Thursday, December 20, 2012

GUNS -A Brief History of the USA - Bowling for Columbine - Michael Moore

Satirical humour but also very informative.

Knowledge Issue - what role does emotion and reason play in the gun debate in the USA?

The statistics for gun deaths in various countries are posted on other posts on this blog. About 40 per year in the UK with 70 million people and about 10,000 in the USA with 350 million. Do the math! Yet here you can watch Mr Pratt defend the gun laws and call for more guns. He advocates that teachers should carry guns in school. Mr Crockett Keller, a gun shop owner in Texas has advocated that School Principals should have assault weapons in the office.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

PAKISTAN TERROR Karachi polio killings: Vaccination workers shot

Five female Pakistani polio vaccination workers have been shot dead in a string of coordinated attacks - four within 20 minutes across Karachi.

The fifth woman was killed in Peshawar. A male health worker was shot dead in Karachi on Monday.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Stolen Money Keeps Africa Underdeveloped - EQUATORIAL GUINEA - ETHICS OF OIL

SECOND VIDEO ANGOLA - WHERE DOES THE OIL MONEY GO?

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/

Corruption Perceptions Index 201

Why did an ex-US soldier commit mass murder in Oklahoma in 1996 and call it 'patriotic' to murder men, women and children?

What is the Radical Right in the USA? They are small in number but dangerous because they are armed and dangerous and they hide behind the 'right to bear arms' guaranteed in the ancient Second Amendment of the American Constitution.
There are many different groups. Some are extreme Christian groups, these groups hate secular values and the separation of church and state.
Some are "SURVIVALISTS" who form paramilitary organisations in rural America, convinced one day that Communism or some other ideology will take over America and they will 'rescue' the country by force of arms. They are often described as 'militias'.
Some are American Nazis who follow Hitler's toxic ideology of racism.
Because of the Second Amendment (the right of citizens to bear arms dating back to the 1700s) they operate legally, wear uniforms and train on weekends. Most do not take their 'fight' beyond pamphlets and weekend miliatry camps but TIMOTHY MCVEIGH went further and drove a truck bomb into a Federal Building in Oklahoma in 1996.
All these different groups, including American Nazi groups are united in one thing - they hate their own government in Washington. They have a special hatred for the FBI, ATF and other Federal Law Officers.
Ironically, these groups consider themselves 'patriots' and just as George Washington raised a civilian army to fight the British in American, they believe that one day they will overthrow the government in Washington. Why? They believe the Federal Government is part of a world-wide conspiracy of Jews and Communists who 'want to destroy the American way of life'. This is nonsense of course but as we know from TOK emotional belief systems are not open to logical debate. Do they offer any proof of their claims? Oh yes! They believe that the Federal Government want to take away their guns so that they can control the citizens more easily. That is why they love their guns.
There is a 1988 feature film, "Betrayed" starring Tom Berenger which is loosely based on these right-wing militia groups.

THE INSANITY OF THE AMERICAN ULTR-CONSERVATIVE RIGHT WING AND TWO OF THEIR HATE POSTERS. Above their absurd claims about President Obama and below a leaflet issued by those 'patriots' against the great President Kennedy. The climate of hate generated around President Kennedy was just that of a vocal deranged minority. The film clips of the President's trip to Dallas show that he was loved by the vast majority of Americans.

Knowledge Issue - What role does human vanity play in hoax or false claims in Science?

Brilliant example of Human Sciences (human behaviour) impacting on Knowledge in the Natural Sciences. How was this hoax perpetrated and how was it exposed? How important is the Scientific Method in avoiding false claims? What role does ethics play in ensuring the pursuit of justified true belief in Science?

Darth Vader - a display of power by keeping your subordinate off balance

Is Pakistan a failed state? What does it tell us about the terrorists when they attack Pakistani soldiers?

Gunbattle follows Pakistan airport attack - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English

Saturday, December 15, 2012

ETHICS in Journalism - Fox news anti-Obama bias - distortion of the facts or deliberate lies and misinformation?

Fox News is generally considered to be pro-conservative, pro the Republican Party, sympathetic to the American Rifle Association, hostile to liberal positions and the Democratic Party and President Obama. In the early days of television news, journalists were expected to state the facts and generally viewers were expected to weigh the evidence and form their own opinions. Fox News and many right-wing 'talk-radio' hosts like Rush Limbagh have fostered a climate of paranoia and conspiracy theories around President Obama suggesting that he is an enemy of the American people.

Interesting blog on global issues. See link below.

India: Graduates of the Trivandrum Medical College rejoice after their convocation ceremony in Thiruvanantapuram. (Anand Shinde)

http://globalbhasin.blogspot.in/p/education-around-world.html

NYPD Police Officer Gives Shoes To Homeless Man

As our news channels and this blog have carried news of the savage act of violence in an American Elementary School, I wanted to re-post this story, to remind myself and you my readers that there are many good, kind, decent caring people doing their best to improve the lives of others. This New York Police Officer, who did not know he was being photographed when he bought a pair of boots for a homeless and shoeless man in New York is just one example of those 'little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love'.

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness

Why can USA citizens buy assault weapons? Who are the special interest groups who continue to block efforts to control ownership of guns in the USA? Why are assault weapons legal there?

The gun ownership and gun homicides murder map of the world

Excellent resource - click on link here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/22/gun-ownership-homicides-map

Which countries in the world have the highest firearms murders - and the highest rates of gun ownership? Click on a country to see how it compares - and use the dropdown menu to see the map in different ways.
The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.
Here is a video which shows the attitude of some gun owners who invoke their right under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution drafted in the 1700s when George Washington and others needed the citizens to arm themselves to resist the British Government during the war of independence. Yes dear readers, that is the legal basis for this poster wearing his gun on the beach and then almost taunting the police with his legal rights.

While our first thoughts and feelings go to the victims of these horrific crimes, it is legitimate to ask in a TOK context, why is the USA so different to other developed and developing countries in this area of gun ownership? I noted on a list that that the USA has 88 guns per 100 persons in the population. Has it made them safe?

Gun ownership list by country from The Guardian UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jul/22/gun-homicides-ownership-world-list

Gun homicides and gun ownership listed by country

Where are the world's guns - and which countries have the highest rates of firearms murders?
• Interactive map
• Get the data
• More data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian

The latest gun tragedy in the USA and the polarised debate between pro-gun control and anti-gun control groups.

All of us extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the murdered children and adults in the USA shooting today.
This article is interesting but the comments below it reveal the huge gap in thinking between those who believe that gun controls are needed and the pro-gun lobby who oppose gun control.

The UK has about 40 gun murders per year
Japan less than 30
Canada has about 200 murders
USA has 10,000 approximately.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/07/rest-first-world-astounded-americas-enduring-gun-culture/54967/

The Rest of the First World Is Astounded by America's Enduring Gun Culture

Friday, December 14, 2012

TOK - Knowledge Issues - weapons of mass destruction 'scare' regarding invasion of Iraq

No weapons of mass destruction were found after the invasion. Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator and it was good that he was removed from power. However, only time will tell if one monster will be replaced by another one. Also the scare tactics used by the Bush administration to mobilise public opinion behind the invasion, the idea that Saddam had chemical weapons and was in league with Al Qaeda was shown to be false. No weapons were found. This led to an even greater distrust of politicians generally and a final sad outcome is the massive number of murders in Iraq in strife between Sunni and Shia groups. The West removed Saddam but has not been able to ensure a stable government to replace him. Even today murders continue in that sad country.

Exploring Issues with Knowledge-TOK Presentation

Some good points here but overall the presentation is both interesting and at times meandering. However the student is clearly engaged with the topic.