Global

Why is it that Americans are discovering that the U.S. now has the largest increase in poverty in more than a half a century under the administration of a U.S. president that may be one of the most sympathetic to the needs of the middle class and the poor of all presidents during this period? One answer might be that it reflects a long tail of a previous president due to the engagement of elective wars with poor outcomes and disastrous tax and social policies. This will most likely be at the heart of the political rhetoric of the Democratic party during the the 2010 mid-term and 2012 presidential election. However, there may be a deeper truth, which our national leadership and the American public is missing, or is unwilling to speak about. American society has deep structural problems from long-standing policies and socio-poliical behaviors stemming back to the early 1980s and before, that have aggregated into disastrous unsustainable, yet well entrenched, societal patterns. The key question is "When will the sociopolitical climate be ripe for political leadership to emerge that can speak honestly with the American public about the federal debt?

The United Nations says 3.5 million children in Pakistan are at risk from waterborne diseases, warning of a "second wave of death" from the country's devastating floods. U.N. humanitarian spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said Monday as many as six million people face the risk of contracting diarrhea and dysentery if donors do not provide more aid. Sluggish response The U.N. has launched an appeal for $460 million, but charities say the response has been sluggish, with only about 27 percent of the goal being met so far. Hundreds of angry flood victims blocked a highway outside Sukkur in southern Sindh province Monday, demanding government assistance. The protesters held up traffic as they called for food and shelter. Three weeks of monsoon rains have triggered Pakistan's worst flooding, with an estimated 1,600 people killed and 20 million affected in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces. More flooding likely On Monday, authorities said a new wave of flooding was likely along the Indus River in Punjab and Sindh. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon traveled to Pakistan on Sunday and said the flooding was the worst natural disaster he has ever seen. He urged international donors to speed up aid. Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on Monday called the international response to the disaster lamentable.

Two-Day Workshop August 11-12, 2010 At East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii Launching a Global Resilience Initiative in Asia: Case of Pandemic Influenza We will hold a two-day workshop, Launching a Global Resilience Initiative in Asia: Case of Pandemic Influenza in August 11-12, 2010 at East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. The Global Resilience Initiative in Asia is a long term and policy oriented effort to create an integrated framework and roadmap for “resilience” in Asia under a Global Disaster Risk Management (GDRM) approach (see “Background Paper”). Pandemic influenza was chosen as the topic of the first workshop as it is emblematic of the type of emerging global disaster risks that urgently requires the GDRM approach and the development of “resilience.” Recognizing that “resilience” is an elusive term and understood in different way the workshop will focus on identifying the key defining features of “resilience” that address the following four major policy issues: 1. While the “resilience” has recently received much attention, few national, regional or international institutions have provided guidance as to what constitutes “resilience” and how to implement it. 2.

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY Lawsuits are already being prepared alleging harm to people who are living near or working to clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Louisiana. The law firm Smith Stag in New Orleans says it has assembled a group of lawyers in the Gulf states to process such claims. Stuart Smith, a partner in the firm, says he has been in touch with people in Alaska who say they were hurt during the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 by chemicals in the oil and dispersants used to keep it from reaching shore "which are also toxic." He says he's concerned about the potential health effects on the thousands of out-of-work fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen who will be taking part in the cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico. So what are the human health risks from a disaster such as this? For more information: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-05-oil-health_N.htm?csp=obinsite