Archive - 2024

Edward “Ned” Gould Rowland Chalker II, a Washington, DC resident for over 50 years passed away on April 21, 2024. “Ned” was born on September 30,1938 in Chester CT, to E. Gould Chalker and Florence Christiansen who predeceased him. He graduated with a degree in engineering from Trinity College in Connecticut in 1960. In 1961, Ned joined the newly formed Peace Corps and served in the inaugural group of volunteers in Colombia known as the Columbia 1 Compadres. Ned developed life-long friendships from his tour of duty and continued to help the Colombian community he cherished for the rest of his life. He later helped to establish the Peace Corps Park and Museum in Washington, DC. Ned moved to East St. Lous in 1968 to open a Job Corps program at Westinghouse Consultants. In the early 1970s, he moved to Washington, DC to begin work at what later became the . . .

  BY LEX RIEFFEL (India 1965-67) & Xueqing Wang Scientific American     China’s population of 1.4 billion people is the largest in the world, right? Not anymore. In 2023 India surpassed China as the most populous country. China’s population began shrinking in 2022, and the latest United Nations report indicates that it could slip to 1.3 billion in 2050 and then plummet to only 770 million in 2100. As this news spreads, warnings of a looming crisis are growing louder. Perhaps most concerning of these is that China will not have enough young people to grow the economy or support older adults. But China’s declining populace could be a cause for opportunity rather than a crisis. China could arrive at a stable and sustainable population of around one billion in 2100. At this level, it is possible for the country to remain a global superpower and for its citizens to become even . . .

Meeting in Washington, D.C., Niger Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine informed Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell that all 1,000 U.S. special operations troops and other personnel must vacate the country. By Arthur I. Cyr of Carthage College   In the news — By ARTHUR I. CYR Syndicated Columnist  • • •  This is a major setback, during a time of general instability in that region. Last year, the leader of Gabon, Ali Bongo, was removed in a sudden military coup on Aug. 30. On July 26 of the government in Niger was overthrown. In August 2020, Mali experienced a military takeover. Coups have also taken place in recent years in Burkina Faso, Chad and Guinea. France is most tied to these nations culturally and economically, but the entire international community has stakes in this worrisome trend. Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group has been notably active in trying to establish lucrative contracts in . . .