Search
Displaying results 1471 - 1480 of 2062
President Zuma of South Africa highlights country’s progress, seeks economic partnership
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa enumerated the progress achieved by his country in the last 20 years, telling a packed National Press Club Luncheon, Aug. 4 that South Africa has “a really good story to tell” about its democratic rule, while also acknowledging “the really hard road ahead.” Zuma, who is serving a second term after winning a re-election in 2014, said his administration was happy there were “about 600 U.S. companies investing in South Africa,” a development which he saw as a vote of confidence for the viability of the country as an investment destination. “We look forward…
Type: News
President of Republic of Congo calls for deeper U.S.-Africa ties
President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo called for a renewal of relations between the U.S. and Africa in an address Friday, Aug. 1, at the National Press Club. Foreshadowing a message he will deliver to President Barack Obama at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington Aug. 4-6, Sassou told a sold-out NPC luncheon that Africa and the U.S. "have ignored each other" for too long. He called on the U.S. to increase training of African forces facing threats from terrorists and pirates; a broadening of U.S. initiatives in such areas as electrification to all of Africa; greater…
Type: News
A night celebrating courage, talent and some of last year’s top journalism
A photojournalist jailed for doing his job. Two Associated Press veterans who were attacked. A reporter in Illinois facing fines and jail time for not revealing a source. A young scholarship student announcing he’s an undocumented immigrant. All these journalists - present and future - shared the common traits of courage, talent and perseverance. The National Press Club Journalism Awards Dinner on Wednesday, July 30, celebrated their accomplishments and some of the best journalism in the country in 2013. One of the evening’s highlights was a message from Ahmed Humaidan, a photojournalist from…
Type: News
Marijuana legalization: Seen as Showdown Between Good Intentions and Misdirections
Legalization of marijuana is an issue that has focused the attention of proponents on the failure of the war on drugs, while opponents say that is a misdirection to hide how legalization is really about the rise of a massive new industry being modeled after one of the most destructive legal drugs used by Americans today -- alcohol. That was the topic of a spirited discussion today at a Newsmaker press conference, “Interpreting smoke signals from the marijuana skirmish line,” held at the National Press Club. Presenter Bill Piper, the director of the Drug Policy Alliance’s office of national…
Type: News
Drone journalism raises legal, safety, ethical issues
Matt Waite, University of Nebraska journalism professor, and attorney Chuck Tobin described at a July 23 National Press Club event the issues that accompany the advantages of using small drone aircraft for journalism. "Drone journalism is an evolving area," Tobin said, because it involves so many legal, safety and ethical issues. He explained the legal uncertainties that have arisen because the Federal Aviation Administration has not completed the process of creating and implementing regulations for drones, also known as UAVs -- unpiloted aerial vehicles. In the absence of enforceable drone…
Type: News
Obama’s First CTO Pushes Using Government Data to Solve Problems
The weather industry is a $5 billion undertaking but “the source data is all the same,” Aneesh Chopra, former and first chief technology officer for the Obama administration, told a National Press Club audience July 22. The source data that is commercialized and used in a variety of ways, from news to websites to apps, comes from the government. The use of weather data is just one example that Chopra related from his book, Innovative State. While he was the nation’s first CTO, the United States has had a “pioneering government” since its founding, Chopra said. The very idea of a republic was…
Type: News
CDC Head: Preventing Spread of Infection in Hospitals Requires Focused Hospital Management
What do the infectious disease MERS, ebola, measles, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, c. dif and CRE have in common? It is the kind of question that can only come from the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Press Club luncheon speaker Dr. Tom Frieden. After the perplexed audience failed, he provided the answer: they are all spread in hospitals. He then gave the example of Peggy Lilis, who died of sepsis at 56 after receiving a routine root canal. Her son Christian Lillis was in the audience, and was described by Frieden as “an advocate for…
Type: News
Politicians are Buying your Cookie Crumbs to Target You
Jordan Lieberman, president of CampaignGrid, which sells targeted online political campaign ads, explained how the ads are targeted and sold. He made his presentaton at a Campaign Boot Camp session at the National Press Club July 22. He described the process that matches information from voter lists with information from cookies -- data placed on users' digital devices by websites they have visited. Although the cookies reside on users' devices, they are owned by the websites, which can sell or rent them, he said. Individual identifying information is removed before the cookies are sold or…
Type: News
New Club Podcast Focuses on Airline Industry News
From the development of new aircraft to the recent tragedies of Malaysian Airlines flights MH370 and MH17, commercial air travel continues be prominent in today’s news. In the latest edition of the National Press Club's podcast series, Update-1, broadcast committee member Adam Konowe interviews Edward Russell, an air transport reporter for Flightglobal, which provides news and statistics to the aviation industry. Topics include the financial health of the airline industry, ticket and fee pricing, news from the recent biennial Farnborough International Air Show, as well as MH370 and MH17.…
Type: News
Prevention of Infectious Diseases Requires Great Care CDC Head Tells NPC Audience
Dr. Thomas Frieden, director the federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) spoke at the National Press Club Tuesday about current worldwide health threats from infectious diseases. He recalled his personal experience of having become ill from bacterial infection while traveling overseas and learning that the bacteria was resistant to antibiotics. Fortunately he was a healthy adult and his own immune system was able to clear the infection. Frieden used this example to illustrate that great care in the use of antimicrobial medications is essential to properly protect both sick and healthy…
Type: News