelling the continent teaching men about sexual health and violence against women.

Rebombo knows he can’t run from his past. So, despite the painful memories, he uses that past to change his daughters’ present. …read more

Steve Schueth might abstain from alcohol, tobacco and gambling. But he’s not trying to convince you to do the same.

“I don’t consider myself a missionary,” he says. “We are not out to convert anyone.”

Instead, Schueth’s disciples find him. They believe he can line their pockets with the power of good rather than greed. And, as the roller-coaster ride once known as the stock market continues on another course of ups and downs, Schueth isn’t doing so badly.

Schueth is no preacher and there’s nothing pious about his work. As president of First Affirmative Financial Network, an independent investment advisory firm working in the field of socially responsible investing, Schueth puts together portfolios that integrate profitability with personal values.

“It’s about investors wanting their money to do double duty,” he says. “Investors who want their money to make money and make a difference.”

The idea hasn’t been an easy sell on Wall Street. But the financial crisis has changed the playing field. Socially responsible portfolios have experienced losses like everything else. But compared with their competitors, these funds haven’t sunk quite so fast. …read more