Golden Globalization

Over a ten day period this past November, it was recounted that over 125 South Sudanese women and girls experienced harsh sexual violence while seeking aid.  According to medical charity group Doctors Without Borders (MSF), attackers raped, beat, and robbed these women. This includes women older than 65, girls younger than 10, and even pregnant women.  It was reported that the attackers were young men who were dressed in civilian and military clothing. When asked for information on the attacks, the state minister of South Sudan, Lam Tungwar, stated: "A rape of such a magnitude is not true, we are a state (that) respects human rights and women's rights top our list."  However, Ruth Okello, a MSF midwife, claims she has never seen such an increase of sexual assault victims coming to their programs in search of medical care.   According to MSF, from November 19th to the 29th, there were over 125 women in need of emergency care or other kinds of assistance due ...

To start, I want to pay my respects to all those lost to or affected by the Borderline shooting that took place on Wednesday November 7th, 2018 .  What happened that night was horrific, and can be labeled as an act of pure evil. I can’t comprehend the bereavement that family and friends of those lost must be going through.  I have not described myself as a religious person in quite some time, but during these times I pray all 12 victims are resting in peace. To say that this catastrophic event has nothing to do with gun laws is ignorant, and inherently tone deaf to anyone who has ever been affected by gun violence.  Now is not the time to be defending your right to carry a firearm. Especially, if your only argument is the existence of The Second Amendment. The Second Amendment states:   “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This was written duri...

Earlier yesterday morning, October 27th, 2018, a gunman open fired at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania .  The Tree of Life synagogue resides in the Squirrel hill neighbourhood within Pittsburgh, an area known for having one of the largest Jewish populations in Pennsylvania.  The synagogue was full of worshippers who were there to mark the Sabbath, a Jewish practice in which practicing Jews take an abstinence from work from Friday to Saturday evening.  Reportedly, alleged gunman Robert Bowers walked into the Saturday morning service with an assault rifle and two pistols. Bowers open fired on the service, and when police arrived and approached the scene Bowers blockaded himself in one of the rooms within the synagogue.  Witnesses claim that Bowers shouted “all Jews must die,” as he carried out his attack. At this point in time, there are 11 reported casualties from the massacre. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has stated his condolences to ...

Fourteen states within the US do not tax feminine products .  Five of these states don’t possess a sales tax, while the other nine have explicitly removed feminine hygiene products from being taxed, my home state of Massachusetts being one of them.  While there is no sole tax specifically designated for feminine products, they are bundled in with other goods which are considered to be luxuries rather than necessities.   This issue has recently come more into light because this Wednesday, on October 3rd 2018, Australia announced that the country would be removing the controversial tax on feminine products .  Prior to this decision, and at the moment, menstrual products are sold with a 10% goods and services tax. The plan is to see this tax removed in Australia by 2019. But, Australia is not the first country to cut out this unreasonable tax.  India eliminated their 12% tax on sanitary products earlier this year. Back in July it was announced India would be g...

Sulawesi is an Indonesian island east of Borneo with a population of about 17.4 million.  This past Friday, September 28th 2018, there was a devastating earthquake and tsunami that occurred off of the coast.  The earthquake had a 7.5 magnitude, resulting in many aftershocks. The city of Palu was essentially hit the hardest. The waves that hit Palu were recorded to be about 6 metres tall, rather than the initially estimated 0.5 to 3 metres.  These waves annihilated the area, resulting in the destruction of buildings and the deaths of an ongoing number of people. Unfortunately, many people were unaware of the oncoming devastation. Despite there being an alert sent out to the people of the area, it has been discovered that this warning may not have even made it to the citizens of Palu.  According to Indonesia’s meteorological and geophysics agency (BMKG), there was an alert sent out after the first wave, and the warning lasted throughout the rest of the onslaught ...

Back in February of this year, India came out with a new health insurance approach in which they hope to help those who struggle to afford medical care.  The name of this program is ‘Modicare.’ Currently, India possesses around 500 million people who cannot afford healthcare, and spends a little over 1% of its GDP on public healthcare.  For comparison, the United States spends about 18% of its GDP on healthcare based on https://www.cms.gov .  Also, India’s private healthcare system currently runs mostly unchecked, often leaving the poor easily exploitable and forced to face an environment full of hostility.  Because of these issues, this proposal is suspected to be popular among rural voters. According to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of India this idea “will be the world's largest government-funded healthcare programme."  However, it is unclear as to where the government will find enough funds for this program currently, and people are unsure as to how...