Burma Recruits Child Soliders - Violating International Law

There are “grave violations” toward Burmese children such as recruiting them for military service, says a recent report issued by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

International law forbids children from being recruited as soldiers. Evidence shows that the Burmese army falsifies documents even if children are underage.

Today, the UN Security Council’s working group on children and armed conflict will meet to discuss these “grave violations” as cited in the new report.

In an age where you would think governments have a moral sense of duty, it is difficult to hear that the Burma government is committing such human rights abuses. These children, clearly underage, are being used to serve as soldiers and to fight against ethnic armed opposition groups. They are even being used for human rights abuses toward civilians.

This is not the first time that the UN has detected human rights abuses by the Burma government. Since 2002, the UN has cited five times that Burma has violated international law by recruiting children as soldiers. How many more violations can the UN take?

It’s time to step up to the task and stop Burma from all its human rights abuses. Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) should push for UN sanctions on Burma. To this day, Burma buys military weapons by other countries such as Russia and China. The UN ought to ban arms sales to Burma. Not only are these human rights abuses “grave,” but they are terrible to mankind. The UN should take action immediately, and not wait for another round of violations to occur.

-Denise

International Human Rights

INT'L HUMAN RTS: Abused and Killed - Children Deemed as "Witches"

The New York Times today published a disturbing article. I got lost into reading it as if it were fiction. It was so - unreal. In Angola, the Congo and the Congo Republic, it is becoming a common practice that children are abused and even killed after they are accused as witches. In the Bantu culture of Angola, a predominant belief is that witches can communicate with the dead and inflict illness, bad luck and death on the living. Countless numbers of children have been shunned from homes, beaten and even killed by their own relatives.

Children who have gone through the ordeal deny they are witches, and say that they are forced to confess to witchcraft while being abused.

Two recent cases were absolutely horrifying. One case involved a mother who poured bleach into her daughter’s eyes to blind her and rid her of evil visions. Another case involved a father who infused his son’s stomach with battery acid.

Angola’s government is campaigning to stop the abuses but results are not coming easily.

“We cannot change the belief that witches exist…Even the professional workers believe that witches exist,” says Ms. Silva, a child protection agent in Angola.

Although provincial officials and Save the Children have helped to rescue hundreds of children, many are constantly being abandoned and abused. Churches have been set up to house children who have escaped or shunned from their homes, but the churches are so small in size that many children are turned away.

It is great that the New York Times has made this a cover story. But we need to continue to get the word out that there are numerous children at stake and may be abandoned, abused or killed soon. Children should never be abused.

-Denise

International Human Rights

HEALTH: Curvy means Smart

So just as I was sinking into the ever-depressing winter weight increase I came across the following article:

Curvy Women Live Longer, Give Birth to Smarter Children

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California – Santa Barbara, examined 16,000 women and girls. Based on their body measurements and their scores on cognitive tests they came to the following conclusion: curvy women are living longer and giving birth to more intelligent people.

Their definition of curvy, however, might not fit into my high hopes for my growing waist.

In the study, curvy women are those whose waist is smaller than their hips. This varies from the straighter variety of women – those who have either an equal waist and hip ration, or a rounder belly.

The causal effects assumed by the study make sense: the fat around fuller hips and thighs holds higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the growth of the brain during pregnancy. Fat around the waist, on the other hand, may have higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which are less suited to brain growth, the researchers said.

The reason that the “curvy” women live longer is also logical: waist fat can contribute to diabetes and heart disease.

However, what this study doesn’t seem to do is encourage the right kind of psychological reaction. It emphasizes that those who are born blessedly curvy will do better but there is always a second best: being thinner or linear-shaped. These women lack both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids around their waists and hips, which would be likely to boost longevity, but have little effect on intelligence.

Can we say anorexia?

There needs to be further studies to show HOW to become healthier and to reach these beneficial perfect shapes – not just evidence that points people further and further away from their current shape without any guidance.

Click here for the full study.

-Erika Eckstrom, Issues of Health

Freedom of Expression??

Freedom of Expression at its most Extreme
Imagine this:

Last week, in Luxembourg City, a Belgian woman of Congolese descent came to the Cercle Municipal, soaked herself in petrol and set herself on fire.

Let that soak in your mind for a minute. Then ask yourself why. What would possibly prompt such a self-inflicted act? Her answer: Systemic Racism.

The mother of three, Maggy Delveau-Mufu, alerted news authorities about her plans the day before the incident, which, puts a different perspective on, the tenets of freedoms in this country. I would assume it’s an entirely different ballgame in Luxembourg City. Mufu apparently was protesting bureaucratic racism that she had experienced since she and her husband acquired a Citroën garage.

I don’t know about the racial makeup of Luxembourg city but I would assume its not much different from prejudice everywhere. It’s the same. It’s the same vicious cycle, with the dominant team discriminating against the others. All I know is this: it takes one person to make a difference. However I don’t know what Mufu’s act was supposed to serve. The act was to shock, and incite action but on the part of whom?

It boggles the mind!

On Freedom, Racism - Jasmine

EDUCATION: Progress Reports, This Time for Schools

On Nov. 6th, it was the schools that got graded. And most parents weren't happy about it.

In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg and the Schools Chancellor Joel Klein have developed a report card system for the city's public schools in which institutions are graded on an A-F scale. According to the New York Times Bloomberg and Klein "have praised the grades as an accurate measure of school quality that will help parents gauge how well schools are serving their children. They, and their supporters, say the new rating system gives credit to unsung schools that work wonders with struggling students while shining a spotlight on weaknesses at celebrated schools."

The grading process is based on a complicated calculation which gives the most weight to how individual students improved in a year’s time on standardized state tests. The system also compares schools with similar populations as judged by demographics and incoming students’ test scores.

So why aren't parents happy? Well, some parents whose children attend celebrated schools in well-to-do neighborhoods, were surprised and skeptical when their school received a B or C. This grading system also affects real estate agency executives, who say schools play a significant role in where people chose to buy homes.

What many people are failing to consider, however, is that getting an A may not be such a good thing. Since such a large part of the grading rests on students' performance on standardized tests, getting an A this year means that even more emphasis will be placed on testing so the school can keep that grade. But what about the children? Shouldn't we be measuring more than just test scores over time? What about the learning they do that isn't tested? I think the system is a good idea, but doesn't provide a fully-accurate picture.

-Lisa

Recall Highlights

This weekend seemed to be quite full of well publicized recalls. Here is a summary of the top three recalls around the nation.

Another Nationwide Recall of Ground Beef Ordered

Yet again, Cargill Inc. is recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef because of possible E. coli.

In a previous recall in early October, more than 800,000 pounds of ground beef was recalled from Sam’s Clubs across the nation there were at least four cases of E. coli poisoning confirmed.

Cargill is doing a great job with their recall efforts. John Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef, made public announcements on Saturday, disclosing many needed facts

• when: Oct. 8 to Oct. 11
• where: the company’s plant in Wyalusing, Pa.
• who: retailers nationwide including Giant, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wegman's and Weis)
• current status: no illnesses but U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection on Oct. 8 sample found possible contamination

Furthermore, Cargill established a phone number for people with questions or those who want to report illness: 877-455-1034.

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FDA Orders Recall of Unregulated Erectile Dysfunction Products

Due to the harmful effects for men with diabetes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked a California distribution company to recall pills and capsules advertised as "all natural" products to correct erectile dysfunction.

The pills, True Man Sexual Energy Nutrient Capsules and Energy Max Energy Supplement Men's Formula Capsules are potentially harmful and could cause dangerously low blood pressure.

FDA has taken a proactive stance and created a website for a voluntary reporting program: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

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Millions of Totino's and Jeno's Frozen Pizzas Recalled

General Mills is recalling five million Totino’s and Jeno’s frozen pepperoni pizzas that could be linked to an E. coli outbreak.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service outlined the facts of the recall in a news release:

• when: July 20 to Oct. 10
• where: the company’s plant in Wellston, Ohio
• who: distributed across the united states
• what: 414,000 pizzas containing pepperoni or a combination of pepperoni, sausage and other ingredients. Packages affected by the recall show "EST. 7750" inside the USDA mark of inspection, and include a "best if used by" date on or before "02 APR 08 WS
• current status: 21 cases of E. coli in 1 states across the nation. Nine of the 21 said they’d eaten the pepperoni pizzas

General Mills has posted their own alert – easily found on their webpage, www.generalmills.com. They have also established a help line for consumers - (800) 949-9055.

-Erika Eckstrom, Issues of Health

More on Immigration

The Immigration debate continues, especially since the voters believe they are not getting the answers they need. Senator Clinton was unable to provide a reporter with definite answers when asked about the provision of driver’s licenses for illegal aliens. The states, local authorities, and private citizens have therefore taken up the matter in their own hands in order to see justice done or something like that.

Take the Maricopa County Sheriff who provided a hotline for residents to report illegal activity. Or even coalitions such as “Minutemen” who monitor the border and report alien activity to authorities. The fact is these “well-intentioned” citizens are not necessarily equipped or even well informed to make summary judgments on individuals who appear foreign. Essentially, these developments will probably lead to profiling. Any dial-happy individual may call in any unfamiliar activity.

This has led to some Latino and faith-based groups to create their own hotline for so people to call in. There’s a circus in the works, and I’m afraid the cost of the ticket is too high.

I don’t know what the solutions are, I’m not even sure if there is a solution. The only thing I know is that people want direct, answers from those in charge, and until then… may the hotlines ring.

Jasmine - on Immigratioin

EDUCATION: Middle Schools Rising

In 1999, W.T. Woodson high school terminated its International Baccalaureate classroom program because parents and teachers complained that it was too focused on international issues and downplayed American history. Their refusal of the program was so strong, in fact that many wondered if IB had a chance in any Washington-area schools. According to a Washington Post article published Nov. 4, however, the IB program is getting positive recognition again, this time in area middle schools.

The IB program and its middle school counterpart, the Middle Years Program were developed in Switzerland and are rigorous and committed to raising global awareness, knowledge of foreign language and writing skills.

Many parents aren't comfortable with the course requirements because they are so different from what they remember of their own middle schools days. Nonetheless, these naysayers seem to be losing the battle. At Langston Hughes Middle School in Fairfax County, for example, all students are enrolled in the MYP and it is translating into higher SAT scores in high school.

According to the Post, "the fact that all Langston Hughes students are in the MYP, and that the MYP emphasizes skills tested on the SAT, is enough for many parents. Lou Ann Armstrong, who has had two children go through Langston Hughes, says she loves how the program has enhanced her children's critical-thinking ability."

I think its important that, even though middle school grades don't count toward college, students get a jump start on their education. In fact, I'm willing to argue that an emphasis on writing and foreign language would be more beneficial in the long run for these students, especially in today's world of outsourcing and expanding global economies. Granted, I don't totally agree with a program that only focuses on preparing for the SATS, but the MYP seems strive for global awareness, too- and who can disagree with that?

-Lisa