Jul 05
A few weeks ago I was walking in New York City without direction nor destination. By a series of fortunate events, I unexpectedly came across a really good conference held at the New York Center for Architecture. The conferece was discussing the winner of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge (from the Buckminster Institute). The Buckminster Fuller …
Jul 04
Since this is a holiday weekend, I thought I would post something a bit more lighthearted: a Youtube video about voluntourism and sustainable travel in Laos. Voluntourism, or volunteer tourism, has gained a lot of popularity in recent years as tourists search for ways to have a unique vacation experience and give back to the …
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
Yesterday I facilitated a webinar on Culture, Conflict and Violence against Women: A Focus Sex Trafficking. I raised several issues regarding the vast differences experienced by victims of the sex trafficking industry, particularly as it pertains to culture, gender dynamics and power differentials. I recommended that governmental bodies and non-profit agencies reevaluate motives, revise legislation …
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 29
Yesterday was an anxiously awaited day for all of those who are in the fight to end modern day slavery. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, formally announced the release of the highly anticipated Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 2011 report. The annual report consists of victim narratives, governmental responsibilities, progress made, and recommendations for improvement. Additionally, …
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 28
Dolphin Fishing in Japan In the historic fishing village of Taiji, there is an annual dolphin hunt that takes place for sport. This culling (or selective slaughter to reduce the dolphin population) in Taiji is a tradition that is mostly unknown to Japanese outside this town because the fishermen hide it from view. Dolphin hunting …
Jun 28
Leer la versión en Español Next Thursday the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-the international organization that oversees the global financial system- will have to elect a new Managing Director (MD), after Dominique Strauss Kahn’s (former MD) resignation. The two candidates for the position are France’s economy and finance minister Christine Lagarde and Mexico’s central bank director, …
