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Post #8 (11/25/19) Trees Being Blocked from Construction in Mumbaii

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Post #8 (11/25/19) Trees Being Blocked from Construction in Mumbaii

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Trees that have a unique build are being destroyed from construction. The function that these trees naturally serve is protection from coaster erosion and flooding. Global carbon emissions are increasing and the trees are necessary to help balance out the sea levels. The buildup construction of an international airport, urbanization, and infrastructure is responsible for the destruction of these mangrove trees.

This connects to globalization in the financial and environmental realm. Financially, Mumbaii's government decided to take away mangroves to enhance an overall economic agenda. The environmental implications is an increase risk of flooding and increased carbon exposure. The destruction of these trees also affect the ecological life of fish which usually breed by the roots of the mangroves. Decreasing the number of mangroves also decreases Mumbaii's resilience. These mangroves usually offer a barrier to protect fishing villages from flooding.

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Bare trees with slender branches line a half-built highway overpass in eastern Mumbai. These are mangroves, trees or shrubs found in tropical swampy marshland with roots that grow above the ground. But construction has blocked their lifeblood - salt water. Their aerial roots poke through dry, caked mud instead of brackish water.

Environmentalist B.N. Kumar points to a small channel under the highway where seawater once entered the mangrove patch. It's now littered with rocks and construction debris.

"All the mangroves, about 5,000 of them, have dried up. They can only be used as firewood now," Kumar says. "It's very sad to see these mangroves dying like this."

Thousands of acres of velvety green mangroves line the border between the Arabian sea and the city of Mumbai in western India. They act as natural buffers against coastal erosion and flooding, and they store up to four times as much carbon as other forests. With sea level rise inevitable, Mumbai's mangroves are more important now than ever. A new report by climate change researchers predicts much of Mumbai, which is India's financial capital, will be underwater by 2050 if global carbon emissions aren't reduced. The city, originally a cluster of seven islands, is especially vulnerable. Many parts of it have been built by reclaiming land from the sea.

"At a time when we require more and more mangroves, we are destroying, unfortunately, more and more mangroves," Kumar says.

Studies show that Mumbai lost nearly 40 percent of its mangroves between 1991 and 2001 - about 9,000 acres. And rapid urbanization continues to threaten them.

A short car ride from the dried mangroves along the highway, a municipal garbage truck dumps trash on the edge of a mangrove patch. Sludge and plastic waste cover the roots of the mangroves, slowly choking them. In another area nearby, hundreds of acres of mangroves are being cut for the construction of the Navi Mumbai international airport.

One of India's most glamorous infrastructure projects, the country's first bullet train - which will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat - is estimated to destroy at least 32,000 mangroves.

Journalist-turned-activist Kumar, who runs a blog called The Nature Connect, has raised concerns about mangrove destruction with authorities, including the Japanese government agency that is helping build the bullet train. Kumar and other activists organized an exhibition in Mumbai earlier this year displaying large posters about the environmental impacts of such projects.

Kumar says environmentalists are often branded as anti-development, especially when they oppose projects like the bullet train, which, for many Indians, is a source of pride.

"We are not against any development," Kumar says. "Our question is, does it need to happen at the cost of the environment?"

People need to understand that they cannot survive without nature, says Debi Goenka, executive trustee of the Mumbai-based nonprofit Conservation Action Trust. "Just chasing the mirage of GDP growth is not development," he adds.

Authorities say they will plant five mangroves for each one that is cut for the bullet train. But activists say promises about replanting are a sham.

"There is actually no land [within the city] to replant mangroves, no suitable habitat available," says Goenka. On the rare occasion that mangrove restoration does happen, most of the saplings don't survive, Goenka adds.

With these mangroves gone, Mumbai will be left without a vital line of defense when natural disasters strike. And that has happened before.

In 2005, when the city experienced unprecedented monsoon rainfall leading to catastrophic flooding, one of the worst affected areas was a commercial hub in central Mumbai, full of shopping malls and skyscrapers. It's been constructed by reclaiming low-lying areas on the banks of the Mithi River, previously home to a sprawling mangrove forest that acted as a natural stormwater drain.

While floods were ravaging most of Mumbai, Nandakumar Pawar recalls being surprised that his fishing village in a northeastern suburb of Mumbai escaped the worst. A more than 2,000-acre stretch of mangroves nearby acted as a sponge to hold water and didn't allow it to flood his village, he says.

"That was a truly eye-opening incident for me and my community," Pawar says.

As a fisherman, Pawar already knew mangroves are breeding grounds for fish, which lay their eggs on the roots. He realized mangroves were crucial not just for the fishing community but for everyone.

He started a nongovernmental group called Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishthan (named for a local deity) that has enlisted fishermen to help with mangrove and wetland conservation. When they go out to fish, they act as mangrove vigilantes. If they spot illegal activities, like debris or garbage dumping or illegal encroachment in mangrove areas, they alert the organization, Pawar says.

Authorities appear to be slowly realizing the urgency of mangrove conservation.

In 2012, the government in the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, set up a mangrove conservation unit, the first in India. The unit helps regenerate mangroves through a variety of projects, explains former range forest officer Seema Adgaonkar, as she walks through a nursery she helped set up in a northeastern suburb of Mumbai. The gnarled roots of the mangroves rise out of damp, mossy earth and pools of tidal water.

Adgaonkar rattles off the names of mangrove species that used to found in the wild in Mumbai but can only be seen in a protected nursery now. It's part of the city's first mangrove and coastal biodiversity tourism center, which offers regular tours, including flamingo safaris, to heighten awareness.

The unit also deploys security officers armed with buckshot guns along the periphery of mangrove forests. The Bombay High Court ruled in 2018 that the destruction of mangroves "offends the fundamental rights of citizens," and several people have been arrested, mostly for encroachment.

But a handful of officers of the mangrove cell are not enough to save all of Mumbai's mangroves, Adgaonkar says. It's important to educate the public - especially children - about the urgency of saving these indispensable trees, she adds.

"If mangroves are saved, Mumbai will be saved," Adgaonkar says. "Otherwise, as sea levels rise, this bustling metropolis will collapse like a house of cards."

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Mangroves Help Fight The Effects Of Climate Change. So Why Is Mumbai Destroying Them?

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Bare trees with slender branches line a half-built highway overpass in eastern Mumbai. These are mangroves, trees or shrubs found in tropical swampy marshland with roots that grow above the ground. But construction has blocked their lifeblood - salt water. Their aerial roots poke through dry, caked mud instead of brackish water.

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Post #7 (11/25/19) Free College in Chile!

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Post #7 (11/25/19) Free College in Chile!

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Chile recently announced their free tuition policy. This is surprising, because before this policy took place, Chile represented an educational structure similar to the U.S. It had narrow resources for low-income and all opportunities for the wealthiest that are willing to pay money for private schooling etc. Before the impact of the policy, there was so much student loan debt. Since then, private institutions have been in competition and are attempting to be more compelling and appealing by using research opportunities, and discounts form their regular rice of tuition.

This touches on political and economic globalization. The program does cost Chile some money. The U.S. is still hesitant in implementing free tuition because it is estimated that it would cost $47 billion per year. The government of Chile was authoritarian before adopting to a more democratic sphere. This also has a lasting effect on young adult's decision to attend college. Before, it was not an option but now, opportunities are expanding. Some of the limitations oft his program is that a degree must be earned within four years.Books,food, and transportation is not included in the free tuition either.

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What The U.S. Can Learn From Free College In Chile

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In 2016, Chile passed gratuidad, or “free college.” As the idea gains popularity ahead of the 2020 presidential election in the U.S., Chile offers some lessons from what has happened there.

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Post #6  (11/24/19)Conquers in Hong Kong 

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Post #6  (11/24/19)Conquers in Hong Kong 

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There have finally been notable progress towards more democratic consideration from the riots in Hong Kong. The initial movement began for hopes of a legislation change. The riots that have been occurring in Hong Kong for a different ruling system, is showing progress. The reactions of protests from government officials have increased to be more violent. The current government system that China operates now, is intended to not be altered until year 2047. This decreases voting mobility.

This has a lot to do with political globalization. Democratic ideas from the West have increased potential for candidates to be noticed and more likely for reformation to occur. There were connections that assisted the progress made for Hong Kong. A Beijing Democratic Alliance assisted groupings and alliances for the citizens of Hong Kong that was fed up by the corruption. In this case, globalization is used in a positive way towards pro-democratic ruling and disrupting the current "one country two systems" type of ruling.

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In nearly six months of unprecedented unrest in Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous city'sgovernment and its backers in Beijing have tried to paint the pro-democracy movement as a fringe and violent uprising led by radical protesters.

On Sunday, voters in Hong Kong seized on the city's only direct elections to send an unmistakable message that the movement has broad support.

Backed by historically large voter turnout, pro-democracy candidates won in a landslide, taking 388 council district seats compared with 58 for pro-government candidates and winning majority control of all 18 council districts. Results for six seats were still not final early Monday morning.

The outcome ensures thatthe opposition will have an overwhelming majority of the 452 district council seats, providing it a greater say on the election committee for helping selectHong Kong's next leader, known as chief executive.

The results senda strong rebuke to the Hong Kong government and its supporters in China for their handling of a political crisis that shows no signs of abating.

What started as a protest movement against proposed legislation allowing extraditions of criminal suspects to China has evolved into a furious defense of Hong Kong's autonomy from Beijing and a condemnation of a police force seen as increasingly brutal toward mostly young demonstrators.

With lopsided election results on their side, protesters and pro-democracy candidates can level more popular pressure on Hong Kong's embattled chief executive, Carrie Lam, whose hard-line approach has infuriated people in this city of 7.4 million. Lam can also expect pressure from pro-government politicians, some of whom are already blaming her leadership for the electoral drubbing.

Despite that, experts say there's little evidence to suggest Lam will deviate from Beijing's calls to continue cracking down on protests and refrain from offering policy solutions or compromise.

"The record turnout and surge in support for pro-democracy candidates in this election underlines the breadth and depth of dissatisfaction with Carrie Lam and the Hong Kong authorities," said Ben Bland, research fellow at the Lowy Institutein Sydney, Australia,and author of "Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China's Shadow."

"However, given how few powers these district councils have, we shouldn't overstate the impact of these results," he added. "The government, and Beijing, ought to be disturbed by the signal Hong Kongers are sending, but they are unlikely to change course."

Hong Kong has been ruled under a special "one country, two systems" principle ever since it was returned to China by Britain in 1997. That affords Hong Kongers with more rights than their counterparts living in mainland China, such as freedom of assembly, an uncensored internet and a free press. However, "one country, two systems" is set to expire in 2047, fueling the anxiety about Hong Kong's future that's erupted into protests. And the arrangement, even now, provides little in the way of voting powers.

The district council, a consultative body with no lawmaking powers, is akin to city councils in the United States. Unlike legislators, who are chosen, partly, by different interest groups, district councilors are the only public officials selected directly by voters.

In an outpouring reminiscent of the 2 million protesters who marched against the extradition bill in June, voters flooded polling stations Sunday morning, forming lines that snaked across plazas and outside post offices and schools.

"This is unprecedented," said Eric Lee, an assistant to District Councilor Andrew Chiu, a member of the pro-democracy camp. "People generally don't wake up this early on a Sunday."

It was a rare opportunity for Hong Kongers to vote with their feet. Tightening restrictions on public assembly and subway closures in recent months means the city may never see protest marches of a million or more again.

A record 4.13 million people registered to vote for the elections, 440,000 more than the last district council elections in 2015. Anti-establishment parties also fielded a record number of candidates.

About 7 in 10 of those registered voters turned out to the polls Sunday, much more than the 47% turnout in 2015.

Jay Wong had never voted in district council elections before, deeming the races too local to be worth the bother.

But on Sunday, the 28-year-old music teacher made sure to wake up early to cast her vote.

"I had to because I don't want the establishment candidates to win," said Wong, using the name to describe supporters of the Hong Kong government and its backers in Beijing.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

The election offered a rare respite from the unrest and violence that have beset Hong Kong nearly every weekend since the summer.

Online message boards frequented by demonstrators urged people to refrain from protesting Sunday, acknowledging that the elections were precisely the sort of peaceful expression of self-determination that the movement was trying to preserve in Hong Kong.

"I'm voting for the first time so that the younger generation can still have freedom," said Suker So, a 35-year-old air conditioner repairman walking out of a polling station in the suburb of Sheung Shui that was shrouded in tear gas a week earlier.

Establishment candidates had been counting on what they believed was a silent majority drowned out by protesters who have little tolerance for opposing views. While losing in an overwhelming number of districts, establishment supporters still represented about 40% of votes cast.

Muk Ka-chun, a member of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong party, which is favored by older Hong Kongers, said his constituents were fed up with the disruption to everyday life caused by demonstrators.

"The priority now is to have social order back," said Muk, a 29-year-old high school teacher, while drumming up support in his district of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. "The older generation own houses and cars, they want society to be stable. Youngsters have heart and want to change society. But rioting is not the right way."

Muk would later lose his race to first-time pro-democracy candidate Susi Law, garnering 42% of 4,113 votes cast.

Fears had abounded in recent weeks that the elections would be postponed or canceled because of unrest in the streets. For the first time, police were mobilized to guard polling stations.

There were few reports of irregularities aside from accusations that pro-establishment candidates had bused in voters lured by gifts of cash and bags of rice.

Tensions erupted in the working-class neighborhood of Tuen Mun, a district contested by the highly divisive politician Junius Ho. The pro-Beijing figure has been admonished for using sexual innuendos to attack female critics, and he also lobbed death threats at a rival candidate. He is accused of supporting triad criminal gangs responsible for the brutal attack on unarmed subway commuters on July 31.

Surrounded on Sunday by bodyguards wearing aviator sunglasses, Ho held a rally that was drowned out by outraged hecklers accusing him of being a gangster and soliciting support from Chinese nationals rather than Hong Kong residents.

"Go back to China," a man shouted at Ho's supporters from across a street.

"You can't even speak Cantonese."

Hours later, Ho would concede defeat to his Democratic Party rival Lo Chun-yu, sparking scenes of joy on the streets of Tuen Mun with democracy supporters spraying champagne.

A Tuen Mun resident, who earlier in the day shouted Ho and his supporters away from his apartment block, said Sunday's results helped ease some of the despair he was feeling about Hong Kong's future.

"Things aren't hopeless," said the 24-year-old engineer who provided only his last name, Cheung. "It shows political participation in what little democracy we have is up a lot. That means there's still consequences for the government."

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Massive voter turnout in Hong Kong propels pro-democracy candidates to victory

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In nearly six months of unprecedented unrest in Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous city'sgovernment and its backers in Beijing have tried to paint the pro-democracy movement as a fringe and violent uprising led by radical protesters. On Sunday, voters in Hong Kong seized on the city's only direct elections to send an unmistakable message that the movement has broad support.

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Post #2 (October 4, 2019) Violent Protests in Iraq

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Post #2 (October 4, 2019) Violent Protests in Iraq

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Citizens of Iraq are reacting through protests because of a lack of strong infrastructure,unemployment, electricity outages, political corruption, and water shortages. Iraqi security officers have been very reactive towards the protesters. Forty-two people have been reported dead from the protests. There is controversy over if the officers are using too much of a violent force. These violent forces include rubber bullets,water cannons, tear gas, and ammunition. Abdul-Mahdi still claims that there can be nothing to do other than to return to normal life.

Globalization fits into this equation because Amnesty International was involved by claiming that human rights of the Ecuador citizens were stripped when officials began to use extreme degrees of force. The international Committee of the Red Cross also got involved by claiming that the officials are creating more violence among violence. In this case, globalization could hold the potential for good results. The level of violence would have never been regulated by outside forces if countries were not globally interconnected.

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Iraqi security forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds of protesters in Baghdad on Friday, as the death toll from days of anti-government unrest has reached at least 42, according to officials.

The mostly spontaneous student protests erupted on Tuesday, with demonstrations centered on Baghdad's Tahrir Square and across the country's mainly Shiite south. The protesters are expressing anger over widespread unemployment and corruption, as well as electricity outages and water shortages that result from years of conflict that have left much of the country's infrastructure in shambles.

Security forces have responded to the protests with live ammunition, water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets. Authorities have also cut Internet service in the capital and across much of the country.

Many of the protesters have called on the government to step down.

On Friday, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who took over as premier just a year ago, appeared on television in an effort to placate protesters and persuade them to go home, saying their "legitimate demands" would be heard.

"The security measures we are taking, including temporary curfew, are difficult choices," he said. "But like bitter medicine, they are inevitable."

"We have to return life to normal in all provinces and respect the law," Abdul-Mahdi implored, adding that there were "no magic solutions" to Iraq's problems.

He promised to work toward a basic income for poor families, housing for squatters and to fight corruption, according to The Associated Press.

This is Iraq's "Green revolution " moment, do not let us regret the global reaction later on. #Iraq was set on a very dark path filled with corruption, war lords and a weak government that was caring more for the interest of neighbors than Iraq's interest ,to correct the course pic.twitter.com/DIrP0phcVy
- Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) October 2, 2019

On Friday, Iraqi officials added 9 more deaths in the southern city of Nasiriya to the those killed previously, bringing the total to 42.

The response to the protests has drawn international opprobrium, with Amnesty International accusing Baghdad of using "lethal and unnecessary force."

The International Committee of the Red Cross has pointed to "increasingly violent clashes" between demonstrators and security forces and warned that "firearms and live ammunition must only be used as a last resort."

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At Least 42 Dead After Days Of Violent Protests In Iraq

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Iraqi security forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds of protesters in Baghdad on Friday, as the death toll from days of anti-government unrest has reached at least 42, according to officials. The mostly spontaneous student protests erupted on Tuesday, with demonstrations centered on Baghdad's Tahrir Square and across the country's mainly Shiite south.

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Post #1 (October 4, 2019)End of Fuel Subsidies in Ecuador

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Post #1 (October 4, 2019)End of Fuel Subsidies in Ecuador

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Ecuador has been using fuel subsidies granted from the IMF. President Lenin Moreno is putting a stop to these subsidies. There have been rioting and wild protests that followed this action because of the sudden increase in fuel. Ecuador is now being considered in an official state of emergency. The IMF has been loaning the subsidies for 40 years of Ecuador's economic history. This chunk of time has been producing a negative impact on Ecuador's economy. The president seems to be in a difficult position because he wants to be independent and thrive on their own economy but when he takes action to cut subsidies, the people protest in extreme ways.

This article is directly related to the class components of globalization because the IMF is involved in many invasive missions of globalization. In this case, we see how the IMF decreases independence of countries. This is not as much as a social invasive act but rather an economic approach. This also is a reflection of the decrease of economic strength once the cut ties with the IMF.

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Large protests have triggered a state of emergency in Ecuador, after President Lenín Moreno moved ahead with his plan to end fuel subsidies. Moreno says he's ending the "perverse" gasoline subsidy after 40 years because it was distorting Ecuador's economy.

"I want to manifest that the measures we take together are completely firm," Moreno said on Thursday, declaring a "state of exception" after intense protests flared up. Moreno added that there is no chance to change policies now, "especially, those related to a perverse subsidy that was causing harm to the country."

The fuel plan, part of broader economic reforms, triggered anger and mass protests, with demonstrators facing off with police wearing riot gear in Quito and other cities.

The intense protests and street clashes resulted in 275 people being arrested and 28 police officers injured, according to Reuters, which cites the government's figures.

The news agency adds, "Diesel prices rose from $1.03 to $2.30 per gallon on Thursday, while gasoline rose from $1.85 to $2.39."

Some roads remain blocked on Friday, after indigenous rights groups, students and unions all worked to shut down traffic and disrupt commercial activities, aided by truck, bus and taxi drivers.

La jornada empezó con vías aún cerradas pero también provincias que recuperan la normalidad.

Hace minutos la @PoliciaEcuador ha procedido a la detención de Jorge Calderón por el delito de paralización de servicio público. Será puesto de inmediato a órdenes de la justicia. pic.twitter.com/1SqJ2QHPhi
- María Paula Romo (@mariapaularomo) October 4, 2019

On Friday morning, Interior Minister María Paula Romo announced that the national police have arrested Jorge Calderón, president of the Ecuadorian Federation of Taxi Drivers of Ecuador - a group closely tied to the mass protests.

In addition to the impact on their livelihoods and pocketbooks, critics of Moreno's fuel plan and other policies complain that austerity measures are being imposed on their country because of a multi-billion-dollar loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

In his response to the protests, Moreno accused the organizers of being in league with his political opponents, seeking to destabilize his government.

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Ecuador In State Of Emergency: End Of Fuel Subsidies Sparks Mass Protest

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Large protests have triggered a state of emergency in Ecuador, after President Lenín Moreno moved ahead with his plan to end fuel subsidies. Moreno says he's ending the "perverse" gasoline subsidy after 40 years because it was distorting Ecuador's economy.

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Post #5 (11/24/19)Rare Earth Materials in Greenland

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Post #5 (11/24/19)Rare Earth Materials in Greenland

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There have been many cases come up that rare earth minerals and materials are found in parts of Greenland. These materials grow in a small region called Narsaq. Trump showed interest in purchasing Greenland short after these minerals were discovered. It is no secret as to why Trump would show interest in Greenland all of a sudden.

I do not blame the denial for sale under Greenland's decision. The only reason the United States is showing interest is to use them for profit margins in smart cars, smart phones, and to decrease our reliance on China. These rare earth metals would not come to surface if it was not for global warming. The mile of ice on top is melting at a rapid pace. Also, the interest in purchasing Greenland also touches on economic globalization. The country was ignored until it showed something to offer for materials of production. The benefit that comes out of this situation is the global dependence that offers Denmark's support through subsidies.

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The southern Greenland town of Narsaq is just a speck of place. About 1,200 people live in colorful A-frame houses along a fjord, and it's a good hour's boat ride from the nearest community. While it may be remote, Narsaq has strategic importance.

The craggy hills surrounding the town are estimated to hold about a quarter of the world's rare earth minerals. With names such as cerium and lanthanum, rare earths contain key ingredients used in many of today's technologies - from smartphones to MRI machines, as well as electric cars and military jets.

A bumpy ride up the hills delivers you to the Kvanefjeld project, one of two major rare earth mineral deposits in Greenland. The rocky plateau at the base offers majestic views of this corner of the vast Arctic island. It is empty and silent out here; the mine is not yet up and running.

Across the plateau there are large piles of dull, gray rocks. When you shine an ultraviolet light on them, they explode with vivid pink and orange hues, revealing the rare earths inside the rocks.

When President Trump made the surprise suggestion in August that the U.S. should buy Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, it drew an immediate rejection from the leaders of both areas. The news caused widespread confusion and speculation about Trump's motivations. But mining experts have a hunch about one possible reason: Greenland holds rare earth minerals America wants - but which it largely relies on China to get.

Jorgen Waever Johansen, a former mining minister of Greenland, says the U.S. needs to find a way to be less reliant on China. "When you are so dependent on natural resources coming from one place then you are making yourself more vulnerable than you ought to be," he says.

The U.S. was once the world's top producer of rare earths. Now China is. China also has most of the world's capacity to process the elements. The Trump administration has labeled rare earth elements essential to national defense, and Washington is working to bolster the national industry.

In June, the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding with Greenland to help develop its energy and mining sectors, including rare earth minerals.

Access to Greenland's resources could help break U.S. dependency on China for rare earths. But already a Chinese state-owned company has more than a 12% stake in the Kvanefjeld deposit.

Kvanefjeld is owned by Greenland Minerals, an Australian company, and China's Shenghe Resources is its largest shareholder and strategic partner.

The other major deposit in Greenland is owned by another Australian company, Tanbreez. Both firms are waiting for Greenland's government to give them the go-ahead to start mining.

Much of Greenland is buried under a sheet of ice, more than a mile thick in some places. But warming temperatures in the Arctic are making some of Greenland's riches, including gems, iron and zinc, more accessible, creating a geopolitical competition for new transportation routes and natural resources.

"We are happy that the crazy idea of buying Greenland was made into a global news thing because of all the ... attention that Greenland got as a result of it," says Johansen, now the CEO of Greenland Invest, a private investment company focusing on shipping and seafood. That's even though Greenlanders don't agree with Trump's offer. "We are not for sale, but we are open for business," Johansen says, echoing remarks by government leaders.

For years, Greenland appeared to be virtually ignored by world powers, according to Rasmus Nielsen, an associate professor of international relations at the University of Greenland. Now it receives a steady stream of officials from the U.S. Geological Society, the State Department and the Pentagon. Nielsen says it's clear that Greenland is strategically important for the U.S.

"The last couple of years we can see a bigger focus and also involvement that the U.S. wants to have [in Greenland]," he says. "You can feel that the U.S. is really waking up to Arctic reality - partly because of Russia, partly because of China."

Russia is building up its military capability in the Arctic. China also has clear designs on the region. It calls itself a near-Arctic nation even though it's about 900 miles away. Beijing wants to extend its massive infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, to create what it calls a Polar Silk Road by developing shipping lanes and investment opportunities across the Arctic.

Greenland is bigger than Mexico with a sparse population of just 56,000 people. Its economy is heavily dependent on fishing, agriculture and subsidies from Denmark. China sees the Arctic - with its shortage of infrastructure - as ripe for investment.

"China's really tried to approach the region as a potential partner to say that we're here to help set up joint ventures, we're here to provide potential finance for new economic endeavors," says Marc Lanteigne, a political science professor at the University of Tromso in Norway. Beijing is trying to "play up the idea that we're here to help rather than here to kind of throw weight around," he says.

The University of Greenland's Nielsen agrees China has been using a "hearts and minds" kind of diplomacy in Greenland. "They have a [scientific] research collaboration with some Greenlandic research projects," he says. There was a Chinese film festival last year, and other cultural events in the capital city, Nuuk.

China's efforts to invest in Greenland have hit some hurdles. In 2016, the Danish government in Copenhagen turned down an offer by a Chinese company to buy an abandoned naval base in the south of Greenland.

The state-owned Chinese Communication Construction Company was on a short list to help build new airports in Nuuk and Ilulissat, a popular tourist destination. Currently, the airports, built during World War II, can only accommodate small prop planes.

That became a problem. The U.S. has a key military installation in northern Greenland, Thule air base. It is the United States' northernmost military base and includes a radar station that is part of a ballistic missile early warning system. University of Tromso's Lanteigne says there was concern that China could get a major foothold on transportation in the Arctic with its involvement in the Greenland airports. Denmark, a strong ally of the U.S., pulled the Chinese construction bid.

"The United States has been pushing on Denmark - not even subtly anymore - to say, 'Look, do whatever you need to do to ensure that China does not set up some kind of security presence or any kind of dual-use operation that could affect American security,'" Lanteigne says.

Greenland may be semi-autonomous, but Copenhagen has the final word when it comes to national security issues. University of Greenland professor Nielsen says many in Greenland felt Denmark had overstepped its authority.

"You often hear the argument from Greenlandic diplomats and Greenlandic politicians that they don't really understand why Denmark can have pretty close cooperation with China and Greenland is not allowed to," he says. "Because Greenland in many ways sees this is a commercial issue."

And business opportunities - as well as geopolitical competition - are likely to grow as the polar ice continues to melt and Greenland opens up.

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Greenland Is Not For Sale. But It Has The Rare Earth Minerals America Wants

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The southern Greenland town of Narsaq is just a speck of place. About 1,200 people live in colorful A-frame houses along a fjord, and it's a good hour's boat ride from the nearest community. While it may be remote, Narsaq has strategic importance.

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Post #3 (October 16, 2019) Outburst of Swine Affecting Pigs in Asia and Africa 

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Post #3 (October 16, 2019) Outburst of Swine Affecting Pigs in Asia and Africa 

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The department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection has been trying their best to contain the outbreak of the swine virus.
The small threat to the United States roots from the possibility of the disease inside of animal feed. The epidemic has been spreading from Africa through Vietnam, South Korea, Laos,the Philippines. The increased spread of the virus, has unfortunately led to thousands of euthanized pigs. The increased global market makes the chance of this epidemic traveling across to America, a very real possibility. The outbreak has horrendous affects on other industries and resources as well including corn and soy. To solve this issue, there has been talk about cutting off soy production from the countries that have been infected with swine fever, or waiting for 30 days for the virus to be outlived on the product.

This epidemic is a unique consequence of globalization: the spread of disease. Fortunately, the United States soars on having the education, sources, and technology that other countries, (the global south) may not have access to. This increases our resilience if the swine flu were to affect our industries. Unfortunately, the global south would be left with larger and longstanding issues.

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Pigs in Nanning, China, last month. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)

U.S. authorities have started active preparations in response to the rising threat of an outbreak of African swine fever, the deadly disease that has decimated the Chinese pig population and is spreading across Asia.

The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service led several functional exercises and drills late last month, working off a scenario of an outbreak of the virus in Mississippi that traveled across state lines before it was discovered. Fourteen states participated in the drill.

"We got everyone involved in terms of state troopers, diagnostic labs, private veterinarians and state officials, trying to figure out where the virus was," said Dave Pyburn, the senior vice president of science and technology for the National Pork Board. "As far as controlling it here, the closer we can get to that index case [the first identified case in an outbreak], the better we can control it."

African swine fever has decimated China's hog population. Will it hit the U.S. next?

Experts say the most likely vector for the disease arriving in North America is tainted animal feed.

According to the World Organization of Animal Health, the disease has spread to more than 50 countries. As many as half of China's pigs, an estimated 300 million, have died of the virus or been exterminated since the disease took hold 13 months ago. In the past months it has advanced to Vietnam, Laos and South Korea. At the beginning of September, the Philippines confirmed African swine fever in at least seven villages near Manila, requiring 7,000 pigs to be euthanized. And at the end of September, East Timor reported more than 100 cases to the World Organization for Animal Health.

With these developments, the American pork industry has begun mobilizing. Experts say the risk of a domestic outbreak of African swine fever is increasing.

"It's a higher probability, that's for sure," Pyburn said. " What are the odds? I don't have a precise number I can give. But take a look at what this virus is doing around the globe today. And then look at the way goods and people travel. This would have a devastating effect on our industry. It's the nastiest disease we have on the planet."

A domestic outbreak could have consequences well beyond the pork industry (which Pyburn said could run into billions of dollars). Widespread loss of pigs could devastate the corn and soy industries, which are primary feed sources, and industries such as beef could be affected by a loss in consumer confidence.

Infected pigs go off their feed, Pyburn said. They don't want to move and suffer a high fever. By Day 5 there is a hemorrhagic disease in the pigs, bleeding throughout the body and in the organs. By the end of the second week, 85 to 95 percent of the pigs die. There is no vaccine or treatment. The virus can live for weeks on infected slaughtered meat or cold cuts, on tainted feed, and on animal feed additives.

While causing high mortality in domesticated and wild pigs, the disease does not infect humans. The only member of the Asfarviridae family, the virus needs to get inside of cells to replicate. According to Pyburn, it requires receptors on host cells and pigs are the only ones with the proper receptors.

But because there is no vaccine or cure, preventing an outbreak is of paramount importance.

There is insufficient American organic soy, so hog farmers wishing to feed their animals organic soy often import it from China. And there are feed ingredients - B vitamins and trace minerals - that are manufactured only in China. The virus can survive for up to a month on these products, so they must be quarantined and heated to kill the virus.

"If it was me, I would ban the importation of soy products from African-swine-fever-infected states," said Scott Dee, director of research for Pipestone Veterinary Services, who has been studying viral movement in animal feed under a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research grant. Canada requires a permit for soy products and has a 30-day quarantine period. Dee said a lot of U.S. companies are adopting a similar approach.

Australia deports woman to Vietnam over smuggled pork

But this isn't the only risk for an outbreak. Dee said the virus could also be carried by human travelers via the illegal smuggling of meat or other infected food. In many parts of the world, wet markets spread the virus, the kinds of markets where live animals might be at one end of the street, with butchered products for sale at the other. And the practice of feeding pigs "swill" or leftover people food introduces opportunities for tainted meat to be fed to live animals.

The USDA has outlawed raw swill, as a way of preventing an outbreak of African swine fever, requiring that swill be boiled for 30 minutes and cooled before being fed to pigs, said Timothy Kurt, the scientific program director for Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

But it is difficult for the government to monitor compliance, and because these practices are time-consuming and expensive, experts say some operators could take shortcuts.

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A terrible pandemic is killing pigs around the world, and U.S pork producers fear they could be hit next

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U.S. authorities have started active preparations in response to the rising threat of an outbreak of African swine fever, the deadly disease that has decimated the Chinese pig population and is spreading across Asia. The U.S.

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Post #4 (October 16, 2019)The History of How Tunisia Built their Government

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Post #4 (October 16, 2019)The History of How Tunisia Built their Government

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A man sets himself on fire in approach to protesting against the corrupt power of law enforcement and officials. This story is unique in being that it is one of the very few protests that was, in a sense, successful.Other acts of protests remained non-productive and often evolved into a civil war or an overthrow of higher authorities. The spread of democracy took place after the corrupt president stepped down. This wave of democracy also reached surrounding countries. Since that revolution, corrupt behavior is replaced with government consideration on a local level.

Although political globalization took place from an initially horrific event of a man taking his own life for social justice, the ending of the situation transformed into a progressive movement. This is a great example of economic and political globalization. Surrounding countries followed the footsteps of Tunisia which reproduced hope to the population. An improved government was a byproduct of a self-imposed political protest.

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The story of how the Tunisian revolution began is well known. On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old fruit vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi from the town of Sidi Bouzid set himself on fire outside a local government building. The man's self-immolation-an act of protest against repeated mistreatment by police and local officials-sparked protests that quickly spread across the country. Within a few weeks, President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali had stepped down and fled the country after 23 years in power, offering Tunisia an unprecedented opportunity for a democratic opening. A massive wave of uprisings soon swept the country's neighbors, reaching all the way to the Levant and the Persian Gulf.

Less well known is what happened inside Tunisia next. Even though the country had become ground zero of the Arab Spring, its transition was quickly overshadowed by events in more populous Arab countries with deeper ties to the United States and more patently cruel rulers. But nearly a decade on, Tunisia remains the only success story to have come out of the many uprisings. Across the Arab world, countries that looked as though they might follow in its footsteps have become mired in civil war, as has happened in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Others, such as Bahrain and Egypt, have returned to repression and authoritarianism. Tunisia, by contrast, has drafted a progressive constitution and held free and fair elections at the presidential, parliamentary and local levels. In July, when President Beji Caid Essebsi died at the age of 92, the transition to a caretaker government was smooth and unremarkable. Several problems persist and continue to hobble the country, in particular a long track record of economic mismanagement and a disconcerting lack of trust in public institutions. But for all the unfinished business Tunisia still faces, its example remains a source of hope across the region.

In achieving this feat, Tunisia has helped dispel the myth that Arab societies or Islam is not compatible with democracy. But the country's story also offers

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The story of how the Tunisian revolution began is well known. On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old fruit vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi from the town of Sidi Bouzid set himself on fire outside a local government building. The man's self-immolation-an act of protest against repeated mistreatment by police and local officials-sparked protests that quickly spread across the country.