South Africa to return land to exiled tribe
The exiled tribe, named the Nama, origionally lodged their claim to the 330-sq-mile Richtersveld coastal plain in 1997, saying that the goat herding community had been forced out after mineral rights were awarded to Alexkor Ltd., a state-run diamond mining company set up in 1927 in the town of Alexander Bay as a work program for poor whites. They were forced to move to harsh desert land. Initially, the Nama lost their case after Alexkor successfully argued that the land was origionally confiscated by British colonialists, not the apartheid government, and so was not subject to restitution rul implimented by the African National Congress government. Another part of the arguement was taht both the state and Alexkor also maintained all of the benefits of diamond mining, and it is for the good of the country and not just a small community. But finally in 2003 the Constitutional Court ruled that the Nama community was entitled to the Richtersveld coastal plain. Over the past few years a lot of legal wrangling has continued over the amount of compensation that should be paid for the loss of the community's loss of its natural resources to the company of Alexkor. The community is seeking up to 329 million in compensation for their losses. The settlement of this case will include the return of the land including mineral rights. Most likely an agreement will be set up in which both the community and Alexkor will jointly share the mineral rights. Even though the Nama has been going through great lengths, they have said that they are not interested in returning to the land but that they want to profit from it. At first, I thought that statement was a tad selfish sounding, but then after thinking about it, I wouldn't want to go back to the land either; especially since it has been dug up and mined through.. mainly destroying what natural land the community had there. Also if I were the community, I wouldnt want ot move my people of 4,500 back to a land they havent seen for years from a land they have cultivated and are thriving off of. Also they could use the profits to improve the way the are currently living.
What do you guys think of this? ...Do you think that it is right for the Nama people to be asking for their land back just for the profits? Or are they right in their demands for compensation for the land and natural reasorces (that could have greatly improved their way of life) that were taken so unjustly from them?
South Africa to return land to exiled tribe
Geography...The Game
I found a rather fun game on the Internet the other day that will probably help all of you out there that seem to have trouble with mapping and correctly labeling countries on the map part of the tests. This site contains a “game” in which you get a blank map of a continent and you must correctly select what country the computer tells you to. You are allowed 3 guesses, and each incorrect answer you have makes you loose points. Higher scores obviously mean you’re doing well. There is also a part of the game that tells you to select cities and bodies of water. This might help some of you out there, if any, that can’t seem to find Nigeria on the Africa map. It could help you study for the test if you so choose…and hey, I thought it was kind of fun to play.
In South Africa, a dramatic shift on AIDS
KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa, has one of the highest concentrations of AIDS orphans in South Africa. In Johannesburg, South Africa the government is trying to help reduce the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS virus. They are going to get rid of their lemons and beets protection and bring in more logical, testing, and prevention programs.
President Thabo Mbeki once believed that lemons and beet roots would be a beneficial protection to the people of South Africa. He also believed that the HIV virus didn't cause the AIDS virus. Now the government is singing a different tune and is trying to fix the many years of not doing anything to actually help the people. The government has come out and said that HIV does in fact cause AIDS. This their first step to starting the program that will be in effect.
The severity of AIDS in South Africa is above anyone's guess. A whopping estimated 5.4 million of 47 million people have HIV. This is the highest in the world. It has taken many years for AIDS activists to finally get what they wanted in the end. Some kind of government intervention to help the epidemic. Increasing the availability of antiretroviral drugs through the public health system is the plan for the government. The government would like to help reduce the number of people getting infected with HIV but many people believe that is too late.
In South Africa, a dramatic shift on AIDS
Deadly California Fire
In Beaumont, California thick smoke and hot winds hampered firefighters who were struggling on Friday to get the upper hand on a deadly wildfire in the mountains near Palm Springs, California. Four firefighters died and a fifth is on life support with burns over 90 percent of his body after being engulfed by the blaze on Thursday.
On Friday by nightfall, the fire had consumed 39,900 acres and was only 25% contained. Fire officials are treating the blaze as arson and the deaths as murder but have not detailed their reasons. A reward rose from $100,000 to $500,000 on Friday for information about who started the fire. Local residents suggest that they had seen teenagers smoking marijuana near where the fire is thought to have started about 17 miles northwest of Palm Springs.
This is a sad article to read. People were being hurt and made to evacuate their homes. Animals and habitats are being destroyed. Also, firefighters are risking their lives to save others. If the teenagers started this wildfire by smoking marijuana, it could have been easily avoided if people would use more common sense. I just hope people will learn from their actions.
To read the entire article
California Fire
UN to talk on climate adaptation
UK Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson believes that we must help underdeveloped countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change due to the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. Mr. Pearson thinks that talk of the Kyoto Protocol will be unlikely to help set new global emission reduction targets. Mr. Pearson also believes that the meeting at Nairobi summit will be more successful because it will be hosted by an African Government. "Climate change is a huge issue when it comes to Africa. There will certainly be a strong focus on adaptation in Nairobi because it is one of the most pressing issues facing countries in sub-Saharan Africa today," Mr. Pearson said.
I believe that this issue is more for the larger developed countries then the less developed countries because the more developed countries emit more greenhouse gases then less developed countries who have very limited industry. I still think that the less developed countries should still be involved because they still feel the effects from the environmental issues and the climate change. I think that if we don’t start taking care of the earth now in what condition it will be in 20 years from now. How do we want to be remembered by the era that polluted the land and depleted the ozone Layer?
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Superbug Battle in Hospitals
Hospitals need to start stepping up efforts to prevent infections with drug-resistant "superbugs," which are becoming more of a threat to patients, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Every year, infections caught in the U.S. hospitals kill 90,000 people and cost 4.5 billion dollars. Effective and comprehensive programs to prevent drug-resistant infections are essential to improve patient safety," said Dr. Denise Cardo, director of CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. "Preventing these types of infections requires a constant and concerted effort on the part of health-care facilities, but it's important they make this a priority," Cardo added in a statement.
This article that I read on CNN.com scared me a bit. I think that the hospital facilities need to keep track of such infections and put into place regular programs to fight them. 90,000 people and 4.5 billion dollars, that is way out of hand. "The main mode of transmission to other patients is through human hands, especially health-care workers' hands," the CDC says in a statement on its Web site, "Simple hand-washing is still a problem in some facilities." That is the worse part, health-care workers not washing their hands and then going and taking care of patients who are already sick! It cuts off a little bit of trust now for the people who are trying to help and doing the right things, like simply washing there hands!
Economic Growth
According to a recent news article, the economy has slowed down to a snail's pace. In the just finished quarter it came in with the slowest rate in 3 years with a rate of 1.6%. The reading came just short of the 2.1% that analysts predicted. It is said that this matter will become a big issue in the debates in this years elections. President Bush's approval rating is 40% and claims that he expected this to happen with the rise of cost of almost everything. The democrats have said that this is evidence that the republicans are doing a bad job in congress. This quarter has been the weakest one since the 1.2 rating in the first quarter in 2003. But it is said not to fear because the economy is expected to pick up again in the next quarter.
Economic growth totters to 1.6 pct. pace
Oregon's HAllOs eve
That time of the year is coming up again, you know Halloween, but where did it all start? Well I heard it started all in the state of Oregon When everything was really creepy, but everything else looked knd of annoying. We don't know why Oregon was like that, In fact it could have just been desserted for a very long time. Mysterious legends say that witches were brewering alot back in the olden days. They say that the were dunked in water and suffered painfyul fates. Back then we don't know what happened, So I guess for now we leave it a mystery.
The government reads emails, letters, and...your mind?
Neurology, the study of the brain, is one of the newest branches of medical science. A recent analysis by London scientists, conducted on students at the Royal College of Music, involved allowing subjects of the experiment to see their brain activity on a screen and to try to consciously influence it. Cassie Yukawa, one of the test subjects, quoted, “It was an invaluable pursuit to explore your 'creative zones' whilst free from the physicality of playing the piano.” The study found that the students improved their thought process and creative abilities simply by working with their minds in this way. The
article I read goes on to detail potential uses of neurotechnology in the future: everything from lie-detecting brain scans to improvement of concentration. Many seem, to me, not necessarily far-fetched, but completely out of our reach as of now. Those technologies may be developed someday, but the focus at present is basic knowledge; we have to know how something works before we try to manipulate or control it.
Neurology has already used modern technology to study and treat diseases linked to the brain. That’s all well and good, but as soon as we mention enhancement of the mind, we have an instant ethics nightmare. There’s been controversy for years already; this is where we come up with films like AI. In my opinion, this sort of issue ranks right along with nuclear science; it is controversial, but someone will eventually develop it. If study of the field is limited because of moral arguments, it could become a weakness if someone else (for example, a threatening country) obtains greater knowledge of the science. Why do many people fear death? It’s because we don’t know what happens next. Fear of the unknown is more powerful than any recognized danger. The more we know and understand, the better off we all are.
We exist in a physical world. Everything has physical substance. Perception, thought and emotion: they are really only a system of electrical and chemical signals in the brain. What we see, smell, hear, taste or touch is what our brains interpret from nerves and sensory signals. And anything physical can be measured, analyzed, and eventually understood. This is the ultimate goal of science, and the aim of neuroscientists is to apply the concept to the human mind. As we all know, we use only a fractional amount of our brains; the potential of these wonderful organs could be astounding.
A new exhibit entitled NEURObotics at the London Science Museum details many aspects of neurology, and it sounds fascinating. Unfortunately, many of us won’t be in London before April of next year, while the exhibit is running, but we will undoubtedly hear more about this science as advances are made in the future.
Can I get some opinions on this? Do you agree with the existence of thought and emotion as merely physical phenomena? What do you think about the moral issues? Is it realistic? Is it even real…or just a big hoax like that supposed “moon landing”…?
"Science Has Designs on Your Brain..."
Class Summary I Suppose
Well, not a whole lot to report. Today in class we had the great pleasure of experiencing GIS. Not that you didn't already know that.
Dramatic Decrease of World's Coral
Because of our recent discussions in class about the Caribbean, I thought that this article would hit home a bit. Researchers fear that nearly half of the world’s coral will be depleted within 25 years. These fragile reefs are home to numerous marine animals and plants. Pollutants from the coast could be to blame. This pollution comes from coastal run-off, carrying particles from construction sites, as well as toxins from boat paints. Also, global warming is blamed for this depletion. The Caribbean and Gulf Mexico director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that the oceans are like chemistry class. You mix some chemicals and nothing happens. But when you add heat, sudden things start to happen. Global warming is blamed for causing a lot of stress on the coral. When the oceans become warmer than average temperatures, the reefs loose their pigment, making them more vulnerable to disease. This was the case in 2005 for the U.S. Virgin Islands. After 3 months of abnormal sea temperatures, 47 percent of the coral in 31 acres of researched areas were depleted. And this year, the Caribbean nearly avoided coral depletions when sea temperatures approached dangerous levels. Scientists say that the Virgin Islands are likely at their lowest levels in recorded history.
However, global warming isn’t the only reason for coral’s depletion. Pollutants and sediments from run-off causes numerous problems. Chemicals kill of the coral, and when sediments settle onto the coral, they build up and block sunlight. Also, fleshy, green algae can build up on coral, which then competes with coral for sunlight.
With all these causes and more, estimates have been made. They claim that around 60 percent of the world’s coral will die in the next quarter century. Not to mention that 30 percent of the world’s coral has died in the past 50 years, plus 30 percent more are severely endangered. These problems will severely affect the environment, as well as the local economy. With the depletion in reefs, the number of tourists that come for diving will decrease. Thus causing even more problems for the Caribbean’s economies, considering that a majority of the income is from tourism.
Coral Reef Depletion
Drugs in Today's World
As I was reading, I came across three very interesting articles. They caught my attention because they all seemed to be related. Each was about different people smuggling or selling food items that contained a drug.
In the first article, two police officers in Los Lunas, New Mexico found marijuana on their hamburgers. The three workers in Burger King were arrested and charged with a felony. The second article involved a woman in Sante Fe, New Mexico. She was found guilty after trying to slip heroin to an inmate. They found the heroin in a needle located in a burrito. The last story was about a woman from Marianna, Florida who tried to smuggle marijuana into a correctional facility for people with borderline mental retardation. The marijuana was found in an ice cream container.
After reading these articles I was astonished by the things people will do just to get drugs. I really think that it is ridiculous that people are actually taking these chances and endangering others along the way. It just shows that drugs are getting way out of hand in our country and in our world today. Please share your thoughts about this subject.
Africa's Economy
The economy of Africa consists of trade, industry and resources of peoples of Africa. Africa is noted to be one of the world's poorest inhabited continents, and on average, it has been recorded to be poorer that it was 25 years ago. There have been a few contributions that have swayed the low economy. One of these events was the Cold War, which was the ideological struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union that was conducted between 1946 and 1991. Along with the low economy, Africa suffers from the widespread effects from poverty. Some of the effects are low life expectancy, violence and instability. Over the years they have attempted to improve the economy and well being of the citizens and they have been met with little success.
The African economy relies more on the agriculture way of life. This form of work labor employs 60% of laborers. Approximately three-fifths of African farmers are subsistence farmers, which are farmers that produce enough food to sustain their normal daily activities. It is known to be a very harsh way of living, with little hope for improvement. Larger farms grow many cash crops such as coffee, cotton, cocoa and rubber. Another part to their economy exists in their mining and drilling. Their most valuable exports are minerals and petroleum. Some of the southern nations have large reserves of gold, diamonds, and copper. Most of the petroleum is concentrated in Nigeria and Libya. These industries only employ about two million people, which is a very small portion of Africa’s population.
The geography is unsuited to Africa's trade, which takes a toll on their economy. On the western side there is rainforest which impedes the transit of people and goods. The wealthy parts of South Africa and blocked by the Kalahari Desert and the Sahara acts as a barrier that blocks trade from the North. You would think that with some of the great river systems, that the trade would be better. But there are many rapids and cataracts that block the African rivers, causing an alternative way of navigation.Africa suffers from major problems with diseases. Some of the most significant types are malaria and HIV/AIDS. The cost of vaccines and medical supplies adds to the economic cost of the labor force that is becoming medical dependents. As parents die from the sickness, they leave their children behind and these children must find care somewhere else. This adds to the burden of many struggling families and states.
This is just a slight overview of the many economic and social problems of Africa. I couldn't imagine what it would be like working everyday and having all your money go to your needs and not being able to purchase something you want. I know in the United States we have many organizations that help the people of Africa. But are these efforts we put out there even helping the citizens? Many parts of the United States are very well off, and here we have a very successful economy. We also have very good agricultural land and trade passages. But Africa has very limited agricultural land and they struggle with their trading. I believe that there has to be some additional way that we can help out. Do you guys have any ideas as to how we can contribute to the needs in Africa?
Africa's Economy
Since we were supposedly be slowing pulling out of Iraq many deaths have occurred since then. This year in October we have had the bloodiest month, surpassing April's 76 troops killed with 83 already this month. This has been attributed to many different bombings and Iraqi civilian deaths have also risen.
Ramadan seems to be the reason for this. Insurgent attacks have risen and thus forth Iraqi civilians have been killed at an alarming rate in this month, almost doubling the normal per day. On average of 43 Iraqis are killed per day which about 16 more then the average since April 2005. This increase of Iraqi civilians leads me to the fact that more attacks means more soldiers lives lost as well.
If it isn't bad enough that more and more lives are being lost on both sides a U.S. Senior State Department diplomat criticized the handling of the Iraq war as "stupid" and "arrogant". This I believe we could all possibly agree on.
This article took my by surprise, I thought death tolls SHOULD be lowering but I guess not. They seem to be increasing and we have just lost more and more lives that don't need to be lost. It also seems as if the Iraqi army could control the country because it already is taking on many of the attacks by themselves and have done some investigations containing false "cards" to individuals that could lead them into a terrorist trap by going on a fake hot line. The Iraqi group seemed to do a good job in snooping this plot out. I believe we need to pull out now and save as many lives as we can.
Here also is a link that has breakdown's of the fatalities in Iraq. Monthly, civilians, yearly, etc.
http://www.icasualties.org/oif/
When studying the amount of time it takes for sediment to travel down the Amazon, a team of geologists accidentally discovered that the river used to flow in the opposite direction. When I first heard that, I was very skeptical because I didn't think that it was possible. I suggest you read the article because it goes more in depth, but here is a summary of how this could happen. First, it starts with the Pangea theory, or when the continents of the world were connected. At this point in time, the Amazon (or what exsisted of it back then) flowed in the normal direction (West to East). When South America separated from Africa about 130million years ago, the east coast of South America was uplifted. We all know that water won't ususally flow uphill, so we can assume that this is when the entire river system began flowing West to East. So why isn't it like that today? Remember in class that we talked about the Andes being a relatively young range in geoglogical terms? They were formed about 65 million years ago, which is what cause the Amazon to eventually switch back to its original direction and the flow we are familiar with today.
The scientist were able to come up with this theory based on indicators of the ancient sediment, including ripple marks and mineral traces. Earlier studies have shown that segments of the Amazon Basin onced flowed the opposite way, but this is the first time evidence has been found that applies it to the entire basin. Because of this find, searches for oil might be moved to where the ancient Amazon fan was being deposited in hopes of finding those sorts of natural resources.
Hurricane Mitch's Damage
After all the talk of Hurricane Mitch during the GIS assignment, I was interested in the actual damage it caused to the areas it hit. The intense winds and devastating floods did infact cause an immense amount of damage to Central America.
First here is a little background of the storm: It sustained winds of 180 mph on October 26 into October 27, 1998. It was the strongest storm in the western Caribbean since Hurricane Gilbert which occurred in 1988. Hurricane Mitch hindered off the coast of Honduras before moving inland. The storm’s heavy rainfall caused horrible floods and mudslides which in itself did a lot of damage to not only the people of the area, but the land as well. After that, the hurricane went into the Gulf of Mexico where it revitalized the system into a tropical storm, which crashed into southern Florida in early November.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huricane/1998/wmitch.htmCentral America was destroyed by Hurricane Mitch. For damage reports visist
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/1998/wmdamage.htmObviously this hurricane caused damage. However, a normal person would only see the damage it caused to the land and it people killed and hurt. It's important to see that the economy suffered too.
U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world
I was completely shocked when I read this article on CNN.com about newborn death rates in the United States and other places of the world. I was aware that especially Africa had problems with high infant mortality rates, but I was most definitely unaware of the high newborn death rates occurring in the United States. According to the article, the US is the second worst in the modern world stating that American babies are three times more likely to die in their first month as children born in Japan. I was caught off guard when I read this because I thought education, health care, and services were advanced in the US compared to other parts of the world.
The article explains patterns and explanations for high newborn mortality. Latvia is the only country with a higher death rate for newborns than the United States. In Latvia there are 6 deaths for every 1,000 live births. The report expresses their findings of higher newborn death rates among U.S. minorities and disadvantaged groups.
I found this article to be interesting also because it relates quite well to the GIS activity we are currently working on. The article states that Sub-Saharan Africa is still the worst place to be a mother or a child. Unfortunately, infant mortality is easily preventable, however, the people of places like Sub-Saharan Africa are not well educated nor do they have the right tools or services to prevent such a horrible tragedy.
In industrialized nations babies being born prematurely are the reason for most deaths, while in the developing world half of newborn deaths are from infection, tetanus, and diarrhea. This proves that it is important that people get educated not only to avoid having children they can’t take care of, but also to obtain jobs that could possibly assist mothers in the process of raising a healthy child.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/
Since we have had the beginnings of some heated debate, I thought it would be a good idea to post this website. It is not too detailed or complex, but it has some of the basic steps of carrying out a decent debate.
Informal Arguments and Debates
New Jersey court recognizes right to same-sex union
Same-sex marriage has been a debatable issue for a long time and has come to be a large problem for many people. Today in New Jersey they are disputing about this issue every day and have many supporters and contesters. They are debating over the fact that if they legalize gay marrriage in New Jersey that they will have many other people relighting the flame with their own states for the same law. Also, many people will start fleeting in to New Jersey all wanting to become wed.
Massachusetts has become the first and only state to legalize gay and lesbian marriage. They said that if the pepole attempting to wed weren't a state resident than they would not be allowed to get married their.
Darden Estate Equality, a gay rights group, announced to propose a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Steven Goldstein, a chairperson of the group said they wouldn't stop until they had 100 percent privileges and rights as the heterosexuals.
The courts vote was a 4-3 and wasn't strong enough to support same-sex marriage. The three rebellious judges said that they courts should have given them full rights to get married. Pastors Mark Harris and Denis Winslow have wanted to become married and also wanted to join the numerous heterosexual couples who have married.
Personally, I think that homosexuals should have just as many rights and privileges as we do. Our nation is very stereotypical. We are denying the right to two people of the same sex who happen to be in love to get married.
We have always encourages the freedom of speech and the freedom of choice. As of right now I don't feel that we are going through with it. These are people who are trying to express their individuality and uniqueness.
If you think about it, I don't know why it is such a big deal in the first place because it doesn't even affect 99% of us or hurt us in any way. We can't deny them to date or see each other so letting them take it one step further doesn't hurt either. I also think just like age shouldn't matter to a certain extent, that gender shouldn't matter either.
Oil Platforms Seized in Nigeria
I found this very interesting, considering we just talked about it in class….Today, angry Nigerian villagers seized three oil platforms owned by Shell. These platforms, Ekulama 1, Ekulama 2 and Belema, are oil pumping platforms located in the Niger Delta. The Kula villagers invaded the facilities, claiming Shell failed to meet the terms of agreement to provide aid to the community. However, state government officials were holding negotiations with the protesters to address their problems. During the past decade, there has been many protests like this. The protesters believe that these oil companies are taking the wealth from their land, and giving little back. And despite living on top of much of Nigeria’s oil, the inhabitants of the southern region remain some of the poorest in the country. And because they have little influence in the government, they turn to the oil companies who run joint ventures with the Nigerian government. They demand jobs, electricity and schools. However, most of these seizures end peacefully. Also this year, armed militia attacks have increased. These men claim to be to be fighting for similar causes. During these protests, the militants hold oil workers as hostages, using them for ransom, or to meet demands of giving more local control of the regions oil. Attacks by armed militias on the country’s oil region has reduced the amount of oil being exported. However, the Shell company is uncertain how much oil has been cut off since today’s attacks. This is a serious problem for Nigeria’s economy, because they are the fifth largest exporter to the United States, with the average of 2.5 million barrels a day. The Brussels, Belgium-based International Crisis Group said that due to Nigeria’s flawed federal system, violent, ethnic and civil unrest is sweeping the country. And with the lack of genuine structure for sharing power, dangerous rivalries have form, creating armed ethic militia groups, especially in the delta area.
Also due to this seizure, other local oil companies have shut down platforms. Chevron has shut down its Robertkiri platform, claiming that they didn’t want their platforms to be taken over as well. However, no word has been said of what happened to the workers on the rig. This is a very serious problem for the region. Something needs to be done by the government, because it is hurting both groups. The local people are extremely poor, even though they are standing on a very wealthy resource. And the government is being hurt every hour that the protests occur. The longer this happens, the more oil is going to be lost. The government needs to find ways to distribute the money being made from the oil. Also, some sort of agreement can to be made with the oil companies, giving a certain percent of money back to the people. But that is my opinion, what do you think?
Villagers Shut Down Shell Oil Plaforms
On Thursday, George Bush will put into law the Border Fence Act. The act is intended to tighten up security along the U.S.-Mexico border. It will provide federal funding for half of a 700 mile section of fencing. However, the Editor of this article,Lou Dobbs, feels that this is a good start, but not nearly enough. I too feel that the government funding half of this 700 mile segment cannot be viewed as a solution to our problems. This is even more true when you take into consideration the fact that 2000 miles of the border still need to be fenced. I cannot believe the the lack of determination to stop the problem of illegal immigration. Our country cannot afford to be wasting its money putting up with the problems that illegal imigratoin brings to the surface. It is a waste of revenue that could be put towards reducing our national debt, providing more public services, or helping poorer countries. One of the things that makes me angry about illegal immigration is that if we didn't have to worry about it, we would have more money to be able to help the countries that the illegal immigrants are coming from. It is just a huge snowball effect. The more illegal immigration, the worse our economy, the less help we can give to other countries, and the more those countries suffer. So, in order to get things back on track, and improve lives for everyone, illegal immigration needs to be stopped. Now, I do not think that the Mexicans are going to stop coming to America on their own, so more needs to be done by us to keep them from immigrating illegaly.
N.J allows same sex unions
New Jersey has opened its law to allow for same sex unions by the state. Homosexual couples will now be able to receive the same benefits that married couples do. Rulings on the new law force N. J to create a law which will offer the couples marriage or something like it such as civil unions. The vote was 4-3 with the minority wanting full legal marriages and the winning party wishing to see similar marriage laws for gay couples as those for heterosexual couples. Law makers have 180 days to rewrite the law. Gay marriages will follows the same rules as heterosexual marriages do, receiving the same privileges and following the same obligations. If the court would have outright legalized gay marriage out of state couples would have been able to receive the marriage as well; this is possible under the Massachusetts law on gay marriages. Although some gay couples see this as a loss in the right for marriage most see it as a big step for the rights of homosexual couples. I believe that this is also a big step for the U.S in general. As the gay rights movement pushes for legal gay unions in all states it shows how diverse ideas are spread through out our country. While we all live under one constitution each state shows a different representation of it. It is interesting to see how diverse states can be.
See
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15416613/ for complete story
Debuging Your Blood
Hi...I just read a very intresting article in the April 2006 magazine for Popular Science. On page 36 it has a very exciting article about cleaning blood of certain viruses. A small San Diego biotech research company named Aethlon Medical has created a divice that could save millions of lives, in the case of a terrorist attack using bioweapons. The small device is called the "Hemopurifier". It is a small tube 6inches to 1ft long, that would attach to one of your arteries at one end and to another at the other. There is a filter in the tube that has a certain plant-derived antibody called cyanovirin. The blood goes through the filter while the virus is trapped by the cyanovirin.
The human body contains about 5 liters of blood, using this purifier, it would only take 12 min. for all your blood pass through tube. It would take only a few hours to completely rid yourself of the virus. So far the new invention can catch such viruses as HIV, Smallpox, Ebola, Hepatitis C, and many more.
This invention could revolutionize the medical industry. We began taking notes today in class about Africa and it being the continent with the most cases of HIV/AIDS. If this product was distributed throughout the world, the virus could be elimanated along with many others. This small tube could save millions of lives throughout the world. The tube has proved effective on animals and will soon begin testing on humans, they said they were hoping for testing beginning at the end of this year. Hopefully all goes well and the tube can begin mass production to save a mass of lives very soon.
Aethlon Medical Website
What we did in class on the 25th (Wed.)
Well, today was pretty much average in terms of what we did during class. The day started out with the Sub-Saharan Africa Physical Map being turned in. We then proceded with around 10 or 15 slides in a record 30 minutes (I did record the lecure, but i need to find out from Hartman if/how it can be posted). After notes, there was a movie and accompanying worksheet, both of which can be made up on your own time. Some classes may have wraped up by starting the Sub-Saharan Africa Political Map, but not every class. In all, an average class day, but remember to do you reading tonight.
Running out of Resources
I stumbled across a highly interesting article whilst I was browsing the Internet recently. According to the WWF (no not the wrestling one, it stands for World Wide Fund for Nature), humans are using the Earth’s resources at an alarming rate, more so than I thought we were. If people continue using resources like they are currently, by 2050 we will need 2 PLANETS worth of resources every year just to have enough! Humans have caused many problems in the world as a whole. Many animal populations have gone down by as much as a third in the past 30 years because of human’s pollution and clearing of forests for natural resources. As of now, humans are using more per year than the Earth has to give. The worst offenders are United States, Canada, UK, Russia, China, Japan, and Australia.
According to the WWF, in order to avoid this unpleasant notion of running out of natural resources and animals, humans must make a drastic change in lifestyles. People can do this by limiting the use of fossil fuels and improving management of industries such as farms and fisheries. Some things are almost unavoidable though, because we have a rising population in the world, which mean that more resources and food will be needed to accommodate for the added population. It is projected that almost 9 billion people will occupy the world in 2050.
Now I know this could be a very biases article, considering it was made in cooperation with the WWF, so they may have exaggerated a bit. But the truth of the matter is that the population of the world is increasing, and the natural resources of our planet will run out sometime. Most resources aren’t renewable. It’s up to us to decide how we use them and to make the most out of out land area. We must think about the future and how our actions will affect it. Land area will run out if we keep developing land and harvesting the resources. Anyone think this article is convincing, or could it be just an exaggeration to scare people into conserving?
Link to Article
Class Notes
Today in class, we began to work on our Sub-Sahara African Map. All you have to do is label rivers and deserts and color the specific countries in order of the directions. Then for the rest of the period, we took notes on chapter 6. We took about 10 slides worth of notes, so if you missed them, have fun catching up. That is basically all we did in class today. Have a great week!!!!
Rumsfeld urgered to alter Afgan Drug Trade Policies
Today throughout the world we are facing drug issues everywhere. People don't realize it, but it is not just happening in our own nation. In fact, today in Afganistan the drug production is soaring with high numbers. The so called "opium crisis" which is occuring right now has caused many set back and should be put to a stop. According to the article Donald Rumsfeld, Defense Secretary, has been trying to find a strategy against Heroin production and Opium Poppy harvest, which target the farmers who are looking for an occupation.
The US has already been working toward an eradification of Poppy in Afganistan. Representative Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said that our work there has been a failure and needs to be improved. He states that in order to improve the Drug Enforcement Agencies need to take Heroin processing centers and drug kingpens.
This whole drug issue has been the cause of increased hatred, violence, and terrorism among the union forces there. The Taliban and Al-Queda are a fraction of the muslim people who have a lot of hatred toward us. The drug money has brought them back to life and helped gain them strength to fight again. This is a large problem for the US and these drug problems are working as a set of dominos which are setting the tone for the rest.
Experts say an estimated 407,724 acres of Opium Poppy lay in Afganistan right now. That is more than 59% from 2005 and more than double that from in 2000. This issue is obviously occuring and affecting a lot of people both in the US and in Afganistan.
I think this has to be put to a stop now. When I had first heard of the issue I didn't know to the extent of the possible damage the US could suffer from. The Taliban and Al-Queda are aiming at the US in search to kill us. They are the ones responsible for 9/11 and are a huge threat to us. It provides them with funds and economic wealth. If you give people like that the power with money they can and will find a way to use it negatively.
I think the US should increase the security of the production of Opiates in general and make the drug trade policies more strict and secure. If the US work together to come up with the plan, the job can be done!
To read up on this article visit,
Opium.
Instead of doing a blog on a news article I decided to take a look at some of the interesting facts about a country in our current area of study. The country that I chose was the Cote d'Ivoire. This country lies on the western side of Africa and shares borders with Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea, as well as the Atlantic Ocean. It established it's independence from France in 1960 but is still in close relationship with the country. This becomes evident when one looks at the national language which is French. Since its independence it has had multiple violent breakouts including an overthrown government in 1999 and a rebel group controlling much of the northern part of the country. Currently a peace agreement has been reached yet many loose ends are still to be decided and thousands of French and West African troops are in the country to maintain the peace.
Economically Cote d'Ivoire is better off than many of its African neighbors. It is mainly an agricultural economy depending strongly on the trade of items such as cocoa, coffee, and palm oil. Due to the economies dependency on these items it can be vulnerable to price changes in its exports, as well has harm to its crops from weather.
The Cote d’Ivoire suffers from many of the same problems plaguing the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Most notable of these is the HIV/AIDS crisis. With a population of 17,654,843 the country sees an estimated 47,000 deaths per year from the disease. This is a very high number especially compared to countries with roughly the same population for example Sri Lanka has less than 200 deaths a year. Another problem facing this country is deforestation. Cote d’Ivoire once boasted the largest forest in western Africa but now the woodland has been heavily logged in the interest of making money.
Overall I believe that The Cote d'Ivoire is a developing country that holds a lot of promise. With its government beginning to finally stabilize hopefully the economy will see a boost in profit . Also as the country slowly transfers from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy it will become less vulnerable to price changes and things of that nature.
This article left me with mixed feelings. See what you think/how you feel. When a 17 year old girl told her father that she was converting from Muslim to Christianity, her father stabbed her mother to death. Why? “…in the eyes of most Muslims, converting is totally unacceptable and to be honest, sadly, many would react as he has done,” quoted from a Muslim source. It is interesting to note that when a Muslim child does something wrong, it is considered that the mother is to blame and must be punished for the wrong-doing. How do you think this would take off in America?
Although the girl escaped, and the father seems to have committed the crime, the father was seriously hurt as well. Some background information to know is that the girl was attending a nondenominational Christian school. The school does not force students to participate in Christian services. I do question why a devote Muslim family would place there child in a Christian school. Although the school stated, “In the case of Islamic students the school is in principle and in practice very supportive of students observing religious customs, such as wearing Hijab-this has happened in the past, observing fasting, and the need for prayer rooms,” stated the principal. I think it would be very difficult to personally be placed in this situation as a teen. If I had to attend a school where most students were Muslim, I would honestly find it stressful. I wonder if the girl felt pressure from her peers. Did she want to convert to Christianity to fit in or were her motives different?
A woman from the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission said there is a serious need for open discussion on the impact of western religion freedom and what it means for Muslim immigrants. It was noted in the article that the Quran does teach that the faithful kill those who leave the faith, but Muslim leaders have said it is not to be taken literally. Sadly, this girl’s family committed their lives to their Islamic faith and truly practiced what was preached showing devotion.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52437
I recently was reading an article that I found particularly interesting, and of great importance. This article was focused on the Panama Canal and the expansion efforts for the canal. I thought that this article would be a perfect article to discuss, for we are currently discussing Central America and the Caribbean which Panama is closely located near.
The Panama Canal has not always been prosperous and a source of income. It was started in 1880 but then was abandoned because the creator went bankrupt. So then the United States saw the opportunity and decided to continue the construction of the canal, and the canal was finished in 1914. The cost was $375 million and 25,000 lives, but there were benefits as well. It saved ships a lot of time and it carried 4 % of the world's trade goods. Even though the canal was located in Panama the United States still kept control of the canal for many years until it was finally signed over to the people of Panama. The people of Panama have since benefited from the canal and all of the elements that it encompasses.
The ballots are in, Panama has voted to expand the canal. They have voted for a $5.25 billion dollar expansion, that would increase the area that the canal is currently covering. When the voting was tallied the vote to expand the canal had over 2/3 support from all of the voter. The poor Panamanian are not the only supporters of this increase. The weathier citizens think that it could really benefit all of the people, not only a certain group. When it came time to vote all the citizens came to show their support for the enlargement of the canal, rich next to poor, old next to young. The reason this issue has gained so much momentum and support is because many of the citizens of Panama think that this canal will help raise the country out of the state of poverty that it is currently in.
We have discussed the alarmingly high poverty rates in Central America throughout our unit on this region, and Panama is no exception. As many of you know Central America is a very small portion of the world, however as small as it is it has a very high debt. Panama is a very poor country, and the canal is it's main source of income for many of the 3 million people who call Panama home. If the canal would be enlarged it would provide many jobs for unemployed citizens, and would lower the extreme poverty levels. Construction would create 7,000 jobs and up to 40,000 indirect jobs for the people of Panama. It also would increase the trade in the canal, and help boost the local and national economy.
