Slavery: Still a Thing?

I've gone most of my life thinking slave trade was something of the past; making the common mistake that it ended in the late 1800's, with the end of the Civil War. But human trafficking is a very real, very prosperous and very horrific enterprise. CNN's, Bradley Myles, reports, "The U.N. estimated it to be a $32 billion a year industry in 2005, and many in the anti-trafficking field believe that number is outdated and too low" (Myles). picture...

Number of victims of forced labor by region

As you can see the Asia/Pacific region has more forced laborers than all the other regions combined. Nearly four times as many in comparison to the second highest region, Africa. Why is this? After a little research, I found out that Asia has the highest agricultural export profit at $54.4 billion, next to the United State's $132 billion. And in a competitive global market, Governments are willing to do whatever it takes to stay ahead. North Korea, China and Burma are notable examples of State forced labor. This labor is not present just in sweat shops and farms; but also in large scale prostitution rings, where human trafficking is a common way to get prostitutes. This has to stop, and we can help by donating; and by not purchasing cheaper, foreign knock off items, clothes, shoes, etc. 

Who Chooses What YOU Wear?

Gender based fashion is apparent all over the beautiful U-S-of-A; whether in a high school, or an office building, we see it everyday. But what about in our military? President Obama and the Department of Defense asked the Marines to "standardize on a unisex/universal dress and service cap" (New York Post). This 8 million dollar make up has infuriated many male Marines. They believe that the Government should not be spending millions of dollars to change a long standing tradition. Wearing the infamous "cover" has been a way for these men to self identify themselves as Marines for longer than I've been alive. While they see fellow Marines being laid off due to budget cuts, and hear about the economic crisis back here in America, their Commander in Chief wants to re-style their uniform!? I understand Obama's reasoning behind wanting to reduce stereotypical gender roles. But I think he may have overstretched the boundary here.

Current caps on the left, compared to the proposed new caps on the right

On the other hand, do these "girly" new caps really look that girly? No. I think they look just fine, if not better. But that's not the point. These Marines are angry because someone is trying to step in and end an almost 100 year long tradition. These men (and women) have served their country so they could preserve the American values of peace, democracy and justice. Don't they deserve to get to choose what they wear? Do you think the Marines are over reacting to the switch? Or do you think it's a poor decision to try and standardize the caps? Leave your comments below! 

USD: United States of Drones

Imagine this. You are deep in Northern Pakistan, with different tribes all around you. You're finishing up a hard day of labor, and you're talking with your fellow workers while enjoying a relaxing dinner. All of the sudden, BOOM! You look up, and see drones (unmanned aircraft) firing volleys of missiles right at your village. That's exactly what happened in Zowi Sidgi, Pakistan. CNN correspondent, Jethro Mullen, did a recent article on a former drone operator, Brandon Bryant who saw some pretty nasty stuff in his time working behind the monitor that displayed the graphic images. "The smoke clears, and there's pieces of the guys around the crater. And there's this guy over here missing his right leg" (Bryant). Now, after he quit the job in 2011, Bryant struggles day to day with depression, drinking and PTSD, all because someone convinced him he was doing the right thing when he started. The government actually offered him a six figure bonus to stay and continue firing the drones. That goes to show what good ol' Uncle Sam can do FOR YOU.

Amnesty International released un-certified estimates from Pakistani officials and the NGO regarding the number of civilians killed by drones. From 2004 and 2013, it is estimated that between 400 and 900 civilians have been killed and at least 600 seriously injured. These numbers, if true, have raised questions about potential war crimes being committed by the United States. However, the U.S. Government has classified the numbers of civilians they have killed, and deny any allegation of war criminality. Therefore, no one really knows. But what we do know is that innocent people are being killed. Men, women and children of peaceful tribes who just happen to be located near some not so peaceful people. Do you think it is okay to kill innocent people if it helps kill the "bad" guys? Why might this be a bad idea if we want to make peace with these countries? I feel like dropping bombs with a drone being virtually controlled half way around the world is not a good way to make friends. But will only create further chaos.  

Human Brain Project: Finding the Answers

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I wonder what people would do if we created computers that could think as fast as a human brain...

Far out in the land of melt in your mouth chocolate and melt in your pants babes, a Swiss university has started their research for the "Human Brain Project." Henry Markram, the head coordinator and neuroscientist for HBP calls it "the world's most ambitious neuroscience project," with a budget of over 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion). The human brain is one of the biggest mysteries about our bodies, no one knows exactly how it works or how we get certain mental diseases and illnesses. Makram and his team plan to use super computers to model the brain, and then simulate different types of drugs and treatments on the model. Unfortunately, these "super computers" need to operate at 1000 times the speed they do now in order to be a reliable model of the brain. And the technology to achieve said speed does not exist... yet. Makram plans to begin testing prototypes as early as 2016.

Not only will we be able to finally comprehend the brains complex and multi layered functions, but we will have groundbreaking discoveries and inventions along the way. I personally believe this is the most important part. With the research collected from HBP, we can create technology that is virtually as smart and as fast as humans. Dr. Gayani DeSilva, a psychiatrist from California, talks about how the human brain model could have "unimaginable" implications for medicine, helping us learn how we adapt, heal, and develop. "The more we know about our brains, the more we can utilize our brains to its full potential, intervene when issues arise, replicate in artificial creations the power of the brain’s ability to integrate a vast amount of information that then causes other systems to perform specific actions” (DeSilva). Do you think we should be developing and researching this technology? Could this lead to jobs being lost to machines? Or could we work in parallel with the technology, thus making our lives easier and simpler? Comment below.