UNICEF: Global austerity is hitting children hardest Fiscal austerity measures being adopted by governments to combat the global economic downturn are heaping misery upon the world’s poor, especially children, who already are suffering from food, fuel and financial shocks, according to a study by the UN Children’s Fund. Cuts to wages, benefits and subsidies, as […]
Feeding America created an interactive map of food insecurity in the United States in order to assist with its food aid efforts at the local community level. The Mapping the Meal Gap project also serves the general public with a useful illustration of hunger statistics by state and county, including: a piechart of the food […]
The UN High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was held last week in New York and resulted in the adoption of a Political Declaration (PDF here). As I feared a few weeks ago, the declaration is weak and does not set hard goals or targets to curb the NCD epidemic, which caused two-thirds of […]
Next month (October 23rd) the people of Tunisia will vote to elect a Constituent Assembly, with the primary task of drafting a new constitution! The National Constituent Assembly (NCA) will be composed of 218 members, and will have to draft a new constitution for Tunisia within a year. Furthermore, the NCS will also elect from […]
The Obama Administration checked another high profile terror suspect off its’ list today. A senior Administration official reports that a U.S. drone strike in Yemen killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. born cleric that allegely sought to inspire “lone – wolf” jihadists in the Western world. Security officials argue that Al-Awlaki was the inspiration behind the […]
Those attending to Russian politics this week will have noticed that among the stated reasons for Finance Minister Kudrin’s rebellion and dismissal was his unhappiness with high Russian military spending. It’s important, indeed, to keep an eye on Russia’s military buildup and on the increased emphasis the Putin regime has put on nuclear deterrence, as […]
Last Spring I brought you the piece, Bullying is Abuse, regarding the case of 15 year-old Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide in Boston following instances of bulling. Now with technology in every child’s hands bullying is even easier, quicker and can be more widespread with only the click of a button or mouse. Children can easily text […]
It’s no secret that representing the U.S. abroad entails both risks and rewards. Ambassadors though are rarely in the news and rightly so- they are sent to represent their country, not make a name for themselves. I’m sure most people would be hard-pressed to name any ambassadors. If they are in the news it usually […]
I don’t know about you, but in the morning the first thing I do after hitting snooze a few times is start to dream about my first cup of coffee. I jump from the bed all energized thinking about the aroma of that hot cup of dark wonder… as if I can already smell it. […]
Nostalgia is everywhere these days, a far cry from the good old days when we used to live for the future. Woody Allen. South Africa politicians. Even Mad Men are in on the act. But nostalgia for the Soviet war in Afghanistan? “Car bombs and suicide attacks, which have become a permanent threat in today’s […]
Anybody concerned about the possible spread of drone warfare outside the core theaters of Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan, or about drones generally, will want to consult the review article by Christian Caryl in the Sept. 29 issue of the New York Review of Books. Two noteworthy points: on the positive side of the ledger, because […]
As the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty continues to languish in Senate purgatory, the rest of the world keeps reminding us – along with the other slackers – to get with the program. Its been fifteen years and its starting to get embarrassing. For reals. So, the Comprehensive Test Ban Organization (CTBTO), the group charged with […]
The earth has lost a very, very good friend: Dr. Wangari Maathai. She was a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, environmental activist, human rights campaigner, and a wonderful voice for reason in the face of the madness we so often do to our planet and ourselves. She died this week at the age of 71 from […]
San Marino became the first nation to ratify an amendment proposed at the 2010 Kampala Review Conference of the Rome Statute, which governs the International Criminal Court. San Marino deposited its ratification of the amendment to Article 8 at U.N. Headquarters today becoming the first nation to ratify the amendment classifying the use of […]
Something needs to be done to protect civilians and prevent civil war in Syria. Last week, Avaaz, a human rights organization, reported that more than 5,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprisings began in March. Meanwhile, a number of sources are suggesting that Syria may be on the brink of a civil […]