Group items tagged

This article discusses the unknowns of genetically modified foods that have parents in a rural China town worried. A US-China research program fed modified "golden rice" to several children in Central China. Little GM research has been done in China and parents are very worried, because of the rumored side effects ranging from lung disease to reproductive lose.

I find this interesting because China is the largest country in the world with 1.3 billion people and food is a crucial resource. I know in the article It says that it is just rumors and hear say but I believe that the government is also worried about how to feed everyone. Now that China has evolved into a developed nation the image of china no longer lacks industries and technology making China more wealthy. With that being said China doesn't want an image where they cannot feed all their citizens.

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 Coral Triangle is compromised of the waters around the Indonesian-Philippines region, and it is considered to have "the world's richest concentration of marine biodiversity". Like many of the locations mentioned in "Seasick", the coral and marine life in this region are suffering and dying due to the threat caused by overfishing, coastal development, and pollution. Along with the effects of global warming, 90% of the coral reefs in the area are under the potential to be harmed. The scientists who conducted the study believe that through regulations and marine protected areas, the further danger on the marine life may be prevented and reversed.

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.

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.

An article about how a governmental initiative combating cybercrime (cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, spamming) in the Philippines could be regarded as censorship. The new and controversial law has citizens and the media protesting against it because they say it is against free speech. U.S human rights groups have spoken out against the law as well, claiming that it gives the government too much freedom to private users' information.

"Under the new act, a person found guilty of libellous comments online, including comments made on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter or blogs, could be fined or jailed." This is really amazing. Why would an act to prevent crimes like child pornography and identity theft include this? Seems like an instance of a country's government trying to get more control over it's people in a covert way. Hopefully something is done about this.

The law definitely seems to be a way for the government to prevent dissent from the people by placing punishment for libel in the same legislation targeted for more severe cybercrimes. It is a very extreme way to attempt to stop people from appearing dissatisfied from the government. The extremes some countries go to in hopes of keeping their citizens in line are amazing, and I also hope that something is done to change the law to make it less severe.

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

Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg Meenakshi, one of hundreds of young women who zip around India's dusty streets on scooters promoting the dairy drink Yakult, says health is her best sales pitch. The 22-year-old student knocks on doors two days a week to tell stay-at-home mothers, washing ladies, and residents living in makeshift shacks how Yakult's microbes can help cultivate their "intestinal flora."

Interesting article, it reminds me of some of the issues raised in Global Pharmaceuticals about how medications are regulated differently in different countries. It's funny how these drinks can be called healthier in Asia than in America or Europe, as if the location makes a difference in the contents of the product. Wouldn't it be nice if these companies had to make the same claims everywhere regardless of regional policies?

This article makes me suspect that the regulations for marketing certain foods and drink in the U.S. and Europe is more strict than in Asia. The FDA has fairly strict regulations, which prevent advertising products with effects that are not proven to be true. The article never really says if the probiotic drinks actually help in the way they are said to, so I can understand if U.S. and American markets are less inclined to allow the companies to advertise the claims.

A new study shows that the malaria species widespread in the Asia-Pacific region has been a key driver of human genome evolution. AsianScientist (Sep. 6, 2012) - Malaria is a parasitic disease with devastating effects, causing up to one million deaths annually worldwide. Approximately half the world's population is at risk of malaria infection.

Interesting article, it seems as if the doctors may truly believe that it may not merely be natural selection at play here but that there may also be the possibility that the disease itself directly promotes human genome evolution. I am curious to see whether a powerful vaccine can be made in relevance to the abnormal erythrocytes caused by Southeast Asian ovalocytosis. If so, I wonder which nation would develop it first.