Current Events

Rabies

2009-12-05T23:43:00.001-05:00

Courtney Nickle

December 5, 2009

11:42 p.m

Rabies

Rabies is spread throughout the globe. Africa has recently been most affected by this virus and it seems to be spreading to India, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. More than 55,000 people are affected by Rabies and 95% of the unlucky patients die. The most common way of being infected by this virus is mostly by being bitten by a dog. Most patients are between the age of 15 since all kids like animals they are more likely to be bitten not realizing the consequence of their actions. There are vaccines for this Rabies and should be treated as soon as possible. The first symptoms that people should look for after being around animals that they are not familiar with are mostly flu like symptoms, fever, headache, and fatigue. If you do not catch those symptoms then it will progress to your respiratory system and central nervous system. Once it has done that there is no real treatment to keep you from dying. The only way to prevent this disease from spreading is by vaccinating all animals since they are the main source.

Around the Globe, Innovating to Improve Education

2009-12-05T11:52:00.002-05:00

Katie Scott

12/05/09

11:53 AM

This article is about events taking place in Washington D.C. with the hopes of improving the education for all students across the globe. The leaders of these events believe that education is the key to success therefore they are starting this initiative to promote better systems of education. Some of the key points presented at these meetings include: there is an urgency for changel universities must become engineers for innovation; leadership much be cultivated at all levels; and we must listen to and respect the voices of all students. At each of these events, a call to action was defined or executed by the respective group. For example, at GECS, nine states plus ISTE, ECS and Microsoft created a working group to define best practices and improve the competitiveness of U.S. education.

I enjoyed reading this article. I did my current events presentation of how education is the key to improving or eliminating all other social problems, such as gender and racial inequalities, war, and even global warming. I feel that this initiative gives me hope for our future, and I am glad to hear the main ideas that are the focus of this initiative. Diversity is important and it is a hugh part of being "educated". If we cannot accept other societies and their ideas and beliefs, then we are never going to be successful in promoting peace and equaliy.

http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2009/07/15/around-the-globe-innovating-to-improve-education.aspx

Safety in Vaccine

2009-12-04T23:41:00.002-05:00

An extensive review of adverse effects from the swine flu vaccine that the vaccine is safe, with side effects no different from those of seasonal flu vaccines, health officials reported on Friday. Dr. Thomas Frieden director of the CDC called the findings very reassuring at a news briefing. According to the news report there was no substantial differences between the H1N1 and the seasonal influenza vaccines. There was no sign that the swine flu vaccination could increase the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome a rare problem that was linked to a different vaccine.

I think that this is a great find. In my last blog I had seen that the CDC had reports that there were side effects to taking the vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome was one of the worst ones. Now that they have reports stating that its not, I bet that more people will trust the vaccine and be able to get them for themselves and their family.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/health/05flu.html

AIDS orphan has bravery in abundance

2009-12-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

Health/ Disease Blog Entry Thirteen
Azrealle McClain
Sociology 202-01
December 4th 2009
9:00pm

Summary:
It’s no surprise that AIDS is running ramped throughout Africa. This article chronicled the saddening story of one of the disease’s victims. Sanyu Nakyeyune doesn’t have AIDS, her parents did and the news of their death was a staggering wake up call. Sanyu Nakyeyune was left to take care of her two siblings at the tender age of 10. The more heart wrenching fact is that she is one of an estimated 15 million orphan children who went through a similar situation. This is exactly where a program called LEAD Uganda comes into play. Their mission is to save these children from orphanages and help them better themselves through the acquisition of adequate education.

Reactions:
I have heard about stories like this in Africa all the time, but do I rarely hear about a solution. Hearing that there is a program out there that is saving these children through education is a credit to the human capacity for true empathy. I can only hope that there are more efforts being done to help these children. There is nothing better than helping a child who is at the lowest point possible.

Web Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/12/03/sanyu.uganda.aids/index.html

last post: more on the Minarets

2009-12-04T19:54:00.001-05:00

Although many supporters of the Minaret ban claim that it is not religious persecution, they do, however, seem to imply that it is ethnic persecution. Banning a certain religious architecture while others are allowed to remain is a very unfair practice particularly when the real goal has admittedly been to curb Islamic influence. Metaphorically speaking, this would be as justifiable as banning rainbow stripes in fear of what an extremist would call homosexual persuasion.

France is considering adapting the same architecturally limiting procedure. They claim that this legal act would limit the influence of outside countries that borrow practices that are not European. They claim to approve of French Islam as opposed to non-European practices. This drive to exclusionism has similarities to anti-Semitism movement of the Nazi Party and surrounding countries. This similarity has risen to the Islamic support from some Jewish establishments such as the American Jewish Committee.

Of course being on the same side of religious issues on some level is not enough to fully unite Muslim and Jewish practitioners. It can, however, provide some grounds for understanding between these two communities.
Recent military activity towards a primarily Muslim society has caused an increase in anti-Islamic sentiment in America as well as Europe. It is painful to think that an already widely misunderstood and persecuted religious group has been issued further religious-ethnic limitations.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259831455845&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Iraqi women forced into sex slavery

2009-12-04T16:55:00.001-05:00

Leah Forchheimer

12-4-09

4:56

The article that I read this week was about Iraqi women being forced into being sex slaves. One of the reasons in the article that was talked about was why these women were being forced into sex slavery. One of the reasons was the economy dwindling down and people are losing their jobs and have to find a way to make money. Some criminal gangs exploit girls as young as the age of twelve in order to make a profit. Many of the women are being trafficked to places like Syria or the Gulf states, but some women are being trafficked internally inside Iraq, from one city to the next. The Baghdad Women's Organization estimates that at least 200 Iraqi women are sold into slavery every year, although the US-based Human Rights Watch estimates that the numbers are in the thousands. Yet, the organizations say that the numbers of trafficked women being forced into sex slavery would be higher if Iraqi refugee women in bordering countries, like Syria and Lebanon, were included. The situation has become increasingly worse since 2003, which may have to do with the seventy percent of Iraqis that have lost their jobs since 2003.

I think it is sad that people think that they have to turn to human trafficking and force women into sex slavery. There is a direct link between people losing their jobs and the increase of human trafficking. People are losing their jobs left and right because of the economy and because of this people need a way to make a living. People see forcing women into sex slavery as a way to support themselves in the waning economy. I think that two things need to happen in order for there to be a less amount of human trafficking happening. The first thing that needs to happen is for jobs to be more available to people and also, the government needs to spend more time tracking down human traffickers.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259243063998&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

South Africa vows to treat all babies with HIV

2009-12-04T16:52:00.000-05:00

Alexa Williams
12/4/09
4:52PM

This article is about South African babies under the age of one. If has been stated by President Jacob Zuma that all children under one year old will receive treatment if they test positive for HIV. In South Africa, fifty nine thousand babies are born with HIV every year and has the highest number of HIV positive people within their population. The president announced this during a speech on World Aids Day. He also promised more anti-retrovirals. The government that was in change before this administration had always stated that those anti-retrovirals were too expensive and thus did not provide them.

I think that South Africa is finally making some very important changes and steps towards fixing the massive undeniable problem of HIV. Just the fact that the new President is going to be providing more anti-retrovirals is an amazing step towards lowering the immense number of cases in South Africa. It is also a very positive step that the President himself is getting an HIV test in order to encourage other people in his country to do the same. He seems like he is a leader that might actually make real change within a country that so desperately needs help with HIV.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8388178.stm

U.N. Reports That Taliban is Stockpiling Opium

2009-12-04T16:41:00.003-05:00

Debranya Brower
12-4-09 5pm

In this article I have learned that the Taliban have been putting raw opium aside for themselves as they continue to strive to figure out ways to fund their group. The U.N. reported that the Taliban are cutting poppy cultivation. It was also reported that poppy cultivation had retreated in much of the country and was now overwhelmingly concentrated in the 7 of 34 provinces where the insurgency remains strong, most those in the south. Last year $300 million was made from opium alone. Due to the skillful ways of the Taliban they have been able to porduce opium in amounts that far exceed the world demand. The report stated that both the NATO and American forces have their work cut out for them in trying to deal with the drug trade but they also stated that they should focus on the places where the opium is sold.
I think that because of the fact that they can produce opium both on their own and they can put fear into the farmers the only thing that will truly be able to stop the Taliban will be the downturning economy. In the article it was said that there is not as big of a demand for it as it once was. Until things become more stable they are probably going to go about getting funding different ways. I believe that the Taliban seems to feel that they are untouchable so if the NATO and American forces don't start focusing more are who is selling and who is buying the drugs they will never get anywhere with any investigation. The only people that the America will catch will probably be farmers. They're not really going after the people that they should or in the areas that they need to be. The Taliban will remain destructive until the armies unite and outsmart them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/world/middleeast/28opium.html?scp=2&sq=taliban%20drugs%20and%20crime&st=Search

Breaking With Past, South Africa Issues Broad AIDS Policy

2009-12-04T16:38:00.002-05:00

Lauren Auton, 12/4/09, 5:08 PM

South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, stated that the drug therapy for HIV-positive pregnant woman and babies is going to start earlier than previously announced and is going to be broadened to include more people. The announcement and the treatment has come from new treatment guidelines that have been issued by the World Health Organization. The goal of the treatment guidelines is to help ensure that more babies are born healthy. The hopes are that by treating these infected babies earlier, South Africa will be able to improve the survival odds for its children. Zuma has said that by April, the government will start treatment earlier for the HIV-positive people who have tuberculosis.

I found the announcement in this article to be a step forward for not only women and children, but everyone in South Africa. The more people are educated and treated for HIV and AIDS in South Africa, the more they will be able to help in its prevention. South Africa has come a long way under Jacob Zuma since their former president, Thabo Mbeki, had even questioned whether HIV was the cause of AIDS and thought that the antiretroviral drugs used for treatment may even be harmful. Since 1990, South Africa is one of only four countries that has seen their child mortality rate worsen and I am glad that something is now being done about that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/world/africa/02safrica.html

Former Miss Argentina dies after plastic surgery

2009-12-04T16:10:00.002-05:00

Tamika M. Reynolds

12-04-09

4:13pm

An unfortunate announcement has been made for Argentina. The former Miss Argentina has recently passed away. She died from complications of plastic surgery. There is report that it was announced on Facebook and many of her fans were shocked and hurt from the News. Any of the quotes talk about how she was already so beautiful why did she think she needed surgery. Her name is Solange Magnano she was 37 years old and the mother of 7 year old twins. Prior to being Miss Argentina she was also a model. There is still an investigation going on about her death. Plastic surgery in Argentina is very common. 1 in every 30 Argentines undergo surgery.

This is very unfortunate. Even though people are not sure how this surgery went wrong. I am still sad that this was not a surgery she did not even need in the first place and it took her life. I am curious to know if she was warned about any possible risk. Medical tourism according to the article is growing exponentially. It is 100 billion dollar global industry. I think it is horrible that a woman who is suppose to be a model to other young women went to undergo plastic surgery in the first place. It makes the idea of beauty so fake. I think this is a sad story but I think it is something people should discuss because no matter how sad we get over this situation it was still an avoidable death. With Globalization I think this universal beauty is becoming a problem on self esteems of women around the world.

Link Here

Uganda Again.

2009-12-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

Matthew kenney
12/4/09
3:50pm

Uganda is always in the middle of things dealing with environmental destruction and population growth. In the articles read today by me, and organization is trying to put the blame of environmental destruction on population growth. While this may be true in some cases, this is one of the least things that concern the environment. They also believe that contraception could possible fix the climate change problem. This is also disproved in the article by the author. They also believe that the reason for poverty due to environmental destruction is the industrial age. The reason for poverty ridden people living in places so environmentally destroyed is because they are poor, not because of the industrial age. The article also says that the destruction of the environment will effect women most of all.

I think this article is a mess. I read up on about ten different topics just skimming through it the first time. There was how the environment effects women and how its bad to have a big population and it lists all these strange organizations that make these outrageous claims with ling abbreviated names. I had no interest in reading this but I soldiered through. The mix of all the different topics and this article just being plain boring made me pay little to no attention to it. I got what it was saying but I didn’t really connect with the main reason behind it like I did with all the other articles I read.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200912040483.html

Human rights report exposes US abuse of immigrant detainees

2009-12-04T15:36:00.001-05:00

Jarrod Rudd
December 4, 2009
3:37 pm

Human Rights Watch released a report Wednesday detailing how US authorities are indiscriminately transferring thousands of detained immigrants away from their attorneys and family members in order to prevent them from fighting deportation. Since 2003, ICE—which was established under the aegis of the US Department of Homeland Security following the 9/11 attacks—has detained 1.7 million individuals in some 350 facilities, including for-profit prisons and state and local jails it contracts. This year, ICE officials say 442,000 immigrants will be detained, more than double its first year of operations. The new Human Rights Watch report noted that immigrants are often detained initially in a location near their place of residence, for example in New York or Los Angeles, where they have lived for decades and where their family members, employers, and attorneys also live. “Days or months later, with no notice,” the human rights organization says, “many of these immigrants are loaded onto planes for transport to detention centers in remote corners of states such as Texas, California, and Louisiana (the three states most likely to receive transfers),” the report found.

This is interesting to me because the issue of immigration is a very hot topic and once you look at it and form your own interpretation things can either turn out good or bad. The report said that the people are detained and then sent to detention centers which to me seem a bit inhumane. How can you detain someone and send them to a detention center when they are just trying to make a better life for themselves? Maybe I don’t understand the whole picture, but still there is a better way of treating people than this.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/dec2009/immi-d04.shtml

Fate of Amanda Knox, former boyfriend now in the hands of Italian jury

2009-12-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

Alesia Mason
Fate of Amanda Knox, former boyfriend now in the hands of Italian jury
This week’s blog focuses on the trail of Amanda Knox, an American student who went to Italy and is now accused of murdering her roommate in a “sex game that went bad”. The prosecutors are saying that Knox got mad that her roommate, Meredith Kercher called her offensive things and decided to kill her as revenge. The most damaging evidence that the Italian court has is a knife with the victim’s blood on it and Ms. Knox’s DNA also on it. They say after participating in group sex, Ms. Knox slit Ms. Kercher’s throat. Even though everyone is saying that they have the wrong people, the case is now in the hands of an Italian jury.
All the parties involved in this thing are really messed up for life. There is a young woman that’s dead needlessly and there are young people still on trial for a crime that is horrible. I mean can words really reduce us to this? I feel this relates to my topic because women are often the ones that are put on trial and this definitely feels like a case of this because you don’t really hear about the two men who were also on trial but you definitely hear about Ms. Knox. I wonder even if she’s not found guilty, how will her life play out because she’s been in jail for so long, will she be able to readjust? I do know that she won’t be able to have a normal life again which is sad.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/04/italy.knox.trial/index.html

Uganda: Ensure Accountability for Election Violence

2009-12-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

Nicholas Salmons

12/4/09

3:20 pm

With elections coming in 2011, there have been challenges made for the Ugandan government to reform many aspects of itself - particularly in election legislation - to help ensure a more fair and peaceful process. In the past, Ugandan politicians have used violence, intimidation, bribery, and even torture to gain vote power (nothing very uncommon). Also in the past, the level of accountability that has been required for those committing these crimes has been very low (one such politician who had a detention room in his own home for "persuading" voters in 2006 was instated as the Ugandan minister of internal affairs in January, putting him in charge of the Ugandan police force and security measures for the upcoming elections). Human Rights Watch has called for new measures to be taken in remedying the situation such as expediting non-partisan investigations and prosecutions, preventing the Ugandan military from heavy involvement in the election (due to recent reports of unnecessary force being used against protesters and rioters), and extending the timeframe allowed for prosecution electoral offenses.

This article, to me, provides a very good example of how the previously read statement that "Africa needs to clean up its own house" seems a bit absurd. While I don't necessarily think any one other country would be able to solve all of Africa's (in this case Uganda's) problems, I do think that what is being done does not have the continent's best interests in mind. I also find it interesting in an ironic sense that this country is holding elections (theoretically democratic) while using totalitarian techniques of campaigning. It makes me wonder a bit about the US.

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/12/04/uganda-ensure-accountability-election-violence

Worst industrial disaster still haunts India

2009-12-04T14:42:00.001-05:00

Melanie Lofgren
12/04/09
2:40 p.m.

Twenty-five years ago, on December 3, 1984, the Bphoal industrial disaster erupted and killed 4,000 people. Union Caribe was a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. A few days after the leak, the number of deaths doubled and it nearly doubled again over the next few years to 15,000 according to government estimates. According to the government, at least 500,000 people were affected by this gas leak ultimately suffering from birth defects, varying degrees of brain damage, chaotic menstrual cycles, cleft lips, missing palates and twisted limbs, and skin, vision, and breathing disorders. The accident has been reported to be a result of a disgruntled employee who was never identified, according to an American chemical company Union Carbide Corp. People today are still suffering from the effects of this exposure. It is contaminating the soil and groundwater in neighborhoods around the plant. Children as young as two months old are showing signs of birth defects related to their parent’s exposure to the disaster although government officials are denying this issue. The officials are claiming that the reason for these birth defects is related to their poor living environments in the slums.

This is a terrible disaster that occurred twenty-five years ago and even worse is that it was not an accident but an act of sabotage by an employee. It is discouraging to hear that someone is not being punished for all the people that have died and those who are still affected today. Even worse is that the government is not acknowledging the reasons of these birth defects still prevalent today. These people are already living in low-income “housing” and have enough disease and health issues to worry about in the slums. Amazing how an accident twenty-five years ago is still affecting the health of those today.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34247132/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

Former China student leader tried on fraud charges

2009-12-04T14:26:00.002-05:00

Nicholas Neighbors
12/04/09
2:31 PM

An exiled former leader of the 1989 student pro-democracy movement went on trial for financial fraud charges. The case was controversial in Hong Kong because the leader, Zhou Yongjun, kneeled on the steps of the Great Hall of the People beside Tiananmen Square in a plea for China's communist leaders to acknowledge student calls for political reforms and to bring an end to corruption. No verdict was announced but said the verdict would be announced at a later date. Zhou was living in exile in the U.S. but was arrested while attempting to enter Hong Kong in August 2008 and was sent to jail. He was planning on returning to visit his elderly parents. Zhou's lawyer said that charges came from a complaint by a bank about a suspicious request for tranfering funds out of an account. The account was under the name Wang Xingxiang and when Zhou was caught, he had a passport on him that was under that name.

This man was arrest for coming back to see his parents and got caught, its a sad situation because of the fact he was exiled for making a stand against the government. Its troubling to see the corruption in other countries and how the governments silence individuals who seek to speak freely against it. There is also an extreme lack of privacy as the man was transferring money from his account, however, it was also a bad move on his part to sign the money because the signatures didn't match. I would assume his punishment for returning is also going to be a heavy one, possibly paying with his life.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tiananmen

Meredith Kercher Trail

2009-12-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

Caitlin Adams
12/4/09 1:50pm
Meredith Kercher trial: Amanda Knox’s family “very hopeful” of acquittal
This current even article is in regards to the college student accused of killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher, while studying aboard in Italy in November of 2007. This trial has been going on for quite some time in Perugia, Italy. Amanda Knox’s, alleged killer, is raining hopeful but still keeping their guards up. The jury is supposed to have a verdict within the next few days to end this year long trial. Knox pleaded innocent and told the jurors in Italian that she did not want to be branded an assassin.
This whole situation is sad on both sides. I do not have a strong opinion as to if Knox really took part in killing her roommate because I have not followed the story long enough. She seems genuine in her testimony but at the same time I would be doing all I could to not go to jail in a foreign country if I were her too. This is just one of a few stories in which an American student studies aboard and either goes missing or is killed. Studying aboard should be a great experience and it is sad that this kind of thing keeps people from going.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6727563/Meredith-Kercher-trial-Amanda-Knoxs-family-very-hopeful-of-acquittal.html

Measles deaths drop by 78%

2009-12-04T13:13:00.001-05:00

Ayanna Haskell
SOC 202
December 4, 2009

The global death of measles between 2008 and 2008 has dropped by 78% due to mass childhood vaccination campaigns. But there is now fear that the deaths will rise because of lets efforts of immunization compliance is falling. There were only 164,000 deaths in 2008, down form 733,000 in 2000. this is based off the U.S based Measles initiative who assists organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization. 3 out of of every 4 deaths from measles were from India in 2008. The funding gap will be an estimated $59 million dollars in 2010, this money would otherwise help keep vaccination rates. Its a global progress to try and fill this gap because children are dying form a “preventable” infection. Some believe the rise in measles deaths is also because there is fear that the vaccination will cause autism. The goal is to reduce the percentage by 90% between 2000 and 2010.

This is the most news I have heard on the case of measles in a long time. Its good to see that the number of measles cases has dropped so much. I think at this rate there should be no reason to stop reducing the numbers. If the gap is filled and a lot of effort is put into helping UNICEF and the WHO steps in then there should be no reason for the numbers to increase. Although I do believe more testing should be done if there is a possibility for autism in the vaccine, but you have to think of the well being of the child.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B24OS20091203

US immigration must stop mass immigrant court hearings

2009-12-04T13:01:00.001-05:00

12/04/09
1:30pm

This short news article is about Operation Streamline and the way in which it is violating migrants right to “be made aware of their rights and understand details of what a guilty plea involves”. This “Zero tolerance” program is used in Tucson, Arizona. Instead of directing them through civil deportation proceedings, Operation Streamline forces undocumented migrants through the federal criminal justice system and into U.S. Prisons. According to the article, three Judges from San Francisco identified that this Operation that immigration authorities go by goes against the rules and recognized that immigrants are not given the opportunity to defend themselves properly.

I chose this article because this operation has prosecuted many undocumented migrants and have not been given a chance to defend themselves. I knew about this policy nut I had not heard or read anything about it for a while. I am aware that humanitarian Aid organizations along the U.S.-Mexico border are working to point out the flaws of the program. I Felt It was important to communicate that now Judges are recognizing the flaws as well and it gives me wonder if this is the first step in trying to find a change to it and do things the fair way.

http://www.globalvisas.com/news/us_immigration_must_stop_mass_immigrant_court_hearings1876.html

One more...

2009-12-04T12:20:00.004-05:00

Jessie Lucas
Dec 4th 2009
12:20 PM

This week I chose an article about Kashmir. Reciently somewhere around two thousand six hundred bodies have been discovered in unmarked and mass graves in the mountails of Kashmir (which is controlled by India) There has bee na massive reble firght for independence in the area and more than eight thousand people have disappeared since 1989. The government has often been accused of killing rebels as well as citizens. A three year survey was being conducted, which lead to the discovery of the graves. They don't yet know who is in the graves (or if they do, they aren't telling) but this discovery has become a major part of the human rights investigations in the area.

Okay so this is the last time you will all hear from me...sad I know! For my last entry I decided to address the issue that had come up through many of my articles which was people "disappearing". Well apparently they didn't jump on an airplane and get lost on some semi deserted island with polar bears and a smoke monster! Well over two thousand bodies have been discoveder and it is believed that these are some of the eight thousand people who have disappeared over the years. I think its terrible that a government could do this to its people. It is also unfair that the families did not get to have closure with the deaths of their loved ones. I just hope they get some peace now and the bodies can be identified and properly burried.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/world/asia/03briefs-Indiabrf.html

Air pollution must be tackled to prevent huge EU fines and thousands of early deaths

2009-12-04T11:41:00.001-05:00

Charity Davenport
12/4/09
11:42am

Council leaders are warning Britain that they will face up to £300m of fines from the EU in as little as 18 months. It is said that up to 36,000 more people will die early unless more strides and greater powers are given to councils to help them tackle the problem of pollution. At a conference, the council leaders are requesting that new measures be taken out to help cut emissions, improve the quality of air, and reduce the premature deaths from pollution. This call includes greater powers to influence polluters in their areas, like the bus operators and the Highways Agency. They are working on increasing resources and support for public transport improvements. The Councils know that there is a problem, and if they are given the right powers and funding, they will be able to ensure that pollution emissions are cut and that local people will not have to pay a lot of money for the new measures.

I'm really glad to see that the EU is working very hard to cut back on pollution in these areas. I think it’s a good idea that they are stressing the importance of public transportation. If more people took public transportation instead of driving their own vehicles, the rates of pollution in areas would drop drastically. It’s good to see that they are taking big strides to fight this problem, rather than putting it on the back burner to worry about later—which is what a lot of areas do.

http://www.publictechnology.net/article_avantgo.php?sid=22038

Migrant Workers at Risk in South Africa

2009-12-04T10:46:00.001-05:00

Elisabeth Shaver
12/4
10:46 am

In South Africa, migrants from Zimbabwe who are looking for employment are being persecuted by locals who are furious that their jobs are being taken. The migrants are being blamed unfairly for “taking” their jobs. The attacks have been horrific, forcing nearly 2,000 migrants to seek refuge in a nearby rugby stadium. The migrants shacks in the farming community have been completely leveled by angry mobs of locals. Aid organization are calling the attacks xenophobia, but local government officials are saying it is a local farming problem. They say it stems from local farmers favoring one nationality over another. South Africa faced the same problems last year when riots broke out right outside of Johannesburg with 62 people killed. Officials say there is no quick fix in sight. The issue is not simply nationals moving into South Africa and taking jobs, but the fact that South Africans are not having their own needs met. There is alot of poverty and unemployment in the community. South Africans are frustrated with their current situations and are taking it out on the migrants.

This is in my opinion a true example of a community not being taken care of by it’s government and the community shifting blame. South Africa has a long history of discrimination towards it’s Black community. The effects of Apartheid is still evident, and South Africa still has a great amount of work to do to right their wrongs.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/11/2009112110571766836.html

Obama's Other War

2009-12-04T03:05:00.000-05:00

Obama missed a golden opportunity this week. He had the chance to unite the country and both political parties had he played his cards right and used the right words in convincing the country that the move we are making in Afghanistan is the right one. Instead he has the Democrats upset that we are still there and the republicans upset because we aren’t putting in as big of a surge with a shorter timeline than they would like. This is the war at home that Obama is fighting. The democrats will not hound Obama just yet, they will stand behind their president. The Republican Party however will do what they can to be mad. Obama has given them something to look back at and say ‘told ya so’. All is not lost yet though for the president, there is still time to get both parties behind him on this.
For this last blog I wanted to do something else since we already did our presentations. So here is the loophole; it’s a different kind of war. The main thing I see here is that Obama, in his efforts to please everyone has actually ended up displeasing both sides. The GOP is going to complain about Obama no matter what he does. He cannot win with them so he may as well just say fuck the GOP and do his best to please his constituents which got him elected in the first place. The left has a major majority in the senate and the house right now so they should try and fuck shit up while they have the chance before more republicans get voted in next year.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704007804574573791309460428.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Global rubber output poised to dip

2009-12-04T02:33:00.002-05:00

According to new research, the global output of rubber is going to drop in the next few months with the most likely cause being climate change. Apparently, India is one of the largest rubber-producing countries in the world and the former president of one of their major companies thought that the reason of lower output was because of a shortage in qualified workers to get the rubber out of the trees and not climate change. Along with climate change being the reason for this occurrence, some of the other leading producers of rubber, such as Thailand and Indonesia, are not able to produce as much rubber as usual because of weather conditions that hit them the first week of November.
This article does not surprise me. With all of the other natural resource shortages going on around the world, this one is no different. I just wish that there was a simple sollutoin to this problem, but there is not. Only is multiple things change will a dramatic change occur. If more people would recycle, use less resources, be more energy dependent, and things of that nature, then maybe so many things would not be happening with the climate and possible, resolving this issue.

Kaycey Cook
12-4-09
2:50 am

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/12/04/stories/2009120452601600.htm

Four Country Study Finds No Cancer Link to Cellphone Usage

2009-12-04T02:11:00.001-05:00

Chelsea Parris
Dec. 3 2009
2:12am

This article discusses how a large new study is the latest to find no link between rising cell phone use and rates of brain cancer. Researchers in four Scandinavian countries found no increase in brain tumor diagnoses from 1998 to 2003, when cell phone use in those countries grew sharply. That's consistent with most other studies, including a U.S. study that examined brain tumor rates from 1987 to 2005. Some people have worried about cell phones because they emit radio waves, a form of non-ionizing, low frequency radiation. This kind of radiation is too weak to damage DNA, however, and scientists know of no biological processes by which radio waves might cause brain cancer. Other types of radiation, such as that produced by an atomic bomb, are known to cause cancer. Researchers in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, who looked at rates of brain tumors called gliomas and meningiomas dating to 1973, acknowledge their study has limitations. It's possible that their study population of 16 million adults was too small to detect a very slight increased risk, especially if brain tumors are developing in particular subgroups, according to the study.

I thought this article was very interesting, and possibly great news. Cell phone use has increased tremendously recently, and if it were true that cell phone usage is linked to brain tumors, then I feel a lot of people would be in danger of having a brain tumor. Though the studies are still working this out, I am hopeful. However for people who remain concerned about cell phones they can almost completely eliminate their exposure to these radio waves by using headphones, speakerphones or Bluetooth headsets. We should be precautionary, especially in children, because their brains are still developing.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2009-12-03-cell-phones_N.htm