After four years of measuring blips, NASA’s Kepler space telescope has discovered the most Earth-like “exoplanet” to date.  Kepler-62f and 62e are both approximately 1.5 times bigger than earth and both orbit within the “habitable zone” of a star smaller and dimmer than our sun. This discovery marks one of many potential breakthroughs of the Kepler observatory.  Since it’s launch in 2009, it has spotted more than 2,700 planets that bring us closer to answering the question of whether or not life is out there.  Though 62e and 62f are too … [Read more...]

Some countries, for whatever reasons, look upon international adoption with disdain.  In response, they often attempt to limit the number of children being sent overseas through outright bans or by improving the system of domestic adoption.  Romania opted for the ban.  South Korea, one of the largest sources of adoption-ready children less than 10 years ago, chose the latter; making great efforts to encourage local adoption and eliminate foreign adoptions altogether.  South Korean adoption official  Kim Dong-won, noted the process of international … [Read more...]

By Rafael Panlilio. “It is, I argue, only when we examine solidarity as a problem of communication, that is, as a moral claim seeking to reconcile the competing demands of market, politics and the media, that we can better understand how the spectacle of suffering is subtly but surely turning the West into a specific kind of public actor – the ironic spectator of vulnerable others.” (Chouliaraki, 2013, p. 2) In an age of clicktivism, Bono ideology, and wristband advocators, people are asking whether true social revolution can be brought about … [Read more...]

Americans for Informed Democracy Advisory Board Member and Issue Analyst, Ramis Wadood, shares his background, experience and advice on How to Change the World, below! Name, Occupation: Ramis Wadood, Columbia University, Political Science and Anthropology What do you think the biggest challenge(s) facing our generation is? I think the biggest challenge facing our generation is that there are so many problems for us to solve. Social media, the internet, and the compression of time and space have all brought an infinite amount of new global … [Read more...]

Americans for Informed Democracy Global Citizenship Fellow and Issue Analyst, Bowie Daniel Hall, shares his background, experience and advice on How to Change the World, below! Name, Occupation Bowie Daniel Hall, United Nations University for Peace / U.S. Army Reserve Civil Affairs and Healthcare Specialist / Global Health Corps Fellow 2013-2014 What do you think the biggest challenge(s) facing our generation is? I see balancing the needs of global health, environmental conservation, and economic development in an integrated world with a … [Read more...]

By Gao Qinglian Last week was quite busy for me because there was a China Delegation coming to Seattle that represents various foundations in China focusing on women’s rights. The goal for the foundations is to learn techniques in philanthropy from Global Women Partnership in Philanthropy (GWPP), the host for this event, and other successful foundations in Seattle. The specific model they are learning is called the collective model, a member-based structure for charitable grant making in the local community. Foundations in China have used this model … [Read more...]

By Agnese Cigliano In a globalized world with easy access to the Internet and other means of communication, most of us are now used to reports of fighting and civil wars. That said, it is always horrible when violence occurs like that which occurred last Sunday, April 21, when 185 people died in conflict between military groups and an armed group of extremists in Baga, Nigeria. If we really want to understand what leads to problematic situations like this one, we must look into the circumstances and the background. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not a … [Read more...]