London 2012 Olympics Countdown Calls for Friendly Competition
Posted by Cindy Gire / May 13, 2012
![U.S. Department of State employees pose for a photograph after participating in Embassy Olympics at Reeves Field American University in Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2012, to mark 100 days until the start of the London Olympics. [Photography copyright Tony Powell/ British Embassy]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0513_team_usa_m.jpg)
About the Author: Cindy Gire serves as Division Chief of Sports United in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Today marks 75 days until the start of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. As London prepares to welcome the world for the Olympics, the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. organized a medley of sports activities, or "Embassy Olympics," in recognition last month of the "100 Days To Go" mark.
On April 18, international colleagues from the diplomatic community joined to compete in the "Embassy Olympics." SportsUnited representatives from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs along with their colleagues in the Bureau of International Information Programs and Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs were key "players" in the event.
Even the rainy weather -- true to form for a British activity -- did not dampen the spirits of the participants. Embassy teams enthusiastically represented countries that have previously… more »
Why We Should Open SESAME
Posted by David T. Killion / May 12, 2012
About the Author: Ambassador David T. Killion serves as U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO.
Next week I am going to a meeting in Switzerland for SESAME, which I happen to think is the most exciting and revolutionary scientific undertaking that practically nobody outside of the scientific community has ever heard of.
What is it and why do I think it is so radical and so important?
The first question is easy.
SESAME actually stands for 'Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East' and will be the region's first major multi-country scientific research center. It's being developed under the auspices of UNESCO and is scheduled to open fully in Jordan in 2015. When it is completed, SESAME will be the Middle East's only source of so-called "high intensity synchrotron X-rays," key building blocks for research into biology,… more »
Spotlight on Food Security: The Key to Economic, Environmental, and Global Stability
Posted by Tjada McKenna / May 11, 2012
![A child reacts after receiving food distributed at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2010. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0511_food_child_m.jpg)
About the Author: Tjada McKenna serves as Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future.
You may have noticed a lot of increased talk about "food security" lately, particularly in the international development realm. There's good reason for that.
A family experiences food security when it lives without hunger or even fear of hunger. In essence, it means that people have enough food to live happy, healthy lives. It's a right I'm sure we all wish were accessible to every man, woman, and child on the planet.
Yet global hunger and chronic malnutrition remain two of the greatest development challenges today. Nearly 20 percent of all people in the world live on less than $1.25 a day, and almost one billion suffer from chronic hunger. Compounding this problem is the fact that, by 2050, the global population is expected to grow to more than nine billion people, requiring up to a 70 percent increase in agricultural production to feed us all. Given increasingly… more »
Photo of the Week: Secretary Clinton Visits Kolkata
Posted by Hannah Johnson / May 11, 2012
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signs the guestbook at the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, India, on May 6, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/potw_india_victoria_hall_m.jpg)
About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.
This week's "Photo of the Week" shows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's signature in the guestbook at the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, India, on May 6, 2012. Secretary Clinton visited Kolkata during her recent travel to China, Bangladesh, and India.
While in India, Secretary Clinton also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna in New Delhi, where she said, "It's always a pleasure to be back in Delhi and to reaffirm what President Obama has called one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. The United States and India are two great democracies with common values and increasingly convergent interests."
Secretary Clinton and Minister Krishna… more »
Emerging Africa: Unleashing Africa’s Innovation Potential
Posted by Kris Balderston / May 10, 2012
![In this photo taken, Nov. 8, 2011, a woman poses with her Blackberry mobile phone in Johannesburg. The woman says she cherishes her phone as a link to family and friends, and also sees it as a radio, a library, a mini cinema, a bank teller, and more. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0510_africa_innovation_m.jpg)
About the Author: Kris M. Balderston serves as the Special Representative for Global Partnerships.
In the last week, I've travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town to Addis Ababa. Along the way, I've been struck over and over again by the ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and innovation of the people I have met -- from townships to capital cities, from villages to major metropolises. Innovation parks are taking a place next to factories, investment banks next to mobile phone banking kiosks, and internet startups next to mom-and-pop store fronts. As I touched down in Ethiopia for the World Economic Forum on Africa, I was struck by the thought: Africa is emerging.
Buoyed by a decade of growth and bullish predictions for the future, Africa is on track to become the next big investment destination. The Economist indicates that six of the… more »
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