John Kerry gave a speech this past week in which he said that he is “on a short track” to introducing climate and energy legislation that can be passed. Kerry said he’d been working with key administration officials and Senators to create a package. In a Reuters article on this, Carol Browner is quoted as […]
On the heels on the announcement that Latin America is forming a new regional organization without the US and Canada to rival the Organization of American States, it looks like the current Inter-American system is coming under fire. Or at least it is from Venezuela. After the release of a 300 page report by the […]
Yesterday I took a break from watching the Winter Olympics to read press accounts of a couple of Soviet Union ballistic missile tests conducted in the fall of 1987. According to a report in the October 2, 1987 Washington Post, the warheads of one of the missiles fell into the Pacific Ocean “about 500 miles […]
Another major earthquake has hit a hemispheric neighbor and the U.S. is standing by to offer assistance. President Obama released an official statement of support to the people of Chile and took to the White House lawn to offer the following remarks: From what I can tell, Chile will probably not ask for U.S. assistance […]
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Deaths in Haiti could total 300,000 More than 200,000 bodies have been found in the aftermath of Haiti’s January earthquake, and the total could climb as high as 300,000, according to Haitian President Rene Preval. Preval issued a call for emergency shelters to house the 1.5 million people living in camps. Rebuilding costs could reach […]
By Miranda Jolicoeur (Guest Contributor) The International Violence Against Women Act, commonly referred to as I-VAWA, is the first attempt of its kind to call attention to violence against women in the public and private spheres around the world. For the most part international law focuses on the state, known as the public sphere, […]
In the wake of tragedy and destruction, and amid the ciaos of rebuilding after natural disasters and war children are often lost in the shuffle. In the aftermath of such disasters children are left the most vulnerable and susceptible to the country’s torment. What children need most in the face of tragedy is not just […]
I wrote last month about The Reaction to EPA’s proposed regulations on greenhouse gases. The virus of fear is spreading. People who should know better, in my opinion, namely eight Democratic Senators from coal, oil and industrial states, wrote to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson warning her, for all intents and purposes, to back off. Coal-State […]
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard arguments for the Holder versus Humanitarian Law Project case. You can read the arguments here. The case concerns Ralph Fertig, who wants to help the PKK use non-violent means to achieve its objectives. However, since the U.S. dubs the PKK a terrorist organization, Fertig finds that his endeavor […]
NEW YORK—A look at global press freedom during 2009 offers a glimpse into dangers journalists face as the media industry adjusts to years of corporate meltdowns. Of particular concern are those who rely on the Internet to get news and information out—more than half of imprisoned members of the press are online journalists, including bloggers. […]
Cool idea to handle some of the problems with verifying that funds are being spent appropriately in a war zone written up by Wired: If an area is too dicey to send in expats, Mercy Corps sends in Afghan staff with GPS cameras — either a Nikon point-and-shoot, or a Garmin handheld GPS with built-in […]
Usually, I don’t drag myself into my own blogs but the Bloom Box is the sort of energy project ultimately supposed to be aimed at people — homeowners — like me. Like most homeowners, I am not a tech geek, and, in theory, I am attracted to the idea of the Bloom Box. However, I […]
Global Integrity released its latest Integrity Index this week. It includes scores and narrative descriptions about corruption in countries worldwide. This year’s press release briefly considers the effect of foreign aid on anti-corruption enforcement. It cites Uganda and Bosnia & Herzegovina as countries with major donor support that have not made significant gains, “lending credence […]
By Jessica D’Itri There are approximately 16,000 unwed mothers raising children on their own in South Korea. Because of a strong social stigma, these women face tremendous economic and social hardships, and most are pressured to have abortions (abortion is an illegal but widely-available procedure in the country) or to give their children up for […]