The Duke Digest - June 25, 2010

In Today's Issue:

  • Report Finds New Promise for U.S. 'Green Jobs' in Rail
  • Increase Governmental Collaboration with Faith-based and Community Organizations to Improve Emergency Response
  • The Role of Cinema in Iranian Life


REPORT FINDS NEW PROMISE FOR U.S. ‘GREEN JOBS’ IN RAIL
On Thursday, Marcy Lowe spoke with several members of Congress about rail car manufacturing and U.S. jobs at an Aspen Institute event. Lowe is a senior research analyst at Duke’s Center for Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC), which has been carrying out a series of studies over the past two years of whether U.S. companies are ready to compete with China and other nations in providing the parts and labor needed for low-carbon technologies. The team’s answer, in this case and others ranging from LED lighting to hybrid trucks, is yes – but time is wasting for both the private and public sectors to make the investments needed to keep green jobs at home.

Read More:
News Story: Report Finds New Promise for U.S. 'Green Jobs' (DukeNews)
Full Report: U.S. Manufacture of Rail Vehicles for Intercity Passenger Rail and Urban Transit (Center for Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness)


INCREASE GOVERNMENTAL COLLABORATION WITH FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE
A new study conducted by the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions (IHSS), a research consortium led by RTI International, recommends faith-based and secular community organizations be more closely integrated with formal emergency response networks. The study found that while most of these organizations have capacity to aid vulnerable populations during a disaster, many are not currently well positioned to do so. The report, sponsored by the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Human Factors and Behavioral Science Division at the Department of Homeland Security, identifies strategies to integrate organizations into emergency response planning efforts as a means of improving overall community resiliency.

Read More:
Press Release (RTI International)
Full Report (IHSS)


THE ROLE OF CINEMA IN IRANIAN LIFE
Associate Professor of Literature and Women’s Studies Negar Mottahedeh talked on NPR about the role of the cinema in Iranian life on the first anniversary of the controversial election of President Ahmadinejad.

Listen to the Story:
Iran One Year After Disputed Presidential Election (NPR)