The Catholic Church has reported that they will deny communion to any Spanish member of parliament that votes in favor of a bill that makes abortion more readily available. The bill allows abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy, will allow abortion at any time in the pregnancy in cases of extreme fetal deformity, and will allow girls that are sixteen and older to obtain an abortion without parental consent. Currently, abortion is only allowed in cases of rape, if the fetus is malformed, or if the pregnancy endangers the physical or mental health of the mother. A spokesman for Spain's Bishops' Conference said, "This is a warning to Catholics, that they can't vote in favour of this and that they won't be able to receive communion unless they ask forgiveness. They are in an objective state of sin." (Full Story) [As a side note, the title of the linked article is the most convoluted, confusing title ever. Get some editors on that, stat!]
The Catholic Church using it's power to scare people into doing what the Church wants, or they will be punished? This has never happened before.
A state-run magazine in China published an expose on China's secret detention centers. These detention centers, sometimes known as "black jails", are used to prevent citizens from complaining about the Chinese government. These petitioners come to Beijing to report grievances, many of them involving corruption in their hometowns. There are as many as 10,000 "retrievers" or "interceptors" who are paid by local officials to keep petitioners from filing their complaints. These interceptors often roam the streets of Beijing and grab petitioners off the street. The petitioners are then taken away to a secret detention center -- sometimes its guesthouses or dank basements. The petitioners have their cellphones and identification confiscated before being locked up. They are usually held for days or weeks and are inadequately fed, and sometimes beaten. Then they are sent back to their hometown with the warning that they stay away from the capital. These detention centers are used to scare petitioners out of filing their complaints. The report counted 73 secret detention centers, and many are run by regional governments.
"Although the right to petition the authorities is enshrined in the Constitution, that right is frequently swallowed up by the reality of contemporary China's system of governance: local officials, facing pressure to maintain social stability, are penalized for allowing too many complaints to find their way to the offices of the central government."
It was surprising for many that a state-run magazine could publish such an expose. Especially since a Foreign Ministry spokesman denied the existence of "black jails" just a few weeks ago (after a Human Rights Watch report documented China's secret jails). Human rights advocates express guarded optimism about the publishing of this expose. As one researcher from Human Rights Watch said, "The fact that the report focuses on the issue in a substantive and detailed way gives us hope that the Chinese government might end its longtime denial of the existence of black jails and move toward closing them down, liberating the detainees, and bringing the perpetrators to justice." (Full Story)
It does seem a little suspicious that this state-run magazine was able to publish this expose. The Chinese government has very tight control over the media and goes to great lengths to hide stuff like this. So you wonder if this is all a spectacle to be like "look, we're changing! We're improving human rights." And they figured this was a good way to draw attention to it. But will they really change?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
November 27, 2009
An article that highlights the benefits of medical social service programs for pregnant women. There is a large racial gap in infant deaths, with black mothers having a higher incidence of very premature births. In 2007, the infant mortality rate nationwide for white mothers was 6 per 1,000 and the rate for black mothers was 13 per 1,000.
The article features a case study of Dane County, Wisconsin (which is where Madison is located). Between the 1990s and the current decade, the rate of infant deaths among black mothers has fallen sharply -- from an average of 19 deaths per thousands births to fewer than five in recent years. The rate is now at parity with white mothers. Researcher wants to figure out what "went right" in Dane County, in order to help out other areas in Wisconsin. In Milwaukee, Racine, and two other counties, black infant mortality rates are some of the highest in the nation. The article mentioned a mother that used to live in Racine, and while she lived there she had a stillborn child for her first pregnancy and then a premature child for her second pregnancy. Then she moved to Madison and, for the first time, had a full-term, healthy pregnancy.
Some are perplexed by this drop in infant mortality, saying there isn't a medical explanation. As one doctor said in the article, there has been no significant changes that have occurred in prenatal care or in medical technology. However, the social setting in which a pregnant mother lives, and the social and medical services provided to her during her pregnancy can have a huge impact on the pregnant mother and her child. It can't be a coincidence that the mother mentioned in the article had troubles delivering a healthy baby to full-term when she lived in Racine, but then once she moved to Madison, she did. The community you live in can be really important to your health. This mother moved from an area with a lot of poverty to a better neighborhood in Madison. She said that she felt fear and isolation during his first two pregnancies (in Racine). She was exposed to more stress. Racine is more segregated and violent. Madison is safer and the African-American community in Madison is described as close-knit.
Furthermore, there are more public and private services in Dane County. The Dane County health director pointed out services that started in the mid-1990s to help pregnant mothers: A law center that connects poor women with insurance and medical services; local health and maintenance organizations started to act far more assertively to promote the health of pregnant women; a federally-supported clinic opened up which serves the uninsured and provides women with nurse-midwives, who tend to bond with pregnant women and spend more time with them on appointments. Furthermore, county nurses visit low-income women that are at high-risk of premature births. They provide transportation to appointments, help the mothers join anti-smoking programs, and refer them to anti-depression therapies. This program exists state-wide, but other areas in the state (like Racine and Milwaukee) haven't achieved the same broad coverage like Dane County, according to a state secretary of health services. Moreover, community leaders in Dane County have increased outreach to young pregnant women and are keeping a closer watch on them.
The article gives the example of one 26-year-old pregnant mother in Madison that is benefiting from the medical and social services provided to pregnant women in her community. She lives in a subsidized apartment, she receives monthly visits from a county nurse who helps her out (including putting her in contact with a dentist. Periodontal disease increases the risk of premature births), a social worker visits weekly and helps her look for employment, she receives prenatal care from the community center's nurse-midwives, and a local church gave her baby clothes and changing table.
As the Dane County health director said, "I think it's a community effect. Pregnant women need to feel safe, cared for, and valued. I believe that when they don't, that contributes to premature birth and fetal loss in the sixth and seventh month." (Full Story)
The article features a case study of Dane County, Wisconsin (which is where Madison is located). Between the 1990s and the current decade, the rate of infant deaths among black mothers has fallen sharply -- from an average of 19 deaths per thousands births to fewer than five in recent years. The rate is now at parity with white mothers. Researcher wants to figure out what "went right" in Dane County, in order to help out other areas in Wisconsin. In Milwaukee, Racine, and two other counties, black infant mortality rates are some of the highest in the nation. The article mentioned a mother that used to live in Racine, and while she lived there she had a stillborn child for her first pregnancy and then a premature child for her second pregnancy. Then she moved to Madison and, for the first time, had a full-term, healthy pregnancy.
Some are perplexed by this drop in infant mortality, saying there isn't a medical explanation. As one doctor said in the article, there has been no significant changes that have occurred in prenatal care or in medical technology. However, the social setting in which a pregnant mother lives, and the social and medical services provided to her during her pregnancy can have a huge impact on the pregnant mother and her child. It can't be a coincidence that the mother mentioned in the article had troubles delivering a healthy baby to full-term when she lived in Racine, but then once she moved to Madison, she did. The community you live in can be really important to your health. This mother moved from an area with a lot of poverty to a better neighborhood in Madison. She said that she felt fear and isolation during his first two pregnancies (in Racine). She was exposed to more stress. Racine is more segregated and violent. Madison is safer and the African-American community in Madison is described as close-knit.
Furthermore, there are more public and private services in Dane County. The Dane County health director pointed out services that started in the mid-1990s to help pregnant mothers: A law center that connects poor women with insurance and medical services; local health and maintenance organizations started to act far more assertively to promote the health of pregnant women; a federally-supported clinic opened up which serves the uninsured and provides women with nurse-midwives, who tend to bond with pregnant women and spend more time with them on appointments. Furthermore, county nurses visit low-income women that are at high-risk of premature births. They provide transportation to appointments, help the mothers join anti-smoking programs, and refer them to anti-depression therapies. This program exists state-wide, but other areas in the state (like Racine and Milwaukee) haven't achieved the same broad coverage like Dane County, according to a state secretary of health services. Moreover, community leaders in Dane County have increased outreach to young pregnant women and are keeping a closer watch on them.
The article gives the example of one 26-year-old pregnant mother in Madison that is benefiting from the medical and social services provided to pregnant women in her community. She lives in a subsidized apartment, she receives monthly visits from a county nurse who helps her out (including putting her in contact with a dentist. Periodontal disease increases the risk of premature births), a social worker visits weekly and helps her look for employment, she receives prenatal care from the community center's nurse-midwives, and a local church gave her baby clothes and changing table.
As the Dane County health director said, "I think it's a community effect. Pregnant women need to feel safe, cared for, and valued. I believe that when they don't, that contributes to premature birth and fetal loss in the sixth and seventh month." (Full Story)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
November 25, 2009
Yet another reason why more needs to be done to combat the global warming problem: Researchers in the U.S. have found that climate is a major factor in armed conflict in Africa. They analyzed temperature databases for sub-Saharan Africa between 1981 and 2002, and looked for correlations between above-average warm temperatures and civil conflict. They found that conflict was about 50% more likely in unusually warm years. Food seems to be the main reason why -- conflict is more common when the food supply is scarce during warmer conditions. The research leader reports, "Studies show that crop yields in the region are really sensitive to small shifts in temperature, even of half a degree (Celsius) or so. If the sub-Saharan climate continues to warm and little is done to help its countries better adapt to high temperatures, the human costs are likely to be staggering." Future warming is likely to increase the number of deaths from conflict. If temperatures rise as the researchers' computer models project, future conflicts could increase by 50% over the next 20 years.
The lead researcher suggested there needs to be greater investment in helping Africa adapt to climate change -- including "developing crop varieties less sensitive to extreme heat and promoting insurance plans to help protect farmers from adverse effects of the hotter climate." A professor of African Studies also suggested a need for improving mechanisms to avoid and resolve conflict in Africa. (Full Story)
A 62-year-old bank employee in Germany was arrested for helping out poor customers, at the expense of rich ones. Some are referring to her as the Robin Hood Banker. She allowed overdrafts for poorer customers who would not normally qualify for them. She then transferred money from richer costumers' accounts to temporarily disguise the overdraft loans during the bank's monthly audit of overdrafts. She transferred more than $11 million in 117 transfers. She took no money for herself. The bank lost $1.5 million when poor customers were unable to pay back the unauthorized overdrafts. The banker has to pay back the bank for the lost funds -- reportedly the money is coming from her small retirement pension. She could have served four years in prison, but the court suspended the sentence because she took no money for herself and she confessed immediately. They also felt she was punished enough by the fact she lost her job and has to pay back the losses. (Full Story)
Although she did something illegal, I admire this woman. She wasn't benefiting at all; instead, she felt like she should help these poorer customers out out of a sense of duty or justice. The bank should be punished for taking advantage of the poor. The fact that people with more money are the ones that don't face these types of fees is absurd, and a good example of the penalization of the poor.
The lead researcher suggested there needs to be greater investment in helping Africa adapt to climate change -- including "developing crop varieties less sensitive to extreme heat and promoting insurance plans to help protect farmers from adverse effects of the hotter climate." A professor of African Studies also suggested a need for improving mechanisms to avoid and resolve conflict in Africa. (Full Story)
A 62-year-old bank employee in Germany was arrested for helping out poor customers, at the expense of rich ones. Some are referring to her as the Robin Hood Banker. She allowed overdrafts for poorer customers who would not normally qualify for them. She then transferred money from richer costumers' accounts to temporarily disguise the overdraft loans during the bank's monthly audit of overdrafts. She transferred more than $11 million in 117 transfers. She took no money for herself. The bank lost $1.5 million when poor customers were unable to pay back the unauthorized overdrafts. The banker has to pay back the bank for the lost funds -- reportedly the money is coming from her small retirement pension. She could have served four years in prison, but the court suspended the sentence because she took no money for herself and she confessed immediately. They also felt she was punished enough by the fact she lost her job and has to pay back the losses. (Full Story)
Although she did something illegal, I admire this woman. She wasn't benefiting at all; instead, she felt like she should help these poorer customers out out of a sense of duty or justice. The bank should be punished for taking advantage of the poor. The fact that people with more money are the ones that don't face these types of fees is absurd, and a good example of the penalization of the poor.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
November 24, 2009
Funny article on Republicans complaining about how long the health care reform bills are. They're doing all kinds of stunts in front of the cameras to exaggerate the size of the bills including stacking copies on top of each other to make the pile look even larger; displaying copies of the bill with double-spacing, double-wide margins, and large print; one Representative hoisted a copy on his shoulder with a sturdy rope tied around it; another Representative threw the pages of the bill to the crowd at a Capitol Hill rally; and several Republican congressmen have joked about it being longer than War & Peace (which is not actually true). "Although they complain they don't have time to read all of it, they found the time to tape it together, page by page, so they could roll it up the steps of the Capitol likes super-sized toilet paper and show how very long it is." (Full Story)
Since when did shorter legislation seem like a better idea? When dealing with something so huge and complex like a reform to the health care system, I should hope it's not a meager 30 page bill. I think I want my legislation a little more mapped out and detailed than that.
In a report released by the charity Save the Children, it was found that there are about eight million children around the world that live in orphanages or similar institutions. Though the report says the number is probably even larger because there are many children that are not registered. They also found that at least four out of five children in orphanages have at least one living parent. Cases like this are especially high in parts of Africa and Eastern Europe. The author of the report writes, "It is a myth that children in orphanages have no parents. Most are there because this parents simply can't afford to feed, clothe, and educate them." It really shows how terrible poverty is and how unjust it is, that so many parents cannot raise their children.
Some parents believe that their children will be returned to them when they are older -- though few are aware they are giving up all legal rights to their child. Save the Children also reported that some institutions coerce or trick poor parents into giving up their children. At some of these institutions, children face the risk of physical and sexual abuse, as well as trafficking. "The report says children have become 'commodities' in a growing industry and that 'unscrupulous institutions are known to recruit children in order to profit from international adoption and child trafficking.'"
Save the Children wants more resources to go into projects that can help support families so that they can continue to look after their children, instead of giving them up. They also want strict monitoring of these institutions that house children. (Full Story)
The Iranian government is expanding their effort to stifle the opposition by implementing a variety of "ideological offensives." The government is "implanting 6,000 Basij militia centers in elementary schools across Iran to promote the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, and it has created a new police unit to sweep the Internet for dissident voices. A company affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards acquired a majority share in the nation's telecommunications monopoly this year, giving the Guards de facto control of Iran's land lines, Internet providers, and two cellphone companies. And in the spring, the Revolutionary Guards plan to open a news agency with print, photo, and television elements."
The government calls this a "soft war." They believe the problems that they face with the opposition is a result of Western interference and cultural subversion. As a result, Iranian officials have taken on new efforts to "re-Islamize the educational system, purge secular influences and professors, and purify the media of subversive ideas."
A professor at Syracuse University (who is an Iran expert) thinks this strategy might not be effective, and instead could backfire. "The Iranian population is overwhelmingly literate and young, and previous efforts to reinstall orthodoxy have only exacerbated cleavages between citizens and the state. (Full Story)
This is the most-read story on BBC this morning: "Adam Lambert's gay kiss on stage gets 1,500 complaints." (Full Story)
ABC said the number of complaints they received was "moderate". Fifteen hundred people complain about a gay man kissing another, and that's only considered a "moderate" amount. There shouldn't be any complaints. People in Europe must think we are such morons.
Since when did shorter legislation seem like a better idea? When dealing with something so huge and complex like a reform to the health care system, I should hope it's not a meager 30 page bill. I think I want my legislation a little more mapped out and detailed than that.
In a report released by the charity Save the Children, it was found that there are about eight million children around the world that live in orphanages or similar institutions. Though the report says the number is probably even larger because there are many children that are not registered. They also found that at least four out of five children in orphanages have at least one living parent. Cases like this are especially high in parts of Africa and Eastern Europe. The author of the report writes, "It is a myth that children in orphanages have no parents. Most are there because this parents simply can't afford to feed, clothe, and educate them." It really shows how terrible poverty is and how unjust it is, that so many parents cannot raise their children.
Some parents believe that their children will be returned to them when they are older -- though few are aware they are giving up all legal rights to their child. Save the Children also reported that some institutions coerce or trick poor parents into giving up their children. At some of these institutions, children face the risk of physical and sexual abuse, as well as trafficking. "The report says children have become 'commodities' in a growing industry and that 'unscrupulous institutions are known to recruit children in order to profit from international adoption and child trafficking.'"
Save the Children wants more resources to go into projects that can help support families so that they can continue to look after their children, instead of giving them up. They also want strict monitoring of these institutions that house children. (Full Story)
The Iranian government is expanding their effort to stifle the opposition by implementing a variety of "ideological offensives." The government is "implanting 6,000 Basij militia centers in elementary schools across Iran to promote the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, and it has created a new police unit to sweep the Internet for dissident voices. A company affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards acquired a majority share in the nation's telecommunications monopoly this year, giving the Guards de facto control of Iran's land lines, Internet providers, and two cellphone companies. And in the spring, the Revolutionary Guards plan to open a news agency with print, photo, and television elements."
The government calls this a "soft war." They believe the problems that they face with the opposition is a result of Western interference and cultural subversion. As a result, Iranian officials have taken on new efforts to "re-Islamize the educational system, purge secular influences and professors, and purify the media of subversive ideas."
A professor at Syracuse University (who is an Iran expert) thinks this strategy might not be effective, and instead could backfire. "The Iranian population is overwhelmingly literate and young, and previous efforts to reinstall orthodoxy have only exacerbated cleavages between citizens and the state. (Full Story)
This is the most-read story on BBC this morning: "Adam Lambert's gay kiss on stage gets 1,500 complaints." (Full Story)
ABC said the number of complaints they received was "moderate". Fifteen hundred people complain about a gay man kissing another, and that's only considered a "moderate" amount. There shouldn't be any complaints. People in Europe must think we are such morons.
Monday, November 23, 2009
November 23, 2009
In Mississippi, the governor (Haley Barbour) plans to merge three historically black universities into one. The three schools are Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, and Mississippi Valley State University. Under the plan, no campuses would close but Alcorn State and MVSU would be merged into Jackson State. In addition, he wants to merge Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State University. Barbour said the merger would save money by reducing administrative costs and eliminating "academic duplication" [Academic duplication? What does that even mean? I'm sure he's thinking, 'All you black schools teach the same thing.'] He says this plan could save $35 million. He said the state can't afford eight universities. He also stated that he's not worried about appearing racially insensitive with his plan.
The presidents of these universities have stated that they want to remain independent. The JSU president said, "The governor's proposed budget cuts will change the face of higher education in Mississippi for decades." A student at JSU said, "I personally believe they undermined the uniqueness of the black colleges and how far we've come with the little resources we have." Some critics of the plan say that all universities should be treated the same. A Representative from Mississippi said, "I only know there are certain universities that are having to come forward and prove why they should remain open. That's not right." The vice president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in High Education said the state should examine all the state's universities and colleges, and not just it's three HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). Some key lawmakers in Mississippi say they will not support this plan and they don't think it will be given much consideration when the Legislature convenes in January. (Full Story)
I can't believe Barbour isn't even trying to be discrete about it -- that the only schools he is looking to merge are HBCUs and a women's university. That's certainly not a coincidence. And saying you don't care that you appear racially insensitive?! That's scary.
The Commissioner for Immigration in Germany has reported that Germany is drawing up a "values contract" to bind new immigrants to Germany's values. She said, "In those contracts will be set out what they can expect in terms of support and help. But they will also set out what we can expect from immigrants." Immigrants are expected to learn German and uphold German values such as freedom of speech and gender equality. The Commissioner said that the number of highly qualified immigrants coming to Germany is too small. Germany wants to makes themselves more attractive to qualified immigrants -- the Commissioner believes this will help the country gain "the expertise that will enable us to ensure our leading economic role in world market." She continued, "Our demographic problems won't be solved through immigration...But, we must also make sure we harness the potential of immigrants already living here. For that, we need good language teaching, schooling, and a better recognition of qualifications gained abroad." (Full Story)
I think it's good they're trying to help immigrants to be integrated in Germany society and that there is a contract that lays out the help and support immigrants can expect. That's better than the host country saying "you're on your own; figure it out" -- which immigrants to the U.S. kind of experience. At least Germany is trying to offer language teaching and schooling. However, I'm kind of wary about this push for immigrants to sign a contract promising to take on German values. Immigrants should have the right to carry on their traditions and values (to the extent that it doesn't harm someone or is illegal in Germany). I also don't like this language of "qualified immigrants", and wanting to use these 'desirable' immigrants to help the country progress. I think this draws an unacceptable line of who is considered "worthy" of German citizenship and who is not. Many countries do this as well -- whether they have a standard system or a point system -- where they're fine with immigrants as long as they will help the country economically. In these countries, there should be greater acceptance of diversity and immigrants in general.
Interesting story about Indian brides being deserted by their British Indian husbands. One Indian woman featured in the article married a British man, who then returned to London and promised he'd send for her. He would come to India two or three times a year and would "have a good time" with his wife, but then he would return to London without her -- giving excuses that there were delays with the visa and finally that the spousal visa application had been denied. Then he said that he applied for an appeal. This would give him an excuse to still come see his wife, but then to leave without her. His wife said she never saw any copy of the paperwork he was supposedly filing. Then the visits and calls ended, and now she has no contact with her husband. The wife said, "In hindsight, it was like being a prostitute you take along and have a good time with and then leave behind...I get the feeling that I was being used all this time."
It's estimated that there are 15,000 to 20,000 abandoned brides in India. These women are referred to as "holiday brides". Most of these brides have been deserted by husbands that live in the UK, Canada, or the US. These Western suitors can be appealing to Indian brides because there is an opportunity for a better life. These Western suitors can provide financial security and the opportunity to migrate -- which can bring about better opportunities than is possible in India, especially for women.
Many of this "holiday brides" do not remarry. They have to resort to depending on relatives for financial support. These women say their lives have been ruined because their husbands have deserted them and divorce is seen as socially unacceptable. Their situation is frowned upon by others in the community. In response to this problem, the Indian government has set up a department to provide assistance to these abandoned brides. (Full Story)
The presidents of these universities have stated that they want to remain independent. The JSU president said, "The governor's proposed budget cuts will change the face of higher education in Mississippi for decades." A student at JSU said, "I personally believe they undermined the uniqueness of the black colleges and how far we've come with the little resources we have." Some critics of the plan say that all universities should be treated the same. A Representative from Mississippi said, "I only know there are certain universities that are having to come forward and prove why they should remain open. That's not right." The vice president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in High Education said the state should examine all the state's universities and colleges, and not just it's three HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). Some key lawmakers in Mississippi say they will not support this plan and they don't think it will be given much consideration when the Legislature convenes in January. (Full Story)
I can't believe Barbour isn't even trying to be discrete about it -- that the only schools he is looking to merge are HBCUs and a women's university. That's certainly not a coincidence. And saying you don't care that you appear racially insensitive?! That's scary.
The Commissioner for Immigration in Germany has reported that Germany is drawing up a "values contract" to bind new immigrants to Germany's values. She said, "In those contracts will be set out what they can expect in terms of support and help. But they will also set out what we can expect from immigrants." Immigrants are expected to learn German and uphold German values such as freedom of speech and gender equality. The Commissioner said that the number of highly qualified immigrants coming to Germany is too small. Germany wants to makes themselves more attractive to qualified immigrants -- the Commissioner believes this will help the country gain "the expertise that will enable us to ensure our leading economic role in world market." She continued, "Our demographic problems won't be solved through immigration...But, we must also make sure we harness the potential of immigrants already living here. For that, we need good language teaching, schooling, and a better recognition of qualifications gained abroad." (Full Story)
I think it's good they're trying to help immigrants to be integrated in Germany society and that there is a contract that lays out the help and support immigrants can expect. That's better than the host country saying "you're on your own; figure it out" -- which immigrants to the U.S. kind of experience. At least Germany is trying to offer language teaching and schooling. However, I'm kind of wary about this push for immigrants to sign a contract promising to take on German values. Immigrants should have the right to carry on their traditions and values (to the extent that it doesn't harm someone or is illegal in Germany). I also don't like this language of "qualified immigrants", and wanting to use these 'desirable' immigrants to help the country progress. I think this draws an unacceptable line of who is considered "worthy" of German citizenship and who is not. Many countries do this as well -- whether they have a standard system or a point system -- where they're fine with immigrants as long as they will help the country economically. In these countries, there should be greater acceptance of diversity and immigrants in general.
Interesting story about Indian brides being deserted by their British Indian husbands. One Indian woman featured in the article married a British man, who then returned to London and promised he'd send for her. He would come to India two or three times a year and would "have a good time" with his wife, but then he would return to London without her -- giving excuses that there were delays with the visa and finally that the spousal visa application had been denied. Then he said that he applied for an appeal. This would give him an excuse to still come see his wife, but then to leave without her. His wife said she never saw any copy of the paperwork he was supposedly filing. Then the visits and calls ended, and now she has no contact with her husband. The wife said, "In hindsight, it was like being a prostitute you take along and have a good time with and then leave behind...I get the feeling that I was being used all this time."
It's estimated that there are 15,000 to 20,000 abandoned brides in India. These women are referred to as "holiday brides". Most of these brides have been deserted by husbands that live in the UK, Canada, or the US. These Western suitors can be appealing to Indian brides because there is an opportunity for a better life. These Western suitors can provide financial security and the opportunity to migrate -- which can bring about better opportunities than is possible in India, especially for women.
Many of this "holiday brides" do not remarry. They have to resort to depending on relatives for financial support. These women say their lives have been ruined because their husbands have deserted them and divorce is seen as socially unacceptable. Their situation is frowned upon by others in the community. In response to this problem, the Indian government has set up a department to provide assistance to these abandoned brides. (Full Story)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
November 22, 2009
Human rights groups and Iran experts say that Iran is using the death penalty to intimidate the political opposition and to quell unrest. In Iran, executions tend to surge during a crisis, and this pattern seems to be in effect in the aftermath of the disputed June elections. This month, a fifth person connected to the protests was sentenced to death. In the period of time between the election in June and the inauguration of President Ahmadinejad in August, 115 people were executed (according to statistics compiled by human rights groups and Iranian news agencies -- Iran does not release official statistics on executions). Amnesty International reported that between the June elections and the inauguration in August, executions surged to an average of two a day. Experts argue the executions are intended to frighten those who protest against the government. "Though the executions mostly involved violent criminals and drug dealers, the number and pace of the killings appeared to be sending a message to the opposition, said human rights groups and Iran experts."
Iran has one of the highest rates of execution; only China has a higher rate. Once Ahmadinejad became president, the number of executions quadrupled. According to Amnesty International, in 2005 (the year Ahmadinejad took office) there were 86 executions; in 2008 there were 346. Last week the United Nations passed a draft resolution criticizing Iran for numerous human rights abuses. It is expected that the final resolution will pass the General Assembly. (Full Story)
A Canadian woman that was on long-term sick leave for depression (she was diagnosed with major depression) says she lost her benefits because of pictures of her on Facebook. Manulife discontinued her monthly sick-leave benefits because they found pictures of her on Facebook having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, her birthday party, and on a vacation. She says that Manulife told her that these pictures are evidence that she is no longer depressed. She is fighting to get her benefits reinstated. She says her doctor advised her to try to have fun, to hang out with friends more, and to go on short vacations where she can get sunlight -- to help with her depression. (Full Story)
It is crazy how often companies are looking on people's Facebook pages to get information. Including information to be used against the individual. Furthermore, what does Manulife expect, that if you're depressed you aren't allowed to have a birthday party or see friends? That if you're depressed you better be sitting at home 24/7 in sweatpants with a carton of ice cream, crying constantly, and always an arms-length away from a bottle of pills or razorblades? Someone obviously doesn't understand mental health too well.
Iran has one of the highest rates of execution; only China has a higher rate. Once Ahmadinejad became president, the number of executions quadrupled. According to Amnesty International, in 2005 (the year Ahmadinejad took office) there were 86 executions; in 2008 there were 346. Last week the United Nations passed a draft resolution criticizing Iran for numerous human rights abuses. It is expected that the final resolution will pass the General Assembly. (Full Story)
A Canadian woman that was on long-term sick leave for depression (she was diagnosed with major depression) says she lost her benefits because of pictures of her on Facebook. Manulife discontinued her monthly sick-leave benefits because they found pictures of her on Facebook having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, her birthday party, and on a vacation. She says that Manulife told her that these pictures are evidence that she is no longer depressed. She is fighting to get her benefits reinstated. She says her doctor advised her to try to have fun, to hang out with friends more, and to go on short vacations where she can get sunlight -- to help with her depression. (Full Story)
It is crazy how often companies are looking on people's Facebook pages to get information. Including information to be used against the individual. Furthermore, what does Manulife expect, that if you're depressed you aren't allowed to have a birthday party or see friends? That if you're depressed you better be sitting at home 24/7 in sweatpants with a carton of ice cream, crying constantly, and always an arms-length away from a bottle of pills or razorblades? Someone obviously doesn't understand mental health too well.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
November 21, 2009
Argentina's Congress has authorized the force extraction of DNA from individuals suspected of being the children of political prisoners held captive during the "dirty war" (during the 1976-1983 dictatorship). Thousands of leftists 'disappeared' for dissenting against the government (these missing individuals are known as "Los Desaparecidos" or "The Disappeared"). Many of these people are suspected to be dead. It's believed that many of these people were held as political prisoners and were tortured before they were killed. Many surviving family members don't know what happened to their loved ones. It's suspected that about 400-500 babies were stolen from women who were kidnapped and gave birth inside hidden torture centers. These children of The Disappeared were often given to military or police families who were considered loyal to the government.
The parents of The Disappeared want to locate their grandchildren. The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo -- a group of mothers of The Disappeared -- have been demonstrating in front of the presidential palace every day since 1977. They carry with them pictures of their missing relatives and demand to know what happened to their children. Recovering their grandchildren has been a priority for the group. DNA technology has already helped to identify 98 out of 500 children they believe were born in prison or kidnapped as infants.
The new law legalizes the extraction of DNA -- including "minimal amounts" of saliva, blood, skin, hair, or other biological samples -- to determine one's identity. If the individuals refuses to give a sample, a judge can issue a warrant for genetic material from items such as a hairbrush, toothbrush, or clothing. Some see the new law as intrusive and an invasion of privacy. Some of these suspected children have grown up not even knowing they were adopted until activists or judges announced efforts to obtain their DNA. Opponents of this law say that if the individual doesn't want to know their origins, their wishes should be respected. Furthermore, some of the children don't want to implicate the parents that raised them. Opponents argue that the child's right to privacy outweighs the grandparents' right to know. While those on the other side say that the truth outweighs privacy rights, and families have the right to know what happened to their grandchildren.
There are many concerns about this new law. This law is unprecedented in that it requires DNA testing of those that aren't suspected of crimes. There is fear that this will be abused and will enable DNA to be collected from any individual if a judge rules it necessary. Moreover, in the past some DNA findings from suspected children of The Disappeared have been made public against the orphan's wishes -- either because the judge released the information or the biological family did. The new law provides no guarantees of privacy.
Elisa Carrio, a leading political rival of the president (Christina Fernandez), says that this decision has political motivations. Carrio thinks this is decision is targeting Ernestina Herrera de Noble, who is the director of the Clarin Group (Grupo Clarin) -- which is Argentina's dominant media group and is critical of the president and her husband [See our entry for November 6, 2009 for more background on Clarin Group vs. Fernandez]. It is suspected by The Grandmothers group that Herrera adopted two babies in 1976 that were stolen from women who gave birth in prison before they were killed. For years, the efforts to resolve this case have been blocked by Herrera's adoptive children (now in their 30s), who have refused to submit DNA tests. (Full Story)
At Lincoln University (in Pennsylvania) there is a requirement that overweight undergraduates have to take a fitness course in order to receive their degrees. Not every student is required to take this course, just those that are considered obese (i.e., those with a BMI of 30 or more). This mandate also requires students to get tested for their BMI (body mass index).
The intentions of the university are good -- the school is concerned about high rates of obesity and diabetes; especially within the African-American community (Lincoln University is a historically black school). However, there are complaints and concerns about this decision. It's great the school offers fitness courses, but as a requirement to graduate? As one student said, "I didn't come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range. I came here to get an education."
Some people argue that students being forced to disclose health information is "awkward" and "distasteful". Furthermore, the use of BMI to determine who needs to take the course is problematic. BMI can be misleading and inaccurate. The BMI doesn't make a distinction between body weight from muscle and body weight from fat. As one assistant professor of nursing stated in the article, since muscle weighs more than fat, "it is impossible to be overweight and still be physically fit."
Moreover, obese students shouldn't be singled out. If the school wants to encourage healthy lifestyles and exercise, they should encourage all students to take the course. It's further argued that this program might not be very effective or lead to the best outcomes. A director of bioethics at the University of Louisville's School of Medicine said, "when the (health) goals are imposed on people, they don't do that well in meeting them."
A registered dietitian added that, if the school wants to get their students healthy, they need to offer more than a fitness course. The university should also ensure that its dining halls and vending machines offer healthy choices. (Full Story)
...To which the university replied, 'And lose corporate sponsorship and make Coca-Cola unhappy?! We're not that interested in healthy lifestyles.'
Next month Sri Lanka is planning to release the remaining 136,000 Tamil refugees that have been detained in government camps since the country's civil war ended six months ago (more than half were released in recent months due to international pressure). The remaining refugees will be free to return to their village after December 1 and the camps will be closed January 31. These ethnic-minority Tamils are war refugees that tried to flee during the final months of the civil war between the government and the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels (who wanted an independent homeland for Tamils). About 300,000 refugees were forced into these camps and were held against their will. The camps are guarded by soldiers, surrounded by barbed wire, and access is heavily restricted. The Sri Lankan government argued that these Tamils needed to be screened for rebel ties before being released. Sri Lanka has been getting a lot of pressure from human rights groups and other governments to release these civilian war refugees. "Rights groups say the detention is an illegal form of collective punishment for the ethnic group." (Full Story)
The parents of The Disappeared want to locate their grandchildren. The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo -- a group of mothers of The Disappeared -- have been demonstrating in front of the presidential palace every day since 1977. They carry with them pictures of their missing relatives and demand to know what happened to their children. Recovering their grandchildren has been a priority for the group. DNA technology has already helped to identify 98 out of 500 children they believe were born in prison or kidnapped as infants.
The new law legalizes the extraction of DNA -- including "minimal amounts" of saliva, blood, skin, hair, or other biological samples -- to determine one's identity. If the individuals refuses to give a sample, a judge can issue a warrant for genetic material from items such as a hairbrush, toothbrush, or clothing. Some see the new law as intrusive and an invasion of privacy. Some of these suspected children have grown up not even knowing they were adopted until activists or judges announced efforts to obtain their DNA. Opponents of this law say that if the individual doesn't want to know their origins, their wishes should be respected. Furthermore, some of the children don't want to implicate the parents that raised them. Opponents argue that the child's right to privacy outweighs the grandparents' right to know. While those on the other side say that the truth outweighs privacy rights, and families have the right to know what happened to their grandchildren.
There are many concerns about this new law. This law is unprecedented in that it requires DNA testing of those that aren't suspected of crimes. There is fear that this will be abused and will enable DNA to be collected from any individual if a judge rules it necessary. Moreover, in the past some DNA findings from suspected children of The Disappeared have been made public against the orphan's wishes -- either because the judge released the information or the biological family did. The new law provides no guarantees of privacy.
Elisa Carrio, a leading political rival of the president (Christina Fernandez), says that this decision has political motivations. Carrio thinks this is decision is targeting Ernestina Herrera de Noble, who is the director of the Clarin Group (Grupo Clarin) -- which is Argentina's dominant media group and is critical of the president and her husband [See our entry for November 6, 2009 for more background on Clarin Group vs. Fernandez]. It is suspected by The Grandmothers group that Herrera adopted two babies in 1976 that were stolen from women who gave birth in prison before they were killed. For years, the efforts to resolve this case have been blocked by Herrera's adoptive children (now in their 30s), who have refused to submit DNA tests. (Full Story)
At Lincoln University (in Pennsylvania) there is a requirement that overweight undergraduates have to take a fitness course in order to receive their degrees. Not every student is required to take this course, just those that are considered obese (i.e., those with a BMI of 30 or more). This mandate also requires students to get tested for their BMI (body mass index).
The intentions of the university are good -- the school is concerned about high rates of obesity and diabetes; especially within the African-American community (Lincoln University is a historically black school). However, there are complaints and concerns about this decision. It's great the school offers fitness courses, but as a requirement to graduate? As one student said, "I didn't come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range. I came here to get an education."
Some people argue that students being forced to disclose health information is "awkward" and "distasteful". Furthermore, the use of BMI to determine who needs to take the course is problematic. BMI can be misleading and inaccurate. The BMI doesn't make a distinction between body weight from muscle and body weight from fat. As one assistant professor of nursing stated in the article, since muscle weighs more than fat, "it is impossible to be overweight and still be physically fit."
Moreover, obese students shouldn't be singled out. If the school wants to encourage healthy lifestyles and exercise, they should encourage all students to take the course. It's further argued that this program might not be very effective or lead to the best outcomes. A director of bioethics at the University of Louisville's School of Medicine said, "when the (health) goals are imposed on people, they don't do that well in meeting them."
A registered dietitian added that, if the school wants to get their students healthy, they need to offer more than a fitness course. The university should also ensure that its dining halls and vending machines offer healthy choices. (Full Story)
...To which the university replied, 'And lose corporate sponsorship and make Coca-Cola unhappy?! We're not that interested in healthy lifestyles.'
Next month Sri Lanka is planning to release the remaining 136,000 Tamil refugees that have been detained in government camps since the country's civil war ended six months ago (more than half were released in recent months due to international pressure). The remaining refugees will be free to return to their village after December 1 and the camps will be closed January 31. These ethnic-minority Tamils are war refugees that tried to flee during the final months of the civil war between the government and the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels (who wanted an independent homeland for Tamils). About 300,000 refugees were forced into these camps and were held against their will. The camps are guarded by soldiers, surrounded by barbed wire, and access is heavily restricted. The Sri Lankan government argued that these Tamils needed to be screened for rebel ties before being released. Sri Lanka has been getting a lot of pressure from human rights groups and other governments to release these civilian war refugees. "Rights groups say the detention is an illegal form of collective punishment for the ethnic group." (Full Story)
Friday, November 20, 2009
November 20, 2009
A 2005 Census Bureau Survey found that more than one in five Americans could not pay for basic needs without help from family, friends, or outsiders. And this was before the recession happened. The numbers are most likely worse now. (Full Story)
News of the weird: A town in Albania plans to erect a statue of George W. Bush. It's to commemorate his 2007 visit to Albania. The statue will be located in "Bush Square". The mayor of the town said he wants the statue to "capture [Bush's] trademark way of walking with energy." First of all, Bush has a trademark walk? And one that includes energy...compared to all those non-energy walks? Second of all, how hard-up for visitors is this town in Albania that they were so excited by the visit of George W. Bush that they're giving him a statue and naming a square after him? I suspect attention-hungry David Hasselhoff will be showing up in Albania any day now. He's so done with Germany. (Full Story)
Wow. Just, wow. (Full Story)
A proposal in the Senate health care plan states that a 5% excise tax will be put on elective cosmetic surgeries and procedures -- including face lifts, liposuction, cosmetic implants, and botox injections. This only includes elective cosmetic surgeries, and not surgeries to fix a deformity or injury. It's expected that this tax would raise $6 billion.
A spokeswoman for the company that makes Botox Cosmetic said, "Taxing cosmetic procedures is unnecessarily punitive on people who merely decide to enhance their appearance." Oh she has that down pat...'merely decide to enhance their appearance'. That's smooth. Botox smooth (sorry, I had to).
The president-elect for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons argued that it's not just "wealthy, suburban Republican women" that are getting plastic surgery. He stated that, in actuality, of the 86% of women that get plastic surgery, 60% of them have incomes between $30,000 and $90,000. Is that supposed to help his case?! An income of $80,000 is suddenly destitute? 'How is she possibly going to put food on the table and get a tummy tuck?! It's unfair!'
He also pulled out the "tough economic times" card. He said that many of these newly jobless women will be looking for ways to make themselves more marketable and appealing to prospective employers. "They're competing with people 10 to 15 years younger than them and they want to look better." Wow, that's real sensitive. Women aren't getting hired because they're not fresh looking?! And why just jobless women? Why are only women expected to look younger in order to get a job? And that's his solution to dealing with unemployment? This isn't a problem with the economy, it's a problem of how our society views age, beauty, and gender -- which is perpetuated by these plastic surgeons. So don't act like you're looking out for these women, Mr. President-Elect.
This seems like a great thing to be taxing. Elective, cosmetic procedures are excessive. If you have the money to blow on these sorts of things, you should be able to pay a 5% excise tax. (Full Story)
News of the weird: A town in Albania plans to erect a statue of George W. Bush. It's to commemorate his 2007 visit to Albania. The statue will be located in "Bush Square". The mayor of the town said he wants the statue to "capture [Bush's] trademark way of walking with energy." First of all, Bush has a trademark walk? And one that includes energy...compared to all those non-energy walks? Second of all, how hard-up for visitors is this town in Albania that they were so excited by the visit of George W. Bush that they're giving him a statue and naming a square after him? I suspect attention-hungry David Hasselhoff will be showing up in Albania any day now. He's so done with Germany. (Full Story)
Wow. Just, wow. (Full Story)
A proposal in the Senate health care plan states that a 5% excise tax will be put on elective cosmetic surgeries and procedures -- including face lifts, liposuction, cosmetic implants, and botox injections. This only includes elective cosmetic surgeries, and not surgeries to fix a deformity or injury. It's expected that this tax would raise $6 billion.
A spokeswoman for the company that makes Botox Cosmetic said, "Taxing cosmetic procedures is unnecessarily punitive on people who merely decide to enhance their appearance." Oh she has that down pat...'merely decide to enhance their appearance'. That's smooth. Botox smooth (sorry, I had to).
The president-elect for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons argued that it's not just "wealthy, suburban Republican women" that are getting plastic surgery. He stated that, in actuality, of the 86% of women that get plastic surgery, 60% of them have incomes between $30,000 and $90,000. Is that supposed to help his case?! An income of $80,000 is suddenly destitute? 'How is she possibly going to put food on the table and get a tummy tuck?! It's unfair!'
He also pulled out the "tough economic times" card. He said that many of these newly jobless women will be looking for ways to make themselves more marketable and appealing to prospective employers. "They're competing with people 10 to 15 years younger than them and they want to look better." Wow, that's real sensitive. Women aren't getting hired because they're not fresh looking?! And why just jobless women? Why are only women expected to look younger in order to get a job? And that's his solution to dealing with unemployment? This isn't a problem with the economy, it's a problem of how our society views age, beauty, and gender -- which is perpetuated by these plastic surgeons. So don't act like you're looking out for these women, Mr. President-Elect.
This seems like a great thing to be taxing. Elective, cosmetic procedures are excessive. If you have the money to blow on these sorts of things, you should be able to pay a 5% excise tax. (Full Story)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
November 19, 2009
Under the the newly-adopted Lisbon Treaty, European Council leaders have elected a president of the European Union. Herman van Rompuy, the prime minister of Belgium, was chosen to be the first EU president. (Full Story) (Full Story)
Even Russia has a ban on the death penalty. Wow, we look stupid. (Full Story)
Apparently today is World Toilet Day. I did not know this existed. It was mentioned in this article, in which U.N. human rights experts stated that many people held in jails and detention centers have no access to clean toilets. They argued that governments need to ensure prisoners have access to safe sanitation. Unsanitary conditions can cause disease in detention centers and is fundamental for a life in dignity. (Full Story)
I agree with this, and think it's important for prisoners and those in state-run institutions to have sanitary conditions. However, as I was reading this, I kept thinking, If having a clean toilet is a human right, Denny's and truck stops are in for some serious trouble.
Only in the U.S. is this considered a concern. While other countries (and our country, as well) worry about basic food shortages, people are upset about a frozen waffle shortage. The shortage is due to problems at two of the four factories that produce Eggos. One consumer quoted in the article speaks of this shortage as if it is serious business, "We have eight of them [boxes], and if we ration those -- maybe have half an Eggo in one sitting -- then it'll last longer. I told my husband that maybe I needed to put them on ebay." The company spokeswoman said, "We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible". As if this is a great injustice that needs to be remedied immediately. (Full Story)
Even Russia has a ban on the death penalty. Wow, we look stupid. (Full Story)
Apparently today is World Toilet Day. I did not know this existed. It was mentioned in this article, in which U.N. human rights experts stated that many people held in jails and detention centers have no access to clean toilets. They argued that governments need to ensure prisoners have access to safe sanitation. Unsanitary conditions can cause disease in detention centers and is fundamental for a life in dignity. (Full Story)
I agree with this, and think it's important for prisoners and those in state-run institutions to have sanitary conditions. However, as I was reading this, I kept thinking, If having a clean toilet is a human right, Denny's and truck stops are in for some serious trouble.
Only in the U.S. is this considered a concern. While other countries (and our country, as well) worry about basic food shortages, people are upset about a frozen waffle shortage. The shortage is due to problems at two of the four factories that produce Eggos. One consumer quoted in the article speaks of this shortage as if it is serious business, "We have eight of them [boxes], and if we ration those -- maybe have half an Eggo in one sitting -- then it'll last longer. I told my husband that maybe I needed to put them on ebay." The company spokeswoman said, "We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible". As if this is a great injustice that needs to be remedied immediately. (Full Story)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
November 18, 2009
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report found that nearly 50 million people struggled last year to get enough to eat. That includes almost one in four children. This is the highest number of Americans who lack enough food since the government first started to keep track of these numbers. The study documented people who lack a dependable supply of adequate food (those that live with some level of "food insecurity") and those with food shortages so severe that they are hungry.
In 2008, nearly 17 million children (22.5%) lived in households in which food was scarce at times. That is 4 million more children than in 2007. The number of children who were outright hungry rose from about 700,000 to almost 1.1 million. Among Americans of all ages, 49 million sometimes ran short of nutritious food (16%) compared to 2007 in which the percentage was 12%. Last year, 4.8 million households used private food pantries, compared to 3.9 million in 2007. 625,000 households used soup kitchens, which is nearly 90,000 more than in 2007.
The lead author of the report said that other recent research by the USDA found that most families in which food is scarce have at least one adult with a full-time job -- which indicates that the problem lies at least in part to wages and not a lack of employment.
Those that were most vulnerable to food shortages were single mothers. More than one in three single mothers reported that they struggled for food. More than one in seven said that someone in their home had been hungry. The report also found that black of Hispanic people were more than twice as likely as whites to report that they faced food scarcity.
The report also found that federal food assistance programs aren't completely fulfilling their purpose. A little more than half of the people surveyed that faced food shortages said that they had participated, in the previous month, in programs like food stamps, subsidized school lunches, or the nutrition program for women with babies or young children (WIC). (Full Story)
Recently in Ohio there was a failed attempt at executing a prisoner. He was to be put to death by lethal injection, but the executioners could not find a usable vein after trying for two hours. He was jabbed in his arms, hands, ankle, and leg. They even hit a bone. The inmate was in pain and was crying. Before he was in too much pain, he even tried to help them find a usable vein. Finally, after the two hours, they called off the execution and delayed it. Critics argued this was cruel and unusual to poke someone with needles for two hours.
Other scheduled executions were delayed while Ohio tried to figure out what they were going to do. They have now come up with a new execution method. Instead of using a three-drug cocktail for lethal injections, they will simply use a single drug. Prison officials will inject a large dose of an anesthetic to kill the inmate. If that fails to kill the inmate or if the inmate's veins aren't suitable for the intravenous approach, they will inject two lethal chemicals directly into the inmate's muscles.
Some experts wonder why Ohio didn't just abandon the intravenous approach altogether and instead use the intramuscular method. Some analysts argue that if Ohio would have completely abandoned injecting drugs into a vein, they would have given the impression that the former approach was cruel or unusual punishment. The laywer of the inmate that was jabbed for two hours looking for a suitable vein said, "What they wanted to emphasize was that they don't believe that the former policy was inhumane or inherently unconstitutional, and they didn't want to convey any misimpression on that by making some drastic shift."
To explain their decision to continue the intravenous method, the chief legal counsel for the governor said, "Why not opt for something that is quicker, familiar, and less open to legal challenge?" It's kind of scary when we live in a society where "familiar" is a word used to describe an execution method. 'Let's stick with that good-old-days, nostalgic, familiar method of intravenous lethal injection.' (Full Story)
A report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) found that women in developing countries will be the most vulnerable to climate change. These women face a disproportionate burden because they do most of the agricultural work and are therefore most affected by droughts and the sea level rising. This can result in unlivable lands and a loss of their livelihood. In addition, these women have less access to income-earning opportunities. If there farming opportunities cease, there are many women without other options. Furthermore, as women are often responsible for the care of their household and family, they are not able to move around as easily and this increases "their vulnerability to sudden weather-related natural disasters." For example, when drought strikes, it may not be as easy for women to relocate, instead they have to "work harder to secure food, water, and energy for their homes."
"The report suggested family planning, reproductive health care, and 'gender relations' could influence how the world adapts to rising seas, worsening storms, and severe droughts...Societies which will be more resilient to climate change are those with education, health care, and legal protection for all, and where people have more say in their lives." (Full Report)
In 2008, nearly 17 million children (22.5%) lived in households in which food was scarce at times. That is 4 million more children than in 2007. The number of children who were outright hungry rose from about 700,000 to almost 1.1 million. Among Americans of all ages, 49 million sometimes ran short of nutritious food (16%) compared to 2007 in which the percentage was 12%. Last year, 4.8 million households used private food pantries, compared to 3.9 million in 2007. 625,000 households used soup kitchens, which is nearly 90,000 more than in 2007.
The lead author of the report said that other recent research by the USDA found that most families in which food is scarce have at least one adult with a full-time job -- which indicates that the problem lies at least in part to wages and not a lack of employment.
Those that were most vulnerable to food shortages were single mothers. More than one in three single mothers reported that they struggled for food. More than one in seven said that someone in their home had been hungry. The report also found that black of Hispanic people were more than twice as likely as whites to report that they faced food scarcity.
The report also found that federal food assistance programs aren't completely fulfilling their purpose. A little more than half of the people surveyed that faced food shortages said that they had participated, in the previous month, in programs like food stamps, subsidized school lunches, or the nutrition program for women with babies or young children (WIC). (Full Story)
Recently in Ohio there was a failed attempt at executing a prisoner. He was to be put to death by lethal injection, but the executioners could not find a usable vein after trying for two hours. He was jabbed in his arms, hands, ankle, and leg. They even hit a bone. The inmate was in pain and was crying. Before he was in too much pain, he even tried to help them find a usable vein. Finally, after the two hours, they called off the execution and delayed it. Critics argued this was cruel and unusual to poke someone with needles for two hours.
Other scheduled executions were delayed while Ohio tried to figure out what they were going to do. They have now come up with a new execution method. Instead of using a three-drug cocktail for lethal injections, they will simply use a single drug. Prison officials will inject a large dose of an anesthetic to kill the inmate. If that fails to kill the inmate or if the inmate's veins aren't suitable for the intravenous approach, they will inject two lethal chemicals directly into the inmate's muscles.
Some experts wonder why Ohio didn't just abandon the intravenous approach altogether and instead use the intramuscular method. Some analysts argue that if Ohio would have completely abandoned injecting drugs into a vein, they would have given the impression that the former approach was cruel or unusual punishment. The laywer of the inmate that was jabbed for two hours looking for a suitable vein said, "What they wanted to emphasize was that they don't believe that the former policy was inhumane or inherently unconstitutional, and they didn't want to convey any misimpression on that by making some drastic shift."
To explain their decision to continue the intravenous method, the chief legal counsel for the governor said, "Why not opt for something that is quicker, familiar, and less open to legal challenge?" It's kind of scary when we live in a society where "familiar" is a word used to describe an execution method. 'Let's stick with that good-old-days, nostalgic, familiar method of intravenous lethal injection.' (Full Story)
A report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) found that women in developing countries will be the most vulnerable to climate change. These women face a disproportionate burden because they do most of the agricultural work and are therefore most affected by droughts and the sea level rising. This can result in unlivable lands and a loss of their livelihood. In addition, these women have less access to income-earning opportunities. If there farming opportunities cease, there are many women without other options. Furthermore, as women are often responsible for the care of their household and family, they are not able to move around as easily and this increases "their vulnerability to sudden weather-related natural disasters." For example, when drought strikes, it may not be as easy for women to relocate, instead they have to "work harder to secure food, water, and energy for their homes."
"The report suggested family planning, reproductive health care, and 'gender relations' could influence how the world adapts to rising seas, worsening storms, and severe droughts...Societies which will be more resilient to climate change are those with education, health care, and legal protection for all, and where people have more say in their lives." (Full Report)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
November 17, 2009
Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister of Australia, issued a national apology for Australia's role in child migrant programs. This program forcibly sent approximately 150,000 British children (some as young as age 3) to Australia, Canada, and other parts of the Commonwealth. These children were taken from single mothers and impoverished families in Britain and sent away to supposedly start a better life. However, they often experienced isolation, as well as physical and sexual abuse in the countries they were sent to. Rudd said this was "the absolute tragedy of childhoods lost." He said Australia was "sorry for the physical suffering, the emotional starvation, and the cold absence of love, of tenderness, of care." These children were known in Australia as "the lost innocents". Rudd also apologized for the so-called "Forgotten Australians" -- children that were placed in state institutions during the 20th century. Many were abused there.
Australia's opposition leader, Malcolm Turnball also spoke at the ceremony and offered his apologies on behalf of Australia, "Today we acknowledge that with broken hearts and breaking spirits you were left in custody -- we can hardly call it 'care' -- of too many people whose abuse and neglect of you, whose exploitation of you, made a mockery of the claim that you were taken from your own family 'for your own good.'"
A 1998 report by the British parliament concluded that the child migrant program was used as a way to relieve the financial burdens of Britain's social services agencies. In addition, the program had racial motivations: "The importation of 'good white stock' was seen as a desirable policy objective" that would "maintain the racial unity of Britain's empire." These programs ended about 40 years ago.
Britain's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is expected to issue an apology for Britain as well. (Full Story)
Two gay men were granted a marriage license in Argentina yesterday and are planning on getting married in December. The couple was granted the marriage license after a judge ruled last week that a ban on same-sex marriage violates Argentina's constitutional rights of equality. The mayor of Buenos Aires -- the city which granted the marriage license -- said the city would not appeal the decision. The couple, which plans to wed December 1st, may be the first legal same-sex wedding in Latin America.
The court ruling did not set a precedent beyond this case, but other gay and lesbian couples who are denied a marriage license can follow this example and challenge their denial in court and cite this ruling. Currently, no other country in Latin America allows same-sex marriage, though in some jurisdictions same-sex partners are allowed to form civil unions. (Full Story)
The World Food Security summit started yesterday. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the summit with some sobering statistics: A child dies of hunger every five seconds, despite the fact that the earth has enough food to feed all. One billion people are hungry. Six million children die of hunger each year -- 17,000 every day.
The summit leaders adopted a declaration to renew their commitment to eradicate hunger by promoting investment, increase funding for agriculture, and tackling the effect of global warming on food security. Ban Ki-Moon proposed providing farmers with seeds and land and offering them access to better markets and fairer trade. He said, "These small-holder farms are the heart and soul of food security and poverty reduction. Our job is not to feed the hungry but to empower the hungry to feed themselves." Hopefully this summit results in action and not just declarations of support.
The article also mentions that the U.N. is also seeking commitment from the public. They have started an online campaign called "Billion for a Billion", and they are making an online appeal for individuals to donate money to fight hunger. The World Food Program's executive director said small donations can make a big difference, "If a billion internet users donate a dollar or a euro a week, we can literally transform the lives of a billion hungry people across the world." (Full Story)
Researchers in the U.S. have found that Transcendental Meditation can have health benefits. A group of African Americans (201 men and women. Average age 59. Participants had a narrowing of the arteries in their hearts) were randomly assigned to meditate or make lifestyle changes. The meditation group was asked to mediate for 20 minutes twice a day. The lifestyle change group received education classes in traditional risk factors like exercise and diet changes. After nine years, the meditation group had a 47% reduction in deaths, heart attacks, and strokes. In the meditation group there were 20 events (heart attacks, strokes, or death) and 31 in the lifestyle changes group.
Another interesting finding was that at the end of the nine years, 80% of the meditation group kept up the meditation practices at least once a day. However, with the lifestyle group, they researchers did not see a continuous change in lifestyle (i.e., where they kept up diet modifications and exercise). The researchers noted that it can be hard to make those lifestyle changes.
In addition to reducing heart attacks, strokes, or death, the researchers found that the meditation group also experienced significantly lower blood pressure on average and in some participants there was a significant reduction in psychological stress.
The researchers also noted that to fully assess the impact of meditation on heart patients' lives, they would need to confirm the results in a larger study and with other ethnic groups. (Full Story)
The U.S. envoy for war crimes has announced that the U.S. will "engage" with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC was set up in 2002 to try individuals for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The Bush administration refused to have any role in the ICC. For the first time, the U.S. will attend a meeting of the ICC. However, the U.S. will only attend the meeting as an observer. The envoy reports that the US is still years away from joining. The envoy explained, "There remain concerns about the possibility that the United States, upon whom a great deal of the world relies for security, and its service members might be subject to politically inspired persecutions." The ICC can only try individuals from countries that have ratified the treaty. So, in other words, U.S. officials are afraid the U.S. will be held accountable for any war crimes or crimes against humanity that it has committed. And they should be. The U.S. should be held accountable and held to a standard of humanity. It seems to me that the fear of joining obviously indicates guilt. Our country's behavior should follow international standards of humanity. I hope the U.S. does join the ICC; but at the very least, I'm glad that we are now engaging with the court. (Full Story)
Australia's opposition leader, Malcolm Turnball also spoke at the ceremony and offered his apologies on behalf of Australia, "Today we acknowledge that with broken hearts and breaking spirits you were left in custody -- we can hardly call it 'care' -- of too many people whose abuse and neglect of you, whose exploitation of you, made a mockery of the claim that you were taken from your own family 'for your own good.'"
A 1998 report by the British parliament concluded that the child migrant program was used as a way to relieve the financial burdens of Britain's social services agencies. In addition, the program had racial motivations: "The importation of 'good white stock' was seen as a desirable policy objective" that would "maintain the racial unity of Britain's empire." These programs ended about 40 years ago.
Britain's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is expected to issue an apology for Britain as well. (Full Story)
Two gay men were granted a marriage license in Argentina yesterday and are planning on getting married in December. The couple was granted the marriage license after a judge ruled last week that a ban on same-sex marriage violates Argentina's constitutional rights of equality. The mayor of Buenos Aires -- the city which granted the marriage license -- said the city would not appeal the decision. The couple, which plans to wed December 1st, may be the first legal same-sex wedding in Latin America.
The court ruling did not set a precedent beyond this case, but other gay and lesbian couples who are denied a marriage license can follow this example and challenge their denial in court and cite this ruling. Currently, no other country in Latin America allows same-sex marriage, though in some jurisdictions same-sex partners are allowed to form civil unions. (Full Story)
The World Food Security summit started yesterday. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the summit with some sobering statistics: A child dies of hunger every five seconds, despite the fact that the earth has enough food to feed all. One billion people are hungry. Six million children die of hunger each year -- 17,000 every day.
The summit leaders adopted a declaration to renew their commitment to eradicate hunger by promoting investment, increase funding for agriculture, and tackling the effect of global warming on food security. Ban Ki-Moon proposed providing farmers with seeds and land and offering them access to better markets and fairer trade. He said, "These small-holder farms are the heart and soul of food security and poverty reduction. Our job is not to feed the hungry but to empower the hungry to feed themselves." Hopefully this summit results in action and not just declarations of support.
The article also mentions that the U.N. is also seeking commitment from the public. They have started an online campaign called "Billion for a Billion", and they are making an online appeal for individuals to donate money to fight hunger. The World Food Program's executive director said small donations can make a big difference, "If a billion internet users donate a dollar or a euro a week, we can literally transform the lives of a billion hungry people across the world." (Full Story)
Researchers in the U.S. have found that Transcendental Meditation can have health benefits. A group of African Americans (201 men and women. Average age 59. Participants had a narrowing of the arteries in their hearts) were randomly assigned to meditate or make lifestyle changes. The meditation group was asked to mediate for 20 minutes twice a day. The lifestyle change group received education classes in traditional risk factors like exercise and diet changes. After nine years, the meditation group had a 47% reduction in deaths, heart attacks, and strokes. In the meditation group there were 20 events (heart attacks, strokes, or death) and 31 in the lifestyle changes group.
Another interesting finding was that at the end of the nine years, 80% of the meditation group kept up the meditation practices at least once a day. However, with the lifestyle group, they researchers did not see a continuous change in lifestyle (i.e., where they kept up diet modifications and exercise). The researchers noted that it can be hard to make those lifestyle changes.
In addition to reducing heart attacks, strokes, or death, the researchers found that the meditation group also experienced significantly lower blood pressure on average and in some participants there was a significant reduction in psychological stress.
The researchers also noted that to fully assess the impact of meditation on heart patients' lives, they would need to confirm the results in a larger study and with other ethnic groups. (Full Story)
The U.S. envoy for war crimes has announced that the U.S. will "engage" with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC was set up in 2002 to try individuals for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The Bush administration refused to have any role in the ICC. For the first time, the U.S. will attend a meeting of the ICC. However, the U.S. will only attend the meeting as an observer. The envoy reports that the US is still years away from joining. The envoy explained, "There remain concerns about the possibility that the United States, upon whom a great deal of the world relies for security, and its service members might be subject to politically inspired persecutions." The ICC can only try individuals from countries that have ratified the treaty. So, in other words, U.S. officials are afraid the U.S. will be held accountable for any war crimes or crimes against humanity that it has committed. And they should be. The U.S. should be held accountable and held to a standard of humanity. It seems to me that the fear of joining obviously indicates guilt. Our country's behavior should follow international standards of humanity. I hope the U.S. does join the ICC; but at the very least, I'm glad that we are now engaging with the court. (Full Story)
Monday, November 16, 2009
November 16, 2009
Unemployment and hard economic times have hit hard in migrant communities in the United States. As a result, we're now seeing a reverse trend: Instead of migrants in the U.S. sending remittances to their families back in Mexico, some Mexican families are sending financial support to their unemployed relatives in the U.S. "Statistics measuring the extent of what experts are calling reverse remittances are hard to come by. But interviews in Mexico with government officials, money-transfer operators, immigration experts, and relatives of out-of-work migrants show that a transaction that was rarely noticed before appears to be on the rise."
Analysts are seeing a decrease in remittances from the United States. The Bank of Mexico reported that remittances this year has dropped 13.4% since last year. This financial support can be very helpful to families in Mexico. An estimated 5.9% of Mexican households, about 1.8 million families, receive economic support from abroad. Remittances make up approximately 19% of the total income for urban households and 27% for rural households.............
In addition, with the tough economic times, some migrants are heading back to Mexico. However, the numbers are not that large. The Pew Hispanic Center found in July that there was a steep decrease in the number of Mexicans heading up North, but there has not been a mass exodus of migrants workers in the U.S. heading back to Mexico. Migrant families say it usually takes a great effort to send relatives to the United States and it can be very expensive. If the migrants return home to Mexico, it might be difficult to send them back up when economic conditions are better. (Full Story)
Very interesting article on caloric inequality. The article includes an image of the World Food Program's "Fat Map". "The mis-distribution of food goes deeper than even the 'Fat Map' implies. In India, for example, more than 300 million overweight people coexist with another 300 million who starve. Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease that often stem from overeating are growing at a faster rate in developing countries than in the most prosperous West. In my own region, the Middle East, obesity is skyrocketing, especially among young people." The author points out the problems from consuming and wasting so much food. Obesity-related health spending is around $150-$200 billion, which is more than all foreign aid worldwide. Households in the United States discard 14% of their food. Grocery stores and restaurants throw away 27 million tons. Food waste costs in the U.S. add up to over $100 billion each year. She even points out the absurdity of eating as a competitive sport. Last year Joey Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes -- which is more than a week's worth of calories for a hungry African. (Full Story)
In the face of health care reform, which would cut drug costs, the pharmaceutical industry is rising the price of prescription drugs. "In the last year, the industry has raised the wholesale prices of brand-name prescription drugs by about 9 percent, according to industry analysts. That will add more than $10 billion to the nation's drug bill, which is on track to exceed $300 billion this year." Some analysts says this is the highest rate increase since 1992. This year's increase means that the average annual cost for brand-name prescription drugs is $200 higher than last year.
Critics say drug-makers are trying to establish higher prices before Congress passes legislation that will aim to curb drug spending. Drug-makers had even made an agreement with the White House and the Senate Finance Committee that they would trim $8 billion a year -- $80 billion over ten years -- from the nation's drug bill by giving rebates to older Americans and the government. However, "this year's price increase would effectively cancel out the savings from at least the first year of the Senate Finance agreement. And some critics say the surge in drug prices could change the dynamics of the entire 10-year deal." As one health care analyst for Consumers Union said, "It makes it much easier for the drug companies to pony up the $80 billion because they'll be making more money." A professor that studies pharmaceutical economics and has analyzed drug pricing found that when there is major legislation pending that affects the pharmaceutical industry, we see a run-up in price increases. Another health economist pointed out a similar pattern was found when Congress added drug benefits to Medicare a few years ago. Just as the federally subsidized drug insurance program was taking effect, the drug industry raised prices by a wide margin.
Drug companies say the price increase is not related to health care reform and that they have to raise prices to maintain profits so that they can continue to invest in research and development of new drugs. The senior vice president for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America say their critics are political motivated, "In AARP's skewed view of the world, medicine are always looked at as a cost and never seen as a savings -- even though medicines often reduce unnecessary hospitalization, help avoid costly medical procedures, and increase productivity through better prevention and management of chronic diseases." I don't think that's how the AARP is looking at medicine. His assessment is a "skewed view". Of course the AARP recognizes the benefits of medicine. And all those benefits he listed are great things -- and that's why medicine should be more affordable and readily available to those that need it. It's unfair to gouge people for the medicines they need, all in the name of even bigger profits. (Full Story)
Analysts are seeing a decrease in remittances from the United States. The Bank of Mexico reported that remittances this year has dropped 13.4% since last year. This financial support can be very helpful to families in Mexico. An estimated 5.9% of Mexican households, about 1.8 million families, receive economic support from abroad. Remittances make up approximately 19% of the total income for urban households and 27% for rural households.............
In addition, with the tough economic times, some migrants are heading back to Mexico. However, the numbers are not that large. The Pew Hispanic Center found in July that there was a steep decrease in the number of Mexicans heading up North, but there has not been a mass exodus of migrants workers in the U.S. heading back to Mexico. Migrant families say it usually takes a great effort to send relatives to the United States and it can be very expensive. If the migrants return home to Mexico, it might be difficult to send them back up when economic conditions are better. (Full Story)
Very interesting article on caloric inequality. The article includes an image of the World Food Program's "Fat Map". "The mis-distribution of food goes deeper than even the 'Fat Map' implies. In India, for example, more than 300 million overweight people coexist with another 300 million who starve. Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease that often stem from overeating are growing at a faster rate in developing countries than in the most prosperous West. In my own region, the Middle East, obesity is skyrocketing, especially among young people." The author points out the problems from consuming and wasting so much food. Obesity-related health spending is around $150-$200 billion, which is more than all foreign aid worldwide. Households in the United States discard 14% of their food. Grocery stores and restaurants throw away 27 million tons. Food waste costs in the U.S. add up to over $100 billion each year. She even points out the absurdity of eating as a competitive sport. Last year Joey Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes -- which is more than a week's worth of calories for a hungry African. (Full Story)
In the face of health care reform, which would cut drug costs, the pharmaceutical industry is rising the price of prescription drugs. "In the last year, the industry has raised the wholesale prices of brand-name prescription drugs by about 9 percent, according to industry analysts. That will add more than $10 billion to the nation's drug bill, which is on track to exceed $300 billion this year." Some analysts says this is the highest rate increase since 1992. This year's increase means that the average annual cost for brand-name prescription drugs is $200 higher than last year.
Critics say drug-makers are trying to establish higher prices before Congress passes legislation that will aim to curb drug spending. Drug-makers had even made an agreement with the White House and the Senate Finance Committee that they would trim $8 billion a year -- $80 billion over ten years -- from the nation's drug bill by giving rebates to older Americans and the government. However, "this year's price increase would effectively cancel out the savings from at least the first year of the Senate Finance agreement. And some critics say the surge in drug prices could change the dynamics of the entire 10-year deal." As one health care analyst for Consumers Union said, "It makes it much easier for the drug companies to pony up the $80 billion because they'll be making more money." A professor that studies pharmaceutical economics and has analyzed drug pricing found that when there is major legislation pending that affects the pharmaceutical industry, we see a run-up in price increases. Another health economist pointed out a similar pattern was found when Congress added drug benefits to Medicare a few years ago. Just as the federally subsidized drug insurance program was taking effect, the drug industry raised prices by a wide margin.
Drug companies say the price increase is not related to health care reform and that they have to raise prices to maintain profits so that they can continue to invest in research and development of new drugs. The senior vice president for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America say their critics are political motivated, "In AARP's skewed view of the world, medicine are always looked at as a cost and never seen as a savings -- even though medicines often reduce unnecessary hospitalization, help avoid costly medical procedures, and increase productivity through better prevention and management of chronic diseases." I don't think that's how the AARP is looking at medicine. His assessment is a "skewed view". Of course the AARP recognizes the benefits of medicine. And all those benefits he listed are great things -- and that's why medicine should be more affordable and readily available to those that need it. It's unfair to gouge people for the medicines they need, all in the name of even bigger profits. (Full Story)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
November 09, 2009
In Utah, a 12 year old girl had pierced her nose as a way to connect with her roots in India. She was then suspended from her school because they said it violates the school's body piercing ban. School officials said that nose piercing is an Indian cultural choice and not a religious requirement. Though they did eventually compromise and said she could come back to school, and that she can wear a clear, unobtrusive stud in her nose. "To other Indians, the incident was emblematic of how it can still be difficult for the American melting pot to absorb certain aspects of their cultural and religious traditions."
Some interesting quotes from those in the Indian community:
"It's true that the nose ring is mainly a cultural thing for most Indians. Even if it is just culture, culture matters. And her right to express or explore it seems to me at least as important as her right to express her religious identity."
"Religion and culture in India are tightly intertwined, but their expression varies widely in different regions of the country, so you can't make a blanket statement about what Indian culture is, or religion or tradition."
The article talks about how other Indian-Americans have dealt with people not understanding their dress or traditions -- like wearing a turban or a "vibhuti" (a Hindu ash mark on the forehead which signifies the "third eye") (Full Story)
The United Nations says that political corruption costs governments about $1.6 trillion every year. The money is often lost in public assets moved across borders via money laundering or undeclared holdings. The UN, the World Bank, and other watchdog groups are meeting to figure out a way to expand the powers of the UN's anti-corruption agreement. However, there are hurdles to international government accountability and oversight. For one, countries can be hesitant to agree to independent reviews of their finances to look for missing money (especially countries like China, Russia, and Iran). In addition, it could also be difficult to implement the tracking of money due to countries' tax havens and secretive banking codes. (Full Story)
It still blows my mind when countries "misplace" and cannot account for millions, billions, or trillions of dollars.
Here's an unsettling part from the article: "The timing of the executions was not especially fast for China, which puts more people to death than any other country. Politically sensitive cases are often decided in weeks, especially when they involve major unrest." Wow, this is seen as slow-paced sentencing? The riots happened in July and they're executed in November. And that's so considerate of China to wait weeks before they decide politically sensitive cases. (Full Story)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
November 08, 2009
This comes as a huge shock: China is mad at the Dalai Lama. Again. The Dalai Lama made a visit to a Tibetan monastery in India. The monastery is in an Indian state (Arunachal Pradesh) that is a source of conflict between India and China. Arunachal Pradesh is administered as an Indian state, but China claims portions of it as South Tibet. China was not happy that the Dalai Lama came to this border-disputed area. The monastery is close to the Tibetan border. China says the visit undermines Chinese authority, is anti-China, and is damaging to China-India relations. The Dalai Lama said his visit was "non-political and aimed at promoting universal brotherhood and nothing else." The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh said China has "no right to interfere in India's internal matters." (Full Story)
Interesting article on a wealthy, Brazilian socialite that operates a school for children in the slums of Rio. "There are 430 students, many from broken families in which drugs and violence are the norm. But, at the school, those children have a computer room, a library, free meals." Her ultimate goal is to diminish the intellectual gap between the rich and the poor. (Full Story)
Democrats had to make concessions on the issue of abortion to attract the anti-choice Democrats that said they wouldn't vote for the bill if the language didn't change. These Democrats wanted to strengthen the language that bans federal subsidies to fund abortion. This resulted in an amendment that explicitly bans the proposed new government health insurance plan from covering abortions (except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is threatened). In addition, private policies purchased with federal subsidies will have the same restrictions and if the individual wants abortion coverage, they will have to purchase a separate insurance rider with their own money. Diana DeGette, one of the Democratic Representatives that is a member of the pro-choice caucus, argued that the idea of purchasing separate abortion riders is "offensive to women" and that no one plans for an unwanted pregnancy. Many pro-choice Democrats are hoping the amendment will be stripped during the conference committee (where congressmen from both chambers resolve the two bills and come up with one single bill to be passed -- assuming the Senate does in fact pass a bill).
Time will tell if a health reform bill will pass Congress and make its way to President Obama. It will be interesting to see the next steps to see what kind of bill emerges, if any. If a bill does pass, time will also tell whether it's a successful reform or not. But one thing is for sure, at least Democrats tried. And they've tried hard. And that's a lot more than can be said of the Republican party. And I keep hearing these Republicans saying, "I'm for health care reform, just not this bill." Which I don't believe is true -- their efforts show they don't really want reform, they want the status quo. Or the status quo with minor changes. We need a very different health care system in place, because the one we have is not working and is not sustainable. The Republicans want to put politics above the American people. They want health care to fail because they're hoping it will result in good numbers for the Republican party in the mid-term elections. How can this party claim to be for the people? (Full Story) (Full Story)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
November 07, 2009
Interesting article on the tactics used by conservative groups to sway people to vote against same-sex marriage in California and Maine. When two political consultants who led the campaign against gay marriage first started in California, they noticed that polls were showing that voters tended to not have a problem with gay relationships. With the help of focus groups and surveys, they soon discovered a new way to reframe the issue -- by focusing on education. Before the strategy was to focus solely on the idea that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. This new tactic seemed to be very effective: Approve same sex marriage and children will be taught homosexuality in school. Voters were inundated with ads showing what would happen if same-sex marriage was legalized -- students going on a field trip to a lesbian wedding (are you serious?! Kids don't presently go on field trips to heterosexual weddings), elementary school kids reading books featuring gay couples (they read books featuring bear families! Does that make them want to marry bears?), and kindergarteners learning about homosexuality from their teachers ('ok kids, everyone sit Indian-style on the sharing mat with your crackers and apple juice, I'm going to tell you how two men make love...'). This blatantly misleading, fear-mongering ad campaign was found to be effective in California and was repeated in Maine. (Full Story)
The official unemployment rate is 10.2%. However, when you include the millions of people who have given up looking for work, as well as part-time workers who want to be working full-time, the unemployment rate is 17.5%. That means one out of every six workers were unemployed or underemployed in October. (Full Story)
This is crazy. Virtual goods -- the "presents" you can buy people on Facebook (e.g., a $1 pixelated image of a birthday cake) or items you buy to help you get ahead in online games like FarmVille -- are bringing in a lot of money. Analysts estimate that these virtual goods could bring in a billion dollars in the United States and approximately $5 billion worldwide. Aside from the time it takes an artist and a programmer to make these virtual goods, it costs nothing to produce. These companies pretty much make 100% profit. One of the investors in virtual goods companies said that giving people virtual presents on sites like Facebook is a great thing: "It's not about the good itself, it's about the underlying human emotion or desire. The person knows the recipient took time, picked something meaningful, and spent money on it." Yeah, I don't think so. Took time? Something meaningful? Are we talking about the same things? And, really, nothing says "I love you" quite like a spending a dollar to give someone a .jpg of some flowers. At that point of laziness and cheapness, you should just do a google image search for pictures of real flowers and send that via e-mail for free. You're going to get the same amount of brownie points for that (none). (Full Story)
Friday, November 6, 2009
November 06, 2009
An interesting study conducted by German researchers found that unborn babies are influenced through the womb by the sound of their parents' language/accent. The researchers studied the cries of 60 healthy babies born to French- and German-speaking parents and found that babies "cry in [their] mother's tongue". The French babies cried with a rising "accent" while the German babies' cries had a falling inflection. The researchers say the babies probably do this to form a bond with their mothers by imitating them. The lead researcher said, "The dramatic finding of this study is that not only are human neonates capable of producing different cry melodies, but they prefer to produce those melody patterns that are typical for the ambient language they have heard during their fetal life." (Full Story)
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner sure knows how to win voters' hearts. Until this season, Argentinians needed cable and pay-per-view to see premier league soccer games on TV. Then the president helped push the Argentine Football Association to sever its contract with the country's largest media group, and instead broadcast all the games for free on a state-run channel. The state is paying the soccer association $155 million a year to televise the games. Now about 20 million Argentines, or about half the population, watch top matches. This is more than four times the number of viewers since last season.
In addition to increasing the president's popularity, which has been down, some say this is also political pay-back. This deal is a blow to the Clarin Group newspaper and cable TV company, which previously held the broadcasting rights to soccer games. The Clarin Newspaper has reported aggressively on government corruption and is critical of the Fernandez government. Fernandez accuses the newspaper of bias and says its coverage contributed to electoral losses for her ruling coalition (which lost its majority in congressional elections in June) and for her husband, who was running for a seat in the lower house (FYI: her husband was the president of Argentina before her).
Those that are happy about the deal say that it democratizes access to soccer by letting anyone watch it for free and it breaks down corporate greed and control. Also, the money from the deal with the government gives the Argentine Football Association a much-needed infusion of cash. Many soccer teams in Argentina are nearing bankruptcy and they can't afford to keep talented players who instead go to Europe to play. Some say the Clarin Group had too much power and they were underpaying the football association. Under the new government deal, soccer clubs are getting double what they were paid under Clarin.
Those that are against this deal question the government's political motives and feel that this is simply a ploy to get votes and a way to punish a media group that is critical of the government. Other critics see this deal as unnecessary. They feel that with poverty increasing, the money could have gone to something more productive. One journalist who is a critic of the president said, "The royal court says the whole country can see football for free. Why don't we democratize the access to food? Isn't that more important than football?" (Full Story)
In October, more than one in ten members of the American workforce were unable to get a job. The unemployment rate is now 10.2%, up from 9.8% in September. This is the highest unemployment rate since 1983. In response to the growing numbers, Obama is expected to a sign a Congressional bill that would extend unemployment insurance benefits longer. The bill will also extend the first-time home-buyer tax credit, as well as expand that tax credit to those that already own a home (no longer limited to just first-time home-buyers). (Full Story)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
November 05, 2009
A California woman has proposed a California ballot initiative that would require the state's public schools to offer Christmas music during the holiday season (to be played in classes or sung in assemblies). She is a substitute schoolteacher and was motivated to start the ballot drive after working at a school that would only allow non-denominational songs at holiday parties. To get the initiative on the ballot she needs about 434,000 valid signatures. She said, "We got 25 signatures in just two nights. It goes really fast." Honey, if you think 25 signatures in two nights is fast...That's like 12.5 signatures a day. At that rate, you just have 34,720 days to go! (Or until Glenn Beck gets a hold of this story and demands all Californians to sign this petition, and if they don't they're communists.)
She claims the ban on denominational Christmas songs is unfair and Christmas music is an "American tradition" and "a significant element of our cultural heritage." She also said, "We were having Christmas without Jesus." Dramatic much? You can have Christmas with Jesus; you just can't push Jesus on other people at a public school.
To address people of other faiths being offended, she said students could opt-out if offended. Yeah, that usually goes over real well -- singling kids out for their beliefs. And if she has her way, kids won't simply be opting out of assemblies. This lady put it in the initiative that schools have to allow Christmas music to be incorporated into the subject matter of an arts and social studies class. ("Alright kids, now let's learn about the Middle East...In Bethlehem, there was a newborn king. And god and sinners reconciled. Joyfully, all the nations did rise. And they joined the triumph of the skies. And an angelic host proclaimed, 'Christ is born in Bethlehem'. Now no one can claim I'm just teaching to the test.")
A further point she made to address the complaint that other faiths would be offended: that she has rarely encountered people that don't celebrate Christmas. She added, "I don't think I've ever had a Jewish child in one of my classes. If so they never said anything." Wha?! What do you expect?! For them to answer the roll call as "Present. And Jewish"? Do you expect them to wear yarmulkes to school? To pull out a dreidel during study session? To bake latkes for show-and-tell? 'Oh they must not be Jewish then.' And that's pretty naive to think that Jewish people are the only ones that would not be in favor of denominational Christmas songs at school. This same lady, and other people like her, would be absolutely offended and raise a huge fuss if children were required to sing a Chanukah or Kwanzaa song in school.
And finally this quote of hers shows why we should NOT have denominational holiday music at school, because of sentiments like this: "These kids, they need it. They need to see that we believe in Jesus, and He is the Prince of Peace. That's why we are the best country on Earth." (Full Story)
Japan has been experiencing an increase in the number of people committing suicide by jumping in front of trains. Last year, nearly 2,000 people committed suicide this way. The overall suicide rate in Japan has grown this year, and the number of suicides could surpass the record of 34,427 deaths in 2003. As a result, Japanese railway operators are installing special blue LED lights above station platforms in the hopes that it will have a soothing effect on those who are thinking of jumping; thus reducing the number of suicides. There is no scientific evidence that blue lights will help deter suicides, but experts say the color blue does have a calming effect on people. "We associate the color with the sky and the sea. It has a calming effect on agitated people, or people obsessed with one particular thing," said a therapist at the Japan Institute of Color Psychology. (Full Story)
There's such a thing as color psychology?! You learn something new every day.
A French government minister for European affairs (Pierre Lellouche) launched an attack against Britain's Conservatives. The British Conservative leader David Cameron has promised to limit British integration in EU policies if he's elected. In response to the Conservative's stance, Pierre Lellouche said their policy on Europe is "pathetic" and that "they have one line and they just repeat one line. It is a very bizarre sense of autism." Oh snap! (Full Story)
Australia is putting asylum seekers on a remote island refugee detention center. These refugees, mostly from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, try to reach Australia on boat and instead they are steered by Australian authorities to Christmas Island. Christmas Island is a small island in the Indian Ocean nearly 1,000 miles from the Australian mainland. Refugees have to wait here until their applications are reviewed. The process usually takes three or four months. Nearly 2,000 refugees have been sent to Christmas Island this year. The island is surrounded by rain forest and steep cliffs, and the detention center is surrounded by 13-foot-high razor wire fences. A supply ship comes to the island every five of six weeks, newspapers are delivered ten days late, and the internet is slow and expensive. The government has banned journalists from touring the center. Those against the use of Christmas Island say the distance of the island from the mainland works in the government's favor because it keeps activists, lawyers, and the media away from these refugees. Advocates for refugees and human rights groups say the government should close down the center and process asylum-seekers on the mainland. They argue that these asylum-seekers are being treated like criminals and the security measures are excessive and inappropriate. Christmas Island has been compared to Guantanamo Bay or a reincarnation of Australia's notorious convict islands.
These asylum seekers are referred to as "boat people" and Australians are wary about the influx of this population. This has resulted in an increase in anti-immigration sentiments in Australia. "The arrival of illegal boats filled with Asians evokes a primordial fear here, one that has been instilled over past decades of anti-Asian immigration policies and is still stoked by conservative politicians." The previous Prime Minister charged asylum-seekers for their stay in government facilities. The current Prime Minister is continuing a tough stance on refugees. (Full Story)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November 04, 2009
A new report has found high rates of premature births is the main reason for the United State's higher infant mortality rate. The U.S. infant morality rate is higher than other similar industrialized nations. For every 1,000 births in the United States, 6.9 infants die before they turn one. Whereas in Sweden the number is 2.4. More than 540,000 babies are born prematurely each year, and that drives up infant morality. In 2005, 12.4% of the births in the United States were premature. In Sweden it's 6.3%. The report found that if the U.S. could match Sweden's prematurity rate, nearly 8,000 infant deaths could be averted each year and the infant mortality rate would be one-third lower.
The high levels of prematurity in the U.S. have multiple causes. For one, "the smallest, earliest, and most fragile" babies are often born to poor and minority women who lack health care and social support. The highest rates of infant mortality in the U.S. occur for African-American, Native American, Alaska Native, and Puerto Rican women. Another factor is infertility treatments. This increases the odds of twins or higher multiples, which have a higher risk of being born prematurely. Because most U.S. insurance doesn't cover infertility treatments, some patients choose to transfer multiple eggs in hopes of increasing their chances of getting pregnant without having to take part in numerous expensive procedures. In European countries there's less of a need for transferring a large number of embryos because of national health insurance and people don't have to pay out of pocket. Another factor is the increased use of C-sections and labor-inducing drugs to deliver the babies earlier. Doctors are declaring a medical need for these procedures more quickly than they did in the past. There's more of a tendency to take the baby out early if there's any question at all, instead of waiting it out. This is the fastest growing sub-group of premature babies. (Full Story)
"Dr. Alan R. Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes, said the new report was 'an indictment of the U.S. health care system' and the poor job it had done in taking care of women and children." To prevent the number of premature births, more needs to be done to provide pregnant women with health care and social support (and well, everyone, for that matter; not just pregnant women). For example, a state program in Kentucky provided home visits by nurses to poor women during their pregnancy and this resulted in decreased pre-term births.
Republicans have finally come up with a health care bill of their own (definitely too little, too late). They promise to lower health care costs and expand insurance coverage, while not raising taxes, nor cutting Medicare benefits, nor adding to the national deficit. Their plan is that they will not require people to obtain insurance, will not require employers to offer insurance, will not expand Medicaid, will not offer federal subsidies to low- and middle-income people to help them buy insurance, and they will not explicitly prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to people based on pre-existing conditions. (Full Story)
So...what are you doing? You're not cutting any money from programs and you're not raising any more revenue and yet somehow you're going to have the funding to increase insurance coverage? And you're going to increase coverage even though you won't give people any help in getting that coverage? It sounds to me like you're just keeping the status quo. 'Our plan is just to say no to everything in your plan.'
Actually, they are in fact doing something that deviates from the status quo -- they would prohibit insurance companies from imposing annual and lifetime limits on spending for covered benefits. Which might sound familiar, because it's part of the Democratic health plan.
Other parts of their plan include offering federal incentive payments over the next ten years to states that reduce the cost of health insurance or the proportion of residents that are uninsured (which is pretty half-ass -- dangling some money in front of states doesn't really set a structure in place for achieving actual change. Let alone large-scale change). They would also make it easier for insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines (helping the insurance companies). Republicans also say they will offer $15 billion to states to establish high-risk pools for people that can't obtain insurance, as well as reinsurance programs in which the state pays a large share of the cost if claims exceed some threshold (and what's that threshold?). These high-risk pools are for people that are "uninsurable" through private health insurance (you know, because of policies that allow insurance companies to discriminate against people with conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease). These people are able to purchase a state-sponsored insurance health plan (government involved insurance?!?!). However these plans are usually expensive and have higher costs. The premiums can be double the national average. That's because these are "high risk" individuals. If everyone had insurance, and you have a large pool of people that are insured, the "low risk" individuals can absorb a lot of the costs of the "high risk" individuals. "Low risk" people don't produce much costs, "high risk" people do. It evens out. But when you stick all the "high risk" people together, it doesn't spread out the costs and it can be quite expensive. What a great plan. They can't get private insurance because of their conditions, so you pool them together with other "high risk" individuals and be so kind as to let them have insurance, but it's usually quite expensive. Furthermore, there are millions of people that don't have insurance and it's not just because they're "uninsurable" because of health conditions. What is the Republican plan going to do about the many people that simply cannot afford insurance? Apparently, nothing.
This "plan" is not really effective in instigating health care reform. We need a change in the system, and this is not it. This plan mostly continues the status quo; and at the very most it takes minor, minor steps towards change.
China has approved a Disneyland theme park in Shanghai. Efforts to bring a Disney theme park to China has been going on for about twenty years. Most suspect that it was approved for financial reasons. This investment can be profitable and will bring lots of jobs. It will be interesting to see the cultural implications this will have. China is very guarded and has tried to shield its culture from Westernization. Only 20 non-Chinese movies are allowed to be shown in theatres in each year, and they're often edited. It will be interesting to see how an American franchise -- complete with mass marketing of Disney characters, movies, and music -- will effect Chinese culture. (Full Story)
Funny tidbit: The article also mentioned how the French people were really hesitant of Disneyland Paris. French farmers with pitchforks protested Disney. But Disney eventually became more flexible and incorporated local customs -- "the decision to serve alcohol at Disneyland Paris helped turn that resort into a financial success." Oh, those Parisians! They're not even attempting to quash the stereotype that you can get them to do anything for a bottle of wine.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
November 03, 2009
Yet another example of why workers should be given fair benefits: Public health experts are worried that the H1N1 pandemic could worsen as a result of employees who are sick going into work because they can't afford to take the day off. Especially workers who deal with the public like waiters, child care employees, and retail workers. "Tens of millions of people, or about 40% of all private-sector workers, do not receive paid sick days, and as a result many of them cannot afford to stay home when they are ill. Even some companies that provide paid sick days have policies that make it difficult to call in sick, like giving demerits each time someone misses a day." Children with swine flu also are going to school when they shouldn't, because their parents send them to school because they have to go to work. A survey last year by the National Opinion Research Center found that 68% of those not eligible for paid sick days said they went to work when they had a contagious illness. The survey also found that 11% of respondents said they had lost a job for taking off days for an illness for themselves or a family member; 13% said they had been told that they would be fired or suspended if they missed work because of an illness. (Full Story)
The article also highlights Wal-Mart's unfair system. Employees generally receive a demerit point when they miss one or more days because of illness or other reasons. Once they obtain four points over a six month period, they receive warnings that can lead to dismissal. In addition, when Wal-Mart employees call in sick, their first day off is not a paid sick day (they either have to take a personal day or vacation day, or not get paid), but the second or third days are paid. This policy is intended to keep workers who are not actually sick from taking the day off. That is terrible. It sounds to me like it's just a ploy to not give the workers the benefits they deserve. It's a way for Wal-Mart to cut costs by denying benefits. And they're somehow justifying this cut by the idea that workers are liars and will just go play hooky. Not everyone that takes one day off of work for sick leave is simply going fishing. People that are legitimately sick for one day are being denied their benefits. And besides, who cares if workers take a sick day to go fishing. It's their benefit that they accumulated. If they want to use their sick days when they're not sick, that's their decision. And if they use them all up when they're not sick, and don't have any paid sick leave when they do get sick, then that was their personal decision. Wal-Mart is not paying any extra when people use their allotted sick days when they aren't sick.
Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, will make a rare address to both houses of the U.S. Congress. This is only the second time the chancellor of Germany has done this. She is expected to talk about climate change, transatlantic ties, and the downfall of Communism in Europe. (Full Story)
Too bad George W. Bush isn't there to give her another creepy shoulder massage...
This year Americans have spent a record-breaking amount on guns and ammunition. Industry officials estimate that gun-owners purchased 12 billion rounds of ammunition this past year. This is an increase from the 7 to 10 billion in a "normal" year. Since last October, gun shops sold enough bullets to give every American 38 of them. That's exactly what we need...people owning more guns and bullets when the economy is bad, people are being laid of, homes are being foreclosed, people are stressed about finances. This will turn out real well...
One possible explanation given for the surge is that after the election of a Democratic president, people heeded the warnings of groups like the NRA that said the new administration would make bullets more expensive and harder to get. The executive vice president of the NRA said that people are responding to legitimate concerns, "I think it's Katrina. I think it's terrorism. I think it's crime [which is actually decreasing]. And I also think that it's people worrying about whether they'll be attacked by politicians. They're suspicious, and justifiably so." Justifiably so?! That politicians are going to attack the people and the people should stock up on guns and bullets?! (Full Story)
Interesting article on Russia's alcohol problem. "Russians consume roughly 4.75 gallons of pure alcohol a person annually, more than double the level that the World Health Organization considers a health threat. The consumption figure for the United States is about 2.3 gallons."(Full Story)
The issue of abortion could be an obstacle for health care reform. A bloc of House Democrats are concerned that provisions in the health care legislation could lead to public funding for abortions, and they're threatening to vote against the bill. They're concerned that federal subsidies for people who cannot afford health insurance and the government insurance alternative could be used to pay for abortions. Under a 1967 law, federal funds cannot be used for abortions (except in cases of rape, incest, or to ensure the life of the mother). Democratic leaders backed a provision this summer that would allow people to use subsidies under the bill to buy insurance plans that cover abortion, but only funds from individual or employer health care premiums could go towards paying for an abortion. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), one of the Democrats that feel the health care legislation would use federal money to pay for abortions, unsuccessfully tried this summer to insert a provision in the bill that would ban any health care plan that covered abortions from being included in the health care exchanges. The president of NARAL Pro-Choice America said Stupak and others that hold the same stance are "attempting to ban abortion coverage in the private insurance market." (Full Story)
I think these anti-choice Democrats are crying foul against a direct link that isn't there. The provision these Democrats are unhappy about already specified that funding for abortions would have to come from individual or employer premiums. So the federal government isn't funding abortion. But these Democrats (and Republicans, of course) say that the federal government is helping people to buy a health plan, and that health plan might have coverage for abortion, and so the federal government is paying for abortion. There is a difference between the federal government providing subsidies and access to insurance, and the government providing funding for abortion. This is not a direct link. The federal government is providing the means for those to get health coverage. If an individual decides on a certain plan that covers abortions and if they one day make the personal decision to get an abortion, that is their personal choice. The government was not involved in nor endorsed that personal decision. The government provides a lot of assistance to many, many Americans. Everyone is given some assistance or benefits by the government whether they acknowledge it or not. So is the government directly accountable for every decision that people make? The government provides Pell Grants to students. Let's say a student, with the financial assistance of the government, goes to school to become a doctor. This student decides to become a doctor that provides abortions. Is the government paying for abortions? Should there be a provision that to receive a Pell Grant you're restricted from going into any field that would result in you providing abortions? Ridiculous.
Everyone in the United States has the right to get an abortion. They also should have the right to an insurance plan that offers that coverage.
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