Jackie Northam

Can This Dominican Factory Pay Good Wages And Make A Profit?

Jackie Northam — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:58:00 +0000

Aracelis Upia Montero bounds through the front door of her wood and cinderblock house, calling out for her children. The bubbly 41-year-old Montero — whom everyone calls Kuki — proudly shows guests around her cramped single-story home in Villa Altagracia in the Dominican Republic.

Montero points out her new living room furniture. In the past couple years, she has added two bedrooms and now has indoor plumbing. She has also built a little apartment at the end of her dirt driveway that she rents out.

"I was able to save money very quickly, and I could get a loan from the bank," she says.

The Global Afterlife Of Your Donated Clothes

Jackie Northam — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:59:00 +0000

On a bright and warm Saturday morning, there's a steady flow of people dropping off donations at Martha's Table, a charity in downtown Washington, D.C. A mountain of plastic and paper bags stuffed with used dresses, scarves, skirts and footwear expands in one corner of the room. Volunteers sort and put clothes on hangers.

First U.S. Company To Enter Export Market For Natural Gas

Jackie Northam — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:14:00 +0000

With supplies high and prices at historic lows, there's debate whether companies should be allowed to export the gas overseas for a higher price. Many energy companies have applied for government approval to ship liquefied natural gas worldwide. So far, only one company has gotten a license to do that in the past 30 years..

Port Of Baltimore Seeks Boost From Panama Canal Expansion

Jackie Northam — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:42:00 +0000

There is constant motion around four new supersized, Chinese-made cranes as they unload cargo from a ship at the Port of Baltimore's freshly constructed Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Control cabs whir across the cranes' broad steel beams, and thick cables spin from giant wheels. Containers packed with consumer goods — TVs, clothing and the like — are hoisted from the ship and transferred to a flatbed truck waiting 140 feet below; the truck then peels away and is immediately replaced by another.

Britain's Iron Lady, Former Prime Minister Thatcher, Dies

Jackie Northam — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:57:00 +0000

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died Monday following a stroke. She was 87. Despite many accomplishments during her 11 years in office, she was a divisive figure, and there is still much bitterness surrounding the woman who was dubbed the Iron Lady.

Thatcher's long journey to becoming one of Britain's most influential leaders began in humble surroundings. She was born on Oct. 13, 1925, in the small English town of Grantham.

Google's Eric Schmidt Heads To Another Isolated Asian Nation

Jackie Northam — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, who went to North Korea in January, is making a short visit Friday to Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Why is the senior executive of a U.S. technology powerhouse visiting some of the poorest and least wired countries in Asia?

Schmidt will be the first top U.S.

At A Pakistani Mobile Library, Kids Can Check Out Books, And Hope

Jackie Northam — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:56:00 +0000

On a cold, rainy morning, a van pulls up outside a rural elementary school on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. The fluorescent green vehicle provides a flash of color on this otherwise gray day.

Controversial Cleric Stirs Protests Upon Return To Pakistan

Jackie Northam — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:03:00 +0000

In Pakistan, a controversial Muslim cleric has been shaking up the political scene.

Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri returned to his home country late last year, after spending eight years in Canada.

Amusement Park Planned In The Town Where Bin Laden Hid Out

Jackie Northam — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:52:00 +0000

Developers in Pakistan will soon break ground on a new amusement park and outdoor activity center, a private, $30 million project billed as a state-of-the-art facility that will bring jobs to a hard-hit area.

But there's one issue that's raising some eyebrows: the site is in Abbottabad, not far from the place where Osama Bin Laden secretly lived until American forces killed him.

This does not trouble Sheikh Kaleemuddin, the project director, who is effusive about the picturesque spot where he plans to build.

A narrow, fast-moving creek courses over a bed of flat stones running through a

Momentum Grows For Pakistan-Taliban Peace Talks

Jackie Northam — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:02:00 +0000

Both sides say they're ready to talk, but the Taliban is putting stiff conditions on any negotiations. All previous attempts at a peace deal have failed. Analysts say the Pakistani government lacks a coordinated strategy.