I'm writing this while I sit in the passenger seat of a giant, white cargo van careening up the East Coast on route 15, so if I seem a bit distracted in tone, that's probably why. I could wait the four hours until I'm safely in the confines of my computer chair, but I don't want to lose the ideas while they're there. Well, that and I'm sort of melodramatic...

First published at www.lasolidaridad.com (cross-blogging) Learning about the Make Trade Fair campaign of Oxfam was an epochal event for me where I received enlightenment regarding the difference between aid and trade, the latter being a more effective approach on eradicating poverty. The implications are tremendous, knowing that trade is a concept that should entail the cooperation of governments, and for me this sounds too remote if not too utopic. I am looking for something a little bit more on a close proximity, which individuals and organizations can embrace to spin economic development and social transformation, in their own small way.