One Year Later, Haiti still Unchanged

When the deadly earth quake errupted in Haiti and left thousands of people homeless, people were forced to change their lives. Tent cities started sprouting up as a "temoprary" fix. However, today, a year after the quake, the tent cities are still thriving with life as people spend their time "liv[ing] like hyenas," using portable toilets and getting water from a foreign aid agency. More than one million people are still living in these tents, and not enjoying it. Men and women are forced to bathe in public and try not to recount the tales of sorrow. Families try to send their children off to live with family, but not everyone has a place to go. It is said "Women and girls are raped and abused in the darkness of night." A 14 year old girl who was kicked out of her family's tent "meets men," she stated some beat her and some pay her, and usually she asks them to use a condom. A man adds, misery makes people fight, another man once tried to kill him for his phone. Many of these people do not forsee change anytime soon, they remark that "the government doesn't care about them; that the government likes it when they live this way." Not only do they have to worry about violence and weather, they also have to worry about diseases; one of the biggest stresses right now is cholera.

One can do so much in a year's time. It's displeasing to see that people have been living so cruedly for an entire year. We all understood after hearing of the tragic earth quake that bringing the country back to working and "normal" condition would take time. However, to hear that over a million people are still living in tents a year after the quake is slightly shocking. I would have guessed that the government would have stepped up more and have the people living in apartments or hotels or something better then tents on the street by now. This article also commented on how numerous symbolic sites are still in dis-aray. It seems that the government has done little to no work since the quake, which is extremely disheartening considering that mulitiple countries offered help; supplies, money, etc. Obviously, something needs to change and somehow these people need to get back to homes and normal lives. No one deserves to live the way they are, especially when they did nothing to get into that situation and they can do basically nothing to get out.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/06/haiti.earthquake.anniversary/index.html?hpt=C1

"Senate Votes to end Military ban on Gays"

Obama's campaign promise to repeal the "don't ask don't tell" policy of 17 years will shortly come into effect. Last Wednesday, the House passed the bill 250-175, and Saturday the Senate passed the same bill 65-31. Obama is expected to sign the bill sometime this week. The change will not be instantaneous though, Obama and the top military advisers must prove that the troops' fighting ability will not be harmed by lifting the ban, then there will be a 60-day waiting period. This is a very significant step for our country. Passing this bill will mean that "for the first time in American history, gays will be openly accepted by the military and could acknowledge their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out."  
Personally, I think this is great. I never really understood why troops were/are not allowed to say if they are gay or not, I don't see how it really changes anything. They are still there for the same reason; they want to fight for our country. It should make no difference whether they are gay or not. I guess now the only problem I can see arising is that some will make fun of those who are gay, which is really childish, but even as adults, I know it still happens. Even if they get made fun of though, it's nice to know that even if a person is gay, they don't have to lie about it in fear that they will get kicked out which is great, they have the exact same rights to be there as any other person does. I think it is kinda stupid that Obama and his top military officials have to "certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' fighting ability." It goes back to one of my beginning sentences; I don't understand how saying that you are gay is going to change anything. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about gays myself, but I do think that they have the right to live their life the way that they want to, just like the rest of us. I guess I would say that I'm on the same page as many Americans are; I'm coming to terms with accepting them. All in all, I'm glad to see that the "don't ask don't tell" policy will shortly just be a part of our past.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40715888/ns/politics-capitol_hill/ 

"Jurors Convict Juvenile in Chicago Teen's Beating Death"

On Semptember 24, 2009, 16 year old Albert was killed when he got caught in the middle of a fight between two factions of students from Christian Fenger Academy High School. The two factions were said to have been fighting about an earlier gang-related shooting. "Albert was approached by two members of one faction and struck in the head with a long portion of a wooden railroad tie, then punched in the face." A 15 year old student was convicted in the beating death of Albert. A video of the fight showed the 15 year old was the one who punched Albert. This punch caused some of Albert's brain trauma of which he died, but the 15 year old's punch was not the blow that killed Albert. The 15 year old was the first of five defendants charged for Albert's death, and was the only one tried as a minor. Because of Albert's death, President Obama sent the Education Secretary and Attorney General to Chicago to speak with schools, and the community about school violence.
It's very sad to hear of these situations, but I guess we could think of it in a different way; because Albert was killed, President Obama stepped up to the plate and increased speakers on school violence. Then, because of the speeches, it is possible that other students' lives could be saved. So while a death did occur, it may have inspired actions to prevent more in the future. This situation (of gangs and fighting and shooting) has always scared me. Living in a gang free town (as far as I'm aware anyway) I don't really have to experience this type of situation (thankfully), but hearing stories on the news and watching movies, etc. I get the picture. It was from those stories and movies that my fears developed. Most people don't like that they have fears, however I'm glad for this one, I would rather be scared than be oblivious. My prayers go out to Albert's family and all those who are living in threatening and/or gang related environments.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/09/illinois.teen.beating/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Accused Teen Hit Man

Last Thursday, a 14 year old child was arrested in Mexico City, on suspicion of working as a drug-cartel hit man.The police were able to catch him from an anonymous caller who said he was at the airport. The teen was an orphan, and joined the Pacifico Sur drug cartel at age 12. One of the group's leaders, Julio "El Negro" Padilla, threatened the teen saying that either he works, or gets killed. The teen allegedly killed four people, saying that he slit their throats. When asked if he was aware of his actions when killing, he said he was under the influence of drugs and was unaware of his actions. The teen has a birth certificate from San Diego, California, but his identity and citizenship are under investigation. The teen was paid weekly. Experts say, this is not the first time we will hear of stories involving younger kids killing people and being involved with the drug cartel, because they get paid, or because they think it is cool.

Eighth graders are 14 years old. Sixth graders are 12 years old. I have a really hard time imagining or thinking of a sixth grader going and joining a drug cartel. I have an even harder time thinking of an eighth grader going out and killing people. I understand that the kid was an orphan and, since he wasn't adopted, that he may want/ need some extra cash, but you think he could make the same amount or more money by babysitting or mowing people's yards or something. They didn't say how much he was getting paid, but still doing these jobs must be comparable, not to mention they would be much safer! He is threatened that he has to go kill people, otherwise he will be killed. I just can't see how some people can completely take advantage of kids this way and corrupt their lives. The kid said that he was under the influence of drugs, that means an eighth grader is doing drugs... how sad is that. I don't know much about the drug wars going on in Mexico, and I don't think I want to know some of the details, but I hope police can get at least enough control over it to stop this from happening - stop kids from getting pulled in. I can't picture many kids, if any, thinking that being high on drugs, then going out and killing people is 'cool.' However, I can see them (especially in poverty ridden places around the world) thinking that joining a drug cartel would be an easy way to get some extra money, but not knowing what they are getting themselves into. This needs to stop. This kid may have ruined his life, and he may not even understand why or how. It's the guys behind this kid who persuaded him, and the ones who need to be caught.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/12/05/mexico.teen.hit.man/index.html?hpt=T2

Issue #3: Safe to Eat?

This issue was about how in the last few years, there has been a huge outbreak in food-borne illnesses (E. coli being the most prominent). These illnesses have mainly been from fruits and vegetables, they caused hundreds to get sick and even caused some deaths. It is a good thing that we are trying to eat fresh produce- trying to eat healthy is always a plus- however, when you have to worry whether your fruit is safe to eat, that's when problems arise. Right now, fruit and vegetables are regulated/inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so compared to meat, they don't have as strick of regulations (meat is regulated by the Department of Agriculture). Also considering the facts that fruits and vegetables are often eaten raw (so you don't cook off the bacteria) and that most of our fresh produce comes from the same place and goes through the same processing- therefore a large amount of produce can get contaminated and infect a large number of people, many people are considering whether to inforce new safety regulations concerning fresh produce. Supporters of this new idea say that there are too few inspectors and that something needs to be done, such as more funding for the FDA or another food-regulatory body. Opposers say all people (government included) who are related to the food illnesses/ outbreaks have responded the best they can to all of the problems. They also say that if more regulations are put in place, it will only increase the amount we have to pay for fresh produce which would lead to people eating more unhealthy because they won't want to pay for the expensive produce.

I think I'm going to be a fence rider on this situation. I can see how and why people think we could use new or upgraded regulations on fresh produce due to all of the bacteria/ food borne illnesses that have been caused recently by them, however I also see the side opposing the idea of new or greater regulations. I think it would be wonderful to feel more confident about buying fresh produce- not having to worry about it getting you seriously sick, however I would not enjoy paying more for the fruits and vegetables. I guess I would probably go more on the side of going with the new regulations just because even if I have to pay more, it might be worth it to know that it is less likely I will get food poisoning. Also, I don't really agree with the opposers saying that the government, growers, distributers, etc. have responed that well. Yes, they sent out the word and recalled the food, and yes they probably had inspectors come to figure out how the food got contaminated, but as far as I'm aware, they did not majorly change anything to prevent this anymore. So I'm still a fence rider, but leaning more towards supporting new regulations. The following link explains how the USDA is helping the FDA create new regulations: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm185278.htm

Issue #1

Issue #2

Cruise Gone Wrong

Passengers aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship were given an unexpected adventure on their trip. They left  on Sunday, and Monday morning at 6 am, things went downhill when a fire in occurred in the ship's engine room leaving them with no electricity, and no engine. The 3,300 passengers arrived at port today, three days after the fire happened. They were left with no air conditioning, no working elevators, no lights in hallways or rooms, and no hot showers. They also had no flushing toilets for 12 hours. Food was another questioned item, however the USS Ronald Reagan stepped in and delivered water and food for all passengers. Passengers also complained of having to brush their teeth with bottled water and showering in the dark. Carnival has apologized multiple times; they helped to arrange flights and hotels for when they arrived back at port, they also promised to re-emburse all passengers for this cruise and offer them a free cruise to take at another time. The Carnival employees received extremely high reviews from many passengers who said they did the best they could in the situation they all were placed in. 


Give me a break! Yes, I know that these people did not have the vacation they dreamed about: their vacations were ruined, but shouldn't they all be complaining less and thanking God that they are alive; that they were able to stop the fire before it got out of hand; that no one was even slightly injured from the fire? They are acting like it's a complete catastrophe that they didn't have electricity for three whole days, do they not realized that some people live EVERY day without electricity and that they have lived like that for months? And having to brush their teeth with bottled water... what's the big deal? I was in Mexico for 10 days and brushed my teeth twice a day with bottled water, it's not bad at all it's just like brushing your teeth at home, but you have to make the water "run." They also complain about showering in the dark... well at least they got to shower, it would have been much worse if they weren't even allowed to shower! And, yes, they didn't have the best meals, but consider this, they still got food whenever they were hungry. Think of all those people who don't have enough money to feed their families; those who only get one or two meals a week... yeah, now that spam and pop-tarts they ate are sounding pretty great. Oh and of course let's complain about not having air conditioning for three days, really people? I think these people are being drastically overdramatic and extremely selfish! Yeah, it may not have been the best vacation, but Carnival is giving them another one free, and they still had all of the money and luxury in their life to go on a vacation like that, not to mention now they will all be bragging about this and telling the story at every party. Maybe if they just stopped for a second and thought about how thousands of people live in worse conditions everyday then what they had to live in for a mere 3 days... maybe if they did that they could realize that there is so much more in our world than money, material possessions and complaints...
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/11/cruise.ship/index.html?hpt=T2 

"Giant Sinkhole Opens in Germany"

A loud roar on Monday morning signaled the opening of a giant sinkhole in Schmalkalden, a small town in eastern Germany. The sinkhole is measured at 130 feet across and 65 feet deep. When opening, the sinkhole  took a car with it, and has caused nine houses (twenty-five people) to evacuate the area. The cause of the sinkhole is most likely from natural causes, but is still officially under investigation. The effort to repair this disaster is going to begin today. Officials say that "more than one thousand truckloads of gravel [will] be needed to fill the hole.

Last year was the very first time I had ever heard of sinkholes, and they still amaze and confuse me. I don't really understand what happens down, beneath the surface to make a giant sinkhole suddenly appear... does the ground shift? Are there water systems down there that move causing the surface to change? Also, I would like to know if there are certain areas that are more likely to have a sinkhole appear. I have never heard of a sinkhole happening in the United States, or any surrounding areas, they have all happened in either Europe or Africa from what I remember. I also feel for the people who are in danger because of sinkholes. This one swallowed a car, who knows how many people were in that car, they will never be seen again. It must cost a fortune to have these disasters repaired as well... Maybe through more knowledge of these events and understanding, we can become aware of sinkholes and be able to protect more people, as well as save countries money.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/02/giant-sinkhole-opens-in-germany/?hpt=Sbin