Blog topic #9

Today, April 15, 2011, the largest group of protesters seen yet have marched into the capital of Damascus of Syria. The government has managed to keep the protests to an "intense calm" the past few weeks until this point. The protesters marched with about 20,000 strong and continually grew as it passed through strings of nearby suburbs chanting, "Freedom!" and "The people want to overthrow the regime!" Seeking to take down the corrupt government in hopes for democracy the protesters continue to march and seek change. Since recent unrest, President  Bashar al-Assad has responded back with security forces equipped with ammunition and tear gas, but it is unclear how effective those actions were.

Blog topic #8

Just to the right of the middle lies the islands that make up the state of Hawaii. Although most of us think of Hawaii being closer to California, it is actually around 2,500 miles away from the mainland state. Hawaii is also roughly 3,800 miles from Tokyo, Japan. Besides the fact that Hawaii is much farther away than we might have thought, one might notice the vast amount of blue ocean waters that cover our planet. True, we say and know that 3/4 of our planet is water, but not until we see a picture do we truly grasp the vastness of its abundance.

Blog topic #7

Topic B - Restrepo and/or war in Afghanistan

Its ridiculous how simple it was for one camera crew to enter into one valley with one platoon for one year to completely blow our minds. It is almost as if we as a country, besides those of us who may have friends or family within the service, have forgotten that we are fighting a war in a foreign country with people as young as 18 years old against groups of extremists with guns and explosives. Saying that right there makes the hair on my neck stand on end. How have we forgotten or simply put aside something so severely intense? The movie Restrepo takes us into the minds, hearts, and situations of the soldiers that are constantly fighting to keep us safe, yet we go on living, day by day, without it possibly even crossing our mind.

Blog topic #6

The Great Firewall of China
The link above is an article from The Washington Times on March 31, 2011 discussing China's "Golden Shield Project." China has gone to the lengths of employing over 50,000 people and spending upwards of $800 million to set up and maintain what is essentially a filter on internet activity outside China's borders. This set up is vital for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) due to the fact that they cannot afford to let the people of their country have access to certain topics that would essentially undermine their legitimacy as a government. As President Hu Jintao put it, they want to filter out "foreign viruses and ideas." Foreign viruses and ideas? How about foreign views, opinions, and truths?

Blog topic #5

The map above shows the HIV prevalence in the world. No surprise to many, it is overwhelmingly prevalent in Africa. Covering mostly central and southeastern Africa, HIV has become an epidemic within the past few decades due to unsafe sex, infected needles, and viral transmission through pregnancies. Although this map does not show HIV in children, the infection in this half of the world is mind blowing. The majority of Africa has a poor economy. This in turn makes it difficult for most Africans to afford education for people, health care, and vaccines.

Blog topic #4

The movie, Slumdog Millionaire, starts in the location of Dharavi. Dharavi is most likely one of the largest, if not the largest slum in India. It is centered in the middle of India's financial capitol, Mumbai. Dharavi was once a village that thrived on fishing. Today, it resembles nothing close to that. It has turned into a city within city housing a population of just over one million. With dense streets crammed with people and sewage, Dharavi is the land of those who struggle to live and those who live in the struggle.

Blog topic #2

Australia Day
Previous to Australia Day, nonwhite migrations to the country were strongly limited by the White Australia Policy. This promoted the immigration of Europeans and Americans. The policy lasted only a few years ending in 1973. The Whitlam government used Australia Day as a way to ease off the White Australia Policy. The Migration Program then offered visas to people based on their educational background for a higher potential in economic success. This in turn, brought families from all over the globe including Africa, China, India, Malaysia, and many more. In today's society, Australia celebrates the changing step that lead to its multicultural lifestyle. With so many more immigrants coming into the country, is Australia still Australian or is it simply a flat surface on our globe where there is no defined "type?" (text 646-47)

Immigration
While immigration started a booming economic trend, it has actually fallen quite significantly since that time. Over the past year, the annual number of migrants has plunged by a record 35%. This greatly affects the economy itself because there is less and less talent and education needed for certain job positions. The Prime Minister's desire for the campaign ''a sustainable Australia, not a big Australia'' and a minority of expressive native-born whites that resist the current cultural blending movements are now causing restrictions on migrant inflows and are pushing up wages and prices. (text 646-47)