Humanitarian crisis looms in Fallujah after ISIS defeat

Dear Mr. President,

With all due respect, I got the impression from this piece on tonight's PBS NewsHour (just a few minutes of your time to watch, please) https://youtu.be/a3oL3WjLLA4?t=5m46s, that much more has been promised and could be done to support these refugees than we are currently doing. It was suggested that we are distracted by military and political issues. If am not misinformed, Mr President, shame on us. Since when did the greatest country in the world lack enough resources to master all three effectively, military, political AND humanitarian? I know you share my deep concern about all these refugees. Please address their plight with even greater urgency. Food, water, medicine, at least. Thank you.

With the highest respect,

Peace,

Bego

Chemists Without Borders Receives Award from the American Chemical Society

Congratulations to Chemists Without Borders for receiving an American Chemical Society P3 Award! The purpose of the Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Award is to encourage and recognize successful and exemplary partnerships. These partnerships must result in impactful outcomes that improve the public perception and appreciation for chemistry, promote career advancement opportunities, support entrepreneurship in the chemistry enterprise, advance advocacy efforts with government and thought leaders, or support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education or research. Chemists Without Borders is being recognized for its humanitarian work in improving water quality and science education in South Asia and Africa. We are grateful to all our volunteers, past and present, and the ACS for their support and partnership! We accepted the P3 award at the Central Regional ACS meeting in Covington, Kentucky.

Huddled Masses

As I sat in the comfort of my warm bed last night, the sound of the rain pelting against my bedroom window put a smile on my face. Then I thought of those refugees who are none so fortunate. On top of what they have already lost and endured, they don't even have tents to protect them from the elements. They are, as it were, just outside my bedroom window ("with their faces pressed against the window of our affluence," as Sen. Edward Kennedy once so eloquently said) huddled in the mud and rain, men, women and children, the infant and the elderly. It's simply not good enough. What then must we do?

"The ILO [International Labor Organization] estimates that there are up to 20 million people employed in the global chemical, pharmaceutical and rubber and tyre [sic] industries today." We are a huge pool of people, many of whom are not chemists but who are all connected with one another with probably six or fewer degrees of separation. I think it’s fair to say, too, that each of us has at least 10 people in our personal circle who are unique to us. That’s 200 million educated people worldwide! Imagine what can be accomplished even if only one thousandth of us were active. The question remains, “How do we mobilize that larger community?” What are your ideas that will help these suffering people sooner rather than later?

The Power is in the Network

Peace,

Bego Gerber