More Nukes in Middle East

According to a recent New York Times article, Pakistan is creating more nuclear bombs. In the last unit we discussed nuclear weapons and their pro's and con's. We briefly learned about the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and India and how both countries having nuclear weapons may have caused them to slow down a little bit and think more about their actions. Pakistan's motive for increasing its nuclear arsenal is not really known. The United States are worried about this because Pakistan has the largest number of terrorists per square mile than any other country. If these bombs get into the wrong hands, the consequences could be catastrophic. As we learned in that unit, there is no learning curve for nuclear warfare, so we must make sure those weapons stay away from the control of terrorists.

Civillian Casualties

On Sunday, American soldiers raided a house in Kut, a city just south of Baghdad. In the process of arresting six men suspected of being part of Shiite militias responsible for several attacks on soldiers, two people were killed. As the soldiers stormed the house, they spotted an armed man whom they believed to be hostile. The soldiers fired at the man and hit a nearby woman. Some people would say that this unfortunate event is the price that must be payed to capture terrorists and some collateral damage will happen, but was this really necessary?

Of the men arrested, all six were questioned and released later on that day. Is it really fair for innocent people like these to go through the ordeal of having their house raided then getting arrested? But if this is not done, will bad guys go free?

The two people killed were a local shiek's wife and his police officer brother who had been startled by the entrance of the soldiers and picked up a gun. Didn't the soldiers think that if they busted into someone's house that they may defend themselves out of fear? Many of the public have been asking the same quesions and are outraged by the event. Had the soldiers only knocked on the door instead of breaking in, many believe the people would have cooperated.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/middleeast/27iraq.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast

Business Travel Romanticized

As someone who likes to travel, business trips seemed to me like the best opportunity in the world.  I envied my dad who often traveled to some of the most amazing parts of the world on trips paid by his company.  However, these trips often turn out to be dreadful experiences.  Business travel is often romanticized by transportation companies in the media.  There are many ads featuring happy businessmen strolling through airports and relaxing on planes then walking out into the sun on a beach in Puerto Rico.  In reality, these trips can be nightmares.  The ads always fail to mention the possibility of a delayed flight and having to wait hours on end at a gate waiting for the poor weather to pass over.  Once on the plane, you may be seated next to some very obnoxious people with nothing to do except stay within the cramped area.  Even if the destination of the trip is some exotic island, there is rarely any time to enjoy it while attending the all day business conference.  Most people do not understand what really goes on during a business trip thanks to the romanticization of them by travel companies.  

Dreams Causing Perilous Times?

For many, a large part of the "American Dream" is owning your own house. For some people, owning a house was an "ideal" goal and was not probable given their current financial position. After mortgage restrictions were eased, many families qualified to get loans for houses they could have only dreamed of. Unfortunately, some people who got loans should have never qualified for them, which helped cause the current economic crisis. Some of those people could not keep up with the mortgage payments and end up foreclosing. This caused banks to lose lots of money, and some banks even failed. Now it is harder for businesses to get loans, and those that do get loans have high interest rates. Then investment in those businesses declines and many people lose their jobs. It is hard to imagine that something this perilous can be related to people just pursuing their dreams.

Everything's an argument

For question two in "everything's an argument" I read an
editorial from the New York Times called "Presidential Children Don't
Belong in Battle." It was written by John S. D. Eisenhower, son of
President Eisenhower. In this editorial, Eisenhower explains why the
children of Presidents and Vice Presidents should not serve in the
military while their parent is in office.
His reasons are that the President is busy enough without
worrying about their son or daughter, the soldier would be a prime
taget and endanger other soldiers, and they could be used to blackmail
the President if they are captured.
This was a very good argument because there were no logical
fallicies and there were good examples for support. Also, Eisenhower
has personal experience on this topic, because he served in the
military when his father was President, which he now realizes was a
bad idea.

www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/opinion/28eisenhower.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Perilous Texting?!?!

I read a recent article from the New York Times about the dangers of texting. Texting itself is not dangerous, but it can make doing other activities deadly. Texting has caused many drivers and pedestrians to lose focus and get in many accidents. According to a survey in the article, almost 40% of the surveyed 16 to 30 say they text while driving. This can lead to a very perilous time on the road. Sadly, the recent crash of a Los Angeles commuter train was caused by texting. The engineer failed to stop at a red light because he was texting and did not see it. Luckily, these are the kind of perilous times that can easily be prevented.

Test phone blog

; )