Libya tortures pro-Ghadaffi prisoners

In case anyone was harboring idealistic notions that the Libyan revolution would be the end of trouble in Libya, such a belief should be reconsidered, as many prisoners in Libya have recently accused Libyan officials of torture.

It seems like many revolutions follow this path - they have a great revolutionary spirit, but have trouble putting it away and accepting differences once they've won the war, as happened in the French revolution and ensuing Reign of Terror.

Still, given the international aid that the Libyan rebel movement received, I was hoping for something a little better than this. But then again - who're we to talk. The US has plenty of its own torture on record.

And The Fighting Continues...

...Between Sudan and South Sudan. South Sudan, which became independent in July. Although considered its own country, Sudan is still fighting rebels in Blue Nile, South Kordofan & Darfur. Clashes broke out between soldiers of the opposition party (SPLM-North) with links to South Sudan and the government on this past Thursday. Sudan accused South Sudan of aiding and abetting the rebels of the opposition party (with whom they allied with before becoming independent), by sending 25 armed land-cruisers into the Blue Nile region. Naturally, South Sudan denies these charges.

In addition to these claims, "the peace deal between Khartoum [the capital of Sudan] and the South Sudanese rebels signed in 2005 left three notable unresolved problems: the border regions of Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan." These disputed lands have caused a great deal of fighting, causing thousands of people to flee into the neighboring country of Ethiopia. The United Nation's refugee agency, UNHCR, claims that the number of people fleeing may have reached up to 20,000 people. "One resident of the capital of Blue Nile state, Damazin, said the town was almost deserted on Saturday afternoon, adding he could hear gunshots nearby."

Who knows when the fighting will truly stop in Sudan and South Sudan. Hopefully the two countries can solve their problems and end their disputes, but it seems that, for now at least, the two countries will continue to have problems. I just hope that those who are displaced by the fighting between the opposition party (and quite possibly South Sudan) and the government are able to go back to their homes without the fear of violence plaguing their lives.

Worldwide Market Failures

And the fear continues, this time spreading across the world. Both the European and Asian markets experienced falls this weekend, causing stress for economists worldwide. "Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.2%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.3% and South Korea's Kospi lost 0.3%." In addition to the Asian market drops, "Frankfurt's Dax index ended the day 5.3% lower, with the Paris Cac 40 4.7% lower and the FTSE 100 down 3.6%, posting its second-biggest fall this year."

While economists believe that the markets will continue to be volatile, they have seen a rise in the prices of gold and other safer assets like Japanese bonds. Even with these gains, the mounting fear of a global economic slowdown has increased as well as the "impact of US and European government austerity measures." In addition to the worldwide economic anxiety, analysts are also concerned that the European debts will overwhelm Italy's market, which is "one of the region's biggest and most interlinked economies."

In a way, this is the TRIBE of macroeconomics. The economies are all complimentary and therefore because one dropped, the rest are all dropping as well. In addition, the income of the citizens is decreasing (due to the austerity measures) and therefore the people aren't spending nearly as much. Finally the expectations of the people for the future safety of the markets has greatly decreased. People across the globe are worried about their money and the economies.

I think the best thing people can do is have a little faith in the economies. A little faith goes a long way (and our economies definitely have a long way to go).

The E. Coli Cure

Well, it's not so much a cure, but a new portable microscope designed by engineers at University of California, Los Angeles has been able to detect low levels E. coli in liquids and solids - not an easy feat. "It's a very challenging task to detect E. coli in low concentrations in water and food. This microscope could be part of a solution for field investigation," said Professor Aydogan Ozcan, one of the microscopes inventors from UCLA.

The microscope, which costs only around $100 to produce, is so cheap and lightweight, that scientists are hoping to use it in countries with less sophisticated technology. Professor Ozcan believes that "[w]ith just a small amount of training, doctors could use devices like these to improve healthcare in remote areas of the world with little access to diagnostic equipment."

This brand new technology could be extremely valuable in both the domestic and foreign health care markets. Because it is so inexpensive, it could be mass-produced, thereby creating a wider and more sophisticated health care system, spanning the whole globe. A cheaper, more widespread health care system? Uh, yes please. In addition, the portable technology would make it much easier to determine water and food safety in developing countries. Is that not what we've been striving to do in third world countries for years now? This microscope could be just the beginning; with all the new technology being created daily by inventors and entrepreneurs, the possibilities are nearly endless. Who knows, maybe one day the healthcare will be as commonplace as salt.

The Bird[s]......Flu

And a new panic hits the world. This time it's a new mutant strain of the H5N1 avian (or bird) flu that the FAO, or Food and Agriculture Organization, now believes is now spreading around Asia, specifically China and Vietnam. The resurgence of the virus in Vietnam threatens Thailand, Malaysia & Cambodia as well as Japan and the Korean peninsula. The most recent string of deaths due to the virus (8 so far) has occurred in Cambodia, creating quite a stir. The virus "can apparently bypass the defenses of current vaccines with unpredictable risks to humans," according to CNN.

The World Health Organization, or WHO, claims that the avian flu has infected 565 people and killed 331 since 2003. The virus has also caused the death of 400 million domestic poultry, causing approximately $20 billion worth of economic losses. H5N1 is still present in at least six countries, such as Indonesia, India & Bangladesh, and has recently reappeared in countries like Nepal, Mongolia & Romania. While most people believe the problem lies with only wild birds, FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth stated that, "Wild birds may introduce the virus, but peoples' actions in poultry production and marketing spread it."

So which is more important: the health and wellbeing of nearly 7 billion people, or a thriving poultry market? Yes they are not completely all or nothing trade-offs of one another, but I do wonder if the new fear will slow production, or if our economic crisis will prove to be more important to people. Hopefully people choose health over the economy, but after all desperate times call for desperate measures. Personally I can live without a chicken sandwich for a month or two...

August: A Month of Consumer Woes

There have no doubt been issues with our economy for years now, but it seems as though it has taken a turn for the worse yet again. In fact, Americans are now more pessimistic about the economy's current state than they were in July. The Consumer Confidence Index for August, put out by the Conference Board, a New York research business, fell from an already low 59.2 (July's reading) to an even lower 44.5. A reading of 90 or so represents a healthy economy, so a 44.5 is somewhat terrifying. If Americans don't believe in their own economy, who will?

The Consumer Confidence Index measures the attitude held by consumers on jobs and spending in the short term. Consumer spending makes up approximately two thirds of the US economy which makes me wonder: Will the economy ever get better? With all the bad things happening to the US right now (Standard & Poor's downgrade, Irene, the 9.1% unemployment rate, etc.) I can't help but be just as pessimistic as nearly everyone else. This latest report is likely to spread even more fear to the people, causing them to spend and invest less. This will in turn affect the fourth primary factor of production: entrepreneurship. With less trust in the security of the economy comes less risk taking (i.e. entrepreneurship). With one of the primary factors of production stunted, how can the economy be expected to change as much as needed?

While I would love to be hopeful about the economy, I'm just not so sure at the moment. With the lowered Standard & Poor's rating and the lowered Consumer Confidence Index, I simply don't have as much confidence in the economy as I would like. Who knows, maybe the lowered score is simply a reflection of people overreacting. I guess only time will tell if the economy has the strength required to pull itself back up.