The Impact of Voice

A powerful agent is the right word.
---Mark Twain
Words well chosen have the power to inform, influence, educate, and entertain. One of the beauties of the Internet is the ability to communicate across states, countries, oceans, etc. We can now share ideas and communicate with one another across the globe--we can send words of encouragement, we can share ideas and prompt change, and we can leave a legacy about who we are as people.

Over the past two weeks you've experienced just a small part of what blogging is about--what it can allow people in the world to do. I'd like for you to visit the below sites--read, listen, and watch. The first site is about the impact blogs will have in the future--in business. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/b3931001_mz001.htm

The next site shares the power of communication--how no matter our circumstances we will find a way to communicate. Think about how far we've come.

http://teaching.quotidiana.org/soe/humanvoice2/index.html

And the last two sites--I hope will inspire a continued connection with the world via the Internet. You are a part of a global society--and your voice matters. Be sure to watch both videos (One World and The Message) at the bottom of the article. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/207640/youtubes_the_message_video_sends_message.html

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/burma--it-cant-wait--voices--day-8/1001795693

Tell me--what have you learned about yourself, your world, your peers by blogging the past two weeks. What changes in the world do you hope to make? What are you passionate about changing that you haven't been able to voice just yet?

Should the SPLA be Assisted?

In Sudan, the SPLA or Sudan People’s Liberation Army, is in a fight of vigilante justice against the main Government body. The Sudanese government, under Umar Hassan al-BASHIR of the National Congress Party, or NCP is using his authority to kill innocent Dinka peoples of Southern Sudan and the Darfur region. With the assistance of militia groups such as the Murahaleen and Janjaweed, the Sudanese Army, is attacking rebels groups and villages in the Darfur area, similar to conflicts years ago in the South. The SPLM or Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, which gained some government power in 2005, pulled out of the legislature in October 2007. Primarily, this was because of the poor representation of the Southern Sudanese people in the government. Also, another reason is because of the atrocities in the Darfur region in Sudan. However, before this, the main Sudanese government tried to recruit the assistance of SSIM or Southern Sudan Independence Movement members, which had partially broke away from the SPLM, in its agreements with the main Government. A number of times the United States’ government has sent aid to the SPLA. However, the overall credibility of the SPLA is imprecise. The SPLA’s overall alliances with organizations such as the NDA or National Democratic Association, and even at times with the government, has hurt their reputation and their motives are uncertain. The fact that the SPLA is also using Child Soldiers in their efforts to “Save the Dinka People” has also hurt their appearance.

If they cannot be trusted, should the US continue to help them, or search for other ways to save the people in Darfur? And even the South? Even more alarming, is the question of how assisting the rebel group may actually help or hurt the conflicts in Darfur or Southern Sudan?

This Link explains more in-depth on how the SPLM is having trouble:http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/11/africa/AF-GEN-Sudan-South.php

Follow this Link to see a video of some of the conditions of the SPLA:http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?m=49750&cl=139229&ch=87581

Another Link shows how the United States has helped the SPLA in the past:http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=611(be wary of potential bias)

To get a better idea of what's going on now check this link out:http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25317

And if interested in researching further on the SPLM/A, I recommend this website: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/spla.htm

Boy Soldiers

Boy Soldiers

“Katorek would say that we stood on the threshold of life. And so it would seem. We had as yet taken no root. The war swept us away.” This is a quote from Erich Maria Remarque’s book All Quiet on the Western Front. Most soldiers in this story are still young. Even though this story takes place during WWI, the enlisting of young and/or child soldiers still takes place in our world today. In Ishmael Beah’s Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a more recent example. In his story, he was forced in the army of Sierra Leone. The following site contains more stories of young soldiers: http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/voices-of-young-soldiers

Follow it up with this site, which tells how child soldiers are forced into the army:http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/childrensrights/childrenofconflict/soldier.shtml

For a video go to:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1260847315377829589&q=child+soldiers&ei=WcQZSN6ZOI6E4gKxv4XIBg&hl=en

Questions: Why is this a major problem? What should be done? Why is what we are doing now not very effective?

Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration, right or wrong? Some say it helps our economy because the “tedious” jobs are taken. However, others will argue that it damages our society because more and more Americans are forced out of jobs. More than 21 million illegal immigrants slide past border patrol each year and enter the US unknown. Of that, 10 million take US jobs and put our citizens out of work. For more factual numbers on illegal immigrants go to: http://www.immigrationcounters.com/

On the other hand, illegal immigrants are boosting our economy. In one article it states that, “"Without the immigrants, we would have a decline in labor force of 3 to 4 percent." The Bureau of Labor Statistics, “estimates that 25 to 30 percent of those working in resident construction are immigrants.” So if we completely cut all their jobs, won’t our economy suffer? CNN says yes. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2006/04/12/johns.if.illegals.went.away.cnn?iref=videosearch%20.
Also check out this other article from CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/01/news/economy/immigration_economy/index.htm

Now it’s up to you to decide which is more important. Do illegal immigrants hurt our economy, or do they enhance it?

Victims of Slavery and Rape

Throughout the novel Copper Sun, there are hundreds of slaves that are victims of rape. Amari, the main character, "...was beaten, branded, and dragged into a slave ship. She was forced to witness horrors worse than any nightmare and endure humiliations never thought possible." Is this only in a book? No, it's still happening today. Many people around the world are still being forced into slavery. Some people think that slavery should not have been accepted or allowed by the law in the first place.

In cases of rape its has been noticed that African American's are disadvantaged because of their skin tone. This unfortunatly has been passed down from their history as slaves. However, not all agree with that, but it had definitely been noticed that throughout histrory, slavery has greatly contributed to the discrimination of African Americans. Back in the time of slavery, an African American woman being taken, against her will, was not uncommon--nor was it perceived as a crime because slaves were seen as property, and at the time the law didn't protect the property from sexual assault. When enslaved women were raped, it was a way for the white man to keep the plantation population growing, because children would inherit their mother's status. So if their mother was a slave, then they were a slave, even if their father was a free man.

Today, African American women are less likely to report a rape or even tell anyone about it. Some think that the unwillingness to report a rape could be because some African American women have accepted the "rape myths" passed down through generations.

For more of a history on African Americans and how they have coped, please read the following article: http://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/Pages/victimraceandrape.html

Our question to you is: Why have we let this stereotype continue on for as long as it has? Has the media affected the way we percieve African American's, and why should their human rights be valued less than say a caucasians?