By Pankaj Adhikari  BEIJING (June 4, 2012) – This is the story of a Bengali in Beijing, of the searingly intense personality of a creative artist whose enthusiasm for Potunghua (Mandarin) borders on passion. His extraordinary tale is filled with scholarly eccentricities, wit, humor and a deep love for everything Chinese. Meet Amitava Bhattacharyya. Armed […]

… Arnold Schwarzenegger They are: 1.Trust Yourself 2.Break the rules 3.Don’t be afraid to fail 4.Don’t listen to the naysayers 5.Work your butt off 6.Always give something back

In April of 2010, The Good Times reported that mountain guides and directors of MatterhornNepal-GuideSource Treks & Expeditions Ltd (MNGS), RJ Fleming and Ang Kami Sherpa, were climbing Himalayan peaks to raise awareness of the plight of Nepalese orphans. Their goal was to expose the fact that one out of every 25 people in Nepal […]

Azad Foundation is challenging stereotypes in India. It is fighting discrimination against women and girls. The Foundation’s mission is “livelihoods with dignity for women.” Azad Foundation has reached into the slums of Delhi, recruiting young women to help them become breadwinners, while simultaneously giving them a profession, empowerment and confidence. It does this through one of […]

At the beginning of May, Swiss athlete Ernst Bromeis attempted to become the first person to swim the 1,230-kilometers of the Rhine river, from its source in Tomasee, Switzerland, through 6 countries, to its mouth in Holland. The idea to swim an average of 50 kms per day for one month through strong currents, rapids and swirls, in ice-cold […]

Liza Donnelly, a Cartoonist for New Yorker magazine, was in Geneva, Switzerland recently for the “Cartooning for Peace 2012” exhibition taking place from May 3rd to June 3rd. The Cartooning for Peace initiative aims to assemble political cartoonists from all over the world to promote freedom of expression. One hundred artists are currently on its […]

A promising and feasible way of addressing global hunger is described in an article by Amanda Richardson, Fellow at the Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights. Here’s an excerpt: “…even though in general the land women own is usually smaller and of poorer quality than land men own, [according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of […]

The Maya Library and Leapfrog Scholarship promote the education of orphans at the Charis Center and Junior School near Kampala, Uganda. The project encourages reading and writing, and creates an opportunity for graduates to continue their studies in secondary school. Currently the Leapfrog Scholarship is sponsoring Lovisa, the first scholarship recipient, so she can continue her secondary studies […]

Giving Women is a non-profit association based in Geneva. Its members support selected projects directed at women and/or founded by women. Village Exchange International-Ghana (the VEG Project) is one such venture. It aims “to improve the lives of women in poverty through a combination of income-generating activities, education, and financial services.” Specifically, the project promotes “the self-actualization of Ghana’s […]

Justin Grodman loves nature and hiking. He is on a mission to help inner city kids in San Francisco have the chance to enjoy nature through a fundraiser he describes below. “I am planning on hiking Mount Whitney next summer and am doing it through a Bay Area program called Climbing for Kids. It is the […]