US and Russia
Biden had an agenda of grievances, complaints and protests and Putin had lists of accusations about U.S. actions in Europe and the Middle East.
Earlier this week I traveled to cover the Putin Biden Summit, for Today News Africa, also known as the Biden Putin Summit or the US Russia Summit. (Who decided whose name should go first?) It was held in Geneva, Switzerland, a virtually maskless city of around 600,000 people, clearly open for business and operating much as we see in Florida today. This, despite the level 4 travel warning from the U.S. …
TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Designing for attention means you’re creating engaging images that entice viewers to click. And you don’t need complex software and years of experience to make this happen on Spark!
It’s science! People’s brains process 60,000 times faster when they see a visual over text, and 90 percent of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. With a visual and a few words, you have a whole story — the equivalent of a full page of words, which few will ever read.
I love Adobe Spark Post (available on iOS for Apple and Google Play)because I can use it on…
Democratic Republic of the Congo
A country struggling with insecurity, lack of food and clean water, Cholera outbreaks, COVID-19, poverty, human trafficking, that sits at the foot of the world’s most active volcano cries out for help.
Over the weekend I interviewed Jackie Keegan, Head of UNHCR in Goma about the news of tens of thousands of people fleeing from Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC,) following the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano and several earthquakes.
While the statistics are unclear, it’s reported that over 31 people have died and more than 20,000 people have lost their homes.
The main water pipeline in Goma was damaged by lava, depriving over half a million people of safe, clean drinking water, and some residents fled into an area effected…
Diplomacy and Greenhouse Gas
U.S. and Saudi Arabia were the first to join the International Maritime Organization goal of cutting GHG emissions. Meanwhile, what about human rights abuse, injustice, and inequality?
Last month, in an interview, Roel Hoenders, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Head of Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency, discussed support from the US and Saudi Arabia, as the first two countries to pledge to reach the IMO goal of zero emissions by 2050.
That’s great news, but I couldn’t help but wonder how countries can work together to make the world a “better place” as a broad global goal, but allow harm and injustice to occur at an individual level. It seems like the US ignores some issues to work on other issues.
Kenya, Agriculture, Food Systems
A discussion with Dr. Jemimah Njuki, Kenyan, and the Custodian of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Lever of Change for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.
The World Bank has reported that 80 percent of Kenya’s farms are managed and worked on by women. Yet, less than half of these women actually own their farms because, traditionally, men, or husbands, are the ones who inherit and own land. You’d think the laws haven’t caught up with the times, but that’s not true. In 2010 Kenya’s constitution was revised to allow women to inherit property or buy and own…
United Nations
I had the opportunity to interview this year’s UN Food Systems Summit leader for Today News Africa, and learn about what a “food system” really means.
When the United Nations announced the annual food systems summit in the middle of last year, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what a food system was beyond farmers, food, and people eating food. — It’s so much more.
When you think about “seed to table,” and you really…
United Nations
UN Food Summit Champion, Ntiokam Divine, Founder of Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Global (CSAYN Global)
Last week, I caught up with one of the United Nations top picks to take part in the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit for Today News Africa. Ntiokam Divine is an animated and passionate agriculture entrepreneur from Cameroon, championing inclusive food systems throughout the value chain, and from “farm to table.”
Our internet connection was terrible so I had take his interview by phone, and as you’ll see in the video, not only did we make the best of it, but viewers are still able see the face of this energetic and optimistic ‘go-getter.’
United Nations
AIM for Climate — Biden Harris Administration
This week at President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate, plans to launch the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) were announced. The mission will be advanced at the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021 and launched at COP26 in November 2021.
The goal of AIM for Climate is to increase and accelerate global innovation research and development (R&D) for agriculture and food systems in support of climate action.
In a recent interview, Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, CGIAR UN Food Systems Summit Representative, explained how innovation in agriculture is the least funded…
Nigeria, Islam
Suhaila Zakzacky, the youngest daughter of Ibrahim El Zakzaky, the jailed leader of the Islamic Movement Nigeria, must live past trauma and prepare for whatever may come in the future — without her parents.
“I imagine most people only even heard about my father because of the massacre in 2014 and 2015, and a lot is missing after that. He’s always been a very involved parent, I would say, and a very understanding parent. He has been imprisoned many times, but when he was present, he was really there for us.” — Suhaila Zakzaky
Her Family
Ibrahim Yaqoub El Zakzaky, is an imprisoned prominent Shi’a Muslim leader in Nigeria, married with nine children. His wife is also in prison, with only three of his nine children still alive.
His only surviving son, Mohammed Zakzaky, seems to…
Pandemic pounds clinging on for dear life? Need a quick headshot? Swear you’ll get on the bike next week? Photoshop can help.
There are many anti-edit people that feel social media and the web have thrust society into a false reality. In big part, due to altering our appearances. I agree, to an extent.
There are times to be 100% real and there are times the benefits of a slight image boost outweigh the need for extreme reality.
If you have access to Adobe Photoshop and want to clean up and shape up, you’re in the right place. …
Kristi Pelzel
Journalist, Communications Consultant, and Adjunct Faculty— Washington, D.C. www.linkedin.com/in/kristipelzel/
