Pros and Cons to different energy sources
NASA - Alternative energies
Solar Energy Report
The Carbon Mitigation Initiative - Princeton University 'stabilization' wedges
Check these before and after photos out-
Data for Entry and Exits.
You used a Footprint Calculator to try to figure out how we individually impact the planet.
Next try this one- how do the results compare?
TODAY: You will see how your individual household produces emissions and will have an opportunity to find out what you could do to shrink your footprint. Link for answer to #2
.................................................................................................
When doing research:
These are simply places to start:
Fact Check through Annenberg
Pro/con of controversial issues
A good source for country research! CIA World Factbook
DIRECTIONS for Blog Activities:
- Read an article posted to the right carefully. You may choose a 'related article' hyperlinked in blue if you like. Don't be afraid to bring information in from other articles you've read on the same topic!
- Summarize your article, being sure to tell us SPECIFICALLY what you read (name of the article!). Offer an opinion about the article.
- Pose a question, or offer a comment on the article in order to stimulate conversation and learning.
- Somewhere in your post, respond to someone else's ideas in a meaningful way!
.........................................................................
63 comments:
There were questions about 'Malthusian' in class today. Thomas Malthus was a British economist and philosopher who developed a theory about population and sustinence- meaning people and food. His theory said that the population tends to grow faster than its means of sustinence. Unless natural disaster or moral restraint comes into play, the population suffers from some sort of checks and balances- meaning disease, famine, war wipe out populations to put things back into balance. What do you think?
Summary:
I read the article "Muslims to Make Up Fourth of World's Population by 2030." In this article it talks mostly about how the Muslim population is rapidly growing an will soon make up 26.4 percent of the world's population of 8.3 billion people by 2030. Also it talks about how the population might not be as fastly growing as it has been in the past because more people are becoming more educated an are moving to cities for jobs.
I read Eygptian Google exec is 'ready to die' for change. Wael Ghomin an executive for Google, talks about how he is ready to fight for democratic reform and will do anything, like risk his life, to get that for his country. He is the administrator of a Facebook page he has created to help form protests. He has even been contained for a week and a half. Through his fighting, he has become a popular leader in Eygpt and has spoken in front of the rioters at Tahrir Square. There has been many deaths through out this riot, around 300 in Cario, 52 in Alexandria, and 18 in Suez. Due to these deaths, many feel, including Ghomin, that Hosni Mubarack should step down. If you were in Cario at the moment, what would you do to help lead the riot?
I would help make sure no one else died, and help keep everyone under control. Answering Mrs. Rameriez's question, I don't think that famine and diease put things back into place. I think that when famine and diease happen, it makes things out of order and puts things out of place.
Muslims to make up fourth of worlds population by 2030 was an interesting article. It is said that 26.4% of the worlds population by 2030 will be muslim. THis will make them as numerous as jews and protestants. In america, europe, and mostly in Israel muslims are growing in large numbers. It said the increase of muslims in the next 20 years wont be as high as it was the last 20 years because of people moving into towns and cities. Also woman becoming more educated is making them have less kids. I dont see how a woman being educated would make them have less kids but i dont know.
Dani: I appreciate your summary with regards to Wael Goemin. I almost featured a video about him today in class. It is interesting how social networks have communicative power with people and have seemingly inspired organization for democratic reform in Egypt and elsewhere.
You are right- famine and disease do displace things creating problems, but it also can solve problems with regards to consumption of resources. Thomas Malthus's argument is that nature fights back against overpopulation using these measures to restore a natural order. The great things about theories is that they are exactly that! Something to be discussed and debated and in the process we learn.
Coulsen: I'm hoping others respond to your question about why being better educated might have an impact on how many children a woman has. Thank you for posing a question that might stimulate thought and comment!
I read "india's massive population count is most comprehensive Census ever." This article talks about how India's government hired 2.5 millon works to go around to every 600,000 villages and not only count the number of people but also take fingerprints and photographs. India has more than a billion people (about a sixth of worlds population.) Also if India's population stays at the rate it is, it will be the worlds population holder and outpace china by 2025. By that time with the help of the Census India plans to have made lives better. I think is could work. Can you see India being the worlds most populated area?
Konnor and others- how do you think fingerprinting and photographing citizens will assist the government? That requires time, effort and money! So how do they benefit? How do we benefit from tracking our citizens?
I read the article "India's Massive Populaion Count Is Most Comprehensive Census Ever". In this article, they were discussing the new census they will be having in India. They are useing satilite photos to find every village and will be taking people's fingerprints and pictures. They will also be having a seperate census to get people's caste statuse. Besides having a long title, I thought it was interesting that they used satilite photos to try and find every village in India. However, I don't think they should take fingerprints. It reminds me of the movie "Gattaca", they constantly took DNA samples and classified people into classes. That is like when they do the caste census also. I don't think they should do this, but I suppose if they want to have people's fingerprints, religion, and caste of file, they can. Do you think they should have everyone's personal information on file? I agree with Konnor that if they could get school information then they could improve the quality of life for the Indian people.
I read the article, "Activist Ghonim not on Google business in Egypt." Wael Ghonim made the Facebook page telling people about the upcoming protests in Egypt. He works at Google but was not working on January 25th when he went to Egypt to protest. He now refers to himself as an "Egyptian Activist." He has become known as the head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa. According to the article, working for Google makes people notice him at protests.
I think it's a good thing he's out there. I think a lot of people should fight for what they believe in and that's exactly what he's doing. It doesn't matter if he works for Google or not. The only question I have is why was he on leave from work when he went to these protests? Did he get laid off because he wanted to protest?
Mrs. Ramirez,
I agree with Thomas. If the population continues going up then eventually we'll run out of resources. It's sad to think that the only way we'll be able to survive for a long time is if something horible happens, but it's true.
I read the article India's Massive Population Count is Most. In this article it states how the government is going to basically gain control of the billions of people in India. It says how they are going to go to some 600,000 villages and fingerprint the people and make them identity cards with their names, religion, and education on there. By 2025 India should have the largest population in the world. I can see how India can be the world's largest population but I don't see how making identity cards will necessarily help them. It just shows that the government is in control of the people instead of them being free.
I can see Konnnor how this will work but I just don't understand what the point of all this the government is doing with its 2.5 million census workers. It's just a little odd to me.
I read the "India's Massive Population Count is the Most Conprehensive Census Ever". This article talked about India having 2.5 million census workers who's job is to go around everyplace in the country and count over a billion people which is about a sixth of the worlds population. They are also using satllite to find over 600,000 villages in the country. They will also take photographs and fingerprint everyone. The government is doing this to help people, for example they can see who has access to schools so they can improve on the future numbers of people who will be literate. I think this is a great idea because it gives us exact numbers on "who is who" and not only will it help us in the schools, it can help us solve crimes because we will have everyones fingerprints.
Ashley, I think he gives us hope. He says 'without moral restraint' which means we could choose to do something different to change projections. For example, seek to control population growth, seek alternative energy sources and other ways to limit our resource intake. The question might be- are people willing to practice moral restraint? Who defines the morals in the first place?
Brooke I think you pose an interesting question that stemmed in part from your reading and also Konnor's post. What does the government gain from obtaining this information? I hope others pick up on this thread and offer their thoughts! How do governments make decisions about how much to spend on health care and education? How about finding out if their populations are growing or not? Do population swells in particular areas have anything to do with building infrastructures- like roads, hospitals and schools?
Chelsea provided some good information in her post that might help with questions that were posed on the utility of census information. Thank you Chelsea!
I read the article, "Creation of a world parliament suggested at World Social Forum." Like the title accurately states, this article was about a world parliament being suggested at the World Social Forum, which is a global meeting place for activists and movements. The goal of the UN Parliamentary Assemply, or UNPA, is to let citizens of the world have a say in the affairs that affect them. It is also meant to bring globalization under democratic control. Honestly, I can only partially see how this could work, but they should also take into consideration the fact that the people of the world tend to disagree and not all world citezens are democratic.
I read the article, 'Are "Twittering" Youth Agents of Positive Change?'. This article is about how the 1.2 billion people or 18 percent of the world's population are youths that are engaging with their communities and the activism is being carried out through many different types of media, but also is conducted differently in almost every country in the world. Since the internet is used by 30 percent of the world's population, it is a preferred tool for younger people to ignite positive change as well. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and YouTube are the most popular sites for young people to access. It is not surprising to me that a study done in 2008 by Forrester Research showed that young people spent most of their time visiting networking websites, and it was a daily habit for a quarter of the young people in the study! Everyone I know, has either a Facebook account or Myspace account and knows about Twitter and YouTube. It's interesting though, that 70 percent of Facebook users, live OUTSIDE the U.S.
Mrs.Ramirez, I think that photographing and fingerprinting citizens will cost money and time, but I think it'd be a good thing. To catch criminals easily, or to find people who are missing easier. It'd be worth it.
I read the article "Population projection." In this article it talks about the annual growth world-wide peaked at 2.19 percent and has fallen steadily since. The greatest fertility rates are found in countries least able to support there existing population. You would think that if you can't support your family you would stop having children right? Then why would the largest fertility rates be found in countries that can't support themselves? It also says that in contrast to world many industrialized countries will see fertility rates below the replacement level and hence significant declines in populations, excluding the effects of immigration. Which means the population of developed nations with fall.
Answering Mrs. Ramirez's question, I do not think that disease and famine put things into place; I think that it makes thinks more chaotic and out of place.
I read the article "India's Massive Population Count Is Most Comprehensive Census Ever." In this article it talks about how the Indian government has hired 2.5 million census workers to go out to every settlement in the country to count the people. They are also going to be taking photos of the people and take their fingerprints. The article says that by doing this they hope to find out if people have access to schools, then they will be able to improve the numbers of people who can learns to read and write. To me this task seems to be a little out of hand; they say that they are going to try and count every one in the country by using satellites to help find 600,000 villages across the country. But it also says that India has roughly 1/6 of the words population so to be able to count all of these people accurately will be very hard. My question is how accurate are they really going to be?
I read the article "How Iran Sees Egypt's Protests" (http://goo.gl/UD1XA). The article explores how Iran's leaders and population feel about the uprisings in Tunisian and Egypt. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supports the revolt, going as far as to plan a rally in support of them. He feels that it is a revolution that will establish an Islamic government in Egypt. The article also wonders, however, if the revolts in Egypt could in fact spark other protests in Iran.
I wonder what will happen in these two countries. Will Egypt end up with a liberal, democratic government? or will fundamentalist Islam become the dominant force?
Mrs. Ramirez, in response to your comment about Malthusian philosophy, I think this theory can be seen in what is happening in Egypt and Iran. As the population grows past its available resources, the people become unsatisfied with what is available to them. The protests and revolts are a sort of reverse checks-and-balances, in that, when the people do not have the resources they desire, they reach a breaking point. At that point, they 'create' more resources by unlocking them from their restrictive governments. Through protests and revolutions.
Coulsen I think that because the women are being more educated leads to them having less kids because they are going away to college and concentrating on their future before they settle down and have a family, so instead of getting married and having kids at younger ages they wait until they get through their schooling.
Konnor I have to agree with you on helping make the lives better via the census records. I think it is a great idea, it takes a lot of time and effort on everyones part but in the end it is for a good cause. Also I think with time it will just get easier but know it's hard because it is new to everyone. To answer your question I can't imagine India being the most populated country, but then I don't think we could imagine years ago having everyone fingerprinted and photographed.
I read, "Egypt protests continues, largest anticipated for tomorrow."
Summary:
In Egypt on January 25th in Cairo, protests started to take place. The Egyptians want the current president Hosni Mubarak to step down so they change their country. Mubarak doesn't want to be part of this anymore so he said he is going to step down in September. Egypt’s foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit does not want to help of the U.S. because he wants to stay "independent." And was discussed when Vice-President Joe Biden said that Egypt needs to prompt and immediate. Millions are protesting in Tahrir Square and the number of people is increasing. It has been reported that 297 people have died but not all are accounted for.
Tyler- I don't know that any census is 100% accurate- you'll always miss a few people or have some people mislead for some reason. I just looked up information on how accurate a census is- and one article claims that in 2000 the census couted 281 million people. It hired 860,000 people to do this work and spent $6 billion! They think they missed about 2% of the population. 2% isn't a large number, but it is significant. I think new technologies like satellite images will make census data more reliable. Even if you are off by 2% I think the information you gather still is valuable. You can still see trends, population swells and other demographic issues. If it wasn't valuable information, government's wouldn't spend as much on them as they do! The Indian government is hiring more than 1 million people to do this job!
Laura- thank you for your comments. This is one reason that we're trying to use different modes of technology in class- these are the ways in which people communicate whether it be for business, for community organization or for their education among other things.
Nick I really appreciate the thought behind your comment. Not only do you offer a response to someone else, but you take it a step further to describe why you think what you do. I hope we're reading each others posts and it is stimulating thoughts! I wonder if the class is find this engaging and useful? As we gain a foundation by reading and paying attention to current issues, it will become easier to comment, draw parallels and offer insight to the discussion.
I read "India's Massive Population Count Is Most Comprehensive Census Ever." It was a very intreseting article to read. India is trying to count every person in the whole contry. This is going to be very hard prosses with 1/6 the worlds population living is India. They have hired 2.5 million works to go across the contry to the 600,000 villages. They want them to take a picture of each person and finger print them. This is going to make citizen to have a biometric identity cards. These card will have a person’s income, religion and education on it. They are hoping that knowing where everyone is they can providea school for them and educate the kids that could not get one. I think that is a misuse of time and money. I would also have to agree with Tyler Daily and that how accurate can this really been? Also do you really want the governemt to know this much stuff about you with just a card?
I read "Muslims to make up Fourth of Worlds Population by 2030" I think that what the article says is fairly correct the ammount of people in the muslim faith is growing. Acording to a research by a institute in Washington D.C it will become 26.4% of the 8.3 billion people in 2030 i think that is is going to be huge and soon. Also the muslim people will be growing along with this muslim faith growth.
I did not read the same article as nick hayden but i have to agree does the government really need to spend this much time and money getting all this information why? they dont need to spend all the money to do this. Also they should already have all the information they need about you from already gathered data such as birth records and registration.
I read the article "Population Projections." In summarization the article was about how countries who cannot help the situation of birth or "least able to support their existing populations." The article also said that counties like the Palestinan Territory, Niger, Yemen, Angola, Deminican Republic of Congo, and Uganda are at or above 160 percent of populations. And even then some sensus records are said to underestimate both fertility and future gains with these percentages. The article also predicts that the developed nations will drop population from 23 percent in 1950 to 10 percent in 2050. Countries like Europe and Japan will see an annually dropping rate of 1 percent in population and by the 2030's population will annually drop but 1.5 percent.
To me these numbers seem unreal, yes it is a good thing, I believe, that poulation in the most advanced countries are dropping because it is good for space and the environment. But i also believe that the countries that are underdeveloped should have a choice if their population is increasing at such humoungus numbers. I believe the UN should try and protect countries like these. Give them options. If American people can have that kind of option to control their future in ways shouldn't other countries?
I read the article "India's Massive Population Count is Most Comprehensive Ever". What this article is saying is that India's government is going to hire 2.5 million people to go out, find every person in the country including people living on the streets and count them. Not only count them but a picture, fingerprints, religion, income, and education. It kinda seems like miss use of the governments resources to me but it will make it better for the people. for instance they will know what parts of the country need the most help, and weather or not peopel in parts of the country have access to schools. I think that the census is a good thing as long as it pans out for the people at the end. and Coulsen, i think i have an answer to your question abot why women who are getting educated are having less children. I think it is because going to college and getting jobs takes up time, and women wont settle down as young as they would before when only men were getting educated. This is just my opinion, im no expert on the matter.
The article I read is "India's Massive Population Count is Most Comprehensive Census Ever." In the article they were talking about having a census in India. They will be taking fingerprints and photos to count the accurate number of cities there. I agree with Haylee taking people's fingerprints is way too much! I also think taking photos to figure out the accurate number of cities is cool!
Nicole- good points. I think the UN does try to do some things to encourage underdeveloped countries to think about family planning. It comes down to education and availability of resources. We have access to birth control in this country- in other places hauling water takes hours of the day. In many countries, women especially don't have access to an education. Also- there are faiths that discourage any interference with pregnancy. It gets complicated. As women especially, we are fortunate to live in a country where we have opportunity. Thanks for your thoughts!
Like Nick, I also read “India’s Massive Population Count is Most Comprehensive Census Ever”. I think it is amazing the Indian government is trying to count all of the country’s population. India accounts for approximately 1/6 of the world’s population, so to count every person in the country seems like an extremely long and difficult task. India’s government hired 2.5 million census workers to count every person in all of the 600,000 villages. Well they are not just counting the citizens; they are also photographing, fingerprinting, and collecting their income, religion, and education information. The citizen’s will then receive biometric identity cards will all of the collected information on them. The government says that they are doing this to help the people. Recently, India’s economy has grown; however, many people have not been affected by the prosperity. The government thinks that by identifying the people are areas that need the most help, they will be able to assist them and improve the lives of the people who reside within the country. I think that the government has good intentions; however, they I assume they are spending a lot of money and time when some of their people need help right away. I also do not understand what the person’s religion has to do with helping them or why the government would need to put that on the biometric identity cards. To me it seems like some of the information they are collecting is not accentual.
I read, "Egypt protests continues, largest anticipated for tomorrow."
Summary:
In Egypt on January 25th in Cairo, protests started to take place. The Egyptians want the current president Hosni Mubarak to step down so they can change their country. Mubarak doesn't want to be part of this anymore so he said he is going to step down in September. Egypt’s foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit does not want the help of the U.S. because he wants to stay "independent." And was discussed when Vice-President Joe Biden said that Egypt needs to be prompt and immediate. Millions are protesting in Tahrir Square and the number of people is increasing everyday. It has been reported that 297 people have died but not all are accounted for. What I am wondering is, what started this whole thing and what is it about?
COMMENT:
Chelsea I think it is good idea that the census workers in India are photographing and fingerprinting everyone so they can prove each individuals identity, if someone were evey accused.
Hey Mrs. Ramirez:
This is Brianna Lawrence if you can't see my name. I don't know if you can. Anyway: I too read India's Massive Population Count Is The Most Comprehensive Census Ever. Just like Kenzie I think it is amazing that they are trying to count all of India's population. I had no idea that India is a sixth of the world's population. In the article census works are photographing and finger printing everyone, even if they live in hut. I think it is incredible that they are doing this. But I have a question, why hasn't this been done sooner?
I read "India's Massive Population Count is Most Comprehensive Census Ever". This artical explains that india's govornment has hired 2.5 millon census workers to document the population, using satilight images to help find over 600,000 villages. They plan to find everyone and take fingerprints and photographs of them. I think that they have great intentions because they want to see the places that are in need of help and make it so they have access to schools and new technology. But I have the same question as tyler, how acurate are they going to be? They plan to find everyone but it still seems like a very difficult task that will use up a lot of time and money. But I suppose in the long run for India this seems like they best idea.
I read the article "india's massive population count is most comprehensive Census ever." The Indian government hired 2.5 million census workers. There job is to vist every settlement in the country, large and small. They are going to cound and document Indias population of more than six billion (a sixth of the worlds population). The census workers are to find every one in India, even those living in a mud hut or sleep on the street. These people will have there picture taken and fingerprints taken. This data will be used to give every citizen biometric identity cards, and will also include a person's income, religion and education. By doing so they want to see how many people have access to schools so they can TRY to improve the numbers of people who will be able to learn to read and write in the future. I really dont understand how they are really going to get contact of EVERYONE in India. It says that India is likely to be the most populous country in the world by 2025 if its current populaton growth continues to outpace that in China... Do you think ther're going to make a law to have a certain amount of kids like China?
I read the article "Muslims to Make Up Fourth of World's Population by 2030." This article basicly says that the muslim population is going to get much larger in the coming years. The article states that if current trends continue, Muslims will make up 26.4 percent of the world's total projected population of 8.3 billion people in the year 2030," To answer Coulsens question, I think that if are educated and have a good job you might not have time to have so many kids.
I have to agree with chelsea and that it is a good idea and it would help solve crimes
Brooke I agree to your respnse about the census and the identity cards. It is odd,I really dont get the point of it. The poor people, or lower class, those who need help depending on the percentage of those in India who are, it mentions in the article that they want to help those of the "unwealthy" (worded differently) or those who need help. If it's a high percentage of the people, I dont really think ALL of them are really going to get help. And also the point when they talk about education and wanting MORE people in the future to know how to read and write. I dont really get how they are going to do that. Are they just going to pay for the people who cant afford to go to school, so then they know they would learn how to read and write...? They are going to be spending a lot of money...
I just saw this on NYTimes and thought it was pretty cool... a meshing on technology, modern culture, and current issues by those that it is affecting.
Just thought I'd share :)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/world/middleeast/28youtube.html
--Nick
Many countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa are experiencing unrest and protest. Many of these movements have been spurred on by the use of social media which poses interesting issues! Think about how empowering it is to be able to express yourself! This also brings up other issues however- what are they? How do you determine the reliability of information transmitted by individuals using these mediums? What holds people in check?
Did you know that there are protests and marches going on in India as well? Apparently, in a region called Telangana- in the city of Hyderabad there is a 'million man march' (which certainly didn't include a million men) going on! Some of that has to do with the Indian government ceasing train and bus travel to the area and shutting down businesses so that people find it more difficult to join in the protests. Apparently this area is rich in pharmaceutical and technological business. If it were to create it's own state, that could really hurt India's progress. What do you think the Indian parliament will do about this?
Mrs.Ramirez I bellieve that the Indian parliment will soon just give in and find a way to give the people what they want.
Also i read this article called "India's exports may touch $235 billion in 2010-11" in this article i read that India set a goal to reach $200 billion dollars in exports and they reached it. Now they are saying that they will reach $500 billion dollars by the year 2014-15. They think this because they have been going up about 49.8 percent in exports so they believe there goal is reachable if there rate continues and there main export of engineering goods stays as good as it is doing now. In my opinion i believe that India will be able to reach there goal because they are slowly getting more educated and they have lots of drive to better there country. But one question i do have is how are they all so driven to better there country?
To answer Mrs. Ramirez question i think that the indian Parlament will try and stop this from happening they most likely not let this continue.
I read the article titled FarmVille Game Developer Opens Studio in India. In this article they talk about how they opened a Zynga game studio in india and how they assume that they will double the staff by the end of the year and they also plan on starting the sale of game cards in 500,000 stores in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. How could a simple game that you have to pay so much money to buy virtual things every time you want the cooler items they offer how could this be so popular?
I read AOL cutting 90 jobs Us, India. Regaurding Mrs. Ramirez I think Thomas Malthus was right, look at India for example; their population is a billion and it is one of the most malnurished countries. So Thomas Malthus was definatly on to something. My article was about how AOL has laid off 200 people in the US and 700 in India. I really do not understand why 900 people were laid off. So why were so many people laid off?
I read the article "farm ville game developer opens studio in India." this article talks about how zynga the gaming company has opened a new studio in India. it is the largest zynga studio outside the US. i think bringing the studio to India was a good idea to bring jobs to india. the only question i have is that are there that many people in india that have access to the internet?
I read "AOL cutting 900 jobs in US, India." This article talks about how AOL is cutting 700 employees in India and 200 hundred people from the US and then out sourcing another 300 hundred to India. AOL has taken a big hit because of the economy, do you thing AOL will continue to be around in the future or disappear? To answer Mrs. Remeirez I have to agree that with out natural disasters and war then the world would be populating much faster then the world could feed it.
I read the article "FarmVille Game Developer Opens Studio in India." It talks about how Zynga the creater of many popular games like FarmVille has open a studio in India. They say that FarmVille is a very popular game in India having 1.5 million people who play in India It also talks about how it is needed because these types of games need to be updated on a weekly basis. They also make gift cards which are being sold in stores around India and Asia that allow you to purchase virtual goods for their games. My question is why would they pick to make a studio in India of all the places in the world?
To answer Brent's question about why they are drivin to better their might be because they don't want to live in poverty their whole lives and when they see other people in the "middle class" it motivates themselves so they can have what they have.
I read "Bullying issue reaches White House Stage." In this article, it talks about how bullying is a huge issue and since it is an issue,it is going to the White House for a convention against bullying. Many parents, kids, and teachers from all over the nation will be attending this conference. Some ways of being bullied are over the internet, texts, and at school. A mother,Susan Birkinshaw, who is strongly for this conference, and also co-chair of the Health and Safety Committee of the Montgomery County and on the Maryland Council of PTAs is excited and proud that the issue of bullying is going to the White House. These programs that Susan is in were created to help prevent bullying around the country. She wanted to start and be in these groups because of the horrors of bullying and how it effects kids. She believes something should be done. Now, the Montgomery Council of PTAs is creating a new initiative called "Connect for Respect." This will create resources for parents and help avoid bullying. They hope by having a White House event will show the importance of bullying and hopefully the bullying will stop. I think bullying is a huge deal and I am also glad that Obama is having a conference. It will raise awareness and hopefully decrease the amount of bullying. Do you think that bullying is a big enough deal for the White House to address?
To answer Brent’s question, I think they are so driven to better their country because they are dedicated to their country. I think this is so cool. They want to see their country succeed and become a world power. They want to be on top.
I read the article 'AOL to Cute 20% of its Jobs.' In this article it says that AOLs revenues have declined four years in a row. And because of these declines AOL has decided to combine with a news website with other outlets and produces original contecnt called Hoffington Post for $315 million. Combining with this post is causing AOL to enforce layoffs; 20%around 900 out of 5,000. Two hundred in the United States and 700 in India.AOL is laying these people off through e-mail beginning on Thursday. The day that AOL intefrated with Hoffington Post there stock fell to $19.26 a new all time low. But, since that day share have fallen 34cents a new all time low.
I do not believe that AOL has to cut jobs just to combine with the Hoffington Post. You would think they need more employees since they are expanding? And also, the fact that they are firing their employees over e-mail that is their companies new "all time low." What is that seriously? The fact that your boss can't tell you to your face that you're laid off is irritating.
My question is why does AOL have to layoff so many employees? There is no real reasons for it.
To answer Mrs. Ramirez's question, I believe the India Parliament will end up hiring more people and paying more money per hour.
The article I read was "AOL Reportedly Slashes 20% of Global Workforce." The article is about AOL in New York slashing 20% of work force, meaning 900 jobs lost. The jobs lost is meant to be a way to restructure things. Tim Armstrong was the one who revealed this information. There is too many staff members! In my opinion if restructuring things in India did not work before it is not going to work now. Do you think firing 900 workers from their jobs will improve India?
I just read the article, "AOL Cuts India Team Drastically". Like the title kind of says, the article is about the company AOL downsizing it's India team from around 1,000 to around 100, having only a small presence. Some of the employees that have been laid off have been picked up by other companies such as HP and MindTree. ONe of the reasons for this layoff is AOL aquisitioning The Huffington Post, which they say makes having an employee base in India redundant. I think this is gonna have a big effect on the Indian employees themselves, some of which haven't been picked up by other companies. A few employees didn't find it all bad because they get four months of their salary and might be allowed to keep the laptops and blackberries issued to them. So it can't be all bad right?
I read the article “India takes action against drunk pilots”. It said that India have taken action against 57 pilots that were reported for flying under the influence over the past two years. But out of that 57 only 10 pilots were fired and all the other ones were just given warning letters. I personally think that a letter is not enough. They were flying hundreds of people while drunk. That is not ok and they should all be fired and never be able to be a pilot again. It also said that earlier this week a woman was arrested for having forged paper trying to get her pilot licenses. This has raised many concerns for me. If pilots are flying drunk in India what is happening with pilots everywhere else? Are more pilots drinking and flying then you really think?
Brent, they are all so driven be a better country is because look at how people are living. Yes they have a huge amount of exports but a lot of it is from sweat shops and hard labor that does not pay to well. The poor to rich has a huge gap between it and they want everyone to live a more clean and better life. It is all about how they are living.
I read the article “Impact Of U.S. - India Partnership”. This article talks about how the partnership between India and the United States is important to meet “the challenges of today”. According to Obama, the US welcomes, supports, and works to help make India a rising world power. Obama believes that a partnership between India and the US is important because both countries have free market economies and people with ideas and advances to change the way the world exists today. The US and India’s relationship needs improvements in two areas: cooperation about defense and economic aspects. Many say that India plays a role in US tactics; because of India’s growing economy, it is not only a market place for US businesses but also a strategic partner. Now that India’s economy has expanded it is now helping be responsible for security in Asia. It is of significance to the US for India to play this role. I think that it is good we are partnering up with India because of the improvements it is making and because of how it benefits the US. But I do wonder what will happen in the following years. With India now a growing power economically, helping out with security in Asia, with mass poverty and the expanding gap between the poor and wealthy, and a chaotic, democratic government how will India handle what is going on within their country? Is it just me or should we be worried about India as a growing power? I realize we have “partnered” with them, but to me it still seems like down the road they could become a threat.
To answer Nicole’s question they are probably firing so many employees from India because they normally do “back-end support” meaning (Economics, Accounting, and Finance Book-keeping). So I am assuming that maybe they do not need as many of those jobs as AOL reinvents itself. I am not entirely sure about that. It does seem like a lot of employees laid off, but maybe the company can no longer afford to employee them because of the advancements they are trying to make to improve their standings. However, I do agree with you that firing employees via email is a little unprofessional.
I read the article: Obama to Address Rising Energy Prices in News Conference Today. Since last year gas prices have gone up 25%. Congress members are urging for the Administration to use our oil reserve to lower gas prices and calm the public. Right now a barrel of oil is $102.70 a gallon. Obama has turned to America’s oil reserve when a barrel of oil reached $140 a couple years ago. Experts say the rippling effect of the Egyptian leader being over thrown in the Middle East won’t hurt America’s oil supply. Also Muammar Qaddafi has attacked rebels and gained control of the eastern parts of Libya. Lay Clapper believes Quaddafi will gain leadership of the country again. Then with what Clapper says at the end, i think the US is going to help Libya revolt against Quaddafi Tyler Dailey I believe they chose India to build a studio because Indians work for lower wages the Americans. Plus they do a lot for America anyway like take phone calls for companies, read our x-rays, do our bills etc.
I read the artical 'Faster Forward'. It is talking about how technology is making it easier to find out about events happening around the world. It said that google and youtube have both set up pages dedicated disasters around the world. However, if we want to help people caught in disasters, all we can do is 'click a donate button and hope that people there are ok.' I think it is amazing that the internet and how we find information is expanding so much, but AOL is cutting jobs. To answer Zach, I think AOL will be around in the future, but with fewer employees. In the future, fewer people will be necessary because computers will be able to do the jobs that people had. What do you think?
I read “India becomes world’s largest arms importer, seeking to counter China.” In the article it stated that India is now the world’s largest arms importer. Buying mostly from Russia, India has recently been buying up all kinds of arms form aircraft carriers to tanks to jets. India is also buying from the U.S and France and a few others. the article also stated that the U.S. is the largest arms exporter. The article also talked about a growing tension between India and China over trade roots and also some tension between India and Pakistan (but this seems to be old news). I’d like to say to Nicole that I’m more afraid of a war between India and china that we could possibly get involved in then India actually becoming a threat to us seeing as we are “partners” after all. My question is what would happen if war broke out between China and India? Would we get involved? And scents India and China are the world’s two largest arms importer wouldn’t that be a bloody war?
I read "Japan tsunami poses no threat to India." This article talks about how Japan is willing to offer any assistance that may be required. It said that there was no threat to india in the wake of the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. There was no damage to the 25,000 Indian communities in Japan, but the The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services had informed it that there was no tsunami threat to India right now. "I would like to convey to you that India stands in dull solidarity with the government and people of Japan at this hour. We are ready to help Japan in any way required and our resourves are at your disposal," Singh said in his letter to Kan. I think that it is a very good thing the government is willing to give assistance, and any resources needed to help. I agree with Nicole's statement, that there is no real reason to layoff that many people. I'm with Nicole and don't understand why they would need to do this?
I read the article “Online game company Zynga to double India staff to 200 this year” from Reuters. This article talked about how Zynga, the producer of several popular Facebook games including Farmville, would be expanding its operations in India. It will be effectively doubling its workforce in the country, from 100 to 200 people, of about 1,500 worldwide. These jobs will be high tech game designers and developers in a new game development studio. I find it interesting that this office is being opened in India. What are the workers’ backgrounds going to be? Where will they go to school? Are they mostly going to have gone to college in the US or at Indian schools?
I think this shift to technology companies with offices around the globe is related to what was discussed in the article that HayleeR read. Her article seems to have discussed how the internet is allowing for rapid dissemination of information around the globe. This makes it much easier to open a game studio in India, for example, that will mostly serve users in the western hemisphere.
I read the article " India Becomes Top Arms Importer". In the article it talks about how 43 percent of arms being improted are going to the Asia-Pacific area, including India, S. Korea, China and Pakistan. Also between 2006 and 2010 India recieved 10 percent of all international transfers, topping China as the top arms importer. According to SIPRI ( Stochholm International Peace Reseearch Institute, founded over 4 decades ago) in order to modernize itself, and to protect itself from China and Pakistan, Inia spent just about $40 million in 2009. The article also explains how the US is the leader in military exports, exporiting nearly 30% in the past 4 years. the article also explaind how alot if European governments are doing a 180 and instead of buying weapons for defense they are selling weapons overseas. there has been competition between countries selling weapons to places like Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America. Though it also states that over seas sells can possibly end up having a bitter after tast to them. For example; Britain, Britain sold weapons overseas to a country whos government was cracking down on pro-democracy protests, other countries did not like this and criticised Britain for it. My question is, why would larger countries like the US sell our weapons to other countries? It is kinda like giving a homeless person money and not knowing exactly what they are going to do with it in my opinion.
Post a Comment