Independent Candidate Evan McMullin Advocates for Refugees

Former GOP adviser Evan McMullin announced his bid for the presidency in August. McMullin, an Independent, has an impressive resume and has proved himself to be an advocate for refugees.

McMullin served as a CIA operative in Africa, the Middle East and Asia for over 10 years. He also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and a policy director for the House Republican Conference, where he pushed an agenda spotlighting international affairs, homeland security and gender equality.

McMullin is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He speaks Arabic and holds both a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in international law and diplomacy from Brigham Young University.

Most remarkable, however, is the 40-year-old Utah native’s special interest in helping refugees. To begin his career, McMullin volunteered as a U.N. refugee resettlement officer in Jordan’s capital Amman, evaluating and relocating Syrian refugees displaced by civil war.

Years after completing his work for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), he still feels strongly about the plight of asylum seekers. During a January GOP Debate, McMullin reaffirmed himself as an advocate for refugees by tweeting, “People who talk tough about ISIS, but then spend all of their time attacking refugees, know little about keeping America safe.”

Evan McMullin further demonstrated his concern for those affected by war when he gave a TedX talk at the London School of Business in May. His speech focused on the crisis in Syria and the atrocities committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. During the lecture, McMullin recalled his time with the UNHCR, saying it “left him with a deep sympathy for the world’s most vulnerable people.”

In July 2014, feeling “compelled to help,” he persuaded a Syrian refugee to testify before Congress and expose the Assad administration’s brutalities. The refugee was a double-agent, a government employee turned spy for the Syrian opposition, who was forced to fake his own death to avoid being discovered by Assad. As an asylum seeker himself, he pleaded with Congress to take action against Syria’s war crimes.

Evan McMullin believes that while governments condemn political violence, they lack the willpower to end genocide. He hopes to raise awareness about refugees and the factors that drive them to flee, such as government-sponsored civilian killings.

In light of this information, what would a McMullin White House look like? As an activist, international relations expert and advocate for refugees, perhaps McMullin could instill a greater sense of humanitarianism into foreign policy and strengthen the U.S. as a global leader. According to McMullin, “the world’s humanity depends on it.”

– Kristina Evans

Photo: New Republic

Bilingualism: A Resolution to Cultural Conflict in Thailand

Since 2004, 6,500 people have died as a result of cultural conflict in Thailand between Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists in the ‘Deep South’ (Thailand’s three southernmost provinces). The culture clash stems partly from the majority Muslim area’s desire for autonomy, a hot topic in Thai politics. On numerous occasions, public schools have been targeted for attacks, leaving educators concerned about their students’ safety.

In the Deep South, four out of five individuals identify as Muslim, compared to Thailand’s overall 93 percent Buddhist population. Many of Thailand’s Muslims believe the country’s public education system, which is geared toward Buddhists, only serves to exacerbate the ongoing conflict. Although Malay Muslims’ first language is often not Thai, all public school classes are taught in it.

Professor Suwilai Premsrirat of Thailand’s Mahidol University has spent the past 10 years working to integrate the Patani-Malay language into public-school curriculum in the Deep South through a pilot program to deter cultural conflict in Thailand.

Although Premsrirat faces criticism from both sides for incorporating elements of the opposing group’s language, she believes the bilingual approach is the key to success. Primary school teacher Mrs. Hareena promoted the pilot program, saying “you can see [the students] are understanding better now.”

Hopefully Premsrirat’s initiative will also serve to reduce cross-cultural violence in the Deep South by promoting understanding and diversity. “We want to make it [clear] we respect [Patani-Malay language and culture],” Premsrirat said, speaking for the Thai public school system.

According to Asia Peacebuilding Initiatives, incorporating the Malay language into the public school system may discourage Muslim families from sending their children to private Muslim schools. More Malay children attending public schools will result in increased diversity and mingling between the two cultures. This in turn may help promote national unity and reduce cultural conflict in Thailand.

Asia Peacebuilding Initiatives is quick to point out, however, that while language integration is a major step, the ultimate goal is to shift educators’ perspectives on the importance of diversity in language and religion.

Because of the cultural conflict in Thailand, many Malay Muslims feel alienated by their native tongue. Hopefully, incorporating their language into Thailand’s public school curricula will provide Malay Muslims a sense of belonging and Thai Buddhists an opportunity for understanding.

– Carrie Robinson

Photo: Flickr

Chinese Teaching Methods Lead to Educational Success

China is known for having educational success. 70 United Kingdom (U.K.)-based teachers were sent to Shanghai in 2014 to study Chinese teaching methods. Surprised with what they found, they returned to the U.K. and reported China’s success in the classroom comes from the “chalk and talk” approach – a teaching method the West has been moving away from.

The “chalk and talk” approach is an example of direct instruction; it is when the teacher remains at the front of the classroom, directing learning, controlling classroom activities and ensuring a disciplined environment. This method has contributed to China’s great success in international tests such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).

Despite the technique’s proven success, the West strayed from direct instruction in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In an attempt to improve teaching methods, it developed what is referred to as discovery learning: basing learning on children’s interests, giving them more control over classroom activities and eliminating mental arithmetic.

Jun Yang-Williams, a teacher in English schools who previously taught in China said, “It seems… that British schools have almost dismissed the ‘teacher-led’ teaching style… Although the ‘teacher-led’ pedagogy is seen as passive, it does not necessarily jeopardize learning outcomes. Students are in fact more proactive and more responsible for their learning.”

Videoed lessons in both China and the U.K. revealed that whole-class teaching makes up 72 percent of Chinese lesson time, compared to only 24 percent in the U.K.

These supposedly innovative techniques were proven to do the opposite of what the West was trying to accomplish. A recent study of classrooms in the U.K. and China found increasing evidence that new-age teaching methods lead to under-performance.

Professor David Reynolds of Southampton University and postgraduate research student Zhenzhen Miao also conducted a test in 2014 on 562 students ages 9 and 10 from Southampton in the U.K. and from Nanjing in China using math tests from TIMSS. The average Chinese score was 83 percent, whereas the average English score was just 56 percent.

By establishing the basics and spending more time on teacher-led style, Chinese teaching methods lead to educational success. Teachers constantly ask and answer questions, invite students to demonstrate solutions on the board and quiz students about their thinking. The classroom is involved, but driven by the teacher rather than the students.

Even with teacher-driven classrooms, students are content with Chinese teaching methods. According to the 2012 PISA survey, 85 percent of Shanghai’s students agreed that they “feel happy at school” – a percentage much higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average.

Perhaps the West will consider reintroducing direct instruction to its teaching methods.

– Alice Gottesman

Photo: Flickr

Reducing Food Waste to Address Poverty and Climate Change

Reducing food waste could potentially prevent climate change and help end global poverty. In the first study of its kind, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calculated that the world’s population wastes 1.3 billion tons of food per year. That food waste also results in 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.

Food waste also costs the world $750 billion annually. The United States alone wastes $161 billion a year. Another study calculated that $265 billion per year would end world poverty and hunger by 2030.

The FAO’s study, “Food Wastage Footprint: Impacts on Natural Resources,” focuses specifically on the environmental impacts of wasting food. A 54 percent majority of this waste occurs during the production phase, and developing nations struggle most during this part.

On the other hand, 46 percent of food waste occurs during the distribution and consumption of those products. Developed countries waste more during the consumption phase; they are responsible for 31 to 39 percent of total food waste.

Reducing food waste requires positive change in all phases of the food production and consumption chain. The FAO also suggested teaching more environmentally friendly farming practices and better analysis of the balance between supply and demand. As a result, the entire food production process would be more efficient and profitable during both phases.

Not only does reducing food waste affect the economy and environment, but it also has a positive social impact. If consumers in developed countries reduced their food waste, then farmers in developing nations would have more land and other resources. These farmers could use the extra water and space to grow the foodstuffs their countries (and other developing nations) need.

Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and FAO provide toolkits for reducing food waste. The EPA’s toolkit also provides a guide full of information specifically about the U.S. It also contains an implementation plan for starting a local advocacy movement. Here are just a few ways individuals can help reduce food waste:

1. Plan before shopping. Checking the fridge and pantry before shopping can prevent overbuying.
2. Buy the ugly fruits and vegetables. They are still perfectly good to eat.
3. Keep track of “Sell By” and “Use Before” dates. Sometimes, food stays good much longer than a sell by date. In addition, make sure to eat foods that are nearing those use before dates.
4. Be creative. If they are a little wilted or wrinkled, those foods are still great for smoothies, soups, pies, etc.
5. Eat smart and share. Controlling portion sizes when cooking or ordering food while out will reduce food waste. If there are extras or leftovers, sharing with family and friends can also help.
6. Freeze food. This will keep it fresh until a much later date.
7. Compost. Buying a kitchen composter or recycling waste in a garden will keep food out of landfills.
8. Donate. Donating untouched food to homeless shelters or others in need will be doubly beneficial. Instead of becoming waste, it will go to the people who desperately need it.

Food waste clearly has a widespread impact in all avenues of human life. Better communication and balance between farmers and distributors would save both money and the environment. More thoughtful purchasing and consumption at the individual level would also contribute. If the world can cooperate and reduce food waste, then there is greater hope for the end of environmental destruction and global poverty.

– Taylor Hazan

Photo: Pixabay

Brick Kilns in Bangladesh Reduce Emissions and Poverty

In South Asia, traditional brick kilns are known for both labor exploitation and the massive amount of pollutants they spew. A project sponsored by the World Bank Group is introducing new Hybrid Hoffman Kiln (HHK) technology into brick kilns in Bangladesh. The cleaner, more efficient kilns produce less pollution, better labor conditions and more stable income for workers.

Poor children who drop out of school to feed their families become a source of cheap labor for kiln owners in the northwestern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. These children often develop health problems as a result of long-term exposure to smoke and coal dust.

Along the same lines, an openDemocracy article published on July 21, 2016, revealed the cycle of debt and poverty generated by brick kilns in Pakistani Punjab.

Traditional fixed chimney kilns are also an environmental concern. According to the World Bank Group, an estimated 8,000 traditional kilns emit 10 million tons of carbon dioxide every year in Bangladesh alone.

The Bangladeshi HHK project, which began in 2008, has sought to address the many problems associated with traditional kilns. Thanks to financing and support from the World Bank Group and the Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Company Limited (IIDFC), there are now nine HHK brick kilns in Bangladesh.

HHK technology originated in Germany but has been modified to fit local needs. By recycling waste heat from the kiln and using a greener mix of coal and clay to burn the bricks, HHKs use only half as much coal as fixed chimney kilns, reducing pollution by 50 percent.

In addition to being environmentally friendly, the new brick kilns also have incredible economic benefits; their technology allows them to operate year-round. An HHK kiln can produce an average of 11 million more bricks per year than can a fixed chimney kiln. More efficient production means higher income for kiln workers.

Reduced pollution becomes an additional source of revenue for HHK kiln operators. By cutting carbon emissions, they receive certified carbon credits (CERs), which the World Bank Group’s Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF) and the Danish government then purchase from them. Kiln owners must spend some of the money they earn from carbon credits on healthcare, better facilities and new safety measures.

The biggest problem with HHKs is the price tag. Building an HHK kiln costs 15 times as much as building a traditional one. It will take an estimated $3 billion to construct 1000 HHKs. However, their many environmental and economic benefits make these improved brick kilns a worthwhile investment.

– Philip Katz

Photo: Flickr