"Ke garne?" It's the classic, at time frustrating, phrase in Nepal, often fatalistic and bothersome. But, in a nation reeling from recent earthquakes, persistent poverty, and government inaction, maybe it's a blessing, too.

On May 14, 2014, my godmother, Helen Ann Rhea, passed out of this world, ending a protracted, 7-year battle with the aftermath of a massive stroke. For 72 years, Helen was a rock in our family, always there with a smile, a hug, and endless love, tending to the needs of everyone – often at […]

The image [of a coyote lifting a leg] should be struck on a new coin, with Charles Darwin on the other side, not negotiable, but a good-luck coin to remind us of change and evolution, and of creatures that will be happy to adapt if we ourselves cannot…The land has been hurt. Misuse is not to be excused, and its ill effects will long be felt. But nature will not be eliminated…Rain, moss, and time apply their healing bandage, and the injured land at last recovers. Nature is evergreen, after all.

The Gaanges River in India is both revered and reviled: it's worshipped as an incarnation of the divine by nearly a billion Hindus, and is also one of the most polluted rivers in the world.