Blog #2 Protests Turn Violent in Tunisia, Kuwait, and Egypt

According to www.hrw.org, police in Tunisia, Kuwait, and Egypt are denying civilians the right to peaceful protest. In Tunisia, young protesters are being beaten with clubs and kicked by police officers without penalty. This has been going on for the larger part of Ben Ali’s presidency, but when Mohamed Bouazizi used himself as a protest against police brutality causing hundreds of youth protesters to storm the streets in December of 2010. After a fatal shooting of a protester, a successful revolt against Ben Ali has lowered the amount of police brutality. In Kuwait, the restrictions on human rights have continued to worsen this year. Kuwait’s government has had no trouble terrorizing citizens that dear speak against it. For example, security forces violently removed citizens from the home of Juma'an al-Harbish after a heated debate after over the constitution. Several people were injured including several other parliament and shock the entire community. In Egypt, the Human Rights Watch has been urging the Egyptian government to stop shootings into crowds of peaceful protestors. To also get results, HRW has urged the United States government to put the maximum amount of pressure on Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to make a change before more people die.

These violent displays of human rights abuse all around the world show us that not enough is being done to protect human rights. They all show the various ways that people are trying to battle for their rights. The citizens of Tunisia used the power of protest to revolt against the president and reduce the amount of violence displayed by the police forces. Members of parliament in Kuwait have resorted to meeting in private homes to discuss the constitution and other problems with the government just so that they can exercise their right to speak freely. The Human Rights Watch is doing what it can to urge the United States and other governments to help make a change but their actions have been in vain so far but it shows that there is a group out there that is fighting to solve this global problem.

http://www.hrw.org/en/news

Sheep Thefts in Britain

Chelsea E. Shambley

Blog #2

31 January 2011

3:50 pm

Car thefts and other stolen possessions do not come as much of a surprise these days; however, England has recently experienced a series of thefts that are quite unusual. Farmer Andrew Allen of Windermere, England recently lost forty-five sheep from his original flock of six hundred. The stolen animals are estimated to be worth a total of $6,400. Allen is not the only one to fall prey to the sheep thieves; nineteen other farmers in the majestic lake region have reported stolen flock as well in the last twelve months. According to insurance companies and farm union officials, the crime wave began after global food prices started to increase again, leaving globalization as the culprit. Escalating world demand and back-production in nations such as New Zealand have caused the price per pound for lamb to be thirty-five percent higher than it had been in 2008. With the prices of lamb increasing, authorities from Australia to Turkey to Spain are also on the lookout for sheep thieves. Though the lamb prices in the United States are at record highs, Judy Malone, director of industry information at the American Sheep Industry Association, says that we are not yet experiencing this theft because lamb is not as popular in the United States as it is in Britain.

Upon discovering this bizarre series of the thefts in Britain, I laughed at first, trying to imagine someone sneaking around in the night trying to steal a bunch of furry white sheep; however, I soon realized the importance of sheep in Britain. It is as if sheep are celebrated there; local gift shops sell stuffed sheep toys, mugs, and even chocolate “sheep droppings.” In 2010 alone, there were more than ten thousand head reported stolen in Europe. This crime wave is devastating to the farmers of Britain. I definitely think the increase in food prices is correlated with the number of sheep thefts, and I hope that police officials can find a way to prevent these sheep thefts from continuing to occur throughout 2011.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/15/AR2011011503157_2.html

New Way to Fly High?

Pahoua Moua

1/31/11

SOC 202

Blog 2

New Way to Fly High?

In this week’s current event, it’s been said that Britain has come up with a new hybrid airplane. The hybrid airplane is said to begin building at the start of hundreds of millions of dollars as to a regular airplane. This new form of plane is capable of carrying 200 tons of objects or even more. The plane, Sky Cat’s prototype, Sky Kitten, is made up to carry capacity up to 50 tons to 1000 tons. A 517 million aircraft is known to be longer than a football field and can go above the ground about 20,000 ft to help look at American troops. This type of aircraft will be used for cargo and will cost highly for the use of transportation. The estimate for cargo of a 50 ton object will cost about 1,500 dollars an hour for fuel including maintenance and crew. The airplane, Sky Hook, which is part blimp and part plane, is said to carry up to 200 tons capacity. Therefore, making aviators interested in the model. These types of planes would become of potential use later in the future but as of right now, there is no sign of putting these planes into full use.

I think that having a new dimension of aviation is a great idea especially if it is a hybrid but there are many ups and downs to this prototype. I think it’s a great way to help third world countries as to helping out when there is a natural disaster occurring. We can drop big loads of rations, first aid and medicine to those countries that are in critical standing. The big downfall into making this airplane is that there is a lot of funding to go into it and it will take a lot of money pay for fuel even if it is efficient. I can definitely see this in the near future but as for right now, I don’t think that we have enough funding and I don’t think we are economically or financially stable enough to afford such a big investment. This is great for the future but I think we can hold it off for now.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/01/28/hybrid.airship.future.flight/index.html

China's Courtesy Classes (Blog #2)

Caitlin Brewer

Blog #2

1/31/11

China's Courtesy Classes

Word count: 362

In this article, the value of manners is shown greatly in China by putting classes before and after school to teach common courtesy to their children in elementary and middle schools. Courtesy being taught will show the virtues of China and also show the achievements and benefits of civilization from a global perspective.

The different schooling categories have divided what will be taught to attain these skills of manners. The students will be taught skills, some such as to use a courteous language, respect for their elders and ethnic customs of minorities, have polite conversations with their commoners and foreigners, have correct etiquette on the phone, in emails, text-messages, and letters. When these students have achieved that knowledge of being courteous, the education obtained should be used to master principles of holding conversations, dressing properly, speech etiquette for delivering speeches or for a debate, and keeping proper distance when queuing or while in an elevator.

Some of these courtesy tips I think are beneficial and are great to install into our children so when they reach adulthood they are well prepared to take on the world, but some of these are silly, such as being too close to someone in an elevator, most human beings can tell when they are too close to someone, unless their culture or disability prevents it from even being seen as an issue. Clean clothes are a necessity, there is no need to have an etiquette lesson on it, just show and tell them how to be clean, and still that is up to the parents not the teachers.

I feel that maybe we should take this courtesy course as a template for our own children in American society to teach them the proper techniques for writing and speech, respect for their elders, and to be polite with everyone they come in contact with. I think this would help save America for tomorrow due to the rude, cocky selfishness that our children and even some of us today are acting like. Take a stand and teach your children the values your grandparents were taught so that a teacher, someone whom you just met, does not have to.

Courtesy classes highlighted in China's primary, middle school education

Cocaine Production Increases Destruction of Colombia’s Rainforests- Blog #2

Blog #2: Cocaine Production Increases Destruction of Colombia’s Rainforests

Molly Davis

SOC 202-01

31 January 2011

Stony Brook University Scientists have compiled evidence of destruction in the rainforests of Colombia. This is caused by people planting coca plants (what cocaine is made from) and increasing this in several areas in the rainforests of Colombia, which could potentially (or rather, more than likely) ruin the biodiversity of the animals and plants that make up the rainforests. Not to mention, taking away an awe-inspiring rainforest filled with living creatures and plants that one wouldn’t see in any other place. Thereby threatening “the region's "hotspots" of plant and animal diversity.” This is an issue not to be considered lightly. Let’s look at the facts: “the pace of deforestation in Colombia has accelerated over the past 20 years, even as population growth has slowed and the economy has shifted from agriculture to other revenue sources. This increase in deforestation overlaps with an increase in the cultivation of coca for cocaine production, and the country accounted for 75 per cent of the world's coca in 2000.” Now, the question is, what is it about the coca plant, or the production of cocaine, that makes it necessary to destroy a habitat devoted to plants, animals, insects, etc? Why cocaine? Why not marijuana, or another kind of drug? Why not something more medicinal? And how can we decrease the amount of coca plants over time? This article left me filled with several questions. It just has to do with the fact that cocaine is worth money for other people, and people will spend money on it. This does not mean, however, that the rainforest has to be the place for the production. There has to be a way to bring awareness about this subject. With the evidence out and heard about, there needs to be a way to stop people from ruining the life of the rainforest with the coca plant.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110128144723.htm

Zeenab Khan, 01-30-2011, Topic: Crime, Posted: 12:14 PM

No. Of elderly shoplifters up 1.3% in 2010

In Tokyo, police said there was a rise in shoplifters that are aged 65 or older in 2010. The rise is 1.3% of shoplifters. The survey stated that 119 elderly shoplifters explained 101 people said they stole food just because they could not make ends meet, whereas 63 mentioned a lack of inspiration to live and the other 49 said a lack of friends. Elderly shoplifters summed up to 27, 362, the greatest number since 1971. I believe shoplifting basically happens when people don’t have enough money to buy stuff for themselves or their family. I think those 101 people stole food just because they couldn’t afford to buy food. In many countries people don’t have the money to live in a good condition, which then leads to shoplifting, crime, and much more. In the news article it also stated that 63 people mentioned a lack of inspiration to live, which means they probably don’t have a job and they can’t afford to feed themselves or do anything, so they don’t have any inspiration to live because what will they live for? To stay hungry and not be able to live? I believe the main reason for shoplifting food is because people cannot afford to buy it. There is a lot of shoplifting here in the United States. I don’t think people shoplift much for food here. People can afford to buy food here in the United States. It says that the shoplifters in Tokyo are aged 65 or older, I think maybe because they’re to old to work, so they don’t have money to buy things, which leads to shoplifting. If everyone has a job and has money to buy things I think the number of shoplifters will reduce.

Link: http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/no-of-elderly-shoplifters-up-1-3-in-2010

Christianity Supressed In China Blog Post 1

Brian George

January 30th

Every night before retiring to bed, eating breakfast, lunch or dinner…millions of men, women and children pray. The most recognized gesture of praying comes from a person clasping together one’s hands and kneeling down next to one’s bed and bowing your head.

While recognized as a simple act of a Christian recognizing one’s God, in China it is cause enough for police officials to come into a person’s hope and stop the person or a group of people.

Due to laws passed in the past, China’s government heavily regulates certain religious practices, Christianity for example is one of the many religions that it seeks to keep under its thumb. They allow the registered Christians to practice their faith, but they must submit to the government’s Religious Affairs Bureau, which is basically a group supported by the Chinese government that keeps religions under ‘control’. For example’ “Its officials make sure churches follow written and unwritten rules — no members under 18, no overt evangelical work, no emphasizing the Second Coming and, above all, no questioning of Communist Party rule.”. In short…no free thinking.

Unlike the United States and other countries where there is a decent level of tolerance for the religious practices of others, China has suppressed its people’s ability to openly discuss and praise their chosen path. The fact that people have died and will likely continue to die simply because they chose to become Christian is quite sickening, especially given the time that we are living in and the experiences that we have learned from in the past.

From wars that were fought over the right to choose a religion, to laws and ways of life that were established hundreds of years ago to ensure a person’s descendants would have the ability to choose for themselves.

While many Christian Chinese are aware of the dangers they face, they still practice their faith. They travel to ‘underground’ or secret churches and gather to pray and preach to one another. And they also alter their homes so they can be comfortable when they pray and study their bibles.

Instead of choosing a ‘Live and let live.’ approach and allowing it’s denizens to be free to choose what would make his or her spirit happy…a country would rather behave as a ignorant bully and keep it’s people unhappy.

In 2011 it is emotionally devastating to know that people are not free to engage in something that makes them happy. But it also lets me know that every individual in the world is not as lucky as the other, to have certain freedoms. Whether it be physically, emotionally or spiritually.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1132243,00.html

Women Trafficking from West Africa to Europe. Blog #2

This article is about the trafficking of women from Africa into Italy. Women and young girls are exploited into prostitution. It is estimated that there are between 25,000 and 75,000 women and children sold into prostitution in Italy. The main country they are coming from is Nigeria and they make about 65% of the women and girls being trafficked into Italy. These women were promised that they would live better lives in Europe and would earn high paying jobs in factories, offices and farms. Upon arriving in Italy they were told that they had debt to pay because of the help they had to get to Europe. They found themselves being sold into sexual slavery and forced to prostitute. The women who had come in earlier during this period of time ended up being head of the women or as some would call it “madams”. They became the women who traded their countrywomen to be exploited.

I couldn’t imagine myself, if being a madam, having to trade my own friend or maybe my own daughter. These women must have felt horrible knowing that they have been manipulated in prostitution. In these women cultures, promiscuous behavior was not permitted and they would be shunned if found out by their families and society. The people you would want to support you the most is your family and to have them shun you is very hurtful. They are many organizations trying to prevent human trafficking. There was an immigration law that was passed in 1998 which was there to assist the victims of trafficking in the process of rehabilitation and social reintegration. It is good to see that some kind of legal action is being taken and that there is some hope for the females out there that are being prostituted against their will. This article also spoke about another way of preventing prostitution. The main reason these women ended up leaving their countries in the first place was to find a job and be able to provide for their families. This goes the line of poverty and people not being able to get jobs. This all falls back on the economy and how people don’t have their basic needs for life so they go looking wherever possible for a means of providing for their families. Hopefully in the future there can be more done about it people would have a much better life to live.

http://www.koed.hu/mozaik15/esohe.pdf

pollution

Pollution

Jamel Johnson

soc 202-01

1/20/2011


Pollution is a big problem in the world. It could be the death of us at the end if we are not careful. So I looked up some problems we have as a whole. I came across a site with ten major problems we have in the world. Urban air quality was one, that caused 865, 000 deaths per year by direct outdoor air pollution. this is done by cars and the burning of fossil fuels. next to that is the waters that we dump horrible things in. which brings us untreated sewage water. that should tell you about the people who manage the water; they don't care about people safety. there are 1.5 millions deaths that can be prevented each year from untreated sewage water. also just for thought fresh drinking water makes up only 6 percent of the earths total water, and only .3 percent we can drink. so if we keep this up. just think what will happen to our water.
i believe that pollution is a very serious problem that people do not take seriously. i have lucky to not encounter and big pollutions in my life. but many have. my father has when he visited New York city. his pollution was with acid rain. after the rain fall you can see what was left behind from the rain. he said it was a thin ash of dirty from the rain that remanded on the cars and window. acid rain come from all the pollutions that we put in the air.so as clouds form the water droplets take in some of this dirty fuel and then returns to the earth as acid rain. some places are worst than other. acid rain has been know to pollute drinking water, and some peopled suffered from it. as a world we need to step up and stop this or we will kill ourselves with the things we do and make.

Obama Swaps Cap-and-Trade for a Clean-Energy Goal

On Tuesday during the State of the Union address, President Obama talked about how America should be working on developing clean-energy technology. Obama wanted America to use more Eco-friendly energies such as solar, wind, and other natural resources. He also suggested that America should reduce the out put of greenhouse-gases. He proposed a "cap-and-trade" bill, which pass; though was mention before but didn't pass the House. Obama also suggested that Nuclear power be used along with clean coal, this way with Nuclear Power plants many people can get jobs there. "The president has put a lot of stock in clean energy when it comes to job creation, and it's an area where there might be some room for bipartisan movement in this Congress," says Tony Kreindler. Many other companies are joining Obma's idea that companies should have more cleaner policies. A sheet was made by the White House to help put our clean energy at 80% goal, which requires renewable sources in the power-generation mix. Obama's bill also stated that big companies that emit a lot of gasses into the ozone will have to reduce their annual output of green-house gases. Though many people say it will be hard for Obama to up hold this new bill as Robert Stavins, director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, clean-energy standards says,"would be less effective than a comprehensive cap-and-trade approach, would be more costly per unit of what is achieved, and yet, ironically, appear to be much more attractive to some politicians who strenuously opposed cap-and-trade."Along with a clean-energy standard, Obama also called for more spending on clean energy R&D,by giving the Oil companies $4 billion more in taxes. The "cap-and-trade" bill passed is a good thing as it helps with the development of new cleaner fuel sources using technology, which will create newer job opportunities for many people.
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/30529/page2/