Titanic: In Memory of Those Lost

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic was this year on April 15th. The ship collided with an iceburg on April 15th 1912 after beginning of its maiden (and only) voyage. On this maiden voyage there were more than two thousand passangers and eight hundred crew members. The over-estimation and title as the unsinkable ship may have created an  unhealthy arrogance that led to this disaster. The lack of lifeboats, in favor of looking aesthetically pleasing and adhering to the upper classes' taste for the extravagant.

At the same time, however, the Titanic was image of technological innovation. The artistry that was put into the different areas of the ship and the group of people that came together to construct this mammoth of a ship. Despite its tragic end it is important respect and honor those that spent their time working on the ship. The reality, though, is that there were many people lost in this tragedy due to human error. It is an important lesson to recognize in future ventures and scientific discoveries.

Of the 2224 passengers aboard the ship on its maiden voyage, only 32% managed to get to a life boat and survive. The problem with the situation was that there was only enough room for a little over 50% of the passengers and crew members. The panic of the situation made it even more difficult to ensure that more survived.

There are numerous books and stories surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. It is an event that has stirred curiosity in people for a century and will most likely continue to intrigue people and increase awareness and knowledge of safety boats.

To find more information about the Titanic, its crew, and those who perished in its demise check your local library. More information can also be Found at the website Titanic-Titanic.com and others.

A Bit More Personal

I recognize that I've missed a blog post this week, but its understandable for me. I've been sick and have needed to recuperate this week along with changes in relationships. The hardest part of a relationship that isn't working is ending it. For the week I want to just highlight on the importance of reassessing relationships as they move forward, making sure that it is working and that if it isn't trying to work it out.

At the same time however, if you are in a possessive or abusive relationship it is vital to recognize this and leave the relationship as soon as possible.I know this isn't exactly my topic for the blog but I figure I'd give some explanation for why I haven't posted this week. I admit, its hard for me right now and I know that by ending it I am closing a door, burning a bridge, however you want to say it. I think it was the right thing to do though, even though it was hard and even though I doubted myself. In the end what matters is respecting the other person and not leading them on.

Posts Coming Up:
100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic on 4/16 at 2:20am
Anniversary of Columbine on 4/19 11:59pm
Sexism in Gaming on 4/17

Movie Review: Lord, Save Us From Your Followers

Geogre Clooney is Arrested? Does this help?

George Clooney is Arrested?

I'm well aware that this has become old news by the time this was posted but a still important issue to cover. George Clooney was arrested... but why is that important again? He's just another movie star. According to the Washington Post Clooney was arrested during a protest against the government of Sudan for its treatment of its citizens. Well Clooney, you did the right thing getting arrested because people just love hearing about celebrities getting arrested, just look at Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Brittany Spears. Anyways, back to Clooney. According to the Washington Post:

On March 14, he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee claiming the Sudanese government was killing its own people and blocking aid to the Nuba mountains and the Blue Nile regions. That evening, he was among the guests invited by President Barack Obama to a state dinner honoring U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron.

“The south has all of its oil and the north has the pipelines and refineries,” he told senators. “For years, the north has been taking the oil and keeping most of the profits, flying bombs and rockets and using them on Darfur, the Blue Nile, Abyei, and the Nuba mountains.” 

Beyond that much of the colonization within Africa has set up a situation in which corrupt governments have an easy way to take control. Not all African countries are like that but many of them are. If there is a problem on the horizon that can be dealt with to ease the suffering nothing is done, for example the East Africa Famine had prevented warning signs that officials ignored. For those of you much like myself who aren't entirely familiar with the map of Africa here is one:

Beyond the problems that Clooney had highlighted in his comments there has been mass genoicde within the region of Darfur that may bring back memories of the holocaust. To provide help for those who need it  or for more information please go to one of these sites:

Eyes on Darfur 

Darfur is Dying 

Darfur Scores 

United Human Rights: Genoicde In Sudan (Darfur)

Darfurian Voices 

Save Darfur (Background) 

News Article Quoted:

George Clooney Arrested in Washington at Sudan Protest 

Hunger Games Book Review

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Witht he upcoming release of the movie the Hunger Games releasing on March 23rd and based on the book by Suzanne Collins I've decided to do a book review. I have yet to finish the second two in the series due to school and work which have begun to take up my time.

Character development: 5/5
Character development in this book is excellent, you are truly able to see the characters progress through the novel. There are a few flaws within the book itself, like any other book, but the depth of character is a star feature to it.

Plot Originality: 3/5
The plot is well made but is not the newest plot on the market. I am highly cynical about new and improved plots coming out that aren't seemingly repeating previous plots. This type of plot, however, is one of my favorites.  A corrupt government in control of its citizens. Other books like this include Brave New World and 1984.

Writing Style: 5/5
The writing is excellent with no blinding repetitions that are seen in many of the other young adult novels these days. For instance in the Twilight Saga the author frequent repeats specific phrases and characters are wearing the same tacky clothing. In the Hunger Games however these repetitions in taste seem reasonable due to the economic status that they live in.

Overall Enjoyment: 5/5
Since I have a difficult time reading most of the time I was surprised when I couldn't put this book down. There have been other books like this but it is a rare find. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good read.

Toyota: Unintend Acceleration

Given that the USA Today, CNN, NewYork Times and multiple other publications have released information that the problem with the gas pedal and acceleration has still gone unchecked is a warning sign for Toyota. The continued blame on customers will create disloyalty and people will slowly no longer buy those cars. According to Paul A. Eisenstein from MSNBC:

A two-year study looking for possible causes behind Toyota’s rash of unintended acceleration issues has put primary blame on driver error — but the review by the National Academy of Sciences also cautioned that some problems may have been caused by inadvertent interactions involving vehicle electronics — an issue frequently cited by the automaker’s critics.

When did this problem crop up? It started in the summer of 2009 after an accident that resulted in the death of a California Patrol Officer and members of his family. They had been driving a borrowed Lexus at the time. According to Toyota this accident was caused by a problem with carpet entrapment. In January of 2010, however, "it added millions more due to a potentially sticky accelorator linkage" (Eisenstein.)

After having a Toyota myself (1998 Toyota Camry) and experienced an accident while driving I know that they are safe, particularly during collisions. The recent news of the unsolved mystery of the acceleration cases has me questioning whether I would even consider purchasing a Toyota in the future. At the current rate, I will stick with either Volkswagen or Volvo.

Further Reading: Toyota Memo Acceleration Concerns, Drivers Again Faulted Over Toyota Acceleration, OPINION: Toyota's Acceleration Problem, Driver error found in some Toyota acceleration cases, Toyota Acceleration Problem is Still Unresolved

Toyota Recalls:
Safety Recall
Pedal Recall

North Korea to Receive Food, Nuclear Research Suspended?

The United States and North Korea have made in agreement in which North Korea will suspend its nuclear program in order to receive the much needed food aid. Rather than sending the rice and grains that had sent the previous time they are now sending infant formula and high protein bars. This is a step that is made in order to ensure that the food gets to the most needy and isn't placed on the tables of the military and the elite. Here an experts comments on the agreement:

U.S Cautiously Optimistic After Food Deal With North Korea

Dear Apple. Check Your Factories

I admit that I own an iPhone and I love, but I also admit that they working condition issue that came up in recent news is giving Apple a bad rap but also must be addressed. While Apple did inspections on the factories which did the final 'construction,' as you might call it, of their products they failed to look at the factories that produced the components for these technology wonders. There were shocking reports of things which, according to

A spate of suicides at Foxconn Technology Group factories in 2010 and the illnesses of workers at Wintek Corp., in 2011, which were thought to be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, both created bad publicity for Apple.

Recently Apple has switched from auditing their own factories to bringing in a third party. This is a wise move for Apple due to the fact when an individual company audits their own factory there is no one to keep them in line or prevent them from lying. It is stated in the CBC article that

The audits will include interviews with employees about working and living conditions, including health and safety, working hours and wages, along with inspections of manufacturing and living areas and examination of employment-related documents. 

Let this be a sign to other companies, no matter what they produce in their factories, that in order to protect their business it is important to run audits on their factories to ensure worker safety/

China Apple Factories FLA Audits
Petition: Apple CEO Tim Cook-Protect Workers Making iPhones in China
Behind the News: 02/11/2012
FoxConn Raise Wages Apple Contractor?
Do Apple Users Care Enough to Protest Chinese Working Conditions
FoxConn Wiki Page

On the Web, a Growing Market for Philanderers -- USA TODAY

Well it's Valentine's Day and many people are celebrating what relationships they have and the feelings they harbor for their significant other and their friends. Whether it be a romantic love or just an appreciative love towards your children or your parents. What about the people who are unhappy in the current relationships that they have? Well ironically there's a site for that! As USA Today states in its article there are new threats posed towards marriages, not just with affairs with the secretary or another coworker the Ashley Madison Dating site advertises itself as for those who are looking for an affair. What has society come to the point where when someone is unsatisfied with their spouses efforts? And apprently these sites are the most successful after Valentine's Day. So a word of advice, "If your Valentine's Day expectations aren't met, your mate might soon be looking elsewhere for a little romance and appreciation."

Now the site itself is much like any other (cheap) dating site. The information that people give when they sign up for a site like Ashley Madison includes your limits (Something short/long term, cyber affair/erotic chat, whatever excites me, anything goes, and undecided), height, weight, and date of birth. Through these terms you can search for a suitable person (attached male/female, unattached male/female, same gender, etc) at which point you can either meet or just keep it to the internet.

Why has this become such a problem? Well as the founder and CEO of Ashley Madison states, "People are disappointed by their spouses' lack of effort, and they feel especially undervalued when there is a societal expectation of romance. Certain days of the year act as litmus tests for many people in relationships." All right, I see a few problems with this, (1) relationships are being undervalued, (2) relationships are expected to be easy, and (3) people are seeming to be unwilling to sort out the problems that they face.

A sociologist that interviewed members of the Ashley Madison site stated that the reason these sites are so successful is due to the fact that "people aren't taking care of their marriages." Paort of the issue is that people are becomming attached to the social networking sites of the day such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and other sites that there is more potential for issues. USA Today presents this warning: "Social networking sites can open a Pandora's box of relationship destroyers -- unleashing everything from affairs, to rekindling of past toxic relationships, jealousy, imaginary online relationships that replace face-to-face intimacy, and online stalking, to name a few."

Things to watch for:

• Relationship Status -- your spouse should be willing to provide their relationship status on websites, if they are not, it probably is a red flag to sit down and talk.
• Trust! This is one of the most important aspects of a marriage.
• The Past: avoid reconnecting with old flames, while it may seem enticing at the time it can end up incredibly messy. If you just want to sit down for coffee maybe suggest meeting them with your spouse or significant other.
• Too Much Information: Watch what you say online, particularly if you're venting about a relationship.
• It's Permanent: Hey, most people think that a post on the internet is temporary, but actually everything we email, post, tweet, share, or whatever is recorded in a database.

Shocking quote:

"Websites designed to facilitate cheating appear to be thriving; some earn tens of millions of dollars a year, and competition is growing."

As someone who has seen others be cheated on and feared the possibility of someone cheating on me I understand the importance of communication and putting energy into a relationship. This means loving one another, but also respecting one another, even when there are problems.

And as a closing note, be careful and enjoy the people around you!

Occupy Oakland Gone Bad

In the past six months the Occupy Wall Street protest has intrigued people around the globe and encourage them to stand up against corporate. While corporate greed has been a problem it was not directed at the correct people. In addition to this a weak economy provides for difficult times and inhibits the job market from being having a more positive outlook. Recently Oakland protesters threw objects at police including, but not limited to rocks, lit flares, bottles, and pipes. The Associated Press and CNN report on this:

Oakland police used tear gas and flash grenades Saturday to break up hundreds of Occupy protesters after some demonstrators started throwing rocks and flares at officers and tearing down fencing. (AP)

Occupy activists tossed pipes, bottles, burning flares and other objects Saturday at Oakland police, who responded by using tear gas and smoke grenades and arresting 19 demonstrators, police said. (CNN Wire Staff)

What hasn't been recognized is that Occupy Oakland is then providing significant dangers to both the police but also to the citizens around them who aren't protesting. After announcing their plan to seize a vacant building they sent a letter to the city hall stating:

If police prevent the seizure, the protesters warned Wednesday, they will take further actions. Possibilities include future blockades of Oakland International Airport, the Port of Oakland or City Hall, according to a letter to the city from Occupy Oakland. (Bulwa, Demian; San Francisco Chronicle)

Whatever change they are looking for it will not happen if you blockade the international airport, the city hall, or any other location. There are people in those locations who have jobs in which their paychecks put food on the table for their children, allow for them to get an education, and help improve safety for the United States. There are many other things that are being disrupted by protesting these issues. The police are there to protect the people and make sure our rights are protected. If they have things thrown at them, they aren't supposed to just stand there and take it. So what do the locals think:

You're making the damn revolution playing tag with OPD every Saturday night, vandalizing businesses, encouraging arson and you want the city to call of the cops so you can do that unencumbered?! But I didn't laugh cause I was just too pissed off." (Community Voice)

There are numerous consequences for these actions including danger to the surrounding locations due to the arson (people's homes, small businesses, etc.) and at a cost to the business itself creating a risk of lost jobs due to unexpected costs. Instead of protesting, go to the capitol, petition with your representatives, create a bill, do something that might actually directly cause change/ 

19 Occupy activists arrested in Oakland after clashing with police
Oakland Police Use Tear Gas on Occupy ProtestersOccupy Oakland and Me: Breakin' Up is hard to do (Community voices)
Occupy Oakland Says it Will Seize Vacant Building

Movie Review and Commentary: Cyberbully

There are many things about the internet that we are unaware and far beyond that the words that are posted on here are seen by a multitude of people and are permanent. They essentially never go away. From websites like myspace to facebook, and 4chan to forums, people feel like they can say things which are actually incredibly hurtful to others.

The problem with cyber bullying is that people don't see the consequences nor do they see what they are doing to other people. Much like the traditional bullying it feeds off of other peoples pain, and in most cases the bully is attempting to forget past pains and to raise themselves up to a different level, or a better level than they were before.

Cyberbully creates an image of what this problem can due to teenagers these days. There is much reliance on technology to communicate and when the digital world is used to pick on others it is impossible to get rid of. In the movie the main character sets up an account on a popular social network. After her brother hacks the account she begins to be ridiculed by her classmates along with her own friend who creates a false account to spread rumors that aren't true, only fueling the fire. While it can be argued that this is merely a movie and much of it would never happen in real life, the fact is that this is a real issue and most people do not recognize it. At the end of the movie he provided this statement:

Thanks to help of people like Tina Meier and the Megan Meier Foundation, 34 states now have anti-cyberbullying laws in place.

 If there needs to be a law put into place concerning harassment of minors on the internet how much more harm are we doing to those around us in our day to day interactions. In a blog entry posted in 2011 the complications of how we treat others was exemplified by its other. It was titled: I'm Christian Unless Your Gay. It does target Christianity as a religion for its hypocrisy in rejecting people who are different or people who don't live the same lifestyle. It is a call, however, that extends far beyond Christianity and to everyone, Jewish, athiest, pagan, or Christian. We are all humans, we all deserve to be treated as humans. Yes people have problems in their lives, people follow certain beliefs and hold certain desires and dreams. Is it our job to judge them because of this? No.

The author of the blog posts in the article:

You see, I live in this community too. And I’ve heard the hate. I’ve heard the disgust. I’ve heard the disdain. I’ve heard the gossip. I’ve heard the distrust. I’ve heard the anger. I’ve heard it all, and I’ve heard it tucked and disguised neatly beneath a wrapper of self-righteousness and a blanket of “caring” or “religious” words. I’ve heard it more times than I care to number. (Danoah.com, I'm Christian Unless You're Gay)

 This isn't about the hypocrisy of religion or attacking groups of people for their biased perspective on issues. Its about loving unconditionally, accepting people for who they are, and building each other up rather than tearing one another down. This is what has put in me the desire to help those that most of society see as sub-human. Next time you think about someone, trying to find something positive about them and see them as a human. Even if you're just posting it on some forum and you're 'completely anonymous'.

Japanese Whaling: Is it legal?

In the past whales were a valuable commdity providing fuel for lamps from their fat deposits and a rich source of for some of those who got the giant mammal of the sea. The sperm whale, in particular, was hunted by northern coast line cities for the sperm oil that it produced which burned longer that other types of oil. It also provided a variety of uses for other products such as crayons, cosmetics, candles, lubricants, leather waterproofing and etc. The issue as of recently as that some species of whale, such as the sperm whale, have been placed on the endangered species list due to the over hunting of these particular animals.

In the pacific and more frigid areas it has been put into effect an international moratorium on the hunting of whales. The enforcement of such a law becomes difficult and the market for whale products has not diminished. Many have been able to get around this law with specific reasons for hunting

An international moratorium on whaling has been in place since 1986, but Japan exploits a loophole allowing whaling for scientific purposes to justify its annual hunt.

The number that they hunt and the season in which they hunt for these whales does not demonstrate a goal of scientific research. If it were research the numbers hunted would be greatly reduced and there would be extensive measures taken to not kill the whales in the process. In addition to this, according to Japan times there was a specific amount of money allocated to rebuilding the earthquake that devastated many cities throughout Japan along with the disaster with the nuclear power plant. An editorial stated that:

This year, the Japanese government allowed ¥2.28 billion from funds allocated for recovery from the earthquake and tsunami to be spent on the whaling expedition in hopes of helping the Tohoku economy, where some of the ships are based. That may not be much out of the ¥12 trillion allocated for recovery, but this whaling subsidy provides little benefit to coastal communities and stymies efforts to reconstruct genuinely sustainable industries. That money could have been used for many other purposes.

While this is an editorial and not an official article nor anything which contains research on these claims it does give a surprising and slightly disturbing perspective into this conflict. Conservationalists and the hunters need a way to communicate the dangers of overhunting whales and the impact it would have on the ecosystems in those areas. Finding a sustainable method of hunting whales would not remove this industry and thus take out a profitable market but would quite possibly reduce the number of black market trades of the catch of whale hunts.

Articles:

Anti-Whaling Activists Clash with Japanese Harpoon Ship

Wars Over Whaling

A Market Proposal for Saving Whales

Are truck and Semi Laws in the US good enough?

On Monday January 16th, 2012 there was a BMW rear-ended in on a SoCal bridge north of Santa Barbara, California. The accident was recreated on the news, proposing that the truck had hit the car from behind afterwards the truck had veered off the road and plunged into the ravine below. The driver was killed after it had burst into flames. The BMW, however, was left to sit precariously on the edge of the bridge after breaking through part of the concrete barrier. The three individuals in the car, a mother and her two kids, were eventually rescued from the vehicle from a combination of rescue workers and passerbys with the equipment that was needed.

From 1997 to 2000, I lived in Tervuren, Belgium due to my father's opportunity to work overseas and much of the laws (many of them my mother has told me about the after the fact). These include seat belt laws, semi-trailer truck laws, and driving and drinking laws. The seat belt laws are much more ridgid then many of the laws in the states. At the same time it is one of the laws that becomes difficult to enforce, except when stopping a person for another law.

It's compulsory to wear a seat belt (ceinture de sécurité/autogordel), including in the back seats if belts are fitted. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure all passengers wear their belts (and the driver will be fined if passengers are not belted in).

There were also certain 'etiquette laws' , particularly involving semis. My mother has told me that in Europe semis included: not pass cars (sedans, vans, etc), drive on the left (like all traffic there), and general courtesy to the other drivers of the road. Other laws included that passing on the right is illegal (meaning switching lanes with the purpose of passing a car) and only moving into the left lane when passing another car, or in the case of semi-trailer trucks another semi. In addition this many of the drunk driving laws in Europe have zero tolerance along with steep fines. Along with that the limit is much lower than other countries in the area (such as the UK (including Scotland, England, and Wales). Consequences for going over the limit can include a 5 year licence suspension and six months in jail along with the large fines. The question that I've found most disconcerting for in the United States drunk driving laws, is why are there individuals who have more than one DWI or DUI and what can we do to increase the laws against drunk driving?

Questions:
Are current traffic laws protecting people from fatal accidents?
How much does distracted driving impair our ability to drive safely (including but not limited to drink holders, talking on the phone, passenger interaction, etc.)?
Are the laws against drunk driving serious enough?
Should semi-trailer truck laws be reassessed?
Are there any laws which protect the semi-trailer truck drivers?
How much is the commercial industry pressuring semi-truck trailer drivers to take on unreasonably long hauls without proper rest?

Resources: Driving in Belgium, Driving in Europe, Road Rules and Driving in Belgium, Driving Laws in Belgium, SADD Statistics, MADD Statistics, Drunk Driving Accident Statistics, Drunk Driving Fatalities