Blog Topic #9

http://www.heimishheadlines.com/2011/03/syria-explodes-out-of-control/

Spurred on by the protests taking place elsewhere in the Middle East, Syrian's are no longer content to be ruled by the tyrannical al-Assad family. For 11 years Bashar al-Assad, son of Hafez al-Assad, has been in total control of the Syrian government. In the past few months, many have been killed during these protests all across Syria and many more have been injured. The question now is whether the UN or United States should intervene to help the citizens of Syria.

Blog Post #8

This picture shows the location of York, England in the lower left, and Quebec, Canada in the upper right. This shows just how far north England, and for that matter Europe is compared to the United States. A lot of younger students, and even high school students think that England is right across the ocean from New York, in fact its a good distance north of New York. It really reminds me of how our vision of the world may be skewed. History classes just shorten the description of journeys from England to America by saying they just head west, but to get from England to the United States you have to go southwest. Also I think we don't associate England as being so far north because England isn't really cold, the Gulf Stream keeps it warmer and greener than most of Canada, so we are less likely to tie the two together.

Blog Topic: 6

http://thenextweb.com/asia/2011/03/15/china-gmail-problems-may-be-caused-by-great-firewall-upgrades/

This article is about China's continuing drive to censor information on the web. Unlike earlier blockings however this time they are targeting Gmail, a direct link between people. Not content to simply censor information sensitive to the Chinese government, they now are attempting to block the personal correspondence of the Chinese people. This came to light when many people on the Gmail site in China were experiencing difficulties in accessing their personal accounts. Google responded by saying that any problems with access was most likely due to the governments interference with their internet. Although such censorship is abhorred to us, to the Chinese the previous censoring might not have been a terrible inconvienience; this new attempt at censorship however, seems to much even for the Chinese populace to live with.

Blog Topic: 5

This map shows the number of car deaths on average in the world. Although the number of deaths in more developed countries such as the U.S. and Europe, the number of deaths in South and East Asia are by comparison, massive. As these countries are developing the number of cars they have is increasing faster than than the infrastructure and faster than most people can acquire them. This leads to many people riding in one car and on poor roads, if on roads at all. These factors lead to many deaths in these countries. Just as the developed world learned to maintain a strong road system to ensure the safety of their road travelers.

Blog Topic #4: Organized Crime in India

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7143893296569669894

The movie Slumdog Millionaire offered a small look into the world of organized crime in India, specifically the Mumbai area. With the increasing middle class and a growing economy organized crime has taken off in India, specializing in certain areas of the economy vital for continued growth for the nation. One such area is fuel. India's recent expansion of their auto-related infrastructure has demanded a massive increase in the amount of gasoline required to propel the nation into the future. Crime organizations have taken advantage of this reliance on petrol. This article is clear evidence of the struggle occuring between the Indian government and the "Oil Mafia." The "Oil Mafia" is an organization who attempt to extend gasoline profits by adulterating the gasoline with cheaper kerosene. The government official in the article was investigating stolen kerosene on a highway outside Mumbai when he was attacked and set on fire by two men on motorcycles.

Like many developing countries in the world, organized crime is a huge issue; and with India's ever increasing car-culture they can't afford to have such a disruptive organization in play. Yet with more recent government raids of suspected residences and nine men arrested in connection to this articles events perhaps this group will be brought under control quickly and this stain on India's growing success will be eliminated.

Blog Topic #3

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This clip comes from one of my favorite TV shows, No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. The show is all about 2 things I love: travel and food. Food maybe the best way to learn about a culture, especially the cheap street food that the common man eats. In this episode from Vietnam we see Anthony enjoying a simple local sandwich on a busy city street. The sandwich itself might not be what one would expect in Southeast Asia. Like many other countries the history of the place is made evident in the food, in this case we see the strong French influence in Vietnamese cuisine. First, the sandwich is made on a French baguette and is brushed with a duck-liver patte. French food is some of the most recognizable in the world and it remains even when they have long since departed. This is a prime example of how easy it is for a foreign culture to assimilate into the local culture, and for better or for worse it will never be the same again. America knows this better than any other country on Earth, like it or not we are a nation of immigrants and each new person brings new customs, traditions, as well as foods to the table. The trick is to appreciate the new, without corrupting and forgetting the old.

Blog Topic #2

http://www.smh.com.au/business/immigration-not-a-sure-path-to-higher-incomes-20101219-191vz.html

This article casts a skeptical eye on the increase in immigration and its affect on the workforce. Many groups in Australia think that an increase in the workforce will result in higher economic yields.(pg. 646) Ross Gittins however feels otherwise. In his opinion an increase of this nature will only add to the problems already existing in Australia's economy today, such as urban stressors and environmental damage. He points out that raising the productivity and performance would negate the need for extra workers and dampen the problems currently plaguing the nation.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/eclectic-mix-honoured-on-australia-day-20110126-1a4h9.html

In a ceremony that to me is somewhat reminiscent of the Kennedy Center Honors, several of outstanding Australians were honored on Australia Day by being named Companions of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia is an honors society made up of citizens who have rendered meritous service to Australia or humanity in general; similar to being "knighted" in Britain, for example. The new members were of varied fields and talents. Including a chef, an army chief, a wine maker, and an ex-national treasurer. Each year no more than 25 new Companions may join the Order. Only twice a year are new members inducted, Australia Day (the anniversary of the first fleet, pg. 640), and the Queen's Birthday.