Oct 18
Last year I spent some time backpacking through China, and I came away with some great memories from the trip. Apart from just memories, I also came home with a bag full of incredibly dirty clothes. Being in an urban city, I could not figure out why my shirts were always so dark by the …
Oct 18
Last week I wrote about Wangari Maathai, the first African Woman to have won the Nobel Peace Prize. This post is in turn dedicated to Rigoberta Menchú. Rigoberta Menchú is the first Latin American woman to have won the Nobel Peace prize. She received it for her work advocating indigenous rights and human rights protection. Rigoberta and …
Oct 13
Do you know where your clothes were made? Whose hands picked the tomatoes you eat? How the items you use on a daily basis are manufactured? Your answer is probably no and the truth is that most of us don’t really take the time to find out. We might read the label stitched to our …
Oct 13
When it comes to development, is GDP the only thing that matters? The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) says no. The OECD released a new report that looks at a variety of statistics with the hope of finding new measures for assessing well-being that go beyond Gross Domestic Product. The authors of the …
Oct 12
What do the countries of India, Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, and Brazil have in common? You could say rich histories, luscious and picturesque landscapes, succulent foods and colorful settings. Hidden beneath these vacationers’ paradise; however, is a cloak of secrecy that is a concealing a dark reality. These locations are not only a tourists dream, but …
Oct 11
On September 25, Wangari Maathai, the environmentalist, politician, human rights activist and Nobel peace prize died in Kenya. She was 71 and left a big legacy behind her. She is best know for founding and leading and environmental non-profit, the Green Belt Movement. The Green Belt Movement (GBM) advocates for human rights and supporting good governance …
Oct 07
Last Wednesday, October 5th, was World Teachers Day, initially recognized by UNESCO. While I will assume that many people did not do too much to celebrate, coincidentally I happened to attend a conference on international education. Foundation for Social Change hosted the Global Conference for Social Change here in New York City, and Wednesday’s theme …
Oct 06
In previous posts, I’ve stated that I consider myself a human rights advocate. I define this term as an individual who works to ensure that all human beings have their basic needs met and rights enforced. This includes needs such as food, housing, clothing and rights to education and physical and religious freedom. Under international …
Oct 06
As you may recall, I wrote a post over the summer about Responsibility to Protect and the Arab Spring. In this post I discussed the intervention in Libya and how the creation of a “no-fly zone” was a manifestation of this RtoP. I also discussed the reasons why RtoP was not going to be invoked …
Oct 05
In 2010, not only did I go back to school, but for the first time took online classes. Because of my hectic work schedule, I couldn’t commute to school, so instead I decided to take courses in the comfort of my own home. I did fear; however, that I would miss out on networking and …
