Feb 27

Sharing Wind?

Something I could never understand were the cries of neighborhood residents who honestly complained about the look of the new solar panels on their lampposts.  To me, the micro solar energy catchers are an exciting, smart new way to bring energy needs to local communities.  So I have never quite understood how people could find grounds to complain about them based on visual aesthetics.  Maybe solar panels out-shadowing white picket fences is bordering offensive for some folks, but to others, the concept of new, renewable energy sources means challenging their entire belief system.  For native Hawaiians, the state’s new Big Wind plan brings a battle for preserving a cultural resource that they believe to be rightfully theirs, not to be shared.

Hawaii has been facing an extreme energy crisis, as it is dependent on oil imported daily on an ongoing stream of tankers.  In 2008, Governor Linda Lingle started the bold push for energy independence.  The Clean Energy Initiative hopes to set Hawaii on a path to sustainable and environmentally responsible energy sources.  By 2030, Hawaii aims to produce 70% of its energy from renewable sources.  The initiative promises to ban the opening of any new coal-fired plants within the state.  The initiative looks to solar power and bio-fuels as viable options to end the use of dirty energy. To help meet the law, wind power has become a major strategy for clean energy.

Big Wind became the name for this very strategy.  With the projected generation of 400 megawatts of energy, Big Wind would be the most wide-scale push to move the populated island of Oahu from oil dependency.  The Big Wind project would place wind generators not only on Oahu itself, but also on neighboring Lanai and Molokai island where the climate is windy and suited for wind power.  With over one million residents, Oahu has a huge base of energy needs.  In order to bring those needs to the population, an undersea tunnel would transport the energy generated on Lanai and Molokai to Oahu.

The transfer of energy has created some intense debates.  One of these debates stems from the idea that Oahu people are “energy gluttons” and that they are demanding too much energy without providing it themselves.  Some have proposed to generate the energy in Oahu through an extensive solar panel investment instead of exploiting the resources of Lanai and Molokai to support a different island’s population.  This critique is met with the opposing argument that Hawaii is one state and that all Hawaiians share the same resources.

A separate and more challenging argument that is hard to counter is the natural belief by some native Hawaiians that wind holds a stronger, spiritual role in their culture and its power cannot be exploited for consumer gains.  These claims to “ownership” of wind create a serious block in the state’s clean energy drive.  It is common to believe in air as a public good, something that is non-rival and non-excludable.  No one’s use of air prohibits another one’s use of air, and no one can be denied access to air.  It would be then to follow that wind would have the same categorization when considering public goods.

To some Hawaiians, wind is a cultural resource, not a commodity.  When the state aims to deal with the crisis of energy dependence they must consider the heritage and opinions of the people within their communities.  Many have tried to persuade this group of the many benefits wind production would have to their island, including job creation.   Additionally, the state has prepared incentive packages to residents who would be most affected by the construction of wind turbines.  Even considering the financial incentives, Hawaiian energy companies are still in debates with both islands about their plans.

What do you think the path for Hawaiian energy should be?  Do the cultural opinions of a minority outweigh the economic and environmental benefits for the majority?  As a policy maker or Hawaiian power holder, whose values do you choose to respect and at what costs?  These will be serious questions Hawaii will have to face if it hopes to reach its energy independence goal by 2030.

 

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Feb 24

Mail Order Brides: Should This Be Legal In The U.S.?

Mail Order Bride services have been legal in the U.S. since the 18th Century where men would scour catalogues of women available abroad for marriage.  Today the same services are conducted via the internet where many American men are looking for a woman with “traditional values”, or a woman who will stay at home, take care of the children, and who is mostly submissive in nature.  Many of these men who are referred to as “consumer grooms” in the Mail Order Bride industry complain that Western and American women are too pushy and independent, and are looking for women from Europe and Asia who they believe or hope will be a little more “traditional”.

The problem with this popular international marriage arrangement is that it is carried out by companies known as International Marriage Brokers or IMBs who often don’t disclose information regarding issues such as the health of the parties, their personal history, or even their criminal records. In fact a journalist discovered that IMB’s are quite deceptive in their practices and did an investigative report taking a two week bride hunt through the Ukraine in 2006.  In the report it is revealed how most IMB’s are unlikely to disclose information to their brides regarding any domestic violence history the groom may have. The brides are promised a wealthy American man who will take care of them and give them a better life.  The consumer grooms are promised a submissive traditional woman who will tend to the children and their home and won’t give him any trouble.

Typically most of the brides are from Ukraine, Poland, Russia, and Asia, but there are women from all over the world looking for these types of marriages.    There are by far a greater supply of women in attendance of these meetings between consumer grooms and Mail Order Brides.  The women are often trying to escape a life of poverty and desolation and many of them come from countries, such as Russia, where the population of women is far greater than of men.  Yet their ability to support themselves is not abundant in their home country.  So they look to the possibility of obtaining an American or Western husband who will be able to support them and rescue them from a life in poverty.

Here is a short You Tube video giving a closer look at how this international marriage transaction is carried out: 

Are Mail Order Brides just a legal way of conducting sex trafficking?  These women Continue reading

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Feb 24

Helping New Immigrants Stay Healthy in the American Melting Pot

As a child of immigrants, growing up I ate traditional foods almost every day, and rarely indulged in the typical American diet. Eating healthy was not very difficult as a child; first of all, my mother was doing all the cooking. Second of all, traditional Indian diets are extremely friendly to a healthy palate.  Not all people who immigrate to the United States, however, are able to maintain the same type of diet or lifestyle that they had in their native countries. Usually, as people move to a new country, especially when their native country is a developing country in a different part of the world, their diets tend to change.  This is a process called “dietary acculturation,” and it just means the change in diet that happens when two different cultures meet.

So why does dietary acculturation happen?  Part of the reason is that people start to find new uses for traditional foods.  Another part of the process is that certain foods are now excluded from the diet (for example, if a person cannot find that item in the US) and other foods are introduced to the diet after moving to the US.

All of these processes have an effect on people, either in the long term or the short term.  For example, changes in eating habits and diet can cause health disparities.  These can eventually evolve and lead to differences in healthy eating.  Everyone knows by now that diet and health status are closely linked; sometimes the changes in diet and lifestyle can lead to nutrition-related conditions (like diabetes). Other times, the types of foods that people eat actually improve in quality, but people tend to eat far more than they did before immigrating. This should come as no surprise, considering that America is an overweight country (in fact, one third of America is obese).

 

A big question for new and non-recent immigrants, public health professionals, health advocates and even some politicians is, how do we compete with these challenges to healthy eating that many immigrants face in the United States?  There are many different ideas, ranging from cooking classes for new immigrants, which would demonstrate how to adapt traditional and non-traditional foods and ingredients.  While that sounds like a great idea, there are many questions the idea raises; who would be responsible for holding these classes?  Who would be responsible for funding these classes?  How would we make sure that those projects remain sustainable?  Other opportunities to improve on healthy eating outcomes in immigrant populations would be to increase opportunities for farmer’s markets.  Studies show that when afforded the option, some immigrants prefer farmers markets to their local grocer for produce options.  The reasons vary, but include the fact that nutritional value is sometimes measured subjectively by perceived freshness of food, which is far greater in the farm-to-table market, versus the mass-produced grocery style market.  This need for farmer’s markets and similar style vending is especially valuable in food deserts, which was a recent topic on this blog.

 

One great idea being put into practice by the Rochester Health Community Partnership (RHCP) is a collaborative and community-based approach to targeting immigrant populations who need guidance in healthy eating.  The collaboration, a project called “Healthy Immigrant Families: Working Together To Move More and To Eat Well” is taking place between Mayo Clinic, Rochester Public Schools’ Hawthorne Education Center, Winona State University, and several other community organizations, like local health services groups, cultural groups, and organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester and Rochester Area Family YMCA.  Each party will be working to develop sustainable interventions that target immigrants’ lifestyle choices regarding nutrition, as well as other factors like physical activity. Like most community-based participatory projects, this project will aim to involve all partners equally, in order to capitalize on everybody’s strengths and maximize learning capabilities.

 

Of course, time will tell how valuable this project, being funded by the National Institutes of Health, proves to be.  Food justice, the emergence of chronic diseases due to diet, and food policy are each important topics that have emerged in recent years.  If the RHCP project goes well, it could be an opportunity for other diverse cities in the US to reach out to their community based organizations to do the same, and foster healthier and happier communities.

 

More information on the RHCP healthy eating project is available here.

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Feb 24

Rio+20, El Futuro que queremos?

El próximo Junio la ONU tendrá una importante conferencia sobre Desarrollo Sostenible, titulada Río +20. El objetivo de la conferencia es renovar el compromiso político de los estados miembros de la ONU para asegurar el desarrollo sostenible.  La conferencia se centrará en dos cuestiones fundamentales: la promoción de una economía verde y la creación de un marco institucional para promover el desarrollo sostenible. A priori, la conferencia ser la panacea del desarrollo sostenible. Renovar el compromiso político es un objetivo débil por sí solo, sin señalar que el concepto de “economía verde” sigue siendo muy ambivalente y sujeto a muchas interpretaciones. Las discusiones actuales están en torno a los tres pilares que gobiernan el desarrollo sostenible: el aspecto ambiental, el social y económico. En la conferencia se discutirán siete temas principales de los cuales usted puede aprender más de aquí.

Un poco de contexto historica ayudará a entender lo que esta en juego en Rio+20. La cumbre de Río +20 es el seguimiento de una conferencia anterior que tuvo lugar hace 20 años, en 1992. En esta conferencia, titulada la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo (CNUMAD) y celebrada en Río de Janeiro, Brasil, 3 a 14 junio 1992, más de 178 gobiernos en adoptaron la Agenda 21, la Declaración de Río sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo y la Declaración de Principios para la Gestión Sostenible de los Bosques.

Un conclusión importante de la cumbre de Río de 1992 fue el hecho que los gobiernos no pueden lograr el desarrollo sostenible por si solos. La sociedad civil necesita estar representada y con esta finalidad fue dividida en diferentes categorías. Como consecuencia de ello, Agenda 21 formalizó las categorías con las que todos los ciudadanos puedan participar en las actividades de la ONU sobre el logro del desarrollo sostenible. Estas categorías se denominan ahora los “grupos principales” (del inglés “major groups”) que incluyen, mujer, niños y jóvenes, los pueblos indígenas, etc..  A los principales grupos se les permite presentar una declaración ante la ONU, así como a participar directamente en la conferencia. Esto sin duda hará que la conferencia sea proceso más transparente, pero será más difícil llegar a un consenso debido a que más intereses están en juego. Por ejemplo, Australia ha señalado que la minería era un trabajo “verde” y un excelente ejemplo de desarrollo sostenible, pero estoy seguro de que muchos grupos indígenas se opondrían a esta declaración porque la minería afecta su forma de vida (por ejemplo: el pueblo Huichol de México).

Hasta ahora, las reuniones preparatorias han conducido a un documento borrador, sencillamente llamado “borrado cero” (disponible aquí). El borrador cero  ha creado una amplia gama de reacciones de los países miembros. Las discusiones se han agitado y por ahora, un consenso razonable parece difícil de alcanzar para Junio. Una argumento evidente es la clara división entre el Norte y el Sur. Los países desarrollados han insistido en que el documento cero, titulado “El futuro que queremos” tiene que ser corto para que pueda ser “entendida” por el público. Los países desarrollados preguntan “la brevedad, a expensas del contenido?”

El borrador contiene principalmente verbos pasivos, tales como “reconocemos”, “apoyamos”, “animamos”, “promovemos”. Esto nos da una indicación de que el actual (débil) compromiso político no es probable que aumente. Además, el documento borrador carece de métodos propuestos para hacer cumplir la aplicación de los objetivos. Sin una descripción de las medidas necesarias para ser implementadas o sin indicadores fiables, no habrá una mejora significativa hacia el desarrollo sostenible. Esos son los aspectos clave que deben tenerse en cuenta en la última reunión preparatoria que tendrá lugar en marzo. Los Estados miembros tienen que aumentar sus compromisos y ser más claros en los objetivos a alcanzar, si es que Río +20 es un éxito. Si no lo hacen, sería mejor llamar el documento de Río +20 no como “El Futuro que queremos”, sino “El futuro que podríamos considerar en el Futuro”.

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Feb 23

Heart Attacking

Last semester I took my first computer science class. We covered everything from open source software to government censorship. However, what I found to be the most interesting topic was computer hacking. Our class discussed the numerous reasons behind computer hacking, but one reason in particular stood out from all the rest… using computer hacking as a threat against people’s health. If you are at all like me, right about now you’re probably thinking how in the world can computer hacking be linked to health policy? The answer is through medical device security.

Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), are run from software. Basically these small medical devices are like miniature computers in your body helping to ensure that your internal bodily functions occur properly. Since these small devices use software to function, they are susceptible to computer hacking just like the computer you’re using to read this article right now.

So, what exactly can a computer hacker see and do once he/she has hacked into a medical device? The hacker can view the medical record of the patient, the diagnosis, and even the implanting physician. However, what’s more frightening is that if the computer hacker hacked into an ICD, he/she can actually send a wireless fatal shock to the patient. During the implantation of ICDs the doctors must test the device in order to make sure it is working properly. They send a signal to the ICD that induces a fatal heart rhythm so they can be sure that the ICD successfully remedies the issue. Basically they send a fatal shock to the patient’s heart in order to make sure the ICD can do its job correctly. With the appropriate knowledge, someone can actually disable all the therapies programmed on the device and then send the command to induce the fatal heart rhythm.

Now you’re probably slightly dumbfounded. You’re not alone. I remember hearing this information for the first time in class and actually having a hard time believing it at first. Seems like science fiction right? However, the truth is that as technology advances, healthcare and computers are becoming more and more integrated. Each year 135,000 patients receive new ICDs. In 2005 the FDA issued a guidance report concerning cyber security and medical devices. This guidance does not establish “legally enforceable responsibilities.” Experts recognize the real possibility of software hacking when it comes to medical devices, but most argue that the actual threat of malicious behavior is very low. Most claim that little to no data has shown medical device hacking in the past.

Personally, the lack of regulatory measures in place is disturbing to me. Regardless of past events, the threat of medical devices being hacked and posing serious threats to people’s lives is a situation that should be acted on now. If society recognizes the plausibility of medical devices becoming hacked, why wait for a catastrophe to make regulatory changes?

As technology and healthcare become more intermingled this issue will only grow. Pacemakers and ICDs are not the only devices that rely on computers and the Internet. Insulin pumps are also vulnerable to computer hackers, and medical records are stored through computer systems and large databases. While our advancements in medicine are fantastic, we need to be wary of some possible implications that can arise from blurring the line between medicine and technology.

I personally believe that the FDA should replace their guidance report with strict regulatory policy that addresses medical device security. Security measures should be legally enforced. Technology often moves faster than policy, and policies are constantly forming in response to new technological advancements. These new technological advancements in the healthcare industry, however, are not dealing with copyrighted music; they are dealing with people’s lives. Therefore, as a society, we must try to stay ahead of the curve and take proactive steps in combatting cyber threats rather than reactive steps. The FDA should constantly update their regulations in order to meet the latest security demands.

I think that many people are reluctant to take this issue seriously because it seems so outlandish and futuristic, but the truth is that it is a very real concern. Like most, I have a computer program installed on my personal computer to protect me against viruses and other threats. Why should we not take the same precautions when the computer is controlling our own bodily functions?

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Feb 23

World Tourism Day 2012

UN World Tourism Day occurs every September 27th, the start of the tourism season in the southern hemisphere and the end of the tourist season in the northern hemisphere, and this year the theme is “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development.”  Now, September 27th is a long ways away, so it might seem a bit premature to write a blog post about the event; after all, you’ll all probably forget well before September rolls around!  Well, I recently came upon an interview with Taleb Rifai, the Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization about the goals of this year’s World Tourism Day and so I decided to bring them up now rather than bookmark the article and wait, especially since spring break season is coming up in just a couple weeks!

The main goal of this year’s World Tourism Day is to raise awareness of sustainable energy initiatives in tourism and how they work to combat climate change while reducing poverty.  During the interview Rifai mentions some of the challenges the all-inclusive model for resorts poses to responsible tourism, something I touched on in a post a few months ago.  All-inclusive resorts provide most of the services and products tourists need during their stay, which can be detrimental to the host community.  Local workers and businesses don’t benefit from this kind of tourism since the vacationers don’t spread money throughout the community by buying food, souvenirs, etc, but purchase things directly from the resort.  Rifai suggests that the best way to integrate those types of resorts into the local community is to create policies which encourage resorts to hire local workers and use local products for building and consumption within the resort. The UNWTO recognizes that tourism can provide a lot of opportunities for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), but that is only true of the revenue reaches the host communities—if it stays with the resorts, many of which are run by transnational corporations, then it is a form of tourism leakage.

Another focus issue for the UNWTO is respect for human rights in tourism.  This isn’t an issue that I personally have written about—I tend to focus on the economic and political aspects of responsible tourism—but several of my colleagues here at the SISGI Group have written a lot about sex trafficking and exploitation, both of children and adults, and so it was interesting to see this issue come up in the interview.  The UNWTO is currently working with a number of other UN agencies and NGOs to create initiatives that will hopefully eliminate child prostitution, child pornography, and child trafficking.  They also created the international campaign “Don’t Let Child Abuse Travel,” which focuses specifically on tourism’s relationship to child exploitation.

I thought this was a very interesting interview, especially because it synced very well with things I have written about in the past, particularly that sustainable tourism is not just an environmental issue but an economic issue, and I am glad that information about this year’s World Tourism Day is already starting to get out there.  Every year the UNWTO picks a new theme for World Tourism Day and I really like this one, and I think it’s coming at a good time given the global economic climate.  Tourist businesses are looking for ways to become more competitive and draw in more travelers, and focusing on responsible, sustainable initiatives is a good way to do so.  I hope that you will continue to look for information about World Tourism Day in the coming months, and that you will celebrate it—perhaps by going on a sustainable vacation (or am I just looking for any excuse to travel)?  After all, this day and the meaning behind it can’t exist in a vacuum; people need to talk about it and patronize sustainable tourism industries if other members of the industry are to have any incentive to change.

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Feb 23

Prisoner Rights Need Reform Worldwide

On February 14, 2012, a fire broke out at the Comayagua prison about 55 miles north of Honduras’ capital, Tegucigalpa. Approximately 360 people were killed, mostly prisoners. It’s been recorded as the deadliest prison fire in a century. The U.S government, who has been on the scene investigating, has stated that it was accidental, and may have been caused by a match or cigarette. While accidental fires are not uncommon, what makes this story newsworthy is the subsequent discovery of the conditions of that jail. This substandard environment exacerbated the situation caused by the fire and ultimately made it difficult for the prisoners to escape with their lives.

Prison conditions throughout the world are ghastly. It is well documented that globally, detainees find themselves paying for their crime in jails that are not fit for them to serve their sentence. Brutal rapes, the rampant spread of diseases, and inhumane living conditions are common and not secret. Then, we hear of atrocities like the fire in Honduras and wonder what the rights of prisoners are. Are they disregarded because they committed crimes? As human beings, are they not important enough to be afforded a safe and appropriate environment to serve out their prison terms? Where is the line between punishment and outright savagery?

I think we sometimes excuse these situations by stating that prisoners deserve to be living without the comforts enjoyed by the free citizen. And that as penance, it is fine for them to to live in substandard conditions. Despite this common misconception, in the United States, prisoners do not have full Constitutional rights, but they are protected from cruel and unusual punishment. In researching, I found that while their freedom is restricted, they are entitled to the following rights:

  • To receive rations or meals
  • To receive clothing, bedding, soap and medicine
  • To exercise
  • To medical treatment
  • If a prisoner is female, to be kept separate from male prisoners
  • Not to be assaulted by prison guards unless he/she has attempted to escape, been violent, or has disobeyed an order
  • To make complaints to the Officer in Charge

A prisoner may also have the right, depending on the country:

  • To work reasonable hours
  • To be free from unreasonable searches at night time
  • To correspond with family and/or receive visitors
  • To notify family members when sick

While this looks like a pretty comprehensive list, examining the situation in Honduras I found that the failures that led to the massive loss of life were not listed above. Here are some problems that need to be addressed:

Lack of Personnel: There were six guards supervising 852 prisoners the night of the fire at the prison. Prisoners should be able to have the appropriate number of staff to supervise them as well as ensure their personal safety.

Overcrowding: A government report this month said the prison’s capacity was 500, there were 852 inmates living in the facility. Diseases spread faster in situations where prisoners are forced into cramped spaces. Violence also escalates due to the increase in people and tensions caused by the physical limitations and lack of personal space.

Delays in the Process: More than half of the 852 inmates crowded inside were awaiting trial. Some had yet to be charged. There should be a time frame for each phase of the legal process to ensure all the stakeholders (victim, perpetrators and other parties) are aware of their rights and their part in the process.

On February 20, 2012, hundreds gathered outside San Quentin State Prison, one of the United States most notorious criminal institutions. Around 600 demonstrators, including members of the Occupy movement were protesting peacefully. The crowd which included Sara Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who served time in an Iranian prison after being arrested in 2009, was calling for a number of reforms.

Normally, rights movements are created to give a vulnerable populations the same opportunity as the status quo. Fighting for women’s rights, those of LGBT, children, victim or immigrant populations, seems like a legitimate cause. However, prisoners are also vulnerable to abuse at the hands of other prisoners and due to failures in the system. Despite our personal beliefs about the crimes they have committed, we cannot forget that they are human beings and entitled to some basic rights. Reform is needed to ensure that those rights are protected and their basic needs met.

 

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Feb 23

Los Capos Sin Publicidad

Read this post in English

A veces las personas no se molestan en aprender acerca de los problemas globales… porque son globales. Muchos piensan que algunos problemas son tan grandes que es mejor dejarlos al gobierno y a organizaciones como las Naciones Unidas.  La lucha contra el narcotráfico en México es una de estas cuestiones que se ha vuelto tan involucrado entre diferentes países que la gente se sienta mejor simplemente mirando a otro lado. Yo definitivamente creo que se a convertido en un problema ingobernable al nivel federal.  Sin embargo, creo que debemos romper este problema en partes donde podemos analizarlas.  Pensemos en el Internet y cómo este puede relacionarse con los capos de México.

En efecto, la guerra contra el narcotráfico es más como un negocio, donde la oferta y la demanda mandan (con la excepción de que no es legal).  Es un negocio clandestino que se propaganda a través de sus conexiones.  Hasta ahora, los gobiernos de México y de los Estados Unidos han usado su fuerza para combatir el narcotráfico– tratándolo como un asunto de seguridad nacional. Que lo es. Sin embargo, debido a la complejidad de este llamado negocio, es necesario que haya más ideas no convencionales que pueden ayudar a combatir narcotráfico.

Entonces…hablemos del Internet.  Como todos ustedes pueden ver, el Internet es una herramienta muy poderosa.  Las empresas legítimas publican en el Internet todo el tiempo.  Por supuesto, los carteles de Tijuana y Sinaloa, en realidad no puede hacer publicidad.  Mi punto principal es que debemos anunciar más sobre la prevención del consumo de drogas (el lado de la demanda de este negocio).  Hay mucho hablar de cómo los EE.UU. es responsable del narcotráfico, porque la demanda viene de aquí.  Hillary Clinton hablo directamente sobre la guerra contra las drogas en México y la comparó con los carteles colombianos años antes.  Está claro que los EE.UU. está involucrado en este negocio como un comprador.  Pero ¿por qué nos bombardean con anuncios sobre The Real Housewives (de quién sabe dónde) cuando debe ser la publicidad contra las drogas? Si vemos algún anuncio contra las drogas, usualmente son limitados a la marihuana y los cigarrillos. Creo que el comerial del perro que habla con el chico fumado de marihuan ya no es suficiente. Las drogas en nuestra sociedad es una dura realidad y hasta cierto punto, los anuncios de Internet que buscan desalentar el abuso de ellas deben reflejar esto. Hagamos esta guerra de drogas entre México y los Estados Unidos comprensible para las personas que no son conscientes de ello. Podría ser que una persona socialmente responsable que ha caído bajo la influencia de una droga vea estas publicaciones. ¿Podría cambiar la mente de todo el mundo? Tal vez no. Pero la conciencia es clave para hacer estos anuncios más eficaces. Anuncios en el Internet se manejan a nivel federal a través de la Oficina de Política Nacional de Control de Drogas, en colaboración con organizaciones no lucrativas como Drugfree.org y el Ad Council. Desafortunadamente todos los estados y todos los condados tienen sus propios problemas acerca de las drogas y con diferentes tipos de drogas. Para enfrentar este problema enorme, creo que algunas de las campañas anti-drogas tienen que ser delegada en el nivel local a través de las escuelas secundarias y los distritos locales.

Si la gente realmente se preocupa por este problema creciente que está igualmente arraigada en los EE.UU. como en México, tenemos que volver a pensar en cómo estamos abordando este asunto. Cada día más y más Continue reading

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Feb 22

Does it get Better?

I recently wrote a post about the rising gay teen suicide rate due to bullying in schools. After researching and reading about the increasingly devastating number of LGBT youth who have committed suicide, I attempted to come up with a strong plan that might put an end this tragedy. Through my scouring of the web, I also found a number of people whom have put their own plans to work in an effort to end this same problem.

I proposed that implementing bullying and tolerance programs, such as Safe School Ambassadors, at elementary, middle, and high schools across the country would be a great start to ending gay teen suicides. After all, if tolerance is embedded into a person in their youth, we will eventually witness fewer occurrences of bullying in schools.

Of course, there are other programs and methods intended to decrease suicide rates. The “It Gets Better” project is one such attempt to stop the problem. Dan Savage, the founder of It Gets Better, was overwhelmed with the amount of gay teen suicides that he continuously heard about in the news. After no longer being able to idly stand by and watch, Dan decided to start a project where he could tell these near suicide teens, via Youtube, that life will eventually get better, and that the bullying will cease at some point in the future.

The project saw a huge number of responses and now has its own website. Thousands of videos show all kinds of people talking about how their lives eventually got better after they stuck it out through the bullying they received in school. A number of non-LGBT identified people have contributed to the video collection, too; Obama even joined the ranks to add his own “it gets better” speech.

Dan’s project has gained popularity over the years and has hopefully saved the lives of many LGBT youth whom have thought about attempting suicide. I have to wonder, though, what the next step is. Teens can watch thousands of videos trying to convince them of a light at the end of the tunnel, but who is there to remind them of this when they are being beaten behind the school building after classes, or when they find “faggot” written across their locker for every other student to see? Even video contributor, Eric James Borge, who tried convincing others that it would get better, decided that the pain was too much. Eric took his life when the bullying would not stop.

I think that a project that has gained the attention of millions should consider expanding beyond the internet or other print media. Why not recruit enthusiastic video contributors to reach out to communities through schools, events, libraries, or churches? Instead of simply relating to people through endured abuse, why not try to stop that intentional harm? If bullying was not an issue for the youth of today, they would not need someone to convince them to withstand it. Stop the bullying, and the suicides will go away, too. Tell someone to wait it out, and they might not be strong enough to hold on.

I do think that It Gets Better has affected and saved lives. However, I strongly believe that putting those efforts toward instilling tolerance and stopping bullying instead would be a much more effective approach. Attacking the root of this problem is what will bring the most positive results. Do you agree?

 

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Feb 22

Conservation via Insulation

Last week I wrote about remembering to turn off your lights in order to help conserve energy in an article titled “Lights Out.” This got me thinking of other easy ways to help reduce energy consumption that are not often publicized. As a college student, my housing accommodations are not ideal to say the least. I live in a house with four of my friends. Our house is a stereotypical college home. Pizza boxes piled in the corner of the kitchen, Christmas lights dangle from the ceilings, and somehow the floors remain unbelievably sticky no matter how many times we mop.

These past few days have also been quite cold. Our thermostat is set to 85 degrees, yet the temperature in the house reads a cool 62 degrees. My first thought was that our heating system was broken. As I walked towards one of the heating vents, I was met with a gush of hot air. Clearly our heating system was working fine. The problem was that our house is poorly insulated. Some of my friends have even nicknamed our house “The Cardboard Box.”

In the past, I never realized the extreme difference insulation could make in keeping a home warm. Just from insulating your attic, you can save as much as 20% on your energy bill. Insulating your home is not as easy as remembering to turn off your lights, but the potential for energy savings is huge. Collectively, as a society, we can significantly reduce the amount of energy we need for heating/cooling by simply improving our homes’ insulation.

Many people are hesitant to spend the money to insulate their homes. However, the truth is that almost all insulation projects quickly pay for themselves because of the energy savings. Insulation, like remembering to shut off the lights, is commonly overlooked as an effective way to be a part of the “green initiative.” People are often so caught up with the latest green fads, that they forget the simple and often most effective techniques for environmental friendliness. I personally believe that insulation is often overlooked because it’s not visible on a daily basis. Usually our homes’ insulation is between the walls, in the attic, or other places we don’t look on a day-to-day basis.

Earth Hour helps to publicize shutting off lights, but no such event exists for insulation initiatives. The federal government offers a 10% tax credit for residential insulation projects. Many state governments also offer tax incentives associated with insulation projects. President Obama is even quoted as saying “Insulation is sexy.” President Obama compares poor insulation to watching money float out of your windows.

I’m also sure that many of you who are reading this are thinking that your home is already insulated and there’s nothing more you can do. Fortunately, there is more you can do. Simply replacing old insulation can save up to Continue reading

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