Current Events

WHO: Over 40% Of World's Population At Risk From Dengue blog #2

2012-01-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

WHO: Over 40% Of World's Population At Risk From Dengue

Over 40% of the world’s population is at risk for dengue. This article talked about how the disease is spreading rapidly. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. The infection is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. “Not only is the number of cases increasing as the disease spreads to new areas, but explosive outbreaks are occurring.” (www.rttnews.com)The disease has tripled since 1970 it had spread to more than 100 million people a year. Back in 1970 it was endemic in only nine countries. The news report(article) just went on to say how much and how fast the disease is spreading. Dengue is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows symptoms such as headache, fever, and rash (www.medicinenet.com). The disease dengue can affect anyone especially with weak immune and it is possible to get dengue fever multiple times. To subordinate the risk of getting Dengue you should wear insect repellent with deet, wear clothes that cover your arms, legs and feet, and close unscreened doors and windows when you are in the area where dengue disease is passed. I believe that this is horrifying. I think that everyone should be forced to get the vaccine to stop the spreading of this disease. Even thought this is rare in United States it doesn’t mean that it cannot happen. I suppose that people did not know that this disease is so easy to catch according to Medline Plus “You can get it if an infected mosquito bites you. It is common in warm, wet areas of the world. Outbreaks occur in the rainy season(www.nlm.nih.gov) They should inform the people to stay away from areas like this. I believe that with enough information and technology we can reduce the spread of this disease.

http://www.rttnews.com/1804709/who-over-40-of-world-s-population-at-risk-from-dengue.aspx?type=gn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap

Blog 2: Witnesses give graphic accounts of South Sudan ethnic violence

2012-01-27T17:16:00.000-05:00

In Johannesburg, South Africa there is an ethnic war going on in the Jonglei state that has been going on for centuries. Most people are unaware of this ethnic clash, I certainly wasn't, but the level of violence has escalated over the years. Fighting with spears is a thing of the past now that these tribes have gained access to guns, knives, and other automatic weapons. Of course, as the danger of the weapons increase, the level of violent attacks increase as well.

The attacks were carried out by the Murle people on the Luo-Nuer tribe. The Murle's motive for their attacks was revenge for previous attacks upon them by the Luo- Nuer tribe. In the article, there is some witness testimony about the level of violence and brutality of these attacks. Many women and children are killed or beaten severely and left for dead. According to the United Nations, fifty-five people dies in the January eleventh attack and dozens were wounded. The numbers for those who are missing are large, but not certain and in Jongwei alone there are at least 120,000 who need aid. Along with the missing, the number of dead is unknown as well.

The reason for the attacks has to do with larceny that may seem petty to us, if we use a ethnoc

entric view, but if we are culturally relative then it would make sense. In these tribes, cattle is very important. The cattle your family owns is a symbol of power and determine your stance within the tribe in terms of family value. The larceny comes in where one tribe would attack the other and steal the cattle, leaving many people dead or wounded as well.

The battle between the two tribes looks, at the surface, as though it is just a battle over cattle, but in actuality the cattle stand for more than that. The battle is over power and prestige that was stolen along with the cattle. The number of cattle you have is the only way the families really knew their worth and when they were taken, so was the wealth of the family.

In a world where we are so focused on economic issues and politics, stories like these can get lost in translation behind those things that we deem more important. However, we need to pay more attention to issues like these because they are not just happening in Johannesburg or Africa, they are happening all over the world. Diversity is a great thing, but it can cause issues as well.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/01/doctors-without-borders-releases-graphic-stories-of-south-sudan-ethnic-violence.html

Blog #2: Look Out for These Federal Aid Changes in 2012

2012-01-27T16:54:00.000-05:00

In December of 2011, Congress passed its 2012 appropriations legislation. Congress has made several changes as to how much federal financial aid college students will receive in the 2012-2013 school year. The new financial aid rules and restrictions will affect the amount some students receive, how long they will be able to receive it, and how soon the interest will rack up on loans after college. Some of the eligibility changes that have been made could affect most specifically students ages 24 and up. One change that Congress has made that is effective immediately is how long students will be able to receive a Pell grant. In the past, eligible students could receive a Pell grant for nine years of schooling but the new eligibility is for only six full-time years. The family income and expected family contribution scales have also shifted a little, which is now knocking some students out of eligibility. Also, for students who take out federal subsidized loans, in the next year, student loans will start to accumulate interest starting at graduation. These changes affect some students and they are currently being notified by their respective colleges on their eligibility and how to find other ways to pay for college.

Personally, I believe that there should be more media coverage on this particular matter. This is my first time hearing about the changes in the financial aid rules and restrictions. This affects many students and regardless of it applying to every student or not, all students should still be notified about these current changes. I’m glad that colleges have begun to reach out to the students that could possibly be affected, notifying them about their eligibility and giving them tips on how to find other funds to pay for school. However, I believe that the new rule on federal loans is making college more expensive. I think the grace period was great for college students, this gave them time to find employment and get settled, but taking this away will most likely put a significant amount of stress on graduating students. The article also makes a good point about students checking with their financial aid office to see if their financial aid will be affected in the upcoming school year, I think it’s important to be informed about this matter as a college student.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2012/01/25/look-out-for-these-federal-aid-changes-in-2012?page=2

In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad

2012-01-27T16:35:00.000-05:00

Last May, an explosion ripped though a building in China killing two people immediately and leaving a dozen people injured. The explosion came from the area where employees polish iPad cases. Chengdu, a city in southwest China, has become a place where millions of people work to power the largest, fastest and most sophisticated manufacturing system on earth. That system has made it possible for Apple and hundreds of other companies to build devices almost as quickly as they can be thought up. In the last decade, Apple has become one of the most successful companies in the world, in part by mastering global manufacturing. Apple, as well as other American companies, has achieved a pace of innovation nearly unmatched in modern history. Behind all the success of these companies are workers like the ones in China who risk their lives everyday to make these products. The workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions and are surrounded by serious, sometimes deadly work environments.

Employees work excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some employees say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk. Groups say that the suppliers are disregarding the workers health and well being by doing nothing about this. Two years ago, 137 workers at an Apple supplier in eastern China were injured after they were ordered to use a poisonous chemical to clean iPhone screens. Within seven months last year, two explosions at iPad factories, including in Chengdu, killed four people and injured 77. Apple had been warned that these chemicals weren’t safe before the blasts happened, and nothing was done about it according to a Chinese group that published the warning.

Apple is not the only company that is doing business with work conditions like this, but is one of the biggest. Apple executives say that Apple has made significant improvements regarding these problems but if they are, then why do these problems still remain? If this continues, Apple and other businesses that run his way could see bigger problems in their future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?ref=technology

Blog #2: Crime and war sweeps Nigeria

2012-01-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

As Nigeria goes through tough times as it is, President Goodluck Jonathan now faces a religion war and crime that sweeps the nation. President Jonathan has now turned towards the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram for all the killings. Last week on one day one hundred and eighty people were killed. This group has aimed its sights on government officials such as police officers and soldiers. They are doing all of this because of the people who are fighting for Allah, Christians who are killing Muslims and people talking about Islamic religion. The Boko Haram has carried out many killings and bombings all over northern Nigeria all because of this religion war. People and analyst of Nigeria think the government has lost complete control of the north of Nigeria. Last month a Boko Haram spokesman told all Christians to leave the north of Nigeria within three days and they even made a video for it.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/27/world/africa/analysis-nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

To think that things like this go on in the world is crazy. I can’t imagine a life filled with killings, crime and war. Civilians go through their normal days with nothing but crime in their cities. This presents a social problem because it affects other people then just Nigerians, also the world can’t just sit there and watch as a nation goes through this, surrounding nations and people are offering the government help. These crimes are heard all over the world, and Nigeria is in a huge hole with its people. If they start to help more in the north then they will be neglecting the south and then the north still doesn’t have help. They need structure and more people to stand behind their government.

Blog #2: ZanaAfrica: Greenwich women look to empower Kenyan girls to ecome leaders

2012-01-27T16:26:00.000-05:00

Kenya isn’t exactly known for its equality when it comes to men and women. That was made evidently apparent when the Greenwich-based organization, ZanaAfrica decided to dig deeper in what really goes on. It was found that the second most costly item for Kenyan women are sanitary pads, the second was bread. According to the ZanaAfrica website (http://www.zanaa.org/), Kenyan adolescent girls miss 3.5 million learning days per month, this is due to insufficient funding for sanitary pads. These girls are so poverty stricken, they sometimes turn to dried cow dung to catch their menstrual flow. Some even turn to inserting wool directly into their vagina to block menstrual flow or going through trash to find used pads that they wash and reuse. Not only is this demeaning, but it also leads to health and sanitation issues. Due to losing days in school, these girls are dropping out which just pushes them towards unemployment; that is now about 54% of Kenya’s population. ZanaAfrica is now working to educate and empower these girls to better their lives.

My first thought to this was wow, my first feeling was anger. This is a prime example of how bad inequality in the world actually is. Women are so lowly thought of, that they have to dig through trash or use animal faeces as sanitary pads. To think that sanitary pads are one of the most costly items for women aside from bread is ridiculous. It’s pathetic that due to the cost of sanitary pads women are at an even higher risk of dropping out of school and ultimately adding to Kenya’s unemployment rate. I feel that this also points out the importance of education. As a society, we all need to take a step back and look at this from the macro-perspective to answer what this is doing to us as a whole.

http://www.greenwich-post.com/online/daily-featured/local-news/99559-zanaafrica-greenwich-women-look-to-empower-kenyan-girls-to-become-leaders.html

Blog 2: A Boost For the World's Poorest Schools

2012-01-27T16:05:00.001-05:00

In the article by Tina Rosenberg, A Boost for the World’s Poorest Schools, she is trying to address how the program, Save the Children is working to improve the reading level of children. She starts off this article by stating that the world has made great progress toward the goal of having all children in school. She also gives several statistics. One of these statistics is that 69 million school-age children do not attend school as of right now. However, this is an improvement compared to the year 1999 in which there were 106 million school-age children not attending school. Countries have made progress by getting rid of school fees, building schools in distant areas, switching the language of teaching to the one children actually speak, and giving families incentive to send children to school with school food. But, the flowing in of new students in many places has affected school systems that were already having a hard time. Some schools in countries such as Latin America, Africa, and Asia often have no materials or books other than a chalkboard. Sometimes at these schools, teachers do not even speak the same language as the students, and do not even show up for class. Save the Children is trying to help schools. In Tigray, Ethiopia, 23 percent of third grade students in a school supported by Save the Children could not read a single word in one minute. In Nepal, it was 50 percent. The Save the Children organization created Literacy Boost. This program is now in schools in 12 countries and expanding to another six this year. It works in any language and culture. It also holds workshops to help teachers learn effective teaching methods. The goal of this program is to expose children to reading as much as they can, and boost children’s literacy skills.

Reading this article made me realize how lucky we are to live in the United States and receive a good education. Sometimes, we take it for granted. It completely blows my mind to think that there are children around the world who are in third grade and cannot read a single word. I also cannot believe that teachers are not even showing up to school to do their jobs. I won’t get myself started on that aspect. One thing that saddened me during this article was that some schools in poor parts of the world have no other learning materials besides a chalkboard. We are so fortunate to live in the United States, where we have just about everything we need to learn. One thing I thought was interesting about this program was that all of the books are homemade. This makes the stories more interesting and children can learn to appreciate the work that was put into creating the books. From what I have read in this article, I think that Save the Children’s Literacy Boost program is a successful and rewarding program. I also think that we should create something like this for the under-privileged schools in the United States. This program has been proven to work, and can only help students in the United States improve their literacy skills even more!

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/118675/?scp=19&sq=Education%20Problems&st=cse

Blog 2: Clean up world seas to boost economy, U.N. body says

2012-01-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

The United Nations Environment Program along with several other U.N. organizations did a report on the impact of costal economies if the worlds oceans were better managed. This study was concluded right before the scheduled U.N. conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the top topics to be discussed are pathways to a more sustainable development. With roughly 40% of the worlds population living within 100 kilometers of a coast, the marine ecosystem plays a huge roll in not only food but jobs for millions of people. Unfortunately over fishing, pollution from oil spills, fertilizers, waste, sewage and chemicals have done damage to the world’s oceans. The researchers came up with key steps to aide in the “greening” of the seas in such areas as tourism, fishing, transport, pollution, renewable energy and deep-sea mining. If these measures are taken, islands in Asia and the Caribbean could see less of an impact from climate change and boost the worlds economy.

Some of the key steps the group has set includes cleaning up crop fertilizers like nitrogen and phosphorous. These chemicals have been degrading marine ecosystems and groundwater with little regulation. Marine pollution is said to cost the European Union $100 billion dollars and is mostly attributed to fertilizers. Some of the other steps include restoring fish stocks, reducing fishing capacity, full-efficient fishing methods, environmentally-friendly feeds for aquaculture systems and energy efficient ship designs. The newer field of deep-sea mining for minerals is thought to be a much needed to boost to the world’s economy and relieve some of the burden on the terrestrial environment. Along with investing in wind, water and tidal power. It states that there needs to be more financial incentives in these sectors by private business to start brining the costs down.

The perspective I have taken from this article is mixed. I think some parts of it are good but then others undermine the entire reason for having this sort of research done. With our societies growing larger and larger, we are putting an even greater burden on the planet and it’s resources. It seems with the issue of deep-sea mining it could present some stratification issues. Opening up new very remote areas for the excavation of resources seems like it would benefit mostly the richer more elite population. This would be the group that possesses enough power and wealth to be able to be successful in such a harsh environment. Whereas the newer restrictions on fishing and pollution controls could directly benefit the lower social classes and their ability to make money. The idea of deep-sea mining seems counterintuitive. If we are trying to get away from the destructive and pollutive ways of now and the past. It seems like deep-sea mining should be on that list too. It has nothing to do with lessening our impact. It would just be in an area where no one would be able to see what’s happening. But it's harmful effects would be felt all over. This would benefit larger companies by not having the public eye to keep them in check and sanction them for doing bad things. It seems like all the other key points talk about sustainability and decreasing our impact. However over the longterm everyone would benefit from most of the key points they are suggesting. It will definitely take initiatives from the U.N. to help keep it a global issue and give it legitimization but will take each and every person to do their part.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/25/us-marine-investment-idUSTRE80O08Q20120125

2012-01-27T15:47:00.000-05:00

Blog 2: Near Cambodia's Temple Ruins, a Devotion to Learning, Deborah Faircloth

This article, by Thomas Fuller, tells the story of a small town in Cambodia that could have turned into a ghost town. But instead, Siem Reap, Cambodia is a thriving tourist village where millions of people come to see the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. The number of tourists last year was close to three and a half million. With all those tourists, a town needs hotels and other amenities which, of course, means employment for the locals. The difference here is that these local tour guides, servers, and hotel employees are also pursuing their college degrees at the same time. This once tiny village of Siem Reap is only second to Phnom Penh for being the largest area for higher education in Cambodia. Siem Reap houses five universities. These universities were started and continue because of the dreams and intense desires of the young students to have better lives. Even though they work long hours during the day, they persist in taking college classes at night. The results have been positive because when these students receive their degree, most of them move into managerial roles. The students speak of receiving a degree as being "transformative".

The young students of Siem Reap are setting a great example for the rest of the world, although I am sure that they are not aware of it. The great devotion to learning that they dedicate their lives to is something we Americans could use. It is certainly true that many Americans work full-time and are full-time college students but I feel that these Cambodian students would be an inspiration to them as well as the rest of us. We take so much for granted here. The Cambodian people have fairly recently came out from under the power of Khmer Rouge where there was much suffering.To them, higher education is a privilege and an honor. In the words of a local tour guide/student, "I never imagined that I could go to university". Education - a privilege and an honor for all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/world/asia/cambodias-angkor-wat-temple-ruins-brings-tourists-and-higher-education-opportunites-for-tour-guides.html?pagewanted=2&ref=internationaleducation

Current Events: Blog #2 What India and America have in common: Inequality

2012-01-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

Current Events: Blog #2 What India and America have in common: Inequality

Blog 2: "An Economy Built to Last"

2012-01-27T15:40:00.001-05:00

This past week, Obama addressed the nation with the State of the Union address. The theme of his speech, “An America Built to Last”, explained to all American’s what Obama’s plan was to better our country as a whole. A major part of Obama’s speech was his plan to better the American economy. The way that Obama wants to execute this plan includes bettering the American business, yet being involved with trade agreements in countries around the world and also in-sourcing jobs back to the American economy so that we can sell our products on a global scale. Some of the proposals that Obama has to support American business would be to lower tax rates for companies that do business within the United States, require companies to pay a minimum tax on overseas profits, double the tax deductions for high-tech manufacturers who make production in the United States, and provide financing help for companies who relocate to communities that lost factories during the economic recession.

From a sociological perspective, the inequality of incomes in America (the 99% vs. the 1%) is a huge social and national problem. Rather than global, but by being a national problem, we can find ways to solve it by being involved with the rest of the world. Obama has signed three trade agreements (as stated in the state of the union address.) These trade agreements are with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. The agreement with South Korea is estimated to support 70,000 American jobs, and the agreement with Colombia is suggested to increase the United States gross domestic product by $2.5 billion. A third agreement with Panama guarantees access to Panama’s $20.6 billion services market.

Obama has also proposed the “Buffett Rule” which states that if an individual makes over 1 million dollars per year, they must pay at least thirty percent in taxes. Currently, a quarter of millionaires pay a lower tax rate than millions of middle class families. This rule also states that if an individual has a salary of less than $250,000, their taxes should not go up. This could greatly solve the inequality struggle within the United States.

There are many other proposals that Obama mentioned in his state of the union address, but unfortunately I’d be writing for days if I wanted to break down every part of that. The main focus here is that our President wants not to eliminate the global market, but make the United States a bigger part of that market by in-sourcing American jobs to therefore create more products and goods to sell to other countries around the world. From a sociological perspective, these proposals are logical, but there must be cooperation from many different components of the government, American people, corporations, big businesses, small businesses, and many other components. As the president stated at the end of his speech, we must all work together, just like the Navy Seals that worked together to accomplish the capture of Osama Bin Laden.

source: http://www.barackobama.com/state-of-the-union?source=DNC_HDL

Blog #2 What India and America have in common: Inequality

2012-01-27T15:38:00.004-05:00

The Article focuses on inequality in the world’s two largest democracies, India and the United States. In both counties there is a growing gap between the poor and the supper rich, at the same time some social inequalities have started to decline. In India certain historically disadvantaged groups are now politically assertive, and in America discrimination against minority groups is declining. The articles tells about how the rich are rich because they have access to better schools, health care, nutrition and social support than the poor. While there are adverse neighborhood effects for poor children in inner cities in the U.S and in Indian villages can have similar or worse effects on the poor. The answer to improving this inequality is to improve education, create more jobs, and increase productivity, however the U.S, and India neglect education for the poor and infrastructure. The answer is because the Rich do not use these public services. In India a few hitherto subordinate social groups have begun to enter the political and economic elite but instead of changing conditions for the poor they adopt values of the rich.

The world is always going to have changing inequalities. The inequalities from the rich and the poor have only become more unequal because of the nature of how the Inequality gap began to open. The more money someone has the more power they have. Threw the capitalist systems people have been able to become extremely wealthy and powerful. Their children are born into an ascribed status of super-rich and have many resources to achieve a higher status. While for the poor it is the exact opposite the are born into a poor ascribed status lacking the resources to achieve higher status. The Rich can use their money to influence politicians to pass laws and loosen restrictions that benefit themselves even if it is in conflict of helping the poor. Improving public education where most of the poor are is not at the top of the list for the rich because their children aren’t in public schools. If the poor can’t get better educations the inequality gap will keep widening.

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/06/what-india-and-america-have-in-common-inequality/

Russian Border Control

2012-01-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has caused a lot of controversy since an article of his was recently published in the Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Putin has taken it upon himself to discuss two issues that have been plaguing the Russian people since the collapse of the Soviet Union: New Russian Identity and Migration. On the new Russian identity, Putin stated that Russia is not a modernized version of the Soviet Union, but it’s own, new country. And that drastic changes, such as the collapse of the Union, have not defeated Russia, that it remains, due to the will of its people. Now, there are two identities becoming rooted in the modern Russian people. The first are the Rossiyanin, or citizens of Russia that are members of the multiethnic Russian civic nation, and Russkyis, who are ethnic Russians. Russkyis make up about 80% of the population, but immigration is constant and Russia has the second highest migration rate in the world, next to the US. These migrants are mostly from the North Caucasus and Central European countries that have long been tied to Russia, many of which were once a part of the Soviet Union. There are many ethnic Russian nationalists who are calling for the borders to be closed off to these countries. They believe that closing the borders to these countries will help solve all of their economic and political problems, placing the blame of the many Muslims that migrate from these regions. There is a rapidly growing hatred toward these non-ethnic Russians and Muslims. They are blamed with stealing the jobs of native-ethnic Russians and importing the crime and poverty from their old countries. Sound familiar? Putin has stated that he would like to limit any further illegal immigration by putting more responsibility on police and improving the living conditions of the poor areas of Russia and neighboring states. With this escalating tension between race and religion, it is almost inevitable before hate crimes become prominent in daily Russian headlines, if they are not already.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/01/27/64756362.html

Blog 2 - Spain's Unemployment Total Passes Five Million: Anna Sophia Riley Trade/Economy

2012-01-27T15:25:00.001-05:00

Spain's unemployment total passes five million
Anna Sophia Riley
January 27, 2012
3:30 PM

Spain has been struggling to provide inhabitants with jobs for a number of years. Since around 2008, Spain has suffered from the repercussions of the property bubble burst, after a precursor period of about 4 years of influx in prices by about 44%. Much like what has been happing stateside, Spain is experiencing a large increase in the number of properties in repossession. This is relevant to unemployment rates, as people without jobs cannot payback loans they were forced to over-borrow on.

The unemployment rate in spain is at its highest in 17 years, at 22.8%. This is an astronomical number, especially when we think of it in terms of what the United States unemployment rate is at the moment, currently 8.5%. The numbers show that almost half the young adults in the country are without work, and the nearly five and a half million people total who lack a steady job is double what the average is in the European Union. Similar to what is happening in the United States right now, government is pledging to create and provide reform in order to help provide jobs for citizens.

What is happening in Spain is seemingly a result of the EU's economic crisis. What has been happening throughout the European Union economically, has caused instability in banking, business, and taxing. Many in the European Union believe that the EU economy is at an irreparable downturn, and will shrink, while other economies see more growth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16754600

Blog 2: Organizations Say Torture is Widespread in Libya Jails

2012-01-27T14:54:00.002-05:00

Since toppling Qaddafi, the Libyan people have been thrown in a country essentially in anarchy. Militant sectors of society, and the armed resistance to Qaddafi's rule, now run most of Libya's prisons. The interim government is having an impossible time imposing order on the country. In the wake of the crash of the dictatorship, the New York Times notes that the interim government headquarters has been ransacked, militias roam the streets, and central authority is nearly nonexistent in the country's prison system. The situation is drawing the attention of many international rights organizations. Amnesty International reports several deaths and several more injuries due to torture of supposed loyalist of Qaddafi's regime in the nations prisons. Doctors Without Borders has suspended care in some areas because the prison officials were bringing prisoners in between torture session to continue and prolong torture. Human Rights Watch has also documented several cases of torture in Libya's prisons.

The situation has also caught the attention of the United Nations, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has condemned the torture and advocated for the transitional government to move control of the prisons over to the Justice Department. So far, the Justice Department has only managed to assume control of six of the prisons, and the rest remain in the hands of militant anti-Qaddafi groups.

The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights outlines that "No one shall be subjected to torture to to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The torture of imprisoned pro-Qaddafi elements is definitively a violation of the human rights of these people. Many have not been tried in any system of law, and undergo terrible beatings in interrogation sessions. The article notes that injuries to the head and back were present on prisoners and some reported receiving electric shocks. Sadly, the instability of the transition regime prevents swift and effective action on the subject, and the torture is likely to continue. It is important to note that Qaddafi's regime was authoritarian, and human rights abuses were still present. However, the destabilization of the system has lead to a much more abusive system essentially composed of militant tribes. Many of the prisons in Libya are controlled by a separate commander, and the orders of the transitional government are clearly being disregarded. If the people are to be free of widespread human rights abuses, the transitional government will have to take a more active role in consolidating power and strengthening institutions. This case is yet another critical example of why the rule of law and freedom from fear of bodily harm are important aspects of human rights.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/world/africa/groups-denounce-widespread-use-of-torture-in-libya.html?_r=1&ref=world

Blog # 2 Gates Injects $750 Million in Troubled Global Fund

2012-01-27T14:48:00.002-05:00

At the World Economic Forum Bill Gates pledged to donate $750 million dollars to the Geneva- based Global fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Mr. Gates stated that even though these are hard economic times there should be no excuse for cutting aid to the worlds poor. Since the fund was founded it has provided 230 million bed nets to families to prevent malaria, antiretroviral treatment to 3.3 million people, and treated 8.2 million people with tuberculosis. Mr. Gates donated such a large sum in order to show his support to the troubled fund, and in hopes of bringing in more donations. As of late the fund has been accused of losing tens of millions of dollars due to corruption. Mr. Gates has firmly backed the public-private fund stating, “It has changed the lives of many of the worlds poor through its prevention and treatment programs in 150 countries”. Naoto Kan, the former prime minister of Japan who donated $1.3 billion to the fund, claimed that even though the European debt crisis has seriously affected the fortunes of the global fund it does not make its significance any less. The Global Fund claims to be working on becoming more transparent to show that it is held accountable for its actions and they have nothing to hide.

It is important that private corporations like Bill Gates, continue to support and fund global health because the government alone cannot solve global health epidemics. It has been estimated that more than four million people die each year from either AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis. Without the help and support from these private-public funds developing countries would have even fewer resources to help their poverty stricken citizens. Providing aid to countries, such as Africa, creates an opportunity for its people to live a longer and healthier life. With a healthy population more effort can be put forth by the people into creating a prosperous economy, better education, and better living conditions. It is like the old saying goes “health is wealth”. On the other hand it seems that no big corporation, foundation, government, or non-government organizations goes without corruption. With the Global fund being accused of losing millions of dollars it is hard for people to trust that their money is actually being used to benefit those in need. Without this trust no one will want to donate money, especially in a struggling economy, to the fund and the progress that has been made could potentially be lost. It is vital that global health funds are transparent with all of there actions so that health services can continue to reach those in need.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204661604577184582818128186.html

Blog 2: Iran: EU oil sanctions 'unfair' and 'doomed to fail'

2012-01-27T14:19:00.001-05:00

This article is further looking at the oil/nuclear issues that face many aspects of our life today. This oil ban which was agreed by the European Union will be phased in over a period of months to try to reduce the impact on some of the weaker European economies. This is the most significant toughening of sanctions to date. Iran has continued to push for nuclear testing for "energy purposes", this is a big, huge red flag that indicates future war. According to the article, Obama has welcomed the EU sanctions, saying they show international unity against the "serious threat" posed by Iran's nuclear program. Iran sells most of its oil to countries in Asia; the top three countries are China, Japan and India. Therefore, the EU and the United States are working to persuade Asian countries to reduce their purchases from Iran as well. But Iran has already blocked the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20% of the world's oil exports pass (see image below for more details). What is the economic outcome of these events? The oil prices have risen (already) because of the increased tension and the expected impact of an EU ban on oil supplies to Europe.

I think that there will definitely be some sort of "war", maybe a World War Three because of this issue. Because the economies of the EU countries are the weakest in Europe, the rising price of oil would benefit Iran's exports elsewhere. Currently about 20% of Iran's oil exports go to Europe. So, the stress is on the Asian countries. Since we have already reached our peak oil, we can only expect our prices to rise higher unless we find another substitute for oil; the most environmental friendly way to do this is to reduce our consumption of oil. To do this, we would globally have to depend on public transportation instead of cars. This itself would reduce our consumption significantly. Since these actions depend on groups of people and society as a whole, affects everyone on this planet, and has a solution, this is a social problem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16693484

Nigeria on edge as Islamist group extends campaign of violence

2012-01-27T14:02:00.002-05:00

In the recent midst of a gain in the realm of terrorism the scare in Nigeria has dramatically risen. The Nigerian president, Goodluck Johnathan, once had an attitude of wanting to try and come up with a solution to the needs of the religious head-strong terrorist. Boko Haram only sent back a voice message that declared the death of every region of person, “We’re killing police officers, we're killing soldiers and other government people who are fighting Allah; and Christians who are killing Muslims and talking badly about our Islamic religion." The degree to which all of the acts are affecting are adding up quickly. In just the last month Haram carried out numerous bombings and shooting mainly across northern Nigeria; totaling hundreds in casualties and most are civilians. In just one day there were 180 people killed.
This should start to alert anyone because within the area lies the Libyan revolts and Al Qaeda, and they both get attention. Haram is obtaining his militia through the abundance of ammunition and artillery that Libya consumed when they were revolting the government. Al Qaeda was thrown into the mix with when members were caught with contact information about the group. They are seeking religious persecution on all Christians. We should all be alarmed due to the fact attacks like these usually escalade, and with the notions that are being brought forth by Haram it seems far from slowing down. The religious turmoil has no beginning date, and seems to have no near future end date, which troubles anyone who believes that history does repeat itself.

Frankie McAteer

2012-01-27T13:55:00.001-05:00

Blog#2, Labor issues in China.

There are several problems in China with labor. Its finally catching up with these stingy, money hungry American corporation owners. One of the problems is nike factories in China. These companies try their hardest to find the cheapest way to make as most money as they can, whether it be making employees do alot more work than they should, or pay then close to nothing. As the cost of living increases in China the pay from these American companies does not. The Chinese who were people that never really revolted or complained are now standing up for themselves.

The Chinese were never the type to complain or even fight back against these American Powerhouse corparations, but they finally got sick of the abuse and mistreatment. Americans brought these companies over seas which lost thousands of american jobs just so they can pay pennies compared to what they paid their employees here. The big strike back was against nike. The workers where way underpaid and they were way understaffed. After months of horrible mistreatment they finally started going to strikes and sit ins. Then nike starts to lash out and wonder why? Are you kidding me? How in the world can you sit back and make it even a thought on why. If you had any common sense you would recognize. Let one of the VP's, President, or Chair holders work on of those jobs for just one day and then they could actually relate. The Chinese have been mistreated and underpaid for way too long, now they are finally getting up and saying no more!

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/labor-issues/index.html

Blog 2 Syria Massacre Kills Over 30

2012-01-27T13:46:00.002-05:00

Friday morning chaos erupted as machine-gun fire and mortars struck the Syrian city of Homs. It all started Thursday when a string of kidnappings and killings swept through the cities of Sunnis and Allawites. Activists stated that 11 bodies were found bloodied and piled on to beds in a building that had been hit in the city by machine-guns. The bodies included five small children, five women, and a man who varied in ages. 29 people including 8 children were killed in one building when it was struck with machine-guns and mortars. Another bombing occurred at a checkpoint outside the city of Idlib but the number of deaths in this bombing was not released. Today (Friday) the U.N. Security Council held a private meeting to discuss this outburst and to hopefully find a solution or propose a new draft resolution to Syria. Navi Pillay who is the U.N. Rights Chief spoke and stated "Some areas are completely closed, such as parts of Homs, we are unable to verify much of the information that's coming to us. We are watching the figures, working closely with civil society organizations, and sifting through all the information that's coming to us.”

http://news.yahoo.com/women-children-killed-violence-torn-syria-city-124812446.html

These massacres are unbelievable and it is hard to think that these kind of acts are going on across the country. If armed forces or authorities are not sent to Syria to help control these massacres it will only get worse. The political system in Syria is struggling right now and the Council needs to get together and work this out and find the best solution to this problem. The people of Syria are crying out for help but nothing is being done about it. Too many small children are being killed to ignore the problem. All of these problems are because of the unstable government and all of the disagreements people are having over it. They need to find a government that everyone agrees with or at least most everyone agrees with and fix the problem. The people of Syria are trying to matters in to their own hands by committing all of these crimes in hopes that they will get their point across and hope that the government will realize there is a problem. If this problem is not fixed soon, the whole country of Syria will be destroyed and it will be nothing and be wiped off the map.

Blog #2: New Rules for School Meals Aim at Reducing Obesity

2012-01-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

In order to help lower the amount of obese children, new rules are being put in place to make school lunches healthier for kids. Several changes will be taking place. For example, the amount of fruits and vegetables is being doubled, the amount of starchy foods, like potatoes, is being reduced, and all milk that is served must be low fat. Michelle Obama has a campaign to reduce the number of overweight children through better nutrition and exercise. She made a statement that “As parents, we try to prepare decent meals, limit how much junk food our kids eat and ensure that they have a reasonable diet. And when we are putting in all that effort the last thing we want is for our hard work to be undone each day in the school cafeteria”. I agree with Mrs. Obama that school cafeteria food is what is ruining some children’s diet, though for some children, even with the unhealthy food choices, school lunch is the best meal they will have all day. For this reason I think it is of even greater importance for the food to be healthy for the kids whose parents are unable to provide them with healthy meals outside of school. Child obesity can derive from the social problem of poverty because typically healthy foods are much more expensive than junk food. Parents who are striving to provide for their families while making minimum wage are much less likely to be able to feed their children with a healthy meal. It is much cheaper to buy your children a Mcdonald’s happy meal than it is to buy everything in order to cook a healthy dinner. As junk food is cheaper than healthier foods, children who live in low socioeconomic households are at a greater risks for being overweight or obese than children in a higher class. With school lunches being the best meal of the day for some children, I think it is of great importance for the standards of what is being served and considered “healthy” to be raised.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/us/politics/new-school-lunch-rules-aimed-at-reducing-obesity.html?ref=health

Blog #2: Brazil to Grant Work Visas to Haitians

2012-01-27T13:16:00.001-05:00

Many countries around the world discourage immigration and make it hard for people to work and live legally in their countries. Brazil is one of those countries. However, since the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the government of Brazil has decided to make exceptions for those migrating to Brazil from Haiti in search of work and refuge. Brazil is granting work visas to a number Haitians coming to Brazil and they are expecting to grant over a 100 visas a month. Thousands of Haitians have traveled through the rough terrain of the Amazon in order to get to Brazil and many people who are stuck in towns outside of the Amazon are also being given visas to work. People from Pakistan and India who have traveled the same route through the Amazon to get to Brazil are normally immediately expelled from the country but Haitians are being given exceptions by the government. Especially because of the 2014 World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympics scheduled to take place in Brazil, manual labor has significantly increased and is in high demand. Even so, the amount of Haitians coming into Brazil are making it hard for authorities to house and feed while their applications are being reviewed. There are many great things about what Brazil is doing and it could benefit the country greatly. Yet , as always, when there are good outcomes, there are also bad ones. Not only is Brazil helping the Haitian people, who are in dire need of it, but they are also benefiting their country’s productivity by allowing these people to come in and work, thus benefiting their economy. This also is going to give the Haitian people more opportunities to better their lives and allow them a chance to possibly return back to their own country and contribute the Haitian economy as well.
However, this could emerge new problems for the country as well as the society. Because of the culture differences this could cause conflict within the community of Brazil. Culture clashes have always been a source of conflict in many areas and many people are very much ethnocentric, causing conflicts between cultures over misunderstandings and differences in values, languages and beliefs. Another issue that could arise is worker exploitation. Even though the country is giving them opportunities to work, they could end up underpaying them, not giving them equal pay for equal work, and they could also end up providing no worker benefits to them at all, such as taking deductions from their pay checks without providing any kind of health benefits, housing benefits, etc. Over population is also another issue to consider when bringing new people into the country and market prices could inflate. Considering the condition of Haiti and their people, right now this an important and beneficial thing Brazil is doing for them. Though overtime, this could end up bringing new complications for everyone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/world/americas/brazil-to-grant-work-visas-to-haitians.html?_r=1&ref=migrantlabor

Blog #2 Families Facing Severe Malnutrition.

2012-01-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

This article is talking of the horrible malnutrition that is happening in South Africa now. The article tells that the agencies are trying to get help for the people, and the wealthy to donate their money. Their biggest concern is to get ahead of the ball, and try to keep it from becoming a famine. South Africa is having problems feeding their people, therefore the price of the food has went up, and that has excluded many of the people from being able to buy food, and eat. They are having an agriculture problem because their fields are overgrazed, and by being overgrazed the animals aren't surviving, and the land won't do any more good until it has recovered. They need funding now to prevent a famine like the one that occurred in Somalia. When alerted about the famine in Somalia there were no donors, and in return many people died. UNICEF has reported the malnutrition rates to be around 1 million people. The peak of the crisis is suspected to hit in March, so they need help, and they need it fast. The families are being affected even without the droughts because around 300,000 children are hit with malnutrition each year.
This is a major problem, because even though they are a large population of the world, they don't need to suffer famine and die out. It is a social problem because of the number of people it affects, and I feel that if it were here, and they had the money we as a Nation would want them to help us out, and give us the money and food that we needed. We also need to look at the fact that there is something we can do to prevent the famine, and also lessen the malnutrition rate there, we should do what we can to help others out. Since there is a way to fix it, and many people going against it, it is a Social problem, and since it can be fixed we should be doing what we can to fix it. We also need to see that even without the droughts that the experienced, a lot of the kids are still malnutrition-ed, so we should try and fix that as well. Don't just put a temporary fix on something, put a complete fix on it.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/01/a-million-face-severe-hunger-in-the-sahel-unless-help-arrives.html

Blog #2: Syria violence kills 37, U.N. Security Council to meet

2012-01-27T12:17:00.000-05:00

Recently, there has been serious uproar in Syria involving security forces killing thirty seven people. The U.N. Security Council has a meeting later today discussing a solution to reduce the bloodshed in Syria. Numerous killings have happened other than the latest security forces killings. Terrorist have also been killing people followed by the disapproval of the Western-Arab draft resolution. However, since there are more deaths than solutions, the Arab league has suggested that, Assad, the Syrian leader, to step down. This plan is known as the transition plan because solutions are not being solved based on the approval of a draft plan. There is too much opposition against Assad right now and people would be happier if he were to step down.

The killings in Syria are troublesome and the people living there need help with their political system. Too many young children are being killed and there seems to be no enforcement on the people committing the crimes. Syria’s political system is unstable right now and I believe armed forces should be sent to Syria for security reasons. This is also a social problem because some peoples’ rights are being taken away while political conflict is continuing to happen. For example, many young lives are being taken away due to a lack of agreement on the government’s part. Also, crimes are happening easily because some groups think that violence is the answer in getting their point across. Essentially, there is a serious social problem in Syria because disagreement in the political arena is leading to more crime and deaths in Syria’s society.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-syria-idUSTRE8041A820120127

New Rules for School Meals Leads to Reducing Obesity

2012-01-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/us/politics/new-school-lunch-rules-aimed-at-reducing-obesity.html?_r=1&ref=education

What Children Eat Matters!

After the Food Industry won a vote in Congress to block the administration from carrying out an earlier proposal that would have reduced starchy foods like potatoes and prohibited schools from counting a small amount of tomato paste on a slice of pizza as a vegetable. Michelle Obama and the Obama Administration took a visit to Parklawn Elementary School in Virginia, and announced the changes that were going to take place. Along with serving more greens and fruits in the daily meals served at school, all milk served must be low fat, and for the first time the rules set limits on levels of salt and trans fat. They also set a minimum and maximum calorie intake per day based on student age. However, the government estimates that the rules will add about $3.2 billion in costs to the program, about half the cost of the proposed rules that were blocked last year. Everyone seems to be happy about the new changes and the excitement it will bring to elementary schools, except the National Potato Council (yes, this is a real group).

I believe that this is a really important topic to discuss especially in Elementary schools because it has gotten out of control. I think it is so easy for parents to just give kids whatever they want for breakfast and lunch, thinking that they’re young and it won’t affect them. Obesity can start in children at such a young age. Putting the money and effort into children’s school lunch can make a huge difference in their performance. Instead of consuming a high amount of sugar, it can be replaced with fruits and vegetables and the nutrition they need. Children need energy throughout the day and practicing healthy eating habits at school will eventually transfer to their homes and parents will be more likely to cook healthy meals instead of fast food for dinner. I think it was a great idea to pass a law like this, and although some people might blow it off as a waste of time, I think it was very considerate for Michelle Obama and their Administration team to take the time and visit elementary schools. I hope that all elementary schools will be able to catch on the new law passed and have children eat a healthy, solid meal every day. According to the article, “About 32 million children participate in school meal programs each day. The new rules are a major component of Mrs. Obama’s campaign to reduce the number of overweight children through exercise and better nutrition.” This is a positive step in the right direction of improving children in the education system.