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megan lemmen

Failure to curb drug war exposes Mexico's weakness - 1 views

www.chron.com/...7399732.html

drug failure

shared by megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Overall, the total number of people killed during the past four years is 30,196
  • Most of these deaths are attributed to disputes among the various drug cartels over control of the drug trade routes leading to lucrative U.S. drug markets.
  • A clear example of Mexico's institutional weakness is the escape of 140 prisoners from a Nuevo Laredo state penitentiary. A convoy of buses and trucks reportedly drove off with the prisoners who exited the prison through a service entrance. This could only occur with the knowledge and benign approval of state and local officials.
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  • The reason that the Mexican government has not been able to make any substantial progress is that the money generated from this illegal drug trade is estimated to be between $8.3 billion and $24.9 billion. This capital is used by criminal bosses to elect and influence officials at all levels of government.
    • megan lemmen
      megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: This man has strong opinions, much like myself. Mexico would be better off with a government extreme makeover rather than our US dollars going to encourage lying, deceit, and a shaky judicial system. When people start using money to pay for their innocence, things start to get messy. Money talks, surely. Nothing significant is changing; we still see the death toll increasing drastically each month. More lives have been lost in Mexico than in Afghanistan-is that because the US isn't militarily involved yet, or because we are monetarily involved? Questions: 1) If the United States gets involved with our military, will we be fighting two wars?2) Is it worth it to continue sending our money to Mexico?3) Is the President really a problem, or are people just looking for someone to blame?4) Is it our job to restructure the government of Mexico?
  • megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Valdez, Avelardo. "Failure to curb drug war exposes Mexico's weakness." Chron: Viewpoints, Outlook. N.p., 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. . Summary: More people have lost their lives in the drug war than in the war in Afghanistan; it's obvious that something is amiss here. Although many "famous" drug leaders have been caught, the problem still exists in Mexico. Again, we see that money is an issue; government officials are paid to help the criminals. The weak criminal justice system in Mexico allows for people to use their connections to avoid arrest, conviction, etc. President Calderon started this war even though it's obvious that they are incapable of winning under these circumstances. It may have been a political stunt to win votes for his campaign. The US should spend our money rebuilding the government instead of encouraging the government to become more corrupt. ***rest of info is on sticky note on this page
Mallory Huizenga

"Costa Rica Aims to Be a Carbon-Neutral Nation" - 0 views

www.npr.org/...story.php

NPR CostaRica

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 29 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • It's announced it wants to be the first developing nation to be carbon-neutral; that is, to have zero output of carbon dioxide. It's goal is to be that by 2021.
  • A small regional air carrier called Nature Air advertises itself as the world's first carbon-neutral airline.
  • What if everything, every hotel room, every sack of coffee beans, every microprocessor made by Intel carried the C-neutral brand?
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  • Land owners think of cattle, agriculture or selling to a developer, and forest conservation is the last thing they think about. So we need to create an incentive so the property owner will conserve.
  • Saving trees is important. They're the lungs of the Earth. Costa Rica claims to have planted five million trees last year, although there's no proof how many of them survived, but that's not going to make this or any other country carbon-neutral.
  • New Zealand and Norway have also pledged to erase their carbon footprints
  • What if you don't become carbon neutral but become 90% carbon neutral? I think this still would be a great example to the world.
  • The big obstacle for all three countries is transportation.
  • I'm not against it, but I think it will be very difficult, because here our culture is not educated for such a thing.
  • Some Costa Ricans believe their government's goal of zero carbon emissions is a distraction from more pressing environmental problems. Illegal loggers are still hauling out old growth hardwoods.
  • , in 2005 Costa Rican plant life absorbed about two and a half million metric tons of CO2, but Costa Ricans produced five times that amount, about twelve and a half million metric tons of CO2
  • Or 80% carbon neutral, or 70%. People who work on global warming say considering the sluggish movement of most countries on climate change, Costa Rica's green crusade, however quixotic, should be applauded.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 29 Mar 11
     
    Research Journal #3: Article Two Research Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: NPR: "Costa Rica Aims to Be a Carbon-Neutral Nation" by John Burnett Citation: Burnett, John. "Costa Rica Aims to Be a Carbon-Neutral Nation." Climate Connections. NPR, Feb. 2008. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. . Summary: This article is set up interview style. The author John Burnett, talks with different people about Costa Rica's goal to become carbon-neutral by 2021. Becoming carbon-neutral in a short amount of time isn't that easy. Other countries such as New Zealand and Norway also hope to become carbon-neutral, but have set their goal for a later date of 2050. This article focuses on the transportation, cattle ranching, trees, and the Costa Rican government. The article looks at what those areas are doing to bring Costa Rica to being carbon-neutral. The article does speak of how failure of reaching this goal is quite possible unless Costa Rica works hard to change its ways.  Reflection: I found this article intriguing because it brought forth the idea that Costa Rica could fail. Other articles I have read, don't talk about the possibility of failure. If Costa Rica takes the right steps, and works hard to change their ways I do believe they can become carbon-neutral. I hope that Costa Rica works hard to achieve this goal. They have strong potential. I think there willingness and their drive to become carbon-neutral will lead them to becoming carbon-neutral. Questions: 1) How far along is Costa Rica on their journey to becoming carbon-neutral? 2) How much is still need to be done for Costa Rica in the next 10 years? 3) How many other countries are striving to become carbon-neutral? 4) Is America looking at one day becoming carbon-neutral?
Jodie deVries

North Korea blasts US nuclear policy, vows to bolster atomic arsenal - 2 views

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NorthKorea NuclearPolicy academic onefile

shared by Jodie deVries on 15 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) - North Korea lashed out at the new US nuclear policy
  • SEOUL, April 9 (
  • North Korea lashed out at the new US nuclear policy
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  • SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap)
  • the administration of US President Barack Obama renounced the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states,
  • but it left open all options, including a nuclear attack, on countries such as North Korea or Iran that defy international nuclear nonproliferation obligations.
  • The statement came after Obama warned the North of isolation because of its nuclear defiance.
  • signal to countries that are not abiding by their Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations, that they will be isolated," Obama said
  • Pyongyang has claimed that Washington's "hostile policy" towards it forced the regime to develop atomic bombs, and that the country cannot give up nuclear weapons unless the US nuclear threat is removed.
  • "As long as the US nuclear threat persists, the DPRK will increase and update various type nuclear weapons as its deterrent in such a manner as it deems necessary in the days ahead."
  • North Korea has been under mounting pressure to return to the negotiating table, but the regime is demanding the removal of UN sanctions, which were imposed for its atomic bomb test last year, as well as the start of separate talks with Washington for a peace treaty.
  • Jodie deVries on 15 Feb 11
     
    What is North Korea's Nuclear Policy and what effects does it have on the Korean People?  "North Korea blasts US nuclear policy, vows to bolster atomic arsenal." BBC Monitoring International Reports 9 Apr. 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=AONE&docId=A223588700&source=gale&srcprod=AONE&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summery: North Korea became angry and "lashed out" at the United States new nuclear policy which says that Barak Obama and his administration "renounced the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, but it left open all options, including a nuclear attack, on countries such as North Korea or Iran that defy international nuclear nonproliferation obligations." In other words the US says no nuclear activity against any non-nuclear country but they are willing to attack North Korea because it is unwilling to adhere to the nonproliferation obligations. Obana also warned North Korea that failure to comply could lead to an isolation of North Korea. However, Pyongayng says that this is a "hostile policy" and that North Korea will continue to make and develop atomic weapons until the United State are no longer a nuclear threat.
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
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  • 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
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  • 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
Jodie deVries

Shift on North Korea - 1 views

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NorthKorea NuclearPolicy academic onefile

shared by Jodie deVries on 15 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • rospects for the resum
  • Prospects for the resumption of talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons drive remain clouded.
  • The United States is unlikely to soften its policy toward nuclear-armed North Korea
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  • Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons drive among the United States, Russia, China, the two Koreas and Japan have been frozen since December 2008.
  • Prospects for renewed negotiations have been clouded by South Korean and U.S. accusations that the North torpedoed one of Seoul's warships in March, a charge it denies.
  • "There's very little optimism within the administration that North Korea will now ever give up its nuclear weapons, and therefore there is little push for using the limited political capital the president has on what would be seen as sort of a lost cause,"
  • two preconditions for talks on North Korea's weapons program to resume.
  • The first, he said, would be for North Korea to fulfill commitments it has already made.
  • The second, Klingner said, would be the "satisfaction" of South Korea's concerns over the North's sinking of the South Korean warship the Cheonan earlier this year.
  • North Korea is unlikely to make progress on either of those two preconditions, and because both Washington and Seoul express no intention of lowering the bar on those preconditions, we're unlikely to see a return to the six-party talks,"
  • "The U.S. position, as affirmed in a pre-presidential trip briefing, is that it needs to see actions-not words-by North Korea."
  • "My understanding is that the incoming chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee has expressed an interest in this issue and is likely to take a more active role in finding ways to criticize the DPRK [North Korea] for its failures."
  • outside experts who had euphoric expectations that the change in U.S. leadership from Bush to Obama would lead to a breakthrough with North Korea-with North Korea no longer feeling 'threatened' by Bush-
  • those outside analysts are now shifting over to the more skeptical, pessimistic view."
  • Jodie deVries on 15 Feb 11
     
    What is North Korea's Nuclear Policy and what effects does it have on the Korean People?  "NO SHIFT ON NORTH KOREA." States News Service 10 Nov. 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=AONE&docId=CJ241804370&source=gale&srcprod=AONE&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summery: President Obama took another trip to North Korea in November of 2010 to try and persuade North Korea to re-enter the six-party talks. He also discussed the future of North Korea. Unfortunately the outlook is still bleak. The six-party talks, which were to discus the nuclear weapons drive between the United States, Russia, both Korea's and Japan, have been halted since December 2008. Prospects for a renewal of these bleak after accusations by South Korea and the US that North Korea torpedoed one of Seoul's warships. In order for the US and others to be willing to resume talks there would be two preconditions: the invitation of of an International Atomic Energy Agency inspector to look over North Korean dismantlement procedures and the resolution of the concerns held by South Korea over the sinking of the South Korean's warship. Unfortunately North Korea is unlikely to follow either of these preconditions so the likely hood of the six-party talks continuing is slim. 
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 28 Feb 11
     
    Jodie, great job overall but you are missing the questions section for each posting.
Heather Kapenga

Misconception And Myths Surrounding ARVs. - 0 views

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Zambia HIV_AIDS effects

shared by Heather Kapenga on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Despite all the efforts by scientists all over the world to find the cure for AIDS, all what they can boast of is the invasion of the anti-retroviral drugs, ARVs as they are commonly known. They are not a cure for AIDS but have proved to be the best option to prolong the lifespan of HIV infected people.
  • Realising the important role that these drugs play in helping people living with AIDS live longer, the Government subsidised the price of these drugs for poor people to easily access them.
  • the Government embarked on an ambitious programme to put about 100,000 HIV patients on ARVs, which target was however, not met.
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  • Many people have talked strongly against the drugs and are championing calls for the stoppage of administering the drugs.
  • A survey conducted revealed that the majority were against the use of the drugs because they made people gain weight and that the medicine was an instant killer.
  • A strong myth of curing HIV/AIDS by having sex with minors has also cast a dark shadow on the Zambian community as the country has been rocked with cases of defilement and rape in the recent past. This has in a way helped the spread of HIV/AIDS.
  • Further, some people still believe that the drugs change the complexion of a person and make them lose their tempers easily with others thinking that the drug make someone's body swollen.
  • The drugs do not cure HIV/AIDS and have their guidelines that need to be followed at all costs if the drugs were to work normally and avoid complications.
  • Unlike some medicines that can be taken inconsistently without causing major side effects, ARVs can be dangerous and in extreme cases fatal if inconsistently and incorrectly taken.
  • And because of this failure to adhere to their use, the drug have been described as a danger to the human life. Some people have shunned treatment while others have remained reluctant to seek treatment for fear of the misconceptions.
  • A further survey, however, revealed that mostly, the negative attitude towards the drugs was due to the misconception and myths surrounding these drugs.
  • It is for this reason that the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) recently organised a three day media workshop on ARVs in its continued effort to educate media practitioners and the general public on the advantages of ARVs.
  • "Once the media people know exactly how the ARVs work, their side effects and the benefits of taking the drugs, they would be able to correctly inform the public on the goodness of the drugs"
  • Apart from improving the health of an infected person, ARVs were invented to reduce the amount of HIV virus in the body and support the immune system to enable it fight the virus.
  • The ARVs are generally there to help the infected persons live longer.
  • Heather Kapenga on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of HIV/AIDS in Zambia? Citation: "Misconception And Myths Surrounding ARVs." Africa News Service 26 June 2006. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011 Summary: This article explains how in Zambia doctors are trying a new drug called ARVs. However, the people in Zambia are complaining about the major side effects that this drug does such as gaining weight, easily loosing their tempers, and even death. The people in Zambia want the drug to be dis-continued but, scientists argue saying that the drug is meant for people living with HIV/AIDS to live longer but will not heal them from HIV/AIDS. In fact the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) organized a 3 day media workshop to show that the drug is effective and will not have those major side effects if used properly.
Joy Merlino

A Bold New Palestinian Approach Can Succeed - Council on Foreign Relations - 0 views

www.cfr.org/...p23784

Palestine Independence

shared by Joy Merlino on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The demolition of East Jerusalem's Shepherd Hotel this week to make way for a new Jewish housing development follows two years of failure by the Obama administration in bringing Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table.
  • Yet it should not obscure a revolutionary new Palestinian approach towards statehood that is producing results. While the international community has spent the past two years focused on Israeli settlement activity – allowing the issue to thwart negotiations to end the conflict – Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Authority prime minister, has made significant headway in the West Bank. Under his leadership, the PA is taking steps to help Palestine become a fully functioning state. This pragmatic “bottom up” effort reflects nothing short of a thoroughly reconstructed Palestinian approach towards peace with Israel.
  • Mr Fayyad's strategy is one of self-reliance and self-empowerment; his focus is on good government, economic opportunity, and law and order for the Palestinians – and security for Israel by extension– removing whatever pretexts may exist for Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. He has abandoned “armed struggle” and international intervention – the traditional Palestinian approaches to attaining nationalist objectives. Instead, by changing social and political realities and concretely preparing for independence, Mr Fayyad is trying to change perceptions of what is possible.
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  • Since 2007 when Mr Fayyad took over, the West Bank economy has taken off.
  • Government spending has remained within budgetary targets and improved tax collection rates have resulted in higher than projected domestic tax revenues. Unemployment, close to 20 per cent in 2008, has fallen by nearly a third. More than 120 schools have been built in the past two years, along with 1,100 miles of road and 900 miles of water networks. the prime minister's goal has been for Palestinians to be prepared for de facto statehood by 2011; from an economic and institutional standpoint, he has achieved this.
  • Mr Fayyad's Palestinian critics accuse him of naivety, however noble his intentions. They argue that Israel will never allow the Palestinians to succeed. They want to declare independence now. Yet proclaiming independence without negotiating with Israel will create a state that controls only 40 per cent of the West Bank, leaving Gaza in Hamas's control and all of Jerusalem in Israel's.
  • Israel should end its ambivalence and recognise that Mr Fayyad and PA president Mahmoud Abbas are the best Palestinian partners they are likely to find.
  • Mr Fayyad does not seek to establish Palestine unilaterally – he recognises that Israeli partnership is required.
  • Fayyadism alone will not resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Only an agreement accepted by Israelis and Palestinians can do that. But Fayyadism is helping support that effort, and preparing the groundwork for peace and Palestinian statehood, in a way that negotiations alone and armed struggle never could.
  • Joy Merlino on 08 Mar 11
     
    How does the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affect the futures of both Israeli and Palestinian children? Danin, Robert. "A Bold New Palestinian Approach Can Succeed ." Council on Foreign Relations. N.p., 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Summary: The Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad, has decided to embark on a different strategy in regard to peace with Israel. He has "abandoned 'armed struggle' and international intervention... and instead, by changing social and political realities & concretely preparing for independence, Mr. Fayyah is trying to change perceptions of what is possible." From an economical standpoint, the strategy seems to be working. The economy has been boosted, & Palestine is moving more and more towards being able to become an independent state. Reflection: In theory, this is a great was for Palestine to work with Israel. However, time will tell how this new strategy will pan out. It may be that Israel would take advantage an idealist such as the prime minister, & it may be also that the Palestinian people will not stand behind a solution that is this inactive. Time will tell if this new strategy is a positive step towards Palestinian independence, or if it is merely an idealistic dream. 
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
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  • "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?
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