Aug 23
A recent study conducted by the University of California in Los Angeles revealed some interesting results for children between the ages of nine and eleven. The study polled young children between the given age group, and asked them to rank values that are important to them. Out of all the values that the tweens could …
Aug 22
A few weeks ago Tourism Concern, a UK-based non-profit focused on ethical tourism and travel, announced that they will soon be launching Gap Year and International Volunteering Standard (GIVS). GIVS is a voluntourism standardization program that will ensure that voluntourism companies are regulated and are a benefit to the destination communities. As you may recall …
Aug 22
Last spring, I took an ethics class called Policy Choice as Value Conflict. Throughout the semester, we students debated the merits of riveting topics, ranging from pros and cons of moral philosophies such as utilitarianism and deontology to the legality of controversial issues such as capital punishment, euthanasia, prostitution, gay marriage, and even bestiality. Our …
Aug 15
Since Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt, some of the bloggers and activists who devoted their online time to organizing revolution have turned to a new use for social media: economic aid. 20 prominent Egyptian bloggers—the same ones who previously blogged about overthrowing Mubarak—have joined together to create a Twitter fundraising campaign, Tweetback. The …
Aug 12
Chile, one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America, has been going through its own array of protests and demonstrations these past few months. In the past, students did not take a great degree of interest in their country’s political decisions, but the tide appears to be changing. Though the student population of Chile has …
Aug 09
El sistema es un programa de educación musical presente en Venezuela (y en algunos estados de los Estados Unidos) que ofrece a niños pobres la posibilidad de volverse músicos profesionales. El programa empezó en 1975, despés de que el economista y músico José Abreu dió una clase de música en un garage a 11 niños …
Aug 05
Today’s Museums are Delving into Academics, and Giving out Graduate Degrees. Though museums have always been known to be educational havens, they have never been quite as educational as they are today. As mentioned in a previous post, many undergraduate students have been looking to further their occupational prospects by pursuing higher education. In an …
Aug 01
This post is the first I have written from a very personal perspective. Of course, every post that I write is dear to me and written with my own beliefs in mind, but thus far I have not had direct experience with the topics I have brought to people’s attention. However, as an undergraduate student, …
Jul 29
Currently, the debt ceiling and potential budget cuts for 2012 are arguably the most debated topics in U.S. politics. Other contributors to this blog have already discussed in detail the consequences that budget cuts could have on children’s schooling, academic research and education, and foreign aid. Shaunak, a fellow Program and Research intern with the …
Jul 25
In a few of my prior posts, I have discussed people who were unable to overcome mental illnesses such as depression or drug addiction. In today’s post, I’d like to share a more optimistic story. I will tell you about Dr. Marsha Linehan, an inspirational woman who overcame borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eventually developed …
