Category Archives: Make a Difference

Projects that are making a difference, improving lives, and building communities.

Authors I-Q, Commerce, Social Issues

The Blue Economy: Sailing Through Youth, Oceans, and Leadership – by Ayse Oge

In an era defined by environmental urgency and economic transformation, a new tide is rising—one that aligns the ocean’s vast potential with global innovation, sustainable development, and the unstoppable force of youth—the Blue Economy: A Sea of Opportunity.

The blue economy is more than maritime trade and tourism. It envisions an ocean-driven future that is renewable, inclusive, and regenerative. From offshore wind farms to seaweed cultivation, sustainable fisheries to marine biotechnology, this trillion-dollar frontier invites bold thinkers to reimagine the future. 

Continue reading The Blue Economy: Sailing Through Youth, Oceans, and Leadership – by Ayse Oge →

Authors A-H, Politics, Social Issues

A Zionist for Zohran, Sort of… by Rafaela Amrita Crevoshay

Counter intuitive? It certainly sounds incongruent. But dig a bit deeper and you’ll discover that Z and me share some unconventional complexities that match up. We both live in the cultural orbit of North India, and the Middle East. It includes language music, food, and politics. These things unite us more that they separate us yet superficially,  we don’t match up. He’s a partisan Muslim, I’m a Zionist Jew. Reconciliation would seem off the table. But I like this guy and that motivated me to excavate his background and his character despite an apparent ideological gulf that separates us. 

Continue reading A Zionist for Zohran, Sort of… by Rafaela Amrita Crevoshay →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Renewing Diversity Part 11: The Mysterious World of Diversity and Economics – by Carlos Cortés

I’ve always been a bit perplexed when it comes to the intersection of economics and diversity.  Maybe this is inevitable because of the sprawling, multifaceted, and contentious nature of the field of economics itself.  As the old saying goes, “You can stack all of the world’s economists end to end and never reach a conclusion.”

So rather than belaboring you with false certainties and pat generalizations about the economics-diversity nexus, I’ll tell you a story.  It’s a story about one acquaintance and two friends, each of whom contributed to my still-developing thinking about this topic.  Here goes.

Continue reading Renewing Diversity Part 11: The Mysterious World of Diversity and Economics – by Carlos Cortés →

Authors A-H, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

20 Interview Questions I Should Have Asked – by Sharon Hurley Hall

More than 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs this year. As a Black woman who’s navigated similar systems, it’s made me think about the interview processes I faced: extremely stressful, multiple rounds, and not a person who shared my identity at any of them. I know from my own experience that there are double-takes as you walk in the door. There’s extensive questioning about birth, nationality and my right to be there, and extreme scrutiny of my qualifications. And even if I then get the job, there’s no guarantee it’s a safe place to work. 

I know I’m not the only one to experience this. But what if you could use the interview process to get the answers you really need as a Black person? You might not get the job, but you’d be a whole lot clearer about whether it was the right workplace for you.

Here are 20 questions I wish I’d been able to ask.  Continue reading 20 Interview Questions I Should Have Asked – by Sharon Hurley Hall →

Authors I-Q, Go Green

Two Nations, One Climate – by Tor Arne Jørgensen

Along Norway’s southern coast, I have watched the winters change. Periods that once held frost now arrive as rain. What should be cold arrives mild. Not every year, but often enough. In Grimstad, people still talk about the winters we used to have. Snow that stayed. Ice that held. Now cold spells come and break quickly. Rain replaces snow. The pattern no longer holds.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has documented this shift. Coastal winters in Southern Norway are warmer now than in the 1960s. The change is gradual but steady. River flows shift. Insurance warnings multiply. Municipal flood plans expand.

Something is changing. Not suddenly, but unmistakably. And it is not only here. Across the Atlantic, America’s coastlines tell similar stories. Miami watches tides creep higher. California counts longer droughts. Two nations. Different politics. Same physics. Both built their modern wealth the same way—on oil.

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Domestic Violence and the man in the mirror – by Terry Howard

Hey fellas, it’s me, your humble columnist.

I decided to send you a letter and gift you with a mirror to gaze at as you read this narrative. You see, the gift of self-reflection (and mirrors) are the greatest gifts you can give yourself if, taken together, they lead to positive change on your part and on that of others.

But first, I’ll ask you how’s everything in the bar, the locker room or on the golf course while you’re “shooting the breeze” with the boys? Lots of talk about sports, national politics, your trip to Europe and, eh, I’m guessing, the opposite sex, huh? 

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Authors A-H, Education, Social Issues

Faith, Science and the First Amendment – by Richard Foltin

What to Know About Religious Beliefs in the Classroom

This article was originally published by Freedom Forum

Among 2025’s marquee U.S. Supreme Court cases was Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which a group of Maryland parents claimed a First Amendment right to opt their children out of certain LGBTQ+-inclusive readings in local public school classrooms. The parents argued that mandatory exposure to the books’ themes, which contradicted their religious beliefs, undermined their First Amendment right to direct their children’s religious upbringing. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the parents, saying that the schools’ lack of an opt-out option interfered with the parents’ right to the free exercise of religion.

While the case did not deal with the teaching of science, it has much in common with a long history of parents’ concerns about public school science curricula and health classes that conflict with their religious beliefs.

This article explores these teachings that may conflict with religious beliefs and how the First Amendment comes into play. It also discusses key court cases on this issue.

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Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

“Toni,” what else could I have done? – by Terry Howard

Today’s story is about “Toni” and the point her story makes as we look back on October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

ME: Good morning, Toni. How was your weekend?

TONI: (Subdued) Okay, I guess.

ME: Wait, are you okay? Is that a bruise on your forehead. Did you take a fall? 

TONI: No, my husband beat me up again. Yesterday he hit me upside my head with the Holy Bible. Can you believe it?

ME: Oh my! I, uh, I’m so sorry, and…

TONI: Thanks for asking. I’ll be okay. This is my second marriage, and like my ex-husband, this husband beats me up too. The story of my life is that I seem to attract abusive men. 

Continue reading “Toni,” what else could I have done? – by Terry Howard →

Authors I-Q, Inclusion, Of Women, Social Issues

The Psychology of Displacement and Projection – by Olya K-Mehri

In professional and organisational settings, the word “aggressive” is often applied in response to tone rather than conduct. What is described as aggression in these moments seldom concerns hostility; instead, it reflects an emotional defence mechanism in which discomfort is projected onto the speaker. Through processes of displacement and projection, the listener redirects their unease rather than examining its source. subsequent labelling of their expression as “aggressive” functions less as an objective observation and more as a psychological strategy to preserve equilibrium and reaffirm dominant notions of professionalism.

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AI, Authors I-Q, Education

When AI Entered Our Classroom – by Tor Arne Jørgensen

My colleagues buzzed with excitement in the teachers’ lounge. They had discovered a new super-program that could answer almost any question. This artificial intelligence could hold actual conversations. It made Google searches feel obsolete. The journey from encyclopedia to Google to ChatGPT felt like a miracle cure with unimaginable possibilities. Or was it?

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