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Ryan Wassink

Afghanistan's curse: Opium - Afghanistan Crossroads - CNN.com Blogs - 0 views

afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/...afghanistans-curse-opium

shared by Ryan Wassink on 28 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • e 6,900
  • nearly 5,000 pounds of opium is just a tiny fraction of the 6,900 tons  - or nearly 14 million p
  • ion of th
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • ounds
  • produced last year in Afghanistan
  • much of which is processed into heroin. Earnings from opium make up about a third of the country’s gross domestic produc
  • Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world’s opium
  • In Afghanistan, the average daily per capita income is less than $2.
  • The number of opium addicts in Afghanistan has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2005 it was estimated that there were 900,000 addicts in the country. Three years later that number had jumped to 1.5 million.
  • Ryan Wassink on 28 Feb 11
     
    Source: CNN News: Afghanistan's Curse: Opium http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/22/afghanistans-curse-opium/ Summary:  This Article is about different burning of opium in afghanistan. People are trying to burn opium to get rid of it, because to many people get addicted to it and turn it into heroin. It has a terrible affect on there society although it is almost 1/3rd of the countries total GDP. So You can see that they have a problem. They need this product to make money except this product is ruining there society, Reflections: I thought that this was a very interesting article. Except I now realize that Afghanistan has a real problem. They have this way of making money, but it wrecks there society. This article says that they are trying to burn all there opium. My question is if they burn it all, what happens to there GDP, the countries average daily per capita income is already less than $2. Questions: If they get rid of all there opium will there GDP be greatly decreased? Is it possible to get rid of all the opium? Is there a different solution?
Laurel Ackerman

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Effects on Israel - 0 views

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Israel Decline Society

shared by Laurel Ackerman on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Avoidable because there was a reasonable chance that the conflict might have been resolved long ago, had the Israelis acknowledged the inevitable harms done to the Palestinians by the creation of Israel as well as the subsequent expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and villages, and resolved to do everything possible to make up for these injustices in any manner possible, short of abandoning the Jewish state in one part of the land of Palestine
  • he real goal of Israeli policy has been, at a minimum, to unilaterally annex some 40 percent of the West Bank, including the most productive lands and most of the water resources of the area. Beyond that, Olmert is continuing the process of what Reinhart openly calls "ethnic cleansing" that began with the expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians in 1948.
  • The tactics used to achieve this goal include the killing of more than two thousand innocent Palestinians as the result of Israel's indiscriminate attacks on "militants" or "terrorists" via bombs, missiles, artillery fire, and the like.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Beyond even that, other measures seek to destroy the Palestinian economy and ordinary life, including the destruction of Gaza's main electrical power plant; the severe restrictions placed on Palestinian drinking and agricultural water; the daily humiliations and often severe hardships imposed by draconic Israeli laws against the free movement of Palestinians throughout the West Bank; the disruption of the private and public health systems--and more.
  • Reinhart focuses primarily on the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. She might well have added that the Occupation and repression have had devastating direct and indirect effects on Israeli institutions, society, and quality of life.
  • The judiciary in general, and the Supreme Court in particular, have largely abandoned their imperative role of upholding law and human rights against widespread governmental abuses, so long as the government cites "security needs" as its justification. Not surprisingly, the power of the military and security services in Israel are greater than in any other Western democracy.
  • There are many Israeli commentaries about the radical decline of values and ordinary moral norms and constraints. Among the consequences are the growth of (1) class and intra-Jewish ethnic and religious conflict; (2) organized and unorganized crime, including routine intra-Jewish violence; (3) anti-Arab sentiments and other forms of racism; and (4) the abuse of women, including white slavery. As academics like Aviad Klein-berg and journalists such as Tom Segev have concluded, "interest in human rights has never been so negligible," and Israeli society, gripped by "moral and political paralysis," is "gradually coming undone."
  • Israel has completely abandoned its earlier goal of creating a democratic socialism in favor of "rampant capitalism." Consequently, while some Israelis grow fabulously wealthy, other sectors of the society suffer through high unemployment rates, high inflation, and continuously widening income inequalities.
  • Sharon and his successors has created an environment in which academic freedom is under severe attack, Israel's intellectuals are increasingly regarded with scorn, and the education system as a whole has radically declined, becoming increasingly government-controlled, politicized, and ineffective
  • As Rein-hart puts it, Israel is a "small Jewish state ... surrounded by two hundred million Arabs," and it "is making itself the enemy of the whole Muslim world. There is no guarantee that such a state can survive. Saving the Palestinians also means saving Israel." Sooner or later the most fanatical of the Islamic fundamentalists by one means or another are likely to acquire nuclear weapons--and they may very well use them against Israeli cities, regardless of the obvious consequences to the Muslim world from Israeli retaliation. And that will be the end of Israel, and much of the Middle East.
  • Laurel Ackerman on 16 Feb 11
     
    How does the conflict in Israel affect the futures of Palestinian children compared to Israeli children? Slater, Jerome. "The need not to know: the American Jewish community and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.(The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine since 2003)(Book review)." Tikkun Jan.-Feb. 2007: 65+. Student Edition. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. Student Edition Infotrack searched "Israel Palestine Conflict" http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&docId=A156555584&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summary: The conflict between Israel and Palestine does not only negatively affect the Palestinians, but it also negatively affects the Israelis. The Israeli Democracy, Human Rights, Economic Justice, Education, and Culture are all declining leading Israel to a future where it is the enemy of the whole Muslim world. This may lead to some cities being blown up and the future for the Israelis is very grim if things do not change.  Reflection: What we've been learning in class is all about how the Palestinians have no future, but here, it actually talks about how the Israelis also do not have too much of a future. More research on each thing that Slater says needs to be furthered in my research because we could use them as negative aspects of the Israeli children's futures.  Questions: What are specific things that are on the decline for the Israeli children's future? What are positive things? Do the Israeli negatives affect the Palestinians?
Jessica Ruthsatz

BBC News - EU's Lady Ashton given 'cover-up' in Iran press - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...world-europe-12289080

Iran Dress Code Nuclear

shared by Jessica Ruthsatz on 27 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Asriran.com showed Iranian press pictures of Lady Ashton next to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, with her black top raised higher than in the original.
  • Cyrus Amini, who worked in Iranian print media in 1998-2003, said the practice was "quite usual and understandable" because of the differences between Western and Iranian culture
  • some Muslim clerics in Iran were even objecting to pictures showing a woman's exposed head and neck.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • authorities could file away such alleged infringements for future use, and u
  • five UN Security Council permanent members - the UK, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany
  • Western powers suspect Iran of trying to build a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists that it is only trying to develop nuclear power for civilian needs.
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 27 Jan 11
     
    BBC News: EU's lady Ashton Given "Cover Up" IN Iran presshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12289080 Summary:This Article was about a photograph of the EU Foreign Policy Chief named Lady Ashton.    She was recently in "Brushed up" in the Iranian press picture of her meeting with Mr. Jalili in Istanbul, Turkey concerning the UN talks with iran over nuclear policy. Apparently her black undershirt was considered too revealing for Iranian culture.  Some muslim clerics also object to showing a woman's head and neck, so the Iranian news agencies often retouch images they find improper.   Reflection: I know that Muslim societies are very very conservative, but I didn't know that it extended to print media as well.  I think it is a bit insulting to a foreign dignitary to change her outfit to fit your cultures standards.  What would happen if an American paper put a suit on the Ayatollah Khomeini?  I guess If I were an Iranian I would not feel like I could trust the news media because they clearly admit altering things that don't fit the current government's views.  This fits into my research because it speaks to women's rights in Iran.  Obviously, there are rigid restrictions on dress for women. If they are willing to change a picture from another country, what will they do to violators in their own nation.   Questions:1) Are there posted laws for women's clothing?2)  Are there posted laws for Men's clothing?3) How did Lady Ashton react?4) Must journalist comply with retouching?  and what happens if they don't?
Nicki Pifer

Obama Opens Trade and Travel Relations With Communist Cuba - 0 views

www.thenewamerican.com/

embargo trade Cuba travel

shared by Nicki Pifer on 01 Mar 11 - Cached
  • Nicki Pifer on 01 Mar 11
     
    On Friday, January 14 President Obama announced that he plans on easing trade and travel relations with Communist Cuba, including making it easier for U.S. citizens to travel directly to the island from American airports. The President added that he had instructed the relevant government departments to allow religious groups and students to travel to the communist-run island. For almost half a century, the debate has been raging over the United States' policy towards Cuba, which has been communist since Fidel Castro's coupe de etat in 1959. Free travel from the U.S. to Cuba was halted in 1963 under President John F. Kennedy. The explanation at the time for why Americans could visit the Soviet Union but not Cuba was that the communist government in Moscow was permanent but that Fidel Castro was temporary. In 1977, with Cuba still unchanged, President Jimmy Carter relaxed the travel ban. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan restored it. n 1998, with the Soviet Union "gone," Clinton loosened it and in 2004, with Cuba still unchanged, President George W. Bush tightened it again. Now President Obama is going back to the Clinton policy, which will make it easier for churches and universities to sponsor trips to the communist state. Obama's announcement calls for changes in policy at the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security, as both travel and remittances are involved in the changes, and the new regulations will be promulgated as modifications of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and the Customs and Border Protection Regulations. The new policies call for the following reforms to Cuba-United States relations. According to the BBC, Obama's new proposals: * Allow religious organizations to sponsor religious travel to Cuba under a general license; * Allow accredited institutions of higher education to sponsor travel to Cuba; * Allow any U.S. person to send remittances (up to $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to support private e
Jodie deVries

Escaping North Korea - National Geographic Magazine - 1 views

ngm.nationalgeographic.com/...1

northkorea escaping defector

shared by Jodie deVries on 09 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Jodie deVries on 09 Mar 11
     
    How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people? O'Neill, Tom. "Escaping North Korea." National Geographic Feb. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .Summery:This article talks about the lives of people who defect from North Korea. It is a reporter who follows 3 people as he meets them in China and follows them on their journey to South Korea. To escape the awfulness of North Korea is hard and dangerous. The people who escape face punishment by North Korea if they are caught (labor/prison camps). As well as being tricked by the people they hire to help them. Red and White were tricked into the sex trade. There are people, usually Christians and humanitarians in China who help these trapped Defectors get back into South Korea where they can live in safety. These people also face huge risks in the work they do. Once in South Korea the defectors face a hard time acclimatizing into society. They have almost no training or skills and have never faced such freedoms. Response:I am glad that there are people who are helping these Defectors. It reminds me of the people who come into the US escaping Mexico but these people are escaping a much worse situation. I am amazed by the efforts put forth by South Korea to help these people, they spend a lot of money assisting the North Korean Defectors. It is a bitter sweet situation. I think this article will be very very helpful in our presentation. 
Mallory Huizenga

"Tourist and Turtles: Searching for a Balance in Tortuguero, Costa Rica" - 0 views

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MEL Costa Rica

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 28 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • can be used to (1) raise awareness about sea turtles, (2) provide funding for conservation and management, and (3) create 'alternative livelihoods' and revenues for communities who engage(d) in direct consumption or sale of sea turtle products.
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 28 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: This article was helpful because it took me one step deeper into the efforts Costa Rica is taking to better their ecological conservation. Many articles that I come across only cover the surface of what Costa Rica is doing. In this article I was able to get an up close look at one of the things Costa Rica is doing: protecting sea turtles. Costa Rica is working with resources, such as tourism, to improve their conservation efforts. It was also nice to get a solid definition of ecotourism in Costa Rica. Questions: 1) What are other organization doing to promote conservation efforts? 2) How many other organizations use tourism to raise awareness? 3) What other steps is Costa Rica taking to protect sea turtles? 4) What other research studies are taking place on sea turtles?
  • ecotourists were portrayed as alternative tourists looking for environmentally focused educational trips.
  • In 2004, the tour system was changed to mitigate potential negative impacts of tourist activity on nesting turtles.
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Sea turtle conservation organisations promote tourism as a way to 'save turtles', and reconcile conservation and development near nesting beaches.
  • Turtles and tourism are now so inextricably linked in some places that potential turtle losses represent tourism revenue losses (BBC News 2004).
  • Since the 1990s, ecotourism has become part of the tourism mainstream, especially in places like Costa Rica, where 'softer' ecotourism dominates. It is largely composed of nature-based tourism that includes some 'green' aspects but also offers easier tourist outings and more comforts of home
  • While ecotourism, including ecotourism in Tortuguero, once attracted mostly 'harder' or more rugged and/or environmentally conscious tourists than most nature-based or wildlife-viewing tourism (Place 1991), such distinctions are now less clear
  • As ecotourism grows, and infrastructure and services are added, the destination becomes less attractive to harder ecotourists.
  • In this paper, we focus on tourist perceptions of turtle tours in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, home to Tortuguero National Park
  • (Eco)tourism's promise for conservation Ecotourism is seen as part of a 'mutually beneficial triumvirate', alongside conservation and biology, by many in the conservation world (Brightsmith et al. 2008).
  • Some conservationists see tourism, especially ecotourism, as an important driver of conservation
  • Tortuguero village, Tortuguero National Park and tourism Tortuguero's [Figure 1] nesting beach is used by green, leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead sea turtles.
  • Tourist traffic on the beach also has the potential to disturb turtles as they search for a place to nest, sending them back into the water without completing the nesting process.
  • Tourist roles in Tortuguero Tourists play key roles in turtle conservation success in Tortuguero
  • Conservation efforts are also co-dependently intertwined with tourism.
  • We have suggested that tourism in Tortuguero appears to have switched to a softer, more mass tourism-like form of 'ecotourism'.
  • Striving for this delicate balance will not be easy, but gaining a better and ongoing understanding of tourist perceptions is integral to designing more sustainable or less unsustainable turtle tourism options for the future.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 28 Mar 11
     
    Research Journal #3: Article One Research Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: Mel.org: "Tourist and Turtles: Searching for a Balance in Tortuguero, Costa Rica" by Zoe Meletis and Emma Harrison  Citation: Meletis, Zoe, and Emma Harrison. "Tourists and turtles: Searching for a balance in Tortuguero, Costa Rica." Conservation and Society 8.1 (2010): 26. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. Summary: This article takes an inside look at the sea turtle population and how tourism has affected the turtle population. The article is filled with information, observations, and facts. The article also displays a study that took place to measure the affects of tourism on the sea turtle population. One of the top things the article talks about is how tourism is raising conservation awareness for the turtle. Through tourism, conservation organizations are able to spread awareness. Another aspect that the article talks about is ecotourism. It talks about the difference between ecotourism and tourism. Costa Rica is becoming known for their ecotourism. The article defines ecotourism as "largely composed of nature-based tourism that includes some 'green' aspects but also offers easier tourist outings and more comforts of home". This article glorifies the efforts Costa Rica is taking to deepen their ecological conservation.  Reflection and Questions on Sticky Note
Jessica Ruthsatz

War in Juarez: anthropologist Howard Campbell on Mexico's increasingly violent drug war... - 1 views

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Mexico Drug Trade

shared by Jessica Ruthsatz on 27 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • THE MEXICAN CITY of Juarez, just over the border from El Paso, has suffered through wild spasms of drug-related violence during the last few years.
  • preceded by hideous torture and followed by public displays meant to inspire terror, such as tossing a rival gangster's head into a crowded club.
  • Howard Campbell, a sociologist and anthropologist at the University of Texas at El Paso,
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  • rug War Zone is composed of more than a dozen personal testimonials of people whose lives touch the drug trade in different ways.
  • Howard Campbell: Two factors caused me to write this book. One was living in Mexico for many years and realizing that the drug business was so huge, and there was quite a bit of information publicly known in newspapers, yet the government didn't se
  • Campbell: It is a dangerous world, but I was really more worried about the safety of my informants than myself. They have more at stake. I disguised their identities as much as possible so they'd be protected. I found people surprisingly open to ta
  • The big Mexican cartels have been around roughly for 30 years, and for the first 20 years they operated freely, and there was not really a high level of violence and public insecurity connected with drug trafficking. There were murders, but they were internal to the cartels; the people being killed tended to be part of the underworld.
  • PRI, a populist party well organized at every level of Mexican society but very corrupt. It lost favor among the people, and PRI lost power in 2000 to PAN, a more free-market, American-style party. PAN lacked the political skills to keep a lid on the drug problem. The more corrupt government did more to manage the drug trade. Mexico might be a more democratic country now and booming in free trade to some degree, but all of that created more freedom for cartels to expand business. The old mechanisms used to keep cartels under control broke down when PRI was thrown out. There was more competition between drug organizations and hustling to create new alliances with people in government and the police.
  • 2000 the violence has really been heating up, and from 2006
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 27 Jan 11
     
    Research Question: Citation: Doherty, Brian. "War in Juarez: anthropologist Howard Campbell on Mexico's increasingly violent drug war." Reason Feb. 2010: 46+. Student Edition. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. Summary: Reflection: Questions:
Joy Merlino

BBC News - Israeli presence on Palestinian land 'irreversible' - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...world-middle-east-11611658

Palestine Israeli conflict

shared by Joy Merlino on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Richard Falk said the peace process aimed at creating an independent, sovereign Palestinian state therefore appeared to be based on an illusion.
  • Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are held to be illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
  • He said this undercut assumptions behind UN Security Council resolutions which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory in 1967 was temporary and reversible.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Such assumptions are the basis for the current peace process aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. This now appears to be an illusion, said Mr Falk.
  • He said he based his conclusion not only on the deepening expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but on the eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, and the demolition of their homes.
  • But Mr Falk said both governments and the United Nations had failed to uphold Palestinian rights.
  • He urged the UN to support civil society initiatives, such as campaigns to sanction or boycott Israel for alleged violations of international law.
  • Joy Merlino on 17 Feb 11
     
    Plett, Barbara. BBC News. N.p., 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. . Summary:  This article is saying that israel's occupation of Palestinian land is irreversible. Israeli settlements have been illegally built in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There was a UN security council resolution which stated that "Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory in 1967 was temporary and reversible." This is why the peace talks have been geared towards creating a Palestinian state alongside of Israel. Israel has demolished Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, and continues to create settlements in the West Bank.  Reflection: This article is choosing to completely ignore the Palestinian-Israeli crisis, and focus entirely on Israel's land grab. While I do not believe that it is possible to look at one without the other, it is interesting to note that Israel was given a section of the Palestinian state, and has proceeded to take over more and more land over the years. It is now the Palestinians who do not seem to have a home land, instead of the Israelis. This is going to have an effect on the future generation of both Palestinians and Israelis. This will affect how they live, and how they view one another. If one side is growing up more privileged than the other, peace talks will go from difficult to near impossible.  Questions: 1) If an independent Palestinian state was created, where would the land come from? 2) Would they have to destroy Israeli homes? Would it turn into the same conflict that we are facing now? 3) According to this article, Israeli expansion is irreversible; what do we do with that knowledge? 4) How should we proceed with the peace talks? 5) What does this mean for the future generations of both states?
Katie Feikema

ENVIRONMENT-COSTA RICA: TOURISM TURNS INTO GREEN GOLD. - 2 views

find.galegroup.com.references.herrickdl.org/...retrieve.do

Costa Rica's environment

shared by Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The success of eco-tourism is bringing about a change in the attitudes of rural communities in Costa Rica
  • begun to see the natural beauty surrounding them in a new light, and hopes for development have begun to encourage civil society and businesses to organize, while boosting conservation efforts and investment in green-friendly projects.
  • has begun to have an impact on the economy of this Central American nation of 3.5 million, which not only provides abundant natural beauty, but enjoys the advantage of being one of the safest and most politically stable countries in Latin America.
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • "We know that although there is still much to be done, tourism is an activity that can generate economic resources," Mayor Juan Flix Matute told IPS.
  • in recent years, lodges and inns promoting eco-tourism have begun to crop up in the tropical rainforest surrounding the town.
  • "We want to protect nature while promoting development in the area," the president of the local chamber of tourism, William Rodr[inverted exclamation mark]guez, told IPS.
  • The members of the local chamber of tourism are interested in making sustainable use of the area's historical heritage and biological wealth.
  • "We know nature is our livelihood, and that is why our mentality now is to take care of it. This is how businesses in the region see things today," said Rodr[inverted exclamation mark]guez, who pointed out that eco-tourism already provided steady jobs for 1,500 local residents.
  • In Sarapiqu[inverted exclamation mark], a chamber of tourism has been set up, local attractions are marketed over the Internet, and part of the tourism revenues are used to offer English and computer courses to the local community.
  • Tourism activity grew nine percent last year, compared to an average of between three and four percent worldwide,
  • Tourism is the main foreign exchange-earner in Costa Rica's services sector, with more than one million arrivals by foreign visitors last year, and $339 million in revenues in the first quarter of this year alone.
  • The biological wealth of the surrounding rainforest has also become a magnet for scientific projects set up by international organizations.
  • Visitors to the museum can see traditional graves of Huetar indigenous people, and can stay at a special villa designed to reproduce the lifestyle of local Indians in the 15th century, before the Spanish arrived.
  • "The money generated by this institute will be reinvested in the research carried out by the center," Knockaert explained.
  • Other scientific organizations are also active in the area, with their research centers open to the general public.
  • Among the attractions marketed on the local community's Internet website (www.sarapiquirainforest.com) are whitewater rafting, birdwatching, horseback riding, nature walks, tours of a butterfly garden and banana plantations, and an aerial tram, on which visitors can "fly through the rainforest canopy."
  • Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does Costa Rica's ecological conservation have on it's environment and economy? Source: Munoz, N. "ENVIRONMENT-COSTA RICA: TOURISM TURNS INTO GREEN GOLD." Environment Bulletin (2000): ITEM00151001. General OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summery: this article tells of the environment pulling in tourism and bringing to the economy. Reflection: The different things offered to tourists sounds amazing and like something that will be worth seeing for a long time. I don't think this resource will die. Questions: 1) how do they plan to expand this resource to bring in more economic growth? 2) Will the tourism business begin to ruin the environment?  
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 28 Feb 11
     
    HI Katie, Nice job on the annotations. Please make sure that next time however that your Summary and reflection are a bit more comprehensive. Thanks:)
Haley Luurtsema

Roundup: Long way to go for Haiti's reconstruction. - 0 views

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shared by Haley Luurtsema on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • killed at least 250,000 and left 1.5 million homeless, with the effects still painfully evident a year on.
  • Only 5 percent of the rubble has been removed in the year since, according to authorities
  • Haitians have learnt to live with the devastation and have used collapsed buildings to improvise small businesses and even homes. And with reconstruction dragging on, people began to repair their houses themselves.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • After the quake hit, the international society made many efforts to help Haiti rebuild.
  • The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published recently that, in one year, the organization had vaccinated two million Haitian children, helped more than 720,000 children return to school, and set up 369 children centers to provide daily activities for nearly 95,000 children.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also said in a report that the organization had provided materials for building shelters for 172,000 Haitian families. A total of 160,000 families had received items for sanitation and daily life, and 216,000 people had received medical aid from the organization.
  • The Haitian government itself has launched a series of plans for reconstruction. Facilities for water, electricity and communication have been repaired, and more than 300,000 homeless have been settled.
  • for a country where more than half of the population lives on less than a dollar per day and access to education, health and sanitation services was severely insufficient even before the earthquake, reconstruction is not an easy task.
  • a lot has been accomplished, especially in the crucial first 72 hours after the quake, but there are still massive tasks ahead.
  • Haley Luurtsema on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: Still today, what are the social, economical, and political effects of the earthquake in Haiti? Citation Source: "Roundup: Long way to go for Haiti's reconstruction." Xinhua News Agency 12 Jan. 2011. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summary: This Article is about Haiti's struggle to reconstruct. It tells us that the earthquake has killed at least 250,000 and left 1.5 million homeless. Only 5% of the rubble has been removed in a year since the tragedy. However, Haitians have learned to live with  the destruction and used the collapsed buildings to even become their homes. Because the reconstruction is taking so long, many families have begun to reconstruct themselves. Nevertheless, many organizations around the world have been helping Haiti. The (UNICEF) U.N Children's Fund has vaccinated 2 million children, helped more than 720,000 children go to school, set up 369 centers for activities for nearly 95,000 children. The Haitian government has launched reconstruction for water facilities, electricity, common repair, and homed more then 300,000. More than half of the population lives on less than a dollar a day and access to education and heath sanitation. Above all, reconstruction is not an easy task as shown. 
jeni bouwman

The Feminists In The Middle Of Tahrir Square | Modern Egypt Info - 0 views

www.modernegypt.info/...in-the-middle-of-tahrir-square

shared by jeni bouwman on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • At the height of the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, I saw the crowds cleaved by a stream of girls and young women in pink and blue veils. Men formed a shield around them so they could move through the square unimpeded.
  • To which one of the women added: “We are here as women, but we are speaking out for everyone.”
  • alls of fear, class, and even gender were broken. There was no feminism or ideology. Women were simply demanding the same pragmatic constitutional changes that every Egyptian wants.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Egypt have always held prominent public roles in the media, film, literature, and civil society
  • hla, a village north of Cairo, had already taken up the torch. Jailed, menaced, and exiled throughout her life, Saadawi is now 79 and could be found protesting in the square every day.
  • ddict. In the 1967 war with Israel she volunteered as a doctor in the trenches and in the Palestinian camps in Jordan.
  • off to
  • She went on to graduate from medical school, become a chest surgeon, and marry a fellow student who ran off to Suez as a guerrilla fighter against the British and returned a broken man and drug a
  • student who ran off to
  • 972 she broke even more taboos than Hoda Shaarawi did by writing Women and Sex, which dealt with female desire, religion, and genital mutilation. Unsurprisingly, it angered the religious and political authorities.
  • jeni bouwman on 10 Mar 11
     
    summary: Only Egyptian women were allowed to do this protest. They wore pink and blue veils. If any men tried to join this the women would kick him out and say its only for women, but speaking out for everyone. they are doing this to show that they want more rights as women.  Response:  I think this is a crazy idea to do, to only let girls be allowed to do that. But also a very good idea because girls never get to do what they want to. This way it shows that they really want there rights because they should! Girls should not be any different then the men.  Questions:  1. What laws do the women want to change by doing this?2. What was the purpose of wearing the veils?  3. What were they trying to prove? 4. How big of event was this, what did it change? 
Bryce Lutke

BBC NEWS | Americas | Keeping Cuba on the economic road - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7795388.stm

Cuba

shared by Bryce Lutke on 09 Mar 11 - Cached
  • In many ways, this communist island in the Caribbean has managed to survive despite the odds.
  • One of the effects of the embargo is that the streets of the Cuban capital, Havana, are still filled with many of the same old American cars
  • were here when Fidel Castro came to power 50 years ago.
  • ...27 more annotations...
  • Geovani Perez drives a red and cream 1959 Buick convertible. It was built the year that Fidel Castro came to power. Like much of the Cuban economy, it's still running - if only just.
  • Cubans have become masters of improvisation.
  • The only cars that Cubans are legally allowed to buy or sell are those built before the revolution.
  • It's the same with housing. Most Cubans have title to their homes and can pass them on to their children but there is no open market to buy or sell land or property.
  • One of the goals of Fidel Castro's revolution was to create an egalitarian society.
  • Private enterprise was banned and everyone from doctors to factory workers was paid the same.
  • Today Cuba has one of the most centrally controlled, state-run economies left in the world.
  • It is inefficient and the average salary is barely $25 (£17) a month.
  • Since taking over from his ailing brother
  • Raul Castro has initiated some modest but symbolic reforms.
  • "Socialism means... equality of rights and opportunities, not salaries. Equality does not mean egalitarianism," he said.
  • President Castro has ordered that workers should receive bonuses based on productivity.
  • Cuba should be self-sufficient in food but instead spends $2bn (£1.4bn) a year on imports.
  • It is the small private sector which produces most of the food
  • Cuba remains a one-party state
  • Politically, though, there are no signs of reform.
  • A few critical voices within the communist party are tolerated.
  • Alongside the old American cars, the roads here are also full of old Russian Ladas.
  • Drive past any school and the children's uniforms are another reminder of the Soviet
  • Primary school children wear red and white, with a red neck scarf. Just like their former Soviet counterparts were, this age group are called the Pioneers.
  • Education and health are both known here as "triumphs of the revolution".
  • Cuba boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world.
  • The health statistics are equally impressive. All the key indicators from infant mortality to life expectancy are among the best in the Americas.
  • Its doctor to patient ratio is one of the highest in the world.
  • Health care has now become a major export.
  • Cuba sends tens of thousands of doctors and health workers to some of the poorest parts of Latin America and Africa.
  • From the earliest days of the revolution, one of our objectives was to let other countries in the third world share in our achievements.
  • Bryce Lutke on 09 Mar 11
     
    What is the effect of the trade embargo on the Cuban Economy? Summary: Cuba Has struggled though the rule of Fidel Castro. There are still  many signs of what the effects are today, classic 1950's cars are still quite common in the nation because cars have become so expensive to by from the government. Despite all of these things Cuba has accomplished many things; they have accomplished one of the highest literacy rates in the world and a great health care program. They send doctors throughout the Americas and Africa to help others who are less fortunate then themselves. Response: It is quite impressive what Cuba has been able to accomplish what they have given the fact that their government owns almost all of their businesses and controls so many aspects of their lives. I think it is amazing how they have adapted to how to live in a communist government, making their own repairs to their cars and still making 50 year old cars run instead of buying new cars. They have come a long way as a nation but I think they still have a long ways to go before they can be a great nation.   
Katie Feikema

THE GREEN REPUBLIC: A CONSERVATION HISTORY OF COSTA RICA.(Review)(Brief Article). - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do

Conservation Costa Rica

shared by Katie Feikema on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The conservation of nature is a socio-historical phenomenon that expresses the awareness and ethical values of those who propose to carry it out
  • easy to read book. The Green Republic is about the establishment of Costa Rica's internationally recognized system of protected areas
  • Like all social processes, however, the history of natural resource conservation in Costa Rica is riddled with paradox, passion, and self-interest as well as dedication and commitment.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • the greatest paradox of all is that this nation continues to have one of the world's highest rates of deforestation while simultaneously possessing an immense system of conservation areas in relation to its size, with 25 percent of the country under some form of protection.
  • and other contradictions in both the governmental arena and civil society.
  • Cuello, Cesar. "THE GREEN REPUBLIC: A CONSERVATION HISTORY OF COSTA RICA." Environment 42.1 (2000): 43. Student Edition. Web. 10 Mar. 2011.
  • http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=STOM&docId=A59121194&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0
  • Katie Feikema on 10 Mar 11
     
    Summary: This article tells about a book that was written about the ecological conservation in Costa Rica.  Reflection: I found it interesting that this article tells us about the social aspect that any new process goes through. While most articles tell of all the good that has been done, this one tells of the less shining aspects of the process. We are also told of the slightly hypocritical deforestation that is going on in Costa Rica even though they are so in favor of saving the environment.  Questions: 1) When will they begin to protect their forests as much as the rest of their environment? 2) How much would their economy suffer if they stopped the logging? 3) Have they cut down on the amount of logging since the book was written.
Mackenzie Haveman

Student Edition  Document - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...tab.do

Haiti earthquake effects

shared by Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The American Institutes for Research (AIR), as part of its commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to help Haiti's education system, has responded to the devastating January 2010 earthquake by assembling emergency classrooms and providing special training for teachers to help them cope with the lingering effects of the disaster.
  • AIR has assembled temporary schools and classrooms, improved school hygiene facilities, distributed school materials, and provided training and psychosocial support for teachers and school directors.
  • AIR has also compiled a directory that identifies Haitian organizations that support primary and secondary education and school-based health activities in the country. The directory has made it easier to identify organizations working to provide education assistance in Haiti.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • At least 322 emergency classrooms have been assembled. More than 25,000 students have been able to resume their education. A total of 733 teachers and school directors have received special training so they can return to work.
    • Mackenzie Haveman
      Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11
       
      Response:I think that what AIR is doing is definitely very helpful. It is very important to help keep their kids in school and have them grow up with an education. I think that this is they type of help that Haiti needs in order to recover. I think that if there were different organizations or countries that could focus on one specific thing to help out with, like education, Haiti could be on their way to a healthy rebuilding. My research question is, "What are the social, political, and economical effects on Haiti after the earthquake." I think that this article definitely ties into my question in that of it can connect to the political point. The education system is definitely part of the political standpoint, and there are much more systems that are to be fixed that are parts of their politics. I think that education is definitely a great place to start because they can teach their children a new way of life, and it can potentially give hope for the country's future.  Questions:1. What are other systems that we can help in where we an go in and teach them? 2. Could the new generation of students potentially flip their society?3. Besides classrooms and training teachers, what else could be helped through the education system if they want their students to help make a difference?
  • Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11
     
    "AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH'S CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE COMMITMENTS BENEFIT CHILDREN IN HAITI AFFECTED BY THE JANUARY 2010 EARTHQUAKE." States News Service 21 Sept. 2010. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summery:  This article is about what The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is doing in helping the effects on Haiti. This institute has tried to focus on students and on education systems. They have helped assemble emergency classrooms and they have trained for teachers to be a part of a good education system and helped them deal with the unforgotten effects. There have been at least 322 emergency classrooms assembled, more than 25,000 students have been able to resume their education, and a total of 733 teachers and school directors have received training so they can return to their works.   
Leah Hop

How Mexico Can Stop Losing The Drug War - 0 views

www.businessinsider.com/top-losing-the-drug-war-2011-3

Mexico drug war

shared by Leah Hop on 09 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Mexican President Felipe Calderon is losing his war on the drug cartels.
  • More than 35,000 people have died in the conflict - 15,000 in 2010 alone - and drug-related violence continues to spiral to new, horrifying levels.
  • Mexican production of marijuana, heroin and meth continues to ramp up.
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • Mexico cannot win its war against the cartels unless the U.S. does more to curb insatiable American demand
  • Weak democratic institutions, a corrupt and ineffective judicial system and underdeveloped infrastructure have made it virtually impossible for the Mexican government to break up the country’s vast and flexible criminal networks.
  • Calderon would be better advised to focus on more attainable goals; like implementing judicial reforms, expanding access to credit, growing the middle class, and promoting government accountability and transparency.
  • Restoring a semblance of order to Mexico’s civil and political society would be a good first step toward reversing the country’s slow economic growth and declining global competitiveness.
  • most of Mexico’s major cartels do not have a political or social agenda
  • The fight against drug traffickers - and the militarization of domestic security - is eroding Mexico’s democracy
  • escalating violence and terror is endangering business growth and fledgling civic networks.
  • using the Mexican military to fight the drug war point to the army’s success capturing drug kingpins and cartel cell leaders
  • drug war has destabilized the cartel leadership and led to the atomization of powerful criminal organizations into smaller, more regionalized gangs.
  • If left alone, these weaker organizations will wield considerably less influence over local governments and law enforcement than their predecessors. Stronger democratic institutions and a reformed criminal justice system would further marginalize and weaken these gangs.
  • Calderon could recall the 45,000 troops he sent to fight the drug war and call for a ceasefire between the Mexican army and the cartels
  • Money, not power, is the goal for the vast majority of Mexican traffickers. The cost of fighting a multi-front war seriously cuts into profits.
  • As long as American demand exists, the drug trade will thrive south of the border. But as the cost of doing business in Mexico increases, the nexus of power will shift to other Latin American countries.
  • Leah Hop on 09 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Wyler, Grace. "How Mexico Can Stop Losing The Drug War." Politix. Business Insider, 5 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summary: Mexico is losing the war on the drug cartels and can't win its war unless the U.S does more to stop our drug addiction. More than 35,000 people have died due to drug related violence and this fight against drug traffickers is eroding Mexico's democracy. In the last decade, Mexico has made steps to fix their slow economic growth but still have a long, long way to go. Also, the Mexican military has captured drug kings and cartel cell leaders, which has helped destabilize cartel leadership and create smaller/regional gangs. Having smaller/weaker organizations will have less of an influence over local governments. Reflection: I agree with this article in the fact that the U.S needs to lose our greedy demand for drugs in order to help stop the drug war. The corrupt and ineffective judicial system as well as the underdeveloped infrastructure has made it basically impossible for the Mexican government to stop these drug gangs. I think if Mexico really wants this drug war to end, then they need to iron out their government so that they can become stronger on a democratic and judicial level.. Questions:  1) Is there any way the U.S can decrease their demand for drugs? 2) Can Calderon do anything to rebuild the corrupt government? 3) If Mexico's government was less corrupt, would their still be a drug war?
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