Refugee Crisis

Blogged By Brandon

Please note:Photo credits at end of post.

Population migration is the process through a population migrating from one country to another. This process mostly happens due to populations being forced to leave their homes. As shown in the image below people are often forced to flee with next to no supplies, due to being forced to flee their homes. And often everything they have in order to escape.

What is a Refugee?

“A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or hercountry because of persecution, war, or violence.”(1) This often means refugees will do almost anything to escape their country. Often risking their life and travelling great distances to escape their country. This often involves unsafely fleeing a country such as overcrowding on a small boat.

  As shown, these refugees are sinking. This happened due to overloading the small unsafe boat.

Why Care?

This is an issue that affects almost all countries, for these refugees have to be able to go somewhere. For it would be inhumane, not to accept them into other countries. Just over 40,000 syrian refugees have been welcomed into Canada since 2015.(2) This is a big deal for it allowing refugees a new home. As well as bringing thousands of jobs into Canada. But Canada is not alone with a lot of other countries accepting refugees.

Ongoing Crisis

After violence broke out in Myanmar’s state on 25 August, more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees crossed into neighbouring Bangladesh in less than five weeks. Tens of thousands of refugees have arrived since, fleeing discrimination, violence and persecution, as well as isolation and fear.”(3) This is just one example of an ongoing refugee Crisis. These refugees will need to be welcomed into other countries, in order to have a chance at a second life. As well as face many hardships along the way.  This is just one example of the severity of the refugee crisis.

References

Refugees. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://realitynews.international/tag/refugees/

(first photo of fleeing refugees)

Lethal farce in Aegean Sea continues as another refugee boat sinks off Lesbos. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-10-30/tragedy-continues-another-boat-sinks-lesbos (photo of first sinking boat)

Alfred, C. (2015, May 14). The Boat Of Starving Rohingya Refugees That No Country Will Take In. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/14/boat-people-photos_n_7283178.html

(second photo of sinking boat)

(1) What is a Refugee? Definition and Meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unrefugees.org/what-is-a-refugee/

(2) Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Communications Branch. (2017, February 09). #WelcomeRefugees: Key figures. Retrieved from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/welcome/milestones.asp

(3) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (n.d.). Joint Statement on the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2017/10/59e4c17e5/joint-statement-rohingya-refugee-crisis.html

Driving Down The Highway of Tears

By Christopher

   

    The Highway of Tears is located in British Columbia and is known also as highway 16. The highway was given this name because of all the indigenous females that either get abducted, killed or go missing. The incidents on the Highway of Tears is a big problem that still occurs today. I feel like the some of the police that have to work with cases on this highway don’t give their full effort and don’t carry on with the cases for long periods at a time, in the last 30 years their are still hundreds of cases that still not been solved.

    Most of the victims on the Highway of Tears are women that have gone missing or have been murdered and the cases have been going on since 1969. Their is almost 4000 cases on the Highway of Tears which I personally find is to big of a number and think that they should put police posts up every certain amount of distance to try and cut down the victim count. The victims families will be forever affected and I feel like this could permanently affect a family with depression.

References

Reporter, D. M. (2012, June 09). Highway of Tears: Mystery of the 800-mile stretch of Canadian road where up to 43 women have gone missing in 30 years and could be victims of serial killer. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2156982/Highway-Tears-The-mystery-Canadas-missing-women.html

(Picture of Highway of Tears)  Slide-hwy16-03.jpg. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.highwayoftears.ca/

Canadian Suicide Problem

By Dylan

Suicide is a big problem in the world, in Canada about 17.9 out of every 100 000 males commit suicide and 5.3 out of every 100 000 females commit suicide. Suicide is a problem as it is mainly young adults taking their lives, people who have so much to live for decide to take there life when they are going through a tough time. Suicide can be a effect of depression, in most cases someone commits suicide, the person is normally depressed. Depression is hard to combat as its not something anyone can really diagnose, prescribe a miracle drug, there are antidepressants that can help some people but they don't work for everyone, as they statistically only really help 2/10 people and only 4/10 can tell a difference using them compared to not using them when dealing with depression. In 2009 in Canada alone there were 3 890 suicides.

http://media.vocativ.com/photos/2017/03/2016_10_31_ProChoiceSuicideForum_social828957017.png

How can we help prevent this? There are signs that can help us tell if someone is contemplating suicide. These early signs are depression related as suicide is a possible effect of depression. Some common signs are: sadness or grump all the time for no reason, withdrawal, self harm behavior, recent life trauma/crisis, making preparations. And the most surprising one is that 50-75% of all people who commit suicide tell a family member or friend they are going to kill themselves over text or call. Problem with the last one is it's normally to late to stop it once they have told you but if you take action quick enough you possibly could help save their life. Stopping suicide and depression is very difficult but if we all know these signs and watch out for eachother suicide can be greatly reduced.

References:

https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-624-x/2012001/article/11696-eng.htm

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/recognizing-suicidal-behavior#1

Picture: http://media.vocativ.com/photos/2017/03/2016_10_31_ProChoiceSuicideForum_social828957017.png

Catalonia Independence

By: Ethan

Please note: Photo/map credits at end of post.

In recent months the unity of Spain has been up in the air. The autonomous region of Catalonia in Northeastern Spain held a referendum on the 1st of October 2017 to answer the question “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?” There were two boxes yes, and no.

The Catalan parliament passed a bill on the 6th of September that said they would hold the referendum. The law also said that within 48 hours of a “Yes” vote win, the parliament would have to declare independence. This was quickly met by Spanish courts and authorities claiming the referendum illegal and unconstitutional. While the vote may be legal, declaring independence would be illegal. The independence would go against the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation". The Catalan authorities decided to go ahead with the vote.

The Catalonia region of Spain is very industrialized and very wealthy. They make up 1/5th of the country's economy. The region has long had many cultural differences such as having their own language. After losing several privileges of their autonomous status and with spain being hit hard in the 2008 financial crisis, support for independence has surged in recent years.

Most european nations do not want an independent catalonia because they feel this will strengthen independence support in their own countries. Spain has other independence issues with other regions. Many of the separatist regions including scotland were looking very closely at the results with hopes it could increase support for themselves.

The day of the vote was full of violence. Spain sent police to the region to stop the vote and they responded with violence by injuring nearly 1000. Many condemned Spain's response to people's attempts to vote. The voter turnout was below half with 43% reported. The result of the vote was very strongly in favor of independence with over 90% voting yes.

After the vote many companies left catalonia hoping to stay in the EU. this includes 2 large Spanish banks and a large energy giant that supplies Barcelona's water. The future of Catalonia is up in the air. The Prime minister has yet to declare independence. Spain has threatened to trigger article 155 of their constitution which would give control to the central government.

What does the future hold for this region? No one seems to know.

References

A. (2017, October 17). Catalonia: Spain's constitutional court declares Catalan referendum law void. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/catalonia-catalan-independence-referendum-spain-constitutional-court-void-a8004941.html

Catalonia referendum: Does the region want to leave Spain? (2017, October 06). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29478415 (Picture: Map of Spain)

Staff, A. (2017, October 09). AP Explains: Status of high stakes Spain-Catalonia standoff. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/65524d3701be41da8e2b6264b04e0dd5/AP-Explains:-Status-of-high-stakes-Spain-Catalonia-standoff

Staff, A. (2017, October 09). AP Explains: Status of high stakes Spain-Catalonia standoff. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/65524d3701be41da8e2b6264b04e0dd5/AP-Explains:-Status-of-high-stakes-Spain-Catalonia-standoff

Staff, A. (2017, October 16). The Latest: Spain lowers growth forecast amid uncertainty. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/f87e8e7dd86240d5a412ba3a7a1a6b2e/The-Latest:-Spain-asks-for-jailing-of-Catalonia-police-chief

Staff, O. F. (2017, June 09). Tensions grow in Spain as Catalonia independence referendum confirmed. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/09/tensions-grow-spain-catalonia-independence-referendum-confirmed/ (Picture: Flags of Catalonia)

Updated! Catalonia Referendum Results Maps: How Did Each Region Vote? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.polgeonow.com/2017/10/catalonia-independence-vote-2017-results-map-graph.html (Picture: Map of Results)

Not in my country!

By: Hunter

Please note: Photo credit at end of article.

Most of us are aware of our indigenous population and only hear about the things they have done wrong and not how we have wronged them. All around you will hear stories of indigenous peoples parents abusing their kids, alcohol and drug abuse, them ending up in jail and we all think they are just bad people, not people who have gone through hell and back and have managed to survive.

I understand most people who feel this way don’t know our history with the indigenous population so here it is. One day a bunch of English, Spanish and French settlers showed up to a country and saw people living there. These people couldn’t speak English and have lived in THEIR country for as long as they could remember. The settlers decided they liked the land and they were just going to take it, so they pillaged, raped and stole their land and gave them back the land that constantly flooded and nobody wanted.

Years later after they have taken everything from these people, Canada had the great idea to send them to residential schools. Government sponsored schools that were made to convert indigenous people to Christianity and to make them speak English. I like to reference that the children sent to these schools had no choice.  

As these aboriginal children played in their yards a police person would come to their home tell their parents that their kid is going off to school and that they have no say. The child is taken against their will and brought to a big school with priests and nuns. The kids were brought into the school stripped naked, scrubbed raw and had all their hair cut off, it didn’t matter what their gender was. They were then given a uniform and told they could not speak the only language they knew. They would sleep in beds lined up in a room inches apart and in the middle of the night children would be taken away by a priest and brought back crying, those children were being sexually abused. The last residential school was closed in 1996.

Now, these people are seen as alcoholics, drug abusers, child abusers because without help and therapy their problems and their parent's problems will not go away. They still don’t have clean water and safe houses, It's hard to get over being taken advantage of if it is still happening. These people should not be seen as villains or bad people but people who don’t know how to cope with the pain they are feeling. How would you react if everything you ever knew was taken away and you were forced to be something you're not and to do things you don’t want to do. I am not justifying their actions but I feel that even though their coping strategies are not the best, at least some of them are trying to cope others, unfortunately, do choose suicide as the only option.                                                                 

We need to stop thinking of these people as bad and fragile and look at them as human beings. People should realize they don’t have the same resources as us to help them cope healthily. Personally, I feel from looking at what the indigenous population have gone through indigenous people are some of the strongest people.  

Work cited

http://albertaventure.com/water/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Slideshow_001.jpg (Boil before use)

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a9/4b/0f/a94b0fc2e8b8938c6dac051fb6616189--indian-residential-schools-code-talker.jpg (indigenous children praying)

The threat of nuclear war

Blogged By: Ian Frederick

Image 1: Donald Trump (left) and Kim Jong Un (right), the leaders of the United States and North Korea respectively.

The relations between North Korea and the United States have been rocky ever since the mid 19th century, but most of the hostility between the two countries developed after the Korean War. A war in which the United States fought alongside South Korea and many other allies against North Korea. The tension between the two countries has grown even greater since the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency. It has now become a very dangerous and unpredictable situation.

North Korea has been developing their nuclear weapon arsenal at a very fast rate. This has caught the attention of many countries and the United Nations. Along with this they have threatened the United States, and the States have threatened back. Donald Trump continues to weigh further military options against North Korea's ballistic missile program, continuing to escalate the situation. As of now, it is no more than a war of words between two ignorant world leaders.

Image 2: The situation in North korea has been

escalating rapidly since Donald Trump’s presidency.

North Korea has recently released a statement warning that nuclear war might break out at any moment. Clearly, something has to change in order for the situation to decrease in severity. That means either North Korea agreeing to put a stop to their nuclear weapon development, or the United States easing up on military threats towards North Korea. Either of these scenarios seem very unlikely considering the two men in charge of these countries. Trump’s actions since being elected have shown us that he blindly acts without realizing the consequences of his actions. I believe he will put his ‘manhood’ ahead of his country's safety. Kim Jong Un on the other hand has similar characteristics. Any backing down or compromising will be seen as a weakness and i think his ego is too big to let that happen. This leads me to believe these two countries are on track for World War Three. I also believe that North Korea and the US (their leaders impractical)  are all talk. Both countries have made pretty strong threats about what they are willing to do if the other acts first, but I don't know if either of them are willing to be the instigator.

Image 3: Both leaders seem to be in a battle

to see who is more dominant.

I think North Korea would be extremely foolish to go any further with their actions than they currently are because of the fact that the are severely outnumbered and overpowered. That is not to say that they're not capable of causing significant destruction to many countries including the United States. It seems as though North Korea does not care or recognize the almost certain destruction of their country that a war would cause. The North Korean UN ambassador described Donald Trump’s actions as ‘a suicide mission’ only to have Trump respond with his own smart remark, saying ‘rocketman is on a suicide mission’ referring to the north korean leader Kim Jong Un. It seems that both leaders see themselves as superior and that they are dominant.   

References

Cohen, Z. (2017, September 25). North Korea accuses Trump of declaring war. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/politics/north-korea-fm-us-bombers/index.html

Kalvapalle, R. (2017, May 13). How did North Korea get nuclear weapons? Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/3448765/north-korea-nuclear-weapons/

Liptak, K., & Diamond, J. (2017, September 19). Trump to UN: 'Rocket Man is on a suicide mission'. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/politics/donald-trump-un-speech-iran-north-korea/index.html

Sterling, J. (2017, September 24). North Korea official to UN: Trump on a suicide mission. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/23/asia/north-korea-seismic-activity/index.html

Staff, O. F. (2016, January 11). Donald Trump praises Kim Jong-un for his firm hand with executed uncle. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/donald-trump/12092353/Donald-Trump-praises-Kim-Jong-un-for-his-firm-hand-with-executed-uncle.html

Somalia Terrorist Attack

Blogged By: Jared

Please note: Photo credits below post.

On Saturday October 14th, 2017, the city of Mogadishu, Somalia was rocked with the deadliest attack in Somalia’s modern history. Two truck bombs detonated in the busy streets of the heavy populated area. These two truck bombs have killed at least 300 people, and injuring hundreds more. In the explosion, the casualties included senior civil servants, some paramedics who had arrived to help aid the wounded, but the majority of the casualties were just normal everyday people. These people did not deserve to die, they were just average people going through their normal day. And for the people heavily wounded, that normal day that began had turned into the worst day of their life. The damage from these explosions devastated the nearby area, one bomb exploded by the safari hotel, which was completely destroyed trapping people in the rubble, and the second bomb exploded further down the road. The attack happened as United States soldiers had made a renewed approach to try and defeat the Shabab. The Shabab are Somali based militants who have been terrorizing the country and East Africa for years now. Over the years, these militants have been killing many civilians, and have left many civilians in poverty. Some of these militants have also claimed allegiance with terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State. Paramedics, and emergency crews are still trying to help keep victims alive from blast, and to try and find people trapped in the rubble from the explosion. With people still under care, and some in critical condition, the death toll will still go up as some of these victims may not be able to be saved.

References

Picture of explosion aftermath:

Ibrahim, M. (2017, October 15). Somalia Truck Bomb Attacks Kills Over 200. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/15/world/africa/somalia-bombing-mogadishu.html

Picture of map:

Somalia attack: Death toll rises in Mogadishu blast. (2017, October 16). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41636076