posts >> publuis > william > nikolai > bradley
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Publuis
October 24, 1648 is relevant once again this week. The Treaty of Westphalia, the primordial formation of the nation-state, has come to its maturity in Kosovo. The region, which has been ruled since the N.A.T.O. involvement of the late 1990’s by the United Nations, became an independent nation on Sunday February 17, 2008.
Kosovo is the cultural center of Serbian society but is predominately inhabited by ethnic Albanians, whom Serbians loath. Tensions reached their climax under Slobodan Milošević, President of Serbia from 1989-1997. Milošević undertook a campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide to rid Serbia of ethnic Albanians and Muslims centered in Kosovo. This lead to the systematic killing of tens of thousands of people.
It has been a long road for Kosovo, through many unwanted circumstances, in the end though this is the only acceptable solution. I commend the Untied States, France, Great Britian and Australia for recognizing Kosovo diplomatically immediately. Surly, this does not spell the end of conflict in Kosovo, it may simply open a new chapter, nonetheless, now Kosovo is equipped to handle its problems on its own.
America needs to strongly support this new state. In the coming years Kosovo’s legitimacy will be challenged by countries like Spain and Russia who have their own problems with separatist groups, America and others through diplomacy must uphold the right of Kosovo to exist, and if needed call on N.A.T.O to once again come to its defense.
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William
Black history month is a time to reflect on the accomplishments and contributions of an important group in United States history. Africans first arrived in Virginia, as slaves, just under 400 years ago. Since that time we have seen incredible change in the world and within the United States. Sweeping policy changes towards African Americans included their right to vote, own land and be free. Cultural changes were seen through sports and pioneering athletes such as Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson who helped turn popular sentiment away from racism. Also, many incredible contributions were made by African Americans to the U.S. by the likes of scientists Benjamin Banneker and George Washington Carver, as well as inventors like Thomas Jennings. And while the changes have been significant, seeing a move from slavery to our first black Secretary of State in 2001, and a prospective presidential nominee in Barack Obama, those changes have also come slowly – to the tune of hundreds of years.
Enough can not be said, or be known, by we the people four-hundred years after participating in a slavery system of exploitation that to this day has not fully ended even with major strides during the Civil Rights era. The legacy of slavery is seen in statistics like this one: By the late 1990’s, black families were earning 62 percent of the median family income of whites. Our history and legacy demand that we counteract the years of unjust systems, unfair policies, and physically harmful social environments. One small way is through recognition for the struggle and contributions of African Americans. Black History Month is a month of remembrance and affirmation by a country that did much to damage the lives of our African American ancestors with effects that are still seen today.
Interesting online looks at Black History: (also content sources)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhm1.html
http://www.history.com/minisites/blackhistory/
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Nikolai
Touch Friendly
The Japanese have done it again. They have come up with a form of technology that could revolutionize how we live our day-to-day lives. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) will be releasing a special card that employees will carry in order to enter buildings. You might be asking yourselves, “Hasn’t this technology existed for years?” Here’s the twist: You can carry the card anywhere on your body, pockets, purse, shoes, etc. and never have to take it out. No more swiping, no more scanning. The doors will now open by touch. Your body will be used as a bridge for transmitting data. NTT reports this is just the beginning in touch technology. Engineers say that we could be seeing this technology used in cars, security systems, medicine, air travel, and even the way financial transactions are handled.
It’s a wonder how the world will change if this type of technology keeps advancing. Let’s not forget that we already have similar technology available. Recently Visa and MasterCard revealed their “Pay Wave” and “Pay Pass” programs where card holders are able to purchase items without ever showing their card to the cashier. This is done without any type of I.D. check. It seems to me that with this technology, we will face a whole slew of personal security issues. Fraud, break-ins, and identity theft are just a few problems we could face. With criminals being as intelligent and conniving as they are, there’s no telling what could happen. It will be a sad day when comfort outweighs our safety and security.
For more info, see: http://www.physorg.com/news122793751.html
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Bradley
An admittedly very short comment on the science of astronomy.
It seems like just yesterday when Galileo was under house arrest for his astronomical beliefs. Look at how far we’ve come. We’re now able to tell when galaxies screw with the light coming from other far distant galaxies. Now this may seem like a trivial thing to study, and well, I think it is. I’m not sure who’s getting paid the big bucks for this study, or why they think humankind needs this information, but I think there are some issues here on earth that should be taking a precedent over topics like this.
For more, see: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/21/galaxy-hubble-stars.html
3 Comments
February 22, 2008 at 1:36 pm
bradley,
i can’t believe your attempt to own space exploration in one little paragraph, seriously?
For starters we would not have tang or velcro if it weren’t for NASA going to the moon. Also, many of the advances in medical technology are because of space travel.
Moreover, society needs these larger than life goals to strive towards, they unite us, give us a collective sense of accomplishment and compel all scientists to push the boundaries in their respective fields.
Spending money on space exploration is good for problems down here on earth….
February 22, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I agree with Donald. A lot of things have been discovered or invented by accident such as penicillin, the slinky, microwave ovens, and post-it notes. Without these “accidents” we would not have these products or medicine.
I see your point that TONS of money goes into space exploration, and sometimes we don’t hear about their successes, but I think NASA gets a lot more out of those studies than we could ever understand.
Could the money be better spent here on earth for a more visible result? Absolutely. But who knows, maybe the cure for cancer is waiting in outer space.
February 25, 2008 at 3:25 pm
speaking of black history, sort of, i read for the first time a fear i’ve had for awhile now. the new york times ran an opinion talking about the possibilities of an obama assassination. the links to the kennedy’s, his race, and his message make him a prime target.
people in the know have feared this longer than i have; he has cia protection like no other politician not president in history. frankly he and W. have basically the same detail.
those at the company call obama renegade, i wonder if that changes to eagle once he really is president?