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Coming full circle after 9/11

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Over my last blog posts, I’ve discussed many of the security measures in place to keep air passengers safe, and the efforts of many domestic airports to keep up with the ever-advancing security technology.  What many people wonder is, are these measures sufficient defense against the evolving threats of home-grown and foreign terrorists?

This website helps frequent travelers to gain information on how to make their hectic travel schedule more manageable.
This website helps frequent travelers to gain information on how to make their hectic travel schedule more manageable.

In my last post, I talked with Kelly, a college student, about how the security measures in place sometimes discourage her from flying.  Although there are some people in the US, and around the world who have no choice but to use air travel to do business.  Many of these men and women travel hundreds of miles in a day and fly multiple times per week.  Although security measures may deter a college student from flying, business people such as these constantly deal with the fear and inconveniences of air travel.

Listen to hear the opinions of one such businessman

podcast interview

Not only do airports endeavor to protect us through the use of new technology and advanced machine, but people also make up part of aviation security teams on airplanes and in airports.  Federal Air Marshals is one such group.  The TSA website says about federal air marshals, “they blend in with passengers and rely on their training, including investigative techniques, criminal terrorist behavior recognition.”  This description gets one to thinking what exactly “criminal terrorist behavior recognition” means? 

I discussed in my first blog post how the September 11th terrorist attacks were the motivating factor behind putting new security measures in place and in my last post, I would like to discuss how after the September 11th attacks, profiling became a widespread issue with many air passengers and in many airports around the world.

No Green Card, No Travel

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10329392-happy-greencard-winner-by-greencardcom

Being able to travel out of the Untied States, keep a steady job, and settle a family in the United States is something that most natural born United State citizens take for granted. However, for millions of immigrants, especially Hispanic immigrants, these freedoms do not come so easily. Immigrants coming to the United States must apply for a green card or some kind of visa to be able to work and live.

Nevertheless, this process is cumbersome for most and involves many steps and applications. Univision.com outlines the two major steps to getting a green card and they are as follows:

  1. Someone must sponsor you for a green card, either a family member or a employer. In some cases the person can petition for themselves.
  2. Once approved they can present their solicitation for Registration for Permanent Residency of Form 1-485 in the United States. Processing times vary. For example forms 1-485 has a 4 ½ month waiting period.

What Can Hurt Your Green Card Status

Did you ever think shoplifting could get you deported? Well if you are not a natural born citizen of the Untied States a simple misdemeanor can put your citizenship at risk. Committing a crime or felony can affect obtaining and current green card status tremendously. If a person has been arrested, accused, or convicted of a crime they must present documentation of this when applying for a green card. This includes offenses such as a DUI.

More information about green cards and the Naturalization process click here.

To see a slideshow on the topic of immigration and green cards click here.

Interview with Jorge Jimenez on the issue of a green card

Interview with Jorge Jimenez on green cards

In The Census We Trust?

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2010CensusHand

What’s the big deal about the 2010 Census? Well for millions in the Hispanic community the Census is a hot button issue that is on everyone’s mind. Many in the Hispanic community are hesitant about the 2010 Census because they do not know what the Census entails. The belief in certain parts of the Hispanic community is that the information from the Census will be used to incriminate those here undocumented. However, leaders in the community such as priests and political figures stress that the Census can only help Hispanics.

Recent studies have shown that efforts of such leaders are not in vain. Studies show that 9 out of 10 Hispanics will participate in the 2010 Census. This is partially due to the fact that Hispanics born outside of the United States know that the information will not be used to incriminate those of illegal status. However, studies show that it is those who have been in the United States many years that do not trust the Census.

The main goal is to reach those Hispanics who do not trust the government and convince them that the Census can only help rather than hurt. Yet, this could be a difficult task because many Hispanics have a deep mistrust of the government, especially those here undocumented.

Hispanics are 15% of the population but still tend to participate less than other groups in the Untied States. Nevertheless, Mark Hugo López, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, states that Spanish speaking media outlets such as Univision should show support to the Census so the Hispanic presence will be well represented in 2010.

Interview with Victor Orozco on the 2010 Census  

nterview with Victor Orozco on the 2010 Census

Earthquake Aftermath: One Boy's Happy Ending

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Photo taken by Mary Peterson and edited by Rachelle Boyer
Photo taken by Mary Peterson and edited by Rachelle Boyer

While we must be careful not to minimize the sad truth of all that was lost on January 12, 2010, I want to end my blog with a story of hope for the future. For so many children living in Haiti, that day changed their lives forever, and this is no exception for one orphan boy named Will. However, the difference for Will was that the change brought on by the earthquake was for the better, not the worse.

Beth Peterson had decided to adopt Will a year before the earthquake hit, after meeting and falling in love with him at her parent’s orphanage in Haiti. However, as is often the case with foreign adoptions, the adoption process was moving very slowly and Beth and her husband were not making much progress. A week before the earthquake, Beth was thinking they still had two more years before Will would be allowed to leave.

However, after the earthquake hit, the orphanage where Will lived was damaged and all the kids, like so many others in Haiti, began sleeping outside in tents. Beth knew the conditions for Will were growing worse and decided to act right away. Luckily in the wake of this disaster, she was able to work with US agencies, the American Embassy in Haiti, and Haitian government officials to bring Will home safely after only a week.

Will’s case is a happy, however, uncommon one for the thousands of orphans still living in Haiti, and as time continues to elapse, it’s important we remember those still feeling the effects of the earthquake. This blog has helped to open my eyes to all that is needed in order to ensure a happy ending for not just Will, but all of Haiti.

Slideshow of Will and his new family.

Video of Will’s Story

Comparing Beijing and Greenville

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In my last post, I interviewed a fellow Furman student about cross-border pollution coming from China.  China’s cross-border pollution is certainly distressing, yet it is hardly indicative of how distressed the people and land of China are because of the extreme pollution. To illustrate just how devastated China’s environment is (because it can be hard to believe), I thought it should be compared to something more familiar:  Greenville, SC’s environment.

       
From left, scenes of the downtown Greenville, SC environment. On right, scenes of the environment in China.
From left, scenes of the downtown Greenville, SC environment. On right, scenes of the environment in China.

 

It is difficult to quantitatively make an accurate comparison between the entire country of China and the proportionately small city of Greenville, SC.  So, for the purposes of this post I will compare Beijing, China and Greenville, SC.  Beijing is still much larger in terms of square mileage and population.  However, the World Health Organization guideline for safe particulate matter is around the level of 25 μg/m³.

 

“Yearly mean density of respirable particles in Chinese megacities such as Beijing and Shanghai often approach or are greater than 100 μg/m³. . .and four times the WHO guideline.” This means that the people of Beijing are inhaling a large amount of particulate matter covered in toxins that is a danger to their health.  Meanwhile, Greenville’s average particulate matter is between 12.2-12.6 μg/m³, which is below the guideline for safe particulate matter.

 

Particulate matter is dangerous to human health, especially in heavily polluted areas, because it can be small enough to be easily inhaled into the lungs.  When dangerous toxins become attached to the particles and are subsequently inhaled, health problems ranging from cancer to birth defects can occur just from outdoor air pollution alone.

 

In part 1 of my interview with Furman professor and head of Asian Studies, Dr. Kate Kaup, she shared her experience with China’s environment. Click to listen.  Click here to listen.  For part 2 of Dr. Kaup’s interview, click here.

 

For more photos and a closer look at the environments of Greenville and Beijing, click here.

 

Photo source:

US-China Yin and Yang

Converting Trash to Energy

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waste to energy

It is Europe’s new trend: creating energy from residential waste.  In previous posts, I have talked about the Copenhagen Summit, and the effects it has had on the US and Europe.  Just outside the city where this world conference convened, trash is brought to make energy.

In Denmark alone there are 29 plants, called incinerators.  Across Europe, there are over 400 incinerators.  In comparison, the U.S. only has 87 incinerators, all build more than 15 years ago.  The citizens of the country have embraced the technology.  In her article printed in the New York Times, Elizabeth Rosenthal focused on the Danish city of Horsholm.  It costs less to burn the trash at the incinerators than it does to use a land fill.  The energy created at the plant then goes directly to the community surrounding the plant.  Homeowners say the plant’s presents lowers their heating costs and increases their home value.

Here are some benefits of incinerators:

  • creates less climate-warming gases than landfills
  • creates 9 times more energy than landfills
  • cost less than maintaining landfills
  • Little odor

Even with these benefits, the U.S. is reluctant to build more incinerators.  Here’s why:

  • We have a lot of land to use for landfills
  • Belief that it will detract from the strong message for people to reduce waste and recycle
  • Cost of building (though some say that the cost would pay for itself over time by money saved)
  • Traditionally, trash disposal is a responsibility of the state/local governments, not the federal government

I feel that a lot of people are not aware of the use of incinerators, so I showed Rosenthal’s article to a Furman student to get her take on the use of waste-to-energy technology.  Here is what she said:

Podcast on Rosenthal Article

Photo Sources:

trash, arrow, lightbulb

Bringing it Together

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AIDS: Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome

Dr. Liao, Furman University
Dr. Liao, Furman University

This past week I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Liao, who is a Biology professor at Furman University. Dr. Liao walked me through the scientific make up and nature of HIV/AIDS. Before this interview I did not know the technical and scientific aspects of the disease, but was more focused on understanding the effects it has on the people it infects. My newfound understanding of where the disease stems from, has provided me with a whole new perspective on the disease.

As an American, I am very fortunate to have extraordinary medical assistance and healthcare at my fingertips. Now that I am aware of the ways in which HIV/AIDS is contracted, can spread, and infect; I have a better understanding of how I can help those less fortunate than myself. Dr. Liao insisted that in order to really stop the spread of HIV/AIDS people need to understand where it comes from, because with the knowledge of how the disease works people can then combat its deadly course.

Local and national philanthropies such as PEPFAR, The Gates Foundation, and Africa Rising are doing many wonderful things such as providing aid and assistance to people suffering from HIV/AIDS, but the money can only go so far. Through my research I have learned that in order to truly stop the spread of HIV/AIDS philanthropies and groups need to start educating those that are infected and providing them with the knowledge of why and how they are infected and how they can stop future infections. Hopefully, with the knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS we will start to see a decline in infections, and put an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

For an interview with Dr. Liao: One on One with Dr. Liao

Slideshow of Pictures: Looking to the Future

From Knowledge to Action

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  • There are 33.2 million HIV-infected people in the world
  • There are approximately 14,000 new HIV infections daily around the world, and over 90% of these are from developing countries (USC Medical Dept.)

As I have stated in previous blog posts, HIV/AIDS is a worldwide pandemic that needs to controlled. Thousands of people are dying daily due to this terrible disease, and the end does not seem to be in sight. The United States, being one of the most powerful and advanced societies in the world, needs to take action against HIV/AIDS.

Throughout this semester, I have done much research on HIV/AIDS and really immersed myself in organizations and philanthropies such as Africa Rising, which is focused on providing medical aid to Africa and spreading the word on what can be done to help on a local level. Through my immersion it has come to my attention how little people know about the seriousness and extent of this disease, and what they can do to help. This lack of knowledge caught my attention, and I decided to randomly ask five Furman Students two questions the first one being;

1.   What is Pepfar? (the US President’s emergency plan for AIDS relief)

2.   Have scientists and doctors developed a cure/vaccine for HIV/AIDS?

Sadly, not one person knew or had even heard of Pepfar, BUT every person knew that scientists and doctors had not developed a vaccine for HIV/AIDS. It is overwhelmingly evident that people get too caught up in their own lives to think about what is going on in other countries and even in the United States.

Africa Rising President, Caitlyn Griffith in Africa
Africa Rising President, Caitlyn Griffith in Africa

For more information click to hear an interview with Africa Rising President, Caitlyn Griffith:

Caitlyn Griffith Interview

Getting A "Green" Start

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Furman University has become a landmark for sustainability on a college campus
Furman University has become a landmark for sustainability on a college campus

In today’s day and age, the more we are educated on a topic, the better prepared we are to cope and adapt to that same topic in real world situations. Nothing adheres more to this train of thought than environmental issues. The Earth’s climate is an intricate and complex system that is constantly changing as time goes on. It is difficult to forecast the local weather more than ten days in advance, let alone outline the planet’s climate for the next thousand years. If we as a population are to be committed to changing our lifestyles to be more “green” and sustainable, a better understanding of environmental processes is crucial.

At Furman University, sustainability and environmental awareness has become one of the pillars of the liberal arts education offered. “Sustainability is defined as meeting humanity’s present needs while enriching the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The reason behind this drive for increased awareness is the need that we as a society have for more informed leaders. In constructing and implementing policy, both domestic and foreign, a solid foundation of fact and understanding must be utilized so that the policy is effective and efficient.

To form an opinion on the issues surrounding the environment and climate change, you must first know the issue at hand. Without facts, without real life examples, and without education from differing viewpoints, it is difficult, if not impossible to take a stance and go about implementing what you see as the appropriate course of action.

As this blog has progressed, we have discussed the  numerous policies passed and agreements made that are associated with the environment. But why? No matter what side of the debate you find yourself, keeping updated and informed on these environmental issues allows you to form well founded thought processes and make well informed decisions.

Furman Sustainability

Photos of Sustainability at Furman University

Understanding Misperceptions

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The Middle East
The Middle East

Why should we as individuals care about the Middle East?  It seems so far away and distant and irrelevant to us.  The fact of the matter is that our lack of knowledge has caused us to stereotype Middle Eastern people and this lack of education needs to change. Most students cannot even locate the Middle East on a map and they think that Islam is the answer to everything.  In this video interview, some common misperceptions on the Middle East are clarified by Dr. Teipen.

  • Why do we need to understand Middle Eastern culture?
  • What is the history of our Western misconceptions?
  • How should we shift the focus of U.S. aid to the Middle East?
  • How has our Western culture impacted that of the Middles East?

Hopefully, watching this interview will spark your curiosity to learn more and end false accusations and assumptions about a group of people who have much more in common with both you and I than you once thought. Teipen Interview

Check out some images of Furman’s Religion Department and Dr. Alfons Teipen.