Issa Amro has been a human rights defender in Israeli-occupied Hebron since the early 2000s. On November 23, he'll stand before a military court outside Ramallah, charged with "incitement," organizing illegal activities, being in a "closed military zone" and insulting police.

The seductive voice of a clarinet. The wild wail of a tenor sax. The whimsical tones of a bassoon or oboe. Each of these sounds is produced by blowing air over a thin reed sliced from a cane stalk. Most cane reed is produced in the Var region of southern France.

We use lots of items in our daily lives. We use them and then throw them away, or perhaps recycle them when they wear out or get damaged. Then again, some of us prefer to repair for re-use -- at a Repair Cafe.

Bacteria and fungi, Earth's quintessential biochemists, are famous for the odd molecules they produce. But human beings are no slouches. According to one estimate, global commerce swells with thousands of industrial chemicals, many completely novel, some very toxic

When Heather Majaury left the Ottawa Valley for university after high school, it was the start of a whole new journey. And it wasn't just about the usual transitions from being a teenager to a young adult. It was the birth of a whole new sense of identity.

Fair trade -- as opposed to Free Trade -- puts farmers, workers, communities and the health of the planet ahead of national trade balances and corporate profits. Listen to the voices of fair traders gathered in Winnipeg for their national convention.

Israel plays a host of key roles in today's troubled world: Jewish homeland. Bastion of peace and democracy in the troubled Middle East. Clever "start-up nation" the world can turn to for smart solutions. Israeli-American activist Jeff Halper pinpoints a darker niche.

Physical abuse, assassination, bribery, the use of human shields, looting ... These are among the acts former Israeli soldiers describe to Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence in the course of interviews about their service in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Imagine an electric-powered fleet of Canada Post vehicles, along with vehicle charging stations at post offices. And postal banking, where loans could be secured for renewable energy installations and home energy retro-fits. Listen up.

I've always hung out on the margins, with all the other misfits, freaks and queers; on the edge, the border between femininity and masculinity, between brownness and whiteness, a standpoint that offers me a unique worldview.