On October 23 rd , The World Indigenous Games kicked off in Brazil. Part sporting event and part cultural festival, the WIG included participants representing indigenous peoples from across the globe. The emergence of a shared identity among indigenous...

Feminists assert that men and women deserve equality in all opportunities, treatment, and rights. Feminists often argue that we need more women in global leadership roles. In a recent interview, the Dalai Lama, said that the world is in need of more women...

The Pew Research Center asked people around the world about their level of concern for seven global issues. Pew sought to understand what people of different parts of our global village feel are the greatest global threats. Climate change and Isis...

Regular readers of this blog know that I often refer to our pale blue dot as our “global village.” By calling it a global village I seek to erase the imaginary lines we have drawn between us and imaginary distinctions we pretend separate us...

How would you measure peace? Is “peace” simply the absence of war? The Institute for Economics and Peace ranks 162 independent states covering in an annual report titled the “Global Peace Index.” According to the report...

February 21 is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) International Mother Language Day. UNESCO reports that only one quarter of all of the languages spoken across our global village are used in education...

The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2015 will take place from 21–24 January in Davos, Switzerland. As world leaders gather in Davos for the World Economic Forum many are calling on world leaders to address vast and growing inequality...

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The United Nations General Assembly declared the 21st of September as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and...

By far, my favorite photo blog is Humans of New York ( HONY ). HONY is one of the primary reasons I open Facebook each day. Brandon Stanton has been doing brilliant work sharing stunning photography of real people of New York, Austin, San Francisco, and...

There are just over 7 billion people in our global village and at present 2.5 billion adults do not have access to a bank account ( click here for more ). International political economists often argue that macro-economic stability is an essential...

Discussion starters: 1. Does this map surprise you? 2. What might the implications be for insufficient geographical knowledge on relations among people of our global village?

Aren’t we all connected in our interdependent global village? During recent investigations at Husi Food Co., Ltd, in Shanghai, managers openly confessed that the company has for years been conducting the malpractice out-of-date and moldy meats...

It's Nelson Mandela International Day . This day (July 18 th Mandela's birthday) was unanimously approved in 2009 by the United Nations General Assembly to honor Mandela and inspire others to carry on his efforts to "take responsibility...

Abigail Haworth recently wrote an in-depth and important piece on the ugly market of virginity sex in Cambodia. The horrible market for virgin sex is in part driven by rich and powerful men who coerce desperate mothers into selling their daughters'...

For a few days in early July, the skies in Tyler, Texas looked a bit strange…hazy… they were bit brownish in color. Was it wildfire smoke? Was it air pollution from the commuters in Dallas area? Well, no. It was actually dust from...

Is the United States a “ good country ?” How does one determine a “good” state from a not so good state? Where does my country rank? Simon Anholt and Robert Govers, have created a “ Good Country Index .” Their index...

As you walk in the frozen foods aisle at Wal-Mart you should think again before throwing that inexpensive package of shrimp into your cart . The Guardian has again raised the alarm over slavery in the Thai fishing industry. In an excellent and in...

International political policies very often change lives for those who are least connected to the actual creation and negotiation of the agreements. In 2001, the European Union concluded an agreement that has had a dramatic and negative impact on the...

Last week, the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits members demonstrated an understanding of how their actions (investing) have an impact on others in our global village. The​ US United Methodist Church has followed a decision by the...

In 360 BC the philosopher Aristotle wrote, “To give away money is an easy matter in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it, and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy...

In the age of Facebook and Twitter communications the meaning of "home" and "abroad" seems to be fading away as we connect with each other across our global village. My students who travel abroad now have an ever-growing web of...

Does the distribution of wealth within and across our global village affect even the wealthy? Take a look at this fascinating National Geographic map, showing where people are rich, where they're poor, and where the population is most dense...

Our global village has many concerns that ignore the borders of states. From environmental concerns to terrorist's attacks and transnational crime to arms sales, globalization is reshaping the way we must think about our interactions with one another...

The NGO ONE has assembled eight maps of our global village that will probably change the way you look at our planet ( http://gates.ly/1qPuQZE ). In the above map we see global Internet use. In the above photo we see the world at night (created...

By watching the news it's easy to get the impression that the world is horrible place and only getting worse. Many people think poverty is increasing around the world, that too much money is spent on wasteful foreign aid, and that saving the lives...