Jun 14
The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently published a report that documented the inmate population in the United States. The report showed that in 2002, 24.7% of the prison population was sentenced for drug offenses, including nearly 11% of whom have been imprisoned for possession. Drug abuse is a huge problem in the United States. This …
Jun 13
Last week, I talked about some possible exercises that could be administered in elementary schools that would allow children to develop people comprehension skills. While I certainly think it’s extremely important to begin learning and practicing these skills at a young age, I think it’s perhaps even more important to continue developing these skills as …
Jun 10
I watched the Heat vs. Mavericks game last night—cheering for LeBron, Wade, and Bosh the whole way. Unfortunately, they lost this one. However, it had me thinking about why men’s sports teams are so glorified and women’s sports teams so devalued. Not only are women athletes and sports teams often devalued—they are very often suppressed, …
Jun 09
On Tuesday, I wrote about foreign aid into Sudan. While I did write a few lines about the security situation there, I didn’t go into much detail about it. I have a tendency to get caught up in the numbers and facts of aid. Sometimes it’s good for me to remind myself of the human …
Jun 08
As I traveled to Hawaii this past week on American Airlines, I thought about part of a previous post I wrote about on international airlines showing anti-slavery PSA announcements in-flight to fight child sex tourism. I could not help but to think again about the important difference it would make in ending modern day slavery …
Jun 08
The concept of ecotourism is frequently misunderstood despite its rising popularity across the globe, which results in an outcropping of businesses and companies that claim to be “eco-friendly” or “environmentally correct” when they are, in fact, nothing of the sort. Being eco-friendly can be difficult; it’s much easier to cut corners while benefitting from the …
Jun 06
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, …
Jun 06
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the importance of teaching children people comprehension skills so people can better understand each other, despite differing opinions. Personally, I think this should be part of the curriculum in elementary and middle schools, since equipping children with these skills can enable them to become more open-minded …
Jun 02
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 …
May 31
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 …
