HIV Analysis

           HIV/AIDS is a deadly disease as we all know, but who does it affect? With the help of Gapminder.org I was able to take a closer look at this question. I didn’t look at a specific area of the globe because I wished to understand how widespread this disease is. The three graphs that I used were: total number infected, percentage of population ages 15-49 that are infected, and percentage of population that are newly affected with HIV.

            Link to Statistical Map

          The first thing that popped out at me as important was that HIV is everywhere. Many times people just assume that this disease is only a problem in developing countries. However, just by looking at the first map anyone can see that well established countries are affected as well. The first graph doesn’t tell the whole story though. It is based solely on population size. Meaning, the more populated areas of the world are going to have a higher number of HIV viruses. When looking at the percentages of the population infected, a much clearer picture can be painted of which area of the world is most affected by HIV. The United States, China and India, barely register on this graph, whereas southern Africa almost jumps out of the computer.

            The real question isn’t what countries are infected, but how can countries slow the spread of HIV. The last graph I looked at is a good indicator of countries that understand HIV. By simulating the map graph based on the percentage of newly infected people, one can see that the percentages over the years have gone down for the entire world. However, it is easy to see that the southern half of Africa and other developing areas of the world have decreased at a much slower rate than the rest of the world. Though the percentages are dropping I believe it is important governments educate their citizens to ultimately put an end to this deadly disease, HIV. 

Tate DeMeulenaere

Disabilities in Ecuador

“The most important thing is to raise public awareness that people with disabilities can effectively integrate into daily life.” Luis Vicente González told this to a World Bank reporter on the subject of equality in Ecuador. This article from the World Bank Group website is about equal rights to those individuals suffering from physical disabilities in Ecuador. The article talks about how, despite of Ecuadorean law that says 4% of all employed workers should be disabled, these individuals are still getting discriminated against.

Living in America we just assume that equal rights is not a problem. To most it isn’t, but to a number of employers it’s as if they look down on the handicapped as if they can not do any job as well as a person without a handicap could. This is an absurd way of thinking because many people with these handicaps can do the same job just as well as anyone else and sometimes even better.  After a person stops and thinks about the problems with discrimination we have in America, “The Land of the Free,” it makes one wonder what discrimination is like in a developing country such as Ecuador.

One part of this article that jumped out at me as important was a particular paragraph talking about equal rights in schools and in the education system. The article points out that the World Bank has taken some major steps towards making sure all children get an honest chance at a good education regardless of any disabilities they may have. It was alarming to me that, in Ecuador, it is not uncommon for children to be held from school because of a physical or mental handicap they suffer from.  This is something that, as Americans, we take for granted sometimes because we have federal programs that allow for special treatment and teacher’s aids to help with special needs children.

Even a person unfamiliar with American history knows that equal rights has been a battle for minorities for many years, not just because of race, but because of physical and mental handicaps as well. The World Bank Group understands that in developing countries, such as Ecuador, these issues are present even more so than in established countries because of the lack of social awareness. Though this is a touchy issue for some and one that many lose sleep about, it’s good to know that there are people like Luis Vicente González and organizations like the World Bank that understand these issues and set out to educate the public and ultimately help with the problem.

Link to Related Article

Tate DeMeulenaere

Children Soldiers in Samolia

      War has become a way of life for the population of Somalia in recent years. The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab has been battling the government of Somalia for some time now. This article, found from CNN’s world news page, talks about how children as young as 10 years old are being used in military combat. As the article explains this is nothing new in Somalia. The federal government recruits children to join the military as well.

    

      Children are being kidnapped all over Somalia from schools, off the streets, or even from their homes. What’s the most striking to me is that when these children are abducted, they are taken and used many times as human shields on the battle field. If this isn’t disturbing enough, what is the federal government doing about it? Nothing is the answer because the federal government uses children soldiers in their armed forces as well. “For children of Somalia, nowhere is safe,” Zama Coursen-Neff, Human Rights Watch deputy children’s rights director, told CNN reporters. It’s true though. How can a government fix a serious problem if they are committing the same crime?

      It may be hard to relate to this because something this absurd would never happen in the country we live in.  It just goes to show the world is not such a happy place as many American citizens assume. However, it is settling to know that organizations such as the United Nations, who are meeting this week to talk about this issue, are taking steps to prevent such absurdity from happening.

Link to Related Article

Tate DeMeulenaere

African Jazz/Blues Music

Music is something that people all around the world use to cope with problems, celebrate successes, morn deaths, and even practice religion. Music is not something only found here in the United States either, it’s global. I took an evening to sit down on my computer and listen to some native music found from the southern part of Africa. The songs that I listened to were from a group of African singers known as the Four Brothers. There music is of the pop jazz/blues genre and is of up tempo melodies. Some basic research informed me that the music this group sings says a lot about the culture and way of life in Africa.

One song in particular caught my attention, “Makorokoto”. It turns out, as I assumed, each of this band’s songs have a passionate meaning behind each of them. “Makorokoto,” is a song of Zimbabwean revolution. The Four Brothers band was formed during a time when current Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia. Therefor, the members where part of this revolution. Before researching, I took the time to listen to the melody, beat and lyrics of this song. What was very clear to me from the beginning was, “Makorokoto” was a happy song. It makes since after researching as to why. In Shona, the bands native language, makorokoto means celebration.

Before listening to this native African music genre I didn’t know what to expect. It was hard for me to picture anything but, native, African tribesmen dancing around a fire singing songs passed down from generation to generation. I was very mistaken in this assumption. Just as music here in the United States represents a specific life event, so does this African jazz. Even though you cannot understand the words meaning by hearing it, just by listening a person can understand the bigger picture that is being painted. The beat, the ups and downs in the singer’s voices, all lead to the deeper understanding of what is being addressed. I believe that if a person wishes to get a better understanding of African culture, it is crucial that they take a few minutes to indulge in some of the world’s best and intriguing jazz/blues music.

Tate DeMeulenaere