Horrific Attacks on Mumbai

Once again the few have attacked the many. No matter the underlying feelings of self-justification, terror is not the answer to cure perceived ills.

My sympathies go to the people of Mumbai, the people of India, and the people of the world, who have come under attack while leading their peaceful lives. It is vital that good people and governments of the world come together to work toward peace and to root out those who would create havoc and destabilize nations. It is important for the United Nations truly to unite toward the betterment of humanity and for nations, including the United States, to use multilateral cooperation and coordination to improve the lives of the billions who live in poverty. Unless there is hope for better futures the world is at the mercy of terrorists.

President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and US Ambassador to the UN Dr. Susan Rice will have their work cut out for them as the new American administration sets out to reinterpret America to the world and to build coalitions that foster peace.

World Maps for Today's World

A picture is worth a thousand words. And a map using today's data and asking pertinent questions gives us a whole new picture of the world. See the website http://www.worldmapper.org/

Look at the Map Categories or the A-Z Map Index to view how our world really looks in numbers. For example, you can see the numbers of elderly in the world, or midwives working, or hospital beds, or forest loss, or ecological footprint. A new software has enabled production of cartograms that let us see how whole continents or regions can bulge (Africa's malaria deaths), or disappear (dentists working in sub-Saharan Africa) or surprise (science research).

This is a wonderful resource for teaching about the world, and for understanding debates and positions taken by countries at the United Nations.

Going Global: Preparing U.S. Students for an Interconnected World

The Asia Society has published an excellent book "Going Global: Preparing U.S. Students for an Interconnected World." It can be used by teachers, administrators and parents to understand the changes that must take place to bring the American educational system to a competitive level internationally. Excerpts and case studies are available at http://asiasociety.org/education/pgl/publications.htm Going Global is a guidebook to assist secondary schools in developing students’ international knowledge and skills, and covers the areas:

Creating a global vision and culture
Finding and preparing teachers
Transforming curriculum and instruction
Expanding world languages
Internationalizing student learning experiences - including technology, travel, internships, and service learning
Identifying resources and forging partnerships

A presentation on the challenges of preparing students is available at: http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/USChina/stewart.pdf

Barack Obama wins Presidency!

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama, who will take office on January 20, 2009 after an historic campaign and winning a sizeable margin of electoral college votes and the popular vote. See below for his response to questions about the United Nations, which herald stronger ties to the UN and to multilateralism.