Blake at American Footprint reminds everyone about Tibet, the forgotten cause. He links to a story in the Times of Tibet and asks why we aren’t seeing articles like that in the New York Times.
Cory Doctorow links to a story on homelessness in Columbus, OH:

When Tom Bingham describes his new apartment, a slow smile creeps across his face.
The place is small – 402 square feet – squeaky clean, and bare. A metal-frame twin bed sits in one corner, a large, worn purple chair in another. But it has one thing that Mr. Bingham, an older man, has never known: privacy.
“It’s the first time I’ve been by myself,” he says, relishing the words. “You come from a family of 10 kids, like I did, and you’re never by yourself. In the shelter I was with 120 other guys…. Now, I’m getting used to peace and quiet.”

The program is based on providing permanent supportive housing for the long-term homeless, and after a five-year trial signs are good that it has been a success, not only for the direct participants but also for shorter-term users of homeless resources.
Amp reports on a modern medical horror story. Amber Marlowe checked out against medical advice from Wilkes-Barre General Hospital because they insisted she have a C-section, which she did not want. About the same time she was giving birth (vaginally, without incident) at Moses Taylor Hospital, attorneys representing WBGH sought and obtained a court order forbidding her to refuse the surgery. If you’d asked me beforehand, I’d have said I didn’t think it possible in this day and age.
Prometheus6 gives a nod to Steve Kerr, who referred to Yao Ming by an ethnic slur but then made a sincere apology without making excuses; you can read his letter to Ming here. I’m linking this because Kerr did wrong, but it took cojones to face the facts the way he did, and I think that sort of response should be encouraged.
Also from Prometheus6, the last Tuskegee airman died about a month ago. A quick google finds stories in all the usual places, but it wasn’t exactly splashed across their front pages. The University of Virginia has a good background here if you’re not familiar with the story.