The Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large numbers of humans (and other life forms) and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere in general. The scope and application of the term has evolved and been disputed, often signifying more politically than technically. Coined in reference to aerial bombing with chemical explosives, it has come to distinguish large-scale weaponry of other technologies, such as chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear. This differentiates the term from more technical ones such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons (CBRN). (wikipedia.org, 2010)

During the Cold War, the term "weapons of mass destruction" was primarily a reference to nuclear weapons. At the time, as a necessary deterrent against nuclear or conventional attack from the Soviet Union (see Mutual Assured Destruction), and the euphemism "strategic weapons" was used to refer to the American nuclear arsenal. (wikipedia.org, 2010)

The use of biological sciences and technologies to fight disease and hunger, and to create new carbon- neutral fuel sources, has enormous potential to improve quality of life and mitigate climate change. Some biotechnologies, however, could also potentially be used to create biological weapons designed to incapacitate or kill people or spread livestock and crop diseases.

WMD is a subject that you can find in the daily news; I remember that in the war against Iraq the main idea was to unarm Iraq because there was a theory that they had a large and growing stockpile WMD. Also there were efforts to stop North Korea’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. There was revelation that Pakistani scientists were illicitly selling nuclear weapons technology in the black market.

I think that we have a controversy in regard to nuclear weapons, are we in danger? Whether countries like Russia or the US should reduce the number of nuclear weapons? I also remember that in the recent Bush administration his made a proposal, to have nuclear weapons under US-Russian arms and that these weapons will be dismantled rather than destroyed, preserving the option of reconstituting them.

Bibliography

wikipedia.org. (2010, October 5). Retrieved October 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_of_mass_destruction

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/WMD_world_map.svg/500px-WMD_world_map.svg.png

Global Warming

Global warming is a term used to refer to the phenomenon of rising global temperature of Earth's atmosphere including the oceans. It is also associated with the constant changes in the climate.

The main effect that causes global warming is the greenhouse effect, a phenomenon referred to absorption by certain atmospheric gases, mainly CO2 from the soil energy emitted as a result of being heated by solar radiation. To this effect occurs are required these greenhouse gases, but in suitable proportions. What worries climate scientists is that an elevation of that ratio will produce an increase in temperature due to heat trapped in the lower atmosphere.

Life on Earth can adapt to climate changes that occur in a slow time, but the current rate would change life on Earth as we know it in a brutal way, rising sea levels could inundate coastal cities like New York, Barcelona and the like, and also alter climate change and increase the strength of hurricanes, droughts and floods would be more and a whole host of "natural" disasters of all kinds such as the spread of tropical diseases into areas "temperate."

The first step in solving a problem is to know its existence and be positive in this case is to be in possession of all this knowledge and act accordingly. Once we enter a positive feedback loop is no longer possible, and will be unstoppable until the reach a new equilibrium nature very different from today.
If we now begin to stop the burning of fossil fuels can be accomplished. Some of the alternatives we already have such as wind and solar power. The savings and avoid unnecessary expenses is also part of the solution, conventional nuclear energy may prove useful because it does not emit greenhouse gases, although there is to solve the problem of waste.

Some of the solutions that each individual of the most advanced societies can be applied to control the production of CO2, wherever possible, are:

• Replace traditional light bulbs with low-energy (compact fluorescent)
• Avoid buying packaged products. If reduced by 10% personal garbage can save 540 kilos of carbon dioxide a year.
• Set the thermostat two degrees lower in winter and two degrees in summer. Setting the heating and air conditioning could save about 900 kilos of carbon dioxide per year.
• Buy recycled paper products. Making recycled paper consumes between 70% and 90% less energy and prevents it from continuing global deforestation.
• Buy fresh foods. Produce frozen food consumed 10 times more energy.
• Use less electrical appliances

Domestic violence

Domestic violence it’s also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV), can be broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends or cohabitation. DV occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person.

In many Latin American and Caribbean region, the police require women to take true a medical examination and receive a certificate before being allowed to complain of domestic violence. This medical certificate is in many cases the only evidence capable of confirm the testimony of victims and to give access to legal protection.

There are many signs of an abusive relationship; domestic abuse often escalates from threats and verbal abuse to violence. Emotionally abusive relationships can destroy your self-worth, lead you to anxiety and depression, and make you feel helpless and alone. No one should have to endure this kind of pain, and your first step to break free from this is recognizing that your situation is abusive. Once you acknowledge the reality of the abusive situation, then you can get the help you need.

There are many signs of an abusive relationship. The most telling sign is fear of your partner. If you feel like you have to walk on eggshells around your partner, constantly watching what you say or do in order to avoid a blow-up. Other signs that you may be in an abusive relationship consist of a partner who belittles you or tries to control you, and feelings of self-loathing, helplessness, and desperation

I think that domestic violence is not the way to solves family issues. Communication is the way to solve people differences. Domestic violence in a couple affects all of the family members, because the kids may transmit this violence to the school, give depression, this is why I think that couples can take therapy, hanger management classes, extra activities to control stress.

Ethnic conflicts

Around the word many people has been creating ethnic differences between themselves, this is why we say that this is a common topic that can be seen in today’s society.

How discrimination, religion and prejudice can create ethnic conflicts. Base on differences like social status, economical status, and ethnic conflicts. Sometimes the social status gets affected because people believe that if someone has more money that person becomes superior to the other one. On the other hand there are other people that see differences between them just because they have a different accent, physical expressions, style of living, etc. In reference to the movie Crash (2010), that shows us how we can commonly find discrimination in the word. There was a scene where a Mexican guy worked as a locksmith and he was prejudging as a gang member or a thief. Buy a negligent women who had a high social status and this was because someone came to steal her house.

The movie shows us how is the real life in USA, a nation that was created mostly by immigrants. People usually tend to judge before knowing the other person. I remember a scene in the movie were they show that the accumulation of stress can guide us to become a violent person. Basically the scene show us were a police guy was trying to help a guy who abused of his authority previously in the movie.

Moreover, people create which the limits of the territories mark the difference of razes, because if you are from Nicaragua and me from Costa Rica, in this case there is a difference, even more. Just because community think that Nicaraguans are citizens who steals , who don’t know like us, but these things are visualizations from a group of Ticos who received a bad action, so then , they discriminated to Nicaraguans , and other persons generalize , constantly. Although there are bad Nicaraguans, like there are Bad Ticos, bad gringos; there are good people in wherever place, so the way to generalize is wrong. We should to see the people not like group fate like a person, and try to know them, and finally create an image.

A way to reduce incident of ethnic conflicts is asking ourselves “What if?” asking ourselves that question will make it more easy to understand someone else point of view or state of mind. As it was explained in the previous ideas ethnic conflicts are very common; do to that misunderstanding whenever you ask your selves what if the other guy is from another religion? What if he has another point of view? Prejudice takes another role in ethnic conflicts; most of us tend to judge base on person lucks, style of living, etc. We need to have an open mind mentality and be able to understand and accept people ethnic differences.

Witten by:

Greg Bennett & Jonathan Neyra

Globalization of Infection Diseases

Globalization is a series of complex process which includes the exchange of cultures. Globalization is causing the destruction of people cultures; this is because we have a consumer mentality, everyone wants to get more and more material stuff. We always are thinking to get the latest devices like cellphones, LCD TV, computers, video games, etc.; instead of thinking how help others that need food, water, and clothes. As a result of the globalization, each country has part of other nations. As a consequence of this exchange of culture, also there are things which don’t want to be transmitted outside, like infection diseases (ID) that can be easily spread around the world. whenever a person travels to another country , it is possible that he or she are infected with a command disease that can affect a huge population, but they don’t know; so, when they have a direct contact with other persons, and in this moment is potential some possibility to transmit an infectious disease. The exchange among cultures spread infections easily and fast; for example, AIDS, cholera, diarrhea, yellow fever etc.

The exchange of cultures is a big way to meet people, but is a big way to come down with infectious diseases, why? Because citizens in the moment when they interact between them, is very probably who they have diseases, in cases like unprotected sexual intercourse. The most dangerous infectious diseases about unprotected sexual intercourse is the HIV/AIDS, (this condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted through direct contact with a bodily fluid, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid and breast milk, as a consequence of this practice without protection. On the other hand there is prostitution, that create an opportunity to get different kinds of diseases, because they are unprotected to the society, by the way, they get different costumers who can be transmitted to HIV. Also do to poverty, prostitution is very common in different countries, because is one of the few jobs that people can be do, even thought this is a dangerous employment.

Historically infectious diseases have been the most important contributor to human mortality. The term infectious diseases does not refer to any kind of illness; just imagine that in high income countries dead from infectious diseases (ID) can be commonly caused by diarrhea, HIV/AIDS, etc. Meanwhile other countries in Africa (third world countries) there is more mortality do to ID; is commonly caused by hunger, consuming contaminated food, even polluted water, germs etc. The process of globalization potentially influences a broad range of biological, environmental factors. An infection occurs when a microorganism survives and multiplies whiten another usually larger organism. The infected organism (human being) usually called the host.