Final Project - Police Brutality

Police Brutality

The specific issue that I choose to write about is Police Brutality. Police Brutality is described to be the unnecessary use of excessive force by law enforcement on a civilian. This also includes false arrest, intimidation, racial profiling, and police corruption. Several reports and recordings of such actions have been documented and shared online for greater awareness of the situation. The New York Times first coined the term “Police Brutality” back in 1893 and it was used to describe a police officers abuse of a civilian.

If you were to do some research on Police Brutality, you would find a vast amount of cases where the scenario seems almost unrealistic. Countless reports of police beating defenseless people to death without the victim being any real threat has led to an unsurprisingly rise in mistrust amongst law enforcement and civilians. Often times, when these tragic cases occur, bystanders will document these encounters via cell phone camera or a regular video camera. They will then try to report these cases just to end up having the evidence confiscated by the police department. As was the case in Bakersfield, California, when a vicious attack on a man who was beaten to death by police, was recorded by several neighbors who were awoken by the noise. One woman in particular, captured a video recording of the whole situation. She claimed to hear screams of pain coming from the victim for several minutes until eventually, he passed out and later on died of tremendous head injuries caused by a police baton. After the incident had occurred, several interrogations of witnesses were implemented and some even had their cell phones confiscated. If that isn’t bad enough, police arrested a man who spoke out against them named Jason Land, claiming that he had violated his probation without any actual proof.       

Police brutality takes place in several different countries around the world like Egypt, Turkey, Canada, Indonesia, and in China. In an attempt to reclaim violated rights, protest groups have become a common method of the people to have their voice heard. Groups such as  “We Are Change” that are most popular in countries such as Italy and Belgium and the internationally known Occupy Movement march the streets with different signs and posters. Harsh actions towards the protestors conducted by the police include over excessive force on men and women, throwing tear gas canisters into crowds of people, spraying people with pepper spray, and the use of tasers. Thousands of complaints have been received every year and these investigations often lead to nothing.

More organizations are being formed to monitor police behavior in an attempt to reduce and eliminate police brutality. An independent organization located in England and also in Wales known as the Independent Police Complaints Commission conducts investigations on reports of police misconduct. They investigate any cases where deaths are caused by or thought to be caused by the action of the law enforcement. Scotland and Northern Ireland also have similar organizations. Different communities have also begun to conduct programs known as “Cop Watch” where they set up different cameras in order to maintain a level of supervision over the police.

Citations:

N.p., N.p.. "Final ." www.concordiannews.com. Concordia News Project, 1 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

Wood, Daniel B. "Final ." www.csmonitor.com. The Christian Science Monitor , 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

N.p., N.p.. "Final ." www.policebrutality.info. Stop Police Brutality , 28 May 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

N.p., N.p.. "Final ." www.cldc.org. CLDC, 28 May n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014

Powerpoint

Unit 3- Food Waste Alternatives

The Problem:
Food has been and always will be a part of culture and necessary in order for the sustainability of our lives. Food has even brought people together in festivities and other celebrations. One thing that's for certain is that we are simply wasting too much food. Everything from restaurants to buying unnecessary groceries are factors that contribute to this problem. Landfills where the food waste is stored are constantly getting overfilled. Thus the creation of more landfills is necessary to adapt to the problem. In 2011 alone, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated, with only four percent diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting. As shown by the chart below, Food has become the majority of the waste in landfills.

What we benefit from maintaining what we waste: 
Great benefits are produced when we become more careful of what and how much we buy. These benefits include environmental, economical, and social benefits.
Environmentally, we can reduce the emissions of methane, a gas that has 21 times the global warming potential to carbon dioxide. We will also need less resources that are typically used to grow the food such as water, energy, fertilizers and even pesticides. Soil structure and health can also be benefited by composting food. Food also simply thrown away in trash cans and dumpsters can attract unwanted pests. Composting can help to reduce some of these problems.
Some economic benefits include lowering the cost of the disposal. Money can also be saved if the trash is separated from what is going to be taken for composting. Buying only foods that are going to be used can also be a great way to save.















Feed the People:
An estimated 50 million Americans do not have access to enough food. A great way to give back is to donate healthy foods to organizations that feed the poor. Feeding America is the largest charitable hunger relief organization in America.They provide the opportunity for you to donate certain types of food to one of their 50,000 charitable agencies. Internationally, about 842 million people do not have enough to eat. European and North American consumers waste approximately 95-115kg of food a year. Compared to sub-Saharan parts of Africa and southern parts of Asia where not nearly as much is being wasted. Although, the vast majority of the food lost in America occurs in the production due to variables such as poor harvesting methods and in the storage and transportation parts of the process. Food policy manager at WWF in the UK claims that a part of the problem relies on our diets stating that "We're increasingly switching to high-input diets with a lot of meat," he said. "In England, we eat 400% more chicken than we did 50 years ago. And food waste is not equal: if you compare a wasted chicken to a wasted salad, they are massively different. We should be eating more plants and wasting less, but you have to look at meat. We should be shifting to more sustainable diets." 
I think that he makes a valid point because in just 50 years our diet has change drastically. If we can improve our diet, in another 50 years, progress can surely be noted. If we can make the small changes now, we can improve the planet for everyone.

Resources:
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2013/nov/07/stopping-the-rot-in-the-food-supply-chain

 http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/fd-donate.htm

http://polycentric.csupomona.edu/news_stories/2012/09/cafe-green-alt-food-waste.html

http://civileats.com/2013/05/03/the-environmental-action-everyone-overlooks-five-easy-ways-to-reduce-food-waste/

Unit 6 - Drinking Age

Whether the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or not in the United States has sparked a great debate in recent years. People that are against the lowering of the drinking age claim that young adults are not responsible enough to handle the consumption of alcohol. At the age of 18, an adult can legally vote and serve in the military. Shouldn't someone who can make the choice of  risking their lives to fight for their county be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage? Or even to help elect the leader of our country? These kinds of questions are asked by many people currently fighting for the lowering of the legal drinking age. Some believe that an earlier exposure to alcohol can help one to find out how they react to it and how it effects them. This causes the consumer to behave more appropriately to the substance and adjusts to it accordingly. Another valid point to the lowering of the drinking age is that teenagers who aren't old enough to drink wouldn't illegally have to do it since they would be of appropriate age. This eliminates the rebellious behavior often associated with teenagers to engage in acts that they know they aren't supposed to. They would simply consume the beverage more casually.


















The legal age of drinking varies by country, making it easier to see how it effects them. For example, countries such as China, Italy, and Greece have a lower drinking age but also have less alcohol related problems. These countries also tend to have lower alcohol related accident rates than the U.S. This quote from Dr. Ruth, a professor at Indiana University, accurately explains the mindset of most teenagers and the reasons for their rebellious actions towards alcohol consumption.



"Although the legal purchase age is 21, a majority of young people under this age consume alcohol, and too many of them do so in an irresponsible manner. This is largely because drinking is seen by these youth as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority," and a symbol of adulthood. Our nation has twice tried prohibition, first at the state level in the 1850's and at the national level beginning in 1920. These efforts to prevent drinking were unenforceable and created serious social problems such as widespread disrespect for law, the growth of organized crime, and the development of immoderate consumption patterns.
The flaunting of the current age-specific prohibition is readily apparent among young people who, since the increase in the minimum legal drinking age, have tended to drink in a more abuse manner than do those of legal age. This, of course, is exactly what happened in the general public during national Prohibition." To find out what else Dr. Ruth stated about the drinking age, you can read the rest of the interview by visiting this website. The facts and statistics prove that a lower drinking age will not only be safer but will allow for young adults to learn of it's effects. Having a lower drinking age would also prevent young adults from getting in trouble for possession, having a fake ID, and of course, consuming. We can also decrease the number of fatalities related to drinking in the US by lowering the drinking age. This has been proven in countries with a lower drinking age than us. Since drinking has and always will be part of modern culture, I think eventually we will see the drinking age get lowered in the U.S.

http://www.cognac.com/15-reasons-why-drinking-age-should-be-18/

Unit 5 - Disaster

 On March 11th, 2011 an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 shook parts approximately 231 miles away from Tokyo, Japan, causing a devastating tsunami to strike afterwards The tsunami waves reached heights of about 30ft and struck nearby nuclear reactors causing severe damage. The earthquake is the fourth largest earthquake that has been recorded since 1900. The death toll was estimated to be about 20,000 with hundreds more reported missing. Thousands of homes were destroyed along with roads and rail lines. Electrical power was knocked out in several towns and cities along with the disruption of sewage and water systems. Before the storm, many people received warning through their early warning system. This system stopped the movement of high speed trains and assembly lines in factories. Cell phone messages were also sent out to people living in larger cities.

 

 One of the most notable impacts caused by the Tsunami was the meltdown of the Fukushima power plant. The cause of the failure of the power plant was due to the damage done by the disaster. This added disaster measured a level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale measuring equal to the Chernobyl Meltdown. It was reported that about 300,000 residents evacuated the area. The total cost of the damage was estimated to equal $300 billion dollars. Japanese government reports claim that TEPCO, an electric company, took measures that were described to be "insufficient". The main claim made by the company for such little action was that they wanted to keep the public calm and keep them from protesting against nuclear power. Since Japan is a country that relies on nuclear power more nuclear reactor sites have been closed due to the stricter standards placed by the government.

 




The photo above shows the drastic remains of a city in Japan. The recovery of this storm is still going on today. According to the Japanese government, about two years after the disaster had hit, about 300,000 people who lost their home are still living in temporary housing. Japan's meteorological agency was also heavily criticized for issuing a storm warning that didn't provide the correct accuracy of the potential and existing damage that the storm will had. This disaster had negatively affected the lives of many, and shows how much damage natural storms can do to countries.

Resources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/japan-earthquake---tsunami-fast-facts/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/6-5-earthquake-hits-japan-tsunami-alert-issued-rescinded-article-1.121476
http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html
http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2099823,00.html

Unit 4- - Effiecent Energy Alternative

The declining acres of forest on our planet shows clearly that the energy sources that we are currently using should be replaced with more eco-friendly sources.  as humans tend to use up a lot of energy in our everyday lives whether it's for the heating of our homes, industrial, or agricultural purposes. The non-renewable sources, such as fossil fuels, that we use for the energy that is needed only provides us with a limited supply. We typically use three different types of fossil fuels as our most common sources. Coal, natural oil, and natural gas are the main sources used by that have also been known to cause severe harm to our planet and the environment that surrounds us. It is needless to say that need to start using more renewable resources that will be more efficient to us in the long run. For example, Solar energy is a natural renewable resource that can provide clean and efficient energy while not giving us the worry of a shortage of the supply. The production of solar energy occurs on solar panels that uses a photo voltaic system to transform the energy, making it usable. The graph below provides a visual representation of what the process is like.

 

As you can see, the process is a very convenient method of a renewable resource. Even though these renewable alternative energy sources aren't 100% clean, they still produce much less amounts of harmful gases. According to the director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, James Hansen, if we do not change something, and continue to increase our CO2 emission by 2 percent each year, as we've done in the past, it will lead to the earth warming an additional 2-3 degrees Celsius. (Hansen 1). One type of energy that has been able to generate power by using waste is called Biomass. This fuel, if used more often by different countries, could greatly reduce our CO2 emissions, the said cause of global warming. One reasonable solution to the current energy crisis is to slowly but surely implement these different renewable energy sources into our everyday energy usage and eventually eliminating the reliability on the non-renewable resources. Future innovation to technology and well conducted research will only make applying these sources more effective and efficient for all.

 

The amount of savings that solar energy would provide for each state.


Resources: http://www.aglsolarenergy.com.au/solar-power/about-solar-power/
 http://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-effect/fossil-fuels.htm
http://voices.yahoo.com/alternative-energy-versus-fossil-fuels-2970304.html?cat=58
http://ecowatch.com/2013/12/03/going-solar-save/
 

Unit 2 Page

Did you know that almost half of the world or roughly about 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day? Why is that? What does it mean to be poor? What is poverty? Poverty is described to be the state of living without the basic needs of humans such as not having health or educational services available. The financial aspect of poverty seems to be the most important factor. This is because without money families can't afford to stabilize themselves and send their children to schools to get the education they need to provide their future families. But poverty doesn't just have one cause, different factors have to be put into consideration in terms of the different cases of poverty. For example, being poor in a country like Canada is much different than living in a poor country like Haiti. Poverty is certainly an issue that can be worked on by all members of society. The chart below indicates the number of people (in billions) below and above the poverty line.

Another important factor to take into account is Inequality in the sense that there is a difference in being poor and having little to no chance of obtaining their basic needs and not being absolutely poor because even in the most wealthiest countries, the poor still have access to basic services. The chart below shows the difference in income distributions in different parts of the world. As you can see, there is a great difference in the income of the richest compared to the income of the poorest.

Chairman of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Sir Michael Marmot, spoke about the Health Inequality and how it effects all countries, not just the poorest. He believes that most of the health problems that they face are due to social, economic, and political factors. In an interview, he said “The key determinants of health of individuals and populations are the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work and age,” he also adds "They are the cause premature of disease and suffering; that’s unnecessary. And that’s why we say a toxic combination of poor social policies, bad politics and unfair economics are causing health and disease on a grand scale.” I think Marmot's' viewpoint is accurate because the poorest nations also tend to have the poorest health, even looking at the life expectancy of certain countries, one can see the drastic difference. I think that we all could help by making donations to the poor and getting others to do the same. For more facts and statistics, you can visit this site.

Unit 1 Topic Page -

Chuck Hagel, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has made an announcement on Monday that the U.S. has agreed to sell eight Apache AH-64E helicopters to the Indonesian Government. The sale is worth about $500 million dollars which is the largest military sale between the two countries despite concerns that the Indonesian Government would use the Attack Helicopters against their own people. The agreement also includes pilot training and radar technologies. According to Hagel, the deal was issued to ensure the regions security and prosperity, a goal that is also shared with the United States. John Miller, U.S. national coordinator for the East Timor & Indonesia Action Network, fears that these weapons will bring a negative outcome  to Indonesian civilians. "The military will use these helicopters as they want. These are weapons of war, weapons of counter-insurgency, so it would be foolish to expect that the Indonesians wouldn't use them that way." Miller says. Senator Patrick Lahey proclaims that the Indonesian government is known to have a long history of abuse and remains unaccountable.