South Korea on Edge After Ex-President's Suicide

The New York Times

Published: May 24, 2009

By CHOE SANG-HUN

Thousands of South Koreans flocked to central Seoul on Sunday to pay their respects to former President Roh Moo-hyun, who had committed suicde Saturday.

Former president Roh Moo-hyun was recognized as a clean politician while in office(2003 ~ 2008) and was highly respected as a leader to end the recent decades' tarnished history of South Korean presidents having been charged of corropution for receiving grafts from conglomerates.

After the retirement, Mr. Roh faced corruption charges for receiving $6 million from a businessman. The amount is minor compared with those that have been received by some of his predecessors, who had collected massive sums from the nation's top conglomerates. However, prosecutors aggressively hounded Mr. Roh and leaked details of their investigations to the media without any solid evidence although Mr. Roh denied receiving money. As well, the preosecutors went after Mr. Roh's family members; Mr. Roh's wife, Kwon Yang-sook, had been summoned for questioning for a second time on the day he committed suicide. He left a suicide note which was his last comment on his bribery scandal that tarnished his legacy as an upstanding political leader, "Life and death are all parts of nature. Don't be sorry. Don't blame anyone. Accept it as fate."

 

His suicide aroused political divide. This division is considered serious as it came in the time when President Lee Myung-bak has been criticized for the authoritive government that is Many people accused prosecutors of taking orders from whoever is in power. People believed that Mr. Roh was the victim of political vendetta from his successor President Lee Myung-bak as there has been a long His supporters trampled President Lee Myung-bak's. Moon Chung-in, a political student at Yonsei University in Seoul and former adviser to Mr. Roh, said, "the prosecutors have become the most omnipotent force in Korean society today. Their strength is a legacy of dictatorship that still affects us." 

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the government and Mr. Roh's family decided to hold a state "people's funeral" Friday.

Opinion: I am saddened that former President committed suicide. As a citizen of Korea, I pay my respect to him. However, I think I have to be rational in choosing my mind between two ideas that are currently dominant in Korea. According to my parents and my friends in Korea, his suicide has brought the nation into chaos. Many people believe that former president Roh is a victim of political vendetta and is innocent. On the other hand, although it can be seen rude to the dead, others believe that people are just being irational because of his death and somehow ignored the fact that he is a guilty man. Many also believe that the prosecutor is a highly controlled organization of Blue House and the press was also controlled to disclose all the flaws of Mr. Roh during the investigations, putting him to a life-and-death situation. To be honest, I have been really oblivious of how politics are going in my own country. But through this event I read alot of related articles and learned the dark truths about Korea's politics such as conspiracy, controlled press, effects of past dictatorship in Korea society, etc. I felt really embarrassed and confused. I didn't like how Korean people lose rationals easily and become one-sided. The lack of rationals appears in people protesting for impeachment of current President Lee Myung-bak without any evidence of President controlling the prosecutors and the press. Although they may be right, they have to take a series of investigations before they take a side. What I am really disappointed at this Korean society is how there seems to be no truthful source where I can get balanced opinion, or I might have just lost trust in them. Although former President Roh was guilty of receiving bribe, I believe he significantly contributed to remove corruption in society. Therefore, although he is gone now, I wish I could be the one who can establish a society free of dishonesty.

Arms Sent by U.S. May Be Falling Into Taliban Hands

The New York Times

Published: May 19, 2009

By C. J. CHIVERS

Insurgents in Afghanista are located in the poorest and most remote regions on earth where it is virtually impossible to provide themselves with supplies such as munitions. On the other hand, American and Afghanistan forces are materially superior. Thus, there has been questions posed on how insurgents in Afghanistan have managed for years to maintain their forces against American and Afghanistan forces under such a condition.

An examination of ammunition markings by The New York Times and interviews with American officers and arms dealers hint at one possible reason. The examination reveals that military supplies provided by the United States to American and Afghanistan forces have been found in dead insurgents. At least 17 of 30 rifle magzines collected from dead bodies were idenfied to be identical to ammunition the United States had provided to Afghan government forces. This is a strong hint that munitions procured by the U.S Defense Department have been used against American troops due to poor discipline and corruption among Afghan forces.

Military officials, arms analysts and dealers said that it is not enough for spotty American and Afghan controls to take control of the vast inventory of weapons and ammunition sent to Afghanistan during the conflict. 

The United States has been criticized by the federal Government Accountability Office for failing to take responsibility for thousands of rifles issued to Afghan security. In response to the criticism, the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan admitted that it is difficult to keep track of ammunition that are more liquid than firearms. The reasons include limited resources and institutional memory of issued arms. As well, absence of collaboration between field units and the investigators and supervisors in Kabul is also a reason that makes the tracing work difficult.

Military officers said that it is not easy to figure out whether the Afghan government is a significant Taliban supplier or not. Mr. Beven has documented ammunition diversion in Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan. He said that soldiers or police officers might have sold ammunition. The American military's Capt. James C. Howell was not surprised to learn the possibility that theft or corruption could have steered Wolf and Czech ammunition to insurgents. He also added that this has been resulted from causes such as poor discipline and oversight in the Afghan national security forces (A.N.S.F).

The deputy commander of the transition command General Ierardi said, "the emphasis from our perspective is on accountability of all logistics property." He said that leakage of supplied armaments is the worst-case scenario: "we want to guard against the exact scenario you laid out."

Opinion: This article points out what has always been considered as one of the most serious problems in Afghanistan: leakage of the munition in Afghanistan. The leakage of supplied armaments is giving Taliban more chances to resist the U.S and Afghanistan forces. It is shocking that our men are being killed by what we have produced. The leakage of supplies should be addressed as soon as possible because Taliban might start developing their own arms based on the structure and designs of the U.S. arms. Taliban is arguably the most ferocious terrorist organization on earth and such a development of weapons of destruction could bring about a horrible consequence where many people lose their lives and possibly Taliban takes control of Afghanistan once again. The United States Military has investigated the routes how Taliban forces are supplied with U.S-supplied munition. From the investigation, they learned that it is practically not possible for spotty U.S and Afghanistan forces to take control of such a vast region of Afghanistan. As well, poor disciplined and corrupt Afghanistan forces are also accused for leaking the munition to Taliban. In order to prevent this from happening again, the United States should come up with a set of rules to apply on Afghanistan forces. As well, I believe it is really necessary to investigate whether the Afghanistan government is behind Taliban forces as the collective effort of the United States and Afghanistan is required to remove such a terrorist organization.

India's Path to Economic Reform Reaches a Fork

The New York Times

Published: May 13, 2009

By VIKAS BAJAJ

In India, independence, land reform, a green revolution and bank nationalization are recognized as the governing Congress Party’s achievements over last 60 years.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is the main opposition party to the current Congress Party that is promising to provide the struggling diamond industry with subsidies and to protect the farmland from excessive reforms, “dubious industrial projects”.

Amid the global economic downturn, India’s traditional socialist-style self-sufficiency is becoming more and more captivating to many people in the West. However, Indians are still indifferent about the openness and dynamism as they consider their outdated policies, that insulated India from the rest of the world, as a factor that enabled the country’s fast and tremendous economic growth of the past 15 years.

Regardless of which party comes to power in voting that ended on Wednesday, the next stage of Indian reforms will be controversial.

A decade of high growth and increasing prosperity has created beliefs among many people in the political class that it is not necessary to seek for openness to investment, fewer state-owned companies, or greater deregulation of the private sector. Regarding banks, whose 70 percent of shares are held by the government, Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Party’s president, said that the nationalization of banks has “given our economy the stability and resilience we are now witnessing in the face of the economic slowdown.” As well, he insisted to retain a majority stake in state-owned companies. Congress Party is proud of their achievements of saving India from freewheeling capitalism. Prakash Karat, a Community Party leader, said that the left-wing’s economic policies of regulating the country’s involvement in global economy has “protected our economy, national sovereignty and the interests of the people.”

On the other hand, economists and political analysts who believe the necessity of deeper reforms in India warn that the left-wing parties seem to have forgotten the time when the country struggled with slow growth and sever poverty due to the country’s policy of isolating itself from the outside world during the cold war. Raghuram G. Rajan proposed financial reforms that many people “don’t quite remember how bad it was in the ‘80s when we had tremendous amount of rationing, when it took years to get a car, when it took years to get a phone.”

Since the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States, the antipathy toward capitalist has only grown. Small parties who reflect populist demands seem to be ready to forgo liberalization and openness to foreign investors. Razeen Sally, director of the European Center for International Political Economy said, “this crisis provides cover for the Indian politicians to say we were right to be cautious.”

Meanwhile, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, an independent member of the upper house of Parliament and an entrepreneur, said he was worried that the country would end up facing a new crisis if it doesn’t undertake the next series of reforms as soon as possible.

Opinion: I believe this kind of controversy between openness and closeness is what a economically developing country is destined to face. South Korea also faced the same controversy in the 1970s to 1980s when the country's economy boosted and people were discussing whether they should accept external influences or not. Korea's president Park Chung Hee imposed a policy of opening its gates to the world and learned new technologies and economic systems to further improve the nation's economy. The result of this was both advantageous and disadvantageous. Influx of foreign technologies enabled the country's industrail development and led to creation of jobs. As well, exporting goods earned a huge amount of money. On the other hand, foreign capitalists dominated Korea's economy, taking away Korean businesses' room to rise on the horizon. Considering both advantages and disadvantages, I believe it is necessary for Indian government to make a wise decision that can balance between opennes and closeness to both develop and protect its developing economy. As well, as Prakash Kara warned, it is critical to make social reforms such as establishment of reliable economic system and building infrastructure, changing labour laws, and streamlining licensing requirements. Such a social reform would benefit the nation's economy in the long run because establishment of ineffective economic system can directly lead to recession just like South Korea fell into IMF crisis after years of economic growth. With the huge population and cheap labour, India has a incredible potential to become a world power in terms of economy. For it to achieve the status in the world relations, it should answer the question of openness and closeness wisely and establish effective economic system that they can rely on in their long run.

China Observes Anniversary of Quake

The New York Times

Published: May 12, 2009

By ANDREW JACOBS

The earthquake a year ago this week killed 87,000 people Sichuan Province in China. In order to give hands to people hit by this deadly earthquake, more than a million people flocked the quake zone. The nation’s leader acted quickly upon this disaster by mobilizing 146,000 troops in a matter of days. As well, China’s biggest corporations and citizens and celebrities gave a total of over $1 billion.

President Hu Jintao said Tuesday during a commemoration, “the great task of earthquake rescue and recovery reminds us again that unity is strength, and that victory can only be gained through struggle.”

However, the government has been criticized for its opaque and authoritarian ways that are not likely to change after the disaster that cost a huge number of lives. The government controlled the press in order to prevent publishing of harmful and provoking aspects. The government blamed the wrath of nature, rather than human malfeasance, to explain why so many school buildings crumbled, causing deaths of 5,300 students.

Tang Kai, who directs the planning office for the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said, “up until now, we haven’t found that anybody caused or did anything to make buildings more vulnerable.”

Parents of the killed students have tried to expose the instances of substandard school buildings. However, their efforts were hindered by the government who doesn’t want its reputation to be tarnished. Most parents acknowledge that the government has given them payments to shut their mouths from revealing the government’s faults.

In recent week, foreign journalists trying to interview the parents were intimidated. Ai Weiwei have been attacked and detained and found his blog postings getting deleted ever since he started a campaign to count the number of dead children in the earthquake.

One reporter said that he and his colleagues’ works to reveal compelling proof that cuts corners and inadequate oversight by local officials have been denied to publish.

As well, the government restricted the attendance of those parents to the public mourning on Tuesday as they might disrupt the commemorative events that were replete dignitaries.

Opinion: We learned in class that one of the characteristics of an authoritative government is controlling press. Controlling press means that people are not free to express their opinion. In contrast, a democratic government protects people's freedom of speech. I have heard many times that China is moving towards democracy from authoritarian. Thus, it is crucial for the chinese government to understand the importance of people's opinion and how they should respect them. The way the government dealt with the earthquake was a violation of freedom of speech. Parents who try to speak up for investigation and strict governmental regulation on school buildings have been harrassed and jailed. As well, reporters are deprived of their rights to inform people with the truth. I understand that the government is worried of social unstability angry people might cause. However, the government has to realize that organized protests are an important part of democratic society. The government has to listen to people and work on behalf of them in order to finally establish democracy in the country.    

U.S. Jobless Rate Hits 8.9%, but Pace of Losses Eases

The New York Times

Published: May 8, 2009

By PETERS S. GOODMAN

The government monthly employment report shows that the American job market still remains dreadful and is worsening, however, in a slower pace, giving hopes that the recession may be relenting. The report shows that another 539,000 jobs disappeared in April and the unemployment rate increased to 8.9 percent. However, encouraging talk is slowly rising between people as deterioration was milder than expected.

Michael T. Darda, chief economist at the research and trading firm MKM Partners said, “less bad is always a prelude to good. It’s going to take some time for this economy to get back on its feet, but we might be closer to the recession ending.”

Supporting the Treasury’s claim that American banks are healthier than many analysts had anticipated, the jobs report presented made it clear that the nation is starting to drive out of the economic downturn. Panic that settled in people minds after the bankruptcy of the prominent investment bank Lehman Brothers has alleviated. Relief, rather than panic, is becoming more dominant motif of American commercial life. Ethan Harris, one of the chiefs of United States economic research at Barclays Capital, said, “It’s a confirmation that we’re in the early stages of a turn. We’re getting further and further removed from the confidence shock of last fall.”

However, others warned that we should not forget that the economy is still in recession, but a slower one. Many emphasized that although it is a positive sign, the economy is still not regaining its vigour. Dean Baker said, “this is really horrible in any normal context. This isn’t recovery. It’s a slowing recession. In any other time other than the recession we’re in, we’d be appalled by these numbers.” In fact, the numbers for April looked promising only compared to the numbers for recent months. And this was mostly because people become more inclined to seek jobs, rather than because businesses are inclined to hire workers.

President anticipated additional two million job losses before the economy begins recovering, “we’re still in the midst of recession that was years in the making and will be months or even years in the unmaking. We should expect further job losses in the months to come.”

The government will spending money to offer training programs for workers and to activate a stimulus plan. Labour Secretary Hilda said that her department will spend $750 million to retrain workers in faster-growing areas of the economy like health care, technology and renewable energy, rather than auto industry and other areas of manufacturing. Some economists insist the government-led initiative to stimulate the economy. A $787 billion spending and tax cut package will be installed to prevent any more job losses.

Now the question is whether new job losses will be overwhelming enough to disable the benefits of the stimulus spending. Lost wages combined with drops in real estate prices would prompt banks to tighten credit again, which would slow down recovery and worsen joblessness. The next few months will test the effectiveness of Obama administration’s stimulus plan.

Opinion: It is great to hear that the pace of the jobless rate eases although it is still worsening. As some economists believe or wish, I also wish the economy finally arrives at the relenting stage. However, we have to be aware of the fact that the jobless rate looks great only by comparsion with recent months. The numbers are still appalling compared to the times when economy was doing well. Also, the jobless rate has increased because more people seek jobs, not because businesses are inclined to hire workers. This means that businesses can still not afford to pay more workers. Therefore, I believe it is most important for the government to balance out direct and indirect plans. Direct plans will support people or businesses who are struck by the economic crisis and need help to go over it. The indirect plans will establish fundamental sectors of economy such as new energy, and transportation. In order to create more jobs, the government should invest in a growing industry such as renewable energy.

Flu, Mostly Mild, Has Spread Across U.S.

The New York Times

Published: May 3, 2009

By DENISE GRADY

According to federal health officials on Sunday, swine flu has spread across the United States. 226 cases have been reported from 30 states and the number is expected to grow the next few more days.

Dr. Anne Schuchat is the interim deputy director for science and public health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She said, "I think it's circulating all over the U.S. The virus has arived. I would say, in most of the country now." She added that the most cases have been mild and cases in Mexico seem to be leveling off. However, Dr. Schuchat was still cautious, saying, "I don't think we're out of the woods yet."

Dr. Schuchat said that there were some unusual features of the virus. The virus is called H1N1 by scientists and has started infecting people when the usualy flu season is coming to the end. This virus is new, so people probably are less immune to it. Also, most of the cases appear to be occured in older children and youner adults. She said, "very few confirmed are over 50. They tend to be younger. Whether it will pan out in the weeks ahead we don't know, but it is a pattern that looks different from seasonal influenza."

She assured that scientists at the C.D.C were preparinga vaccine to protect further cases. Also, a making of vaccine to protect pigs from the H1N1 virus is also in progress.

Dr. John R. Clifford is the chief veterinary officer for animal health for the Department of Agriculture. He said that there are some cases in Canada in which pigs have contracted the virus from a human although there has been none in the United States.

The World Health Organization announced that 898 human cases of the new swin flu have been confirmed in 18 countries worldwide. On Sunday, there was a World Health Organization news teleconference to discuss the possibility of H1N1 virus passing between humans and pigs. Canadian officials reported in the gathering that pigs in Alberta have caught the virus from contact with an infected farm worker. Peter K. Ben Embarek warned of the possibility of people getting infected from the pigs they work with. He suggested that people should avoid exposing to sick animals.

Also, Dr. Ben Embarek and other health officials said that it was safe to eat properly cooked pork: "You can continue eat safely safely your prosciutto".

In the gathering, it was highlighted that the infected pigs in Canada were detected because of a policy in Alberta that requires farmers and veterinarians to report all cases of flu in pigs to the government. In contrast, the United States government do not impose such a policy that requires farmers to report flu in pigs.

Opinion: For the past few days, St. Andrew's College has installed extra sanitizer stations to reduce the possibility of students catching the swine flu. As well, in dining hall, we were joking that eating pork will infect you with the flu. First of all, I was also uncertain and worried whether or not it is safe to eat pork. So this article assured me that the flu has been mostly wild and cases in Mexico are leveling off, and that it is safe to eat pork. Second of all, As Dr. Schuchat said, this virus is new and unusual that people are more susceptible and have less resistant to it. Unfortunately, the cause of this virus hasn't been discovered. Therefore, I believe it is important for the government to make sure that vaccine is available to infected people. Also, the government should impose a policy to require farmers to report infected pigs so that this kind of influenza can be quickly prevented from spreading in the future.  

South Africans Vote, Likely for Status Quo

The New York Times

Published: April 22, 2009

By BARRY BEARAK

Starting to line up soon after midnight, by 4:30 a.m. the South African voters formed lines of thousand people long. Thomas Baloyi, 49, waited five hours to be finally able to cast his ballot. He said he did not mind the long wait because he felt a sense of involvement when he voted, 15 years ago, for the African National Congress, which led the liberation from apartheid. Mr. Baloyi said, “I am an A.N.C. man until the day I die.” The African National Congress has led the country for the past 15 years.

These huge crowds are considered typical turnouts. A record of 23 million South Africans out of 48.7 million were registered to vote. Numbers so big that many polling places ran out of paper ballots and cardboard boxes in which they get stuffed. This was the fourth national election in the young in the young democracy’s history. It will be the fourth landslide victory for the A.N.C., propelling the controversial Jacob Zuma into presidency although he has been accused of corruption by some people. The A.N.C earned more than 62 percent of the vote out of 1.5 million votes counted. This victory came when the party was facing an international bloodletting that led to diversion of some politicians off the party.

The city of Diepsloot offers evidence of the A.N.C’s continuing hold on most voters. The city is in terrible condition, without basic resources such as electricity, water and sanitation. Poverty has settled deep in the 150,000 people’s lives. Some are fortunate to have government-provided houses although many others live in shacks know as mkhukhu. However, people believe that their life condition has improved thanks to the A.N.C. Elvis Ndou, 32, who lives in the mkhukhu with his wife and children, said, “things are getting better bit by bit, and that’s because of the A.N.C.”

Also, people’s loyalty to those who sacrificed for freedom also explains why the A.N.C has continued winning the election. The A.N.C. remains the political brand who political image represents liberation. Mary Jane Tyutula, an unemployed 28-year-old, said, “I always vote A.N.C. because of Nelson Mandela and all he did for the struggle. I won’t let him down.”

On the other hand, there also were some critics about the domination of A.N.C and people’s imprudent favour for the A.N.C. Former President Thabo Mbeki expressed his concern as people seemed to vote for the A.N.C. only because of the party’s past achievement although the party has been tainted with corruption. He said, “I think the future of the country depends in part on people voting according to their conscience.”

Opinion: First of all, I am impressed how South African people gathered at the polling station at midnight to cast their ballots on the election taking place next morning. Many people here in Canada and in my country Korea seem to be indifferent of thier privilege of suffrage. However, they were in realization of the importance of voting. One of the other articles about this South African election shows an interview with a 20-year-old student. He spoke about making a difference and having their voice heard. I also agree that the right to vote is something that is extremely important and is worth waiting hours to cast my ballot. This is because that is one of many easy ways to have your voice heard and participate in democratic society where people have freedom of speech. Second of all, I think South Africa citizens should now become more thoughtful of their selection rather than voting for the African National Congress party out of thankfulness for the party's past achievement of liberation. Because the party has currently been accused of corruption, people should become more careful. Their wrong decision can easily lead to the country's fall to the political corruption. In this context, I agree with former President Thabo Mbeki that people should vote according to their judgement on conscience. In order to complete the most ideal form of government Abraham Lincoln proposed in his Gettysburg speech, people's active and conscientious participation is critical. "The government of the people, by the people, and for the people" can only be established with people's righteousness and such a government "shall not perish from the earth".

Iranian Calls Israel Racist at Meeting in Geneva

The New York Times

Published: April 20, 2009

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

President of Iran, Mahboud Ahmadinejad, made a speech in the platform of a United Nations conference in Geneva, in which he called Israel as a 'cruel and repressive racist regime'. The disparaging speech prompted delegates from European nations to leave the meeting.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said, "following World War II they(the Allied) resorted to military aggressions to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering. And they sent sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in occupied Palesine." During his speech, diplomats representing European nations deserted the hall in protest to Ahmadinejad's racist remarks. 

Today's meeting is the first meeting on combating racism after the disputes in the very first United Nations conference on the same issue in Durban, South Africa, in 2001. In 2001, the purpose of the conference to address racism was flawed by a few anti-Israel nations' derailment to focussing on maligning Israel rather than on the global problems of discriminations. Expecting only to see the replay of the similar disputes in 2001, the United States and many other nations such as Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia had opposed today's gathering.

As expected and thus boycotted by many nations, the conference on combatting discrimination and racism turned out to be another failure. This, once again, clearly demonstrates the long-standing difference in perspectives of the West and the rest of the world as to view Israel's treatment of the Palestinians under occupation as discrimination or not.

The speech also prompted Security General Ban Ki-moon's uncommon criticism. He said, "I have not experienced this kind of destructive proceedings in an assembly, in a conference, by any one member state." He continued, "I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian president to accuse, divide and even incite."

Many expressed condemnation towards the president's speech. Navi Pillay is the United Nations high commissioner for hunan rights. She was deeply disappointed at President Ahamdinejad's racist speech as she expected some ways to combat discrimination. She said, "this is what I would have expected the president of Iran to come and tell us: how he is addressing racial discrimination and intolerance in his country." Also, Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, the deputy permanent representative for the United States, was critical of the speech. He said, "it shows disregard for the organization to which he is speaking -- the United Nations -- and does a grave injustice to the Iranian nation and the Iranian people."

Opinion: First of all, I think it is not right that President Ahmadinejad called Israel a rascist government at a United Nations conference before diplomats from all different nations. He nelgected the ultimate purpose of the conference and insisted his perspectives by maligning Israel once again after the Durban meeting in 2001. This was an act that overlooked the organization and diplomats who had willingly attended the meeting to come up with some ways to combat discrimination. However, there is one more thing we should not forget, and this helps understand what had made the president of Iran make such a contentious speech. In Iran's perspectives, the world's powers such as the United States purposedly established a racist government after the Second World War in Israel by sending Jewish immigrants. Iran also denounces that the United States and other world's powers are appeasing Zionists' violent movements like the attack on the Gaza Strip. From this realization, I can understand the president's speech although I still believe that he should have taken some other ways to share his perspective. Second of all, I find it very disappointing and sad that the recess for 8 years since the disputes in 2001 still has not narrowed, if not closed, the gap between the perspectives of the West and the rest of the world. I find it pathetic that many world powers who should hold responsibility in global issues boycotted the conference and did not attend the gathering. Also I cannot believe that the diplomats just left the hall without even a try to share ideas with the president. The larger the gap between two different beliefs is, the more they should try to narrow the gap by more communication. I think they are the ones who should step up to make this world a better place for everyone to live. And without their efforts, the gap will lead to violence after violence which would cost more and more lives of people.  

Third-World Stove Soot Is Target in Climate Fight

The New York Times

Published: April 15, 2009

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

It has been discovered that emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main chemical factor that causes the global warming. Carbon dioxide has been accused of trapping heat in the Earth, leading to the increase in temperature. This gas is mainly produced in developed countries where pollutants-causing activities, such as using cars and industrial production, are taking place.

However, scientists have recently discovered that soot is emerging as a runner-up source of global climate change. Soot is also known as black carbon and is mainly produced in developing or undeveloped countries where twigs and dung are burnt into this chemical.

Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan is one of the world's leading climate scientists. He said during his visit to Kohlua, India, "It's hard to believe that this is what's melting the glaciers."

Although there is no change in the fact that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the No.1 contributor to the global warming, black carbon (soot) is stuided to be a significant contributor to the global issue. Recent studies show that black carbon is responsible for 18 percent of the warming, while carbon dioxide is accountable for 40 percent of the planet's warming.

As nations are struggling to implement the much-harder task of curbing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, it is important to buy time. Thus, decreasing emissions of black carbon would be a relatively cheap and simple way to control global warming. Scientists say that simpmly replacing primitive cooking stoves, that are mainly used in undeveloped countries, with modern versions would provide a stopgap in the world's combat against global warming. This simple replacement will definitely slow down the warming because black carbon, compared to carbon dioxide, stays in the atmosphere for far less amount of time. Carbon dioxide(CO2) lingers in the atmosphere for years, whereas black carbon(soot) stays there for only a few weeks. Therefore, the replacement of cookstoves in undeveloped countries would more quickly remove black carbon in the atmosphere than shutting down a coal plant to reduce CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

Dr. Ramanathan said, "It is clear to any person who cares about climate change that this will have a huge impact on the global environment." He is currently working with the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi on a project to provide poor families in undeveloped countries with new stoves of modern version.

Although a swift movemetn to remove the No.2 contributor is necessary, the awareness of black carbon's role in climate change has been so recent that it was not even mentioned as a warming agent in the 2007 summary report by the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change. The dominant idea of black carbon as a contributor has been that the impact of the gas is insignificant  to be considered because it settles in one palce over time, instead of travelling around the globe. However, recent studies found soot from India in the Maldivie Islands and on the Tibetan Plateua, which means black carbon do travel around the globe and can melt the glaciers far away. Thus, the United Nations is trying to figure out how to include black carbon in climate change programs.

Dr. Ramanathan also warned, "in terms of climate change we're diving fast toward a cliff," and was optimistic that "this could buy us time."

Opinion: Global warming is one of the most difficult and demanding task before human. As Dr. Ramanathan warned, we are driving fast forward toward a cliff in terms of climate change. And it is necessary to address this issue as effectively as possible by studying the causes of the warming and making a long-term plan based on the studies to reduce the causes. Thus, I think it is a great accomplsihment that scientists have discovered a new contributor to global warming as we can now take actions to prevent emissions of the gas. As the article says, it is relatively simple and cheapt to reduce the emissions of black carbon (soot). We know the major source of the chemical is undeveloped countries where twigs and dung are burnt to fuel cookstoves. The only problem is that most people in undeveloped countries cannot afford a new modern-version stove. Therefore, I think it is necessary for the international organizations to launch projects to provide undeveloped countries with modern stoves. There is one more reason, beside global warming, why we should find a way to reduce black carbon emissions in the third-world. The reason is that the gas also has devastating health effects in human body. As we learned in Civics class, a global citizen should realize that all peoplese and countries are interconnected. Although it may sound less important for us because it is not currently affecting us, we should realize that global warming is a global issue that we all should fight for our goods.

Madonna to adpot again from Malawi, Officials say

CBC News

Published: March 26, 2009

According to officials in Malawi, Madonna has again started the process of adopting a child from Malawi. Her adoption was in the middle of controversy a few years ago when child advocacy and human rights group charged that government relaxed requirements to give the internationally known celebrity preferential treatment.

In an interview with Malawi paper The Nation last week, Madonna said she was considering another adoption after her first adopting David Banda.

Madonna visited an impoverished Malawi village in October 2006 during which she adopted David Banda. The purpose of the trip was to see the work of her charity. Also, she filmed the documentary I Am Because We Are about how poverty and AIDS are affecting the lives of people in Malawi.

Although her adoption raised controversy from child advocacy and rights groups. They said that the government had approved the adoption only to satisfy the internationally well-known celebrity. However, after the visits to her London home by Malawian officials, the adoption was formally approved in 2008.

Opinion: Madonna's act of charity is truly admirable and thus, influential. Many people are willing to follow the trace of well-known celebrities. And many people would choose to take part in charitable works as Madonna is doing. Her charitable organization in Malawi will help people suffering from AIDS. There currently is 14 percent of the nation's total population of 12 million that is afflicted with HIV. This charitable work can also link back to our YPI project. As Madonna filmed a documentary to encourage people's aid for the Malawians, our documentary films can also help the charity. 

China Outlines Ambitious Plan for Stimulus

China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao outlined an ambitious plan for stimulus on Thursday in order to continue China's modernization although the nation, as Mr. Wen admitted, is facing "unprecedented difficulties and challenges". Prime Minister Wen encouraged China's leaders to seek new economic strategy that would ensure consumer spending. He expressed that exports and abundant spending on constructions of roads, dams, and other infrastructure projects cannot be sustained in the long term.

His speech to the National People's Congress, China's legislature, reflected China's two major concerns: riding out of the global economic crisis and keeping citizens' discontent and dissatisfaction from turning into public unrest.

Tao Wang is a Beijing-based economist for UBS Securities. She considered that China government takes social stability as the top concern and the new social investment is definitely necessary and equally important as major construction projects that have boosted China's economy.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao expected in his speech that 8 percent growth in China's gross domestic product(GDP) would hold down unemployment and the potential for social unrest. Mr. Wen said that the new spending will be highly focused on schools, hospitals and clinics, low-income housing, environmental programs in order to improve people's lives. He also insisted that bolstering consumer demand must become "a long term strategic principle and a basic point of departure for stimulating economic growth" in order to ride out of the economic downturn and prepare China for the changed economy of the future.

Experts will be examining whether the new proposal is wisely and successfuly put into action as promised.

Opinion: I agree with Ms. Tao Wang that keeping social unstability from boiling over is as equally important as many other stimulus programs such as construction of roads or dams. This is because many riots have taken place in China, hindering the economic growth and unification of China. For example, during 2008 Beijing Olympics, the conflict between the government and Tibet was rampant that it was considered to be the top concern during the event. China used police force to prevent Tibet from sneaking into major cities. This was the major flaw during the world's biggest event. Just like this, social unrest has been a hindering factor in China's success. Especially, in this period of global economic crisis, social unrest is more likely because the government is having difficulty satisfying laid-off workers and their families, which could direclty lead to social unrest. Also, I agree with the government's proposal to bolster consumer spending. It is because the best way to ride out of this crisis is to have money cycling in society. Consumer spends money to buy things they need, and businesses can grow and hire workers by using the money. Growth of businesses will also ensure China's prosperous economy in the long term and help China prepare for the future economy.

Teen jealousy led to girl's slaying, murder trial told

Murder trial told that a schoolgirl Stefanie Rengel was killed by her former boyfriend whose girlfriend pressured him to kill her over jealousy.

The prosecutor Robin Flumerfelt alleged that Rengel was lured from home and was stabbed six times to death by her former boyfriend in the early evening of New Year's Day 2008. Flumerfelt testified that the murder was planned through numerous phone calls and MSN messages in which the accused girl urged her boyfriend to kill Rengel over jealousy.

The prosecutor said, "Stefanie Rengel was savagely murdered for no other reason than that (the accused) had decide it was time for her to die."

The accused girl, who is now 17 and was then 15, pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder.

The prosecutor also told the jury that the killer visited a friend's home after the murder and confessed that he stabbed Rengel. The accused girl called him and asked if he had killed Rengel. Then, the accused girl asked how they would cover it up.

The prosecutor said that the boyfriend had visited Rengel and said, "tell her(the accused girl) so she'll stop pestering me to kill you." According to police, in a web chat, the girlfriend said, "I want her dead ... LOL. UR (you are) getting blocked until u (you) kill her."

Opinion: I can't believe such a cruel crime has been committed by a girl and a boy of my age group. Although I believe the accused boy is more responsible for the crime, I think the accused girl should also be punished. Threats like "UR getting blocked until u kill her" can't be an excuse for killing a person. Also, I can't believe a teenager said "I want her dead" with a LOL. This shows that the girl would not feel guilty at all about the death of her friend because of her. I think this appalling story was stemed from lack of morality in the teenagers minds. In fact, many teenagers are exposed to media, such as movies and video games, that are extremely violent and adults view that these media will negatively influence teenagers and deteriorate their ability to differentiate what is right and what is wrong.

Obama Plans to End Combat Mission in Iraq by August 2010

President Obama visited Camp Lejeune on Friday and declared that the United States would pull out its combat forces from Iraq by August 2010 and complete the withdrawal by December 2011.

The decision will keep President Obama's promise during his campaign that he would shift resources and troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. The decision also indicates a significant change in America's attitudes about Iraq. There has been years of debate between war and peace, whether the country should withdraw its troops or not, whether or not the combat mission was necessary and reasonable. However, today's decision and the support shown by party lines, even including President Obama's rival in the last year's election, demonstrates that there has been a huge change in America's perception towards Iraq.

The pullout plan will withdraw most of the 142,000 troops, leaving out 35,000 to 50,000 troops as "transitional forces" to hunt terrorist cells and American civilian and military personnel. Those "transitional forces" will also be pulled out of Iraq by 2011.

President Obama said, "By August 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end. We will complete this transition in Iraq responsibility, and we will bring our troops home with the honor that they have earned."

Mr. McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, welcomed President Obama's pullout plan, calling the withdrawal "reasonable" and saying, "cautiously optimistic that the plan laid out by the president can lead to success."

Opinion: I personally welcome the withdrawal plan declared by President Obama as I believe that the combat mission has only caused severe casualties, earning nothing but shameful reputation in international society. According to another report about the withdrawal, President Obama said, "Every nation and every group must know, whether you wish America good or ill, that the end of the war in Iraq will enable a new era of American leadership and engagement in the Middle East." I agree with President Obama because the combat mission has only caused adversity towards the United States in the Middle East when they have to cooperate to eradicate terrorist forces that disturb global peace. As well, it is also significant that the decision was supported across party line because such consensus might mean the United States' more active participation in the world's peacekeeping activities. The United States' help in peacekeeping will be truly magnificent as it is the most influential country in the world and can lead to global cooperation in solving problems caused by terrorism.

As Doubts Grow, U.S. Will Judge Banks' Stability

President Obama and his administration declared that they would judge the country's top 20 banks' stability through "stress tests", which will test whether the banks could survive in this global economic crisis as it is worsening.

The big banks are insisting that they are still healthy and that they are capable of regaining their status with the governmental support. On the other hand, it is examined by many economists and analysts that some banks are already insolvent, and are not able to survive in this economic downturn. The critics also say that it would be best to nationalize some of the banks now before the economy worsens even further.

The reviews of banks' stability would put the banks in computer-run "what if" situations to evaluate the banks' ability to survive in Depression-like conditions, such as in times of 10 percent of unemployment rate.

Despite the critics' claims that some of the banks should be nationalized, the Treasury Department maintained that they will keep the banks private. They insisted that they have no intention of nationalization of the country biggest banks. Their intention is to support the banks based on the results of the stress tests, which would give the government ideas whether a particular bank needs more capital now or might need more in the future under the conditions like the computer-run "what if" situations.

Opinion: I agree with the government's decision to judge bank's stability. However, what I don't get is that the decision sounds like that the government will support banks regardless of what the results of the tests say. It says that the government's intention is only to see if a particular bank needs more money or not. However, I believe that the government should stop their financial support for those banks that turn out to be incapable of facing the economic crisis and should start spending more on those that are evaluated to be capable. Many economists have already examined that AIG does not have that capability. However, the government has spent an extremely large amount of bailout money on AIG. What the government has earned in return for their support was Wall Street bonuses that outraged people. I read an Opinion paper a few days ago on a korean newspaper that criticized the Obama administration's imprudent policy that does not give up on insolvent banks, but recklessly holds on to the banks. The opinion paper said that the U.S government should merge insolvent banks and call those executives, who are responsible for the bankruptcy of their banks, to account.

Egyptian Political Dissident, Imprisoned for Years, Is Suddenly Released

Ayman Nour, an Egyptian political dissident who was imprisoned for challenging the governing parties' monopoly on power, was released from prison on Wednesday. The release was not expected at all; even Mr. Nour himself was not aware of his release.

The Egypt government convicted Mr. Nour in 2005 of misleading people into wrong political viewpoints in order to prevent opposition politics from flourishing. He gave a new faith in people's eyes and forged their signatures in effort to create his own Al Gahd Party that would oppose to the governing parties. His movement was widely accepted with thousands of signatures when he only needed 50.

The sudden release of Mr. Nour is interpreted by many political analysts as a political gesture at times of increasing pressure from the United States and European governments. Although his release was welcomed, it also created resentment and sadness among people who, from this case, realized that Egypt's justice system was ruled by decree, not law.

Alaa Aswani, a social critic of Egyptian society, said, "I am happy he is out, but I am sad that the executive power and the president can interfere directly in judicial outcomes. The president can put someone in jail and can pardon him and then look for a legal pretext. This is the sad part."

Salama Ahmed Salama speculated on Wednesday that Mr. Nour's release was a good-will gesture to the Obama administration. He said, "all the pretexts for his release today are unacceptable, and no one can believe it. It can be seen in the framework of improving relations with the United States."

Opinion: I also find it unreasonable that the president can interfere with judicial process. As we learned in Civics, there are three government branches:Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The government is divided into three different branches in order to balance the authorityso that one branch does not have too much control or influence in government's decisions. However, some governments neglect the importance of the branch system and interfere with one another. This is the case in Egypt as well. The executive government rules the country by decree of the president, not by the established law that is for the common good of its people. The Egyptian president pardoned Mr. Nour to show their good will towards the Obama administration, not because the law rules him innocent.

Australians Rage Against Arson Suspect

A man, named Brendan Sokaluk, was accused of setting the deadly fires that had killed at least 189 people and burned down at least 640 homes across the southern Australia this month. The arsonist has been placed in a protective custody to be kept safe from widespread fury and anger that are raising among people after his identity was made public.

A court at first said that his identity was to be withheld as people's fury can lead to revenge on his family. However, several Australian newspapers published his identity that included detailed profiles, only without his name.

Worried of the public outrage that could endanger Mr. Sokaluk's family, his defense lawyer, Helen Spowart, attempted to convince a judge on Monday that Mr. Sokaluk's identity should remain secret. However, she failed to prevent his identity from being revealed, but was successful in banning publication of his photographs. The judge said, "whatever the court does, his identity will be well known within days. Those suspected of vigilantism would not be prevented from behaving in an abhorrent way simply by suppressing his mane.” The judge agreed to ban publication of his photographs and home address.

According to a local news media, thousands of messages were shared on Facebook calling for torture and death penalty on the arsonist. One of them declares, "Brendan Sokaluk, the Victoria Bushfires Arsonist, must burn in hell." The messages and groups on Facebook were removed under the Facebook's code of conduct and because of the Victoria State Police Department's request to pull down the posts. The department understood the anger expressed by people, saying they were "understandably angry". At the same time, however, they also requested that they “need to let police do their job thoroughly and to allow the correct justice procedures take place.”

Opinion: I believe it is controversial to decide whether the press should reveal the arsonist's profiles or not because the decision can directly relate to the matter of life and death of the arsonist's family and the arsonist himself. I think that the criminal should be judged through a proper and fair justice procedure although the man deserves death penalty or something even worse as those messages and posts on Facebook say. The similar case took place in Korea. Photographs of a man accused of serial murders were published by several newspapers. There were some debates whether it was right to make the criminal's photographs public because people like the murderer's family or acquaintances who are not involved in the crimes, can be targets of revenge. As well, some people argued that even a criminal has a right to control the commercial use of his identity such as his name and images. I was also shocked when I heard that the image was published because it was the first time ever the Korean police has allowed the publication of criminal's photographs. Although I was infuriated by the murderer, I felt sorry when I was thinking of his children who will also face prejudice in their lives just because of his father's wrongdoings.

20 Dead as Taliban Attackers Storm Kabul Offices

Five Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen armed with explosives and rifles stormed the Justice Ministry Office in Kabul on Wednesday. The guerrillas took control of the office for more than an hour, causing casualties of 20 dead, and 57 wounded. It was more than an hour after when security forces finally retook control of the building and started to evacuate people in the building. Afterwards, all eight attackers were killed by security forces.

The attack came on the eve of a scheduled visit by Richard C. Holbrooke, President Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan. Considering Kabul is the most heavily fortified capital in the country, it demonstrates that even such fortified capital can be a victim of Taliban attack without a more proper and prepared security system.

Mr. Holbrooke's visit to Kabul was made as a part of President Obama's policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan to increase American force levels in the regions. The degree of attacks like this made by Taliban in Afghanistan will definitely influence President Obama's policy to deal with Taliban, who is in control of much of the countryside and is gradually moving its forces into major cities, endangering people in the regions.

One senior official in Washington pointed out that the Wednesday's attack indicated the intimate ties between the insurgents and Pakistan's tribal areas, supporting that the attack was planned and supported by the Pakistan-based network of Jalaluddin Haqqani, which was also accused of the last summer's attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

Opinion: I have currently read a novel called The Kite Runner. The novel depicts Afghanistan and Pakistan societies in the present days with a man who brings a boy to the United States. The novel is based on the year 2001 when the capital city Kabul was under control of Taliban. In this article, I could learn that Taliban forces have now been removed from the major cities, and are now mostly in control of the countryside. However, now the Taliban forces are endangering the city by guerrilla attacks with a small group of bombers and gunmen. Therefore, I think that the United States and other world powers should protect Afghanistan from Taliban attacks by bolstering security levels with a more number of military forces. As President Obama's policy promises, it is important for the United States to send more troops to Afghanistan and . Moreover, the ties between Taliban and Pakistan's tribal areas should be investigated more thoroughly as such ties can hinder our attempts to bring peace back in the region. As well, I hope Pakistan could also join the United States' peacekeeping project and do their parts because they can make huge influences on Afghanistan as a neighbouring country. At last, it seems that President Obama's envoy, Mr. Holbrooke, was not successful in convincing Pakistan tribal areas not to help Taliban because the attack came right after his visit to the areas.

Peanut Case Shows Holes In Safety Net

The salmonella outbreak started in the Peanut Corporation of America plant in rural southwest Georgia and spread across the country. In 2007, it took eight people's lives and sickened 19,000 people. Many things, such as the conditions at the plant, have been accused of causing the salmonella outbreak. However, the conditions of the plant was only one of many elements that led to the outbreak. Most importantly and shockingly, it was the government's negligence in food safety net that has led to the outbreak.

First of all, the Peanut Corporation of America plant in southwest Georgia was definitely one element. According to an inspection, the roasters were not calibrated to kill germs that are harmful to human health. Also, the workers were dressed in uniforms that contained contaminants. Even the roof of the plant was leaking when the facility should be kept dry in order not to let salmonella thrive.

An examination of the Blakely case reveals holes in food safety net and the indifference of the government in protecting its people from the consequences of the holes in safety net. According to interviews and government records, the state and federal inspectors who have investigated the plant did not require the plant to inform the public of the salmonella contamination in its plant. When a whistleblower inspected the ConAgra Foods factory and found out about the salmonella contamination in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration did not pursue the laboratory tests, letting them become a bigger problem and eventually killing people in the market.

The holes in safety net led to the distribution of salmonalla containing food products and eventually killed and sickened people. Three years later, in 2007, the government finally verified the inspector's claims and ConAgra improved conditions at its plant and increased laboratory testing. However, federal regulators still overlooked and did not impose higher standards on other peanut facilities, causing more and more problems and bigger holes in food safety net.

Opinion: I think the peanut case shows the lack of conscience among those people who run the plants and who inspect the plants. Death and illness of people caused by salmonella-contaminated peanut products could have been prvented if it were not for those indifferent and amoral people. The government should impose higher standards on peanut facilities. The government should also send out inspectors regularly to plants and test the procedure of making peanut products. Based on the inspection, those plants that fail to meet the standards should be closed down before making a bigger damage in people lives. Food is one of many elements in human lives that is directly related to a matter of life and death. I wish the government officials and people who are in food-related businesses are more honest and more caring in producing food.

Obama Calls Wall Street Bonuses 'Shameful'

As the global economic downturn continues, Wall Street Bankers are accused of giving themselves nearly $20 billion in bonuses. President Obama criticized the bankers "shameful" for such immoral behaviours of the bankers, to whom the government granted billions of bail-out money to save the nation's most prominent financial institutions.

President Obama pointed out to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, "There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses". He expects Secretary Geithner to send his message directly to the bankers.

Public anger over the economic crisis and high unemployment rate is rising and the government is trying to help prominent bankers ride out of the crisis and have the economy back on track. However, all the bail-out money seems to be used for the executive's good, rather than to rescue the economy. Such immoral activities demonstrate the necessity of imposing stricter restriction on pay for executives of institutions that receive government assistance.

As it seems it will take far more than $700 billion bailout fund, that has already been authorized, to stabilize banking system, President Obama and his administration will have to assure Congress that they will guide the right use of bailout fund. Mr. Geithner has already expressed his opinion to impose stricter compensation limits. President Obama's anger and criticism today shows that he will step up the pressure on bankers before granting them any additional fund.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden was also outraged by the large bonuses, "They're thinking the same old thing that got us here, greed. They're thinking 'take care of me.' " He pleged that the government will spend the remaining $350 billion of the troubled assets money "wisely and prudently and transparently."

Opinion: It was shocking to learn that the bailout funds granted by the government is being used in the ways that they are not supposed to. The money is being used to satisfy executive's greed when many people are struggling with unemployment rate caused by this economic downturn. Bonuses should be granted for those who have worked hard to help the company ride out of the economic crisis. They are the true people who deserve bonuses, not those executives who are busy filling up their greed. As Vice President Joseph Biden said, it is their limitless greed that got us here. I believe the government should not let this happen anymore. A stricter compensation limit should be imposed and if the law is not followed by certain financial institutions, they should not be granted any additional money. In addition to this, it is most important for the bankers to realize what they are supposed to do and what is a right thing to do. When they decided to be wise, prudent and transparent themselves, all the immoral activities caused by greed would disappear from this world and we all can truly see the hope of onset of new economy.

Opinion: a backward-looking budget that looks supremely political

This blog is based on Hugh Mackenzie's opinion paper.

Through the 2009 budget, Stephen Harper showed that he is only interested in meeting the political imperatives he imposed on himself in the November budget. Stephen Harper is oblivious of the fact that what Canadians really need is a budget that can effectively response to the current economic crisis.

Hugh Mackenzie identifies three key questions that will evaluate the budget's effectiveness:

• Is the fiscal stimulus it offers big enough?
• Does it put the additional funding in the right places?
• How does it position Canada to participate in inevitably changed economy that will emerge as the economic downturn reverse itself?
  

Hugh Mackenzie believes that the 2009 budget does not answer the questions above.

First of all, the fiscal stimulus the budget offers is not big enough at all. Hugh Mackenzie calculates that the budget's actual stimulus is only about 1.3 per cent of Canada's GDP, which is a considerably small amount of money among major industrial nations. This 1.3 percentage is barely two-thirds of 2 per cent suggested by the International Monetary Fund as an appropriate fiscal response. This means that it will take a longer period of time than it is necessary for Canada to go over this economic crisis.

Secondly, the additional funding is not put in the right places. Broad-based tax cuts do not make sense. Broad-based tax cuts will reduce the fiscal capacity which will make it difficult for Canada to overcome deficit, caused by the economic crisis, in the future.

Third, the budget is backward-looking; it does not prepare Canada for the future where the nation will confront inevitably changed economy after this economic crisis. With this budget in action, Canada will confront difficult times once again when other countries are moving forward.

Opinion: I agree with Hugh Mackenzie's opinion that the 2009 budget does not reflect what is necessary for Canadians, whom the government is supposed to serve. The budget does not give answers to the questions that are being asked by Canadians who were thrown into hardship with an onset of this economic crisis. I believe it is most important to balance out direct and indirect plans. Direct plans will support people or businesses who are struck by the economic crisis and need help to go over it. The indirect plans will establish fundamental sectors of economy such as new energy, and transportation. The indirect plans will help Canada prepared for the future when the country will have to survive in the changed economy. As well, I hope the Canadian government should come up with ways to relieve its people and reassure them that they can and will go through this economic crisis together as a whole. I hope the Canadian government can proudly oppose to Hugh Mackenzie who said, "It is also becoming obvious that what's good for Stephen Harper politically is not necessarily in the best interests of the Canadians he is supposed to be serving".