China's two-child policy works

link: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-10/31/content_27227511.htm

     When China relaxed its four-decade one-child policy at the start of 2016, because the population is aging currently. There were a variety of predictions on whether the change in family planning rules would encourage enough people to have a second child. Even though the recent urban generation are less willing to raise more than one kid due to the increased costs and new lifestyles. According to the birthrate, in the first half of 2016, the proportion of Chinese newborns who were second children grew to 44.7 percent of total newborns, a 6.9 percent increase in the whole year of 2015. 
     A total of 8.31 million newborns were registered nationwide this year by the end of June, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. Available data indicate it's the highest proportion of second children since China introduced its family planning policies in the late 1970s, limiting most couples to just one child, the commission told China Daily. Although the government is encouraging more newborn babies, the resources such as nature resources or like government benefits are limited. Thinking about the social security system we just talked about last Thursday, the more aging people would cause extra burdens on the social security. The government needs to come out some new plans to deal with the increasing population as well as the aging population.

Italy Experiences Most Powerful Earthquake Since 1980

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37823614

Italy’s has just experienced its most powerful earthquake (6.6 magnitude) since 1980, leaving 20 injured and more than 15,000 homeless in and around the historic city of Norcia. The earthquake has destroyed the homes of thousands of people, many of whom are now taking shelter in tents and converted sports halls. The disaster is the fourth earthquake which the region has experienced in the last three months. This event will inevitably cost the town’s local government substantial quantities of money, sums which had probably been allocated to other expenses. These funds will be used for reconstruction and aid to affected individuals and families. As of now, no information has been released regarding the amount of money which will be devoted to this restoration work and to aid. The areas affected are by no means industrial hubs, so the effects on production and GDP will be minimal at most and non-existent at best. However, it will also be interesting to see the amount of time, energy and resources which will be put in restoring structures of cultural and historic significance in the town. One does not know if the resources will be distributed equitably throughout the affected areas – will they be given the amount of funding required to fully restore them, or simply just enough as the town does not have much bearing on the economic growth of the country?

In speaking of the earthquake itself, one related consequence of the disaster is the negative effects it had and continues to have on efficiency. Firstly, many of the affected individuals are not able to be productive members of society in terms of work and employment, having been made homeless and unable to go to work. Additionally, the earthquake’s tremors were felt in Rome, prompting a shutdown of the metro. So, not only were residents of Norcia unable to go to work, but even some in the capital city were affected.

"Dirty Election" Is Being Mirrored in Smaller Races

With the 2016 U.S. Presidential race coming to a close in the coming weeks, the negative campaigning is also beginning to end. However, what will stay is the pejorative nature of political talk, and the idea of acceptability on all platforms. The constant character-bashing and overwhelming claims have taken precedent over the true intentions of candidates. This trend is disparaging not only to the political process, but the manner in which individuals view politicians and those in authority positions.

Irvine, California is a great example of this effect. The state is overwhelmingly democratic, so much of the attention has been left to the local elections; and especially in Irvine, there are many positions up for grabs. However, the effects of the negative nature of the presidential election have trickled down to these smaller platforms. Two candidates on Irvine's city council ballot have been the subject of backlash simply because of their family's heritage. The effects of this trend will inevitably factor into future political elections, however, hopefully the damage will not trickle into a change in the country's view of each other.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/world/americas/venom-of-us-election-seeps-down-to-city-council-race-in-california.html?ref=world&_r=0

Clinton E-Mail investigation

Despite the FBI receiving new e-mails in relation to her private server scandal, the investigation is likely to not be concluded until after the election. The new e-mails being found on Anthony Weiner's laptop (estranged wife of aide Huma Abedin) will be placed on lower priority according to sources. Thus, the conclusions of the investigation will not be done for a while, needing to conduct forensics and possible interviews.

It is understandable that the FBI may not place this as their top priority, however, I do not see how this is fair or even equitable for voters this upcoming week. Voters who may of been hesitant, may be voting for an individual who may be indicted by the FBI. They are not presented with full information and may be voting for someone that they may not believe in. Voters are offered limited options and two candidates with much baggage and in many voters eyes, little integrity. Voters have as complete information as possible on election day.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/31/politics/clinton-email-fbi-investigation/index.html

Rigged Election

What we all had figured, but lacked hard evidence to support, is now coming to be found true. Hillary Clinton is once again under investigation for her email scandal, and an email has surfaced that shows a debate question was given to Hillary the night before a primary debate in March. The "boss" of the DNC sent an email to Clinton explaining which women would be asking her a question, what the question would be, and that women's past troubles relating to the question. The question was about the Flint water crisis, so it is probable that candidates could have expected a question relating to such, but if this question was leaked, and explained in the details it was, it leaves me wondering what other unfair advantages were also given to Clinton. There was also evidence in other emails that could be seen as "tipping off" Clinton to allow her to be more prepared for specific questions, rather than preparing on a broad subject. The ramifications of these events could be costly. The people of the United States seem to be losing faith in the government on a daily basis. With more evidence that the democratic party hand picked their running candidate, rather than letting the people truly decide, maybe it'll lead to a late surge to the opposing party. At least it is quite obvious the Republican party had no intention of having Mr. Trump represent them. The people were behind this action, and isn't that what the election process was originally intended for? With only a week until the election, this jumbled mess is almost behind us, I hope. I can't wait to see voter turnout numbers after next weeks election. It will be very interesting to see how the nation responds, in terms of how many people show up to the polls in comparison to previous elections. It will be an exciting final week, full of lots of drama, accusations that may or may not be true, and whether or not the FBI will come out with any word on their investigation on Hillary Clinton before voters take to the polls.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/31/new-email-shows-dnc-boss-giving-clinton-camp-debate-question-in-advance.html

Yemen: Dozens killed in Suadi-led air strikes

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37813569

A prison was the new target for the ongoing air strikes led by the Saudi coalition. It has been reported that 60 rebels and inmates were among the dead. This prison is located in Al Hudaydah, which the rebels have taken over through their battles against the government since September 2014. The coalition supports the former president of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who has been in exile since September 2014 when he escaped to Saudi Arabia from house arrest. 

It is not that there aren't any implications of this particular story itself and that this specific story should be ignored, but it is that if we were to only focus on this article, we would easily forget that is is not an isolated event in Yemen. People have been dying and suffering for two years now. 

A lot of people wonder why the Middle East is such a much and why the rise of terrorist "organizations" has come about. We forget that when a central government is destabilized (whether the government is good or not), the struggle for power and rebuilding a structure ensues a lot of chaos and violence, leaving innocent civilians to suffer. This fear, disparity and powerlessness of the common people makes room for groups to come in and use that to take over control. When you're struggling and there seems to be no way out, and you see that there are people that sound like they can help you, you take them up. You can try to blame religion, culture, and the lack of a sense of community/unity, but these factors are never the underlying theme of wars and rise of "evil." The common theme is that struggle, that a failing system, a refusal to work in the interest of all people, that pushes people to the extremes. The consequences of working in self-interest and running after power are always catastrophic. 

There are many things that bother me when I read about such occurrences, but I think the thing that gets me the most is what the rest of the world does in face of it. 

When you read more and more about the Middle East, you find that the system of allies is what aids attacks. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but the US and UK do a lot of arms and ammunition trade with Saudi Arabia. You cannot sit and condemn and continue to provide them with weapons to take innocent lives and then pretend like you have nothing to do with it. 

Displaced People Flood Mosul

October 30, 2016

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/29/middleeast/iraq-mosul-isis-civilians/

The link above takes you an article that describes in depth the issue of displaced people in the Middle East. Currently, ISIS is forcing innocent civilians - mostly elderly, women, and children - into Mosul. The UN fears ISIS plans to use these people as human shields........ Not even sure if words can describe how awful an act that is if this is the reality.

However, this also touches on a much larger issue: What does the first world do about the Middle Eastern refugees whose homes have been destroyed? This is a very touchy issue in Europe as well as the United States, and is an important aspect of the current election.

After talking with Theresa last week in class about the refugees that have been residing in Germany, I realized how real the problem really was. So real that it has had a direct impact on one of our classmates (we have been relatively sheltered so far in Kalamazoo). Allowing thousands of displaced people into the United States or an EU country will certainly have an affect. And from the perspective of civilians of these countries, it seems like a negative one. Refugees flooding in from across the border use resources, take jobs, may be involved in crime, etc etc. Many people associate these types of characteristics with refugees, which can make it increasingly difficult to call for open borders.

But what about the alternative. Do we want elderly, women, and children being used as human shields? Are we okay with sitting in our nice air conditioned homes while thousands are forced away from everything they know? Some might argue it is our humanitarian right to come to the aid of these people. What do you think?

Canada and E.U. Sign Trade Deal, Bucking Resistance to Globalization

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/31/business/international/canada-european-union-trade-agreement.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

The European Union and Canada signed a trade agreement on Sunday that commits them to opening their markets to greater competition. Once the deal ratified, it would cut many tariffs on industrial goods and on the farm and good items, and it would open up the services in cargo shipping, maritime services, and finance to the European firm. The Canadian deal is also regarded by trade advocates as a template for advanced, industrial economies by making it easier for their regulators to identify each other’s rules, and by updating the rules on how companies can make sure governments secure their investments.

Waking Up to Shorter Commutes

Over the past five years, federal funding for public transit such as public transportation and highways has decreased by almost 10 percent. As a result, states are required to bare more of the burden. Many states are putting forth proposals on ballots in order to fund this new projects. The article mentioned that cities are becoming ever more populated and the trend looks to continue in the future. The amount of time people are waiting in traffic has increased significantly in the past 5 years. This is a major problem because the federal government is providing less but as a society, we need to continue to update our infrastructure. It is efficient if we all accept these new proposals in order to distribute the cost of these public goods. Most of these proposals are increased sales tax or on sin taxes, taxing the inelastic markets.

article

European Union Trade Deal With Canada Moves Forward

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/business/european-union-trade-deal-with-canada-moves-forward.html?ref=economy&_r=0

The European Union trade deal with Canada was believed to be dead on Friday last week, as the French-speaking part of Belgium refused to sign the treaty and by that blocked the whole European Union to sign it. Now the deal is back on track. Aspects of concern of the population of Wallonia have been clarified and rewritten in more details. 

The recent changes in the deal now again requires approval of all other 27 European member states. However, it is expected that the deal will get through this time. The process has been observed from the whole world as it is seen a test to see is the European Union can act as a unit in order to stay competitive and to take globalization to the next level. The fact, that a very small percentage of the population of Europe can hinder the whole region from accepting trade agreements is seen as a sign of weakness and impotence. Especially the US is following the negotiation with very high interest. When Europe is failing to agree on a deal with Canada negotiations with the US can be stopped right away. The US is an even bigger trading partner of Europe so it can be expected that even more issues will be subject to controversy.

Whereas the American media focus on the “wealth-creating powers of free trade”, European countries are more and more skeptical if those trade agreements are the key to a sustainable future.

Documents show AT&T secretly sells customer data to law enforcement

According to internal company documents revealed Monday by the Daily Beast, Hemisphere is being sold to local police departments and used to investigate everything from murder to Medicaid fraud, costing US taxpayers millions of dollars every year even while riding roughshod over privacy concerns.

Is it efficient for the Government to spend millions of dollars on cell phone records? On the other hand, it is equitable for the phone companies to be profiting off our private records?

In my opinion I kinda assumed this kind of stuff was going on but it is outrageous that the government is spending tax payers dollars on something as silly as phone records. I think they could find somewhere else to spend that millions of dollars a year, such as welfare.

We have 20 years -- at the very most -- to prevent mass extinction

Link:  http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/27/opinions/sutter-wwf-sixth-extinction/index.html

Many scientists believe that we are heading towards a mass extinction that could wipe out 3/4 of animal species.  This has had happened five times previously in Earth's history but this would be the first time due to human activity.  This will ultimately be the result of burning fossil fuels and the subsequent rise in Earth's temperature.  As people argue over efficiency and equity during this election and policies that will or will not bring back jobs to America, it is concerning to think about the inevitable consequences of climate change and the lack of media coverage.  From the Dakota Pipeline that puts many at risk of water contamination to the fact that we are in the process of wiping out species that have lived on this planet far longer than our ancestors.  Given the fact that we discount the benefits of the future because we are myopic by nature we still need to heed the warning of this article.  These are not lost causes as the article clearly states, "We know how to slow the rate of extinction. We need to ditch fossil fuels to blunt climate change. We need to protect more of the land and ocean on behalf of biodiversity.  We need to stop the spread of invasive species, and we've got to get a handle on illegal trades like that in ivory, which Barnosky said could wipe out Africa's elephants in 20 years if poaching rates continue." How we approach these issues from an efficiency and equitable perspective will be important, but I worry about the lack of interest in these matters and media coverage.  Is it "equitable" to only invest in more affluent areas' environments? Is it "efficient" to invest in the environment of future generations, taking away potential productivity of today?

The death of Vine

On Thursday, Twitter announced that it was ending Vine, a social media app with which users posted short videos often with humorous content. Twitter bought the app in 2012 for $30 million, hoping that it would increase revenues and the size of its  user base. The death of Vine demonstrates how hard it can be for social media apps to survive and remain profitable. In another attempt to turn a profit, Twitter also announced that they will be cutting 9% of their employees. Twitter's newest idea to stay relevant is to live stream events such as Presidential debates and NFL games. The hope is that live streaming events will increase usage of the app and lead to a new source of revenue. 


http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/27/technology/twitter-vine-fail/index.html

Violence against French-Asians in France

In August, 49-year-old tailor and father-of-two Zhang Chaolin died in hospital after being attacked by three teenagers. He had been walking in a quiet street in the north Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, an important European textile center. Zhang was reportedly kicked in the sternum and fell, striking his head on the pavement. The aim of the attack was allegedly to steal his friend's bag.

The tailor had nothing on him except sweets and cigarettes.

In response, on 4 September, at least 15,000 ethnic Chinese turned out in Paris's Place de la Republique to give vent to their deep feelings of insecurity.

Estimated at more than 600,000 people, France has Europe's largest Chinese community. France's ethnic Chinese population have long suffered casual racism and been stereotyped as easy targets for crime. According to the article, they have been publicly told to go back to their country, go and work with their little hands, asked if they ate dogs, and called names. Asians are reportedly easy targets because they are perceived as weak and usually carry a lot of cash. Activists say at least 100 attacks against Chinese nationals were reported in the suburb in just the first seven months of this year. France does not keep statistics based on ethnicity, so it is difficult to know the real number of incidents.

Chinese immigrants and activist groups have called out to the government, simply asking for more police and security resources. Since the demonstrations in August and September, extra police officers have been promised for Aubervilliers. But city hall says it cannot afford to provide more security cameras. The mayor did not respond to requests for comment on these issues. And the government seems to not take the issue seriously. A similar case for British Chinese can be found here.

Some Health Plan Costs to Increase by an Average of 25 Percent, U.S. Says

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/us/some-health-plan-costs-to-increase-by-an-average-of-25-percent-us-says.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Premiums for midlevel health plans under the Affordable Care Act will increase by an average of 25 percent next year, while consumers in some states will find significantly fewer insurance companies offering coverage, the federal government said Monday. But the Obama administration said three-fourths of consumers would still be able to find plans for less than $100 a month with the help of federal subsidies. The open enrollment period under President Obama’s signature health law begins on Nov. 1, but consumers got their first look at their options on Monday. Consumers who go without insurance next year could face possible tax penalties of $700 a person or more. 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for prompt US talks with US former Treasury secretary Henry Paulson

Link: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/us/2016-10/24/content_27159242.htm

Premier Li Keqiang called for pragmatic efforts to promote negotiations for a high-standard China-US bilateral investment treaty as soon as possible at a meeting on Thursday with former United States Treasury secretary Henry Paulson.
Li said China introduced the negative list and pre-access national treatment systems into the BIT negotiations. Li said: " In a sluggish world economy and with rising trade protectionism, strengthening cooperation between the two countries sends a positive signal that promotes investment and trade liberalization." International cooperation could be the good trade-off of resources, including human capital, nature resource, etc. It could be efficient, but it should avoid monopolies which cause the inequity. 

Key EU Ceta trade deal with Canada Blocked

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37749236

Belgians nationals living in the Wallonia region have objected to the signing of a key EU trade deal with Canada, known as Ceta (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement). The largely socialist region has objected to the deal, demanding stronger safeguards on labour, environmental and consumer standards. The deal is greatly desired by 27 EU member nations. Citizens would see the elimination of 98% of tariffs, and a projected increase in trade of 20%. Finally, the deal (which has been in the pipeline for 7 years) would lead to an annual savings of €500 million in duties. However, there is still a possibility that the deal may go through.

It is not clear exactly who Ceta will benefit should the agreement be signed. Protesters against the deal in several EU cities argue that the deal will only benefit big business, and give too much power to multinational corporations. This lack of equity could see an increase in the inequitable distribution of wealth in EU member nations, as well as between different Canadian markets. The potential inefficiencies are seen in the fact that Canada will take measures to subsidise markets which are negatively affected by the deal. Some markets will even be subsidised for up to ten years, meaning that the government foresees a failure for the markets to readjust relatively painlessly. One could also argue that this is inequitable, because certain industries will receive higher amounts of aid in the form of subsidies, and  workers in other industries may end up in a relatively worse position without the same guaranteed income as say, dairy farmers, for example.

Cubbies making it big

The Chicago Cubs are back into the world series for the first time in some 70 years, and have not won a title in over 100 years. This drought is close to ending, and the price to see a game is astronomical. Just to get into the park, standing room only tickets, which means you do not get a seat and you can stand in designated areas, will cost upwards of $2,000. Some seats were going for $100,000. Who has the money to pay for this? There were Super Bowl seats going for as cheap as $5,000 just last year. The most popular sports league in the US, and it was there 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. The NFL consists of a 1 game championship, where as the MLB has a best of 7 series, where the cubs are guaranteed at least 2 home games, and possibly a 3rd if the Indians do not win the first 4. The mobs outside of the stadium were ridiculous in the league championship series last week when they beat the Dodgers, so similar turnout, if not significantly more, is expected. The economic impact on the city of Chicago will be huge. People will be flying in from around the world to experience a World Series at Wrigley Field. The last time the Cubs were in the World Series, you could purchase a ticket for only $6.  Supposedly, 2.6 MILLION people signed up for a CHANCE to PAY THOUSANDS of dollars to purchase a ticket. To put that number of people into perspective, the entire population of Chicago is reported at 2.7 million. The bribes and offers people with tickets are receiving are quite humorous. The article talks about ski vacations, rental properties, trips of the entire state of California, and who knows what else are being offered to people in order to get their hands on some tickets. On the other hand, poor Cleveland who is the opponent of the Cubs is averaging $1,000 a ticket for game 1 of the series. Cleveland struggled to fill the entire stadium during the regular season even though their team had one of the best records in the league. People are die-hards for their athletic teams. I am in that group, and I have a savings account set up specifically for when the Detroit Lions ever have a home playoff game, or make a Superbowl in my lifetime. The account has yet to be touched. Maybe someday I will get to experience what these Cub fans are going through right now.
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/10/24/want-to-see-world-series-at-wrigley-it-will-cost-thousands-for-cubs-fans.html

Health Plan Premiums to Rise Up To 25% Next Year

Despite years of reform, the market for health insurance is expected to see significant growth next year, mostly as a result of a lack of consumer confidence. This increase comes after premium rates grew by 2% in 2015 and 7% this past year. The most significant variable that could explain this growth is the fact that many major insurance providers have been pulling themselves from the public market after facing significant losses. However, the Obama administration is confident that a majority of Americans will still be able to purchase insurance for less than $100 per month.

The Affordable Care Act has been a significant area of debate during this election season, with both candidates citing significant reforms to the policy. However, there is no clear answer to fighting these rising costs, with insurance companies refusing to deal with the short-term consequences. One answer to this question is to expand the federal subsidy program for private markets, as has been suggested by Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately, even by incentivizing competition among consumers, costs are still expected to rise and the burden will undoubtedly fall on American consumers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/us/some-health-plan-costs-to-increase-by-an-average-of-25-percent-us-says.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront

Next war with Hamas...is last

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-palestine-gaza-war-will-be-last-avigdor-liebeman-says-a7377486.html

As tensions grow between the Gaza Strip and Israel, Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman made strong comments regarding attacks on Israel from Gaza. He stated that future hostiles toward Israel from Hamas would be the last due to the fact that Israel would "completely destroy them". This comment comes after Lieberman offering support for a two-state solution as well as hoping to help rebuild Gaza.

In my personal opinion, peace and stability in the Middle East, particularly in Israel, is a key to a prosperous world, let alone United States. However, bone-headed decisions by not only Israelis, but by Palestinians have led to a situation that does not see compromise any time soon. Lieberman appointment was another extremist decision made by the most right-wing government is Israel's history. A number of those part of Netanyahu's cabinet refuse to even recognize Palestine as a state. This proves no surprise that they would appoint someone who threatens war and suffering to a group of people. However, the Gaza Strip elected an Extremist Islamic group as their governing body, who has stated that they intent to destroy Israel. Thus, there is room for understanding of Israel taking an extreme stance.

Obama's last attempt at winning the senate back

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/obama-endorsements-down-ballot-230194

Obama is set to make appearances in campaigns for state senate and assembly candidates, and will be endorsing 150 candidates across 20 states. It is his biggest investment in any-state level election and this down-ballot engagement is a one of his post-presidency political priorities. He will also be making 60 endorsements for House races.

This is important because in the midst/mess of presidential races, we forget that there are state and local governments that have their elections too. People also forget that the president doesn't get to just decide everything for the country. The Senate and House have a lot of say in what policies and bills get passed, so the people that are elected into those offices must not be ignored. President Obama is a democrat but many of his proposals have been shot down because the GOP is currently in control of the Senate. Also, during the second debate, Trump kept asking why Hillary didn't do anything when she was in the Senate, and she said that she was a senator with a republican president. All parts of the government must work together, but with such polarizing views and parties, there is never agreement. I think it is time that people, much like Trump, stop forgetting how the government works and participate in presidential AND local/state elections if they want to see productive change take place.
Paul Ryan also recently said that if the GOP loses the Senate, "a guy named Bernie Sanders becomes Budget Committee Chair." Which, hopefully, will give incentive to Sanders' biggest supporters, the millennials, to get out and vote.

After Almost a Century, Second Avenue Subway Is Oh-So-Close to Arriving

An extension to the New York City Subway is almost complete. There has been talks of this extension since the 1920's. Finally, the city has decided the need to take action. The article says that New York has done very little to improve its public transit system while many other nations have revamped their systems multiple times in the same time period while the NY transit system has not. The article continues with the fact that there is increasing pressure on the subway as more and more tourists visit every year. This is a large problem in regards to efficiency. If the subway system is not improved, the system will not be able to handle the steadily increasing people in the city.

article

Hillary Clinton Presses Her Advantage Over a Struggling Donald Trump

Mrs. Hillary is starting to move aggressively by suggesting black people in North Carolina to vote early for Hilary to punish the Republican party. Hilary is putting every single efforts as the end of final election is approaching in a month. I believe that she uses her comparative advantages to win this election.

Link

Cyber attacks briefly knock out top sites

Link:  http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37728015

On October 22nd, 2016 the Internet was hit with a major cyberattack that involved the flooding and crashing of many servers to popular websites like PayPal, Netflix, and Twitter. So many of our country/world's assets are deeply connected to the well-being of the internet, like our bank accounts, work, and even our cars.  As the US discusses equity and efficiency in this election, defense spending on cyber security is a major issue and the morals behind it.  Hacking has infiltrated every aspect of foreign affairs and will continue to grow into a bigger issue.  Yes, technology has led to greater globalization and has helped spread awareness on issues but our connectivity can be a major threat to us as well.    

Whose tax plan is better?

While much of the three Presidential debates has consisted of name calling, scandals, and media reports, it is important to remember what truly matters about the November election: the actions each candidate would take if they win the office. The Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee have different views on how to encourage economic growth, differences that stem from their party's beliefs. One of the biggest ideological differences between the candidates is how much they believe America's wealthy citizens would be taxed. Trump believes that lowering the tax on the wealthy would lead to economic growth as they are in position to create jobs if given tax breaks, an idea that Clinton believes is "Trumped up trickle-down". Clinton believes that the taxes on wealthy should be raised in order to fund different programs she hopes to implement, such as guaranteeing free community college. The investment in college as well as other programs would help the middle and lower classes to find better paying jobs and stimulate the economy.  While these tax plans can be analyzed and inefficiencies in the policy can be highlighted, it is fair to say that the tax plan you agree with will depend on your political beliefs.

 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37013670

Presidential debates fail to feature the pressing issue of climate change

In wake of the last Presidential debate coming on 10/19, there is one big elephant in the room that had not been discussed in the first two debates: climate change. Despite recent extreme weather events in the US such as Louisiana floods, Hurricane Matthew, and California's drought, the pressing issue of climate change has failed to be featured in the first two debates. 

The moderator of the first debate, Lester Holt, was reportedly set to ask a climate change question but ran out of time.   

Even though developing countries have often faced natural disasters due to climate change, this year the US has experienced multiple events that lead the most doubtful person about the issue to consider this more seriously. Hurricane Matthew, which resulted in more than 20 deaths, is just the latest example of the type of extreme event, from flooding in Louisiana to a historic drought in California, that will become more common as the world warms. 2016 is on track to be the warmest on record, beating a mark set just in 2015. The Paris climate accord has been ratified by countries around the world while the Obama administration has attempted to implement its Clean Power Plan in the teeth of fierce opposition from 27 states. Alaska barely had a winter this year while some American communities are already having to relocate due to rising seas.

Live Presidential debate looms as polls widen between Clinton and Trump – liveFox News survey shows Clinton with six-point lead over Trump ahead of Las Vegas showdown
 

Read more

Climate change is real and is backed by science, and while the candidates have opposing ideas about certain issues such as police brutality, the economy, and immigration, it is hard to have a debate on a topic that one candidate doesn't think is real.

Republican Donald Trump has ​denied climate change exists and would withdraw the US from the Paris agreement ​on global warming. He wants to scrap the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which tries to limit carbon emissions by power plants and increase the use of renewable energy. He plans to end a moratorium on coal leasing, while also stopping oil imports from Opec countries. However, he supports exploring renewable energy sources.  
Democrat Hillary Clinton has praised the Paris agreement and wants to cut energy waste and methane emissions, reduce oil consumption and invest in clean energy. She wants to create a $60bn Clean Energy Challenge that gives incentives to states to fight carbon pollution. She has announced benefits for coal miners such as health and retirement security. She opposes Arctic drilling and the Keystone XL pipeline, and supports fracking under strict conditions.

Hopefully the third debate will be different. You can access the article here

Thai one-year mourning of their latest King- What should tourists know?

The world's longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on Thursday aged 88, sparking a national outpouring of grief. The government has declared a year-long official mourning period. King Bhumibol was widely revered in Thailand, and ruled for 70 years. He was the ninth Thai monarch from the Chakri dynasty. His son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is heir apparent, but it is unclear when he will take the throne.

The King was not destined to become the King of Thailand. After King Prajadhipok abdicated in 1935 a decision was made to ascend Bhomibol’s brother Ananda to the throne. Ananda was assassinated in June 1946. Bhumibol studying engineering in Switzerland then changed to political science and would ascent the throne in 1950.

Based on talks with my Thai friends, even though he was the King, they feel he was down to Earth and frugal. He was raised like a normal child without the trappings of monarchy, did his chores, attended school (in Switzerland) without any special privilege. He then devoted his life to enhancing the quality of life of his subjects.

I can relate because it was devastating for my own country when our president died, because he was not only a national leader who revolutionized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but also a felt like a personal friend to all of us. He led a simple, frugal life and often interacted with citizens and devoted all his time to the well-being of our nation. 

From sources like this, I believe two major things he did were revolutionizing the country by putting an end to slavery and negotiating Thailand out of becoming France and UK's colony. These are huge accomplishments among his other relentless pursuit of helping Thai the prosperous country it is today. With the holiday coming up, I think it is only appropriate to note this article as you make travel plans to respect their culture in this sensitive time.

How more affluent families get welfare for pricey private colleges

http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2016/10/how_more_affluent_families_get.html#incart_river_index


Michigan spends about $100 million annually in welfare money from Washington on college aid, including millions that benefit families earning over $100,000. This in a state in which only 18 of every 100 families living in poverty is receiving cash assistance.


The efficiency ramification is that it is efficient to have educated citizens that are able to positively contribute to society. On the other hand, the equity ramification is that it would be more fair to give this money to families that actually need the money to survive.


In my opinion, I was shocked to see that this is a problem. It is concerning to me that the government would rather pay for student tuitions than help families in need.