Category: General Information

Spotlight On charity: water Part II

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post applauding charity: water on their excellent use of social media to benefit the organization and its cause. Today, I want to focus on another unique aspect of the company that deserves equal praise: the way they market their business model. Charity: water uses the 100% model, which …

Continue reading

Share

Pro-Woman or Pro-Disability?

When I was a freshman in high school, I had a tense conversation with my biology teacher that has always stuck with me. As a class, we had been learning the basics of genetics, and examining some of the ethical issues surrounding prenatal screening for congenital disorders. Our teacher was an enthusiastic supporter of screening, …

Continue reading

Share

Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Ciao

The Importance of Learning Languages in Schools Languages are some of the most important cultural and social building blocks of humanity. They can be barriers when people cannot understand one another or they can be connectors that bring people together. As countries become more globalized, knowing a second language has become almost essential for young …

Continue reading

Share

One Journey

Using Art for Social Change Many people live less than a half hour away from their extended family. But what if the distance that separated your family was not due to geographic miles but national boundaries? What if you could see the city where your family lived but were unable to visit because you had …

Continue reading

Share

Hungry for a Resolution in Libya

Since civil war broke out almost five months ago, Libya has been all over the news. There have been both intranational and international efforts to take down Muammar Gaddafi, who has been the leader of Libya since 1969, but none have been successful. As Gaddafi attempts to maintain his rule, the international community has taken drastic …

Continue reading

Share

California Dreaming with an Eco-friendly Twist

In a few days my family and I leave for a 6 day trip to San Francisco and Napa, and so I thought now would be an appropriate time for a practical guide on how to ‘green’ your next vacation.  This isn’t a complete guide, of course, but simply a sort of framework to give …

Continue reading

Share

Colombia’s forced eradication of illicit crops

Leer la versión en Español In an effort to decrease drug trafficking, many countries have resorted to a forced eradication of illicit crops.  There are two main methods in which crop eradication takes place: aerial spraying of toxic chemicals and forced manual eradication. It is assumed that the eradication of the crops will stop and …

Continue reading

Share

Peace Not Wanted in Lebanon?

Remember last week when I posted about honoring U.N. Peacekeepers? Well, I’m sorry to report that a vehicle filled with U.N. Peacekeepers has since been attacked in Lebanon. On Friday, May 27, a marked United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle was blown up near the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon. Six Italian …

Continue reading

Share

Avoid Scarcity in Psychiatric Services – Make Medical School Free

As I mentioned in a previous post, the prevalence of neuropsychiatric conditions is skyrocketing around the world. Unfortunately, this rise in incidence has not been accompanied by a rise in amount of mental health care clinicians. Demand for psychiatry is rising faster than for any other specialty, yet medical students are opting for specialties with …

Continue reading

Share

Disabled Actors and Acting Disabled

The Absence and Authenticity of Disability in films and TV In recent years there has been some controversy over the shortage of scripted characters with disabilities in American media and arts. Studies from the National Arts and Disability Center and the Broadcaster’s Disability Network show that although 20% of Americans between the ages of 5 …

Continue reading

Share