Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Why Protest in Beijing?


Everyone knows that China is a communist nation that restricts civil liberties. Who doesn't remember the hundreds of people who were killed and thousands of people who were injured at Tianamen Square in 1989? So why is it that people continue to risk their lives just to make a point?


In the case of Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying, their motivation is perfectly clear. Dianyian, 79, and Xiuying, 77, have lived in China their whole lives and have reached an age at which they finally feel free to speak their minds without worrying about the consequences. They are friends and neighbors who together petitioned for a permit to protest during the Olympics. As punishment for applying to protest, the Chinese government sentenced them both to a year of detention and, not surprisingly, the government does not allow detainee protests.


Their protest is not related to a free Tibet or the right to democratic elections, but is rather something much more unpretentious. These women felt they were unjustly compensated after an eminent domain claim on their homes in the interest of a government backed gentrification plan. Their concerns were no different than those felt worldwide by people who have been forced out of their homes in the interest of economic development.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Black America Shares Statistics with African Countries


The Black AIDS Institute has released a shocking new study comparing rates of HIV infection among African-Americans with those of the hardest hit nations in Africa. The study revealed that black Americans are just as likely to come down with the virus that causes AIDS as citizens of Uganda and South Africa. The Centers for Disease Control determined that black women are contracting HIV from heterosexual sex and injection drug use at 23 times the rate of white women and AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women between ages 25 and 34. The United States may be one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but this goes to show that money cannot buy good health and nor can it undo centuries of oppression against African people. There are many different theories as to why blacks are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, but in my opinion, even all of them taken together cannot explain the dire nature of the statistics at hand.

Some people say that white people are just more responsible when it comes to sex than blacks, but somehow I'm just not buying that one. White people have plenty of unprotected sex. Others say that black men are contracting the disease in prison and spreading it to multiple women once they're released. I say that, yes, this may happen sometimes but there are not enough black ex-cons out there to account for a HIV rate among black women that's 23 times that of white women. Black men are only a few times more likely than white men to have a record. And others say that black men are more likely to be on the down low, but CDC research shows that closeted black men are no more likely to catch HIV than out gay black men.

I am no conspiracy theorist so I don't think the government is secretly infecting blacks with HIV. However, I do find some validity in new scientific research that points to a gene that makes people with sub-Saharan origins more likely to catch HIV when they are exposed. The gene in question is thought to have been developed as a natural evolutionary defense to malaria. It's just too bad that the same gene that results in an evolutionary advantage in the face of one disease can be a catalyst for infection in the case of another. As we all know, modern science is far from perfect and more research is needed to confirm these findings. Nonetheless I think this a very important and overlooked aspect of the worldwide black AIDS epidemic.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Walmart asks workers to reject Dems in November


Walmart continues it's excellent record on worker rights with dirty new intimidation tactics. Walmart execs have called meetings with mangers all over the country tell them that their jobs may be in jeopardy if they support Barack Obama for president. Their goal is to brainwash workers into believing that voting for a political party that supports worker's rights might get them fired.

Walmart can't seem stay out of the headlines for worker's rights violations. It seems just yesterday when Walmart made the papers for practicing sexism in it's decision making process for promoting workers. Women with more qualifications and experience were routinely denied promotions and forced to work underneath their less qualified male counterparts.

It's no wonder why Walmart has much lower prices than similar businesses like Target -- they don't give a damn about their employees. Walmart associates aren't adequately compensated for their work. The average cashier at Walmart lives below the federal poverty line and Walmart execs are working to keep it that way.

The fat cats at Walmart are afraid of the inevitable, that workers will eventually realize their worth and organize to demand fair compensation for their labor.