Lead found in Mattel toys from China

This is the second recall by toy manufacturer Mattel concerning lead in their product from China. The toy industry has had many recalled products from China and incidentally enough 80% of toys sold worldwide are manufactured in China. This recall by Mattel involving lead paint was the second in just two weeks!! Now, I don't know if the use of lead paint was accidental or not, but I do find it interesting that over the weekend one of the owners of an industry in China that exports these toys committed suicide by hanging himself in the warehouse. To me that sounds like a guilty conscious but apparently it is common for disgraced officials in China to commit suicide, so you be the judge. Either way this incident gives even more meaning to the idea of buying local which is always a good idea.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2007-08-13-china-products_N.htm

Global warming "man-made"

A report issued by the UN reveals global warming may be caused by us. Hmm... well I wonder how that happened, maybe the mass industrialization and pollution that has been going on in the last century. What I found disturbing about the article was that even if civilization slows down and we reduce greenhouse emissions global warming and the rising sea level will continue on for centuries! This idea says to some people that we have no chance and there's no reason to work towards fighting it. Although this is a bleak outlook for the future it doesn't mean we should stop trying to conserve now.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2007-02-01-ipcc-report_x.htr

U.N. steps up in Iraq

Today the U.N. voted to play a more important role in reconciling Iraq. I think this decision has been needed for quite some time. The Iraqi government requested the U.N. to encourage political talks between ethnic and religious groups. Hopefully this action by a neutral party and not the Western government will assist in reconciling feuding groups. Maybe these groups can sit down and settle things without raging war. But, this seems like it should be the first action to be taken and not a last resort. This resolution seeks to expand the U.N.'s involvement in Iraq in three ways and help Iraqis affected by humanitarian crisis. I think this move will show effective in the coming year.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-10-un-iraq_N.htm

American products popular in Iraq

Iraqis seemed to have acquired a taste for American-brand products. Under the rule of Saddam Hussein all American products were banned so now they are becoming very popular. What I found interesting in this article is that one of the shop owners said that American products have a great reputation for quality. But, among some of the goods sold include, Froot Loop cereal, and marlboro cigarettes. I hardly consider these items to be quality. Nevertheless the Iraqi people feel these well-known brands mean higher quality. Since these goods are imported though and hard to come by these days with the ongoing conflict I wonder what price they are paying for these quality goods. I hardly believe these people are paying a fair price but the article does not say. The most interesting point was that shop owners feel safe selling these products, and I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind that.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-08-02-iraq-week_N.htm

Bush administration cracks down on Hamas

This article sheds light on how much money that is meant to go to charitable causes falls into the wrong hands. Today the Bush administration cracked down on a charitable organization in Gaza that is thought to be financially supporting the Hamas, a group labeled as terrorists by the U.S. The Treasury believes this organization is a front to funnel money to fund terrorist activities. I found it interesting because today we were talking about how aid money so often finds it way to the wrong cause instead of helping those in need. However, who says the money wasn't given in some known agreement to begin with and now that the secret is out there has to be some damage control. Who really knows where the money is coming from or where it is going to end up.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-08-07-treasury-gaza_N.htm

Reduced prison time for memorizing Quran

This article from msnbc explains a new ruling in Gaza city offered by the Hamas, a radical Islamic movement. The governor announced today that inmates can reduce their sentence by one year by memorizing five chapters of the Quran. I think that this is a very interesting idea, something that would never fly in the U.S. that's for sure. This culture's religion is very much a part of their lifestyle so memorizing passages from the holy book seeks to encourage good behavior from these inmates. However, it seems to easy a task for some convicted prisoners that have commited especially heinous crimes. Also, part of this article mentioned that the Hamas , which is made up of mostly men, wants to add 100 women to the Gaza police force. I think this idea is great to empower the women of that country who normally don't work in that profession.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20149731/

Senate Passes Ethics Bill

This article explains the democratic crafted bill that was voted on today. Basically, the 107 page bill would require senators and candidates to pay the full rate for trips on non-commercial planes. That means no more gallivanting around on Air force One, even for political trips. Also, it wouldn't allow these members to accept rides on private planes either. Heaven forbid these people wouldn't get star treatment and might just have to ride first class on a commercial plane instead.
The bill is considered landmark legislation. I found this very interesting because President Bush objected to the new bill and considered whether or not to sign it. After all the bill was introduced to minimize scandal and corruption. Not to mention the 14 senators who opposed the bill were Republican.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-08-02-senate-votes_N.htm

Iran says Israel abuses human rights

In a letter to the U.N. secretary general Iran accuses Israel of violating human rights. I'm not sure what the basis of these charges made by Iran were, but I find it interesting that they are focusing on another country's problems when they have enough of their own. Iran has had a longstanding problem with exploiting the Islamic problem. The article also points out that Israel is held to a different standard than other countries. I'm not sure why that is true, or why that would make it okay to injustice people.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-01-iran-israel_N.htm

First Official Indicted for Cambodian Genocide

This article was on USA today's website and talks about the Cambodia holocaust. Finally, a leader of the Khmer Rouge, responsible for the genocide, was charged today. It seems absurd that in this day and age these atrocities are still happening in the world. The group responsible was founded in the 1950's by Cambodian communists. Some say the group was strengthened when Cambodia was drawn into the Vietnam War and the U.S. bombing provoked brutality in the already established guerrilla ranks. This story is a sad one and I'm not very familiar with the history of this country, but it seems a finger has been pointed at the Western world once again for the problems in another country. I suppose this group thought they were helping their country by making them more self-reliant but instead killed millions of innocent people.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-07-31-cambodia-khmer-rouge_N.htm?csp=34

McDonald's DVD Machines

I first saw an ad on t.v. for these Redbox DVD machines at McDonalds. I decided to look it up online and found an article on USA today's website. Basically it is a vending machine that holds anywhere from 350-550 new release dvds which you can rent for $1 a day. They claim they are trying to be "contemporary and lure more business during slow dinner hours". While this may be convenient for some people I can't help but think that this sort of marketing scheme may put mom and pop video stores out of business. Of course there is already the other corporate video conglomerations such as Blockbuster and Netflix, but McDonalds itself is so widespread that they may even put some heat on those businesses that may charge twice as much for the same dvds. I found this article very interesting and felt it hit close to home because it reminded that one of the local beloved Eugene video stores just went out of business- Flicks N' Picks. I can't help but think this new marketing ploy by McDonalds may cause more of these local businesses to go under.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2004-05-23-mcdvd_x.htm

Thousands Arrested in Zimbabwe

The article I read came from Harare, Zimbabwe where almost 5,000 owners and managers of shops and gasoline stations were arrested for overcharging. The government had slashed prices by 50% to offset inflation. However, these people arrested were found to be in opposition to the government's order and were briefly jailed.

I found this interesting because first of all you would never hear of something like this happening in the U.S. and second because the President of Zimbabwe blamed the problem on Western Sanctions and not on the mismanagement of his government. I can understand the program is a way to hinder inflation and re-enforce price stability, but it also caused essential foods and basic necessities to be taken off the shelves because the shop owners couldn't afford to lower their prices to the governments standard. In a country where some people may only eat once a day and rely on those stores for the basic needs are now unable to obtain these vital goods. Although the program was to ensure the protection of customers against rising costs I feel it may be causing more to go hungry.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/26/zimbabwe.arrests.ap/index.html

World Embraces Gypsy Culture

The article I read came from msnbc.com entitled "Living Like Gypsies". It talks about the growing interest in Gypsy culture and educates readers of the people who first migrated from northern India to Europe over 1,000 years ago. The term "Gypsy" refers to the Romani people and this article explains the history of that culture.

I found this article interesting because it shows how these people used their inventive skills and talents to make a living. Although in Europe these "gypsies" remained at the bottom of the class ladder they managed to make a living through performing and embracing their seemingly radical ideas. The gypsies continued to enjoy their lifestyle without conforming to the world around them. This mysterious society seems to have a rich community fiber and continue to live outside the constraints of the Western European world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19887683/site/newsweek/page/0/