Terrorist or Not

When one thinks of a terrorist...they may think of associated events. However, in some cases other people see those "we" call terrorists "freedom fighters." Depending on your geographic location you may call the leader in charge of a civil or political movement a terrorist or freedom fighter. According to wikipedia, The use of violence for the achievement of political ends is common to state and non-state groups is known as terrorism.

Controversy of the Term:
The application "terrorist" is therefore always deliberately discussed.
Attempts at defining the concept invariably arouse debate because rival definitions may be employed with a view to including the actions of certain parties, and excluding others. Additionally, each party might still subjectively claim a legitimate basis for employing violence in pursuit of their own political cause or aim. (Wikipedia)

In short, there may be legitimate reasons for the rebellion of certain groups of people. Many people are often confused of the reasons for specific actions, however the idea of a "terrorist" is frightening. What one perceives as a terrorist action, another may see opposite depending on the cause and ethic morals.

The two links below give a better insight of terrorism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Bkqwzl_Yg

OR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EYEkE5e_lg

Abortion in Mexico

As an American, we take it as a "right" for women to abort thier fetus for valid or non-valid reasons. However, in Mexico it's a crime for women to have an abortion and they are prosecuted for it. Whether you are pro-choice or not...every individual should have a say when it comes to their body and it's physical being.

• The Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM) published a study estimating that approximately half a million girls and women undergo abortion (both legal and illegal) every year in Mexico.

Furthermore, the right to abort a fetus always have some exceptions: In the case of a rape for instance.

Waiving the penalty for abortion are: (http://hrw.org/women/abortion/mexico.html)

• 
  

the abortion is the result of negligent behavior on the part of the pregnant woman (valid in twenty-nine states);

to save the life of the pregnant woman (valid in twenty-seven states);

the fetus has serious genetic malformations (valid in thirteen states);

to protect the health of the pregnant woman (valid in ten states);

the pregnancy is the result of non-consensual artificial insemination (valid in eleven states); and

where the woman already has three other children, for economic reasons (valid only in Yucatán).

Although these may seem fair for this circumstances other women are being prosecuted for something that is a liberty in other nations. TheCatholic church has also had a major influence on the abortion laws in Mexico.

Below is a video documentary link:

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=abortion+in+mexico&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&tnr=21&vid=1308319276

Or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg6DTd4GRjk

Rwanda: Genocide

Genocide Facts:

a) The total number of people killed has never been systematically assessed, but most experts believe the total was around 800,000 people.
b) The genocide in the tiny Central African country of Rwanda was one of the most intensive killing campaigns -- possibly the most intensive -- in human history.
c) The involvement of women in the genocide and murder of Hutu political opponents failed to attract national and international attention, precisely because of the construction of women as the universal victims of that particular catastrophe." (Lentin, "Introduction," pp. 12-13.)
d) A substantial number of women, and even girls, were involved in the slaughter in countless ways, inflicting extraordinary cruelty on other women, as well as children and men.
e) In Rwanda itself, some 120,000 people were jailed on allegations of participation in the genocide, and thousands died in the brutal and unsanitary conditions of the jails.
f) In September 1998, the Tribunal issued its first conviction on charges of genocide, against the former mayor of the Rwandan town of Taba, Jean-Paul Akayesu
SOURCE: Jones, Adam. "Case Study: Genocide in Rwanda." Genocide Watch. 1994. 11 Feb. 2008

Children Joining Insurgence Groups in the Philippines

Children living in conflict areas of the Phillipines and other area are more easily influenced to voluntarily join and support armed insurgent groups after suffering traumatic experiences, according to a UNICEF study.

To my interest, I decided to take a more in depth look at the children who join armed insurgent groups. As a result, I found that "The Philippines is home to two of the world's longest-running armed conflicts, yet a credible accounting of their human and economic costs has not been available, until now," said Emmanuel Soriano de Dios, the Report's Lead Author and Professor of Economics at the University of the Philippines. "This Report is the first quantifiable documentation to show that cultural isolation, discrimination, and a lack of basic services, such as electricity, water, roads and education, can be predictors of armed encounters," said Professor de Dios.

As an ongoing problem, these children are dying at the hands of other children who do not fully understand the meaning of life or what it means to take a life.

Orphaned by AIDS...

There is a world where orphaned children have to live on the streets and fend for themselves...That is THIS world today. The tragedy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been continuously increasing the media's attention of one the most troubling aspects of the AIDS epidemic:the long-term impact on sub-Saharan African societies. Over 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have been orphaned by AIDS. Leaving some to live with elderly grandparents or relatives and others have been taken in by neighbors or to live on the streets in child run households.

* The overall situation has reached alarming proportions also because women have moved from the periphery to the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa:

* Averaging over 55% of all people living with HIV/AIDS, girls and women are disproportionately affected.

http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/story.asp?storyID=400

Although the efforts to stop this outbreak is immense. The Spread of AIDS is faster than our efforts!

Hunger in Africa

The chain of hunger in sub-Saharan Africa starts and ends with poverty. Poverty is the incapability to grow or purchase food which causes malnutrition and poor health, later resulting in the inability to earn income and to move deeper into poverty.

It is estimated that one in three people in Africa are currently undernourished.
Initiative to End Hunger in Africa (IEHA) is a multi-year effort to help fulfill the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the number of hungry people on the continent in half by 2015. IEHA is taking steps to decrease Africa’s dependence on food aid by almost $2.6 billion by the year 2015, and is helping to lay the foundation for sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction on the continent. The initiative focuses on promoting agricultural growth and building an African-led partnership to cut hunger and poverty. The primary objective of the initiative is to rapidly and sustainably increase agricultural growth and rural incomes in sub-Saharan Africa. (http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/fs/2003/18796.htm)

Although, we, as global citizens hosts canned good drives and collection of non-perishable items there are many that are suffering from hunger. With the amount of wastes the USA of food has in a year, we could feed many of the dying suffering from malnutrition and starvation in Africa.
As a global citizen...couldn't we as humans lower this problem of famine.?

Sedan and its Civil War

To my surprise, I was unaware of the essential needs of the people of Sudan torn from a civil war ongoing for nearly 2 decades. More so, many of them are dying from diseases or murder due to the lack of government(s) involvement. I think it’s important for us to get involved in foreign affairs in Sudan to help improve humanity and not allow them to destroy innocent people just because they are black Muslims. More so, the effort that the Bush Administration is seeking is a start for helping this war torn country is a step to advocate this problem.

Sudan has two distinct major cultures--Arab and Black African--with hundreds of ethnic and tribal divisions and language groups, which makes effective collaboration among them a major problem. (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/sudan.htm)
As many could assume, this diversity caused many problems for the people of Sudan.

Internet...an International Danger?

Technology has played an important role in the increasing problem of children being exploited. Specifically, the internet has become an excess median to the manipulation of children by internet prowlers.Internet technology has offered essential tools of help and obstruction. However, the internet has supplied internet prowlers with the infinite chance to commit crimes. Internet exploitation seems to be abundant in current news reporting involving pedophiles and internet prowlers using the internet as entry to innocent victims. Sexual exploitation of children is continuing throughout the world. The methods perpetrators are using to exploit children have become immense. The magnitude of commercial sexual exploitation of children is unknown, however both sexes are exploited, but majority are girls. ABRAPIA, a non-government organization for childhood and youth protection has operated a toll-free national reporting line of more than 5000 reported cases; 63% were of sexual abuse, 37% of sexual exploitation, (70% child prostitution, 25% internet-related, and 3% sex tourism)