A few countries like Sri Lanka and Honduras have led the way in slashing maternal mortality.

In much of the world, the most dangerous thing a woman can do is become pregnant.

The equivalent of five jumbo jets' worth of women die in labor each day, but the issue is almost never covered.

When anesthesia was developed, it was for many decades routinely withheld from women giving birth, since women were "supposed" to suffer. One of the few societies to take a contrary view was the Huichol tribe in Mexico. The Huichol believed that the pain of childbirth should be shared, so the mother would hold on to a string tied to her husband's testicles. With each painful contraction, she would give the string a yank so that the man could share the burden. Surely if such a mechanism were more widespread, injuries in childbirth would garner more attention.

The trails are a reminder of our insignificance. We come and go, but nature is forever. It puts us in our place, underscoring that we are not lords of the universe but components of it...So when the world seems to be falling apart, when we humans seem to be creating messes everywhere we turn, maybe it's time to rejuvenate in the cathedral of the wilderness - and there, away from humanity, rediscover our own humanity.

While Americans have heard of Darfur and think we should be doing more there, they aren't actually angry at the president about inaction

Just a little help, a small security force, a bit of food, can save lives