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lane rottschafer

Can Afghan Farmers Move Beyond Opium? - 0 views

www.time.com/...0,8599,1991283,00.html

opium crops profit

shared by lane rottschafer on 14 Apr 11 - Cached
  • Don Dwyer, a longtime expert in international agricultural development
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also dispatched 60 advisers to boost the efforts of Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock
  • The first thing Rahimi did in his post was put together a viable new national agriculture plan focusing on four components: natural-resource management, production, postharvest handling and marketing
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • What makes products like pomegranates, almonds and especially grapes so exciting, experts say, is that a plot of these legal gems can be five times more profitable than an equivalent-size plot of poppies.
  • The drawback, however, is start-up time.
  • Poppies, which are cultivated to produce opium, are an annually harvested crop. The establishment of a grape vineyard could take three to five years
  • the production cycle is only part of the problem
  • Saffron is also a high-value crop: one kilogram can fetch $2,000 to $3,000 in the local market
  • That compares to just over $90 a kilogram for poppies
  • The farmer's problem is processing, development, getting a brand and entering the international market ...
  • it's more practical to focus on enhancing the production of crops that farmers are already growing — like wheat and corn.
  • "Getting a farmer to try something new is very, very difficult. So we're trying to get them to take what they're doing now and just do it better,"
  • there has been significant progress. Over 1,000 new orchards have been planted, 30,000 tons of improved wheat seeds were distributed and ministry officials in provincial centers are working with foreign counterparts on development projects including aid programs to wean farmers off poppy
  • many complain that government involvement at the local level remains minimal to nonexistent.
  • "Agricultural production in Afghanistan needs long-term commitments and investments
  • lane rottschafer on 14 Apr 11
     
    http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1991283,00.html Can Afghan Farmers Move Beyond Opium? What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan? Summary: People are trying really hard to get them to grow other crops but its jut not working. They could make even more money than with the poppy if they just wait the period of time it takes to start a new crop Response: I think that this article shows that its pretty obvious things could change. It is hard to say to people, "stop what your doing and stop making money, but in the long hall you will make more money." I don't even know how many people here in america would take that chance. Questions: 1) what are the main foods that they could grow? 2) Why are those foods so fresh and tasty there? 3) They have the best ground for some of these crops, why aren't they using it? 4) What are all the crops that they could grow that would make them even more of a profit if they just wait? Citation: HAUSLOHNER, ABIGAIL. "Can Afghan Farmers Move Beyond Opium?." TIME. Ed. Kabul. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .
lane rottschafer

Afghan opium poppy crop: Mixed results from drugs war - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...world-south-asia-12329142

Opium Drug Trade Middle East

shared by lane rottschafer on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • predicted to be down for the second year running.
  • poppy growing will increase elsewhere in Afghanistan.
  • poppy growing will spread
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • the price to farmers more than doubled last year to $164 a kilogram
  • the third year running, Helmand's crop is forecast to reduce this year
  • These two provinces are by far the largest poppy-growing regions in Afghanistan - accounting for more than a third of the world's opium
  • Even these predicted reductions will leave more than 65,000 hectares under cultivation for poppies in Helmand and some 25,000 hectares in Kandahar.
  • lane rottschafer on 17 Feb 11
     
    BBC News - Afghan opium poppy crop: Mixed results from drugs war http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12329142 Summary: This article is about the Afghan opium poppy crop. It talks about how the sales seems to be going down, but they think they will go up soon too. Also, According to satellite imaging, poppy growing will spread into provinces that were recently poppy-free. Last year, the price for farmers doubled, but for buyers it stayed the same. As stated, "When you see more conflict, when you see more poverty, you will see more opium cultivation." Helmand and Kandahar are the largest poppy-growing regions in Afghanistan - accounting for more than a third of the world's opium between them. Even these reductions will leave more than 65,000 hectares under cultivation for poppies in Helmand and around 25,000 hectares in Kandahar. Reflection: In this article, it talks a lot about the poppy crop, and if its going up or down. In some ways its going down, but they also suspect it will go up again. I feel bad for these people that they need to grow and sell these drugs, to survive in there culture. Even though the amount being sold might be going down, there is still a huge issue with how large of an amount is still being sold. Questions: 1) What would it take to make it go down 2) What would we need to get rid of it completely 3) Who are the main sellers? 4) Who are the main buyers? why?
lane rottschafer

Addicted nation.(CURRENT COMMENT)(Afghanistan as an opium producer)(Brief article) - 0 views

find.galegroup.com

Opium Poppy Afghanistan

shared by lane rottschafer on 08 Mar 11 - Cached
  • lane rottschafer on 08 Mar 11
     
    http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T003&sgCurrentPosition=&subjectAction=&prodId=STOM&searchId=R1&docId=A235289555&currentPosition=1&bucketSubId=&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docLevel=&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(ke,None,5)opium:And:FQE%3D(ke,None,11)afghanistan:And:LQE%3D(AC,None,8)fulltext$&inPS=true&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&nav=prev Addicted nation.(CURRENT COMMENT)(Afghanistan as an opium producer)(Brief article) What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan Summary: Afghanistan is the worlds largest opium producers. Now they are seeing to have addicts to opium of all ages. The most common is a 28 year old male, married with children but separated from his wife. Parents are giving opium to there children as a pain killer because that have no other choices. Over half a million people don't have access to addiction treatment. The growing of poppy, (opium) is partly increasing because of greater access to irrigation and fertilizers. Families that grow poppy are reluctant to switch to a food crop because it would make them less money. Summary: I think that the issues are getting worse now that parents are starting to give it to there children. THis is creating a whole new generation of addicts. The fact that the people who are already addicted don't have access to a recovery center doesn't help either. Also, having poppy bring in more of an income to families who grow it, It will be almost impossible to make them switch to a food crop. Questions: 1) Why are there not other pain killers for families 2) What are other crops that people could grow to get a good income 3) How many exactly are addicted to opium 4) How many kids under the age of 18 are addicted. Citation: "Addicted nation." America 16 Aug. 2010: 4. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
lane rottschafer

Unknown disease wipes out half of Afghan opium crop. - 0 views

AcademicOneFile

Opium damaged crop

shared by lane rottschafer on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • lane rottschafer on 14 Apr 11
     
    http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(K0,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,22)opium+afghanistan+crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T004&prodId=AONE&searchId=R7&currentPosition=2&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docId=CJ236030044&docType=IAC What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan ? Summary: in 2010 there was a huge dieses that swept over around 50 percent of all the poppy plants. They didn't know exactly what was causing it, they were wanting to blame British and U.S troops, but there was no way to prove anything. They thought it could be bugs but no way of knowing for sure. Reflection: I think that its interesting that there is a HUGE brake out with the plants and around 50% of them were killed and no one knows how?? That seems incredible to me that no one would no how to figure out what happened to them? Questions: 1) Why doesn't anyone know what happened? 2) Is there a reason that we don't know, why this happened? 3) How did this effect the sales? 4) How was this effected money wise? Citation: What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan
Brielle DeFrell

The Delta-our abused, neglected child: the troubled Niger Delta is the linchipin of Nig... - 0 views

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

shared by Brielle DeFrell on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • t is because of the Delta that Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the sixth largest in the world. Oil accounts for 40% of its GDP.
  • looking at our recent his-tory, Nigeria has suffered particularly badly from a form of Dutch Disease'. This term, coined by The Economist to define the relationship between the exploitation of natural resources and a decline in other sectors of the economy, also implies a decline in moral backbone.
  • Owing to the overweening importance of oil, the body politic has succumbed to temptation to greed
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The formerly vibrant agricultural sector, which still employs 60% of the national workforce, used to grow its own food and was a net exporter. Now the very crops that once built Nigeria's reputation as the largest sub-regional exporter, are being imported. Despite the mining sector's huge potential, its story is also largely one of neglect: as well as coal and tin, there is iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and zinc.
  • Asian governments tried juggling fuel subsidies to keep businesses alive and Americans started leaving their cars at home. In a global economy, our crisis in the Niger Delta can have a terrifying impact on all of us.
  • Brielle DeFrell on 14 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the oil competition in Nigeria? Okhomina, Osamede. "The Delta-our abused, neglected child: the troubled Niger Delta is the linchpin of Nigeria's economy and one of the world's most important sources of oil and gas. But the troubles continue to rumble on with no real solution in sight. Oilman Osamede Okhomina * warns of the dire consequences of a failure to find answers." African Business July 2008: 62+. Student Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. Reflection: It's really hard to realize that the oil competition has actually brought down the morality of people that they can leave a girl with polio laying in a puddle.  Summary: The author of this article was in a taxi in Lagos during a rainy day. As he was being drove around he saw a girl submerged in water that was crippled from polio, no one stopping to help but splashing up the water on her. He believes that since the oil has become such a big part of Nigeria's economy that the morality of people has gone down.The people are getting more greedy. Nigeria also used to be a big agricultural sector, but since the oil growth the same crops they once exported are now being imported because they don't do it themselves. It's also causing the rest of the world to worry because if any crisis hits the Niger Delta, it will have an impact on the entire world. Questions: Is there a way to create a moral backbone again for Nigeria? Should we feel partially responsible for the loss of morals since they are supporting us with so much oil?
Ryan Wassink

High opium price not increasing cultivation in Afghanistan: report - Monsters and Critics - 1 views

www.monstersandcritics.com/...tivation-in-Afghanistan-report

shared by Ryan Wassink on 28 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • strongly associated with insecurity and lack of agricultural assistance.'
  • aid the reasons
  • The UN report said the reasons for decreasing cultivation could be dry cli
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • mate conditions leading to crop failure
  • a changing political environment, increasing government control and more military operations by Afghan and international troops around the time of poppy planting which 'may have' discouraged the farmers.
  • The price went up by 164 per cent in 2010
  • The total harvest was nearly halved due to bad weather conditions and a plant disease.
  • istan is the world's biggest opium-producing country with a global share of 77 per cent. At least 1.7 million farmers are directly engaged in the cultivation of poppy farms, according to the UN. For the Taliban insurgents, poppy production is one of the main sources of income which funds their insurgency.
  • Afghan
khamkhoun sedsaykongsa

Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Toward Capitalism? - 0 views

0-sks.sirs.com.elibrary.mel.org/...hst-article-display

Cuba embargoes

shared by khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR July 23, 2008, n.p. © Copyright 2008, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. All rights reserved.
  • Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Toward Capitalism?
  • By Sara Miller Llana and Matthew Clark Staff Writers of The Christian Science Monitor
  • ...13 more annotations...
  •      Such gray-market microenterprises exemplify a spirit of dynamism and creativity straining to be fully unleashed, say some observers of Cuba. The question of the day: Is Raul Castro about to release it?
  •      The island nation's economy has struggled mightily since losing the support of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
  •      Raul's reputation as a pragmatist is unfurling expectations here that the era of asceticism and austerity is coming to a close. Major agricultural reforms have been unveiled. And in a speech earlier this month, he seemed to be preparing the populace for an economic shift.
  • And a recent flurry of headline-grabbing changes--such as allowing Cubans to patronize tourist hotels and to own cellphones, DVD players, and computers--is fueling speculation about how fast Raul will pursue the "China model" of a managed creep toward free markets.
  • The government created about 150 categories of licenses for Cubans to start their own businesses, and the ranks of self-employed swelled to 200,000.
  • Raul granted private farmers the right to till plots of up to 99 acres of unused government land. This follows a previous announcement to shift control of farms from the central government in Havana to local councils, raise prices for certain products to boost production, and give farmers the right to use whatever farm equipment they can afford to buy.
  •      Cuba now relies heavily on Venezuela, whose leftist President Hugo Chavez sends nearly 100,000 barrels of oil a day to the island in exchange for social services, such as Cuban doctors and teachers.
  •      Currently more than half of arable land lies fallow or is under used, according to Cuban government figures cited by The Associated Press. Cuba spent $1.5 billion importing food last year. This year it is expected to spend $1 billion more, say officials.
  •      But while some Cubans blame their economic woes on strict controls and prohibitive taxes, many still view the US and its 1962 trade embargo as the bigger culprit. No matter how much Raul seeks to open the economy, the embargo will stand in the way of much-needed foreign investment, analysts say.
  • On May 27, a group of trade representatives from Texas wrapped up the first official state visit to the island since the US established the embargo.
  • Cuba is an important market for Texan cattle, rice, poultry, cotton, and processed food products that enter under provisions in the US embargo that allow small amounts of trade in agricultural products.
  •      Such goodwill may not be the status quo in either nation right now, but the sense that change is coming certainly is. "The social values we espouse mean nothing if there is no economic basis," says Renel, a young lawyer in Havana. "Whether it is socialism, communism, capitalism, even feudalism, things are going to change."
  • Citation: You can copy and paste this information into your own documents. Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011.
  • khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 08 Mar 11
     
    Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011. Summary: The article describes how Cuba has an underground free market economy that Raul Castro is allowing. They is a shortage of food and texans want to end the embargo to sell their cattle and crops. Reflection: Their people are hungry, hardly any food for their own people. So the U.S and Cuban should work together to get rid of the embargo because it would help both. Question:  1. How much will Fidel Castro let Raul making change? 2. How Cuban American fell about getting rid of embargo?
Kyleah Vander Klok

HIV/AIDS deepens food crisis in southern Africa. (News). - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...infomark.do

zambia

shared by Kyleah Vander Klok on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Severe food shortages in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe--and in parts of South Africa--are being worsened by HIV/AIDS. The disease is having "dramatic" effects on agriculture
  • Zambia have already declared their food shortages national disasters
  • households affected by HIV/ AIDS had a far lower yearly income (rand 13 000, i.e. USS 1300) than the unaffected households (rand 20 000 or USS 2000). HIV/AIDS-hit households spent more on medical care and hospital bills, transport and funerals, but less on housing and education.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • households met part of the cost of AIDS by selling their goats and chickens and taking their children out of school.
  • another study shows that by the time a person dies of AIDS, two person-years of labour have been lost--not only because of the incapacity of the patient, but because of the care that others have to provide, and because in many places people can't work during funerals
  • HIV/AIDS also impoverishes the household, so affected families are less able to buy food,
  • people are not fully aware of this, but HIV/AIDS has become a major part of the food crisis
  • Kyleah Vander Klok on 10 Mar 11
     
    HIV/AIDS deepens food crisis in southern Africa. (News). Walgate, Robert, and Kerry Cullinan. "HIV/AIDS deepens food crisis in southern Africa. (News)." Bulletin of the World Health Organization 80.8 (2002): 687. Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=AONE&docId=A92081438&source=gale&srcprod=AONE&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 2. Because of AIDS and other problems there are food shortages in Zambia and other countries. The costs of funeral are to high for families so they can barely live and with the money they do earn it is not enough to feed a family.  3. I did not expect that it would cause food shortages. I thought that it may cause people to not be able to buy food because of expenses but I did not think of the problems with not enough people to grow crops.  4. What would it be like to live in fear that family was going to die? would this kind of life desensitize the people living there to what is going on? How many family members are taken care of by one family member
Mallory Huizenga

"Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index" - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8498456.stm

BBC

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11 - Cached
  • It was also the first developing country to state its aim of being carbon neutral (by 2021), in part through the mass planting of trees.
  • more than half its territory is now covered in trees, compared to 20% in the 1980s.
  • Costa Rica was placed third out of 163 countries, up from fifth two years ago.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • "But basically the country does care about the environment. Other governments shove it down towards the bottom of their priorities."
  • The latest version of the Happy Planet Index compiled by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), placed Costa Rica on top of every country in the world. It makes an explicit link between happiness and the environment, and combines three key variables - what people say about their life satisfaction, their longevity and their ecological footprint.
  • Well over 90% of its energy supply comes from renewable sources.
  • He points out that Costa Ricans often answer the question 'How are you?' with the phrase "pura vida". It literally translates as "pure life" but roughly means "cool" or "everything's fine".
  • "I am very aware of my carbon footprint," says Pilar Saborio, Costa Rica's ambassador to the UK.
  • a range of green initiatives, including "ecological sanctuaries" where congregations learn to grow crops, including medicinal plants, in an environmentally sound way.
  • says Mr Ulate. "Now I have a simpler, less materialistic life, more in tune with nature."
  • "Every time I construct any new building, I have to get a certificate from the national environment office that I am not damaging the environment," says Juan Francisco Montealegre, who owns a construction company.
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11
       
      Research Journal #1 continued...  Reflection: I found this article to be extremely helpful as I begin my research on Costa Rica. It gives a great summary of where Costa Rica stands as a country. I didn't know that Costa Rica scored so high on the "Happy Planet Index". This article surprised me on a number of levels regarding the life in Costa Rica. I never knew that they were and are trying so hard to lower their carbon footprint. I believe that living a "green" lifestyle is important, and when the whole country is striving for the same goal it makes it easier for the individual to strive as well. I think what Costa Rica is doing is awesome! They are setting a great example for other countries. Costa Rica is focusing on living a "simpler, less materialistic life, [and] more in tune with nature" lifestyle.  Questions: 1) What does the daily life of a Costa Rican look like? 2) How is Costa Rica enforcing ecological conservation? 3) What happens if Costa Rican don't follow the "green" rules? 4) In terms of my research question I am wondering how I can better and fine tune it. 5) For our exhibit I think we are going to have to properly include how Costa Rica is benefitting from their conservation.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Journal #1: Article One Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: BBC News: "Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index" by James Painter Citation: Painter, James. ""Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index"." Costa Rica. BBC, 7 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. . Summary: This articles focuses on Costa Rica's happiness level, and how it directly corresponds to its "go green" attitude. The article is broken down into three sections: Costa Rica- green and happy, Open cast mining, and Pura vida. The section Costa Rica- green and happy talks about how Costa Rica is the first developing country working towards being carbon neutral, and how the country has improved ecological. It states that "the country does care about the environment". The end of this section leads into the next section talking about Costa Rica's "happy" lifestyle. In the section open cast mining the author talks about the people of Costa Rica and what they are doing to keep their country "green". The population works hard to make sure their carbon footprint is as small as possible. New buildings that are constructed must be certified by the national environment office. The people of Costa Rica are coming together to find ways to support and healthy and happy planet. The last section of the article is Pura vida. This section talks about the benefit of living a "green" lifestyle: how both the population and land are benefitting. Costa Rica knows it isn't perfect, but they are striving to create a country that helps the greater good of our plant. Reflection & Questions on Sticky Note (Part of Annotations)
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.
  • 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.
  • ...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.
  • 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.
  • 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:)
Ryan Wassink

Myanmar reports progress in opium destruction - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2011030700861.html

shared by Ryan Wassink on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Afghanistan supplies more than 90 percent of the world's opium, the raw ingredient used to make heroin, with 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of the crop planted last year, according to the U.N. Myanmar is distant second with less than a third of that land being used to grow poppies in the country.
  • Opium cultivation in Myanmar has dropped from more then 400,000 acres (160,000 hectares) in 1996 to a little more than 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) in 2006, but has been inching up since.
  • Ryan Wassink on 10 Mar 11
     
    Source: The Washington Post: Myanmar reports progress in opium destruction http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030700861.html Summary: This article is about how myanmar (the second leading producer of opium in the world next to afghanastan) has been trying to get rid of the drug in there country. In this specific article 15,000 out of there total 50,000 acres of opium had been destroyed. They say that the drug should be eliminated by 2014. Although the US is uncertain about this because in myanmar the governments first priority is to dealing with ethic minority groups.  Reflection: This article was about myanmar not afghanastan which my research question is about. However I got some great information that I believe will be able to help me. This article gave me the amount and percentage of opium in afghanastan which I did not know before and it also told me that the second leader in opium is trying to get rid of it so that could mean more for afghanistan.  Questions: Why is myanmar getting rid of opium? Do they have other exports? What does the UN think about this after dealing with afghanistan? Will they actually be able to get rid of all there opium?
Ryan Wassink

Poppies making a strong comeback in Afghanistan - Wire - Lifestyle - bellinghamherald.com - 0 views

www.bellinghamherald.com/...-making-a-strong-comeback.html

shared by Ryan Wassink on 12 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • They say soaring drug prices, along with the government's failure to fulfill the promises it made as part of its eradication program, left them no choice.
  • I could be making as much from growing poppy in one year as I'd earn from other crops in 10 years.
  • Initially, farmers were paid for destroying their poppy fields. The Afghan government eventually stopped that program and instead promised to provide farmers with seeds, fertilizers and infrastructure improvements so
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • "Last year, opium was priced at $90 per kilogram," he said. "This year, it's $380."
  • Ryan Wassink on 12 Apr 11
     
    Source: The Bellingham Herald: Poppies making a strong comeback in Afghanistan Summary:This article was about how farmers were getting angry with the government. The government tried to get farmers to stop producing poppy. They did things like pay people to get rid of it or provide them with other things to do. But in this article there are a few testimonies where the government did not do what they promised to do so now these farmers are going to go back to there old ways and farm poppy again so they can get money. Otherwise they have no way of making money. Reflection: This was a very helpful article for me to read. I was not entirely aware that the government was trying to do things about the poppy production. I thought it was mostly just NATO and other forces. But all in all this was a very helpful article for me to read. It had more interesting statistics and also gave me a better idea of what was going on. Questions: What was the government eradication program? Why was the government not as involved as they said they would be?
William Leys

Due to flooding, the Australian Coal Production Loss $ 8, 3 Billion | Business Area - 0 views

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Australia Flooding

shared by William Leys on 10 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • SIDNEY – Damage caused by flooding in Australia some time ago resulted in the loss of coal production is estimated at $ 8, 3 billion.
  • s previously projected. Heavy floods hit parts of Queensland in January, causing significant damage, among which is the cessation of mining production and the cessation of transportation infrastructure.
  • “It is estimated the lost coal production ranges between 20-30 million tonnes,” said the Australian Treasury Department was quoted as saying by the AFP on Sunday (03/04/2011). Previously the government has indeed been estimated that the floods which covers an area of ​​the country of France and Germany will cut its coal production of approximately 15 million tons in the first quarter of March.
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  • In addition to main economic impacts due to these disasters is the disruption of mining and coal exports. Another thing that affects the agriculture in several countries. “Rising prices for crops and livestock, leaving farmers to further increase the expenditures and strive to increase their capital,” said the Australian Treasury. Besides these two effects, the flood that killed more than 30 people also have an impact on the tourism industry. Tourism Australia is facing some problems.
  • William Leys on 10 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding? Summary: Continuing problems with coal have impacted Australia more than anticipated Reflection: Since the coal mines still have stagnant water in them, the process of procuring coal has stayed difficult and over-costly. Forcing coal prices to rise for the Australian-Asian market. Questions: Why were the original lost tonnage estimates by the Australian Government so off? Shouldn't they have had a better picture of the amount lost?
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