10 Tips for THE WIFE: Keeping Up with News and Current Events

1. Start by watching the news, reading the news online or subscribing to a newspaper. If you don’t have time to read the paper every day try just scanning the headlines or arranging to just receive the paper on Sunday.

2. Subscribe to ‘The Week’ it’s a great magazine that condenses all of the week’s international news. The various editions (U.K., U.S.A and Australia) provide a digest of the week’s news and editorial commentary from global media to provide readers with multiple political viewpoints. In addition to news and opinion, the magazine also covers science, business and the arts. You can also consider subscribing to Time Magazine or Newsweek.

3. Understand what the BRIC countries are (Brazil, Russia, India and China) or also referred to as “The Big Four”. These countries encompass over 25% of the world’s land coverage and 40% of the world’s population and hold a combined GDP (PPP) of 18.486 trillion dollars. On almost every scale, they would be the largest entity on the global stage. These four countries are among the biggest and fastest growing emerging markets offering great opportunities for the western world’s investments.

4. Read up on which countries have or are believed to have nuclear weapons (USA, Russia, U.K. France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel). Research which 5 countries (U.S.A., Russia, U.K., France and China) have signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty also called ‘NPT’ or ‘NNPT’ and why other countries have not. Consisting of a preamble and eleven articles, the NPT treaty is sometimes interpreted as a three-pillar system: non-proliferation, disarmament, and the right to peacefully use nuclear technology.

5. Keep up to speed on which on going wars are still current, who’s involved and why. For example: Libyan Civil War, Yemen and Syria.

6. Understand the difference between Democracy and Communism. Know which countries that are still ruled by the Communist Party, for example: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam. Also Make it a priority to become familiar with Heads of State, Prime Ministers and or Presidents of the leading countries.

7.  Geography, Geography, Geography. Get a map or a globe and study it. Know where every country is and as many capital cities as you can memorize. To make it easier try to learn something famous about each place.

8. Religion. Learn about Christianity, Judaism and Islam…. also Buddhism and Hinduism if you can too! Don’t be ignorant about any religion or assume anything about those who practice it. That is one of the most major signs of ignorance.

9. History. Make sure you are familiar with 20th century history, for example: I and II World Wars, Cold War, Decolonisation of Countries, Freedom, Woman’s and Civil Rights Movements, Gulf War, Etc. Also understand the basic timeline of historical periods coinciding with the origin and evolution of mankind from the Mesopotamia Era to Present Day (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism and Industrial Revolution) List of Time Periods

10. Ask questions if you do not understand the subject of conversation. It’s always better to educate yourself then remain confused and or ignorant. When your at your next dinner party you’ll have interesting topic to bring up or useful information to add to the conversation. – By: Taryn Cox for THE WIFE.