Science and Global Politics: Focus on Asia

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.

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.

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..

The National Oceanography Center was established on Friday in Xiamen, Fujian province, to accelerate the development of marine technology and innovation, amid the country's marine economy boom.

Chinese military fans are excited by the news that the country's second stealth fighter prototype has made its maiden flight. Meanwhile, experts and observers considered the possibility that the aircraft might be deployed on an aircraft carrier.

This is a somewhat interesting article about cooperation between China and Taiwan over resources in the South China Sea. This region was discussed a bit in Seasick, so I though it would be nice to get an update on the situation. Apparently there is some disputes over who owns land in the region, which makes negotiations even more difficult then if they were just over how resources should be divided up.

This article predicts that China's Unicom customers will be able to purchase and use Iphones in 2013. The only issue right now is that the prices Apple is offering China is "too high". While a guy name Ramachandran said that apple should give China some sweeteners or incentives to work together. Which doesn't make sense to me because if China wants to be a efficient nation, why not add as many smart phones as you can? Apple is one of the most prospering companies in the world. The logical thing to do is work with apple before they decide to up the price.

Part of the reason apple would add incentives is because there ARE many smart phones available in China, but non-pirated apple products are under-represented. When apple set up their flagship store in Beijing they regulated people to one phone per person because there were so many problems with people trying to buy multiple phones and then re-sell them for a profit.

Apparently China is kind of being hit with a mini recession at the moment. This recession is affecting the fast food industries. In another article http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-23/china-s-stock-index-futures-decline-on-earnings-concerns.html most of China's top earning corporations has decrease in stock prices. One of China major corporation Volatility droped 22 percent in the markets today. Fast food sales growth in decrease to 6% from 19% last year.

The comparison of the two articles is really interesting. Especially since the linked article focuses primarily on the sales of US franchises in China. It would be interesting to compare whether equivalent Chinese 'fast food' chains are also suffering or whether these companies with such strong American associations may be suffering due to the tension in US-China relations.

Chinese manufacturer Foxconn is at it again! We can now add underage labor to other articles in this group that show how this company has been involved in controversial practices. It makes me wonder why Foxconn would continue to participate in risky, and in this case illegal, practices. Especially when they just had a strike earlier this month! Is it all about the money? What should be done? This seems like something the Chinese government would want to get involved in to protect the countries image.

It seems like Foxconn lack ethics and morals. To add on your question "what should be done" I want to ask what can be done? Only reason China's economy is flourishing is because of exporting goods. Most US companies uses companies in China for cheap labor. If they start cracking down on stuff like this the labor might not be as cheap and it would be cheaper to have stuff built in America rather than China. That is the last thing the Chinese government want for its country.

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.

For years Apple has been trying to make a deal with China Unicom to carry the Iphone. Unfortunately for China, neither companies have reached an agreement yet. Even though China Unicom has the largest customer based with 688 million people, Apple Iphones are not available with their services. I was surprise since the Iphone is assemble in China.

To know that 688 million people might have access to the iPhone in the next few months is probably going to boost their stock; however, it will have to be seen if they can keep up with demand, since Apple is already struggling to do so; I won't be receiving my iPhone for another 4 weeks or so.

It seems as if the only concern Apple had was the task of meeting the consumer demand for a particular product, then Apple would surely not have too much to worry about. Apple chose not to manufacture iPhones in America because we are no longer efficient manufacturers in most instances (including the iPhone). China manufactures all types of products for Americans. Now I wonder how much China will need us when they begin to manufacture for their own enormous population. Also, I wonder if we would be ready to manufacture for ourselves if that were to happen.

I found this article while reading about Lenovo's decision to build computers in the US, and found it an interesting piece since I did not know this could even be done. The selection of sites in Oregon near the Treasury Dept and Naval installations seems a little interesting at least. But it seems the case will not be successful, since the company did not follow proper reporting rules.

Southeast Asia's largest solar plant is expected to offset 800,000 tons of carbon over 25 years and contribute to Thailand's renewable energy goals. AsianScientist (Sep. 28, 2012) - Solar panel manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. announced this week that Southeast Asia's largest silicon photovoltaic power plant achieved grid connection on September 4, 2012.

Hopefully the payoffs of this solar power plant will manifest themselves in the next 10 years or so. That way, news of the power plant can hopefully spread to other parts of Southeast Asia. As the largest solar powered plant, I wonder if they'll face any challenges in the upcoming years with possible upkeep? I don't know a lot about solar energy but these are just some things I am curious about--but I'm also excited about the progress this power plant can make!

This is a huge milestone. Maybe our country can take some notes. I also found it interesting that the plant is owned by a petroleum company, great steps towards going green.

I remember discussing in class the immense amount of nuclear power we have especially when compared to other nations. Also, I remember us considering the fact that our government believes it is acceptable for us to possess nuclear power and not acceptable for other nations to possess nuclear power because we feel that as a whole, our morals are more honorable. If China is leading the cyber war, then can our nuclear power keep us safe when they can potentially access our launch codes in the future?

It is a bit disconcerting how the government tries to cover up and not discuss the fact this severe of a breach happened, and when it was brought to light, they seem to very shyly admit to the fact it happened. Even though they say the success rate of the cyber attacks is rare, the fact that China, or potentially any other nation with enough willpower, may hack and access the codes is daunting. Hopefully, the U.S. will do more to develop stronger forms of security and technology to protect this information.

This is pretty interesting. I follow politics fairly close and even I was unaware of this most recent attack. I agree with Sana, they very shyly admitted the downfall. These attacks should not be taken lightly, and it seems like more precautions need to be taken as well. Perhaps, they should install Norton Anti-Virus.

This article explains that more Chinese famers are beginning to use food chain partnership projects to produce higher yields. The partnerships are equipping famers with new technology that has not been used before in this province. With new technology comes new worries, and with new traceable scanning codes, customers can identify where, how, whether or not GMOs were used.

This article discusses the uncertainty of genetically modified organisms and their impact on the global. Little serious assessment has been done on GMOs in many countries, but the issue is now becoming global. There are many unknowns and countries that are parties to the UN Convention, such as India, will soon decide their view on GM crops.

This article discusses the rash suicides of many famers in India, because of Monsanto, "the world's largest seed company" and also a large supporter of genetically modified organisms. Monsanto has placed pressure on Indian famers with cotton, corn, and soybeans seeds, using hybrid technology. This technology is causing higher yields and farmers fear they cannot keep up.

Several big companies pull their advertisements from a Vietnamese website that lets people download music for free. It makes me wonder why companies like Coca-Cola were advertising on this site in the first place. The article suggests they either didn't know or ignored it, but with such a hot issue like illegal downloading, why take the risk?

Instead of the usual methods of hiding cameras in trees and sitting for hours with a pair of binoculars and hoping to see some interaction of the orangutans scientists in Asia had been using, they are now employing unmanned drones to fly over the areas where the endangered primates live in order to document them. The drones are made in China and cost less for the scientists to use than actually going out into the field to study.

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.