According to CNN international new, 7 people have died and almost 1 million people have been displaced due to heavy rains leading to flooding in Sri Lanka. Almost 1,000 houses have been destroyed. The worst hit areas were the districts of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. These are the incidents that effect people's lives terribly, and we have to take in consideration how fortunate we are. We complain so much, and here are 1,000 houses that have been destroyed, these people have lost everything. Devastating to say the least.
According to the CNN international news, in Dhaka, Bangladesh schools and businesses were closed today, Monday, because of the mass amounts of people that filled the streets to protest the government's failure to lower commodity prices and regulate the country's capital market. It was a dawn to dusk strike, and 10 public buses were lit on fire during the strike on Sunday night. There has been no outcome/decision made from the strike. The citizens said that the strike was mainly to protest the fact that the government was not running the country effectively. Hopefully there will be a followup article on CNN's website soon.
According to the Deccan Herald, Bangladesh police arrested, Mahbub, the man who allegedly raped his teenage cousin back in January. The arrest came as a result of new findings after 15 yr old, Mosammet Hena's body was exhumed to justify reasons for her death. The autopsy found identifying injury marks on her body, which were not found in the original exam.
When the rape supposedly took place, Mosammet and Mahbub were found by his wife, who brutally tourtered her. Though Mosammet says she was raped and tourtered, she was sentenced to 70 lashes for being accused of having an affair with her married cousin. She later died as a result of her injuries.
I just can't believe how a young teenage girl could be caned to death for anything. She was just a girl. She gets raped and tourtered, then she is the one who is accused of having an affair??? I don't get it. I am glad that they exhumed her body to re-examine her and find out the truth.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/ Reports This report is filed under: Military, Suicide, Graft & Corruption, Government, & Publlic Services. Story wrote by: Cynthia Balana & Dona Pazzibugan
Malina Philippines Reports that former Chief staff Sargent Reyes commited suicide on Tuesday at the age of 65, at his parents grave-sites located in Loyla Memorial Park. Interviews of Military Persons in the Philippines report, that it was an act of Courage & of Honor. Before he had commited suicide Reyes was being investigated for; benifiting from Military funds that ran into the hundreds of millions of Pesos. As of now it is still not known if these allegations are true. The Military say that Reyes shooting himself in the heart and not in the head is a way of showing his Honor to his country, and that if he had shot himself in the head it would have ment he was out of his mind. Even though retired it is their Military Policy to not give funeral service to the act of suicide with-out just cause. With permission from his family the Philippine Military has elected to send his fair-well in Military Honor.
This story touched my heart and confused me. I have never heard of a government or Military speak of some-one that had commited an act of that nature to themselves. They must feel that his actions show his innocence to the charges. And was his way to prove it. It is very sad to hear that anyone feels the need to commit such an act. But I can see how their cultural beliefs allow them to see this as an act of Honor.
In recent news according to the Chinadaily, A war is in the making in Southeast Asia. I read an article titled Cambodian PM: Clashes with Thai troops ‘real war’. Cambodian Prime minster Hun Sen said on Wednesday the the recent clashes between them and Thailand in the dispute over border areas was “ a real war”. He stated that there will be no more talks and negations. He said that Thailand created this war and that prime minster Abhist of Thai must be responsible for the war. Hun is accusing Thai troops of firing cluster booms at their troops. He stated that this war will be taking a long time. The prime minster is now calling for a bilateral intervention through the United Nations. He said that he will not be engage in anymore bilateral talks and from now on all negations will be participated by a third party. He stated that Cambodia will on see to use international mechanism as much as possible, such as “asking UN to convene urgent meeting and sending UN peacekeepers or observers to Cambodia.” The whole issue is over the border between Thailand and Cambodia. And the issue of PreahVihear temple has been a forever lasting dispute. In 1962 the international court of justice ruled that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia, but the 4.6 square kilometers territory surrounding the temple has never be resolved. The fight began between on the fourth already leaving some solders wounded and other dead on both sides. This fight caused damage to the temple which has been awarded world heritage site in 2008.
My country on the news again!!Let's me share everyome what I know about this issue. My parents told me that this Preah Vihear issue has occured way before I even born in 1959. When Cambodia accused to International Court of Justice in Netherland. On June 15, 1962 the International Cout of Justice decided that this ancient place to be Cambodia. As a result, Thailand had loose some of the land but also effect Thai's tourism.Then issue became silent for approximately 46 years. However in 1992, both countries had signed the agreement that both countries not allowed to fix the environment around their borders. In 2002, they signed the sencond agreement to for both countries to develop the Preah Vihear area for tourism but also to summit the Preah Vihear to be the world heritage together. Unfortunately, the Unesco refused until Camobdia and Thailand will end the conflict. But the conflict does not seem to have an ending rather the problem get bigger. In 2008, Cambodia proposed to the Unesco meeting to made a world heritage only in Cambodia's side but Thai's government refused because Thailand also have several ancient/historic on our territory which are part of the Preah Vihear temple. From than on Cambodia refused to negociate with Thai's government. I strongly believe that the problem will not end easily or beautifuly. Since both courntries want to get the benefit out of it. I'm really get sick of this ongoing problem and I do not want to see anymore death or injured!
An Indonesian man was caught at a Thailand Airport for tried to smuggle wildlife through security luggage scanner. He stuffed 88 Indian Star tortoises, 33 elongated tortoises, 7 radiated tortoises, 6 mata mata turtles and four Southeast Asian narrow-headed softshell turtles, three Aldabra tortoises, one pig nosed turtle, one ploughshare tortoise(traffic described as the world’s rarest tortoise), 34 ball pythons, 2 boa constrictors, several milk snakes, corn snakes, one hog-nosed snake, 19 bearded dragons lizards, four spiny tailed lizards, two Sudan plated lizards, 6 Argentine horned frogs, 18 baboon spiders, 22 common squirrels and one African grey parrot all in three suitcases. It is unbelievable what some people do to animals, they were going to get thrown down with the luggage area which is not a safe place. Also some of these animals will eat each other. The man bought the wildlife from Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market which is known for being the center of illegal trade. It doesn’t say where he was heading, but there is a reason why these animals live that area . . . and that is where they should stay. Has anyone watched the history channel where Florida is having a problems in their swamps from demesticated boas? People cannot handle the snake so they leave them to live in the Everglades.
According to CNN’s website a teenage boy was responsible for a suicide bomb that killed at least 27 army recruits and wounded 42 others on Thursday at a military training center in northwest Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility, said is a “message for those who wish to join pro American military.” They also said that they “we will continue targeting Pakistan military until it stops supporting the U.S.” said Azam Tariq. The teenager was either carrying a back or was wearing an explosive suicide vest. He was dressed to look like other student that attends the training part of the school. The attack took place 31 miles north of Peshawar, and Peshawar is the tribal region that security forces have been battling an insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban. What gets to me about this is, why send a child in to do this job? I wonder if anyone is ever going to be strong enough to stop the Pakistani Taliban. I understand that people are scared, but I think it is going to come down to no choice. Either you fight as a united front, or you die. It is a hard situation but what other choice do you have?
To comment on Bethany's post about Chief Staff Sargent Reyes commiting suicide; I am with you on this. I am confused in the area of why he would do such an act? I guess the real story of him doing wrong doing lies now with him in his grave. If he is found guilty, how would he fight that he was innocent? Maybe he feels that he was a good person and being investigated by his own people is showing disrespect or dishonor? I believe that suicide is the easy way outof things, but that is just my beliefs.
Blind, self-taught Chinese lawyer and human rights activist Chen Guangchen has released a video online where he claims to have been under 24 hour surveillance since for the past five months. Chen was released from prison last September after serving a 4 year prison sentence. Chen claimed that the Chinese government performed forced abortions or sterilization procedures on up to 7,000 women in his home province. Chen was ultimately convicted of damaging property and disrupting traffic. The video shows what appears to be a Chinese security officer standing on a ladder looking into Chen's home, and Chen claims that is not a rare happening. China is not known for having a glowing record when it comes to human rights,and this merely serves to cement it's reputation for repression and intimidation of its citizens.
On the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar upwards of 90 refugees have been discovered. The refugees are Rohingyas, a targeted Muslim minority in their native Burma. It is estimated that 200,000 Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, and many attempt to escape to south Asia by boat. These refugees claim to have been captured and held for a week by Thai forces before being set adrift on a boat with no motor, and with minimal food and water supplies. 25 of the refugees were hospitalized, and all were suffering from starvation and severe dehydration. One of the doctors at the hospital where they were taken told the BBC that they had been at sea for at least a week. Thai officials deny all these allegations. This region of the world seems to produce more than its fair share of refugees, but I have to admit this is the first time I have heard of the Rohingya. Hopefully the situation will improve for them, but with the current junta that controls Burma, I am not going to holding my breath.
According to the BBC News, thousands of Rohingyas which is a Muslim minority group in Burma have fled to the country to escape persecution. Approximately 200,000 Rohingyas live in refugee camps in Bangladesh and the rest living in unofficial camp. However,more than 90 Rohingya refugees want to escape the poor condition and make their destination to Malaysia. Rohingyas were trying to enter Malaysia illegally through Thailand with the help of some agents but unfortunately were caught by Thai's navy. Then they had been at sea without food and water more than a week but now has been rescued by police in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All of them were starving and serious dehydrated searching for food and water.
According to (Pakistan news today)Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday, terming population census as government’s constitutional responsibility, said credible statistics would help formulate effective socio-economic policies and distribution of resources. Addressing a seminar in preparation for the Population Census 2011 starting March-April, the Prime Minister said the exercise would allow the Federal government to fulfill its obligations in equitable distribution of national resources. The Prime Minister said the government has decided in the meeting of Council of Common Interest (CCI) to hold the next population and housing census in 2011. The census to be done in two phases – house listing in March and April and population census in August and September, would be the sixth and would be conducted on modern lines to ensure accuracy of data. The Prime Minister directed all Federal Government ministries and departments to extend their full support to extend cooperation to the Population Census Organisation (PCO). Gilani called upon the stakeholders to use the methodology for census which must involve new technologies and latest scientific methods.
Relations between Cambodia and Thailand have taken a nasty turn in the last few weeks. An ongoing dispute about a 900-year old temple called Preah Vihear has spilled over into violence yet again. Several soldiers and civilians have been killed in exchanges of fire over the past couple of weeks. How can people kill over a holy shrine?? Isn’t murder a sin???? I think it is just an excuse for these countries to battle. They have been at it for years now. I think they should just build a new one and call it a day.
In response to the violence in Cambodia and Thailand....yes, murder is a sin. That is one thing I will never understand about the "holy wars" that go on around the world. If murder is a sin, how can they justify killing people for being a different religion, having a different belief or worshiping a different god/shrine? I think some people just want to fight or they just don't quite understand the value of a person's life. If it were their own family member or friend, they might see it differently. A lot of it has to do with respecting other people. That is something that many do not know how to do or just simply do not care to. Then when someone is disrespected the first thing they want to do is get even. That is why the vicious cycle continues. ("An Eye for an Eye")
Eastern South Korea has had their largest snowfall in over a century. The fascinating part is that it just happened over this past weekend. As they show a picture of a residential street completely covered in snow with two barely visible people walking. They report that they had a cold front come through icing over the Han River for the first time in years, which these temperatures lingered to inevitably cause this massive snowfall. Conditions have now stranded motorists and have actually caused several dozen buildings to collapse. They have engaged, prompted and issued some 12,000 soldiers to help aid in rescue efforts for the areas afflicted by these harsh weather conditions. They also report that their capital Seoul and main industrial areas were not affected by the storm. And they are still calling for more snowfall today. North Korea reports that in the month of January was their coldest in over 26 years. From the Caption Picture it looks as if they accumulated the amount of snow in just a few days that we have received this whole winter or even more.
TOKYO, Jun 11, 2007 (IPS) - A proposal under discussion in the Japanese Diet (parliament) to allow survivors of murder victims to address the courts is being watched with growing dread by death penalty opponents in this country.
''The new proposal is clearly aimed at appeasing victims rather than fostering legal justice. I fear such a move, if passed, will turn the spotlight on the emotional aspect of a murder trial and work against the accused through harsher sentencing," Kei Itoh, a human rights lawyer, told IPS.
The main driving force behind the proposal to give crime victims the right to address the courts is lawyer Isao Okamura, 77, himself a crime victim. His wife was murdered in October 1999. Okamura today heads the Tokyo-based National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families, an organisation representing more than 3,000 families which argues that crime victims are getting a raw deal in Japan.
I don't know if this is a law in the US, but I believe the murder victim's family has a right to speak in court to a degree. Obviously if this family member emotionally unable to give a testimony then this person shouldn't do so, but if this person does infact posses information or evidence that can rightfully convict the murderer then I say go for it. It can be an emotional lift and bring closure to the family if they feel like they made a difference in catching this criminal.
I don't know what it feels like to lose a family member that was a murder victim, but I do know that if I was, then I would want to do my part in order to put this person behind bars and possibly give him/her the death sentence.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, after a measured response to the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel two months ago, announced Seoul's own actions today, including a freeze in trade with the North. Lee also said that should another such incident occur, South Korea would take all steps necessary for self defense. South Korea's military would review its defense readiness and, in concert with its allies, maintain its forces on a high state of readiness to defend the country.
South Korea has the full backing of the Obama administration. The White House today noted that U.S. commanders would work closely with their South Korean counterparts to deter any future aggression. Moreover, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a strong statement of support for Lee, commending his leadership and giving him the "full support of the United States."
It later said that China was being very quiet about the situation, and didn't respond the lives that were lost. We've always been aliies with South Korea so I am not surprised, but I am surprised that I never heard this. We all know what happened last time these two countries went at it, and we were heavily involved then. I don't know what this does to our relations with North Korea, or if there was some fighting to come out of this, if China would then get involved. I think this is a pretty interesting topic, and I'm going to keep an eye on the situation over there.
MSNBC Reports: Indonesia Cleric faces 3rd terror trial. Jakarta- Indonesia Famous Islamic leader Abu Bakar Bashir went on trial today after a year long investigation. He is accused of allegedly forming a terrorist cell plots of assassinations and attacks on High Profile Western Hotels and Embassies. Abu Bakar Bashir has been brought up on 2 other similar terrorist attacks or plots in the past. In which he escaped prosecution. Prosecutors are confident this time that he will not elude these current charges. Claiming they have over 100documents of proof. If convicted the 73 year old Islamic leader can face a maximum penalty of DEATH. Indonesia is home of 237million inhabitants, which holds the largest Muslim population in the world. Indonesia's Government has made great efforts to fight terrorism after having several strings of suicide bombings over the past decade. As they have now began to face a new rise in radical Islamist that have began violent attacks on minorities in rebellion. Bashir is the co-founder of the al-Qaida linked network to Jemaah Islamiyah, as he has been blamed for many of the countries deadliest attacks. Abu Bakar Bashir's plans were to attack foreigners and prominent figures. The aim was to spread panic and divide the people and ruling government, thus paving the way for a TAKE-OVER. Supporters of Bashir rallied as they brought him to court in an Armor car and shackles, crying out LIES LIES. Bashir claims that he is the victim of a U.S. Conspiracy. I can not say that this man planed or committed these acts. I can not also say that he didn't as he has been brought on these charges in the past and may have gotten lucky. Personally I think that all Americans need to pay attention to this story as radical Islamist s are a very un-stable people, as they do not reflect most of the Muslim culture or belief. That is why they are called radicals or extremists. Also we need to pay attention because this main is blatantly accusing the U.S., for his misfortunes which could put these Islamic Radicals a reason to try to take more attacks on the U.S.
According to Yahoo News, an Indonesian Muslic cleric warned his young followers agaisnt celebrating Valentine's Day. He said that it was the same thing as promoting a different faith. He said it would lead to bad things. He even said that unmarried young people who express their love through kisses would lead to terrible consequences.
I do believe that this holiday was based off of a saint from Christianity, St. Valentine. And I understand the different religons and ethnic groups view things differently so I do not think this man was wrong in saying what he said. I found it interesting though, because today is Valentine's Day! :)
Beigjing,China has ordered that smoking scenes in films and television series be restricted, due to its concern that it is failing to deliver on pledges to help its 300 million smokers kick the habit.Last month, Chinese and foreign medical experts issued a report warning that smoking deaths in the world's most populous country could triple by 2030.If this is what it takes to save millions of lives, then this is a good idea!
An article on FoxNews.com reported that four Japanese women are suing the government because they want to keep their surnames. Japanese custom dictates that when a woman marries, she is to use her husband’s name for all legal issues going forward. Women today are unhappy because they want the ability to use their own names in both private and public life. I found this article interesting because the population video we viewed last Saturday discussed the importance of educating women so they can make well informed decisions; however their cultural beliefs interfered. When I saw this article, it made me think….cultural beliefs play a very important role in the every day lives of the members. Japanese women are educated today and are still fighting for some of their rights which are dictated by customs. I hope these women win their case. When I married, I never gave it a thought that I had to use my husband’s name. I guess it was because I knew I had the choice. If I wanted to use my surname, it would not be an issue in the United States. Once again I find myself thankful that my ancestors landed here.
Asian Times.com reported that Taiwan officials arrested one of their generals, Lo Hsien-che, for espionage. They claim Lo sold secrets to the Chinese that could have an impact on US-Taiwan-China relations. Under investigation is the fact that Lo gave the Chinese inside information regarding a communication system the US worked with Taiwan to install. The system would allow their military to communicate within branches and provide a link to the US military. It is also mentioned that the US does not fully disclose all capabilities of the system. A research fellow in Taiwan mentioned that if we look at past deals between the US and Taiwan, one will see that the US protects sensitive information. The author ends the report by indicating that China just cannot be trusted.
According to CNN international news, Japan's economy has slipped to third in the world behind China and the United States. China's rapid production of manufacturing is taking over! Japan's economy was valued at US $5.4742 trillion dollars while China was at US $5.8786 trillion. It is said that in the next 20 years, China will overtake the United States and become the worlds largest economy. For two decades now, Japan has been in deflation. Japan is facing a demographic tsunami, with the world's fastest aging population and one of the globe's lowest birth rates.
I read in the BBC News that South Asia is being affected by floods. Bangladesh,Nothern India, and Nepal have lost some 200 people because of the floods. But on the bright side of things Nepal is doing much better because the water is recending. The entire region is being affected, they are being cut off from clean drinking water and dry food.They even have to have air drops which drops food and water to the different places where the water is to high or the area is to destroyed that they can't land. But they are working very hard to get there area underway again.
Prices of the most important commodity of all are skyrocketing The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Bank say food costs have reached an historic high and have hit dangerous levels. The global food prices have jumped 29 percent overall in the past year. The higher cost of corn, wheat, and oil has pushed 44 million people in Asian countries into extreme poverty since June. The poor families, who typically spend more than half their household income on food, are suffering the most. When there are shortages and skyrocketing prices, it can cause riots in poorer nations. The root causes of food price inflation are hotly debated, with explanations varying from country to country. But one common factor is extreme weather events that are occurring more frequently, wiping out crops. Floods in Australia, Pakistan and India have helped force up food prices, along with the droughts in China, Argentina and Eastern Europe. China is the world's largest wheat grower and has suffered the worst drought in six decades is putting pressure on global wheat prices (already up a third since mid-November). Officials in China announced $1 billion in spending to alleviate the problem with emergency irrigation and cloud-seeding to make rain. In India, onion prices shot up in January after unseasonable rains damaged crops in the western state of Maharashtra, the main producer. Anger over the high prices erupted into street protests, led by opposition parties, when prices for onions, a diet staple in South Asia nearly tripled to 80 rupees a kilogram in December and January. India responded by quickly importing onions from longtime rival Pakistan. In Indonesia, months of heavy rainfall decimated the chili peppers crops. Surging food prices in India are forcing families to cut back on meat and vegetables. In Indonesia, the price of chili peppers vaulted as much as 10-fold in recent months. Some farmers took to arming themselves with machetes to guard their fields from chili rustlers. People are willing to kill or be killed for chili peppers. What is this world coming to? At this rate with the population increasing and food decreasing, there won’t be much of a population left to age out.
“Young and Rich in Indonesia” is an article I found on cnn.com. The article starts off with a quote from Ligwina Hananto “that many people dream, dreams are goals with no deadline”. She says u can turn your dream into a goal with a deadline and make of it what you want. This article was about a woman of Muslim faith that was originally a stay at home mom. She tried 7 different businesses that failed prior to achieving her goal of becoming a financial planner. She also just recently became a radio talk show host as well; she compared herself to Suzie Ormond. This talk show was about new products that hit the market and she would be the judge if the product was great or not. The article continues on with more than half of Indonesia being under the age of 29 and with Indonesia demographic the way that it is with more than half the population under 29 this could only mean that the future of Indonesia could greatly increase its production over the next 10 to 20 years. She also tells about another entrepreneur of Indonesia is Donny Pramono who started a yogurt business that is looking to expand internationally soon. I really enjoyed reading this article because it made me think of the video we just watched. I compared this woman with the women in China who were talking back their lives and putting reproduction on hold. This article also brought about population and that since the population age difference was so drastic that this area could use it to its advantage with working and producing in the future. The article also said that about 14% of the population is under poverty and that if proper education was provided for the up and coming generation that the country could advance. I think this woman has something to bring to the country and maybe if she is heard that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Indonesia.
Cnn.com “10 stunning underwater Asia sites” http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/17/cnngo.asia.dive.sites/index.html#
This article is about the immaculate underwater sea life that Asia has to offer. It shows spectacular pictures from areas all over Asia. There is captions describing the different areas including what they are known for and the threats these areas are facing. I am not going to go into a lot of detail because you will want to see the pictures yourself. Here are some of the topics in which they provide links for further information as well. Malaysia – Turtle Tomb Thailand- Clown Fish “Nemo” Indonesia- Stingless Jelly Fish Myanmar- Red Lionfish Raja Ampat Island, Indonesia (Near Papua) – largest diversity in coral and fish (537 species of coral and 1,074 species of fish) India- ribboned sweetlips Komondo, Indonesia- another large diverse area ranging from sunfish to mantas, dolphins and pygmy seahorses
These pictures give a real sense of natural beauty. Along with information a lot of the areas have ban fishing including commercial fishing. Some areas even have coral banning. This article was fun and it gives an alternate view of the area other than war, violence and despair.
Cnn.com - Japan has canceled the rest of its winter whaling season – the reason for this being that environmentalists’ obstructive efforts made it dangerous for whalers to stay on the high seas. Japanese top official halted whaling because of actions taken by an animal rights group. He stressed that Japan did not want to do so but felt forced to. The decision marks the first time Japan has canceled its whale hunt in the waters of the Antarctic since 2005, when it began a bitter battle with the animal rights group. What Japan calls its winter whaling season typically extends into mid-March. Japan annually hunts whales, despite a worldwide moratorium on whaling. It does this under the pretense that it is conducting scientific research since the moratorium allows the culling of whales for purposes of scientific research. Critics however call Japan's hunt a cover for commercial whaling, since the whale meat ends up in supermarkets and restaurants. Animal rights groups, as well as the govs. of Australia and New Zealand, have publicly condemned Japan's hunts. Environmentalists hope this is the end of whale hunting by Japan but say they will keep fighting if they return. I wasn't aware that whaling was illegal, I wonder why this is so- if they are endangered or what? And since it is prohibited, serves Japan right! I hope the animal rights group succeeds in keeping the whalers off the waters.
Cnn.com - Japan sees alarming rise in child abuse. 70 % of the children in a Tokyo orphanage are victims of abuse and neglect so severe that the police removed them from their parents’ custody. Japan has an exploding population of child abuse victims with cases having quadrupled in 10 years. In 2009 the number of abuse cases reported hit an all-time high of 44,211. The rise in these cases is attributed to poor economy, increasing divorces and the lack of affordable child care. Regardless of the reasons however the result is that Japan’s child welfare system is at its breaking point. Japan's government says in cities like Tokyo orphanages are at 100 percent capacity. Japan's culture is deeply rooted in the family and has historically not embraced adoption or foster care. I was shocked to hear that Japan’s orphanages are full just having watched the population video in class last week, highlighting its dramatic population decline in the near future. Naturally orphanages at full capacity leads one to believe that there must be many births or that many parents are dying but this is neither the case for Japan. Esp. with 70% of children in those protective services being abused - in my mind orphan means you have no parents, not that your parents are monsters. I would have never suspected this of Japan but I’m glad someone is shedding light onto this tragic reality.
On Thursday Pakistan troops violated the cease fire and launched rocket propelled grenades on an Indian post. Fortunately no one was harmed in the incident. With the firing of RPGs on Indian soil the Indians fired back with rifles. The fight lasted for about 5 minutes. An Indian officer has registered a strong protest against the cease fire violation. It is unclear why the Pakistan troops fired on the Indian post but the news is disheartening to hear.
The Japanese have called an end to their winter whaling season one week early because of harassment from US activists. The Sea Shepherd ran the Japanese out of their whaling water in southern Antarctic waters. There has been a commercial ban on whaling allowing only a small amount of whaling for scientific research. The Sea Shepherd was excited to hear the news as they feel the Japanese are using the excuse of scientific research as a loophole in the commercial ban. The Japanese feel they are being harassed as the US activist give chase to the mother ship even after they have halted in the current season. I feel the Japanese are breaking the commercial ban and the Sea Shepherd upholds the ban and enforces justice however I do not agree with all their methods of enforcing justice.
I am happy that I had this class. It if wasn't for having this class I wouldn't know anything that goes on in the world. I just hate watching the news because its already something bad they have to talk about. I agree with Kerri so need to stop complaining so much. We have it so good. I didn't even hear about the rain fall thats ruining all those people houses. That's so sad. But what's even sadder is the story that Krystal talked about. A 15 year old girl gets slashed so bad that she dies from it and she was innocent. How crazy is it that "stuff" goes on like that. Its like that "stuff" doesn't happen. Yes it does, and again we just sit by and let it happen. We just can't imagine things like that occurring. Then we think its funny when we hear about stories of people getting their fingers or hands cut off just for stealing. It's not funny to me and it really happens. Also its not even like it only happens for big or expensive things, it will happen if you steal a piece of gum. I'd also like to comment on Kerri's other post. I can't even believe that the U.S. is ahead of Japan's economy. I definitely knew that China would be in the lead. It's also not a surprise to me that they say that China will overtake the U.S., I can't believe they estimated it to take that long. The U.S. is already in a huge debt to them already! The already manufacture and run everything.
Well now in reading this article on China, I take back my comment about them having it good. The article talked about how China's consumer price index, a gauge of inflation, hit 5.1% last November. With their Lunar New Year celebration just ending the customer residents have spent a lot of money. To the rich there it wasn't anything but to the rest of the community it hurt their wallets. Their government is trying to curb the inflation by offering more subsidies for farmers to produce more essential goods and imposing price controls on scarce goods and government services. One explanation is that its only asset inflation, basically only rich property is going up not consumer goods, so it doesn't feel like a inflation more like a boom. Also by raising interest rates and reserve requirement ratio for banks, China has slowed down its inflation rate but only modestly. Experts say what China needs to do is tighten its money supply, which is still growing at nearly 20% yearly.
Although pakistan enjoys one of the best locations in the world, there are some severe geographical problems that pakistan is facing. 1.The extreme temperatures in indus plains 2.Irregular rainfall 3.Volume of water varing in rivers 4.Water of tributaries of river indus not in control of pakistan 5.Very hot climate in southern areas 6.It is surrounded by hostile countries i.e india,aghfanistan 7.Uneven landscape makes it difficult to exploit mineral resources from areas like balochistan e.t.c Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_geographical_problems_faced_by_Pakistan#ixzz1EMozMQJE
No other country presents so serious a problem for the world today, and no other problem seems as insoluble: Right now, North Korea's malign behavior could conceivably draw the United States into still another war.
As Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, said Monday, "tensions" on the Korean peninsula could "spin out of control."
Most everyone considers North Korea mercurial, unpredictable. But in fact, its behavior usually follows a consistent pattern -- if you consider its two greatest needs. It demands to be respected, and it covets copious aid.
Look at what happened in the weeks before the North opened fire on Yeonpyeong, the South Korean island. Earlier in November, the United Nations reported that North Korea desperately needs food aid. Half the nation's children are malnourished; some are actually starving to death. North Korea's leaders obviously don't care much about that. But if the people are starving, then the "Great Leader" Kim Jong-il and his mandarins probably don't have everything they want, either.
So what happens next? Expect a stronger, more deadly attack. Earlier this year, the North sank a South Korean naval vessel, killing 46 sailors. Last month it opened fire on that island, killing four people. Pyongyang didn't get what it wanted, so those attacks "are likely only the beginning of similar North Korean provocations over the coming year or so," said Bruce Bennett, a senior North Korea analyst at the RAND Corporation.
Tensions are rising in North Korea. They are struggling in every aspect of what a nation needs. They have no food, fertilizer, or allies. Tension is only going to rise as they start to get more and more desperate. They have already started attacking South Korea. I'm guessing these acts were for attention, but it didn't seem to help their cause. I believe the world is waiting for their next course of action, and it could possibly be a bit more devastating. Aid to this country could be necessary to prevent a possible war. But then again the world could look at the country as whiny little kid throwing a tantrum and will act out if they don't get what they want. Its almost like terrorism. They are basically saying if you don't give us what we want then we will kill more people. As the U.S. has shown in the past, we don't negotiate with terrorists. But it does raise the next question. What will North Korea do next?
According to CNN international new, 7 people have died and almost 1 million people have been displaced due to heavy rains leading to flooding in Sri Lanka. Almost 1,000 houses have been destroyed. The worst hit areas were the districts of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. These are the incidents that effect people's lives terribly, and we have to take in consideration how fortunate we are. We complain so much, and here are 1,000 houses that have been destroyed, these people have lost everything. Devastating to say the least.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the CNN international news, in Dhaka, Bangladesh schools and businesses were closed today, Monday, because of the mass amounts of people that filled the streets to protest the government's failure to lower commodity prices and regulate the country's capital market. It was a dawn to dusk strike, and 10 public buses were lit on fire during the strike on Sunday night. There has been no outcome/decision made from the strike. The citizens said that the strike was mainly to protest the fact that the government was not running the country effectively. Hopefully there will be a followup article on CNN's website soon.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Deccan Herald, Bangladesh police arrested, Mahbub, the man who allegedly raped his teenage cousin back in January. The arrest came as a result of new findings after 15 yr old, Mosammet Hena's body was exhumed to justify reasons for her death. The autopsy found identifying injury marks on her body, which were not found in the original exam.
ReplyDeleteWhen the rape supposedly took place, Mosammet and Mahbub were found by his wife, who brutally tourtered her. Though Mosammet says she was raped and tourtered, she was sentenced to 70 lashes for being accused of having an affair with her married cousin. She later died as a result of her injuries.
I just can't believe how a young teenage girl could be caned to death for anything. She was just a girl. She gets raped and tourtered, then she is the one who is accused of having an affair??? I don't get it. I am glad that they exhumed her body to re-examine her and find out the truth.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/
ReplyDeleteReports
This report is filed under: Military, Suicide, Graft & Corruption, Government, & Publlic Services.
Story wrote by: Cynthia Balana & Dona Pazzibugan
Malina Philippines
Reports that former Chief staff Sargent Reyes commited suicide on Tuesday at the age of 65, at his parents grave-sites located in Loyla Memorial Park. Interviews of Military Persons in the Philippines report, that it was an act of Courage & of Honor. Before he had commited suicide Reyes was being investigated for; benifiting from Military funds that ran into the hundreds of millions of Pesos. As of now it is still not known if these allegations are true. The Military say that Reyes shooting himself in the heart and not in the head is a way of showing his Honor to his country, and that if he had shot himself in the head it would have ment he was out of his mind. Even though retired it is their Military Policy to not give funeral service to the act of suicide with-out just cause. With permission from his family the Philippine Military has elected to send his fair-well in Military Honor.
This story touched my heart and confused me. I have never heard of a government or Military speak of some-one that had commited an act of that nature to themselves. They must feel that his actions show his innocence to the charges. And was his way to prove it. It is very sad to hear that anyone feels the need to commit such an act. But I can see how their cultural beliefs allow them to see this as an act of Honor.
In recent news according to the Chinadaily, A war is in the making in Southeast Asia. I read an article titled Cambodian PM: Clashes with Thai troops ‘real war’. Cambodian Prime minster Hun Sen said on Wednesday the the recent clashes between them and Thailand in the dispute over border areas was “ a real war”. He stated that there will be no more talks and negations. He said that Thailand created this war and that prime minster Abhist of Thai must be responsible for the war. Hun is accusing Thai troops of firing cluster booms at their troops. He stated that this war will be taking a long time.
ReplyDeleteThe prime minster is now calling for a bilateral intervention through the United Nations. He said that he will not be engage in anymore bilateral talks and from now on all negations will be participated by a third party. He stated that Cambodia will on see to use international mechanism as much as possible, such as “asking UN to convene urgent meeting and sending UN peacekeepers or observers to Cambodia.”
The whole issue is over the border between Thailand and Cambodia. And the issue of PreahVihear temple has been a forever lasting dispute. In 1962 the international court of justice ruled that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia, but the 4.6 square kilometers territory surrounding the temple has never be resolved.
The fight began between on the fourth already leaving some solders wounded and other dead on both sides. This fight caused damage to the temple which has been awarded world heritage site in 2008.
My country on the news again!!Let's me share everyome what I know about this issue. My parents told me that this Preah Vihear issue has occured way before I even born in 1959. When Cambodia accused to International Court of Justice in Netherland. On June 15, 1962 the International Cout of Justice decided that this ancient place to be Cambodia. As a result, Thailand had loose some of the land but also effect Thai's tourism.Then issue became silent for approximately 46 years. However in 1992, both countries had signed the agreement that both countries not allowed to fix the environment around their borders. In 2002, they signed the sencond agreement to for both countries to develop the Preah Vihear area for tourism but also to summit the Preah Vihear to be the world heritage together. Unfortunately, the Unesco refused until Camobdia and Thailand will end the conflict. But the conflict does not seem to have an ending rather the problem get bigger. In 2008, Cambodia proposed to the Unesco meeting to made a world heritage only in Cambodia's side but Thai's government refused because Thailand also have several ancient/historic on our territory which are part of the Preah Vihear temple. From than on Cambodia refused to negociate with Thai's government. I strongly believe that the problem will not end easily or beautifuly. Since both courntries want to get the benefit out of it. I'm really get sick of this ongoing problem and I do not want to see anymore death or injured!
ReplyDeleteAn Indonesian man was caught at a Thailand Airport for tried to smuggle wildlife through security luggage scanner. He stuffed 88 Indian Star tortoises, 33 elongated tortoises, 7 radiated tortoises, 6 mata mata turtles and four Southeast Asian narrow-headed softshell turtles, three Aldabra tortoises, one pig nosed turtle, one ploughshare tortoise(traffic described as the world’s rarest tortoise), 34 ball pythons, 2 boa constrictors, several milk snakes, corn snakes, one hog-nosed snake, 19 bearded dragons lizards, four spiny tailed lizards, two Sudan plated lizards, 6 Argentine horned frogs, 18 baboon spiders, 22 common squirrels and one African grey parrot all in three suitcases. It is unbelievable what some people do to animals, they were going to get thrown down with the luggage area which is not a safe place. Also some of these animals will eat each other. The man bought the wildlife from Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market which is known for being the center of illegal trade. It doesn’t say where he was heading, but there is a reason why these animals live that area . . . and that is where they should stay.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone watched the history channel where Florida is having a problems in their swamps from demesticated boas? People cannot handle the snake so they leave them to live in the Everglades.
According to CNN’s website a teenage boy was responsible for a suicide bomb that killed at least 27 army recruits and wounded 42 others on Thursday at a military training center in northwest Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility, said is a “message for those who wish to join pro American military.” They also said that they “we will continue targeting Pakistan military until it stops supporting the U.S.” said Azam Tariq. The teenager was either carrying a back or was wearing an explosive suicide vest. He was dressed to look like other student that attends the training part of the school. The attack took place 31 miles north of Peshawar, and Peshawar is the tribal region that security forces have been battling an insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets to me about this is, why send a child in to do this job? I wonder if anyone is ever going to be strong enough to stop the Pakistani Taliban. I understand that people are scared, but I think it is going to come down to no choice. Either you fight as a united front, or you die. It is a hard situation but what other choice do you have?
To comment on Bethany's post about Chief Staff Sargent Reyes commiting suicide; I am with you on this. I am confused in the area of why he would do such an act? I guess the real story of him doing wrong doing lies now with him in his grave. If he is found guilty, how would he fight that he was innocent? Maybe he feels that he was a good person and being investigated by his own people is showing disrespect or dishonor? I believe that suicide is the easy way outof things, but that is just my beliefs.
ReplyDeleteBlind, self-taught Chinese lawyer and human rights activist Chen Guangchen has released a video online where he claims to have been under 24 hour surveillance since for the past five months. Chen was released from prison last September after serving a 4 year prison sentence. Chen claimed that the Chinese government performed forced abortions or sterilization procedures on up to 7,000 women in his home province. Chen was ultimately convicted of damaging property and disrupting traffic. The video shows what appears to be a Chinese security officer standing on a ladder looking into Chen's home, and Chen claims that is not a rare happening. China is not known for having a glowing record when it comes to human rights,and this merely serves to cement it's reputation for repression and intimidation of its citizens.
ReplyDeleteOn the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar upwards of 90 refugees have been discovered. The refugees are Rohingyas, a targeted Muslim minority in their native Burma. It is estimated that 200,000 Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, and many attempt to escape to south Asia by boat. These refugees claim to have been captured and held for a week by Thai forces before being set adrift on a boat with no motor, and with minimal food and water supplies. 25 of the refugees were hospitalized, and all were suffering from starvation and severe dehydration. One of the doctors at the hospital where they were taken told the BBC that they had been at sea for at least a week. Thai officials deny all these allegations. This region of the world seems to produce more than its fair share of refugees, but I have to admit this is the first time I have heard of the Rohingya. Hopefully the situation will improve for them, but with the current junta that controls Burma, I am not going to holding my breath.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the BBC News, thousands of Rohingyas which is a Muslim minority group in Burma have fled to the country to escape persecution. Approximately 200,000 Rohingyas live in refugee camps in Bangladesh and the rest living in unofficial camp. However,more than 90 Rohingya refugees want to escape the poor condition and make their destination to Malaysia. Rohingyas were trying to enter Malaysia illegally through Thailand with the help of some agents but unfortunately were caught by Thai's navy. Then they had been at sea without food and water more than a week but now has been rescued by police in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All of them were starving and serious dehydrated searching for food and water.
ReplyDeleteAccording to (Pakistan news today)Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday, terming population census as government’s constitutional responsibility, said credible statistics would help formulate effective socio-economic policies and distribution of resources. Addressing a seminar in preparation for the Population Census 2011 starting March-April, the Prime Minister said the exercise would allow the Federal government to fulfill its obligations in equitable distribution of national resources. The Prime Minister said the government has decided in the meeting of Council of Common Interest (CCI) to hold the next population and housing census in 2011. The census to be done in two phases – house listing in March and April and population census in August and September, would be the sixth and would be conducted on modern lines to ensure accuracy of data. The Prime Minister directed all Federal Government ministries and departments to extend their full support to extend cooperation to the Population Census Organisation (PCO). Gilani called upon the stakeholders to use the methodology for census which must involve new technologies and latest scientific methods.
ReplyDeleteRelations between Cambodia and Thailand have taken a nasty turn in the last few weeks. An ongoing dispute about a 900-year old temple called Preah Vihear has spilled over into violence yet again. Several soldiers and civilians have been killed in exchanges of fire over the past couple of weeks. How can people kill over a holy shrine?? Isn’t murder a sin???? I think it is just an excuse for these countries to battle. They have been at it for years now. I think they should just build a new one and call it a day.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the violence in Cambodia and Thailand....yes, murder is a sin. That is one thing I will never understand about the "holy wars" that go on around the world. If murder is a sin, how can they justify killing people for being a different religion, having a different belief or worshiping a different god/shrine? I think some people just want to fight or they just don't quite understand the value of a person's life. If it were their own family member or friend, they might see it differently. A lot of it has to do with respecting other people. That is something that many do not know how to do or just simply do not care to. Then when someone is disrespected the first thing they want to do is get even. That is why the vicious cycle continues. ("An Eye for an Eye")
ReplyDeleteKeep firing out the news:)
ReplyDeleteMSNBC Reports:
ReplyDeleteEastern South Korea has had their largest snowfall in over a century. The fascinating part is that it just happened over this past weekend.
As they show a picture of a residential street completely covered in snow with two barely visible people walking. They report that they had a cold front come through icing over the Han River for the first time in years, which these temperatures lingered to inevitably cause this massive snowfall.
Conditions have now stranded motorists and have actually caused several dozen buildings to collapse. They have engaged, prompted and issued some 12,000 soldiers to help aid in rescue efforts for the areas afflicted by these harsh weather conditions. They also report that their capital Seoul and main industrial areas were not affected by the storm. And they are still calling for more snowfall today. North Korea reports that in the month of January was their coldest in over 26 years.
From the Caption Picture it looks as if they accumulated the amount of snow in just a few days that we have received this whole winter or even more.
TOKYO, Jun 11, 2007 (IPS) - A proposal under discussion in the Japanese Diet (parliament) to allow survivors of murder victims to address the courts is being watched with growing dread by death penalty opponents in this country.
ReplyDelete''The new proposal is clearly aimed at appeasing victims rather than fostering legal justice. I fear such a move, if passed, will turn the spotlight on the emotional aspect of a murder trial and work against the accused through harsher sentencing," Kei Itoh, a human rights lawyer, told IPS.
The main driving force behind the proposal to give crime victims the right to address the courts is lawyer Isao Okamura, 77, himself a crime victim. His wife was murdered in October 1999. Okamura today heads the Tokyo-based National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families, an organisation representing more than 3,000 families which argues that crime victims are getting a raw deal in Japan.
I don't know if this is a law in the US, but I believe the murder victim's family has a right to speak in court to a degree. Obviously if this family member emotionally unable to give a testimony then this person shouldn't do so, but if this person does infact posses information or evidence that can rightfully convict the murderer then I say go for it. It can be an emotional lift and bring closure to the family if they feel like they made a difference in catching this criminal.
I don't know what it feels like to lose a family member that was a murder victim, but I do know that if I was, then I would want to do my part in order to put this person behind bars and possibly give him/her the death sentence.
Korean Tensions: Waiting for China
ReplyDeleteSouth Korean President Lee Myung-bak, after a measured response to the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel two months ago, announced Seoul's own actions today, including a freeze in trade with the North. Lee also said that should another such incident occur, South Korea would take all steps necessary for self defense. South Korea's military would review its defense readiness and, in concert with its allies, maintain its forces on a high state of readiness to defend the country.
South Korea has the full backing of the Obama administration. The White House today noted that U.S. commanders would work closely with their South Korean counterparts to deter any future aggression. Moreover, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a strong statement of support for Lee, commending his leadership and giving him the "full support of the United States."
It later said that China was being very quiet about the situation, and didn't respond the lives that were lost. We've always been aliies with South Korea so I am not surprised, but I am surprised that I never heard this. We all know what happened last time these two countries went at it, and we were heavily involved then. I don't know what this does to our relations with North Korea, or if there was some fighting to come out of this, if China would then get involved. I think this is a pretty interesting topic, and I'm going to keep an eye on the situation over there.
MSNBC Reports:
ReplyDeleteIndonesia Cleric faces 3rd terror trial.
Jakarta- Indonesia
Famous Islamic leader Abu Bakar Bashir went on trial today after a year long investigation. He is accused of allegedly forming a terrorist cell plots of assassinations and attacks on High Profile Western Hotels and Embassies.
Abu Bakar Bashir has been brought up on 2 other similar terrorist attacks or plots in the past.
In which he escaped prosecution. Prosecutors are confident this time that he will not elude these current charges. Claiming they have over 100documents of proof. If convicted the 73 year old Islamic leader can face a maximum penalty of DEATH.
Indonesia is home of 237million inhabitants, which holds the largest Muslim population in the world. Indonesia's Government has made great efforts to fight terrorism after having several strings of suicide bombings over the past decade. As they have now began to face a new rise in radical Islamist that have began violent attacks on minorities in rebellion.
Bashir is the co-founder of the al-Qaida linked network to Jemaah Islamiyah, as he has been blamed for many of the countries deadliest attacks.
Abu Bakar Bashir's plans were to attack foreigners and prominent figures. The aim was to spread panic and divide the people and ruling government, thus paving the way for a TAKE-OVER. Supporters of Bashir rallied as they brought him to court in an Armor car and shackles, crying out LIES LIES. Bashir claims that he is the victim of a U.S. Conspiracy.
I can not say that this man planed or committed these acts. I can not also say that he didn't as he has been brought on these charges in the past and may have gotten lucky. Personally I think that all Americans need to pay attention to this story as radical Islamist s are a very un-stable people, as they do not reflect most of the Muslim culture or belief. That is why they are called radicals or extremists. Also we need to pay attention because this main is blatantly accusing the U.S., for his misfortunes which could put these Islamic Radicals a reason to try to take more attacks on the U.S.
According to Yahoo News, an Indonesian Muslic cleric warned his young followers agaisnt celebrating Valentine's Day. He said that it was the same thing as promoting a different faith. He said it would lead to bad things. He even said that unmarried young people who express their love through kisses would lead to terrible consequences.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that this holiday was based off of a saint from Christianity, St. Valentine. And I understand the different religons and ethnic groups view things differently so I do not think this man was wrong in saying what he said. I found it interesting though, because today is Valentine's Day! :)
Beigjing,China has ordered that smoking scenes in films and television series be restricted, due to its concern that it is failing to deliver on pledges to help its 300 million smokers kick the habit.Last month, Chinese and foreign medical experts issued a report warning that smoking deaths in the world's most populous country could triple by 2030.If this is what it takes to save millions of lives, then this is a good idea!
ReplyDeleteAn article on FoxNews.com reported that four Japanese women are suing the government because they want to keep their surnames. Japanese custom dictates that when a woman marries, she is to use her husband’s name for all legal issues going forward. Women today are unhappy because they want the ability to use their own names in both private and public life. I found this article interesting because the population video we viewed last Saturday discussed the importance of educating women so they can make well informed decisions; however their cultural beliefs interfered. When I saw this article, it made me think….cultural beliefs play a very important role in the every day lives of the members. Japanese women are educated today and are still fighting for some of their rights which are dictated by customs. I hope these women win their case. When I married, I never gave it a thought that I had to use my husband’s name. I guess it was because I knew I had the choice. If I wanted to use my surname, it would not be an issue in the United States. Once again I find myself thankful that my ancestors landed here.
ReplyDeleteAsian Times.com reported that Taiwan officials arrested one of their generals, Lo Hsien-che, for espionage. They claim Lo sold secrets to the Chinese that could have an impact on US-Taiwan-China relations. Under investigation is the fact that Lo gave the Chinese inside information regarding a communication system the US worked with Taiwan to install. The system would allow their military to communicate within branches and provide a link to the US military. It is also mentioned that the US does not fully disclose all capabilities of the system. A research fellow in Taiwan mentioned that if we look at past deals between the US and Taiwan, one will see that the US protects sensitive information. The author ends the report by indicating that China just cannot be trusted.
ReplyDeleteAccording to CNN international news, Japan's economy has slipped to third in the world behind China and the United States. China's rapid production of manufacturing is taking over! Japan's economy was valued at US $5.4742 trillion dollars while China was at US $5.8786 trillion. It is said that in the next 20 years, China will overtake the United States and become the worlds largest economy. For two decades now, Japan has been in deflation. Japan is facing a demographic tsunami, with the world's fastest aging population and one of the globe's lowest birth rates.
ReplyDeleteI read in the BBC News that South Asia is being affected by floods. Bangladesh,Nothern India, and Nepal have lost some 200 people because of the floods. But on the bright side of things Nepal is doing much better because the water is recending. The entire region is being affected, they are being cut off from clean drinking water and dry food.They even have to have air drops which drops food and water to the different places where the water is to high or the area is to destroyed that they can't land. But they are working very hard to get there area underway again.
ReplyDeletePrices of the most important commodity of all are skyrocketing
ReplyDeleteThe U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Bank say food costs have reached an historic high and have hit dangerous levels. The global food prices have jumped 29 percent overall in the past year. The higher cost of corn, wheat, and oil has pushed 44 million people in Asian countries into extreme poverty since June. The poor families, who typically spend more than half their household income on food, are suffering the most. When there are shortages and skyrocketing prices, it can cause riots in poorer nations.
The root causes of food price inflation are hotly debated, with explanations varying from country to country. But one common factor is extreme weather events that are occurring more frequently, wiping out crops. Floods in Australia, Pakistan and India have helped force up food prices, along with the droughts in China, Argentina and Eastern Europe. China is the world's largest wheat grower and has suffered the worst drought in six decades is putting pressure on global wheat prices (already up a third since mid-November). Officials in China announced $1 billion in spending to alleviate the problem with emergency irrigation and cloud-seeding to make rain. In India, onion prices shot up in January after unseasonable rains damaged crops in the western state of Maharashtra, the main producer. Anger over the high prices erupted into street protests, led by opposition parties, when prices for onions, a diet staple in South Asia nearly tripled to 80 rupees a kilogram in December and January. India responded by quickly importing onions from longtime rival Pakistan. In Indonesia, months of heavy rainfall decimated the chili peppers crops.
Surging food prices in India are forcing families to cut back on meat and vegetables. In Indonesia, the price of chili peppers vaulted as much as 10-fold in recent months. Some farmers took to arming themselves with machetes to guard their fields from chili rustlers. People are willing to kill or be killed for chili peppers. What is this world coming to? At this rate with the population increasing and food decreasing, there won’t be much of a population left to age out.
“Young and Rich in Indonesia” is an article I found on cnn.com. The article starts off with a quote from Ligwina Hananto “that many people dream, dreams are goals with no deadline”. She says u can turn your dream into a goal with a deadline and make of it what you want. This article was about a woman of Muslim faith that was originally a stay at home mom. She tried 7 different businesses that failed prior to achieving her goal of becoming a financial planner. She also just recently became a radio talk show host as well; she compared herself to Suzie Ormond. This talk show was about new products that hit the market and she would be the judge if the product was great or not. The article continues on with more than half of Indonesia being under the age of 29 and with Indonesia demographic the way that it is with more than half the population under 29 this could only mean that the future of Indonesia could greatly increase its production over the next 10 to 20 years. She also tells about another entrepreneur of Indonesia is Donny Pramono who started a yogurt business that is looking to expand internationally soon.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article because it made me think of the video we just watched. I compared this woman with the women in China who were talking back their lives and putting reproduction on hold. This article also brought about population and that since the population age difference was so drastic that this area could use it to its advantage with working and producing in the future. The article also said that about 14% of the population is under poverty and that if proper education was provided for the up and coming generation that the country could advance. I think this woman has something to bring to the country and maybe if she is heard that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Indonesia.
Cnn.com “10 stunning underwater Asia sites”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/17/cnngo.asia.dive.sites/index.html#
This article is about the immaculate underwater sea life that Asia has to offer. It shows spectacular pictures from areas all over Asia. There is captions describing the different areas including what they are known for and the threats these areas are facing. I am not going to go into a lot of detail because you will want to see the pictures yourself. Here are some of the topics in which they provide links for further information as well.
Malaysia – Turtle Tomb
Thailand- Clown Fish “Nemo”
Indonesia- Stingless Jelly Fish
Myanmar- Red Lionfish
Raja Ampat Island, Indonesia (Near Papua) – largest diversity in coral and fish (537 species of coral and 1,074 species of fish)
India- ribboned sweetlips
Komondo, Indonesia- another large diverse area ranging from sunfish to mantas, dolphins and pygmy seahorses
These pictures give a real sense of natural beauty. Along with information a lot of the areas have ban fishing including commercial fishing. Some areas even have coral banning. This article was fun and it gives an alternate view of the area other than war, violence and despair.
Cnn.com - Japan has canceled the rest of its winter whaling season – the reason for this being that environmentalists’ obstructive efforts made it dangerous for whalers to stay on the high seas. Japanese top official halted whaling because of actions taken by an animal rights group. He stressed that Japan did not want to do so but felt forced to. The decision marks the first time Japan has canceled its whale hunt in the waters of the Antarctic since 2005, when it began a bitter battle with the animal rights group. What Japan calls its winter whaling season typically extends into mid-March.
ReplyDeleteJapan annually hunts whales, despite a worldwide moratorium on whaling. It does this under the pretense that it is conducting scientific research since the moratorium allows the culling of whales for purposes of scientific research. Critics however call Japan's hunt a cover for commercial whaling, since the whale meat ends up in supermarkets and restaurants. Animal rights groups, as well as the govs. of Australia and New Zealand, have publicly condemned Japan's hunts. Environmentalists hope this is the end of whale hunting by Japan but say they will keep fighting if they return.
I wasn't aware that whaling was illegal, I wonder why this is so- if they are endangered or what? And since it is prohibited, serves Japan right! I hope the animal rights group succeeds in keeping the whalers off the waters.
Cnn.com - Japan sees alarming rise in child abuse. 70 % of the children in a Tokyo orphanage are victims of abuse and neglect so severe that the police removed them from their parents’ custody. Japan has an exploding population of child abuse victims with cases having quadrupled in 10 years. In 2009 the number of abuse cases reported hit an all-time high of 44,211. The rise in these cases is attributed to poor economy, increasing divorces and the lack of affordable child care. Regardless of the reasons however the result is that Japan’s child welfare system is at its breaking point. Japan's government says in cities like Tokyo orphanages are at 100 percent capacity. Japan's culture is deeply rooted in the family and has historically not embraced adoption or foster care.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to hear that Japan’s orphanages are full just having watched the population video in class last week, highlighting its dramatic population decline in the near future. Naturally orphanages at full capacity leads one to believe that there must be many births or that many parents are dying but this is neither the case for Japan. Esp. with 70% of children in those protective services being abused - in my mind orphan means you have no parents, not that your parents are monsters. I would have never suspected this of Japan but I’m glad someone is shedding light onto this tragic reality.
On Thursday Pakistan troops violated the cease fire and launched rocket propelled grenades on an Indian post. Fortunately no one was harmed in the incident. With the firing of RPGs on Indian soil the Indians fired back with rifles. The fight lasted for about 5 minutes. An Indian officer has registered a strong protest against the cease fire violation. It is unclear why the Pakistan troops fired on the Indian post but the news is disheartening to hear.
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese have called an end to their winter whaling season one week early because of harassment from US activists. The Sea Shepherd ran the Japanese out of their whaling water in southern Antarctic waters. There has been a commercial ban on whaling allowing only a small amount of whaling for scientific research. The Sea Shepherd was excited to hear the news as they feel the Japanese are using the excuse of scientific research as a loophole in the commercial ban. The Japanese feel they are being harassed as the US activist give chase to the mother ship even after they have halted in the current season. I feel the Japanese are breaking the commercial ban and the Sea Shepherd upholds the ban and enforces justice however I do not agree with all their methods of enforcing justice.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that I had this class. It if wasn't for having this class I wouldn't know anything that goes on in the world. I just hate watching the news because its already something bad they have to talk about. I agree with Kerri so need to stop complaining so much. We have it so good. I didn't even hear about the rain fall thats ruining all those people houses. That's so sad. But what's even sadder is the story that Krystal talked about. A 15 year old girl gets slashed so bad that she dies from it and she was innocent. How crazy is it that "stuff" goes on like that. Its like that "stuff" doesn't happen. Yes it does, and again we just sit by and let it happen. We just can't imagine things like that occurring. Then we think its funny when we hear about stories of people getting their fingers or hands cut off just for stealing. It's not funny to me and it really happens. Also its not even like it only happens for big or expensive things, it will happen if you steal a piece of gum.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to comment on Kerri's other post. I can't even believe that the U.S. is ahead of Japan's economy. I definitely knew that China would be in the lead. It's also not a surprise to me that they say that China will overtake the U.S., I can't believe they estimated it to take that long. The U.S. is already in a huge debt to them already! The already manufacture and run everything.
Well now in reading this article on China, I take back my comment about them having it good. The article talked about how China's consumer price index, a gauge of inflation, hit 5.1% last November. With their Lunar New Year celebration just ending the customer residents have spent a lot of money. To the rich there it wasn't anything but to the rest of the community it hurt their wallets. Their government is trying to curb the inflation by offering more subsidies for farmers to produce more essential goods and imposing price controls on scarce goods and government services. One explanation is that its only asset inflation, basically only rich property is going up not consumer goods, so it doesn't feel like a inflation more like a boom. Also by raising interest rates and reserve requirement ratio for banks, China has slowed down its inflation rate but only modestly. Experts say what China needs to do is tighten its money supply, which is still growing at nearly 20% yearly.
ReplyDeleteAlthough pakistan enjoys one of the best locations in the world, there are some severe geographical problems that pakistan is facing.
ReplyDelete1.The extreme temperatures in indus plains
2.Irregular rainfall
3.Volume of water varing in rivers
4.Water of tributaries of river indus not in control of pakistan
5.Very hot climate in southern areas
6.It is surrounded by hostile countries i.e india,aghfanistan
7.Uneven landscape makes it difficult to exploit mineral resources from areas like balochistan e.t.c
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_geographical_problems_faced_by_Pakistan#ixzz1EMozMQJE
Nice job posting, analyzing, and expressing quite a variety of issues!
ReplyDeleteNo other country presents so serious a problem for the world today, and no other problem seems as insoluble: Right now, North Korea's malign behavior could conceivably draw the United States into still another war.
ReplyDeleteAs Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, said Monday, "tensions" on the Korean peninsula could "spin out of control."
Most everyone considers North Korea mercurial, unpredictable. But in fact, its behavior usually follows a consistent pattern -- if you consider its two greatest needs. It demands to be respected, and it covets copious aid.
Look at what happened in the weeks before the North opened fire on Yeonpyeong, the South Korean island. Earlier in November, the United Nations reported that North Korea desperately needs food aid. Half the nation's children are malnourished; some are actually starving to death. North Korea's leaders obviously don't care much about that. But if the people are starving, then the "Great Leader" Kim Jong-il and his mandarins probably don't have everything they want, either.
So what happens next? Expect a stronger, more deadly attack. Earlier this year, the North sank a South Korean naval vessel, killing 46 sailors. Last month it opened fire on that island, killing four people. Pyongyang didn't get what it wanted, so those attacks "are likely only the beginning of similar North Korean provocations over the coming year or so," said Bruce Bennett, a senior North Korea analyst at the RAND Corporation.
Tensions are rising in North Korea. They are struggling in every aspect of what a nation needs. They have no food, fertilizer, or allies. Tension is only going to rise as they start to get more and more desperate. They have already started attacking South Korea. I'm guessing these acts were for attention, but it didn't seem to help their cause. I believe the world is waiting for their next course of action, and it could possibly be a bit more devastating. Aid to this country could be necessary to prevent a possible war. But then again the world could look at the country as whiny little kid throwing a tantrum and will act out if they don't get what they want. Its almost like terrorism. They are basically saying if you don't give us what we want then we will kill more people. As the U.S. has shown in the past, we don't negotiate with terrorists. But it does raise the next question. What will North Korea do next?