Post Comments like this:
1. Your Name
2. A Title
3. A short personal commentary what you learned from it or what made you curious about it given the week's class content. However, it doesn't have to be about the week's content, only something related to human-environmental interactions.
4. Then put a long line ('-------------------)'.
5. Then cut/paste A SMALL PART of the article or topic you found. (This is because blogger.com now has a limit of "4096 characters" in blog comments. However, that should be enough to concentrate on your own comments, and provide an excerpt and a link to the original article. If you do want more space, and I encourage it, just post a second time in the thread of each week to get another "4096 characters".)
6. Then a small line '---'.
7. Then, finally, paste the URL (link) of the post.
Post for the first week on this thread. I'll set up a new main post each week, and then we will do the same.
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This is a test comment of what to do.
ReplyDelete1. Mark Whitaker
2. My Comment's Title
3. There is something about the following article that interests me, fascinates me, and/or makes me wonder what the article leaves out, etc. I can write as much as I want on this blog about my view on the article and the issues that it discusses. I can write about personal experiences that the article reminded me about. I can write about a different view of the same issues that the article mentions. I can convince people of something, express my intelligence, and express my emotion in this comment.
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[repost introduction to article here]
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[URL / web location of the article]
1. Christoffer Grønlund
ReplyDelete2. Africa is open for business
3. The following article/blog interests me tremendously because of its author's way of being critic concerning the statements that has been published, well even 10 years ago with Kofi Annan.
Africa in itself can not be seen as being one unit standing alone. Hans Rosling said it himself at his lecture - the spread of the African countries are not to forget. While South Africa is well off, Mozambique will not feel equally blessed. That is why we must stop looking at Africa as one, single union of equal countries.
The tragic-irony the author tells about > "Africa is open for business, but we are still shooting presidents and Mugabe is still controling Zimbabwe is both interesting and important.
Business and charity are issues, which really must be open for discussion as well. Is it possible to interact in Africa with both?
South Korea is a great example of a country which has opened up its boundaries and businesses for the greater good of the country as a whole.
Though this piece is rather short, the meaning of the text, luckily, is rather transparent.
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"Ten years ago, Kofi Annan argued that “Africa’s profitability is one of the best kept secrets in today’s world economy”. Africa’s dilapidated image acted as a protective guardian and ensured that only the most daring investors ventured south of the Sahara."
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http://bottombillion.com/2009/04/a-secreted-unveiled-africa-is-open-for-business/
1. Mark Whitaker
ReplyDelete2. Another 'development trap' to consider? Income Inequality as a Trap, interesting data
3. This indicates that gross inequality in a country could be a form of development trap. From the Korea Times. Koreans are increasingly wondering about how to gain more GNP per capita. This contributes to the debate, though I don't think it is the whole story since it is only an 'internalist' argument ignoring world system issues as well that we will talk about later.
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09-01-2009 19:12
Income Disparity Widening
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
The conventional wisdom is that rapid economic development inevitably generates the unwanted byproduct of unequal wealth distribution. But a local think tank claims that might not be the case.
The Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) said Tuesday that the protracted financial crisis has aggravated income polarization that has a negative correlation with national output.
In other words, the worse the economic inequality in a country is, the lower its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is, and vice versa.
"Many have believed that economic growth brings about wealth disparity. That is partially true but there is another correlation between the two," SERI senior researcher Dan Lee said.
"Unequal distribution prevents output expansion by undermining the effectiveness of economic policies as well as causing political unrest. [another one of the 'traps' Collier argues for.] I think those negative aspects are more powerful, or GDP and wealth disparity are negatively correlated," he said.
Lee noted that research in dozens of countries showed that those with high GDP per head tend to embrace better social equality.
Unfortunately, Lee said the gulf between the rich and poor has widened of late in Korea as demonstrated by various metrics such as the record-high Gini coefficient and the rising interdecile ratio.
The National Statistical Office said in May that the Gini coefficient reached 0.324 last year, the highest since the agency started to compile data in 1990.
The Gini index measures how well wealth is distributed across income brackets. Zero indicates perfect equality and one represents perfect inequality ― so a bigger coefficients mean increased wealth disparity.
The interdecile ratio is even worse, as the top 10 percent of households in income earn 4.7 times more than the bottom 10 percent.
It is higher than the 4.2 average of the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The figure is the seventh worst among 30 OECD countries.
"The income polarization accelerates in time with financial distress and this is expected to weigh on the economy over the long haul," Lee said.
"The government needs to come up with countermeasures not only for welfare but also for higher growth potential," he said.
His rationale: A more balanced wealth distribution structure will jack up the effectiveness of government policies while easing the tension between the haves and have-nots ― musts for achieving higher growth.
In particular, Lee stressed the importance of education, which he says will enhance social mobility in the long run.
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https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/09/123_51068.html
1. Hanseul Lee
ReplyDelete2. SAT Scores and Family Income
3. I found an interesting data which shows correlation between SAT scores and Family Income. This demonstrates the wealthier a student's family is, the higher SAT score student get without any exception. It means the more parents earn money, the more they care for or invest on children's education.
Before I saw this data, I thought there should be some correlation between wealth and students' scores. However, this was rather shocking to me. That is because, there was no exception!
This interested me extremely. This is often showed in Korea, because Korean parents have kind of obsession to educate their children well and make them get into prestigious universities. However, I was surprised at this kind of happening occur in US, too. On top of that, I wonder education in US.
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A few observations:
1. There’s a very strong positive correlation between income and test scores. (For the math geeks out there, the R2 for each test average/income range chart is about 0.95.)
2. On every test section, moving up an income category was associated with an average score boost of over 12 points.
3. Moving from the second-highest income group and the highest income group seemed to show the biggest score boost. However, keep in mind the top income category is uncapped, so it includes a much broader spectrum of families by wealth.
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http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/sat-scores-and-family-income/?scp=1&sq=family%20income&st=cse
1. Wonmi Nam
ReplyDelete2. Increase of Influenza Vaccine Price
3. If there are the bottom million people in the world who have not developed for the past decade or so, I believe there are possibly "bottom 10 million" people in Republic of Korea whose lives have not been improved for a long time. The following article about the doubled price of influenza vaccine made me think about Korea's "bottom 10 million." Whenever a pandemic hits a country, the most marginalized are the most influenced, yet they don't receive the necessary care due to pathetic reasons like the expensive price of vaccines. This is probably the trap Korea's "bottom 10 million" are caught in.
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09-05-2009
Influenza vaccine price doubles amid flu fears
By Lee Ji-yoon
The price of the seasonal influenza vaccine has almost doubled this year, with demand growing rapidly amid flu fears.
The price hike would put greater burden on ordinary citizens and could lead to some delay in securing government stockpiles, health officials said.
According to the pharmaceutical industry, the increase in the vaccine price is largely caused by the recent surge in demand for the vaccine. Even though the ordinary influenza vaccine cannot prevent the infection of the H1N1 flu virus, many people are seeking the flu vaccine as a means of preventing possible complications and other diseases.
A supply shortage is sure to drive up the vaccine price. This year's flu vaccine supply has decreased by 27 percent to 11 million doses, compared with last year.
According to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government could reach a supply deal for the flu vaccines at a 50 percent increased price.
"It took more time for the price negotiations due to the increased vaccine price," said an official from the disease control agency.
In preparation for a potential flu pandemic this fall and winter, the government plans to complete its seasonal flu vaccinations by October.
"Due to a decrease in the vaccine supply, vaccinations will be first offered to those at higher risk of severe influenza complications, such as senior citizens," said the official, adding that the H1N1 flu vaccine would be separate from the seasonal flu vaccine.
It is widely known that people may need two shots to build immunity against the new H1N1 flu virus. With the expectation of a flu outbreak during the fall, health officials have said that a total of three shots - one for seasonal influenza and two for the new flu - might be recommended for those included in the priority group for vaccination.
When the government's plan for securing vaccines for 13 million people, or 27 percent of the total population, has been completed, the nation's first round of vaccinations against the new flu virus will begin, possibly as early as mid-November, health officials said.
As of yesterday, five flu deaths were confirmed in Korea.
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http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/09/05/200909050031.asp
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. Inyun Choi
ReplyDelete2. Foreign spouses in need of support
3. I've heard the fact that the rate of international marriages has been increasing in Korea, but there are many side effects, so the government has to carry out various policies for foreign spouses and their families. In relation with this issue, I'd like to look into the reason why people consider getting married to foreigners-because of the economic growth, changing public attitudes, or others?- as well as the influence of international marriage to persons and the country.
Foreign spouses,from South East Asia, are regarded as a group of minority in Korea. If you look through their life, you will be led to one of the social problems of Korea,but also the change of the whole society, I suppose.
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The International Spouses in Korea Association is a 200-plus member group that is dedicated to helping international spouses adapt to life in Korea. At times the group helps members deal with serious issues, but it is also a place to make friends.
Economic and social factors are leading many Korean men to marry foreign women.
The numbers only tell some of the story: One-third of Korean men in rural areas are marrying women from abroad, according to Korea National Statistics Office.
But this well-documented rural trend is spreading in urban centers. Korea's cities are more globalized today than ever before. And with more international interaction - economically and socially - the flood gates have opened for foreigners to move to Korea.
The rest of the story, what happens to people after they get married, is unaccounted for statistically. But there are thousands of women (and even men) that need help to overcome all kinds of challenges.
Lacking well-established social and familial networks in Korea, who do foreign spouses turn to for help?
"When I arrived in Seoul in 1995, there was no support group for foreign women who married Koreans. It took four years for me to wait until KUCES rang me to join in the forum on 'The Lives of Foreign Women with Korean Husbands.' The forum was all I had been waiting for," said Rowena Yoon, who came from the Philippines.
Yoon is one of the founding members of the International Spouses in Korea Association.
The frontrunner of ISKA was a forum called The Lives of Foreign Women with Korean Husbands, which began with nine expatriate women.
Nearly 10 years ago these women were in need of support and encouragement. But at that time there were no groups offering a lifeline to foreign women married to Koreans.
The issues they have are varied. Members are pooled online at www.iskakorea.com and many subgroups exist among the ISKA based on location and specific needs of members. For example, some have questions about issues related to raising bicultural children. Others need information on giving birth.
The group's purpose is to act as a support network for foreign women who are married into Korea and to provide a positive life experience here.
But some issues are more serious.
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http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/07/03/200907030049.asp
1. Mark Whitaker
ReplyDelete2. Meanwhile...in Africa: famine, child sacrifice and organ trafficking/stealing--another day in the bottom billion dawns
3. Note the desperate situation that many African countries are in, now and the foreseeable future. Collier's argument about people living "in the fourteenth century" in the bottom billion and the 21st century elsewhere, rings sadly true.
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Child sacrifice and ritual murders rise in Uganda as famine looms
Surge in deaths and kidnaps among poor linked to witch-doctors and organ trafficking
When James Katana returned from a church service to his village in the Bugiri district of eastern Uganda he was told that his three-year old son had been taken away by strangers.
"We were looking for my child for hours, but we couldn't find him," he said. "Someone rang me and told me my son was dead and had been left in the forest. I ran there and saw him lying in a pool of blood. His genitals had been cut off, but he was still alive." A witch-doctor is now in police custody, accused of the abduction and attempted murder of the boy.
Despite the mutilation and terror the child experienced, police say he was one of the lucky ones. Uganda has been shocked by a surge in ritualistic murders and human sacrifice, with police struggling to respond and public hysteria mounting at each gruesome discovery.
In 2008 more than 300 cases of murder and disappearances linked to ritual ceremonies were reported to the police with 18 cases making it to the courts. There were also several high-profile arrests of parents and relatives accused of selling children for human sacrifice.
In January this year the Ugandan government appointed a special police taskforce on human sacrifice and announced that 2,000 officers were to receive specialist training in tackling child trafficking with the support of the US government.
Since the taskforce was set up there have been 15 more murders linked to human sacrifice with another 200 disappearances, mainly of children and young adults, under investigation.
"This year we have had more occurrences of people attempting to sell their children to witch-doctors as part of ritual ceremonies to guarantee wealth and prosperity," said Moses Binoga, acting commissioner of the anti-human sacrifice and trafficking taskforce.
Both police and NGOs are attributing the surge to a new wave of commercial witch-doctors using mass media to market their services and demand large sums of money to sacrifice humans and animals for people who believe blood will bring great prosperity.
"Cases of child sacrifice have always existed, mainly in the Ugandan central region, but there is a new strain of traditional healers in Uganda and their geographical spread is mainly attributed to increased unemployment and poverty," said Elena Lomeli.
She is a volunteer with the British charity VSO who is supporting ANPPCAN Uganda, a child abuse NGO, in its work with victims in the capital Kampala.
"My experience working with victims suggests that the abusers are greedy people who want to get rich quick. In rural areas, people can sacrifice their own child. In urban areas, educated and rich people will look for somebody else's."
Looming food shortages and famine hitting Uganda's poorest in the north and east are also feeding the demand for sacrificial rituals. "These are not poor people paying for these rituals, they are the wealthy elite taking advantage of the desperate poor," said Binoga. "In January a 21-year-old woman was jailed for 16 months for kidnapping a child and trying to sell him to a witch-doctor for a large sum. These cases are on the increase."
Ugandan police are increasingly linking the sudden increase in cases to organ trafficking. The anti-human trafficking taskforce said many of the bodies found in the past few months were missing organs such as kidneys, hearts and livers, a detail not consistent with many traditional ritualistic practices.
...
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/06/uganda-child-sacrifice-ritual-murder