Many of us know that the world trade talks are starting in Hongkong sometime today. I am eagerly waiting for the results of this talks but I don't think I should be so hopeful cuz looking at the past talks, we can easily predict that the rich countries will get what they want whereas the poor countries will just return home empty-handed. But anyways, this is an opportunity for rich countries to commit to make free trade work for poor countries. Oxfam has put forward some really good ideas: 1. An end date to the kinds of subsidies, which encourage rich countries to overproduce their crops and dump them on the world market. These subsidies make it extremely difficult for small-scale farmers in developing countries to make money off their own crops. 2. The space for developing countries to decide if, when, and how quickly they open up their own markets. 3. Meaningful increases in access to rich country markets for the poorest countries. These steps could reduce poverty by removing barriers that keep poor countries from competing fairly in the global marketplace. So, let's just hope that things will be better for many poor people around the world as a result of this talk and also keep ourselves updated. Peace!