By Audrey Mann Cronin
While vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard this summer – our favorite family escape, and often that of the Clintons’ – I read a New York Times editorial by Frank Bruni that asked, “Without Bill and Hill, where would we be?” The piece, “The Thrill of Bill and Hill” explored the enduring appeal of the Clintons, found similarities in the characters in the upcoming political mini-series, “Political Animals,” and posited why the Clintons are always the best story.
It is with this in mind that I offer you the latest news from our always interesting and dedicated public servants, and ever-exuberant neighbors.
Former President Bill Clinton: Bill Clinton Visits Africa
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Africa in July to make on-site visits to projects funded by the William J. Clinton Foundation. Clinton’s multi-billion-dollar foundation funds programs, most of which focus on health, education, sustainable urban growth and the environment, across the continent. In South Africa, which has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the world, the foundation has negotiated cheaper AIDS drugs, a deal that has resulted in the largest anti-retroviral drug program on the continent. While in South Africa, Clinton and his daughter Chelsea visited Nelson Mandela in his home village of Qunu, on the eve of the anti-apartheid icon’s 94th birthday.
Bill Clinton to Address World’s Young Leaders in Pittsburgh
Former President Bill Clinton will speak in Pittsburgh this fall to deliver the keynote address to the One Young World summit. Clinton will address 1,500 youth leaders in their 20s from more than 190 countries who will gather in the city Oct. 18 to 22. “The inspiration and motivation he can deliver is going to be hugely important for these young leaders,” organization founders David Jones and Kate Robertson said in a prepared statement. “We’re excited about the impact that his presence will have on candidates and delegates everywhere.”
Bill Clinton: Cutting Use of Natural Resources would Help US Economy
Bill Clinton has warned that the US needs to cut its consumption of natural resources if it is to stave off the threats of climate change and rising prices. The former president said the economy of the world’s biggest consumer would recover faster from the recession and financial crises if more effort was made to use resources sustainably.
“We can grow even faster if we use less energy,” said Clinton in a conversation with the Guardian at the Resource 2012 conference in Oxford on Friday evening. “We have studies that show this. All that we need to do is find ways to finance this.”
U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton:
Peace Talks Must Resume, Clinton Says in Israel Visit
Visiting Israel for the first time in nearly two years, with the Palestinian peace process seemingly on perpetual hold, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that “the status quo is unsustainable” and urged leaders from both sides back to negotiations. “We remain focused on the resumption of direct negotiations, since we believe that is the only route to a lasting stable peace,” she said at a late-night news conference after a 14-hour marathon of meetings. “To those who say the timing isn’t right, or the trust just isn’t there, I say peace won’t wait, and the responsibility is on all of us.”
Hillary Clinton Pays Historic Visit to Communist Laos
Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Laos in more than five decades, gauging whether a place the United States pummeled with bombs during the Vietnam War could evolve into a new foothold of American influence in Asia. Clinton met with the communist government’s prime minister and foreign minister in the capital of Vientiane Wednesday, part of a weeklong diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia. The goal is to bolster America’s standing in some of the fastest growing markets of the world, and counter China’s expanding economic, diplomatic and military dominance of the region.
Globe-Hopping Hillary Clinton Breaks Travel Record
If diplomatic achievements were measured by the number of countries visited, Hillary Rodham Clinton would be the most accomplished secretary of state in history. Since becoming secretary of state in 2009, Clinton has logged 351 days on the road, traveled to 102 countries and flown a whopping 843,839 miles, according to the State Department. While some previous secretaries may have flown more miles – mainly due to shuttling back and forth to the Mideast on peace missions – none has visited more nations. Clinton broke that record last month, eclipsing Madeleine Albright’s total of 98, when she traveled to Finland for number 99 and then hit the 100 mark in Latvia.
Freelance writer Audrey Mann Cronin is president of Mann Cronin PR, a marketing, communications and social media consultancy. However, she considers her highest office as the noble leader of the Cronin family. A Chappaqua resident, she has been the enthusiastic recipient of multiple Clinton family handshakes and fuzzy iPhone photos.
At Press Time, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also planning a tour through many countries in the continent of Africa.
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