Argentines recall economic crisis 10 years on
In 2001, Argentine people suffered from a huge economic and financial crisis. In order to avoid a run on the banks, the Argentine government only allowed everyone to only withdraw an amount of US $ 250. The money people had saved so far therefore was frozen and they were unable to make major purchases such as buying a house. Some even lost their homes because they were unable to pay off their mortgages. After the economic crisis, inflation had taken place and the saved amounts were worth way less than before. This mainly happened because the Argentine peso was not pegged anymore to the US dollar after the crisis. This introduced free market policies and neoliberal economic regulations such as privatization and deregulation that also affected Argentines economy negatively. Today, the Greece is exposed to the same problems but now is supported by other European financial institutions.
This raises the following questions: Is a capitalist and neoliberal economic structure really the way to complete word-wide welfare?
HillmanMinx,
I greatly appreciate that you have been to Spain and share your experience with us. Besides, I never wanted to associate any Spanish people as 'hunters/gatherers'.
As a foreigner myself in this country, I can tell that you will always come across stereotypes which are related to your country's culture or history. You won't believe how many people referred to the 'Nazi-Era' in Germany when having a conversation with me!
So please let me make this clear: 70% might have no interest in Bullfighting because it is not part of their generation anymore or for whatever reasons. But it is still part of Spains history and culture - and therefore will always remain a controversal issue within their society.
Posted by SonjaS | December 14, 2011 4:41 PM
HillmanMinx,
In my opinion, some issues cannot be separated into black and white - as you may say.
What about an indigenous Inuit tribe living with the harsh conditions in the Antarctic who favor whale-hunting in order to have enough food to survive during the winter? Of course you could also provide them with different kinds of food but still: Whale hunting has always been part of their traditions and life-style and if they are not allowed to exercise it, this might contribute to a social problem called uprooting. Would you rather save the whales and let human beings suffer? I don't think it is that easy...
Posted by SonjaS | December 7, 2011 5:41 PM
Every borderline issue is a two-way street, you can either favor it and find arguments to protect it or not. Bullfighting is one of those topics especially environmentalist and animal rights organizations like to pick in order to prove that they are right. For them, bullfighting has nothing to do with human culture or tradition but pure violence.
Thanks, Victoria, for sharing these thoughts with us!
Posted by SonjaS | December 6, 2011 4:07 PM
The health issues concerning cervical cancer have increasingly emerged in Global South countries recently. Vaccinations became a lot more cheaper and health organizations also stress the problem on a world-wide scale. We all can hope that these factors also contribute in raising awareness about the issue of cervical cancer as well as about sexually transmitted diseases in general.
However, critics such as religious groups and institutions associate the vaccination for girls as an encouragement for them to have sex at a very young age. This certainly is not the case. A vaccination can save lives and therefore, it is important to have it as soon as possible in order to have the maximum protection.
Posted by SonjaS | December 6, 2011 3:46 PM
Kashmir and India have always been hot spots for riots and protests in recent years. Both India and Pakistan claim the Kashmir Valley which is primarily a Muslim area. That's why India maintained a huge number of military security forces in Kashmir in order to fight a Pakistani rebellion. Today, the insurgency almost disappear but those Indian forces are still in place, and have faced major popular disturbances in recent times.
I guess these young adults were involved in those kinds of riots in order to protest against Indian military forces that still conquer the Kashmir Valley. Every rebellion is seen as a threat by the Indian government and therefore, they stop at nothing, not even children.
Posted by SonjaS | November 21, 2011 7:57 PM
This issue has been around for years and didn't seem to change. Favored by religion, tradition and social pressure, women have always been accused to be less worthy than men in India - they always have been seen as a 'weaker' workforce when it comes to provide support for their families and as 'more expensive' for the fathers because of the huge dowries the families have had to provide in order to set up a suitable marriage for their daughters.
It is a step in the right direction to display this issue in public in order to raise awareness not only in the 'Western' World but also in India and other parts of Asia so that these customs might disappear one day.
Posted by SonjaS | November 15, 2011 2:13 PM
This article clearly states what is crucial to break out of the visious circle of poverty and unemployment - education. Given that a huge percentage of the population living in these conditions is not aware of this fact, they rather send their subadults to find work instead of sending them to school. Tuition fees for schools are also a huge problem why so many children are not able to go to school. Here, Lateef steps in by providing free basic education. Maybe one day, there might be more free schools provided by international organizations or funded by donations so that in the end, everybody can get education and break out of this poor lifestyle.
Posted by SonjaS | November 13, 2011 4:55 PM
Given that this whole issue can be considered as faily new in the civil society of Mongolia (2004), it is amazing how fast and efficient those organizations emerge and how they build up networks in order to gain power and influence. Of course, there is still a lot more to do and more goals to achieve, but it is a step into the right direction. It also encourages women to act if they find themselves trapped into a domestic violence situation or become a witness of it. If the government starts to support to solve this problem even more, it might be possible in the future that people can call the police anonymously without having to provide their personal data.
Posted by SonjaS | November 13, 2011 4:33 PM
Indeed, a very interesting and awareness raising article. I was wondering if governmental laws that prohibit organ trafficking are really improving the whole situation or if this would create even more motivation for an illegal black organ market? Besides, illegal organ trafficking can only work if there are doctors involved who play a major role in this game. Is there any organization that identifies those doctors and exposes them to the public?
Posted by SonjaS | November 13, 2011 4:22 PM
The government has an economic interest in supporting the pasteurized and homogenized milk because it wants to protect its market. It might be the same issue with new technologies that can be applied to cars such as the electrical or solar driven automobiles - they didn't break through because governmental authorities and lobbyists could always exercise power in order to prevent it.
Thereby, producing raw milk could even be a market niche for small and organic farmers in the US who cannot compete with the huge cattle farms supported by the government. In doing so, they could establish and then later expand a new market for not only organic food but also organic raw milk which would also support the tattered US economy.
In my opinion, the government should identify the benefits of the increasingly growing demand for products such as raw milk in order to reflate the market instead of fighting it. I think it would not harm anybody if huge farms which produce the homogenized and pasteurized milk in huge masses and farmers/peasants who focus on organic products and raw milk could coexist in the US food economy.
Posted by SonjaS | November 13, 2011 4:07 PM