There’s a story in today’s NY Times on Ela Bhatt, founder of SEWA. Note that one woman who’s a part of the cooperative, Namrata Rajhara, said that “Before, I felt blank. I didn’t know anything about the world,” she said the other day. “Now, with my earnings, my children are studying.”

Check it out—and don’t forget to click through the accompanying slide show.

There’s a story in today’s Times on Islamic banking.

Finally, for your viewing pleasure, the whale shark:

Photo courtesy of Shark-Pictures.com

Here’s a link to information on the whale shark, courtesy of National Geographic.