Skyllore White's Post

Should Third World Countries Pay the Price for Our Technology?

Have you ever recycled your old computers, or sold them to secondhand parts dealers? Do you know what happens to them? Do you know where they end up? For many people the answers to where the old computers go and what happens to them is a mystery. But for others, they know of it and are ignoring the facts. "Everybody knows this is going on, but is just embarrassed and don't really know what to do about it," Smith said. "They would just prefer to ignore it."

Many environmental groups have said that there is a chance that your old computers go to a dump in a developing world. "I've seen a lot of dirty operations in Third World countries, but what was shocking was seeing all this post-consumer waste," said one of the report's authors, Jim Puckett. Where thousands of laborers basically rip apart the electronic waste to get to the precious metals inside. They are exposing themselves and their surroundings to a number of toxic hazards. In this article a report was documented on “cyber-age nightmare” this was where villages in southeastern China were ripping apart computers that still have the labels on them, and they were dumping the scrap metal along rivers and fields. Not only are the computers being sent to third world countries but most of the computers have been used once by us; Americans. I feel as though this is really awful because those computers could’ve been useful for people who don’t have enough money to pay for one or they could’ve been donated to those less fortunate. This portrays Americans as ungrateful and basically wasteful. Investigators, actually visited Guiyu, China where the waste sites occur, they witnessed men, women and children basically dismantling the computers by pulling wires from it and burning them at night; which puts carcinogenic smoke in the air. They also witnessed other laborers, working with little or no protection, burning plastics and circuit boards and poured acid on electronic parts to extract as much silver and gold as they can. In result, the ground water is so polluted that the drinking water has to be brought by trucks from a town 18 miles away. For example, one of the rivers had samples taken, and it had 190 times the pollution levels that are allowed under the World Health Organizational guidelines. Computer waste is becoming a difficult problem, because millions of different devices are being produced faster and faster. One report has said that some in the industry estimate that 50% to 80% of the United States electronic waste that is collected as recycled goods gets shipped out of the country. This involves situations like the dump in Guiyu or the similar ones in India or Pakistan, this is where the labor is cheap, and the laborers make a big deal about trying to salvage every last screw or bit of silver that they can.

Companies are trying to avoid this problem or at least help recycle the electronics in a humane way. Large retailers and a few PC makers have launched recycling programs, and they are requiring consumers to pay an additional charge of $30 to ship their old PC’s themselves. Like the bottle deposit, organizations believe that the cost of recycling computers should be added to the initial cost of the product.

Now that you have been informed on this environmental catastrophe will you help by asking that your recycled electronics are not being shipped out of the country? Do you think this is fair?

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/02/25/computer-waste.htm

Do the new airport security measures invade your privacy?

Airport security has been an issue for many years. Officials ponder every day about how to ensure people’s safety when flying from one destination to another without going too far as to invade their privacy. Officials have come up with an idea that could speed up the screening process while preventing prohibited items from getting passed security without having to physically search the passengers. They have been testing “millimeter wave whole body imaging” machines, which are elevator-sized screening devices that reveal, within seconds, what’s underneath travelers’ clothes. The machines work by projecting electromagnetic waves over a person’s body to produce a 3-D image within two seconds. The faces on the images are blurred and the files are deleted after being reviewed. Andrea McCauley, a spokeswoman for the airport security said, “Our first responsibility is to preserve privacy and the protection of passengers.” She also said that the millimeter wave images would be “hands-free and user-friendly.” These machines can see what the magnetometers that passengers walk through now can’t detect because they can see both metal and non-metal items that may cause harm to others.

Although these machines are speeding up the security process and eliminating more harmful materials, they are also causing an outcry from privacy advocates who say the images are too revealing. Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty Project for the American Civil Liberties Union, said about these new machines: “These are virtual strip-searches. American passengers should not have to parade around naked in front of security screeners in order to board the plane.” Even though this process is optional the officials do not express passenger’s rights clearly. They make it seem mandatory. A Salt Lake resident, Darren Johnson, stated that he didn’t realize he was using some new technology until officials asked him to step into the body-imaging machine. Passengers say that this new invention is very intrusive and a violation of their privacy. They also exclaim that these “3-D image” searches are completely unnecessary.

What is your opinion on this new security invention? Are these new security measures reasonable and necessary to ensure the safety of mankind or are these machines intrusive and violating our privacy? What kind of safety measures should be taken in order to protect our people and not act in a violating way?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/061308dnbustsascans.fcd920.html

A Healthier America

Amidst all of the talk of reforming health care and fixing the economy, one very important issue with society is being ignored by politicians. This issue is the obesity problem in the United States. Now in some cases, people are overweight because they do not care what they eat. Other people are overweight because of their genes or their health. The government has no control over the weight of these people. However, there is one large group of people that can be helped by the government with their weight problem. Ironically, this group consists of the people are unable to afford food.

In my first paper in Intro to College Writing, I wrote about the WIC program and how it protects the rights of children to receive proper nutrition. As a recap, this program provides food aid to expectant mothers, infants, and young children. WIC pays for specific healthy food items to properly nourish mothers and young children. Only healthy foods can be bought with WIC - the cash register at supermarkets reject any foods with corn syrup or too much sugar. There is even a limitation that only wheat bread can be bought because it provides more essential nutrients to young and developing children. Unhealthy foods are cheaper, so the less fortunate often buy the unhealthy food so they can buy more of it. The limitations are a good thing because they allow WIC to provide children with healthy foods to start their diets off in the right direction.

A program that does not provide the same nutritional protection is the EBT program. The only restrictions on EBT Food Stamps are that cigarettes, alcohol, taxes goods, and prepared foods cannot be bought. Cookies, chips, soda, fruits saturated in corn syrup, and other junk foods are free game when it comes to buying food with EBT. I am a cashier at Market Basket and many orders I ring through that are paid for using EBT are loaded with fatty foods such as these. Many times, people buy more junk than actual food and it breaks my heart to see how obese many children are that are on EBT. I often see people watching the total for their order and they always grab candy bars to use up the rest of their card. This is a very unhealthy habit and in my opinion, any money not used buying regular groceries should be returned to the government to help someone else in need. "Using up what is left on the card" on impulse items (gum and candy) is very wrong and is taking advantage of the program.

There is another part of the EBT program and that is EBT Cash Benefits. With Cash Benefits, a certain amount of money can be used to buy taxes items as well (i.e. toilet paper, stamps, cutlery). There is a problem with this as well; the Cash Benefits portion of the EBT Card can be withdrawn from an ATM to provide an untraceable source of cash. This cash can be used to buy cigarettes, booze, and it can even be used for gambling (although these are not the intended purpose of the cash). I see people insert their EBT card into the ATM at work and walk directly to the Customer Service Desk to buy cigarettes with the cash they just withdrew. This also saddens me because that money was supposed to go to help the family/children with basic necessities. Parents neglect their kids to get themselves a fix of nicotine, and the government does not prevent this from happening.

One day, I figured out that 21% of my paycheck is taken out in taxes (and I am just part time, making often less than $100 a week). A large amount of these taxes are taken out for Food Aid programs such as WIC and EBT. I am all for helping those in need who do not abuse the system, but it frustrates me when that much hard earned money is taken out to help nourish people, who end up morbidly obese because the government is not restricting all food aid programs. Only healthy foods should be allowed. As far as Cash Benefits goes, people should not be allowed to take the money out of an ATM and they should only be allowed to buy the intended products of the program like toilet paper and paper towels. I love the WIC program for it achieves its goal of properly nourishing expectant mothers and their babies/young children. Other programs need to be reformed to have limits like the WIC program so they can do what they are intended to do. By limiting foods to only being healthy foods, manufacturers will end up reformulating their products so they will contain less fat, sugar, syrup, and sodium. They will reformulate their products so they don't lose profit (I see more junk food bought with EBT than I see bought with cash, credit, and debit orders). When programs like EBT are reformed, America will be at a healthier weight. When Americans are in better shape, they will have less health risks like heart attack and stroke. With less risk of disease, lives will be saved and our new Universal Health Care will not need to spend as much. With less government spending in one area, it can create more jobs and help more people. By creating more jobs, less will be reliant on government programs, leading in even less government spending. More people will then be paying into the system, resulting in more money for the government. The cycle will then continue. By fixing broken food aid programs, people will be thinner, healthier, and end up employed. The U.S. government will also have more money to help others and to pay back its own debts. A simple reform of the EBT program will fix many societal issues, including childhood obesity. So why do our politicians keep ignoring the issue?

Please voice your opinion. Am I right, do we need food aid reform? Is my logic incorrect? Am I too cynical of the programs? Does anything need to be changed at all?


For further reading:
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/17533/

An article that provides great coverage on the abuse and loose rules of EBT is at http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/banking-lending-credit-services-payment/15173799-1.html

Cultural Mosaic?

America has traditionally been referred to as a "melting pot," welcoming people from many different countries, races, and religions, all hoping to find freedom, new opportunities, and a better way of life. However, throughout the years this traditional term, has turned into a “cultural mosaic”, meaning that the immigrants retain their own national characteristic while integrating into a new society. And that is what happens when a new international student starts a career in The United States of America, searching for better opportunities in his life. The adaptation in the American society is a process of identification to a new environment. This environment has some characteristics that make him want to be part of. Such as language, culture, religion, etc. However, there are other factors that are difficult to understand. The first time I was in the United States, I wonder why in a college cafeteria it was common to have different groups sitting together according to their Nationality especially. The Latin Americans were in the corner, the Asians were next to the door, the Anglos were separated into different groups such as - the hockey players and the basketball players- and also there were a group of African Americans in the west part of it and other nationalities, too. What other factors are there to be considered in this particular situation? Is it race still a division between students at Universities or Colleges? Can we shared the same place and be all integrated in different situations?
I noticed that students seem to be comfortable talking in the same language with people of the same nationality, especially at the first period of the arrival time to a different country. It is easier to express your ideas in your own language. Your primarily needs can be solve more easily, especially at a cafeteria. In The United States has so many people that speak different languages and it is common to find students that share your same system of communication that you can find people in the campus talking in other languages you had never imagined to listen.
Another factor is some racial- nationally stereotypes and prejudices that determine our view, such as that the black people are fond of basketball, or dancing while the Anglos like American Football, hockey. Asians are good at Martial Arts and South Americans are good football players. Is that always true? No. But some students are very fond of sports so they choose their fellows according to their likes and they come together. Students shared some national affection about the sport they practice and they show it wearing the t- shirt of their favorite national team. Even in this point, there are some who identify themselves with a team that doesn’t belong to his country!
Finally, there is apparently a great necessity to be part of a group. A group which the students choose to identify themselves. Some groups are according to your abilities (chess, reading, gambling) and some others are about the sport you practice. It seems to be an obligation to be part of a group to feel the sentiment of campus’ life. And sometimes the nationality seems to be a factor here as well. Could we change this? Is it possible to share the same like a Latin American boy and a North American boy? YES, I BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE. Because, I saw many exceptions in the campus but it is a matter of time to change it. American people has always had people from many countries and as Douglas Rivelin said, “Immigrants come and change America and are changed by America.”

Acting Pregnant

As much as I tried to avoid this subject while brainstorming for my blog topic, the one topic that I kept returning to is teen pregnancy. Just as I do not support war but do support those who fight in it, I do not support teen pregnancy at all, but I will always be there for the numerous friends of mine that have children.

As stated in a commercial I saw this weekend, teen pregnancy is 100% preventable. At first, I wanted to refute the commercial by saying that birth control is never 100% guaranteed, but then I realized the other option: abstinence.

Many teenagers do not take abstinence as an option for them and I'm sure a few of those who do not practice abstinence also do not practice safe sex. As we all know, this increases the possibility (I do not like to say “risk”) of pregnancy manifold.

I could go on and on about how to prevent pregnancy before and after conception and how hard it hits me every time I find that another friend is pregnant but that is not what I want to talk about. What I am most baffled about are the girls who decide to fake their pregnancy. I'm not sure if any of you readers have heard of this but I can automatically think of two instances off the top of my head.

I'm talking about the girl who decides for whatever reason, to print off an ultrasound from the internet on regular printer paper that ends up looking like a squirrel, scribbling her name and date at the bottom and then flaunting the “ultrasound” around the school (pardon me if this sounds rude, but this really did happen). Then, when the times comes for her to show a “baby bump” she suddenly announces that she has lost the child. Although this could be excused as the truth, it is hard to believe when the girl recreates this story numerous times.

Many people who I’ve heard try to explain this behavior say that maybe she is trying to keep her boyfriend from leaving the relationship or that she is simply yearning attention. Although she will receive the wrong kind of attention, whatever her reason maybe, in the instances I have witnessed, none of these girls seem to realize the extent of this situation. It really does bewilder me why any of these girls would choose to do this. There has to be a better reason than the two reasons that I'm so used to hearing. Is there a psychological reason? Is there something going on at home?
Is it a cry for help? A search for identity? An experiment or a joke that just no one else catches on to?

None of the instances I have witnessed have ever turned out well. Every instance results in the girl becoming a victim of her own actions as she virtually branded and outcast from her peers more than she already was. So why make the situation worse by doing something like this? Especially if the motive is to keep the boyfriend from leaving the relationship since he is probably going to want to distance himself more once he finds out is a hoax.

Miscarriages take a large toll on the body and a woman’s body can only take so much before she gives up trying to have a child. I know adult women who take time off of work to recover from their miscarriages. If these girls were really losing the child through miscarriage, then they would probably be missing school.

So the big question and the moral of my story is WHY FAKE BEING PREGNANT?!

Euthanasia: A Decision of Life or Death

Euthanasia is a popular social justice issue that is a literal matter of life and death. Euthanasia is the act of killing a human being in a painless manner. Although this sounds horrible, there are circumstances in which this is the right decision.

Some hospitalized patients are in such extreme pain that they wish for be put out of their misery; their illnesses can be so painful that death seems like a more pleasant option. No one else should be able to tell them that their decision is irrational. If a person is going through such a horrible experience, that person should be able to have the largest say in the outcome. If someone is so miserable physically that they wish to end their pain medically, that person should be given the option. This can not only benefit that person but others as well. Medical funds are freed up for other patients if resources are not being depleted in patients that are so ill that recovery is not going to happen for them. If a person wishes to be put out of his or her misery, hospitals can do so and also save money for other patients who can be cured and wish to get better.

Euthanasia is not, however, always the best choice, and there are many arguments against it. Some say euthanasia devalues the lives of human beings, but human beings should be allowed to make choices for themselves freely. Another concern is that euthanasia can become a means of saving funds for health care. Doctors cannot force patients to choose this option, though, so patients are always in full control of if they choose to be put to rest or not. It can be seen as wrong for doctors, people who work to save lives, to be directly involved in killing people, but if a patient is beyond help and believes euthanasia is the best option, doctors should honor this last wish of their patients.

Overall, euthanasia should be legal for terminally ill patients with no other options to turn to. Although there are some concerns with the concept, there are more pros than cons and people should be allowed the freedom to choose for themselves as they are with other aspects of their lives.

Homelessness in America

The issue of homelessness is becoming more and more prevalent in America. With the unemployment rates hovering around 10%, many Americans cannot afford their housing mortgages. Living in the richest county in the world makes you question how the poverty level keeps increasing. There are roughly about three million Americans who are homeless. This is a very disturbing number for the simple fact that the brutality of poverty is a monumental issue in today’s society. Unfortunately, the recent recession only added to these numbers. With the economy facing issues within the financial market, housing market, health care market, and the business market many Americans cannot afford the growing cost of living. In the year 2007 one statistic showed that 23% of the homeless population were families with children. In essence this notion of homelessness is affecting many Americans in not being able to provide for their families.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” I strongly believe that most of us take for granted the gift of having a home and living with people who love us. Consequently, there are many Americans who are forced to live in shelters or on the streets. According to USA Today, about 1.6 million Americans have resorted to living in shelters. Another staggering fact is from a poll that about 53% of Americans are worried about making their housing payment. These statics shows how a falling economy raises the unemployment rates. Homelessness in large part is due to many Americans not having jobs. There is a clear correlation between the recession and an increase in the amount of Homelessness in America. Furthermore, poverty in the US is a very sad reality and tackling this issue is easier said than done.

Poverty is problem that needs to be fixed. In regards to social justice, homelessness has a much broader meaning. The Many Americans that are homeless most likely cannot afford the essential needs such as food, clothing, and water. I could not imagine not having something as simple as a glass of water or a home cooked meal. I truly am privileged to have a home, a place I view as my haven. As the holiday of thanksgiving is on the horizon, this is a time of being thankful for what you have and giving back. One statistic showed that of the 3.5 million Americans that are homeless about 1.35 are children. These children go without food and a roof over there head. They will most like miss out on many of the privileges that I had as a child. Looking forward, our government must establish more policies and create more jobs in order to help Americans pay for their housing mortgages. In final, I believe the being homeless is a horrific aspect of our society that affects many Americans. It is our jobs as Americans to fight for those who less fortunate than us.

How can the issue of homelessness be fixed? Do you believe that issue is directly correlated to the recession? Do you take for granted the essential goods such as food, water, and even your home? How can we make a difference?

Links:
http://homelessnessinamerica.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-foscarinis/homelessness-human-rights_b_781638.html