Michelle Obama travels to make a difference

US First Lady, Michelle Obama, is planning her trip to South Africa this week that will focus on education, the anti-apartheid struggle and enforcing youth to take part in the national dialog according to the White House.

Michelle Obama is driven to engage youth, especially young woman. She will be making several stops including her first stop in Pretoria, where she will be meeting the president, Jacob Zuma. Other stops include Botswana, Johannesburg and Cape Town, where she will get the chance to visit an apartheid museum.

Obama also will get the chance to travel to Robben Island where Mandela was held for the main portion of his 27 year detention for fighting apartheid.

Along with those opportunities, Michelle will get the chance to speak with girls overcoming hurdles to success while in Botswana. She will be contributing to service projects in various communities as well as attending public events and meeting embassy officials.

She will be making the second visit by a member of the Obama family since the president was elected over two years ago. Michelle will be accompanied by her mother and two daughters when the trip begins today.

By Sam Polzin

6 million US Facebook users have dropped acounts this past month

Over 6 million US Facebook users have been lost over the past month. It has been suspected that the cause of this decline in users is due to the growing concern among parents regarding the lack of security that Facebook provides. Another reason for the loss of users is the transition students make from college into the working world. A lot of students don't want their past following them to to their professional environment, and therefore delete their accounts.

Along with the percentage that choose to leave Facebook, there are those users that are forced to leave due to the extensive amount of cyber bullying and harassment that occurs on the website.

Those common reasons and more are the result of this drastic drop Facebook has seen this past month. The current worry of Mark Zuckerburg is that Facebook will continue to fall into the same trap as Myspace and have activity drop as much as 50 per cent.

-By Sam Polzin

Whatever Happened To ... the Arab Spring?

As Syria pops up into the news again, I can't help but think of all the stories ripped wide open, then left untold. As newer, more current events emerge, news sources move on, and so do their followers. There's no closure, no continuation.

Early in 2011, newspapers were completely overtaken by stories about democratic unrest in the Arab world. Everyone was transfixed as they waited in anticipation to see how events would unfold in areas such as Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya. Although many are familiar with how these situations began, most couldn't give a synopsis on their situations currently.

Perhaps part of the problem is repetition. What to some seems like history unfolding before our eyes is to others the same story being retold under a different name. But when the news sources move on, and people cease to care, are we really standing up for democracy? As citizens who take pride in our democratic nation, we should make it a priority to support others striving for a similar end. I can't help but wonder if their chances of success are diminished by a lack of global attention, as it lessens pressure on dictatorial and brutal leaders to cease their unjust actions. This is not a question of whether Western countries should be taking concrete action to "assist," as that is an entirely different issue. It is merely a commentary on coverage of international news, and how we need to work to reduce our collective ignorance.

Globe and Mail Editorial Cartoon - June 2011

Japan's suicide rate increases since natural and nuclear disasters

The suicide rate in Japan is incredibly high following the nuclear disasters, at a count of over 3 000 deaths. This is the first time in the past two years that it has topped the monthly suicide number. The final count was around 3 281 for this past May, which was a 20 per cent increase from May 2010.

The natural and nuclear disasters that have occurred in the last 3 months are a likely link to the obvious incline of the Japan suicide rate. Fukushima, the area that was hit the hardest with the nuclear disaster, had 19 more suicides than they had that time last year. Northern Japan, who experienced the tsunami, has been claimed the area with the highest suicide rate in the country.

The devastating disasters that have occurred have caused World Health Organization to name Japan's suicide rate one of the highest among developed nations.


By Sam Polzin

Your right to be online

Being able to access and utilize the Internet is no longer considered merely a privilege for those with the time, money and resources necessary. Recently, a UN Special Rapporteur submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council arguing for the right to freedom of opinion and expression on the Internet.

Here's a PDF of the report.

In the report, it looks at the Internet as a medium of communication, providing a method of mobilizing people as seen in the last few months with revolutions and riots in the Middle East. Considering how governments, such as in Egypt back in January, in that region have tried to control access to the Internet, limiting the information being shared is intrusive of individual citizens.

The UN's decision on how to act regarding this report hasn't been determined as of yet, however if the multimillion-dollar fine that former Eyptian President Mubarak was charged for cutting the country's Internet access is indicative of anything, violations to public Internet use will not be taken lightly.

The only concern that would have to be addressed in listing Internet use as a freedom of opinion and expression is to have universal laws on Internet abuse, including child pornography and fraud. In the least, it is a sign that our governing bodies are updating laws to reflect modern technology and communication.