“The World is flat.” Global communication, due to fiber optics and the Internet, is faster and more efficient than at any other time in history. Today’s world is globally integrated to a tremendous extent, making simultaneous contact with people in all corners of the globe feasible. This has led to unprecedented levels of financial and economic collaboration between countries. Unfortunately, this “flattening” of the world has also contributed to the international financial crisis the global economy is in today.

For the past few years, Pakistan has experienced a very serious energy shortage that does not seem to be getting any better.  A growing demand for power, an aging infrastructure, and poor development by the Pakistani government have all contributed to the shortage of power in the country.  The daily power outages are having an immense impact in the lives of the Pakistani people.  This problem needs an effective solution that can bridge the gap between power supply and demand before it grows any larger.  Some may suggest that the best way to solve Pakistan’s energy shorta

How much is a life worth? Is there a price for medical treatment beyond which a life should be terminated because the person or his family cannot afford to pay any longer? Most people would agree that it is not ethical to put a price limit in this way on human life. On the other hand, this ethical dilemma happens every day in veterinary medicine. According to DVM Newsmagazine, a monthly veterinary popular magazine, the average price at which a pet owner decides to stop medical treatment for his pet and have it euthanized is $1,451 (“Of Life and Death”).

Every week, child protective services around the United States receive more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In 2002 alone, 2.6 million reports concerning the safety of approximately 4.5 million children were made. As a result of investigations in only the reports that seemed extreme enough, approximately 896,000 children were found to have been victims of abuse or neglect, which is an average of more than 2,450 children per day (Iannelli).

Have you ever found yourself questioning the actions of your family or friends? Do you worry that their behaviors are destructive to their health or a risk to their survival? Smoking, for instance, is one of the unhealthiest habits a person can have. Not only does it affect our lung capacity but the chemicals in cigarettes have been correlated with causing cancer. Many of us wonder why individuals insist on using cigarettes despite this well-known fact.

"Always do right--this will gratify some and astonish the rest" - Mark Twain

Fairly recently, universities have begun working to address the considerable risk of first generation student dropout.  This dropout problem threatens to keep potential scholars from being able to bring valuable new knowledge to the world by forcing them out of college before they can finish their education. First generation students appear to drop out after failing to overcome a disproportionally large amount of problems with adjusting to, and succeeding in, college.

Like many other developing countries, India has poor health care delivery.  This problem can be attributed to the underdevelopment of historical institutions, corruption within the system, and many other factors.  It is a mistake, however, to lose faith in the government’s capacity to remedy health care.  Recently introduced public-private partnerships pose hope for the system, but are not as beneficial to reform as has been suggested.   The Indian government is fully capable of improving health care without the help of private enterprise. 

Despite the long and winding road of struggle for women’s rights, the pinnacle of the journey has not yet been reached even in 2008. Why do women still earn less then men? Why are sexually promiscuous women looked down upon and ostracized while men who are considered “playboys” and “studs” praised? And why are women still forced to face the choice of either being a good mother or having a successful career?