China's Censorship Stepped Up A Notch

           We all know about China’s extreme censorship, but recently it seems like they’ve taken the word “censorship” to a whole different level of crazy. A Carnegie Mellon University study analyzed blogging sites and found out that 212,583 out of more than 1.3 million (16 percent) checked messages had been deleted. All of the messages have included banned phrases such as “Tibet”, “brainwash”, and even the banned phrase “iodized salt”. Yes, iodized salt. This phrase was banned in an attempt to mitigate the rumors that the compound was able to prevent radiation poisoning.

            Not only is the Chinese government deleting messages and banning ridiculous phrases, but they’re increasing their strict censorship. Soon it will become mandatory for bloggers to register with their legitimate names. This will make it more difficult for them to anonymously say illegal statements, and as a result they will be more wary when typing away.

            But, major props must be given to the Chinese people, having created clever ways to evade the censors. They use slang or homophones instead of direct terminology, Romanized letters which are unable to be flagged by the censor search engines, and they also sometimes use images instead of the written word or phrase.

Tibetan Monk Self Immolation

In Buddhism, suicide is prohibited. Even if suffering from a painful disease or an unsatisfactory life, their religion says that they should bear the suffering quietly and patiently while at the same time attempting to rid themselves of it. But, some Buddhist scriptures talk about the loophole of taking one’s own life for a noble cause, for example if that life saves another.

Twenty-seven Tibetan Buddhist monks, nuns, and young people have set themselves on fire to protest China’s occupation of Tibet, in the last twelve months. After positioning themselves in front of government buildings and polices stations they cover themselves in gasoline and self immolate by lighting themselves on fire. While on fire, they shout out demands for religious and cultural freedom by calling out for the return of their exiled leader, the Dalai Lama.

On Wednesday, a thirty-nine year old monk named Jamyang Palden set himself on fire in the Drolma Square in the town of Rongwo in the Chinese province of Qinghai. Within moments more than 500 monks and 700 students surrounded the area of the attempted suicide. They shouted out prayers, for Palden’s soul, political slogans, and waving exiled photographs.

On Friday, a twenty-year-old Tibetan monk named Lobsang Tsultrim self-immolated in Aba, a monastery town. He walked down Aba’s main road shouting out for the freedom and release of the control the Chinese government has. Armed police officers then chased him down and after putting out the flames put him in the back of a pickup vehicle. Along with himself, 1,000 Tibetans protested on Firday in the neighboring Qinghai province’s Tongde country to demand the release of more than fifty detained monks who were taken away during the Thursday crackdown on a monastery (according the Radio Free Asia report).

China has attempted to drastically censor the protests, and has filled Tibet and the surrounded area with troops and police. They have shut down Internet and phone communications, banned foreign news coverage, conducted door-to-door searches for activists, and ordered monks and nuns to undergo new “legal education” courses in their monasteries.

North Korea's Satellite Rocket Launch

On Friday, North Korea announced its plan to launch an observation satellite into space on a rocket in the upcoming month. North Korea says the launching of this satellite is to celebrate and honor the birth of its found, Kim II Sung and the new leader’s grandfather. The launch is said, by the North, to begin between April 12^th-16^th.

The only problem is that the rocket used to launch the satellite is the same type of rocket used for long-range missiles. The technology is also parallel with that needed in ballistic missiles, which is said to “provide a delivery system for a nuclear weapon if the North should become able to miniaturize one for use on a warhead.”

So naturally, the U.S, Japan, and China are worried and have showed their concerns by warning North Korea that this planned launch would violate the U.N ban and the upcoming agreement that they have with the U.S. This agreement involved the U.S’ pledge to exchange food aid for nuclear concessions. So as long as they (North Korea) restrained from any nuclear or long-range missile activities and experiments, the U.S would provide aid for them. This “aid” includes 240,000 tons of food.

Evans Revere, a former State Department official for East Asia said that the North Koreans “are potting the Obama administration in a very, very difficult position,” and that “the administration would have little choice but to react in a firm way to this.”

From March 26^th to March 27^th, there will be an international summit held in South Korea. Obama will attend this summit in hopes of using the opportunity to apply greater diplomatic pressure on North Korea. Hopefully this pressure will be enough to cease its rocket launching plans.

The Press Freedom Index

The tenth annual Press Freedom Index was released on January 26th by Reporters Without Borders. The list shows which country has the world’s freest media ranking from the freest (number 1) to the most censored (number 179). This year’s index shows a large change in the order of countries. In first place, is both Finland and Norway, making them the world’s freest media containing government.

On the opposite side of the spectrum North Korea is in 178^th place, Turkmenistan in 177^th place, Iran in 175^th place, and China in 174^th place. China earned this spot by carrying out extrajudicial arrests and by increasing their Internet censorship. It is said that China will continue to go down the list with its continuation of having the Communist Party “sticking to the main line” in relation to the media and increasing propaganda.

The United States shot down from last year’s 20^th rank to this years 47^th rank. The sudden drop was a result of the year’s Occupy Wall Street and the many arrests of journalists in the area or involved in the protest.

Bird Flu

            For those who don’t know bird flu is an avian influenza that is classified as an infectious diseased. This flu is caused by viruses that most commonly only affects birds but because of its different strains has branched father than that.

            When H5N1 first appeared in 2003 over 565 cases of human infection with this disease were documented. To note how severe this disease is 331 of these people were killed because of the flu, according to the UN World Health Organization. The H5N1 strain is an extremely deadly virus if a human is infected with the disease. Because the virus is not easily transmissible between humans it hasn’t instilled too much fear with people. But, it has been said that if the virus were to mutate then a pandemic would erupt.

            Recently two researchers have found a way to make the H5N1 avian flu easily transmissible among mammals. Now the controversy lies whether they should or shouldn’t be allowed to document their discoveries of this epic killer virus in journals so that they can be shared among other scientists, researchers, etc.

            One side of the argument states that by preventing the journals form being released it would be suppressing the freedom of scientific research and the Hippocratic stricture to do no harm. But, the other side of the argument holds the fact that if the journals were to be shared and there was an accidental or deliberate (bioterrorists) release of the virus, millions of people could be killed. This virus would be the perfect weapon to someone who wanted to create genocide. It would be as simple as infecting only one person and setting them in a largely populated area such as an airport or at the Olympics games, and then everyone would become infected.

            On Friday, bird flu researchers agreed  to pause their work for a duration of 60 days to let the international forum discuss both the benefits and risks of the continuation of the bird flu research. What do you think? Should they be allowed to publish their findings? Or is it too risky?

Mexico's Problem

In 2006, Mexican President Felipe Caldron declared a war on drug cartels. More than 25,000 troops in the Mexican army were stationed throughout Mexico, sent out into the country’s streets, highways, and towns.

But unfortunately, the cartels seemed to have increased their activities and firepower, rather than being reduced.  What has made the mitigation of these cartels so difficult is that they are more than powerful. They are well connected politically, well trained, well armed, and have mass numbers.

Since this war declaration, according to official figures, at least 40,000 people have been killed in drug related crimes.

President Barack Obama has recently deployed extra agents to the border in fear of the drug violence moving over the border. But, America already has a problem- that is, in providing about seventy-five percent of the guns used in Mexican drug crimes.

Gun smuggling and the economy in Mexico are the two main antagonists to the war. Something needs to be done to solve this problem but what can be? What would be an effective and protective solution that solves the problem but doesn’t trample over the rights of the people? Is it even possible to find a solution to a problem that has lasted so long?

                  As of recently, we have seen a spike in police brutality.  Because of the Wall Street riots, police officers are obviously forced to be in more stress inducing situations when surrounded but such a large, unorganized, and emotional group. But, many of these stories go beyond being under pressure, and with some research I found that stories of extreme police brutality that have extended beyond normal events.

            On March 7, 2006 Joseph Hamley, a mentally disabled man was shot to death by a state trooper while laying on the ground. The shot was given as a result of misidentification on the behalf of the trooper. The Hamely estate was given, from the state, a one million dollar legal statement.

            On July 5, 2011 a schizophrenic homeless man named Kelly Thomas was on the streets when six officers from the Fullerton Police Department beat him to death with tasers and flashlights. Four of the officers were suspended and two were charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter

            On April 18, 2008, Jaun Vasquez was running from the police. The officer yelled for him to stop or he would should him in the back. The officers then proceeded to throw his flashlight with such blunt force that it shattered on impact of hitting Vasquez. The officers began to beat him relentlessly while he was handcuffed and face down. Vasquez was then hospitalized with a lacerated liver, a ruptured spleen, and damage to both kidneys, and bruised or fractured ribs.

            Obviously, this blog post is very biased in the sense that I focused only on examples of cases dealing with police brutality. This is in no way saying that Police Officers are corrupt and power hungry individuals, I think they do incredible things in protecting communities. What I am saying is that acts like these shouldn’t go ignored either. For some reason events such as these continue to go on. What do you think would be proper “punishment” for acts such as these? How should these situations be prevented? And also, how would you start, even at the beginning when hiring and giving the power to officers, weed out the good and the bad, if even possible to do so?