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Just updated my portfolio page with my July work. Here’s the most recent stuff from this month:
NRC Commissioner Defends Slow Safety Review (subscriber, July 2011)
Insiders: U.S. Will Achieve 2025 MPG Goal (FREE, July 2011)
Obama Touts Economic Gains in Fuel-Efficiency Deal (FREE, July 2011)
Presidential Commission: Interim and Long-Term Storage Needed for Nuclear Waste (FREE, July 2011)
Insiders: Giving States a Cut of Offshore Drilling Revenue Would Help Reform Effort (FREE, July 2011)
House to Vote on Controversial Oil Pipeline Measure (subscriber, July 2011)
Bloomberg Targets Coal with $50 Million Donation to Sierra Club (FREE, July 2011)
DOE and NRC to Model Fukushima Accident (FREE, July 2011)
Top Nuclear Regulator Calls for Prompt Post-Fukushima Reforms (subscriber, July 2011)
BP to Implement Voluntary Safety Standards (FREE, July 2011)
Virginia Dems Introduce Offshore-Drilling Measure (subscriber, July 2011)
We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
When I traveled to Jordan in 2009, part of the press trip included a visit to the Jordan River Foundation’s Queen Rania Family Center, where we were told about Queen Rania’s efforts in development and community empowerment projects.
In our subsequent visit to the Jordan Investment Board, Dr. Maen Nsour spoke to us about Jordan’s necessity to concentrate on its human capital, due to its lack of oil and other resources.
Yesterday, the Jordan River Foundation signed agreements with four charities in order to help young Jordanians enter the labour market. According to a JRF statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, this Youth: Work Jordan (YWJ) initiative “will benefit around 450 young people,” providing them with life skills, technical and vocational training. The hope is to encourage employability, entrepreneurship and civic engagement among Jordanian youth.
Judging by what I heard during my visits in 2009, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Not only does it go along with what Dr. Maen Nsour told us about investing in human capital, but it also goes hand in hand with what Jared Cohen is emphasizing at the State Department these days – the importance of focusing on youth in the Middle East.
Posted 1 year, 6 months ago. Add a comment
Stories that caught my attention today:
Russian circus tigers die during Siberian journey
Why: This story originally caught my eye because among all the other news, the word “tiger” certainly stood out. It’s an odd story to see, but it is also quite sad to see tigers and lions die on their journey to Siberia. When I see the word Siberia, however, my first thoughts are of Soviet labor camps and exiled prisoners. Millions of people passed through there and some never got out alive.
Iran’s Ahmadinejad dismisses West’s year-end deadline
Why: I noticed this story because I have been very closely following the developments in regards to the Iranian nuclear program. The year-end deadline for the deal is looming and it seems less and less likely that any deal will be made. According to Robert Gibbs, the international community is beginning to look at imposing more sanctions on Iran. Is the uranium enrichment peaceful? Will diplomacy work this time?
Obama Names Schmidt, Former Bush Aide, to Cyber Post
Why: This story indicates just how important the internet has become for us today. It has changed the way we communicate and store information and it has also changed the way we view our national security. The Pentagon itself takes all of this very seriously as well, having approved a “Cyber Command” to control the military’s cyber defense and cyber offense programs.
New York Ranks Last in Happiness Rating
Why: This should come as no surprise, as one can rarely see a smile on the streets, subway or stores of New York City. For me, however, having lived in California (which actually ranked 46th of 51) and the east coast, I prefer the brutal honesty of a frown over the superficial botoxed smile. What I gather from these results, since I have lived in mainly un happy states, is that perhaps the unhappiness is just a symptom of wanting more and always thinking that you can do better. There’s nothing wrong with that, but perhaps we can learn a thing or two from Louisiana (#1) and take some time to sit on the porch, listen to music and eat some great food.
Posted 2 years, 1 month ago. Add a comment
Stories that caught my attention today:
Actress Brittany Murphy dies in LA at age 32
Why: The big news of the day, so it clearly caught my attention, but I guess it also got me thinking. On the TV show, Mad Men, when Marylin Monroe dies young, the entire office of secretaries is found crying their eyes out. It was shocking and unusual for such a young person to die. Today, young celebrities are dying left and right and no one even batts an eyelash. Makes me want to drink orange juice, eat fish and head to the gym.
Winter Solstice 2009: Facts on Shortest Day of the Year
Why: I am happier that days will be getting longer soon. It doesn’t get much less sunny than this…Granted, now that I no longer live in Boston, spring will be coming around much sooner than I am used to. Still, despite all of the blizzard complaints from the east, there is a part of me that yearns for a blanket of snow right about now.
NASA Astronauts Launch Toward Space Station
Why: Timothy Creamer was and will be tweeting from space. And the best part? His twitter name: “Astro_TJ.” This past May, Mike Massimino was the first to take the microblogging platform to space.
Killer Dads and Family Comedies: The Best TV of 2009
Why: Mad Men is #1 and Dexter is right up there too. Clearly, some of the best television of 2009. Both of these shows took some big risks this year, as they always do. What does good writing, directing and acting give us today? If a show is able to trap an audience into either identifying with or rooting for a philandering cheater or a serial killer, they are a pretty talented bunch.
Posted 2 years, 1 month ago. Add a comment
