Saving a the life of a child is truly simple, yet all too often children suffer and die needlessly. This year alone across the globe some two million children will die from preventable diseases. These children will suffer and die from diseases that here in the United States are nothing more than a faded memory, […]
Its that time of year again, when the top nuclear dogs convene in Vienna for the annual IAEA General Conference. Not too much pomp, lots of circumstance. “Side” meetings galore. And, as always, the U.S. and its allies “mean girl” Iran and other evil-doers by not inviting their delegations to the good stuff. The list […]
More vaccinations would save 6.4 million poor children Boosting childhood immunization rates over the next decade in 72 of the world’s most impoverished countries would save some 6.4 million lives, and result in long-term gains in productivity valued at between $151 billion and $231 billion, according to two studies by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of […]
Siemens, the German industrial giant, is, like the installation they created, picture above, a superstar. Peter Löscher, recently reappointed as CEO, has been driving the renewables end of their business relentlessly, seeing nothing but upside. Siemens has made a big move in announcing its total withdrawal from the nuclear power business. Siemens Abandoning Nuclear Power […]
A new report on women and children has stated that “more than 350 000 women die each year in the developing world from complications of childbirth and pregnancy. As many as 2.6 million babies are stillborn annually, and 3 million of the more than 8 million children under five who die each year succumb in […]
According to a 2008 article by David Rothkopf, the world’s 1,100 richest people have almost twice the assets of the poorest 2.5 billion (Rothkopf, 2008). Aside from the obvious problem – that this global elite has their hands in everything from politics to financial institutions – it also shows the massive gap between the haves […]
In 1995, then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton riveted the world at that year’s Beijing World Conference on Women. She made a compelling case for all of us – particularly governments – to address the issues important to women and girls, and made the tag line “women’s rights are human rights and human rights are […]
As you may know by now, the leadership of the Palestinian Authority have decided to seek a vote on statehood at the United Nations later this month. President Obama asked them not to pursue this path and they refused. Now, normally I like to consider weighty matters of international affairs by referencing analysis by think […]
This past fortnight seems to have been full of surprises – Australia, for example, introduced a third gender category for passports, beyond the tradition male/female dichotomy. And fittingly, there have also been two stories in the media that demonstrate that subversion of this “either/or” set-up isn’t limited to the West: women in Afghanistan and Libya […]
Monday’s opening of the 66th United Nations General Assembly will feature two high-level meetings on issues that will affect international cooperation on food security and development issues. The first, taking place on September 19th and 20th, will address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which include cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, conditions which can develop or worsen depending on […]
Did you know that there is an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals trafficked into the United States each year? Shockingly the number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. The average age of entry for children victimized […]
Today, I’d like to share articles published this week that explore developments and discoveries in global health. Drug-resistant strains of bacteria are on the rise, and there is a need for conservation of antibiotics. Genetically-modified mosquitoes are the latest attempt to curb malaria. Scientists have used modified HIV-1 to kill leukemia (really). Medical […]
There was a lot of talk at this week’s CNN Tea Party Debate about creating jobs but not a lot about increasing global competitiveness. I thought about that when I read this report about the U.S. losing a lock on the #1 position in the world computer market. As the LA Times reports: China passed the […]
“[In the decade since 9/11] I think we have learned a lot about limits. But I don’t think the lesson is: We can do nothing to shape better outcomes in the world; we only make things worse. I would say that the American people, far from being interventionist, as they were in the aftermath of […]
Guest post by Emily Hauser Reasonable people can certainly hold differing opinions on the question of the death penalty. I am, personally, opposed to state executions under any circumstances, but I do understand those who feel that monstrous acts deserve the harshest possible consequences – I also understand the desire to remove the monsters from […]