A week before the Egyptian revolution began last month, Asmaa Mahfouz, an Egyptian activist, released a vlog that quickly went viral and is widely credited with sparking the protests that eventually ended the thirty-year reign of dictator Hosni Mubarak. In the vlog, Mahfouz challenged any men who did not think women should be protesting to …
Category: General Information
Mar 08
100 Years!!!
Celebrating International Women’s Day Today, March 8, 2011, marks International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of giving women in society an equal footing with men. It is not only a time for men, women and children to reflect on progress and changes made worldwide but it is also a time …
Mar 04
Cidade de Deus
The City of God’s Peace Police Most people living in a developing country usually welcome a high growth rate. The standard of living improves, unemployment falls down and people are removed from the depths of poverty. But unfortunately, not everyone gets to reap the benefits of a country surging forward. There are always small pockets …
Mar 03
Score One for International Law
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard something about the ongoing situation in Libya. The violence there has escalated since the protests began on the 15th of February, and the international community has finally decided to get involved. On the 26th, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution calling …
Mar 03
Millennium Consumption Goals for the Rich?
Most of us are familiar with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)., but for those who are not, the MDGs include a set of eight (8) goals that about 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have all agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The goals include eradicating extreme poverty, reducing …
Mar 03
Skipping Class
Public Education System in America 671,616. This was the number of international students studying in the United States higher education system in 2008. While America continues to attract thousands of students from all over the world to its prestigious undergraduate and graduate colleges, it is the public school system that is being put under a …
Mar 01
A Radical Notion that Women are People
Ever since the US House of Representatives became a Republican majority two months ago, the House, along with many state legislatures, have been churning out legislation targeted at limiting women’s rights, redefining victims of sexual assault and placing the lives of fetuses above their mother’s. There are currently three initiatives against abortion at the Federal …
Mar 01
U.N. Women!
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about my dinner with Marie Wilson and about the role of women in International Economic Development. In keeping with that theme, I was excited to read about the launch of U.N. Women on Thursday last week.
What is U.N. Women you might ask, and why do we need another agency pushing for gender equality?
Feb 28
Women and Sustainable Development
Women in many parts of the African continent perform up to 80% of the labor in their respective countries, yet are often denied basic rights, such as the right to own land, to access credit, and to operate their own businesses. They are the fundamental caregivers and providers of their families, yet many of them …
Feb 28
Blood and Sweat
The Story of an Average Chinese Farmer Ever since Deng Xiaoping reformed China’s economy in 1978, the Communist country has been enjoying rapid economic growth. An industrial powerhouse, China has quickly established itself as a global player in international politics. But behind this veiled economic growth lie vast income inequalities that span across the majority …