ST313 bacterium

Salmonella is a drug resistant strain of bacteria gains in Africa. The drug resistant has emerged a high death rate in the last decade in Africa and it’s been causing unusual number of death.

Deadly Agent: the drug resistant ST313 bacterium (in red)

The drug’s resistance genome was decoded by researchers from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and researchers in Kenya and Malawi.

Most salmonella bacteria cause diarrhea and are rarely fatal, this one cause’s death in 1 of 2 cases among children and vulnerable adults in some African regions. Many of the victims have been weakened by AIDS, anemia, malaria or malnutrition.

Salmonella circulates in animals and humans through food poisoning. After sequencing the bacterial DNA found in about 50 Africans suspected of infection, researchers said that ST313 strain appeared to be mutating to circulate in humans independently of animals.

Dr. Chisomo Msefula says ST313 “has rapidly gained resistance to many of the commonly used antibiotics in the field.” The author of this article said that “poor countries needed greater access to sophisticated genetic sequencing machines that could spot tiny DNA mutations like the ones making this germ so fatal.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/health/01glob.html?ref=africa

Rwanda Joins British Commonwealth

The republic of Rwanda was admitted to the British Commonwealth on Saturday. It became the 54th nation joining the post colonial group. The members of BC admitted the central African country after it applied for membership in 2008. This decision was made due to the effort made in the country in the last 15 years, Rwanda’s government spokesperson said in toe capital Kigali.

Diplomats as also have seen a promising step in the country’s political development under Paul Kagame as president, after the genocide in 1994.

Rwanda’s application which was made along with Mozambique initially came under consideration because of criticism of its human rights record.

Rwanda was first colonized by Germany in late 19th century and then by Belgians. Later, the country held close ties with France, which were severed after 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Afghans Say Poverty, Not Taliban, Main Cause Of War

The main cause of war in Afghanistan is not the Taliban, but the poverty. Unemployment and government corruption are the main causes of war.

After 3 decades of war Afghanistan is remains one of the poorest and least developed country in the world. Unemployment rate stands around 40 percent and more than more than half the country lives below the poverty line. Violence is at its highest level since U.S. backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.

A survey of more than 7000 Afghans by British charity Oxfam and over groups, found that 70 percent of people who completed the survey, see poverty and unemployment as the main divers of the conflict. Almost a half of them said corruption and ineffectiveness of their government are the main reason for the continuous war while 36% thought the Taliban insurgency was to blame.

“Repairing this damage can’t be done overnight. It will take a long time for the economic, social and psychological scars to heal… Afghanistan needs more than military solutions.”

There are 110 000 foreign soldiers in Afghanistan 68 000 Americans trying to strengthen Talibu insurgency that has spread to previously peaceful areas. President Obama is deciding where to send the other 40 000 troops. The Afghanistan’s frustration is the slow pace of development – widespread corruption, inability of Afghan and international security forces to stop the violence.

Even though there are billions of dollars in aid poured into the country, very few Afghans have seen few changes in their lives.

“Many individuals felt that though much had been promised to the Afghan people, little had actually been delivered – creating frustration and disillusionment and ultimately discouragement stability” – Oxfam said.



http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/11/18/world/international-us-afghanistan-survey.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=poverty&st=cse

I think this is a very interesting article. People are trying to figure out what is the problem and how it started and this is the first step of solving a problem, identifying it and also knows how and why it started. There is a progress in development in Middle East.

The fact that people don’t feel the change its being made, even though there are a lot of money doing into Afghanistan, it is repeated a lot of times that there is a constant corruption in that country, there is no surprise there.

I think pathos is very well used when the person said; - Repairing this damage can’t be done overnight (….) economic, social and psychological scars to heal- the psychological scar, shows through how much terror they have and are being put under .

Sponsor of Corporations EDIT

Homeless people belong to the streets no matter what. People with money are brought into media and are given more money.

Big companies are paying people to advertise their products, their name and make the world aware that they exist.

A homeless person in the middle of New York is watching TV on the side walk that is advertisement. Two young college students are saying First USA in each conversation they have no matter whom with; they get paid the college tuition.

Chris Barrett and Luke McCabe are the two talking head of this section. They are going to share their story with us while a number of conventions will make us visualize what they have to say. Tiger Woods is shown through video montage where he is wearing a Nike hat. That was Chris and Luke’s inspiration; they are telling us through voice over that the famous sport played must get a lot of money for wearing the hat. The two representatives of First USA started doing small advertisements for different products. While telling the story, archival footage of them wearing different message t-shirts are shown, them advertising brands of cereals.

The talking heads are explaining how they started working for First USA and the company is paying their college tuitions. During video montage is shown of them two doing different things for the company, the voice over is mentioning how they got into the media saying First USA on TV, and taking every opportunity to advertise the company that is supporting all their expenses.

At the end of the section, Luke and Chris are sharing a deeper side of their story, using ethos pathos and logos, they make us aware that the company is paying their college so they have to do what they are told to do, which is logic, how hard it is to mention one company’s name into a conversation. Ethos is pathos are used when they start saying that they trust the company and they should be trusted and if not, it’s a mistake not to trust them make the best out of it. First USA will always be there for them and will always help them. People around these two enlightened them and have faith in them.

In this section, ethos come in right at the beginning where the homeless person probably make more advertisement for that TV than Chris and Luke are doing for First USA. There are a lot more people walking by in a busy New York City than two people can talk to. The poor homeless person doesn’t know how much good he does for TV companies, so what he is doing is not intentional and he doesn’t get paid, while the two college students are aware of their job, are doing for the money and are getting paid. That is an emotional point touched, the unfairness done to those in need.

Diarrhea is taking children away

Diarrhea kills 1.5 million children every year in developing countries. This is caused by dehydration. Only 4 in 10 people who need oral rehydration get it. Diarrhea kills more than AIDS malaria and measles.

All the attention has gone to more glamorous disease but the basic one has been left behind. Mickey Chopra, chief of health at UNICEF is trying to put diarrhea back to the global health agenda.

His observations say that rich nations spend too much on AIDS which requires lifelong medications, comparing to diarrhea and other killer of children, pneumonia which can be treated inexpensively.

Recent data had shown progress in reducing child mortality and treating people with AIDS.

There is competition for foreign assistance. President Obama had increased with 2 percent the senses on H.I.V. and AIDS for 2010 and 6 percent for maternal and child health. Global health care said that even with the American help, the big child killers are remaining.

In Nigeria and Ethiopia, the main African targets, the number of deaths in 2007 of AIDS was 237 000 which is less than 540 000 the number of children under 5 years old killed by pneumonia and diarrhea.

This year, $ 750 million USA is spending on H.I.V. and AIDS in the two countries not only dwarfs the $35 million it is spending there on maternal and child heath, but is also more than $646 million spend on maternal and child health in the world’s countries combined.

Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel a bioethicist from Syracuse University had contended that international aid for health is limited and would save more lives if increases focused on maternal health and the “mundane but deadly diseases” that is killing the children. Such choices are necessary if the United States decides whose lives their going to save. While USA has invested heavily in fighting against AIDS, other wealthy nations should pick up on other costs for other deadly diseases. Jeffery D. Sachs Sais “rather than tearing down what’s working, we should continue to invest in what’s needed.”

Mr. Obama promised to put more focus on maternal health and percent and proposed a 53% increase in the fight for malaria in the next year.

Even thought a lot of money is put into fighting deadly diseases in Africa, still more than half the people who need drug treatment are not getting it. Two million people died of HIV AIDS in 2007. Pneumonia killed 3 million children under age of 5 and diarrhea killed another 1.5 million, out of almost 9 million young children who died last year.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/world/30child.html?ref=africa

This is an interesting article and I think it makes the audience aware of some of the good part of the USA. There is always the question, what does US get out of this?! What ever that is, if there is something, I was suprized wit how much money they invest in Africa. What I dont understad, is why are they investing mostly in Ethiopia and Nigeria, why not in all the countried in need. If really US want to save people, then money would be send all other the world where people really need help. The developig countries are their only solution, mostly Africa which is continuously fighting against disseases and total poverty!

Sponsor of Corporations

There is a homeless person in the middle of New York who lives on the street, on the side walk of the street, his roof is a plastic foil, but he has a TV. The voice over tells us that people go and take picture with him and it would be interesting if the company would sponsor him. A close up of his eyes is shown, you could read the sadness on his look, he does have problems and he is homeless. The next shot its two people (Chris Barrett and Luke McCabe) getting into a MBW car.

They saw Tiger Woods on TV wearing a Nike hat, a close up of a picture is shown, where the Nike sign is clearly visible, had and figured out that he is paid a lot of money to wear that. Chris and Luke thought they could do that for someone else. Archival footage of Chris and Luke advertising cereals of products is shown while they tell us how they have advertised and got money for school. Archival footage continues showing us the two advertisers on TV talking about First USA on TV, advertising First USA and getting money for their college just for mentioning First USA on TV.

Talking head of these two is presented and they are telling us their story how they know the First USA will always be there for them and will always help them, people they are working for enlightened them and have faith in them "because if you don’t, then it's just not good!"

Luke and Chris are paid by First USA for mentioning their name where ever they are going, and they are paying their college tuition and are working for them. They created a connection between the company and then two, they know they can rely and trust First USA and should have trust in them, while the homeless person in New York get nothing for advertising the TV's gets nothing for making people away of how important the TV is and how aware makes you of what happens around. He doesn’t get paid, either he doesn’t know he should, or the company just uses him, as they use all of us.

Incapacity to experience guilt edit

Leaders of the companies are not aware of all the damages are created around them. The grid for money and power gives them indifference and incapacity to experience guilt.

The environment is destroyed, animal habitats are being destroyed, people are born deformed, and chemicals are thrown into running water that causes millions of deaths.

What we have seen in the documentary is people being aware of this, thought different conventions, habitats of different animals are destroyed, and video montage is being used for that. Pollution is represented in an animated way and archival footage is used as well. The voice other makes us aware of how much damage is being made and also that “the industry has known about this” and no one has done anything towards fixing it.

Samuel Epstein a professor of environmental medicine plays the talking head role and makes us aware that chemicals that are released in the atmosphere are killing individuals and animals. Archival footage is used to show picture of deformed people and animals dying, touching our emotions through soft and slow music in the background. On top of that, voice over, the talking head, tells the audience how this is also largely responsible for this “overwhelming epidemic kind of cancer.” There is a chance that one in every 3 women gets cancer in one life time.

Monsanto is one of the biggest “killer” of all corporations. Because of people’s incapacity to experience guilt, “there is no evidence through of side effects, we don’t use antibiotics.” This is Monsanto’s argument. While Samuel is saying this, video montage is used to present young children drinking Monsanto’s poisoned milk and cereals. The talking head make popular that evidence also shows that they “had lied through their teeth.”

The film makes are showing this in such a way that logos, ethos and pathos are well defined. Logos is used to show us that the answer was always under our nose. People had always died of different diseases and weird illnesses and now women are dying of cancer. Ethos is represented by the talking head, Samuel who is a professor and he is aware of what the world and people endure from people hungry for money and pathos is represented by the slow music in the background and the emotional pictures shown. These two are created and brought together into this documentary especially to touch the sensible parts of peoples’ hearts.