The United Nations estimates 50% of Bangladeshi women suffer from domestic violence, rape, beatings, acid attacks and even death due to the country's entrenched patriarchal system. The Supreme Court outlawed fatwas 10 years ago but human right monitors have documented over 500 cases in the past decade of women being punished through religious rulings.
On January 31, 2010, Hena Akhter was dealt the punishment handed down by the iman from the local mosque. The ordered fatwa or religious ruling was 101 lashes delivered swiftly and deliberately in public. Hena dropped after 70 and was taken to the hospital where she died a week later. What was her crime? At the young tender age of only 14 Hena was stalked, gagged, raped and beat by her father’s nephew three times her age. Then dragged back to his house by his wife who caught him and beat and trampled on the floor.
The next day the village elders met at Mahbub Khan’s, the nephew, house and the fatwa was pronounced: her punishment was 101 lashes under Islamc law and his 201. He managed to escape after the first few lashes. Darbesh Khan and Aklima Begum watched as required by law their youngest child of five lashed, and her skin torn till she fell to the ground unconscious. Hena’s last words to her mother were that she was innocent.
Sultana Kamai, head of Ain O Shalish Kandro stated that the government needs to enact a specific law to deal with such perpetrators responsible for extrajudicial penalty in the name of Islam. The first autopsy said she committed suicide, but later the ugly details of the case surfaced. Public outraged sparked by the autopsy prompted the high court to exhume her body for a second autopsy. It revealed death from internal bleeding. Police are now investigating and have arrested several people including Mahbub Khan.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/bangladesh.lashing.death/?hpt=C2
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Moscow to introduce fines for abusing national minorities
Moscow is in the process of attempting to introduce fines for verbally abusing minority people in their nation. They are proposing that people who use offensive words against national minorities out in public will receive a fine as large as two thousand dollars. The City Hall in Moscow is propositioning a law to punish the frequently used but untranslatable vocabulary that is used in a derogatory way referring to the people from the Caucasus or northern Russia. The people who support this new law say that because of the recent racial clashes in Moscow proves that the level of political and verbal correctness should be increased. It is said that if the people in a society scold and derogate their minor nationalities, then their society is not functioning properly and that new regulations should be enforced by authorities to control the situation. Although, linguistics say that this law will be difficult to enforce. They say that it is impossible to list all of the offensive words against every nationality in Russia and that there are certain words that have different meanings. This issue is difficult to control because although it is unfair to the minorities to be spoken to in a derogatory manner, it is also an issue of being able to speak freely.
http://rt.com/news/prime-time/minorities-offensive-words-fines/
Blog 10: African Court Orders Libya to Stop Killing its Citizens
Colleen Mills
9:20 PM
31 March 2011
African Court Orders Libya to Stop Killing its Citizens
In Nairobi, Kenya, the highest ruling court declared that Libya could no longer kill it’s people and for Libya to cease any action that would result in a loss of life. It is now required for Libya to report to the Tanzania-based court within two weeks.
Many Human Rights advocates are pleased with the decision.
The initial declaration occurred on March 25, but it was not released to the public until last Wednesday.
The petition against Libya said that "serious and massive violations of human rights" that are guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights had taken place.
Because of the immediate risk of loss of life, there were no oral hearings issued.
The fact that so many people’s lives have been affected and that people are attempting and now finalizing a solution to this problem, make this a social problem. It in interrelated within the world in that other countries may make attempts to protect their citizens with Libya as their model. Also, it saddens me to think of all the other countries that could and should have made attempts to cease such killings so very long ago.
I honestly cannot imagine what it would be like to have probably one of the most important civil rights finally protected by law. Imagine living your whole life in fear that you might lose such, with no governmental laws to protect you. Everyone deserves the right to live.
Blog #10 Oil
Angela Ferr
3.31.11
SOC-202-01
One of the main components to the human destruction of the world is oil. Throughout our history, we have killed plants, animals, the environment, as well as each other for oil. Through our mistakes, we have even killed off whole areas of habitat and a lot of the animals that lived there. The most recent big oil spill was 2010 at the Mexican Gulf. BP caught on fire and sank. They were not able to immediately close it, and because of that, huge amounts of gallons of oil leaked into the sea. The pollution caused by the huge spill caused severe damage to the marine life and loss and disruption to coastal regions.
One of the really known oil spills was the Exxon oil spill in 1989. They dumped 40 million gallons of oil off the coast of Alaska that has not and will not dissolve and the area will continue to be polluted and polluting for many years to come. It is seen all over the globe, such as Spain in 2002. In 1991, Saddam Hussein destroyed over 700 oil wells and released over 1 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. This caused a dense chemical cloud that killed hundreds of people due to respiratory problems. It also contaminated the water, polluted beaches and killed thousands of the animals.
This isn’t just a problem that is seen throughout the world, it is also seen a lot throughout the last 2 centuries. There are accidental spills as well as spills on purpose. I believe that if we found a reliable alternative to energy than oil, we can solve multiple problems. We can solve the conflicts between countries, save a lot of animals and their habitats, save the environment and save human lives. We do have alternate sources for energy today, such as wind and solar energy, but they aren’t as reliable or as popular as oil is now. There are some that are trying to find alternate ways for energy, including former president Bill Clinton. He has a foundation for college students who have ideas for multiple things including alternative ways of getting energy. He gets these college students together with big companies and people who have a lot of money to invest into these ideas, and they make it come alive. Helping out in ways like this is a good way to get your ideas heard and make a difference.
http://www.350day.org/environmental-disasters-caused-by-man/
Obama Plays Offense And Defense On Energy Policy
Michelle Yazvac
blog #10
This past Wednesday, Obama proposed a new direction for which our policy concerning the environment will steer. We are a country fully dependent on oil from foreign countries and are trying to quickly plan a new alternative way in which we obtain oil. He has stated that it will take many changes of course, and by reducing dependence on foreign oil, will mean companies and individual citizens will have to increase their costs to convert over to renewable and clean energy. Our habits would have to change but for certain, our mindsets will have to change first. Obama's goals are too reduce the dependence on oil by a third, "a little more than a decade from now." The next step is to start building the "next generation of plants."
Americans are starting to wake up to the need to conserve. Gas prices have been high by our standards since 2008. People are shifting to more fuel efficient vehicles. I know there has been some thoughts into building more closely, instead of sprawled out meeting the suburbia reputation that America has.
Our cities are way too car dependant. If we designed in more mixed land uses and population density we would have real choices about how to get around. Given the challenge that expensive gas poses to our economy and the ongoing problem of global warming, we can't afford to delay this change anymore. What bigger problem out there is bigger than the rest of the world?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/storyComments.php?storyId=134984435&pageNum=2&pPageNum=2
blog #10
This past Wednesday, Obama proposed a new direction for which our policy concerning the environment will steer. We are a country fully dependent on oil from foreign countries and are trying to quickly plan a new alternative way in which we obtain oil. He has stated that it will take many changes of course, and by reducing dependence on foreign oil, will mean companies and individual citizens will have to increase their costs to convert over to renewable and clean energy. Our habits would have to change but for certain, our mindsets will have to change first. Obama's goals are too reduce the dependence on oil by a third, "a little more than a decade from now." The next step is to start building the "next generation of plants."
Americans are starting to wake up to the need to conserve. Gas prices have been high by our standards since 2008. People are shifting to more fuel efficient vehicles. I know there has been some thoughts into building more closely, instead of sprawled out meeting the suburbia reputation that America has.
Our cities are way too car dependant. If we designed in more mixed land uses and population density we would have real choices about how to get around. Given the challenge that expensive gas poses to our economy and the ongoing problem of global warming, we can't afford to delay this change anymore. What bigger problem out there is bigger than the rest of the world?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/storyComments.php?storyId=134984435&pageNum=2&pPageNum=2
Death rates 'higher' among young adults than children
Blog #10
Just recently, The Lancet, the world's leading medical journal, completed a study that targeted 50 countries of all different economies and found that mortality is now highest in teenagers and young adults rather than children. The causes for this mortality rate have been due to violence, suicide, and road accidents. The study has shown that mortality due to disease has decreased quite a bit but injury such as violence, suicide, and road accidents is becoming the number one killer for men regionally and young women in rich and Eastern European countries. Violence is a main issue regarding deaths among young men and women. Researchers have discovered that young men between the ages of 15 and 24 are now three times as likely to die a premature death. Doctor Russell Viner states that the teenage years were the healthiest time of our life and it's no longer true. He also says that for developing countries, the switch to cities, urbanization improvement, and social dislocation are also to blame for young people's mortality. Young people's threat to health comes from the behaviors and contexts in which young people surround themselves. After reading this article I am a little surprised to learn that it is not whether a young person is living in poverty, or in areas of access to war and infectious diseases, but that the increased mortality rates have little to do with those factors. It makes sense that disease mortality rates have dropped due to the technological advances in medicine that prevent this from happening. I believe this also makes since due to the fact that if you flip on the news nowadays, it is very likely that you will come across a news report about an act of gang violence or a drunk driving accident. There aren't really technological advances that can prevent suicide, violence, or road accidents. Because of the high mortality rate due to violence, suicide, and road accidents, it is clear that the public is not getting enough exposure to the serious impact of these increasing mortality rates. I believe that the areas around the world that are experiencing this serious impact could benefit from sort of program that acts to prevent youth violence, suicide, and traffic accidents through the promotion of community engagement. It is important to protect the youth of today who will be the adults of tomorrow.
Blog #10: Scots drug deaths 'may be far higher' than figures show
Keena Wilson
30 March 2011
Scots drug deaths 'may be far higher' than figures show
Blog #10
I noticed that when drug dealers are caught and sent to court, their jail sentences can be extremely harsh. I’ve seen drug dealers get 20, 25, and even 40 years for selling drugs. I know that it is illegal to sell drugs, but I never thought that would deserve a 40 year sentence. But then I realized drug dealers will sell drugs to anybody who has the money for it, even the unhealthiest person who really does not need it. With drugs sometimes comes death and that could be the reason why drug dealers get a harsher punishment. Drug related deaths have been on the rise, especially in Scotland. Scotland's death toll from drugs could be far higher than official figures show, a doctor has warned. Statistics show there were 545 drug abuse deaths recorded in 2009. But Edinburgh University researcher Dr. Roy Robertson said the total would be much higher if deaths from related diseases and violence were included. He said: "I can imagine within the space of a few years we would see several hundred new cases added to the total." He also argued that the overall total would be far greater if these fatalities were included, along with victims of other infections acquired through drugs, such as HIV and anthrax, and drug-fuelled violence and suicides. "If we did include a larger number we would probably see several hundred more deaths and that trend would be upwards, because the trend in combined alcohol and drug use is greater than ever before," he said.
Drugs, of course, are a big social global problem. I feel that drug prohibition only makes things worse. When drug dealers are told not to sell drugs that only makes them do it more. Crimes, the spread of HIV, violence, and of course deaths are major consequences of drug prohibition. But these represent only part of the damage caused by drug use. Consider drug-exposed infants, drug-induced accidents, and loss of productivity and employment, not to mention the breakdown of families and the degeneration of drug-inflicted neighborhoods. These too are consequences of drugs. Drugs affect people everywhere which is why drugs and drug abuse can be a social global problem.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12906927
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Guatemala 'drug lord' Juan Ortiz Lopez captured by US- Blog 9
Juan Ortiz Lopez is Guatemala's most wanted accused drug lord. He's accused of smuggling a lot of cocaine across the border to the United States of America and Mexico. The amount was never specified in any article I searched; but, his capture included soldiers and police in helicopters! They surrounded his home which was guarded by two men and arrested him. He will be extradited to the United States to face trial as well as his bodyguards. Overall, it sounds like a major "win" on the US's never ending War on Drugs. A poll from Mexico said that we were winning the War on Drugs. One of his partners, Mauro Solomon, was caught months ago, in October. Both the United States and United Nations are pledging more money to combat organized crime in Central America. President Obama said 200 million when he was in El Salvador.
Looking at this article it not surprising about the things that have occurred. Juan Ortiz Lopez got cocky and was caught. He was the most wanted/top trafficker and was only lightly guarded? The response from the United States and Guatemalan police isn't too much. Drug rings and major organized crimes usually involved heavy artillery even missiles! So it was appropriate. As far as investing more money into the drug war, it's a toss up.
WHO chief says report exonerates agency on flu handling- Blog #9
KaRika Jones
3/29/2011
1159:pm
After being uncovered in the United States and Mexico in 2009, the swine flu killed almost 18,500 people while affecting 214 countries. This pandemic claimed it had exonerated the world health organization on two key counts. The organization's chief Margaret Chan critical questions where did WHO make the right call and was this a real pandemic? Were WHO decisions had any ties with the pharmaceutical industry? Did WHO declare a fake pandemic? On March 10, UN Health agency this failed to give guidance during the pandemic and there need to be revisions in the alert plans. There were rejected claims about WHO'S influence by interest in decision to state the pandemic.
I definitely remember when the swine flu hit North Carolina and it was a serious disease that had many people scared. This issue wasn't just in America but in so many other countries around the world. I feel that WHO did the right choice of calling the swine flu a pandemic because it affected so many people at one time. Im hope that the cure for this flu can reach others that has been affected.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h2jsOOsHuATUWT_kliQCjkvrXyHg?docId=CNG.1091f0ccf7c6b845bf8da18642e61d16.231
3/29/2011
1159:pm
After being uncovered in the United States and Mexico in 2009, the swine flu killed almost 18,500 people while affecting 214 countries. This pandemic claimed it had exonerated the world health organization on two key counts. The organization's chief Margaret Chan critical questions where did WHO make the right call and was this a real pandemic? Were WHO decisions had any ties with the pharmaceutical industry? Did WHO declare a fake pandemic? On March 10, UN Health agency this failed to give guidance during the pandemic and there need to be revisions in the alert plans. There were rejected claims about WHO'S influence by interest in decision to state the pandemic.
I definitely remember when the swine flu hit North Carolina and it was a serious disease that had many people scared. This issue wasn't just in America but in so many other countries around the world. I feel that WHO did the right choice of calling the swine flu a pandemic because it affected so many people at one time. Im hope that the cure for this flu can reach others that has been affected.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h2jsOOsHuATUWT_kliQCjkvrXyHg?docId=CNG.1091f0ccf7c6b845bf8da18642e61d16.231
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Women's Suffrage in Egypt: Blog #9
Alycia Clark
03/29/11
9:31 pm
On March 28th, the Human Rights Watch sent out a message to Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, concerning the elections that are approaching. The details of the message are to try to ensure that women are equal participants in the elections, and the redevelopment of the country. Not only should women be guaranteed equal rights in the election as participants, but also the female citizens who chose to vote should have protection. This has been an issue, because women had no vote in the recent amendments to the constitution. And in those amendments was a provision that implied that only men would be able to run for office. To make it more ambiguous was the fact that there was no definite statement, about the equal rights of men and women.
Nadia Khalife, a Middle East and North Africa women’s rights researcher at HRW said, "It is unacceptable for a constitution that is supposed to allow for a transition toward democracy and a new Egypt to even give the possibility of excluding women from public office," and she is completely right. Although the when thinking of the Middle East, the thought of “the woman’s place” comes to mind, If they are changing to become a free democratic nation, it should be free for everyone. Although equality conditions for women have improved in recent years, with few women holding public offices, it is nowhere near the standard it should be. Women who do hold these offices are often harassed and beat in the streets, which should be forbidden, or at least punishable by law.
Granted, baby steps may need to be taken, and by no means do they need to follow a “conventional” western model, but the simple rights to be safe from public abuse, and the right to exercise power if fit, should be guaranteed in this day and age.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/
Blog#9 Transformation Through Education
Kathryn Summers
Dr. Sills
SOC 202-01
March 29, 2011
2:22 pm
Transformation Through Education
Patrick Awuah is from Ghana. He left to study abroad. Later, Awuah returned to his home country with a hefty goal. He intended to change Africa through education. He saw that Africa faced many problems, but thought he could offer aid best through providing adequate post-secondary schooling. In Ghana, there are very few that get to go to post-secondary schooling. There is a mere 5 percent that receive this higher education. Another inadequate part of the country’s schooling is their literacy rate. Ghana has a low adult literacy rate of only “65 percent.” Awuah says that though some do graduate from college, they only have education in theory; they do not have the practical skills and real application knowledge they need to succeed. He started a private college with little funding from the National Bank, and no governmental funding. His goal was not only to increase the skills and knowledge base of the pupils, but to increase their marketability as well. Awuah had a further goal; to help society through those being educated. All “470 students are required to do community service before graduating” in an effort to inspire leadership and positive change for society.
It can be seen in adult literacy rates from Ghana that many of the people probably did not get the primary schooling that the Millennium Goals are working toward now. Inadequate education is a global social problem because it affects many people, and it can to an extent be solved. A country of people that cannot read are not going to be very marketable, and therefore, not very useful to the global economy. If students do not receive adequate schooling early on in primary grades, it will lead to later problems like low marketability. Awuah shows us that though there are problems with education, there is also an opportunity for education to be a solution to social problems. The students in this college are making a positive change in their society and their attitudes about such through the opportunity of education.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/world/africa/17iht-educSide17.html?_r=1&ref=internationaleducation
Monday, March 28, 2011
Blog 10: Portugal's Education Lesson
Jordan Rolph
March 28, 2011
9:00 p.m.
Portugal is the poorest country in Western Europe and is also the least educated. Since it is so badly educated they are also in a state of economic crisis. Portugal must generate enough long-term economic growth to pay off its large debts, but an unskilled work force makes that very difficult. Education prevents things like this to happen and broadens economic benefits. We can see this is true because Ireland was one of the poorest countries a generation ago, but it put money into technical education and remade itself as a destination for high-tech labor, which also attracts low corporate taxes. Even after a brutal banking crisis, Ireland is among the richest nations in Europe. Professor Hanushek, of Stanford, calculated that Portugal’s long-term rate of economic growth would be 1.5 percentage points higher if the country had the same test scores as super-educated Finland.
Although many college graduates have suffered during the Great Recession, the trend is still the same that people with education tend to do much better. Whether you look at countries, regions, states, cities, or individuals more education leads to a more stable future. The education system has a lot of issues, but people should never be discouraged to receive more education. Once the economy is out of the recession we will slowly see jobs opening up and wages increasing. It’s sad to say people without a college education these days aren’t even looked at when they send in their resumes or applications. Back in the day people either could not afford to go to school or had to start working right out of high school to support themselves or their family. Fact is that college just was not an option to a lot of people years ago, but now it seems that it’s making those people regret what they did twenty or so years ago. Countries who have little education one would think would have a poorer economy since people do not have the education or skills to have high paying and powerful jobs such as the ones on Wall Street. If Portugal can pull in some money to rebuild their education system they may just be able to turn their recession around for the better!
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/portugals-education-lesson/?scp=3&sq=education&st=cseBlog #9 Muslims Still Paying for 9/11 Ten Years Later
Amani Wright
3/29/11
7:52 am
3/29/11
7:52 am
At the American Islamic Community Center is Madison Heights, Michigan, Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter- Council on American-Islamic Relations, spoke to fellow Muslims about the Muslim radicalization hearings, which had taken place earlier that day. He considered the hearings “unprecedented acts of Islamophobia,” and an “unfortunate first in American history.”
The hearings addressed the topic of Muslim radicals indoctrinating their children, and called for moderate Muslims to help fight against this practice.
Present democrats saw this hearing as discrimination against all Muslims as a result of the actions of a few Muslims.
Walid spoke on how U.S. states were considering banning Sharia law, public displays of Islamic practices, such as women wearing hijab, and the altogether worship of Allah.
We wouldn’t think that, with the progress our nation continues to make toward equality, banning Sharia law would be something Muslim Americans would have to face.
Such practices have taken place in China, where it is against the law to worship, and in England, where Muslim women are no longer allowed to wear a hijab.
Why, a decade after 9/11, are twelve states in our own nation, including New Mexico, Missouri, and Georgia, considering this type of discrimination?
Islamophobia, though an idea, is a very alive thing. Though we get further and further from 9/11/01, fears and anxiety only grow, as Muslim radicals all over the world continue to terrorize nations. Though not this one, many fear that Muslim radicalization will only prompt future attacks on our nation.
Blog#9 The Smart Car of the Future: Location Aware and Self-Driving
The Geneva Auto show this moth had many people with many different cars enter it but the BMW’s new smart car was one of the most interesting cars at the show. These new smart cars use the BMW Concept Vision Connected Drive, as the cars has been made to fully understand its surroundings. This new smart car has the ability to communicate with other smart cars and also communicate with buildings. “Thilo Koslowski, the vice president of automotive research at Gartner, called this kind of location-awareness the latest auto tech trend.” These cars are also self driving cars, using GPS and communicating with other cars this car will be able to drive in the road without having any driver interaction. Computers can react much faster than humans this can be a very good safety feature. “If something unexpected happens on the road, such as construction or a deer in the road, the human driver will brake and send commands back to the other cars,” Coelingh said. This communication with other smart cars will help the cars with better fuel economy as they will be able to save gas and be more efficient. These new cars if put on the market will change the way society moves around as their cars will just drive themselves with no interactions. Only wealthy people will most likely be able to afford these cars leaving developing countries with the old models. These new cars will also help people by causing fewer accidents and save more lives.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/25/paving-way-smart-car/#ixzz1HvasDDDm
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