The new School of International Service building has been touted as one of
the “greenest,” LEED-certified building in the District of Columbia, in sync with American University’s commitment to sustainability and good global citizenship.The building is visually impressive, and does incorporate numerous eco-friendly initiatives including solar panels on the roof, great use of natural light in the atrium, non-toxic building materials (take that McKinley!), and fixtures to reduce water use.However, this AWOL blogger noticed something a bit ironic.
For those of you who have returned to the District (or never left) and have some time on your hands, there's a great chance Monday night to experience some homegrown DC music.
Or: "A Failed Policy for A Failed State"
If anything will finally bring awareness to the flawed nature of US policy towards Somalia’s civil war, it will hopefully be the New York Times article earlier this week that detailed how our government has financially and logistically supported the arming, training, and use of child soldiers by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government in its fight against Al-Qaida linked Islamist militias that control most of the country.
In the words of the Times:
“According to Somali human rights groups and United Nations officials, the Somali government, which relies on assistance from the West to survive, is fielding hundreds of children or more on the front lines, some as young as 9.”
The paper also depicts an inadequate US government response:
“But when asked how the American government could guarantee that American money was not being used to arm children, one of the officials said, ‘I don’t have a good answer for that.’”
What is more alarming, though, is that the aid to Somalia was approved despite the Somali government’s classification as a recruiter of child soldiers in a 2009 State Department report.
Who, exactly, is in charge of Washington Teachers’ Union?
Current president George Parker’s term ended Thursday—at least as far as the union’s constitution is concerned.
Downtown Detroit, summer 2009. Photo by the author.
I got off work early yesterday, so I walked to the bus stop on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, between John R and Witherell Streets.
I'm home in southeast Michigan for the summer, and one of the most flavorful of all the cultural oddities here is our proximity to Canada--Windsor and southern Ontario are just across the river from Detroit.
In the latest attempt to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan, the United States is considering using a new non-lethal weapon called the "Active Denial System." Basically, it’s a giant microwave beam that gives the skin a sensation of being on fire.
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty might want to worry a little. The District's most arrogant politician just got edged out in a straw poll-- he's running for reelection against current City Council chair Vincent Gray.
