Jul 04
In September 2000, the United Nations established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in hopes of improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. The MDGs have caused governments around the world to rally together in a global partnership to make significant progress in some of the most challenging areas in the developing world. The …
Jul 01
Recently, the quality of education in the United States has been under siege by numerous people including researchers, parents, and even educators themselves. It seems as though there are solutions to America’s education debate thrown around on an almost daily basis, but no outcome has been seen as of yet. However, there are some proven …
Jun 30
Currently, the Eastern part of Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record. More than ten million people are affected in countries such as Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. With increasing food prices, dry land, failing crops and dying livestock, many Africans in these countries simply don’t have access to food. Malnutrition …
Jun 30
President Hu Jintao’s pledge to continue investing heavily into Sudan raises a few cautionary flags In my post on Sudan’s wildlife, I briefly mentioned how countries that rely on Sudan’s oil reserves will continue to be among the country’s strongest supporters. I cited China as a key example of this, seeing as how 2/3rds of …
Jun 30
A Carp by Any Other Name Would Taste So Delicious Asian carp, originally brought to America in the 1970s to clean ponds, has since escaped to major waterways, reproduced at lightening speed, and has now become an invasive species. Able to grow up to 100 pounds, these carp eat so much that they threaten other …
Jun 29
Every now and then I read an article that I simply have to share with someone; so, today I share it with you! The article in this case is about Lapu-Lapu, a city in the Philippines which has taken an interesting route to promote ecotourism: recruiting students to act as ‘ecotourism police’ who report people they …
Jun 24
Teaching Children to Accept Differences in Society One of the most important tools a child needs in his or her social toolbox is the ability to be tolerant of others. The world is composed of people from different backgrounds who speak various languages, and follow diverse customs and religions. Any child, whether in the United …
Jun 23
When someone thinks of an “underdeveloped” or “developing” country, it’s all too easy to envision an area that is lagging behind (both technologically and economically) the Western world. It’s common to think of these places as needing our help to catch up to the standards we set and to follow the trends that we start. …
Jun 23
Shark Fin Soup When my sister recently got married, my parents and I traveled to Taiwan to throw a wedding banquet so our entire family could be together. My parents splurged on one of the fancy menus at the banquet hall so that my sister would have “nothing but the best”. As we ate course …
Jun 22
The University of Oregon and the Global Oregon Initiative recently announced an interesting—and controversial—partnership: a partnership with the government of Gabon. This one-of-a-kind cooperative agreement has a noble purpose: to establish joint research centers in Eugene and Libreville in order to study sustainability, economic development, and natural resource management. However, the union is problematic because of …
