Last week, at the student symposium Tiananmen in History and Memory, I ended my speech with a quote from Nobel Laureate Liu Xiao Bo: “Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity, and the mother of truth.” Liu Xiao Bo’s words are not new to my ears, squaring perfectly with … Read more
In December 2011, Hugo Chavez gave the opening address at the first conference of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. This nascent Latin American regional bloc includes all countries in North and South America with the notable exception of the United States and Canada, a scope that suggests its potential as a … Read more
It’s an election year, and, as we’ve come to expect, political controversy abounds. In the world of investigative journalism and the 24-hour news cycle, candidates’ personal lives are more than fair game. The many mistresses of Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich’s request for an open marriage, and Karen Santorum’s pre-Rick relationship with a much older abortion doctor … Read more
In the recently released film The Hunger Games, the government, controlled by “The Capitol,” uses intimidation and constant surveillance to prevent rebellion against the dystopian order of the country Panem. Starving and impoverished citizens live in perpetual fear that the “Peacekeepers” (think Mussolini’s Black Shirts) will execute them for hunting game or speaking out against … Read more
My father was quick to buy the first-generation Kindle. I picked it up off a bookshelf in my dad’s room and marveled. The thin, white, elegant device weighed about the same as each of the 200 books it could contain, their words now converted to ones and zeroes. I knew, even then, that the Kindle … Read more
It’s an election year, and, as we’ve come to expect, political controversy abounds. In the world of investigative journalism and the 24-hour news cycle, candidates’ personal lives are more than fair game. The many mistresses of Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich’s request for an open marriage, and Karen Santorum’s pre-Rick relationship with a much older abortion doctor … Read more
On May 8, voters in North Carolina will consider whether to amend the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Numerous articles have already commented on why North Carolinians should unequivocally reject this anti-gay amendment. It has been rightly noted that the amendment will harm business in the state, that it will harm families, and that … Read more
Turkey has been a key ally of the United States for over fifty years and remains so today. Sharing borders with Iran, Iraq and Syria and having access to the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Turkey is geographically well-positioned to play an important role in both Middle Eastern politics. It is the bridge between Europe and … Read more
A severe drought has plagued East Africa since mid-2011. The drought, the region’s worst drought in past 60 years, wreaked havoc on crops and livestock for the pastoral regions and up to 100,000 people died as a result of the drought between April and August of 2011. In September 2011, the UN reported that 13.3 … Read more
“In just five years, the shortage of doctors in the United States will be almost 63,000, according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges Center for Workforce Studies. That number is expected to hit 130,600 by 2025.” -DOTmed from the AAMC This policy memo addresses the current and projected shortage of primary … Read more