To understand the pulse of the present day independent states of the former Soviet Union, including Russia, one must be cognizant of the geo-political history of the USSR.

Recent aftershocks measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale led Haiti’s elite back to sleeping in their vehicles and the poor, some of whom have begun building simple structures with wood, steel, and sheets, to remain on the streets.

The fact that I married into a family of hockey fanatics was very apparent on my Facebook page when the Canada vs. USA hockey game was feverishly playing out last Sunday.

Open any Iraqi (or pan-Arab, for that matter) newspaper these days and you are likely to be bombarded by newswire articles, editorials and reader comments addressing the upcoming March 7th national elections.

In the wake of Latin America's second major earthquake in two months, those directing US relief efforts in Chile must plan carefully to avoid, and counter, negative messages in the social media environment.