Over the past the decade the presence of technology in our everyday lives has been increasing exponentially. 10 years ago, the idea a small portable phone will be the central hub people use to interact with other people, as well as businesses and media, was far-fetched.
Smartphones today are now more advanced than the shuttles used to propel man to the moon during the Apollo missions. If the current advancement of technology continues its pace, we will soon face significant shifts in terms of how humans operate within our society.
Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee write in the Huffington Post of the Second Machine Age. They argue that after tectonic corrections in the market, innovations tend to cascade into our society.
Both point out that the 1930’s was one of the most innovative decades in American history. And 30 years after the Great Depression, growth, productivity and living standards skyrocketed.
Comparisons between the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Recession of 2008 lead these two to believe that we are on the cusp of a technological epoch.
So why is technology advancing so rapidly now? They point to three reasons.
First, the computational power of technology has been increasing at breakneck pace. They offer the ASCI Red Supercomputer as an example. It was the size of a whole tennis court and had the computational power of one teraflop. Now the Sony PS4 is a fraction of its size and possesses twice the computational power of the Red.
Secondly, digital information is widely available to almost anyone. Digital products are able to be transmitted in mere seconds and are able to be copied endless amount of times.
And finally, the nature of digital technology allows it to be combined in different ways so as to create more value out of products.
The steady pace of technological innovation present at the moment will present numerous opportunities to many individuals. But some think it will also be disruptive of the current order of society.
Machines can do what humans can do but more precisely, faster and without rest. The reality of technology’s effectiveness could jeopardize many jobs; particularly for the middle class.
The Associated Press conducted a study in which it discovered most of the jobs that are being replaced by technology fall within the middle class wage range of $38,000 to $68,000. For example, between 2000 and 2010, 1.1 million secretaries left the workforce.
In North Carolina State University, a new library was unveiled completely devoid of librarians where robots retrieve books upon request. The books no longer are placed on shelves but in metal bins where they occupy a fraction of the space.
Meter readers for electricity companies are being pushed out of existence in favor of digital meters.
As technology advances, so will the livelihoods of millions, but its advancement can be quite disruptive. What happens when humans find themselves suddenly replaced by machines that can do the job more efficiently and lack the ability to complain to HR?
– Zachary Lindberg
Sources: The Huffington Post, NY Daily News
Photo: hplusmagazine
Rising Need for Social Justice in Guatemala
The population of Guatemala is 14.7 million and is ranked at 131 out of 187 in the United Nations Human Development Index. Also, the Gross National Income per capita in Guatemala is $2,740 and the Gini Index of Guatemala is 53.7, making this country one of the most unequal in the entire world.
There are 36 countries in the world that account for 90 percent of growth stunting and Guatemala is one of them. This is because the chronic undernourishment rate for Guatemalan children is 49.8 percent (about 2.5 million children,) the fourth highest in the world and the highest in the region.
Chronic undernourishment in the indigenous areas is at 69.5 percent; 53 percent of the population lives in poverty with 13 percent being in extreme poverty. Indigenous boys, girls, and women that live in the highlands are the most vulnerable groups to impoverished living conditions. The illiteracy rate in Guatemala is 31.1 percent in women that are 15 years of age and older, but that reaches as high as 59 percent among older indigenous women.
In the last few decades of the 20th century, Guatemala had multiple civilian and military governments which led to guerilla war. In 1998, its government signed a peace agreement that ended the conflict with nearly one million refugees and 200,000 deceased. Guatemala was able to get a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council in January 2012. The country’s being in an extended drought is now met with the food insecurity and economic crisis.
The government’s unemployment and budget deficit has been increasing because of the global economic crisis reducing exports, revenue from tourism and foreign investment. Impoverished and food-insecure families are already struggling, but the combination of all these issues together restricts these families even more.
Unfortunately, the regularly occurring natural disasters in Guatemala do not make matters better for those living in poverty. They are prone to earthquakes, landslides, droughts, hurricanes and floods, which can severely damage the indigenous population, since they are almost completely unprotected.
Guatemala is full of social conflict right now, with NGOs and indigenous groups protesting to get equality. They are currently trying to block off the very mines that the government sees as essential to the country’s development because the indigenous see them as a threat to their safety since there have been massacres of hundreds of natives just to get certain resources from their land.
Also, people are trying to nationalize the electricity system, since poor households are unable to pay to keep their electricity due to the rising prices employed by private companies. Children are even being forced to assemble fireworks without any safety equipment because they cannot find any other way of making money. The Guatemalan people are pleading with the government to raise minimum wage by 47 percent simply so they can get enough money to cover the quickly rising prices of basic goods.
All of this injustice the Guatemalan government and private corporations are committing against their own people is leading to a lot of civil unrest. If someone wants to be safe in Guatemala, they must pay to be safe, and the only ones that can pay are the rich. It is clearly observable in most of the tourist destinations of Guatemala that there are uniformed guards in stores, hotels, and plazas to protect the outsiders/rich insiders; that is never a good sign.
There are actually seven private security officers for every public police officer. The non-rich Guatemalan people are unhappy and cannot protect themselves from those that are hurting them, so action needs to be taken to achieve social justice.
– Kenneth W. Kliesner
Sources: World Food Programme, CIA, The Guardian, IOL News
Photo: The Guardian
Charity Through Hip-Hop
Rap and hip-hop music has a rich and diverse culture with its roots linked all the way back to the era of slavery within United States history. Hip-hop evolved into a music genre in the 1970s when DJs performed at block parties in the boroughs of New York City using the breaks of popular funk, disco and soul music. As the genre progressed, hip-hop became an outlet of artistic expression for the youths growing up in the inner cities.
Hip-hop blessed the world with popular artists such as 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., KRS-One and Eminem, among others. The lyrical content gave the rest of the world a lens in which we could try to understand and empathize with the people living in impoverished conditions within the inner city where kids had little to no economic opportunity, faced rampant drug infestations and constant battles with authorities.
As hip-hop music gained popularity, it gave some individuals a chance to make a living while creating work that inspired millions. Since the hip-hop genre is directly infused with the universal struggle of the worlds poor and underprivileged, it is always great to hear about those individuals that were able to escape that life and use their fame and fortune to benefit others. Here are a few prominent members of the hip-hop community that do just that:
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: Look to the Stars, Konfidence Foundation, Omeid International, Culture Bully
Photo: DrJays
Indian Government Promotes Guns for Women
The Indian government recently commissioned a state-run gun maker to specifically produce guns for women. The lightweight .32-caliber revolver is called, “Nirbheek,” which means fearless in Hindi.
The gun weighs just 500 grams, and is the first handgun made of titanium alloy. The Indian Ordnance Factory in Kanpur has been working on the design for two years. Though there has been much talk around the innovative design of the gun, only a few people have purchased it. Within a few weeks of its release, the company received just 10 orders.
The government introduced this gun in response to outrage over a gang rape of a 23-year old woman referred to in the media by the alias, “Nirbhaya.” Nirbhaya was riding a bus when she was brutally raped and beaten by several men.
The Indian Ordnance Factory hopes the lightweight, compact design of the gun will encourage women to carry the firearm in their purse.
The gun maker hopes women carrying firearms will serve as a deterrent for men and give women a sense of security. However, the gun costs 122,000 rupees, or $2,000, which is far above the average per capita income in India. For poor women, or women with no access to their family income, the gun is unattainable.
Gun licenses are usually only granted to men, and more often to upper class men. Women’s rights groups are worried that corruption and gun restrictions will inhibit women from obtaining a license. Furthermore, the Allahabad High Court has banned new gun licenses due to corruption in the licensing process.
Despite the price and restrictions on gun ownership, the company says they have received 80 inquiries and over 20 bookings, with women making up 80% of their market.
While the government and gun manufactuers see this as a victory for women, many women’s rights groups have spoken out about the need for a cultural shift. Rather than creating an expensive firearm, the Control Arms Foundation of India suggests the government should prioritize security for women.
– Stephanie Lamm
Sources: CNN, Times of India, Al Jazeera
Photo: Pagunblog
Poverty in Nicaragua
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, second only to Haiti. Most of the poverty in Nicaragua exists rurally (more than 80 percent,) but there are also very impoverished neighborhoods in the capital of Managua. In fact, 43 percent of the Nicaraguan population lives in rural areas and 68 percent of them are trying to survive off just over $1 per day. Overall, 46.2 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Implications of Poverty in Nicaragua
The poverty in Nicaragua has caused extremely poor health conditions. HIV and AIDS have been a big issue; there have also been frequent reports of violence against women. Many organizations have been working to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and provide support for those with it, to empower women in their fight for freedom from violence and to empower the youth to encourage them to change their society.
Over the last 40 years, there has been extreme inequality and the country has had to overcome a cruel dictatorship, a gruesome civil war and multiple natural disasters. Another big problem is that the central government has historically marginalized the areas with large populations of indigenous people. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has decreased to only one-third of what it was in 1977 because of the combined impact of continued civil strife, trade embargos, unsuitable macroeconomic policies and institutional changes that are leading toward an even and more centrally-controlled economy.
Unemployment across the entire country is at 12 percent, but among the poor rural families, it is over 20 percent, so many rural families are migrating to other countries or urban areas within Nicaragua to find work. Remittances are vital sources of income for one in every five families and account for 20 percent of the country’s GDP.
Fortunately, the Nicaraguan economy has been growing substantially and has recently received lots of attention, having grown 30 percent since 2006, when the Sandinistas came back into power. Also, the GDP per capita has increased from $1,239 to $1,582 in the past year alone. Also, the Nicaraguan government has signed a lucrative memorandum of understanding with a telecommunications company from China to fund and build an inter-oceanic canal that is said to rival the Panama Canal.
Nicaragua is presently importing oil from Venezuela at solidarity rates, so Nicaragua pays extremely low prices up front for the first half of the oil and then pays low-interest loans over time for the rest. The Central Bank has said that macro-business development and social programs are funded by 62 percent of the Nicaraguan oil revenue.
Because of all of this news in the last five years, extreme poverty (measured by a familial income of less than $1.25 per day) in Nicaragua has fallen from 11.2 percent to 5.5 percent. In 2011, Nicaragua was reported to have an economic growth of 5.1 percent, which was the highest in Central America. Despite all of this good news, a considerable amount of work still needs to be done before it can fully eradicate poverty.
– Kenneth W. Kliesner
Sources: World Bank, Rural Poverty Portal, Health Poverty Action, The Tico Times
Photo: Pacific Lots
So, You Think You Know Martin Luther King Jr.?
The name of Martin Luther King Jr. is synonymous with the civil rights movement in the United States. Here are five interesting facts about him.
– Caitlin Zusy
Sources: CNN, History
Photo: Seattle Times
Services Sector Slows China’s Economy
China’s economy, the services sector in particular, appears to be slowing down, according to statistics.
According to the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)/Markit Services, the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of China dropped to 50.7 in January. “The slower expansion of services activities in January reflected soft manufacturing growth and the impact of Beijing’s latest measures to curb official extravagance,” said Hongbin Qu, Co-Head of Asian Economic Research at HSBC.
Although Qu said services would rise again in the next few months, he also said “a meaningful improvement relies on stronger growth of manufacturing sectors and the implementation of reforms to boost service sectors.”
To provide an updated understanding of what is affecting the private sector economy, the PMI tracks variables such as sales, employment and prices. Moreover, Markit states in its website that businesses as well as governments rely on its data to make better monetary decisions and shape policy.
“The HSBC China Services PMI is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in over 400 private service sector companies,” noted Markit on a press release. “The panel has been carefully selected to accurately replicate the true structure of the services economy.”
For China, the PMI score of 50.7 indicates the output growths at manufacture companies and service providers are weakening. It also indicates that these entities are beginning to cut the prices of what they are trying to sell.
A Reuters article states that China’s economy is still above the 50-point level in which anything below it signifies contraction. In a nutshell, the current score means that the Chinese economy is slowly growing, but it is also on the verge of contraction.
In terms of GDP, the economy of China is the second-largest in the world, according to the World Bank. Based on the Chinese government’s official poverty line, poverty in the nation declined dramatically. However, despite past achievements, many people in the rural areas of China remain impoverished.
“Since the international standard is somewhat less severe than China’s official poverty line, it indicates greater numbers of poor in all years, and that by end-1998, a much larger share of the rural population – about 11.5 percent or some 106 million people – remained in poverty,” said the World Bank.
Once again, it is anticipated that China’s services sector will eventually pick up in the coming months. Only time will tell what direction it will take as the economy that once proved to be a miracle.
– Juan Campos
Sources: Market Economics, Reuters, World Bank
Photo: Business Week
That Awkward Moment When Technology Took Your Job
Over the past the decade the presence of technology in our everyday lives has been increasing exponentially. 10 years ago, the idea a small portable phone will be the central hub people use to interact with other people, as well as businesses and media, was far-fetched.
Smartphones today are now more advanced than the shuttles used to propel man to the moon during the Apollo missions. If the current advancement of technology continues its pace, we will soon face significant shifts in terms of how humans operate within our society.
Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee write in the Huffington Post of the Second Machine Age. They argue that after tectonic corrections in the market, innovations tend to cascade into our society.
Both point out that the 1930’s was one of the most innovative decades in American history. And 30 years after the Great Depression, growth, productivity and living standards skyrocketed.
Comparisons between the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Recession of 2008 lead these two to believe that we are on the cusp of a technological epoch.
So why is technology advancing so rapidly now? They point to three reasons.
First, the computational power of technology has been increasing at breakneck pace. They offer the ASCI Red Supercomputer as an example. It was the size of a whole tennis court and had the computational power of one teraflop. Now the Sony PS4 is a fraction of its size and possesses twice the computational power of the Red.
Secondly, digital information is widely available to almost anyone. Digital products are able to be transmitted in mere seconds and are able to be copied endless amount of times.
And finally, the nature of digital technology allows it to be combined in different ways so as to create more value out of products.
The steady pace of technological innovation present at the moment will present numerous opportunities to many individuals. But some think it will also be disruptive of the current order of society.
Machines can do what humans can do but more precisely, faster and without rest. The reality of technology’s effectiveness could jeopardize many jobs; particularly for the middle class.
The Associated Press conducted a study in which it discovered most of the jobs that are being replaced by technology fall within the middle class wage range of $38,000 to $68,000. For example, between 2000 and 2010, 1.1 million secretaries left the workforce.
In North Carolina State University, a new library was unveiled completely devoid of librarians where robots retrieve books upon request. The books no longer are placed on shelves but in metal bins where they occupy a fraction of the space.
Meter readers for electricity companies are being pushed out of existence in favor of digital meters.
As technology advances, so will the livelihoods of millions, but its advancement can be quite disruptive. What happens when humans find themselves suddenly replaced by machines that can do the job more efficiently and lack the ability to complain to HR?
– Zachary Lindberg
Sources: The Huffington Post, NY Daily News
Photo: hplusmagazine
Buycott: App that Advocates Against Global Poverty
Human rights? There’s an application for that. Launched in May 2013, the free application called ‘Buycott’ is revolutionizing the way social justice is approached by providing consumers with a detailed background into company ethics before making a purchase. Now 10th in the App Store, advocacy is trending with the use of popular technology.
After one scans the barcode, Buycott will trace the product or brand’s owning company and crosscheck it for ethical injustices within a matter of seconds. To make it easier to organize the user’s philanthropic goals, the application enables searches around specific personal conflicts such as human trafficking, labor rights, genetically modified organism labeling, animal welfare and more.
Even more impressively, it encourages grassroots political activism. Users can freely create their own campaigns, which are then incorporated in searches throughout the application and available for others to join. By combining a goal with a problematic company to target, anyone with a Smartphone can inform the world of which products should be avoided.
Many of the popular campaigns today demand opposition to major companies such as Monsanto, Koch Industries, Coca-Cola or Johnson & Johnson. Buycott also has a large presence of positive campaigns, in support of socially conscious companies. For example, Starbucks Coffee Beans made an early appearance on the application for its political support of marriage equality and for its fair trade initiatives.
Sadly, today’s global economy often functions off inhumane sweatshop labor to put cheap products on the shelves of wealthy nations. Sweatshops are known for their poor working conditions, unfair wages, lack of benefits, unreasonable hours and physical abuse. It is estimated that several hundred millions individuals worldwide, mostly women and children, are currently working for wages as low as 13 cents per hour.
Although they are present everywhere, sweatshops are more prevalent in developing nations, such as those in Southeast Asia and Central America, due to an absence of unions and labor laws. Some items most commonly produced through the sweatshop abuses of human rights are shoes, clothing, toys, chocolate, coffee, rugs and bananas.
Sweatshop labor and economically unjust institutions make it next to impossible for surrounding communities to rise out of a state of poverty. They are not truthfully increasing the number of jobs available for local people because the wages earned are too minuscule to provide a family with financial stability. Additionally, they are contrary to more beneficial, sustainable development efforts, stalling any real economic advancement.
Boycotting, or ‘Buycotting’ products manufactured under these contexts supports the broader fight against global poverty, by confronting companies with the injustices they promote and the demand for changed business practices.
– Stefanie Doucette
Sources: Forbes, ABC News, Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, PBS, Buycott
Photo: Sydney Morning Herald
Court Orders Gang Rape in Rural Bengal Village
A 20-year-old woman, accompanied by her mother, entered her local police station in Labhpur, India last week to report having been sentenced to gang rape by her tribal leader when she was unable to pay an arbitrary fine.
Her village of Birbhum, devoid of electricity or a operating school, is one of the small communities where Bengal’s Left government made an attempt to allow civil disputes to be handled by local leaders. This endeavor has resulted in cases of kangaroo courts (known as “shalishi sabhas”) where the villages fall under the power of corrupt leaders who have no regard for the law.
Allegedly, the young woman had fallen in love with a young Muslim man from another village. When he came to visit the family on Monday evening, he was taken by members of the community and kept until the next morning, when the couple was dragged out and tied to separate trees while the ‘court’ (made up of nearly all the males in the village, including children,) held a trial before the rest of the village.
It was decided that the couple would each owe the ‘court’ 25,000 rupees (roughly $396) for breaking tribal tradition, to be paid immediately. The young man was released when he promised to pay, but when the girl’s family explained that they didn’t have the money the community head, referred to as the ‘moral,’ told the members of the court, “If the family does not pay up, go and enjoy yourselves.”
The girl’s helpless parents and 15-year-old brother were confined to their home 50 meters away while the girl was raped by 13 members of the community, including the moral. When she was allowed to return home, her family took her to the block hospital in Labhpur for preliminary treatment. Her mother then took her to the police station, where she was admitted to a district hospital that later verified she had indeed been violently raped.
A slow response to this claim has called up a similar case in March 2013, when a 16-year-old girl was gang-raped, resulting in heightened laws for sex-related crimes. Memory of this recent embarrassment spurred government officials to take action in punishing these new perpetrators to avoid criticism for further negligence.
Police have met with denial and obstinacy from the village whose women defend their men, saying they are innocent and being framed as part of a conspiracy. None of them will testify to seeing the rapes; they claim the girl was simply asked to leave the village.
One woman, whose husband was among those arrested, said angrily to police, “It is this under-construction school that has brought shame to our village. It’s here that the two met. She has brought disrespect to our community.”
Hambram, a graduate from India’s Institue of Technology, agrees that this case has brought shame on the small village, but for different reasons. “In our tribal community, the will of a woman is respected. What happened in Birbhum is a crime. No tribal custom advocates brutality like rape.” What happened in Birbhum was clearly outside the jurisdiction of the village court and contrary to the model of rural life in Bengal.
-Lydia Caswell
Sources: Daily Mail, First Post, IBM Live, The Telegraph
Photo: India
The Impact of Flooding in Bolivia
The deluge Bolivia is experiencing since November 2013 has claimed 38 lives from nonstop flooding. Medicine, food and other supplies have recently been delivered. Humanitarian packages are meant to alleviate hunger and provide warmth while combating the disease that floods bring. Malaria and infections that result in diarrhea and topical infections have been reported.
The Ministry of Defense’s aid convoy and evacuation of the local populace in hard-hit regions cannot hinder the continued problems of the flood-filled country. One of South America’s poorest nations, Bolivia has taken a huge hit in infrastructure, roads and most importantly of all, homes. The continuing inundation has disrupted and displaced over 150,000 lives.
Beni, a region taking the brunt of the storm, has over 4,000 displaced families. Livelihoods of farmers have also taken a huge hit. Agricultural products such as corn and wheat are ruined by the torrential season.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared a state of emergency for his storm-stricken nation.The charismatic leader has otherwise high hopes and plans for Bolivia. In early January, Morales announced that he plans on building a nuclear reactor, the first in his country.
Before the start of the 2014, Bolivia launched Tupak Katara, its first telecommunications satellite, which was named for a national hero who combated Spaniards during colonial times. The satellite, according to Morales, represented the country’s movement away from foreign assistance regarding communications. Despite such claims, China aided the country in its venture.
Moreover, the coca leaf, the source of cocaine, has been an important platform in Morales’ presidency, particularly its removal from the international list of banned drugs. The coca leaf is a primary product in the livelihood of 40,000 Bolivians—a large part of Morales’ constituency. Since recently assuming the chairman of the Group of 77 nations, Morales vows to reinstate the coca leaf.
Among such accomplishments and claims is the never-ending stream of flooding, with weather reports stating that heavier rainfall will most likely continue for weeks to come. With climate change an ever-present feature in many countries, Bolivia, too, is far from unaffected.
– Miles Abadilla
Sources: BBC, Crossmatch Christian Post, Fox News, Fox News, Reuters, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Photo: The Guardian