#8

In the Bronx, New York, there is a place called Urban World that has a sort of "open mic" program for teenagers to recite poems or spoken words for others interested in the same thing. Spoken word comes from hip-hop music and African beat poetry, so naturally most of the performers at Urban world are African American. In the New York area there are also competitions for spoken word, with prizes such as $30, 000 in scholarship money, a laptop and a printer. One girl entered in the contest for the scholarship money has been expressing herself in poetry ever since her mom died of cancer at age 45. It's a good way for her to get feelings out, while she has a serious audience that is intent on hearing her story. Spoken word artists must also be versatile-its not all just rap about sex and drugs. A favorite saying from participants is "You gotta be shakespeare and tupac."


Robbins, Liz. "Teenagers With Souls Of Poets Face Off." New York Times. 2 March 2009.

#7

Almost everybody I know has a cell phone. Even some fourth graders. It's unbelievable the influence of technology today, on people of all ages. The cell phone has now started to take over even the map industry. Richard Saul Wurman says "The map underlies a man's ability to perceive". But instead of on paper, maps have now appeared on Google, where you can type in a street address and see a picture of the house from its street view. Directions are available via cell phone, as well as MapQuest or GPS systems for your car. Another recently launched program from Google is a system called Latitude, which helps you find restaurants, malls, parks, and even exactly where your friends are, using the signals from their cell phones. Parents could use Latitude to know where their kids are, but it could also be a dangerous way for scary people to track you down. With new technology and change comes new precaution, but ultimately change can be a good thing, improving the way we live and our efficiency.

Markoff, John. "The Cellphone, Navigating Our Lives." New York Times. 16 February 2009.

#6

In Africa and Asia alone, almost two million girls and women are suffering from a post labor condition called a fistula. Fistulas happen when the uterus is too small for the baby, allowing other organs and tissue to be crushed by the skull. The tissue dies, leaving a hole in the bladder that urine uncontrollably comes out of. Some women also have it in their rectums as well as nerve damage in their legs. In tribal villages these women are often rejected because of the smell or the work that must be done to wash their garments-just adding to their pain. Lucky for some Tanzanian girls and women, the African Medical and Research Foundation or AMREF is funding about 20 operations to repair fistulas. These girls now have hope for a regular life without a condition that affects every part of them. Operations in remote parts of Africa can be risky, because of a low blood supply, untrustworthy electricity and a small team of doctors. Even the smaller chance of success gives hope to the women who have struggled with fistulas since childbirth.

Grady, Denise. "After a Destavating Birth Injury, Hope". New York Times. 9 February 2009.

#5

Hindus as well as catholics believe that life starts at conception. This creates a conflict with stem cell research, something that potentially can be very helpful, but allowing the research is against some religious beliefs. Our last president George W. Bush restricted government funding for stem cell research, appeasing conservative republicans but outraging some scientists and biotechnicians. Ultrasounds may help indian women abort female children, as a girl is still considered a burden to the family. Technology should not be the solution to India's ethical problems though, and many scientists are working on cloning endangered species such as the Indian cheetah. Some believe that an ancient story about an Indian mother putting the flesh of her pregnancy into 100 pots and having 100 sons thereafter is a sign that the cloning and research is okay, well others argue that the story always meant darkness and problems were ahead. The biggest argument in this case is wether or not religion should get in the way of something that could greatly help others and other diseases, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's.


Mishra, Pankaj. "How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech". New York Times. 21 August 2005.

#4

Approximately 300 women held in immigration detention centers in Arizona are struggling from various health issues. Women need more medical attention than men when it comes to their bodily well being, and as illegal immigrants--are not getting it. The 300 women reside in Arizona, while there are over 3,000 women in such detention centers nationwide. The study was released January 13th, and immigration officials immediately criticized it, saying the research was "unsubstantiated". The women were treated aggressively even without a potential flight risk-which caused some internal damage. Women suffered from ovarian cysts, lack of prenatal care, lack of cancer treatment, and were sometimes put in cells with federal prisoners. Those especially affected by the harsh conditions were pregnant mothers or new moms who had their children in the detention centers.
Gender roles in prison can seem almost ignored, the two sexes have both done something wrong, and therefore are treated as such. This story reminds me of the semi-recent discovery of the way that women need to stretch to get warmed up before being active. Many olympic level women athletes were being warmed up the way that men usually do, when their bodies are entirely different. Treatment for women is also complex and different.

Frosch, Dan. "Report Faults Treatment of Women Held at Immigration Centers." The New York Times. 20 January 2009.

#3

In my Spanish III class, we started watching a movie called In the Time Of The Butterflies, about the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. I missed the end for a choir field trip, but I went home and rented it. I watched it two more times I loved it so much. The main characters are three sisters who become a huge part of the revolution against Trujillo. They create alliances with many churches and spread the word of change to many other Dominicans. Trujillo has a weird obsession with the oldest sister, Minerva. She uses this to her advantage and becomes the first female to attend law school. The sisters are shot at, attacked, ambushed and imprisoned, but they never give up on their goals. Eventually they are ambushed and beaten, but the message and their efforts live on. People in the Dominican Republic are killed if they speak out against the government, which is a culture much different than ours. In the United States, free speech is an amendment of the constitution, and anyone can go to law school. We are lucky to have such freedom in our country, but it highlights the strength of women in a dictatorship.

#2

A small Yup'ik village in Alaska struggles to stay populated, keep the salmon populated, and meet the high costs of gasoline, heating oil and food. Gas is $6.59 a gallon, heating oil is $7.06 a gallon, and a box of Cheerios costs $8.29. Another struggle of the 700-person village is the fact that voting ballots aren't in the Yup'ik language. The town elder, Anna Nick went to Anchorage to demand the ballots be in her language. "I want to know what I'm voting for", she says. Akiachak's residents live with extreme cold, and make do without running water or indoor plumbing. Their police chief bathes in water from the Kuskokswim river, and uses a honey bucket as a toilet. Although the facilities are very primal in Akiachak, the residents are happy with what the have, are trying not to give in and move to Anchorage. They are proud of their history, and would like to stay together.


Barry, Dan. "Remote and Struggling but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October
2008. 2 February 2009.

#1

On Monday an earthquake struck China, and at least 3,000 have died, while another 4,500 are missing. China has had many tragedies before, and now bloggers and others are speaking out about why the government ignored warning signs of the earthquake. Considering China's oppression with foreign news websites around the time of the Olympics I doubt they will be too happy about the obvious opposition. Some obvious warning signs for the earthquake that struck the Sichuan Province were the cows, throwing themselves against their enclosures in obvious angst. Ponds inexplicably drained, and toads swarmed the streets. Some bloggers even say that several warning signs from a local seismology bureau were ignored by Chinese authorities.
Even the seismometer was invented in China, a device to measure the tremors of the earth and determine if an earthquake such as the one Monday were about to happen. It is surprising to me that considering the amount of earthquakes and other disasters in China, the authorities aren't taking more precautions.

Jacobs, Andrew. "Superstitions About Quake Meet the Web, Irritating Chinese Authorities." New York Times. 16 May 2008. 2 February 2009.