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Brielle DeFrell

Online NewsHour: Tension and Violence Arise Over Oil Drilling in Nigeria -- August 25, ... - 0 views

  • Tensions and violence have been rising in Nigeria as Shell Oil has sought the rights to drill more widely for more oil in the Niger River Delta region
  • oil at 67 bucks a barrel,
  • A lot of money is flowing to Nigeria; a lot of money is flowing to oil companies -- not just Shell - but Chevron, Exxon/Mobile, and a number of others that are drilling there.
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  • last several decades violence has been building off and on in the Niger River Delta
  • lucrative industry, which is living right next to very, very poor people and there is been a lot of conflict over time, a lot of mistrust built up between residents and the companies.
  • People feel that they have been cheated; people feel that their rights have been violated; they end up protesting against the companies or in some cases attacking the companies. The companies end up -- have to be protected by the military.
  • RAY SUAREZ: Not gaining but also feeling themselves burdened -- don't they -- by environmental concerns, fouling of the groundwater, that kind of thing?
  • t money paid to Nigeria's government in taxes - and the Nigerian Government will admit this -- a lot of the money over the years has been stolen.
  • Nigeria has a tremendous corruption problem, and the money that's disappeared is probably in the billions -- not the millions -- over the years -- perhaps the tens of billions
  • don't really have much of a functioning government
  • There aren't any roads in many areas; there aren't good schools in many areas; many places don't even have electricity; many places don't have telephone lines, although cell phones are now spreading through independent companies.
  • oil companies will say first off that they don't employ that many people
  • Shell acknowledged more than 200 oil spills last year alone. Thousands of barrels of oil were spilled in the water and there have been many oil spills over the years. And that has contributed, by many people's accounts, to environmental degradation there.
  • the face of the government to many people is a police officer or a soldier or sailor who is there fundamentally to guard an oil installation and not to help the people, or protect the people.
  • a feeling that the government has taken sides in this triangle and it's with the companies and not with the people who live there?
  • various ethnic groups in the Delta and tribal groups and different villages and individuals, many, many different groups, and it is often felt that the oil companies have taken sides, that they have gone about a divide and rule practice as some people will call it.
  • when they get frustrated, when there is an ethnic militia or an ethnic group that is going to engage in violence, they'll often turn it against oil companies, which they will see as perfectly justified, even though the oil companies will find it an outrageous disruption;
  • We get 1.2 million barrels a day from Nigeria; it's the fifth largest supplier of oil to the United States
  • Every day there is some more than 100,000 barrels, 140,000 from one company, as a matter of fact, that doesn't get out of Nigeria because of violence over the last couple of years and some days that's a much higher number.
  • in some cases you simply have people who live next to an oil facility, who feel they have been cheated, who feel that they're actually worse off for the facility being there because of pollution and other problems - who feel they're not benefiting and they go and they protest.
  • terminal in 2002 and again in 2005 was invaded by residents from nearby villages who simply felt that they were not gaining anything from Chevron.
  • They invade the terminal; they shut it down; Chevron makes promises; people feel the promises aren't kept; they come back again. That's one way that there's violence.
  • ethnic conflicts; there was a major one in 2003 revolving around elections
  • one group that felt that another group was having the election rigged in their favor and so they struck out. And they battled with Nigeria's military to some degree and they also attacked oil facilities because that was a way that they could strike back at the government.
  • disputed who owned a bit of oil land. The question who was got paid a little bit of money for the oil that was discovered on that land. They ended up fighting over it; a number of people were murdered.
  • military came in and essentially, by some people's account, settled matters by burning one of the villages. The military denies that the burning was intentional but, in any event, we went and visited -- a great number of buildings were destroyed, a number of people were killed.
  • no evidence of the government in many of these places. Does the oil company become -- in effect -- the government, and how do they respond to these challenges? What did they tell you about what they're trying to do in that part of Nigeria?
  • oil companies will have showcase instances in which they provided some community development.
  • instances in which oil companies have to acknowledge they have made promises that haven't been kept.
  • They will promise, for example -- in a village near the Chevron Terminal there is erosion of the land, which is blamed on the way that Chevron has managed its land. Whether that's fair or not, Chevron has promised to fix it by building some new housing on some new land. It hasn't been done yet, and Chevron has its own reasons why that hasn't been done -- they'll say because the situation is too unstable and there's been too much violence.
  • So each company is trying to do something but the question is: Are they doing something that's just public relations or that's too small to make a regional difference in a region of millions of people, or are they really going to do something that could change the situation?
    • Brielle DeFrell
       
      Summary: Tensions between oil companies and the Nigerian people have been escalating for decades. The violence has increased as the years have gone by and the promises the oil companies have said they would do have not been fulfilled. As the oil companies don't have the jobs to give to the Nigerian people, they feel like they don't get any benefit out of the oil companies being there. The people feel like they have been cheated and lied to constantly, although sometimes the oil companies have kept their promises. The environmental issues have continued in the area, but also social issues have risen up too. The government is so corrupt that the people are living on the "outside" of the world. There aren't roads, not many good schools, many don't have electricity or telephone lines. They know there is so much more out there because of the oil rigs they see next to them, but they aren't able to experience it. The people have risen up many times against their "government", also known as our oil companies, that we don't get up to 100,000 barrels of oil a day. Invasions have happened at oil companies and people have been murdered because of the problems here. 
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    Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Lehrer, Jim. "Tension and Violence Arise Over Oil Drilling in Nigeria." Online NewsHour. PBS, 25 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Reflection: Wow, never before did I realize all the problems that Nigeria has. Not only has the oil companies caused many environmental problems, but they have also caused the people to not trust them and the promises they throw at them like candy. I understand that is one of our major places to get oil from, but I really think we need to look into what the companies are causing the Nigerian people to do to not just us, but each other. To think that our oil companies is pretty much their only government, that is really scary. Question: *Is there a way to set up a REAL way to help with environmental issues here? *If companies start to keep companies will people settle down? *Can we help Nigeria set up a functioning, uncorrupt, government?
Kyleah Vander Klok

World Health HIV counseling and testing. (the effects of HIV/AIDS in Zambia). - 0 views

  • When people know what their status is, they can cope better and make plans for their own and their family's future.
  • Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, has been severely affected by HIV. The seroprevalence among women, as shown by anonymous antenatal screening surveys, is around 30%, and recent community surveys indicate that 26% of both men and women aged 15 to 39 years are HIV-seropositive.
  • most households have to care for sick family members or for the children of relatives who have died.
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  • Zambia's first VCT centre, the Kara Counseling and Training Trust, was established in November 1992 and offers a variety of support services outside the workplace or medical centre. These include a skills training programme for people with HIV
  • There are tens of thousands of AIDS orphans
  • there is still often great reluctance to be tested.
  • there is little medical help available for people with HIV
  • More than 20 million of the 30 million people estimated to be living with HIV at the end of 1997 live in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS estimates that more than 90% of these are unaware of their infection.
    • Kyleah Vander Klok
       
      When people know what their status is, they can cope better and make plans for their own and their family's future. The seroprevalence among women, as shown by anonymous antenatal screening surveys, is around 30%, and recent community surveys indicate that 26% of both men and women aged 15 to 39 years are HIV-seropositive. most households have to care for sick family members or for the children of relatives who have died. tens of thousands of AIDS orphans here is still often great reluctance to be tested there is little medical help available for people with HIV More than 20 million of the 30 million people estimated to be living with HIV at the end of 1997 live in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS estimates that more than 90% of these are unaware of their infection.
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    What are the effects of HIV/AIDS in Zambia? Ignatius Kayawe, Michael Kelly, and Rachel Baggaley. "HIV counselling and testing." World Health 51.6 (1998): 12. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=STOM&docId=A54902050&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.02. After a VCT test people can more easily prepare their life with or without the disease. They say how counseling and preparing for the future will be help the people and bring down the rate of people who get it. They examined why people do not what to take a test. The reasons they do not is because of fear of having it, and what others will say, the strong denial of it ever happening.3. I did not realize that there was so much fear that was behind having AIDS. I knew there probably was some but not in the want to get rid of it. I really like that people are at least trying to help people cope with having the virus and that people with the discovery are changing their lives against getting the virus. It is terrible to think that their are so many orphans living in Zambia and having to support themselves after their parents die.4. Do people realize how many kids live without parents? What can be done to encourage people to take the tests and get help? Is there research being done to eliminate the virus? How long can a person live with the virus?
Nick Mast

Academic OneFile  Document - 0 views

  • Synopsis: Fewer than 3 in 10 Egyptians (28%) in 2010 expressed confidence in the honesty of elections in their country.
  • s that might be included in a new constitution, large majorities said they would support freedom of speech and religion.
  • When asked hypothetically in 2009 about rig
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  • But the 2010 ele
  • ctions that
  • esulted in a landslide victory for Mubarak's National Democratic Party were mired with widespread fraud allegations.
  • nearly all Egyptians (96%) said they would "probably agree" with the inclusion of free speech as a guaranteed right in a new country's constitution. A majority of them (75%) also said they would probably agree with constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of assembly (52%) or the right to congregate for any reason or in support of any cause.
  • gyptians' lack of confidence in the honesty of elections in previous years highlights the need for quick constitutional guarantees to set the stage for free and transparent elections.
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    Before Uprising, Egyptians Lacked Faith in Honesty of Elections; Nearly all in 2009 said they would in theory support freedom of speech as a constitutional right.(survey) By: Gallup Organization Byline:Mohamed Younis Summary: In 2010 3 in every 10 people trusted the current Egyptian government. Many people thought that Mubaraks win in 2010 was rigged by people inside the government.  People in the country want in there next leader someone who listens and a lot of people want to be given freedom of religion and freedom of speech.The voting and choosing of leaders after the citizens protests is important they make the right moves and decisions for there country and the world will all be watching as this evolves carefully.  Reflection: To read this article and see that only 3 out every 10 people expressed confidence in the egyptian government, that low of a number just shocked me. No wonder everyone in the country revolted, no one trusted them. So now that the people have gotten rid of there old president they need to put there trust back into the government in making a smart choice about who is going to be the next leader, and they have to make sure they pick a leader who will hear there voices, for freedom of speech and religion and more.  Questions: What do people in Egypt now think of there governmental stand? Are more people starting to believe in the government? Do the people trust the government they have in place now? What would government have to change to make people trust them again?
Jodie deVries

Escaping North Korea - National Geographic Magazine - 1 views

  •  
    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. 
Jodie deVries

BBC News - Charities warn of food shortages in North Korea - 1 views

  • they saw evidence of looming food shortages and alarming malnutrition, including people picking wild grasses to eat.
  • North Korea has suffered major food shortages in the past.
  • A famine in the 1990s saw hundreds of thousands of people - perhaps as many as two million - die of starvation.
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  • It is well documented that during food shortages in the North, people will forage for weeds, herbs and wild grasses to supplement their meagre diet.
  • The charity workers
  • spent a week in North Korea earlier this month, invited by the government
  • 50% and 80% of the wheat and barley planted for harvesting in the spring has been killed by the extreme cold of the past two months, as well as potato seedlings.
  • ncrease in malnutrition over the past six months
  • acute cases
  • last vegetable harvest was much poorer than expected.
  • North Korea's embassies have been asking foreign countries to provide aid.
  • One concern of America, which until 2009 was one of North Korea's biggest food donors, is whether food reaches those in need or is given to the military and political elite.
  • Aid from South Korea was stopped too - apart from one small shipment last year - in protest at the lack of progress on denuclearisation.
  • The current issue of possible humanitarian need is set against difficult political relations after a military confrontation last year in which the North shelled a South Korean island near their disputed sea border.
  •  
    How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people? Ravenscroft, Nick. "Charities warn of food shortages in North Korea." BBC News. BBC, 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .Summery: Recently a group of Humanitarians went into North Korea as invited by the Government. They discovered that North Korea is in a desperate situation. They are quickly running out of food and their people are malnourished. The harvest of wheat and barley has been mostly killed by a severe cold and their veggie harvests have been low. Some people are resorting to eating wild grasses. In 1990 North Korea faced a similar situation and millions of their people died. Now North Korea is pleading for help but because of their past actions people are hesitant to give it. The US, South Korea and the UN are afraid that food they may give to North Korea will only go to serve the government elite and the military. They are also holding this over North Korea to change Nuclear policy. Reflection: I want to simply say North Korea brought this upon itself, which is somewhat true, but I can't because the people who are starving are not the people who have caused the problems. It is extremely unfair that the people who have done nothing wrong are being starved because of the actions of their government. I wish there was a simple solution but unfortunately there just isn't. Questions: 1) What options do the US, South Korea and the UN have to get people in North Korea food?2) If the North Korean government is pleading for help, will they be willing to compromise for it?3) How is the North Korean government going to deal with the issues they have created for themselves?
Heather Kapenga

Zambia's HIV infection rates up. - 0 views

  • The country's National AIDS Council (NAC) said the rate of new HIV infection rose from 70, 000 in 2007 to 82, 000 this year.
  • 79 percent of the new infections were resulted from active people having sex with non-regular partners.
  • Zambia's Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS, an organization embracing all religions, said there was need to spread latest information on new infections to sustain prevention among young people, adding that the organization was committed to ensuring that the southern African country remains free from HIV/ AIDS by 2015.
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  • Zambia's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate currently stands at 14.3 percent among people aged between 15 and 49.
  • the unprecedented number of new infections had resulted in an increase in orphans and vulnerable children, pledging that the government and cooperating partners will consider increasing budgetary support in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
  • COPYRIGHT 2009 COMTEX News Network, Inc. LUSAKA, Dec 02, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Zambia
    • Heather Kapenga
       
      Reflection: I was very surprised by how huge these numbers are of people in Zambia who are affected by HIV/AIDS and how 82,000 people this year are affected by it. I was also surprised to read about how up to 79% of people in Zambia are infected with AIDS by having affairs and that you would think they would not do this so they do not end up being infected with AIDS and passing it down to their children right away from birth. This article contributes to my research question because, it gives out facts about how many people are affected by AIDS and how that affects them and their children and how they would like to put an end to this epidemic before this disease keeps passing on.Questions:1. Why do these people continue to be infected by HIV/AIDS when they can put a stop to it by not being sexually active?2. Are there any other ways to prevent these people from being infected by HIV/AIDS?3.Why would it take up to 2015 for southern African countries to become HIV/AIDS free?
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    Research Question: What is the effect of AIDS/HIV in Zambia? Citation: "Zambia's HIV infection rates up." Xinhua News Agency 2 Dec. 2009. Student Edition. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. Summary: The National AIDS Council (NAC) says that the rate of  the HIV infection has increased dramatically from 70,000 people to 82,000 people in Zambia. Also there is an epidemic of up to 79% of people who are being infected by HIV by having affairs. Plus Zambia's Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS ensured that souther African countries to remain AIDS free by 2015. Finally the current rate of people in Zambia affected by HIV/AIDS is at 14.3% for people between the ages of 15 and 49.
Jodie deVries

North Korea's 'Currency Reforms' Hurt Thousands : NPR - 1 views

  • July 19, 2010
  • You might think it would be hard to make life more miserable for North Koreans, but their government did just that last fall when it tossed out its old currency and introduced a new one.
  • middle-class
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  • means that she was not starving.
  • Her father was an iron miner
  • Her mother was selling socks.
  • eking by an existence
  • she considered herself extremely privileged because she would occasionally get an egg to eat.
  • these people, again, managed to raise themselves up. They were hit terribly hard by a currency devaluation that the government brought about last fall.
  • Overnight, basically, all their money was wiped out.
  • We're talking about people who had maybe $100, $200 in savings
  • But by a North Korean standard, that was what was going to give them a future.
  • even though education is nominally free in North Korea, you have to buy books, you have to give gifts of cash to your teachers who are themselves not paid.
  • the tragedy that all of the hard work that they had done to bring themselves up from that despair was lost overnight.
  • people having heart attacks and sort of nervous breakdowns when this happened because it was so sudden and, even by North Korean standards, so cruel.
  • People were told in most towns about noon on a Monday that
  • And they had usually till the end of the day to turn in their money. And they would get new money dispensed that would be worth a dollar or two. It wasn't really clear what the value was.
  • henceforth, all their money would be basically garbage, just paper.
  • They killed themselves. They swore against the regime. Things like this had never happened.
  • From the perspective of the North Korean government, they saw the very notion of money, currency, as sort of antithetical to the socialist way of doing things. This is a very undiluted brand of communism, and you're supposed to be handed your house, your clothing, your food. You're not supposed to buy things for yourself. And the government hated the fact that people were working privately on the markets, buying their own food and having that level of economic freedom. And that's what they wanted to wipe out.
  • by destroying the money supply, the government can print new money and use it for its own purposes.
  • the net effect was confiscating everybody's money.
  • think this is the sixth time they've done it. This is what a North Korean economist told me. But this time, they faltered.
  • being a totalitarian regime means never having to say you're sorry.
  • But in this case, it went so bad, they said they were sorry.
  • Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
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    North Korea's 'Currency Reforms' Hurt Thousands How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people?  Demick, Barbra. Interview by Renee Montagne. "North Korea's 'Currency Reforms' Hurt Th." Morning Edition. NPR, 19 July 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . Summary: The Communist North Korean government decided to change the currency of their country abruptly which destroyed the savings of many of its people. The government felt that the people having money was anti communist. In the article there is a case study on a 17 year old girl who grew up in a middle class household which meant that she wasn't starving. The other reason it is believed that the government chose to change currency was to "confiscate" the money of the people to gain money to make a celebration for Kim Jong Ilk's birthday.  Responce: How terrible for a country to be able to so easily destroy the hopes and dreams of its people! This article is so directly an answer to our research question because in a democratic government this could have never happened. This is a good article to have read because the case study will be very advantageous for our presentation. Questions: 1) How can a government do that to it's people? 2) What are the continuing effects of this currency change? 3) What are some other case studies like the 17 year old girl? (i will be checking the book this is based off out of the library.)
Heather Kapenga

Now SACCORD Seeks to Resolve HIV/Aids Conflict. - 0 views

  • However, for the Southern African Centre for Conflict Resolutions of Disputes (SACCORD), political leaders could be key in helping to mitigate the effects of this pandemic.
  • He observed that what killed people infected with the HIV/AIDS was not the disease itself alone but the attitude that people cast on such patients.
  • Habasonda said it was sad that stigma had reached high levels - extents where people got depressed and died because no one took the interest to take care of them.
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  • "It is high time that we mobilised the much needed political will so we mitigate the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This disease is dangerous and unless we act now, it will wipe us all out," he said.
  • It is apparent that all the arguments by these learned colleagues point but to one aspect, the need by lawmakers and the Government in particular to redouble efforts in fighting the pandemic. HIV/AIDS is not a health problem, but the most serious socio-economic problem that Zambia, indeed Africa has ever faced
  • He said it was sad that access to anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy was almost impossible in some constituencies that his organisation had taken a pilot project to sensitize people on the dangers of the pandemic.
  • Habasonda said voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centres were other facilities that were not available in remote areas. He said the issue of CD4 count machines was worrying and Government should address it.
  • Habasonda said HIV/AIDS should not remain within the bounds social issue but it should be mainstreamed in political circles for the fight to be won.
    • Heather Kapenga
       
      Reaction: I was actually pretty surprised to read that there were people that were not dying from complications of HIV/AIDS but, instead there are those that are dying from being so depressed about having HIV/AIDS because of the attitude the people placed on them for being infected with HIV/AIDS. This relates to my research question because the SACCORD realizes how big an effect this HIV/AIDS epidemic has been in Zambia and they want to work with the Government to come up with ways that they can help with those who are suffering from this disease and for those who are dying of depression because they have HIV/AIDS. Questions:1. Besides trying to get therapy and counseling in Zambia is there anything else that the Government and SACCORD can do to help those who are suffering from complications of HIV/AIDS?2. What if therapy and counseling doesn't help those who have depression and many people still take their lives? What will the Government and SACCORD do then?3. Will therapy and counseling really help these people or not?
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    Research Question: What are the effects of HIV/AIDS in Zambia? Citation: "Now SACCORD Seeks to Resolve HIV/Aids Conflict." Africa News Service 12 Aug. 2005. Student Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. Summary: The summary of this article is that SACCORD (Southern African Centre for Conflict Resolutions of Dispute) political leaders want to try and help those in Zambia who have been infected by HIV/AIDS and did a one day workshop in Zambia and they found out that there were people who were not only dying from complications of HIV/AIDS but there were also people dying from the attitude people had on them which led those people to become depressed and died. SACCORD wants to team up with the Government and come up with ways that they can help these people not only emotionally but physically as well. That's why SACCORD wants to try and get therapy and counseling in Zambia for those who have HIV/AIDS so that it can help those who are depressed from becoming dead and the HIV/AIDS epidemic wiping out all of Zambia.
Kyleah Vander Klok

The drugs, the drugs - 0 views

  • the blanket assumption that everyone dying in the country has Aids, and the lack of education to give people an informed choice of whether to rake the drugs or not, many Zambians will do anything (even go hungry) just to buy what they believe are "life-giving" drugs, without thinking about their side effects.
  • he was given the drugs because he had had a cough for a month.
  • "there are many people in Africa with latent TB just waiting for HIV to come and acrivate it", TB has become the most HIV related disease on the continent today.
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  • It is, therefore, very common that people testing HIV positive, or even assumed to be, are immediately prescribed TB drugs as a first option.
  • families in Lusaka who have lost loved ones to what they believe were the side effects of the "anti-Aids" drugs. All of them said their relatives were not tested for HIV -- they were assumed to be infected by the virus because of the symptoms their illnesses showed
  • There is growing pressure on the Zambian government to acquire anti-Aids drugs than finding preventative measures.
  • There is, therefore, an urgent need for people to be given an informed choice before being put on the anti-Aids drugs.
  • People should also be told that being on the drugs is not a short-term measure because half courses (which are what most Zambians can now afford) are a death sentence. People need to know that as soon as circumstances (usually financial) force them to stop taking the drugs, the death clock starts to tick even faster because their immune systems have been compromised by the drugs.
  • some Zambians are clearly nor dying of Aids. Their illnesses are wrongly diagnosed, which leads to wrongly prescribed drugs and untimely deaths.
  • silent killer stalking the land is the fear psychosis that grips many every time they have a headache, a cough or diarrhoea. The "boosters" are not really helping much.
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    1.Nyendwa, Fred. "The drugs, the drugs." New African Dec. 2000: 31. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Apr. 2011  http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do&contentSet=IACDocuments&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=AONE&docId=A68767983&source=gale&srcprod=AONE&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0  2. Fear and hastily diagnosed AIDS has caused many deaths. The people do not know the effects of what certain drugs can do to a person. The doctors at hospitals give a diagnoses that a sickness is AIDS without testing and are putting them on dangerous drugs that can be deadly. 3. It is good that they are concerned for the people and are trying to keep them from getting TB but they do need to do testing because the people are scared of getting the disease and are uneducated so much that they don't know the difference from a normal sickness and AIDS and if the doctors are not telling helping then people are dying needlessly. 4. How much fear has been put into HIV/AIDS and is it right to do that? How can we lessen the fear of getting the disease and increasing the education in what it is? Is it bad that we are educating these people about the disease? Are we over exaggerating the possibility of getting HIV/AIDS and the whole epidemic?
Heather Kapenga

Misconception And Myths Surrounding ARVs. - 0 views

  • 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.
  •  
    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.
Jodie deVries

About Nothing To Envy | Nothing to Envy - 0 views

  • In NOTHING TO ENVY, Demick follows the lives of six people: a couple of teenaged lovers courting in secret, an idealistic woman doctor,  a homeless boy, a model factory worker who loves Kim Il Sung more than her own family and her rebellious daughter.
  • six years painstakakingly reconstructing life in a city off-limits to outsiders through interviews with defectors, smuggled photographs and videos.
  • While many books focus on the North Korean nuclear threat, NOTHING TO ENVY is one of the few that dwells on what everyday life is like for ordinary citizens. 
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  • Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime in the world today.  She gives a portrait as vivid as walking oneself through the darkened streets of North Korea.
  •  
    How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people? Summery: This book is about the lives of people living in North Korea. It is written by a woman who interviewed defectors  and looked at smuggled photos and videos. It is one of the few books written about the lives of people rather than the government or nuclear threat.  Response: This is simply an "about" for the book. I have a copy of it at home and I am reading it. I am about 40 pages in and have already learned so much about the horrors and hopes of the people living in North Korea. It is a book that so directly ties into our research question that I will read the entire book before world cultures night.  Questions: At this point many of the questions I would ask I hope will be answered by the book but I will put some of the questions I hope to have answered here. 1) What is the life of an average citizen? 2) How extreme is the control of the government on the average person? 3) Is there any hope for the North Korean People?
Nick Mast

Egypt's counter-revolutionary bogeyman | Osama Diab | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk - 0 views

  • Egyptian hopes for a more democratic future were crushed on Friday
  • The army blamed counter-revolutionary elements
  • The attacks on protesters came two we
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  • for provoking the clashes and denied responsibility for the bloodshed.
  • ks after the recently appointed cabinet passed a law restricting protests
  • With a new military regime in place, signs of similar Mubarak tactics are starting to emerge. This time, Islamists, last season's scare tactic, are replaced wi
  • the remnants of the previous regime – Egypt's new bogeyman.
  • Political stability is always something to aspire to, but the best means of achieving it is still up for debate. What Egypt needs now is genuine stability driven by social equality, political freedom and a fair enforcement of law, rather than a fake sta
  • a fair
  • n a fake sta
  • ility im
  • ressive laws and the heavy hand of brutal security
  • ed by opp
  • bility
  •  
    Egypt's counter-revolutionary bogeyman  By: Osama Diab  Summary: In the Tahrir Square in Cairo a protest turned violent when the military came and ended up arresting 41 people and leaving 2 dead. This attack came two weeks the Egyptian parliament passed a law banning protests.  The law states that participating in protests and strikes that hinder the work of public institutions or authorities during a state of emergency illegal.  The new military that has been is placed is showing very similar signs to the leadership of Mubarak. And the signs of a new democratic future coming in place are coming in really slow if they are even making progress.  Reflection: After reading this and hearing that more people and deaths have happened from the protest has been disappointing. They made good progress in getting rid of there old government and now to hear that the government is not taking the right steps into becoming democratic. From what i read and heard in this the Egyptian government still has a long way in becoming a stable government and until then there are just going to be problems and protests and more people getting killed, hurt, and arrested.  Questions:Why would the parliament pass a no protest law? How are the people going to show there frustration with the government now? How many people are going to get arrested for just protesting? How is the parliament going to react to the angry outbursts by the people?
Kyleah Vander Klok

HEART OF DARKNESS.(AIDS and HIV in Zambia). - 0 views

  • The country is 17 years into an HIV/AIDS pandemic.
  • One in four of the 9.5 million population is infected, according to experts in Zambia, and in some areas it's risen to one in three.
  • 1.5 million children in Zambia have lost one or both parents to AIDS
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  • Zambians are reluctant to accept that HJV is the cause of all the dying. The stigma of AIDS is so enormous here, survivors prefer to say that family members died from tuberculosis or meningitis, common AIDS-related conditions.
  • a baby who manages to avoid contracting HIV in utero or during delivery has about a one in three chance of getting the virus from breast-feeding
  • We have 45 orphans in our extended family already
  • This disease has become a wa
  • One generation has been wiped out due to AIDS, says Salvation Army social worker Thebisa Ghaava. "The next one will be lost due to a lack of schooling," she says.
  • Zambia has little in the way of a national HIV/AIDS education program
  • Life expectancy has dropped from 56 years to 37 in recent years, and observers believe it could reach as low as 30 within the next decade.
  • For 19-year-old Rachel Musonda, who lives in the Copperbelt mining region in the north of the country, the past four years have been a nightmare, as first her father, then her mother, and then her three older siblings died of AIDS. With each new casualty, Musonda, who was forced to drop out of high school to nurse her parents and who has no skills or financial means, has been left with more children to raise. At 15, she had no choice but to become mother and father to her six younger siblings, then aged from 13 down to one year. With the subsequent deaths of her two older sisters and brother, and their spouses, she had to take on three more children, bringing the total to nine, because there was nowhere else for them to go.
  • Anti-AIDS medications cost $10,000 to $15,000 a year, more than the vast majority of Africans earn in a lifetime.
  • Consequently, the country's budget for health care is a pitiful $6 to $8 per person per year, and that sum includes the cost of hospitals and treating other rampant health problems such as malaria.
  • And even the discounted price of $2000 a year per patient is still a fantastical sum for Zambians, representing as it does an average of nearly seven years' income for the 40 percent who are fortunate enough to be employed.
  • medications must be taken on a strictly observed schedule around meals. In Zambia, the reality is that many people can eat only when food is available. And that is increasingly becoming only once every several days.
  • 50 percent of children are chronically malnourished.
  • In spite of Christianity's wide reach, traditional beliefs still run deep, and AIDS is often attributed to witchcraft
  • Another growing factor in the spread of AIDS is the legion of street kids, often AIDS orphans, many of whom must turn to prostitution to survive, as the country has only a handful of orphanages. About 750,000 children, some as young as four, have already been forced onto the streets.
  • In 1991, they underestimated the number of infections in the year 2000 by 40 percent. Already, 17 million have died, and today there are more than 25 million infected.
  • n the capital, the HIV rate among pregnant 15-to 19-year olds is beginning to drop for the first time
  • Twenty-five percent of our population is positive," she says but that means 75 percent is negative. Three out of four of us have the means to turn the situation around. But to do that Zambians need to take control of their lives."
  •  
    What are the effects of HIV/AIDS in Zambia? 1.Harper's Bazaar: GOODWIN, JAN. "HEART OF DARKNESS." Harper's Bazaar Mar. 2001: 450. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&docId=A72411528&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 2. This document is about how so many people are orphaned because of AIDS. People do not want to hear about AIDs and they pass it off for witchcraft or other Viruses.The lifespan of the people has dropped significantly over the years.People are trying to help by letting themselves be open to the youth and be models. 3. It is terrible the effects of the virus, so many have died because the don't know or they can't do anything about it. Those poor children having to raise other kids when they themselves are still to young and have no way to support any of them.  4. WHat can be done to help kids stay off the street and not to sell their bodies to feed their family? Where can the people turn to to know what is happening and what is better for them? 
Nick Mast

BBC News - Egypt faces bumpy ride towards democracy - 0 views

  • Egypt faces bumpy ride towards democracy
  • Grievances that people were forced to swallow during the repressive Mubarak years are pouring out.
  • If they want to keep people on their side, using force to break strikes will not be a good idea.
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  • Egypt needs a new constitution, and a renewed political system. If the protesters are to get their wish for democracy, it needs free and fair elections.
  • That will stop the idea taking hold that the military wants sole charge of the levers of power. And it could also create a sense that Egyptians are in this together, which might even persuade people to go back to work.
  •  
    Jeremy Bowen-BBC Middle East Editor  Summary: This article was about anyone walking the streets in Egypt, looking around and seeing building, houses, and government building surrounded by protesters. Protesters have been protesting for last week outside of multiple government building. Workers who work for Egypt mad and upset about not getting enough money have caused many riots as well. People have been unhappy for a awhile and are finally starting to make in known but rioting at most every building, until they get the money they want and a new leader.  Reflection: I was surprised to read that a lot of the Egyptian riots have been from the workers at the government building. I did not know that they were unhappy with there pay, and that it was not only the dictatorship that was causing problems with the people. I think it is important that we read more into the problems in our world rather than just listening to the nighty news or watch a two minute clip off an american online news site. We need to go more in depth and read into the story more.  Questions: DId the workers end up getting more money?  What is the government doing to control the riots?  Are people still rioting after getting more money? How many people have been injured during riots? 
Brielle DeFrell

Oil unrest grips Nigeria; Turbulent delta raises fears of global energy shock - 0 views

  • Search
  • On Jan. 11, a militia group calling itself Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) seized four Shell engineers and held them hostage for three weeks. Armed forces attacked a flow station, killed several workers and cut Nigeria's oil exports by 10 percent. Shell removed more than 500 employees from the region.
  • 1998, a military group from the Ijaw, the largest ethnic tribe in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta, stormed Shell pipelines and platforms, cutting off one-third of the country's oil exports.
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  • the fifth-largest exporter of crude oil to the United States
  • Before Nigerian elections in 2003, an ethnic uprising shut off 40 percent of the country's oil exports.
  • From January to September 2004, there were 581 cases of pipeline vandalism in Nigeria, according to the Energy Information Administration, a U.S. agency that provides official statistics.
  • "We don't see an end to conflicts in the near future," said Taylor B. Seybolt, an analyst at the U.S. Institute of Peace. "There is a host of problems entangled together, and we expect to see more violence coming."
  • China
  • National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) struck a $2.27 billion deal with Nigeria in mid-January.
  • The Nigerian government aims to increase oil output from 2.5 million barrels per day to 3 million by the end of the year and to 4 million in 2010
  • MEND has adopted tactics different from the old pattern. It asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion to Bayelsa state, stop all oil exports and expel all foreign workers from the delta. It also demanded that the government release Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a Niger Delta militia leader arrested in 2003.
  • Mr. Albin-Lackey, however, said the government is reluctant to push the militias too hard. "It is afraid that cracking down on the militias would ignite bigger conflicts, which would disrupt the country's oil production,
  • Nigeria's oil revenue accounts for 40 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and 76 percent of the federal government's revenue.
  • . A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 a barrel,
  • "Oil can be stolen on such a large scale that they have to use oil tankers to carry the oil out without people being caught," Mr. Albin-Lackey said. "They must be connected with people in a position of influence."
  • . "After only two or three months in power, officials have already begun their lives of luxury."
  • The nine oil-containing states of southern Nigeria have been plagued for years by oil spills and air pollution. After a half-century of drilling, many pipes are leaky. Explosions occur now and then, and the frequent sabotage adds to the spills. Acid rain and toxic water damage fishing and farming, and pose great threats to the health of residents.
  • Even as gasoline prices increase in the United States, Nigeria burns oil by-products 24 hours a day.
  • Sitting atop the world's ninth-largest concentration of oil, many ordinary Nigerians don't have basic necessities such as running water, electricity, health clinics and schools. The wealth from oil does not return to the land that produced it.
  • Nigeria, which exports oil worth $30 million to $40 million per day, average personal income per year is $390.
  • The federal government has promised that 13 percent of oil revenues would be returned to the oil states, but most of the money seeps away through various level of officialdom.
  • Shell began drilling in Nigeria in 1956, when it was still a British colony. Over the past 50 years, the company has become an icon of oil wealth to many Nigerians, and for most of the time, a quasi-governmental institution.
  • In 1993, after a massive spill in Ogoni state, local poet and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa began the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni people and demanded $10 billion from Shell for environmental damage.
  • On Nov. 10, 1995, he and eight Ogoni colleagues were executed by the Nigerian government for campaigning against the devastation of the delta by oil companies, prompting international condemnation.
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    Summary: As NIgeria has grown in their production of oil they have been dealing with many uprisings from the Nigerian people and different groups. The NIgerian government is planning on increasing oil output as the years go on, hoping they can have more world oil giants join them. MEND has used new tactics than in the past and has asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion and to stop all oil exports. They also asked them to get rid of all foreign works from the delta and to release Mejahid Dokubo-Asari, a militia leader they captured in 2003. The government knows to take care of the violence it needs to push the militias, but is afraid that doing so will create bigger problems. Since oil is 40% of Nigeria's revenue it is afraid that more violence would hurt the country's economy, also effecting the rest of the world's energy market. A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 billion a barrel! The militia is able to take the oil without getting caught, which has told the Nigerian government that the people taking it are connected to those of people in a position of influence. They are usually able to figure out who these people are after two or three months because the officials start showing their money in lives of luxury. All of the oil production has caused many oil spills, air pollution, explosions, acid rain, and toxic water, all posing great threats to the health of the Nigerian people. 
Nicki Pifer

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

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    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
Hojin Choi

Boy in Pakistan tells police of school for suicide bombing - 0 views

  • A sorrowful Pakistani teen suspected of collaborating in this week's deadly suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine is claiming to police that scores of his young peers at a camp in the nation's perilous tribal region are being trained to stage attacks.
  • Fidai was arrested alive after the suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine on Sunday killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 100
  • he got suicide bombing lessons for six months, including training to use pistols, grenades and a suicide jacket.
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  • Ahmed Mubarak, the police chief of the Dera Ghazi Khan district, said the teen told police that more than 300 boys between ages 12 and 17 are being trained in North Waziristan's Mir Ali area to stage suicide bombings.
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    Research question: Is Islam a religion of peace or invitation to violence? CItation:Habblb, Nasir. Boy in Pakistan tells police of school for suicide bombing. CNN, Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/08/pakistan.teen.bomber/index.html?iref=allsearch Summary:The Pakistani teenager suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine with his young peers at a camp.Fidai was arrested alive even though he tried to suicide bombing himself.On sunday, at least 41 people and wounded more than 100 at a Sufi shrine because of Fidai. In his interview, he had been trained in order to use the pistol, suicide jacket and grenades lesson for six months, but he said that he never miss his family because Qaru Zafar who is the Taliban leader persuade him that Fidai would go to heaven if he suicide for the Taliban. Reflection:This article show how extreme Islamists are stupid. Unfortunately I can not understand that why Islamists have chosen the young people to suicide bombing for their authority. I believe that they will know their reaction bringing the violence image to the Islam. My research topic is Is Islam a religion of peace or invitation to violence? I found my answer for this article. During I research the paper for the Islam, I barely find the article about the peace of Islam. The violence reactions of Islam news are dominated in Newspaper. According this facts, the extreme Islamists need to convert their image for the peaceful Islamist. Question:1) Why the extreme Islamist  use young people to suicide bombing?2) Why Islamist hardly try to covert their image?3) How many people scarified for Islam?4) Why people easily believe that they can go heaven instead of their life?
lane rottschafer

Afghan Opium Output at Record High - 0 views

  • Afghan Opium Output at Record High
  • Afghanistan farmers are growing 477,000 acres (193,000 hectares) of opium poppies
  • a 17 percent increase from 408,000 acres (165,000 hectares) recorded in 2006
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  • The southern province of Helmand alone—with 253,944 acres (102,770 hectares) under cultivation—accounts for more than half of the national total
  • no other country in the world has ever had such a large amount of farmland used for illegal activity
  •  
    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/photogalleries/afghanistan-pictures/photo2.html Afghan Opium Output at Record High How is the Opium Drug Trade affecting the people of the middle east? Summary: They are saying that the opium sales are getting really bad. Afghanistan farmers are growing 477,000 acres (193,000 hectares) of opium poppies, that is a 17 percent increase from 408,000 acres (165,000 hectares) recorded in 2006. The southern province of Helmand alone, with 253,944 acres (102,770 hectares) of land under cultivation, accounts for more than 50% of the national total. Except for china over 100 years ago, this is the most land that has ever been used for illegal activity. Reflection: I would say that if this is the highest its been on over 100 years, there is a huge issue. I think that its interesting that the first time i heard about this huge issue is because of this project. When there is this big of an issue, everyone should be aware of it. I think that we need to some how get these people to make money some other way, and to find other ways to be stable. Its a hard situation because people even in america will do whatever it takes to survive, and thats what these people have to do. Its sad that this is the only way that they can survive. Questions: 1) why is there so much be sold now? 2) how many people are growing it, not just how much land? 3) how much do they need to sell to survive for a week? 4) how much do they need to sell to survive for a month? Citation: Images, Reza/Getty. "Afghan Opium Output at Record High." National Geographic. N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2011. .
Troy Rietsma

Shrinking Lake Chad turning farmland into desert - CNN.com - 0 views

  • Lake Chad is shrinking rapidly, threatening the millions of people who depend on it for their survival. But some locals are fighting back in a bid to preserve their way of life.
  • STORY HIGHLIGHTSLake Chad is just a twentieth of the size it was 50 years ago The lake feeds between 20 million people in Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger Local fishermen say they are catching fewer, and smaller, fish in the lake Some people are planting trees to stop desertification of the surrounding land
  • From droughts causing bad harvests, to floods destroying farms and homes, life in Africa's Sahel belt can be a constant struggle.
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  • . More than 20 million people depend on the freshwater lake for their survival.
  • But it's been shrinking over the past 50 years and satellite images show it is now just a twentieth of its former size.
  • Huge expanses of water are now nothing more than a series of ponds and islands, and the once-fertile land that surrounds the lake is now dusty and barren.
  • "The lake is in the process of disappearing and the lake feeds many people, not just here but in other countries like Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger," he continued. "They are all people who live on Lake Chad."
  • Locals report that they are catching less fish and the ones that they do catch are smaller than they used to be.
  • A declining stock could have devastating consequences far beyond the water's edge, says Yakowra Mallom, from UNICEF.
  • There are no more fish. There's no more milk, no maize, no vegetables or cereal."
  • Local communities say the changing weather is the biggest reason for the shrinking of the lakes shores. The necessary irrigation of farming land has also been a factor.
  • A small local group is trying to save the surrounding land by planting trees in the villages that have been worst affected by desertification. If they cannot bring back the lake, they hope there will at least be workable land.
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    RESEARCH QUESTION: How does the Nigerian blood oil effect the people of Nigeria? Sessay, Isha. "Shrinking Lake Chad turning farmland into desert." CNN.com. N.p., 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. . 1. Summary Lake Chad is drying up. This is a really bad thing, you could almost consider it like us with Lake Michigan. The people of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad depend on this lake to survive. Local fisherman even say that they are catching fewer and smaller fish in the lake. Satellite images show that the lake is a twentieth the size it was 50 years ago. 2. Reflection. This poses a huge threat to Nigerians. As if all the turmoil with the Libyans and their oil wasn't enough, the lake is also needed to keep the economy strong. This could change the lives of many Nigerians and how they need to survive. 3. Questions: What else can be done to save the lake besides the planting of trees? Will the planting of the trees help? How important is the fishing industry to Nigeria? Are there other sources of freshwater that will be sufficient for the needs of the Nigerians?
megan lemmen

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

  • 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.
  • 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.
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  • 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.
    • megan lemmen
       
      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?
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    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
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