Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Ideas, Actions, and Inspiration for a Better Tomorrow - October 18 Edition

Foreign Policy


“You don’t hear much about it in the media, but American forces are waging several conflicts around the world these days. As Washington obsesses over soap operas and scandals, the actual work of maintaining global order continues under the radar. The result is a national security discourse that looks like a mullet: business at the front, party in the back.

Our lead package this issue is an attempt to redress the balance, giving U.S. interventions the serious scrutiny they deserve. Think of it as a journey back to the front. We asked top experts on six key conflicts to sketch where things are, where they are going, and what the United States should do next—and we’re delighted to bring you their answers.”



Community


From my home state:  Positive reactions from people living in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. "Locals like how the Indiana city is big but has “a small city feel.”



Education


“For close to two decades now, or even longer, depending on your perspective, education reform has been on the agenda of Democrats and Republicans alike, school leaders around the country and major philanthropists who have influenced the debate.

It’s all led to big changes, new laws and programs, tougher requirements and additional funding, lots more testing, and occasional school closings and teacher layoffs. But what has it all brought?

Our former education correspondent John Merrow chronicled these efforts for our program for many years. He now looks back and into the future with a critique and with prescriptions in his new book, “Addicted to Reform: A 12-Step Program to Rescue Public Education.””





Girls, The World


“We know that in many countries, girls are less likely to go to school than boys; there are currently 130 million girls who aren’t getting an education worldwide. We also know that girls are more vulnerable to early marriage and human trafficking; 15 million are forced into marriage every year, and 71 percent of trafficking victims are female. We know that 63 million girls are at risk of female genital cutting, that girls are more vulnerable to diseases like HIV, and less likely to be treated for cancers. We know that gender stereotypes are deeply ingrained in both boys and girls before they reach the age of 10, so it’s hardly surprising that poor mental health is a significant cause of death in adolescent girls.

We also hear that girls are the key to eradicating poverty, stimulating the economy, even fighting climate change, if they are just given the right opportunities. But girls are more than just machines for global development: They are citizens with their own successes, challenges, and stories to tell. So today, Women & Girls is collecting the latest news relating to girls, along with a selection of our most important stories about girls from 2017, as well as new dispatches from India and Kenya on programs that are giving girls the opportunities to tell their stories on their own terms. We hope you enjoy them.” – Megan Clement, Managing Editor



Inspiration, Career Change, Burnout


Wendell Potter: “I didn’t have another job lined up. All I knew was that I didn’t want to keep doing what I was doing, and I didn’t want to leave one big corporation just to work for another one. What I really wanted to do was go back into journalism. I was a newspaper reporter in my first career. A lot of journalists go into PR for the money—or after being laid off—but I had never heard of anybody leaving the corporate world to go into journalism.

I also knew that it wasn’t just about me and what I wanted. My decision would affect the people closest to me, my family. I finally did walk away from that job, of course, but I went through a months-long process of self-examination before I handed in my resignation. Here’s what that looked like and actions I took to muster the courage to do what I know was the right thing.” 


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