In the United States we have just returned to our busy work weeks following a long Labor Day weekend, were most of us thought little about forced or child labor, but about the ending of summer and the return of children to school. My Labor Day was spent on the soccer field practicing with my […]
When one thinks of child labor in the context of the Labor Day Holiday in the United States or the International Day of Labor, otherwise known as May Day, the mind drifts back to images of the Industrial Revolution and to children toiling in factories and mines in the UK and US. Labor Day […]
As those across the United States embark upon Labor Day Festivities it brings to light the labor exploitations of children across the globe. Much continues to be done to ensure that children around the world are both protected and simply allowed to be children. Despite outrage, laws, and social advancements child labor continues to plague our global society, […]
Telling historical stories to children has always been easier when once can use another medium than the verbal, children are visual and thus books with virbrant illistrations are the first to come to mind. However one creative company is taking a greater step in just producing high quality “toys”, but ensuring that the cultures and […]
Standard Bank Africa announced a major private sector and purely Africa-based initiative for aiding African farmers with a $100 million pledge. The pledge came is support of the goals of African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), which convened its inaugural session in Accra, Ghana, starting on Thursday. “The scheme will hand out loans to some 750,000 […]
According to the Washington Times (March 2009), “Hezbollah is using the same southern narcotics routes that Mexican drug kingpins do to smuggle drugs and people into the United States, reaping money to finance its operations and threatening U.S. national security, current and former U.S. law enforcement, defense and counterterrorism officials say.” Now there are more recent […]
The Hill had a piece recently talking about Republican Senatorial angst around Chinese networking electronics giant Huawei providing equipment to Sprint. Huawei, like all firms of any importance in China, has significant ties to the CCP leadership and the People’s Liberation Army. The idea is that Sprint, being a major provider of IT to the US […]
President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton began new Mideast peace talks this week in Washington. The talks bring together the leaders of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to start yet another high profile effort to achieve the goal of Mideast peace. As you know, Mideast peace is always on the presidential to-do […]
Reacting to popular dismay over the light sentences meted out to the corporate perpetrators of the Bhopal tragedy–slaps on the wrist, really–India’s parliament has voted to hold foreign suppliers of nuclear components liable for damages from a reactor accident. Normally, only the operator of a nuclear power plant is held liable, and in virtually all […]
September is Washington D.C.’s Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the event which was established thanks to the efforts of the DC Task Force on Human Trafficking. The Task Force was established in 2004 with the DC police department and the DC US Attorney’s office. Since the establishment of the Task Force, membership has grown to over […]
As I’ve written before, it is widely acknowledged that the economic health of the United States is a major national security concern. For one, last year Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence declared that the economic crisis had become the U.S.’s “primary near-term security concern.” I decided to read John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Great Crash […]
Been on travel so haven’t found time to Blog. Before I hit the road, I participated in a Department of Defense sponsored Bloggers roundtable on Monday, August 23rd with Lieutenant General William Caldwell the Commander of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan. It was enlightening and informative. As discussed in previous Blogs, this training is a critical […]
Cell phones and the internet are widely considered to be some of the most important tools in speeding up development in much of the world: businesses can grow faster with wider access to customers and advanced technologies, doctors can stay in touch with patients and keep more sophisticated medical records, and educational opportunities vastly increase. […]
Millions face poverty over drug prices Purchase prices of drugs for common conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes will push tens of millions of people in low- or middle-income countries below the poverty line, a study published in the PLoS journal warns. Researchers are calling for increased drug supply from the public […]
As you undoubtedly already know, last night Obama announced the end of combat operations in Iraq: What did we accomplish? Where are we going from here and what do we hope to continue to accomplish? How is Iraq related to the geopolitical interests of the United States? Many have taken the time to over the […]