Volcano Eruption

Clean Water

We live our daily lives with all the water we need. We are not in need of water, so we do not care if we waste water at all. At this moment, somewhere in the world, people are in need of fresh water to hygiene, drink, etc. But they do not have clean water to do so. They can only find contaminated water which contains many bacteria which could be deleterious to their body. 

This problem is present especially in Africa. Many countries like South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, etc. do not have access to fresh water. Women and children have to go to rivers to get water, but the water quality is terrible. The trip usually takes 2 hours to get to the river, and 2 hours to get back. That's 4 hours wasted just to walk. Besides, it is not safe because of predators and criminals on the road. They put their lives in danger to save their lives.

The children do not go to school, but they have to go get water for their families. They do not have the rights to have an education. We can change the world though. Many solutions are given by the government to improve the population's life. Wells are being created, pumpers are implanted into underground rivers. Charity foundations are always raising funds to help fight against diseases caused by dirty water, as well as creating new fresh water sources for cities and villages. We can also contribute. We can start by being aware of conserving clean water. Close any tap when we are brushing our teeth, take enough water that we need for any activities, do not overuse water and waste it. Funding charity foundations would also boost the amount of lives that we could save.

Help make the world a better place! Save water!

Deforestation

Forests are important to the world that we live in. It is the home of many animals, and it helps regulate the climate and air around the world.

One of the biggest forests in the world is the Amazon Rain Forest. It is dubbed as "Lungs of the Earth." However, the forest is now slowly destroyed for agricultural use.

Developing agriculture is useful to the economy, but harmful to the environment. From the figure above many areas are affected, causing the climate to change and the spots to increase temperatures (hot spots.) This affect the biodiversity of the animals in the forest, the people's life at the rear of the forest, and temperature of the Earth. 

Deforestation does not only happen in Amazon, it happens all around the world. Some causes of deforestation are: Agricultural activities, logging (legal or illegal), urbanization, desertification of land, forest fires, etc. We have been blindly exploiting nature to satisfy our needs, and we have only taken this matter seriously since lately. The more we destroy the sooner our extinction will come. The effects of deforestation have shown more clearly now than ever. Changing climates, global warming, release of Green House gases, soil erosion, wildlife extinction, etc. are all present.

Imagine a world where chaos takes place. The Earth is too hot, extreme weather happen around the world, animals are almost extinct, and humans cling to themselves hopelessly. Every minute, 36 football fields worth of trees are cut down. This means that 18921600 football fields worth of trees are gone EACH YEAR! The damage is not trivial, it is gargantuan. The effect that we most fear is that increase of temperature would lead to ice melting at both polar. This would rises the sea level and flood any countries that are near the sea level at the moment. Sadly, Vietnam is one of the countries. We would be wiped off of history in the 21st century if we do not do anything to prevent sea rising.

All in all, do not lose hope. There is always a solution for it, even though it would not solve the problem 100%. Replant forests, constrict the laws to be more harsh when it comes to logging, and raise awareness of the problems we have at hand.

Let us rebuild a better world!

Human Trafficking

          In ancient history, slavery was common around the world. Many people were used as slaves, for labor and sexual use. Slavery was publicly shown, but now in the modern world, slavery would be outrageous. Although slavery in the modern day aren't shown, they are hidden in the dark shadows of the underground world. It is called Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking can be called modern slavery, and the victims of this movement are mostly women and children. The victims are used for forced labor, sexual slavery, and prostitution.

There are 20.9 million victims, 13 millions are children that are victims of human trafficking. 80% of these people are used as sexual slaves. The human trafficking industry makes $150 billion dollars, worldwide. 

The origins of these victims are mostly from countries that are developing. The traffickers lure the victims into believing that there are jobs in other countries without any risks. They also use threats, physical violence, or kidnap the victims then sell them to buyers. These traffickers have a common background and know how to exploit weaknesses of their own people. They are usually pimps, family members, gangs, mobs, etc.

The victims are forced into brothels, become sex slaves, or work in factories. The conditions that they endure are cruel and against any human rights. They are rarely fed, not paid, physically abused, no medication, and harsh living environments.

The victims can sometimes be saved by the officials, but then when they come back home, they are not accepted in the family. The victims are disgusted by their own families, pushed away by the societies. They are supposed to gain support, but instead rebuked by the socially biased views. They did not wanted such a terrible event to happen to them. Who would want to be sold to someone and used a sex slave? They never asked for it, and family is expected to give the most encouragement.

There are ways to help people that are victims of human trafficking, and there are ways to prevent this from happening. First is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). It is made to ensure protection for people that are victims of human trafficking. Second, there are organizations that help victims and prevent this from happening. One of the international organizations is National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) that is under Polaris. They provide information about human trafficking, centers for victims, and preparations to help someone that are involved.

The population needs to know more about modern slavery, and we need to further our efforts in preventing human trafficking. People need to know how fallacious this industry is, and how to avoid it. We can educate people, raise awareness, and be attentive to what's happening around us and the people that we know.

International Trade

International trade is the core of the economy. It keeps the flow going, but there is always a downside, no matter how beneficial international trade is. WTO is the only global organization dealing with rules of trading, but behind the curtains lies the cons that some people do not know.

The cons of WTO are:

1. Increasing inequality between developed countries and developing countries.

2. WTO allows corporations to sue countries. This means that juggernaut companies can bend a country as they see fit for the "free" market.

3. The WTO has immense power and influence on the world. It can manipulate countries by controlling that country's trade.

4. WTO tramples on labor and human rights.

These are just some examples of the down side of WTO. The gap between wealthy countries and poor countries are getting bigger, and WTO is pushing it to even go faster. 

The major companies around the world are crushing the ones that are growing, taking all the profits to themselves by establishing branches all around the world. Foreign companies do not stand a chance against these corporations. Consequently, little wealth is generated for the foreign countries but most of them are in the pocket of big companies. 

Human labor is another factor. China is "loved" for its cheap labor, as well as India. The result is that people are paid less, but have to work for a longer period of time comparing to the standards. Children labor is being used as well. They do not get the privilege to go to school, but instead they have to work to make money.

Free trades give countries more wealth and power. The WTO needs to be controlled. They cannot violate any rights, abuse children, and further the gap between wealthy and impecunious nations. Since the WTO is an international organization, all the countries that are involved should have the right to speak their opinion, and be taken seriously from the top nations. This would prevent any misuse of power and unfair advantages for the leading countries.

Health Service

       People need health care to repair their physical and psychological erroneousness. Governments establish health services to provide prevention and cure of diseases. Different countries have different types of health service. The more developed a country is, the better the health care system. There are 4 types of health care: Bismarck Model, Beveridge Model, National Health Insurance Model, Out-of-pocket Model.

In Britain, the government uses the Beveridge Model. The health care system is financed by government (tax payment). Hospitals are owned by government and private companies. Low cost per capita.

The people are 100% insured. Only the government pays. This leads to high deficit (£700 in 2006.) Public insurance accounts for 90%, and private insurance accounts for 10%. Physicians are limited; only the government chooses the doctors. The problem that occurs is that there is a long waiting list. 750,000 people waiting for hospital administration.

In Germany, the government uses the Bismarck Model. Public insurance are for people that has low income ( <  €4,350 monthly.) The funds for health care are taken from salary (tax.) The patient only pays 10% of the bill. It is a simple and stress-free system. On the other hand, people with higher income ( > €52,200 a year.) There is no waiting but the procedure is complicated. You need proofs to get this. 

In Canada, the government uses the National Insurance Model, which is the model that people feel happy with the most. 90% of the population in Canada feels happy with their current health care system. It is a non-profit, fully insured, equality, potability, and reasonable access. Private health care is also available as a supplement to public healthcare. It is offered as a part of employee package. 

In poor, developing countries, there isn't a proper health care system. It is mostly out-of-pocket model. People have to pay for their health care, and they have to rely on international aid. The government of Liberia collapsed due to civil war, which led to health care system disbandment. 

The general rule is that developed countries have high-quality health care system, and developing countries have a low-quality health care system. People should have an equal chance to get health care. Even people who are not employed, to a degree, can have health care. The solution is that there should be equality. Everyone deserves an equal chance. Unemployed people can get health care, but they can only be treated to a certain degree. They would not get access to higher health care if they do not pay for it. Preventing diseases is another possibility. Rather than curing, we should prevent diseases before they go viral. The Ebola outbreak recently is a serious problem in the world at the moment, but if we prevented it, the disease would not have been contagious. We will see many development in the field of medical, and it would be much more effective than the current systems that we have right now.

Drugs: Weapons of Mass Destruction

        Throughout history, drugs were created mostly for medical use, like heroin, LSD, etc., but eventually they were abused to satisfy the human need for satisfaction, profound sensational feelings that are "out of this world."

       Drugs are commonly referred to medicines in the field of health and pharmacy, but drugs can also be addictive substances that cause many terrible effects. A brief history about drugs to show how human have turned to misuse these narcotics.

In 1839, the British Empire started a war with China because China rejected the legalization of opium in their country. Another war started in 1856; Britain, United States, and France allied to defeat China for the same reason: legalizing opium trade.

Heroin was created by a chemist in 1874, but not commercially produced until 1898 by Bayer Pharmaceutical Company. Heroin was created to replace morphine due to addictive problem, but heroin turned out to be even more addictive than morphine and was first classified illegal by the US.

LSD are used in psychological treatment, religious usage, etc. but people used it for recreational use as well.

Drugs were developed, and abused by human to satisfy their needs. Consequently, they are blinded by their lust for ecstasy. Detrimental effects invaded their bodies, destroying vital organs and creating illusions. For example: Heroin can destroy the liver, heart, lungs, brain. There are many other effects than change the appearance of an individual. Here is an example:

Methamphetamine is another common drug. Crystal meth is illegal around the world. It has terrible effects on human: Increased sweating, dry mouth, high blood pressure, dizziness, etc. One virulent effect of meth is meth mouth. People who uses meth frequently lose their teeth after a certain period of time. Before losing them their teeth would turn yellow and look like they are rotten.

Drugs can have malicious effect on human when abused, but they are used as a tool to make illicit wealth as well. The drug industry is the most profitable illegal industry. Many wars and clashes happened because of it. People trying to buy drugs, or take over territory to expand their drug trading activities. In Columbia about 6 months ago, police captured 7 tons of cocaine on its way to Netherlands port. They were labelled as motors part such as KIA, Yamaha, etc.

Drug should always prohibited for its belligerent effects. Many lives have changed due to drug addiction, and they would never feel the same way before again.