Tag Archives: biofuels

The State of the Union / U.S., Mexico Action on Cross-Border Crime / Mothers and Daughters

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President Obama updates the nation on the State of the Union. The U.S. and Mexico talk tough on cross-border crime. Finance leaders expect this year’s G20 and G8 summits to focus on world food price and currency stability. Learn about a unique and environmentally-friendly use for old cooking oil. And finally, watch mothers and daughters in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan share their dreams and aspirations.


Obama Offers Plan to Meet 21st Century Challenges
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In the annual State of the Union address, President Obama urges American lawmakers to support innovative research and educational opportunities as a means of maintaining U.S. economic competitiveness and ensuring its progress in the 21st century. Obama referred to dramatic educational and research advances in countries like China and India, and said that he would ask Congress to fund programs in clean energy technology, biomedical research and information technology to help strengthen U.S. security, protect the environment and create new jobs in the United States.

U.S., Mexico to Take Steps on Border Crime
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa say the United States and Mexico are taking “decisive steps” to combat cross-border organized crime. The two leaders made remarks to the press after meeting in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Preparing for the G20
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The Group of 20 (G20) major industrial and emerging-market nations are expected to focus on world food price and currency stability during summits in 2011, finance leaders say at preliminary meetings in Paris.

The Power of Cooking Grease
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Chula Vista, a green California town near the Mexican border, recently contracted with a company that collects cooking grease from area restaurants and converts it into a 20-percent-grade biodiesel fuel known as B20. In recent months, the federal government has supported several similar projects around the country.

A mother and daughter in Afghanistan“Dreams for My Mother, Dreams for My Daughter”
Explore the videos and interviews in “Dreams for My Mother, Dreams for My Daughter,” a project by America.gov and the U.S. embassies in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in which pairs of mothers and daughters took turns interviewing each other about their dreams and aspirations. At left, Arezoo Ghanem in Afghanistan responds to a question from her mother, Maleke Ghanem, right, about her dreams for herself and for her country.

U.S. Pakistan Talks / A Cholera Outbreak in Haiti / The U.S. Vote

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The United States and Pakistan continue strategic talks. Health officials fear an outbreak of Cholera in Haiti could spread, read what the United States is doing to help. The rule of law in Latin America is on the agenda at a conference in California. The U.S. government is turning to American farms for fuel. Somalia needs more international help. And, we’ve got a pair of reports about the coming elections in the United States.

U.S.-Pakistan Dialogue
The latest round of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue demonstrates a commitment to strengthening the relationship between the two countries based on values, mutual respect, trust and interests, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “We came together in this Strategic Dialogue to discuss how to help the Pakistani people in the areas that Pakistani people themselves had identified as their more important concerns,” Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said. Aat right, Clinton and Qureshi at an earlier meeting.

Fighting Cholera in Haiti
The U.S. government is working rapidly to respond to a cholera outbreak in northwestern Haiti that officials fear could lead to a country-wide epidemic.

Democracy in Latin America
In California, at a conference of Latin American leaders, the focus was not on past triumphs, but on the issues and challenges that many countries face today in strengthening democracy and the rule of law.

U.S. Calls for More Somalia Aid
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says more countries need to contribute troops and assets to the African Union Mission in Somalia. He says allowing Somalis to simply fight amongst themselves “is in no one’s interest.”

From Fields to Fuel Tanks
The U.S. government plans to ramp up production and consumption of biofuels to help lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil, and to create new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

U.S. Prepping for Midterms
On November 2, Americans will cast their ballots in midterm elections that will determine who will represent them in the 112th Congress, scheduled to convene in January 2011. In electing a new Congress every two years, American voters decide who will speak for them in crafting legislation, determining government spending and overseeing the activities of the executive branch.

U.S. Voters as Decision Makers
When Americans vote in the midterm elections, they will select their future leaders and decide a wide range of ballot issues, including how their taxes are spent or what rights their state constitutions guarantee.