This past Friday, October 7th, was the 25th anniversary of the summit meeting of then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was a meeting that now-famously almost led to an agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to completely abolish nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass. […]
Working with a local telecommunications company, the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed a program in the Ivory Coast to facilitate cash transfers that can be used by thousands of Ivorians to by food despite a climate of political violence. WFP provides $75.00 per month to households, benefiting 54,000 people in the Ivory Coast. However, […]
I went down across the street from the United Nations in New York a couple of Saturdays ago and took part in a medium-sized but interesting demonstration of concern about climate change. It was part of the “Moving Planet” series of demonstrations all over the world, organized by 350.org, that produced over 2,000 events in […]
Last week’s edition of The New York Times Magazine was the annual Food & Drink issue, with articles and features dedicated to subjects including health, policy, drinks, cooking, etiquette, curiosities and more. Perspectives on food security issues could be found among the answers to policy questions, including: “What’s an abundant food source that we haven’t […]
To absolutely no one’s surprise, the US Congress is still going after foreign aid in an attempt to seem tough on spending, as The New York Times reported this week. Although there appear to be few developments since I wrote about this issue in July, the discussions and subsequent hand-wringing are back in the open. […]
I woke up this morning to the amazing news that three women shared this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee; and Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni opposition leader. These three women have all been trailblazers for non-violent social activism and for the inclusion of women in peace building. As […]
Readers commenting on my earlier post about an FAS report evaluating missile defenses slated for deployment in Europe have taken me to task on two counts: for confining my comments to the executive summary and not analyzing the report itself in detail; and for neglecting the sound technical reasons Russia has for feeling concerned about […]
The battle between environmental conservation and business development continues in Alaska where voters sent in ballots on Tuesday October 4th to decide whether to prevent a mine from being built near the headwaters of Bristol Bay – one of the world’s premier salmon fisheries, according to the Associated Press (AP). “Supporters [of the mine] say […]
For the second year in a row, the Obama Administration is skirting a new law that prohibits U.S. security aid to countries that use child soldiers. Signed into law only three years ago by President Bush, the Child Soldier Prevention Act is designed to encourage countries to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate child soldiers by restricting […]
Last year in the lead up to Halloween I published the piece, Is Halloween Getting too Sexy for Kids? Four years ago on Halloween I brought you the article, Too Sexy For Your Kids? | Children, where I discussed how our children are over-sexualized. The issue can be far reaching: from what is playing on […]
As you may have heard, Steve Jobs lost his battle with cancer today. Much will be written about the life and legacy of this amazing man over the next few days and I expect his death will echo and reverberate in our media and social networks for some time because of the way he touched […]
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death for apostasy in Iran – various Human Rights groups are now pleading for his release. Although the ruling itself is said to be questionable in light of the Iranian civil code, the ruling was passed under the Shariah. The Shariah, as we know it […]
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