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Countries in South Asia are working on improving science education among women and children. Literacy rates are fairly high, but science education is not. These countries believe that they must invest more in the scientific education of their children because they will be growing up to run the world soon and need to have knowledge in these fields. Most of the science education varies by country to fit along with what is most important to the people there. For example, developing countries like Nepal are focusing on energy, food, and water resources.

It's good to see some countries trying to improve their scientific literacy. Even if some of these kids don't want to pursue a career in some science field, a better understanding of science could help develop better problem solving skills and help them make more informed decisions in the future. Plus, more people who understand the issues they discussed like global warming can lead to more possible solutions.

The United States provided Pakistan with a $4 million grant to help the country further and maintain cooperation in scientific research. The grant will aid different areas of science to research and develop methods to improve the living conditions of Pakistanis. Mainly the research will be conducted in universities so that the science programs in the teaching institutions also gain new resources and opportunities through the new funding. The Pakistani government has done a subpar job providing the scientific community with sufficient money to expand their fields and research causing a loss of potential research, but through the cooperation of the U.S. and Pakistan, research has been able to progress and interest in the sciences has been renewed. One of the significant outcomes over the years from the funding was Pakistani scientists discovering a cure to the leaf curl virus that had bee affecting cotton textile exports.

I hope that the benefits of the grant will continue to be sustained over time. It's unfortunate that the United States is funding programs that deal with education and scientific research because the Pakistani government is unable to. I wonder what the long-term effects on the country will be as long as the money goes where it is supposed to. Also, I wonder if the United States' main incentive for providing the sum of money is terrorism-related cooperation or something else.

This is an article detailing the debates over fishery quotas in Japan and other countries. It reminds me about the issues of over-fishing that were brought up in "Seasick". This has been a serious issue for awhile, but it appears as if fishing organizations are ready to listen to science and set reasonable limits. Hopefully all nations affected will be able to reach an agreement.

Not only can over-fishing create bigger issues such as the overall condition of marine life, but it seems as if a lot of resources would need to be used in order to regulate illegal fishing. For instance, in order to regulate the industry, given the vast size of the ocean, numerous personnel and boats would be required. The boats would also require fuel (carbon emissions) to function. This does not even include the likely aerial surveillance and training requirements for personnel etc..

This is an issue I hadn't really considered when thinking of China's pollution problem, or pollution in general. Some of China's soil is getting infected, leading to tainted crops. It is interesting to see the negative effects that come up as a country tries to grow and develop, and it will also be interesting to see the actions China takes to combat these issues in the future.

The iPhone 5 was released recently, which led to many workers in China working extreme overtime. Some had to go a month or more without a day off. Add that to the already poor working conditions in some of Foxconn's factories and you get a riot. It is a shame that these workers have so few rights, especially since they can't even use these phones, which was also highlighted in one of the articles posted by John Trang. The site this article came from, phys.org, is a great site that I've visited for years for news related to a variety of sciences and technologies. Here are a few articles related to changes in the global oceans like the ones discussed in Seasick: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-slippery-slope-slime-overgrown-algae.html http://phys.org/news/2012-09-ocean-acidification-scientists.html

Well now I know why my Iphone is still on back order. Seriously though the brawl in China shows that once people are push to their limits they will revolt. Like Matt stated poor working conditions and high stress will lead to a riot. This should show the world how serious horrible working conditions are in China. In addition to China the brawl also affected the US. Joe McDonald of AP Business wrote "On Monday, Apple said it sold 5 million units of the new iPhone 5 in the first three days, less than analysts had expected. Its stock fell 1.4 percent to $690.50 in midday trading." The amount of Iphone does not match the amount of people that preordered the new Iphone. Zach Epstein of BGR news stated in his article "Verizon ran out of launch-day stock late Friday morning, and AT&T sold out of its preliminary iPhone 5 inventory just before 1:00 p.m. EDT on Friday." http://news.yahoo.com/preorders-disappointing-iphone-5-sell-less-hour-apple-121522743.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CZAimdQ9loAlOrQtDMD http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Foxconn-factory-in-China-shaken-by-worker-violence-3888296.php

In response to police brutality, students of a northern Sri Lankan university have begun a two-day boycott of classes. Southeast Asia has been in the news a lot lately, maybe because of the ASEAN summit that President Obama attended; and while a good portion of the recent news has been optimistic, it's important that when issues such as this one arise, that they are appropriately covered and discussed.

An interesting article that claims that the doctor who was jailed for aiding the US in its search for Osama Bind Laden is on a hunger strike due to the conditions in which he is being held. His incarceration was significant because it is a referendum on the consequences that scientists and medical professionals can incur when getting involved in some edgy political situations.

It's crazy the amount of tumult this created in the relations between the United States and Pakistan. The claim of the hunger strike is interesting as there seems to be differing reports as to the true nature of his time in prison. I wonder what is really going on. I suppose that he is trying to draw attention to himself from sympathizers in the U.S. Regardless of whether his claim of the hunger strike is true or not, the attention seems to be having some result. Hilary Clinton's role in the controversy may cause Pakistani prison officials to provide Afridi better treatment. We will just have to wait and see.

An interesting article, but what stood out to me even more than the particular subject of the article was the response of the villagers. They were unaware of even the type of weapon used against them, and there is an absence of medical attention to care for the burns suffered by many protesters. This is definitely a politically troubling article, particularly because it is coming out of Burma, a country that has recently had hopes of a more democratic future.

This incident shows how much not as developed countries such as Burma wish to expand their industry and technology, to the point that they are harming their own people in such a terrible way. The fact that people have burns but cannot place where they came from is a sign that some questionable forms of force were used.

Tensions are rising as we approach the rocket launch window given by North Korea; the United States has moved ships into the area, and Japan has already ordered its military to shoot at any debris or rocket passing their air space. Even China, one of North Korea's only allies, has called on them to cancel their rocket test.

It is interesting and somewhat frightening that the North Korean government would launch rockets without the permission of not only America but China and even Japan as well. It seems that even through globalization and the development of a multipolar world, opposition to the majority is still plentiful.

There was relatively little damage as a result of this earthquake, and one major reason is the system Japan has been implementing since 2004 for early warning; in the analysis given by Jason Palmer, he mentions that many citizens received warnings on their mobile phones several seconds before the quake reached them, allowing them a few seconds to move toward a safer location.

Developed in India, RISUG is one of a kind. It is a new form of temporary birth control that is claimed to have no hormonal side effects. I am curious to see if this type of medicine will be used in America in the near future and the cultural implications that it might have.

This article describes a case the US is planning to file against China for subsidizing cars and car parts, mostly in developing countries. The reporter does mention that the rise in automation and the global recession of 2008 probably have effected employment numbers as well. International economics and business is pretty fascinating (ok, maybe, not to everyone), and it's worth noting that increased revenues for Chinese companies will allow China to pursue broader areas of research and development, as well as specilization in a lucrative market: auto sales in developing countries. Once a company has a market, it can give quite the fight to keep it, which provides the country and company a long term source of R&D funding. The article also raises the question of the timing of the case against China, and whether it's filing by the incumbent Obama administration is politically motivated. This question is more fully explored in an article from today's New York Times that goes well with the discussion from class today about government action on science and technology issues, and when it takes that action. Here's the link if anyone's interested in incumbent electoral advantages: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/us/politics/obama-exploits-familiar-junction-of-policy-and-politics.html?pagewanted=all