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.

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.

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, 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.

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.