Tag Archives: smart grid

Volunteer From Anywhere / TechWomen / A Gallery of Gadgets

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Volunteering has never been easier, thanks to the Internet. Applications are being accepted for the TechWomen mentoring program. A power company in Bangalore will be exploring smart grid technology. Meet the very prolific Bangladeshi author Anisul Hoque. And finally, explore a photo gallery of gadgets that are changing the world.

Work Locally, Help Globally
The U.N. Volunteers program allows anyone with a computer to volunteer in any of 130 countries around the world without leaving home. Above, Sandrine Cortet, an online volunteer who translates documents from her native French to English and vice versa, works at her home in Edison, N.J.

TechWomen
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Bringing the power of global business, technology and education together, the TechWomen Program will pair women in Silicon Valley with 38 of their counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa for a five-week professional mentorship program at leading technology companies beginning in the summer of 2011. Online applications must be submitted by February 1, 2011. For more information, visit the TechWomen Fact Sheet.

A Smarter Grid for Bangalore, India
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A power company in Bangalore, India, will be exploring smart grid technologies with the help of a pilot study funded by the United States. The two nations are seeking to build expertise and market share in the emerging clean energy sector.

Bangladeshi Author Anisul Hoque
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Meet Bangladeshi writer and journalist Anisul Hoque, who has written between 60 and 70 books, short stories, poetry, plays, television scripts, and four full-length films.

Photo Gallery: Gadgets That Are Changing the World
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People often take small devices for granted. But gadgets alter our lives and sometimes improve the world around us. These products can make life more comfortable, safer and healthier. Explore a photo gallery of gadgets that America.gov editors believe are reshaping the world. At left, the LifeStraw, a cigar-shaped device that purifies water, removing bacteria, viruses and parasites, some of which cause cholera and other illnesses. It has been distributed in the poorest areas in Africa and recently in Haiti.

START Treaty Ratified / The Smart Grid / Gifts That Give Back

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The Senate ratifies the U.S.-Russia START strategic nuclear arms pact. The U.N. General Assembly adopts an amendment supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. The United States is working with Pakistan to help it recover from devastating floods, working with Russia on smart grid technology, and working with some of Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors to investigate how to reinforce the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country during the ongoing political crisis. Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants are spending a year in America. And finally, this holiday season, give a gift that gives back.


START Ratified by U.S. Senate
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The U.S. Senate ratified the New START arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that will reduce each nation’s nuclear arsenals to their lowest levels in more than a half century. The Senate gave its approval by a vote of 71 to 26 on December 22. The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on April 8 in Prague. 

U.N. Includes LGBT Rights
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The Obama administration welcomed the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption of a U.S.-sponsored amendment that restores gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in its broad condemnation of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. “Killing people because they are gay is not culturally defensible – it is criminal,” says White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

A U.S.-Pakistan Partnership
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The United States and Pakistan are working together on several new projects to help rebuild and improve agriculture, health, transportation and other services in Pakistan as that country continues to recover from devastating floods.

U.S. and Russia Talk Smart Grid
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Making energy use more efficient, reliable, affordable, secure, and more consumer-driven through smart grid technology was the topic of a series of recent meetings between Russian and American energy experts in Washington, D.C. and in Texas, made possible by the Energy Working Group of the U.S.–Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission.

U.N. Force in Côte d’Ivoire
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The United States is in discussions with some of Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors to investigate how to reinforce the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country and ensure that it is capable of maintaining peace and security as its political crisis continues. Along with refusing to hand over power after his election defeat, Laurent Gbagbo has demanded that the 9,000-member U.N. peacekeeping force withdraw. The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to extend the force’s mandate until June 30, 2011.

Fulbright Language Teachers
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More than 400 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants from 49 countries are spending a year in the United States, to not only hone their knowledge of the English language and American life, but also to encourage American students to study foreign languages and culture.

Photo Gallery: Gifts that Give Back
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During the holiday season, many people want to give gifts that have a greater meaning. It’s easier than ever to make a purchase that can help provide income to artisans in developing countries, support donations of food or medicine to the needy, aid victims of war or abuse, or support environmental efforts. Explore this photo gallery of “gifts that give back.” At right, a “Path to Peace” basket created by Rwandan women.