blog #11 US Drone Strikes: What's the big deal? Good idea or bad? Why?

The U.S drone strikes are calculated strikes which take away the risk of losing soldiers throughout the actual attack, as they are un-manned attacks. But what goes under reported or in some cases completely unreported is the civilian death toll especially during the Pakistan attacks. This is because the attacks are less precise due to being controlled away from the actual attack. This incomplete data is not being reported to hide the fact that there are downsides of these. Another issue of these attacks is that the U.S are killing people without giving them a proper trial, they are just basing there decisions off of possible intel. All of these factors are leading to the decline of Americas image to slip, as "anyone can make a drone", but most countries decide not to use them due to the civilian causalities accompanied by them. Therefore i believe that it is not a good idea, at least at the moment because the attacks are not precise enough yet, and the civillian causalities should out way the advantages of this project. 

blog #10 North Korea: What would you do if you were President Obama?

I feel that president Obama should restrain from attacking or using any type of force against North Korea at this point. If he wishes to solve this issue with any hope of peace in the future, he will have to continue to try and negotiate especially as North Korea has made multiple threats in the past and is yet to follow through on most of them. By taking a diplomatic in solving this issue it will also help to maintain his image on the world stage of working towards peace and resolution without violence. Furthermore, if the issue was to escalate to the point where U.S citizens were at a high risk, then I feel it would be time to act with more force, as it would be viewed as an act of self-defense. I feel that if he is able to solve the conflict this way then most importantly causalities will be limited, and it will leave a chance in the future for peace between both nations.

Blog Post #9: The Sexualization of Mainstream Society -- Is it a problem?

The topic of sexualization in mainstream society is referring to how much visible sex and how the topic of such is becoming much more prevalent. For example the increase in pornography, the way celebrities and other socialites are dressing and being viewed, as well as the increased amount if sexualization going on a day to day basis. I feel that it is a problem because its introducing the narrow idea of feminine beauty, be it through mainstream media, or marketing exploits. It puts a lot of pressure on today’s generation to look like “supermodels”, which has been proven to lead to eating disorders as well as mental disorders such as depression. Finally I feel it is a problem because its leading in a lot of cases to women not being treated fairly on a sexual level because of the way they dress, its become a lot more prevalent that women are being sexually exploited. 

Blog # 8: Poverty

Poverty is one of the biggest issues in the world now, effecting as much as 80% of the worlds population. The biggest impact of poverty hits developing countries that dont have enough income to support a higher state of living. I feel that the wealthier countries such as Canada and the United states should ease the suffering by providing more support in as many ways possible. These countries could give some money to start improving education, and health care to start building the countries infrastructure up. As well as sending volunteers to help with creating water systems, building housing, and supplying materials for education and proper living such as clothes etc... As well i feel that the wealthiest people who are fortunate to live comfortably should feel obligated in a way to donate to charities, and even volunteer themselves to make a difference in these countries. If all the wealthier people in the world contributed to improving third world countries, they could have a huge impact on changing the way of life and poverty rates, especially with organisations that offer fresh water or food for prices such as $50. If these people just donated even 5% of their wealth they could change the lives of many people. 

blog #7: Israeli Settlement building

I disagree with Israelis decision to resume the settlement building in the E1 zone because i feel they are pushing they're limits. Israel has continually talked about how they need support in fighting off iran and the Palestine's but this building is just heating up tension between the two. They are building on land that has been previously off limits because it would damage a future Palestinian state contiguity which is the reason behind increased tension on this issue. Many countries including the U.S have stated how they do not agree with israelis decision to do this, which could mean a loss of support for them. It seems to me as if Israel is doing this just to disrupt things, which in conclusion is the reason i disagree with the continuation of the settlement building. 

blog #6: Connecticut School Shooting

I feel that this issue tells us just as much the problem with gun laws in our society as much as violence. This is not the first time there has been a shooting like this, and its time to adjust these laws. The availability of guns in the U.S has become a huge problem, the law was put in place for protection but people are using the weapons for more than just personal protection. The mother of the guy who shot up the school owned 5 guns, including semi automatic weapons. Why does someone need semi automatic weapons let alone 5 to protect themselves? I think this event has taught us that its time to adjust our gun laws and try to start restricting the availability of these guns. Because  the availability of these weapons is what is leading to the huge amounts of violence taking place in society. 

blog #5: World Issues Conference

For one of the first years running this conference i felt that it was pretty successful. I found that depending on the group of students the presentation changed. Some groups were extremely involved and there was great group discussions, were as with other groups they were extremely shy and it relied to much on the group leaders. As well when it came to the gap minder activities i felt that a bit better preparation would be better, as with my group we ran out of things to do with our group and were left with a bunch of time to kill. Overall i feel that this conference was good and with a few adjustments and a bit more organisation this could be a huge success in years to come.