On the Fourth of July, I wrote an entry celebrating the "American Brand." I feel even more strongly about the importance and value of the "American Brand" after a recent trip to South East Asia and the Middle East.

I traveled throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma with businessmen and women from over 50 of America's best companies seeking opportunities to increase trade and investment in the region. The delegations -- which were organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council -- met with Secretary Clinton and senior foreign business leaders and government officials, including several heads of state.

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the Sudanese Protesters movement is still going on, even thought the Sudanese government has decided to go back on it recent decision to increase electricity prices, more information about that check the fallowing link. http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-drops-electricity-price,43397

Also new songs are coming out here is a new song from nas jota, enjoy. I don't know what next Friday is going to be called but the movement is still going on and it seems that protesters are not stopping soon. more information about the revolution is from twitter at  hash tag #sudanrevolts.

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Today the Secretary of State released the 2011 International Religious Freedom Report, the most comprehensive source of information on freedom of religion in the world. Respect for religious freedom is both a core American value and a universally acknowledged right enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As President Obama said, "As history repeatedly reminds us, freedom of religion, the protection of people of all faiths, and the ability to worship as you choose are critical to a peaceful, inclusive, and thriving society."

The International Religious Freedom Report documents where people live, think, pray, and speak freely and where, in contrast, governments limit those freedoms, abusing the... more »

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Two Classes, Divided by "I Do" The Morehouse Male Initiative: Black Male Statistics Obama's Scramble for Africa Mauritania: Slavery's Last Stronghold Echwalu Photography

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While visiting our compact work sites in Senegal last week, I was struck by the ways in which water can both take and support life. My first site visit took me to the village of Ndioum, where MCC is working with MCA-Senegal to build a 160 meter bridge.

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The Vice-President of South Sudan, HE Dr Riek Machar, will join senior ministers from Kenya and other African countries at the forthcoming Africa Forum on Business and Security, it was announced on Monday, July 30th. Dr Machar has been a key figure in developing the fledgling economy of the world's newest state since it attained [...]

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beautiful brilliance from the brother, ian kamau. loving his album, one day soon, which is now available, here.

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Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12) has arrived in Cambodia, the final host nation for this year's mission. American Charge d'affaires Jeff Daigle welcomed participants at the opening ceremony on July 29 in Sihanoukville and emphasized PP12's contribution to overall USG efforts in the kingdom. Rear Admiral Russell Penniman and Vice Admiral Tea Vinh spoke for the U.S. Navy and Royal Cambodian Ministry of Defense respectively. Vice Admiral Vinh offered his country's appreciation for both the initial Pacific Partnership visit to Sihanoukville in 2010 and the current mission.

Transportation logistics is the key challenge to the Cambodian effort, as PP12 will operate along two major corridors running between the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia's second city, and the capital of Phnom Penh about five ...

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Online dialogue on Physical spaces as catalysts for greater digital citizen participation Join Rising Voices, Social Media Exchange (SMEX) and the New Tactics online community for an online dialogue on Physical spaces as catalysts for greater digital citizen participation from August 8 to 14, 2012. (Link to dialogue: goo.gl/1R9Mw) Across the globe, new physical spaces are [...]

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By Nicholas Got The Ruby boot camp, held at the iHub on Saturday 28, July 2012 brought together over 40 enthusiasts ranging from novice computer users to developers with years of experience to teach and learn about Ruby. Attendees were split up into three experience levels, and teachers from Google, Kopo Kopo, Safaricom, and Samasource [...]

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