Disaster in the Gulf

By Elizabeth Hopkins ’11

Since April 20 when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico, somewhere between 18 and 44 million gallons of oil have leaked into the ocean at a conservative estimate of 210,000 gallons per day. Eleven workers were killed in the initial explosion before the entire ship sunk two days later around fifty miles from Louisiana and began releasing enormous amounts of crude oil into the Gulf. Currently the impact of the spill has spread across a diameter of 150 miles, extending from Dauphin Island, Alabama to Grand Isle, Louisiana. Large clouds of oil pollute the Gulf in areas as deep as three hundred feet, causing the death of much wildlife in the area. Since the spill, eighteen dolphins and 183 sea turtles have been washed ashore, and the death toll of countless other animals is expected to rise as the oil continues to spread.

Initial attempts to slow the oil flow failed when the blowout preventer (a safety device that is designed to stop the flow of the oil in case of an explosion) did not succeed in preventing further leakage. Other methods, such as the use of a containment dome and a mile-long siphoning tube, did not work sufficiently and BP has been forced to look for other means of containing the spill. The most recent effort—the “top kill” technique—also proved unsuccessful after four days and BP is now attempting to stem the flow with the use of robot technology.

The oil disaster has also raised some questions in regard to President Obama’s initial intent to expand offshore drilling and work toward passing an environmental bill that would address bipartisan sentiments. This recent event has certainly altered Congress’s approach to the environmental issue and will force Democrats and Republicans to work closer together toward an effective result. President Obama has announced plans to increase regulation of oil companies by separating the Minerals Management Service into two sections, one that would oversee safety issues and another to deal with leases and royalties. Several senators have also expressed interest in banning Pacific drilling altogether.

Yet taking legitimate action in this situation will prove to be a challenge, as this event has reminded Washington and America that the oil industry still holds tight reins on the government. Almost all means of preventing further damage lie in the hands of BP, a fact which has caused rage in many government officials who want an increase in government assistance in preventing the flow. Not only does the government have substantially limited power in addressing the disaster, but the spill has exposed just how limited current regulation laws are in comparison to the sheer advancement of current oil technology.

This addresses the underlying problem which perhaps has been the main contributor to this disaster—the strong connection between government and oil industries. This link has existed since the discovery of crude oil as an energy source and as certainly dominated politics since the 1970s. Governmental oil interests have arguably served as the main force that has prevented America from taking more significant steps toward an environmentally friendly future. And this fact has certainly resurfaced in recent events as America begins to recognize the amount of regulation necessary in the oil industry. The industry’s partnership with government is just beginning to weaken with the arrival of a more liberal environmental policy in the White House.  But this partnership must be fully broken if America hopes to prevent such disasters as the present oil spill from occurring again.

Google in China?

By: Oliver Hammond

Their troubles started in 2006 when Google launched its Google China (Google.cn) website.  China required by law that Google censored its search results (such as searches regarding the Tiananmen Square incident), and Google was forced to comply despite the fact that they are strongly against all forms of censorship.  They reasoned that the benefits of having an increased access to information and a more open internet would compensate for having to censor some of their site.

Although Google was not overly happy with the situation they were forced into, they were able to provide users of China with their service while still complying with the laws of the Chinese government.  However, things took a turn for the worse in Mid-December when Google detected a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” that had originated from China, which ended in the theft of intellectual property.

Major US corporations are attacked very frequently, and this was originally thought to be another run of the mill attack.  Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the main target of the attack was to steal information of Chinese human rights activists’ Gmail accounts. Furthermore, it was learned that some Chinese government officials had privileged access to the code used to attack Google.

On March 22^nd, 2010 Google decided that they would no longer continue censoring search results in China, and has now made their Google.cn website redirect to their Google Hong Kong website (Google.com.hk).  This solution allows them to provide uncensored search results while still abiding Chinese law.  Google has stated that it will still maintain a Chinese R&D and sales department, although its relationship with the Chinese government remains strained.

Haiti: The After-Effects

By: Elizabeth Hopkins

For many, the earthquake in Haiti has become an event lost beneath the ever-growing pile of news stories which fill computer and television screens each day. Even after the earthquakes in Chile struck on February 27 and Turkey was hit by a 6.0-magnitude quake nine days later, these tragedies were quick to be forgotten in the onrush of everyday life. Yet the after-effects of these natural disasters remain devastating and ever-present for the inhabitants of these countries.

The world has witnessed alarming devastation as a result of natural disasters in the past several years. Relief programs are appearing throughout the world in order to create a more immediate response to future crises. The most recent of these supply hubs has been established in Subang, Malaysia by the U.N. World Food Program. Designed to respond to disasters within 48 hours of the event, it will provide food, first aid kits, generators, and many other emergency supplies to disaster victims. Similar relief organizations have been established in Panama, Italy, Ghana, and Dubai, all of which responded to the recent emergencies in Haiti and Chile.

Yet even programs like these fail to fully address natural disasters of such magnitude. Two days without outside help can be devastating to the victims left waiting for supplies and medical care. And in situations like Haiti, the consequences of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake reach deeply into the psyche of the population.

The January earthquake has caused a massive shift in the existence of thousands of Haitians who once sought escape from their rural lifestyle. Port-au-Prince previously offered job opportunities for many citizens seeking a better life, opportunities that have now been shattered in the quake. Where the city once represented better prospects and has drawn massive immigration since the 1980s, it is now becoming an urban wasteland—over 600,000 of its residents have returned to the countryside, and this number is continuing to rise. Many Haitians, although reluctant to leave the city, have found no choice but to return to their rural origins. Yet these areas of Haiti have offered little more than Port-au-Prince. Already poor communities and small cities are experiencing the immense strain of a remarkable increase in population—the number of residents in Fond-des-Blancs has increased by around a third since January. This massive immigration has and will continue to place a great stress on these poverty-stricken communities as food and job shortages increase.

The earthquake has had a far-reaching psychological impact on the residents of Haiti as well as those affected by the earthquakes in Chile and Turkey. However, the damage in Haiti remains the most extensive. Victims of the quake are battling depression and psychosis as a result of the shock. Others suffer from an ongoing sensation that the earth is still shaking—a sensation which causes chest pains and headaches. The earthquake has left thousands in need of psychological treatment without help, as the already few mental health hospitals in Haiti suffered significant damage during the quake.

Substantial recovery in these areas still remains a long way off, and the threat of similar natural disasters has become increasingly present throughout the world. More and more communities are being exposed to the devastation of hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. But programs like the one recently established in Malaysia will help to create a more immediate response to future disasters and help victims who do not have access to local relief.

A Short Guide to Healthcare Reform

By Tyler Harley

Fact-spewing time.  Ask the average American what’s in the recently passed Healthcare Bill and they probably won’t be able to tell much.  That’s no fault of theirs. This is a confusing piece of legislature that been surrounded by more controversy than any other bill in my lifetime, so it’s hard to know what’s exactly true.  Since there is so much information, we’ve taken the time to boil down a few of the important issues.  The “Healthcare and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act” is 2,310 pages long.  So we won’t be going into all of it.

Here are some notes to help you understand what exactly this bill will do and why it is so important:

• It will cover approximately 32 million people
• The estimated cost of his plan is roughly $940 billion, and it is said to reduce the deficit by $143 billion
• You can keep your current plan if you do not wish to change it
• A lot of this bill will be enacted in phases over a period of time.
• Already enacted is the clause that prohibits insurance companies from both denying service and raising premiums for children due to pre-existing conditions
• Within the next 6 months, insurance agencies will be prohibited from cancelling coverage to customers simply because they get sick
• Small businesses will receive subsidies to provide better insurance for workers, and they will be not allowed to deny coverage (except for companies with less than 50 employees) or they will pay a fine of $2000 per employee
• By 2013, there will be increased Medicare taxes (by about 0.9%) to individuals making more than $200,000 annually and families making more than $250,000 annually
• There will also be a 3.8% tax on things like interest and dividends (a.k.a. unearned income)
• There will be no more limit to how much coverage a single person can receive
• Us young folks can keep using our parents’ health insurance until age 26
• In 2014, health insurance will be mandatory (just like car insurance) – all citizens must have health insurance or pay either a fine of $95 a year or 1% of income
• Also in 2014, tax credits will be available to lower- and middle-class families, the subsidies for businesses will increase, and the “pre-existing condition” clause will apply to everyone
• In the coming years, the health insurance industry will be taxed, starting at $8 billion
• Medicare will start paying doctors based on quality of care instead of quantity of care. and they will receive a 10% bonus as well
• Temporary insurance will be offered to early retirees (minimum age 55)
• A backdoor deal between Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader) and Senator Ben Nelson (D-Ne) which guaranteed all new Medicaid users in Nebraska lifelong coverage paid for by the federal government was not in the final draft
• Finally, for those anyone confused by this issue: THERE IS NO PUBLIC OPTION

And that’s not even a quarter of what’s in this bill.* But hopefully it is enough to clear up some of the mysteries about it and provide you with the basics.

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* I actually have no idea how much of the bill this information represents. 25% seemed like a pretty small number to me.