For as long as he can remember, Cameron Sinclair liked to rebuild neighborhoods. Sinclair, the 34-year old altruist behind Architecture for Humanity (AFH), grew up in South London erecting toy communities with Legos. When he was nine, his family moved to New Jersey, but after a few years he...

Pretty isn't beautiful, Mother.

Pretty is what changes...

What the eye arranges

is what is beautiful! - Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George

Pretty Is What Changes is Jessica Queller's compelling memoir about self-image, self-discovery and most importantly, self-preservation. Devastated by the loss...

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 came to an end Sunday with a call by business, government and civil society leaders for a new brand of leadership, one ready to address the challenges of globalization, terrorism, climate change and a looming water crisis. The invitation-only event isn't exclusive to...

It is a privilege to be in Davos for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, where leaders around the world and across the disciplines have gathered to collaborate in shaping the global agenda. The invitation-only event isn't exclusive to experts on the economy - if it were, I wouldn't...

A friend who's attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos for many years wasn't kidding when she said, "it's all about the boots." Unless, as many do, you have a car and driver, walking is the sport of choice. The environmentally conscious Swiss don't salt or sand the...

What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008? Think about it. This is the question posed by the organizers of this year's World Economic Form in Davos Switzerland. We, the public, are invited to respond in...

If you've spent time in New York City since September 2007, it's likely you've already witnessed the social consciousness of Harvard alum Laura Weidman - she was a principal in New York City's Garden in Transit, the flower-powered yellow taxis cum public art project. While the brightly colored hood...

Call me Mrs. Grinch (it's okay - my kids already have) but my family isn't exchanging gifts this season. Alright, that's not entirely true, but instead of material gifts, we are taking a trip. This means no wrapping, shipping or returning unwanted presents and no staying up 'til the early...

You may not know Paula Scher by name, but you'd recognize her work: from the red-arched "citi" logo to Boston's first record album cover, Paula Scher's award-winning iconic identities are legendary. While maintaining her successful career as a graphic designer for the international firm Pentagram, and applying her

A lifelong New Yorker, Richard Corman has photographed many a luminary including Mohammed Ali, Nelson Mandela, and Bill Clinton. His images have appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Town & Country, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and Architectural Digest. Yet the work for which...

"One minute I'm in that bubble of new motherhood, and the next I'm told I have breast cancer," filmmaker Lori Benson says in her documentary film that pieces together the reality of her personal crisis. Dear Talula is a compelling portrait of a woman whose grace, good humor...

The pressures tied to celebrity status are likely something I will never know but a recent New York appearance by 'tween heartthrobs, Dylan and Cole Sprouse who play Zack and Cody Martin on Disney's The Suite Life made me think that perhaps those pressures have put these...

I'd always had the impression that golf was something of an esthete sport, what with the collared polo shirt tucked in to khakis with belt. And like the buttoned up dress code, I believed there was a sense of decorum that set the sport apart from others. Add to that...

Al Gore's concern about climate change was as clear as the water that filled a pitcher and water goblets by his side last month. The former vice president told a sold out crowd, "we are facing a true planetary emergency," during Aspen, Colorado's Greentech Innovation Network summit. While...

The Aspen Ideas Festival brings together over 280 provocative thinkers and doers, including world leaders in culture, business, science, and politics. They come together to present, ponder, and discuss their ideas with, for the most part, a sophisticated audience of individuals, including...

The differences between the exaggerated mediocrity of Los Angeles vis à vis the grandeur of New York City and life within have been written about and mulled over for decades. Until recently, we lived in Los Angeles -- land of sunshine, toned bodies and the good life. And then,...

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Presidential candidate John Edwards, got my fearless vote when she took the stage in Washington, DC last week, on behalf of the National Coalition For Cancer Survivorship (NCCS). Her message was clear: "Live until you die." And why not? And who better than a cancer...

...on Loss, Hope and Empowerment

My mother died a few days shy of the birth of my sister's first and only child. My brother was by our dying mother's side. My father died six years later - alone. Not a day goes by when I don't wish I could...

We are a looks obsessed group of people, let's face it. In an effort to come to a better understanding as to why "smart" women still care about their looks, I, together with a near sell-out audience of predominantly female and, for the most part, well-dressed New Yorkers, attended a...

On the occasion of the New Year, I asked my immediate family about their goals and wishes for 2007. My nine-year-old son said that he plans "to pee more." The almost thirteen-year old daughter indicated that she would "try not to get mad so frequently." And my darling husband resolves...