China finally sending aid to the Philippines, what a shame

As you all know by now by the countless fundraising initiatives that have taken place all throughout the media and social networks, the Philippines was hit by a massive typhoon. This typhoon was so big in fact that it made hurricanes such as Katrina look like child's play compared to it. The Philippines are in a state of emergency. From the countless articles and pictures I have read and seen, the destruction is unparalleled. The entire city of Tacolban (whose before and after pictures I will include below) has been leveled. But for a disaster so detrimental, the aid that went into relieving the entire Philippine nation was quite massive. The major players in the International community have rallied together to donate money, supplies, and even transport (US using navy helicopters to transport supplies) towards those affected by this monstrous storm. Yet surprisingly, for the hundred of millions of dollars the International community has sent for relief towards the Phillippines, China has contributed barely a fraction of the costs. In a recent report done by the BBC, it was found that "China initially offered $100,000 (£60,000) in aid, a fraction of that committed by other major nations."

The initial amount in my mind, and the rest of the international community's minds, is simply outrageous. Its not that China does not have the money to give, but its the intentions the Chinese had in withholding aid that has angered many people. Earlier in the year (if you are familiar-I'm sure you are not) relations between the two nations soured over territorial disputes over islands off the border of the Philippines. Tensions rose so high in fact that both Navy's deployed in the area waiting for an immanent attack. While I understand why the Chinese are reluctant to hand over aid to a nation they could have very well went to war with, they need to think practically! In any sort of conflict, the clear winner would obviously be China. China has the resources and capabilities to do things that we as Americans can barely fathom a once third world nation of accomplishing. So for a nation that contributes to almost 1/3 of the funds of the IMF, pledging $100,000 is outrageous.

After much uproar, China later pledged another $1.6m (£1m) in relief goods, although it was still a lower contribution than that of several other countries including Australia, South Korea, and the UK.On Wednesday, China confirmed that rescue workers would also be sent to the Philippines as well as a hospital ship named The Peace Ark

"Western Education is Forbidden"

I am about 99.999% sure that if I went into the pit tomorrow, or any area with a concentrated human population, and yelled out two words "Boko Haram" at the top of my lungs I would most likely be met with confusing and concerned responses. Hell, you yourself probably don't even know what "Boko Haram" really is. So what is Boko Haram and what is its significance to you?

Boko Haram, literally meaning "Western Education is Forbidden", was a relatively small islamic opposition group created in Northern Nigeria. The group itself primarily focused on opposing the influx of Westernization in developing Nigeria; however, with the onset of 2009, Boko Haram began to take a more radical approach and initiated military campaigns across Nigeria in order to establish an "islamic state."Since 2009, the group has been responsible for heinous, harsh, and indescribable acts of war and terrorism against the Nigerian people, especially those of non islamic origin (Nigeria is a diverse country with over 250 ethic groups). 

So why am I suddenly discussing Boko Haram today? Interestingly enough, the United States State Department finally branded Boko Haram as a terrorist organization. You must be thinking...oh so what, they're now on a list, who cares? However you would be surprised of the significance of such a move, and how it affects both sides. In the Islamic terror community (for practical purposes that how I will label the conglomeration of terror groups) reputation is everything. Insurgents, fighters, civilians, etc are more malleable and accepting of organizations that have better reputations then say shoddy start ups. After Al-Queda was given the "terrorist tag" by the State Department, its populairty skyrocketed and soon affiliate groups, such as those in Indonesia, began working harder so that they could be part of "Al-Queda."After gaining such a reputation, members become ever more charged and motivated to carry out attacks that help boost notoriety in order to promote themselves. This is a chief concern the US has had about Boko Haram, especially considering its increased relationship with the African based Al Qaeda, Islamic Maghreb, and Al-Shabaab. 

In years prior, "Boko Haram was earlier seen as an organisation which only posed a domestic threat - one reason why the US has not previously designated it as a terrorist organisation." However, with its shift towards international attacks, Boko Haram has gained power and potential. It executed several attacks on UN embassies over the past year as well as worked closely with Al Qaeda during the Tuareg takeover of Mali earlier this year. 

The move itself has been long awaited for by Nigerians who have to deal with the destruction and terror of Boko Haram on a day to day occasion. Nigeria's government said in June that Boko Haram and Ansaru were terrorist organisations, warning that anyone who helped them would face a minimum prison sentence of 20 years. With the decision by the State Department, we can only wait and see if Boko Haram gains further momentum...or if it is annihilated and fizzles out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24931684

India's Mission to Mars...is it worth it?

Some of you are probably thinking that this is a planned mission, and that India has just announced its intention for sending something up to Mars. Yet, as of  09:08 GMT, India's Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan (Mars craft in Hindi), took off at from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the country's east coast on Tuesday. 

Yea thats right, India has launched its own satellite into Mar's atmosphere. Pretty crazy to think that right? But that is the exact sentiment the Indian media and government wanted to bring out: that India HAS the ingenuity and power to pull something off to this high of a caliber.

The project itself has been given nothing but praise. There have been many benefits linked to the launch.  "The most important of such benefits could well be to fire the imagination of young minds in this country, getting them to dream about possibilities for tomorrow." Other praise comes from the fact that the entire budget used to go through with this launch was comparatively lower than that of other space-active nations "$72m (£45m)."

While the project itself has strict literal purposes for India and the scientific community ("The spacecraft will examine the rate of loss of atmospheric gases to outer space. This could provide insights into the planet's history; billions of years ago, the envelope of gases around Mars is thought to have been more substantial.") it also adds intrigue and suspense to the "current Cold War" as it has been dubbed, that is going on between the two future superpowers India and China. In an era in which China has continued to flex it's muscles and capabilities, India has finally responded proving its worthiness and potential in a possible competition. This has sparked pride throughout the country, much like the US landing of the moon did for American morale during the actual Cold War.

Yet for doing something so impactful for the scientific community and for moral within India, the launch of Mangalyaan has also taken much backlash and criticism. Critics believe that such a launch was not appropriate for a country that still has an enormous poverty issue and infant mortality/hunger rates that are comparable if not worse than the most afflicted Sub-Saharan African countries. Those who oppose the mission believe that the "$72M" could have been put to better good.

Yes...I do understand the ideas each critic states in opposition to this mission. India HAS to focus on its internal problems before it can even be considered in the same neighborhood as the US and even China at this point in time. But at the same time, we have to look into the workings of Indian Budget. Had this money not been allocated for space design, it would have most likely gone to the defense sector, in which India is the "highest" defense spender in the world. India spends so much on its military, both refining its old soviet era equipment and acquiring new high tech machinery (such as the Dassault Rafale fourth gen fighter jet). Yet massive corruption has usually stipend such spending and caused modernization rates within the army to be extremely slow. Another area of interest where the money could have been used would have been infrastructure, an area India surprisingly still has not invested as much as competitor China. But high levels of corruption would have most likely slown down and produced shoddy results as well. 

This is why I believe this mission is a success. It first produces tangible results that cannot be affected by corruption. The plan was initiated and carried out so quickly, because the rest of the world was watching, that there was no room for error. The mission also encouraged innovation and ingenuity among Indians which has brought out national pride and hopefully intellectual curiosity.

Lets just wait a few years to see really how impactful this launch was...in the meantime tell me how good//bad of an idea this was by the Indian government.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24729073