Toxic Waste

In August and September of 2006 a contractor of the cargo ship, Probo Koala, from a giant oil trading company dumped five hundred tons of toxic waste on a city in West Africa. The waste was dumped in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city and has impacted the people greatly. The toxins killed fifteen people and sickened another 100,000 people. 69 people were hospitalized and most people reported headaches, skin lesions, digestive difficulties and nose, throat and lung problems. To resolve the problem, Trafigura is offering about 1500 dollars per person to settle the lawsuit. There are about 30 thousand people who have been affected making the settlement worth nearly 46 million. The Dutch-based company does not admit liability in the settlement and aggressively fought the suit. It threatened to sue media outlets, including the BBC, for its reporting of the case. The judge still must approve the deal before it becomes final. The company admits that they dumped the toxic waste but does not claim responsibility.
Do you think the company should be able to pay the people off or they should have to remove the waste and attempt to reverse the damage?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/09/21/ivory.

Toxinas dumped in West Africa

In August and September of 2006 a contractor of the cargo ship, Probo Koala, from a giant oil trading company dumped five hundred tons of toxic waste on a city in West Africa. The waste was dumped in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city and has impacted the people greatly. The toxins killed fifteen people and sickened another 100,000 people. 69 people were hospitalized and most people reported headaches, skin lesions, digestive difficulties and nose, throat and lung problems. To resolve the problem, Trafigura is offering about 1500 dollars per person to settle the lawsuit. There are about 30 thousand people who have been affected making the settlement worth nearly 46 million. The Dutch-based company does not admit liability in the settlement and aggressively fought the suit. It threatened to sue media outlets, including the BBC, for its reporting of the case. The judge still must approve the deal before it becomes final. The company admits that they dumped the toxic waste but does not claim responsibility.
The toxic waste, if not removed, will continue to damage people’s health and the environment. It was dumped three years ago and the effects are still occurring. The waste must be removed or else the health defects and pollution will continue in this city. A payment for the damage may satisfy the cities residents but the money will soon be gone but the health problems will continue. Also, the city is off the coast meaning that the toxins could possibly reach the ocean and affect animal life. The toxins need to be removed instead of a payment to resolve the lawsuit.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/09/21/ivory.coast.toxic.waste/index.html

El Salvador Gangs

Today, nearly 7,000 gang members are currently behind bars in El Salvador, representing a third of the national prison population. El Salvador is the smallest, most densely populated area in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. El Salvadoran gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha, known as the MS, and the Pandilla 18 fill the jails in El Salvador and rule the system through murder and extortion. At Ciudad Barrios, a jail, the prison guards will get killed if they ever hit one of the gang members or take money for a deal and don’t carry out their end of it. Since early last year, two prison guards have been brutally murdered. The gang members in jail activate their gang members outside the jail by use of mobile phone. The gang emerged in the 1980s, formed by Salvadoreans living in the United States. It quickly spread throughout Central America. The impact can be seen just a few hundred meters from the confines of Ciudad Barrios, in what seems like quiet, coffee-growing country. Coffee cultivation has been the mainstay of the El Salvadoran economy for the past century. A sop owner in the jail’s city received text messages demanding large amounts of money immediately and threatens her by listing her family’s daily routine. The money the gang members receive is used to fund elaborate break-out plans from jail. In April, a tunnel being built from a nearby house to the jail was discovered. Now, prison guards surveillance surrounding houses and suspects.

I think this is an interesting article because the gang members basically control the jail system. The system needs to make serious changes like cutting off satellite signal so inmates cannot contact gang members outside of confinement so the guards can control them and run the jail. Christian Poveda’s 2008 film La Vida Loca followed the violent lives of members of the Mara 18 street gang. On September 3 the French filmmaker was shot dead and discovered in his car. El Salvador must take action to protect the lives of innocent people and crack down on the gangs that rule the jail system.

Marijuana actually only serves a few medical purposes; some of which would be the treatment of glaucoma patients to reduce pressure in the eye and also the treatment of cancer patients to either give them an appetite or help ease the vomiting that comes with chemotherapy. As for aches and pains it may not do much other than give users an outlet to escape reality. There have been countless tests, experiments, and observations on marijuana being a gateway drug and all point to an undeliable yes. Most drugs have been illegal for a long time and our society has functioned perfectly without them so why make it legal now? There are plenty of other ways to make money other than the legalization of a drug. Also, the reprocussions of lealizing a harmful drug could cost the government more money than what it makes. I don't think America should be focusing on legalzing a drug that can break down the foundation that our nation was built upon, but instead focus on the much bigger issues facing our country today.

Clair and I recently went to a conference in Tennessee and were confronted with a problem that had never crossed our minds... So here's the thought.... think about the clothes you wear. Do you know who made the shirt? Do you know who processed the fabric? and do you know who picked the cotton in the fields to make the clothes you wear each day? Modern Day Slavery is something most people don't think exists anymore but the statistics prove otherwise. Did you know that children in India cost less than cattle and over 2.2 million children are sold into slavery each year! Currently there are around 27 to 30 million slaves! Whether it's domestic slavery, sex trafficking, or labor...it still exists.