Mexico- Los Zetas

Juan Carlos Olivera Acosta has been arrested by military forces in Mexico, a large step forward in the fight against violent drug cartels. Acosta is suspected to be the boss of Los Zetas, a group that began when four Mexican soldiers belonging to an elite special forces abandoned the Mexican army. Los Zetas has had a large influence on the drug trafficking in Mexico because of their violent tactics and their strength. The violence of the group is so extreme, that other drug cartels have frowned upon Los Zetas and have formed alliances against them, claiming that they discredit "true drug traffickers," in which cartels participate in the illegal drug trade, but do not harm innocent civilians. With the suspected leader of a huge drug cartel, it would seem as if the Mexican government is showing that there is an effort to stop the drug trade, and has actually succeeded in some areas. However, it could be assumed that as long as there is corruption and poverty as prevalent as it currently is in Mexico, the drug cartels will remain a problem.

Source:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/02/15/army-troops-capture-zetas-cartel-boss-northern-mexico/

**The image is not necessarily that of Los Zetas, but is it in fact a Mexican drug cartel, displaying just how organized and powerful these groups can be.

India- Hinduism

What are the basic teachings of Hinduism?
The basic teachings of Hinduism are difficult to define because of how broad the Hindu tradition is. While many refer to Hinduism as a religion, it is more accurately defined as a way of life based on the ideas on karma, the Vedas (body of sacred literature), and the objectives, according to Wikipedia, of human life: Dharma (righteousness), Artha (livelihood), Kama (sensual pleasure), and Moksa (liberation, freedom from samara). While there are many sects of Hinduism, most tend to believe that the atman, the spirit or soul, is eternal. Becoming aware of one’s own atman results in a person reaching Moksa, releasing them from the reincarnation cycle.

What aspects of Hinduism do you like?
I actually liked most aspects of Hinduism, mostly because of how lenient it is, and how it gives individuals more freedom compared to other religions like Christianity or Islam. I like the fact Hindus believe that anyone, no matter what religion they follow, can achieve life goals, in contrast to religions such as Christianity that will punish you if certain rules are not followed or will have you live in eternal agony should God be denounced (the article points out that some, but not many, Hindus are atheists too). Overall, I enjoy how Hinduism is very accepting, and I find it interesting how it is more a way of living, rather than a religion.

What aspects of Hinduism do you find confusing?
The main fact about Hinduism that I find confusing is how it is able to encompass many different believes and religions, such as Buddhism for example. It is hard to me to understand how Hindus can feel a sense of unity if they focus their worshipping on different gods and hold different values.

Sources:
Movie watched in class
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

News on Egypt due Monday

Everyday this week new news stories on Egypt have appeared, each displaying the amount of chaos that has and is occurring. The current dictator of Egypt, Mubarak, has called back the police resulting in pure lawlessness with the goal of having the Egyptian rebels wanting him back in power in order to restore order. As shown by events occurring last week, however, the rebels are still standing strong, armed with anything they can use for a weapon to defend themselves against looters and escaped convicts. Mubarak has announced that he will not, after 30 years of ruling, seek to “run” for another term, and will step down from power when the elections take place after seeing how firing his entire cabinet did not change the rebel’s sentiment towards him. Unsatisfied, the rebels want him to leave office immediately, under the assumption that in the time between now and the next elections, Mubarak could either regain power or rig the election to his favor, allowing him to continue to have power. With the army now present in Cairo, some of the chaos has died down; nevertheless, violence and protests are still prevalent. Considering the steps that each side has taken, such as the government shutting down the Internet and other communication devices, to extreme violence displayed by certain protesters, it does not seem as if either of them will peacefully step down.

Sources:
Various news articles + news on TV over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

India- Advantages and Disadvantages

What is the greatest attribute India has in ensuring a bright future?
The greatest attribute India has in ensuring a bright future is undoubtedly its economy and the current direction in which it is moving. Since the economic reform to move away from socialist policies and towards free-market policies, the Indian economy has been rapidly growing as shown by its 7% growth per year since 1997. According to the CIA World Factbook, services are the major source of the recent economic growth with more than half of the nation’s output and only one-third of the labor force. With a population of over a billion people and with a median age of about 26, India’s workforce will continue to grow at a rapid rate and with such a large part of the nation in the work force, the economy will in turn continue to expand.

What is the greatest limitation India has in ensuring a bright future?
Considering the recent success that the Indian economy has been experiencing, it is surprising to notice the high levels of poverty, one of the greatest limitations India has in ensuring a bright future. The CIA World Factbook states that 25% of the population in 2007 lives not at, but below the poverty line, which, when considering a population of over one billion people is an overwhelming amount. Furthermore, the World Bank, according to Wikipedia, estimates that close to 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, very close to the poverty line of $1.25 a day. Nevertheless, it is true that the poverty rate has been declining over the years, and the Indian government has shown an interest in continuing to further lower the amount of Indians in poverty. Many contributing factors of poverty in India include: the Caste system, era under British rule, and the economic policies before reform in 1980s. While there does seem to be improvement on the poverty levels in India, the government will have to step up even more so in the coming years to face one of their greatest limitations for economic growth.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

India- Economic Growth

India, while it is still considered a place with vast amount of poverty, has an economy that is drastically growing in size and its future among the most powerful world economies is gradually becoming more and more likely. In relation to the United States, India is where many outsourced jobs are located, mainly because of the economic benefits for larger corporations; further emphasizing India’s importance to markets around the world. According to the Central Statistical Organization (CSO), “the Indian economy is projected to expand by 8.6% to a record $1.73 trillion.” This is a huge breakthrough for the Indian economy, as the GNP of the projected economic levels would bring the country’s per capita income to about $1,200, “effectively making it a middle-income country.” While the current economic state of India is not yet at the required levels, they are no doubt on the right path. As stated in the article, the benefits of having a growing economy like India’s also come with various disadvantages. For example, while the economic growth will allow India to stand among other economic world powers and increase standard of living, the country will find it harder to obtain certain loans “from multilateral institutions for social sector projects.” While India certainly seems to be headed in the right direction for economic advancements, some claim that rising inflation could end up slowing growth. While India’s future is not set in stone, there exists a general feeling that over the next few years that it will show expansion.

Source:
http://www.livemint.com/2011/02/08021623/India-now-on-middle-income-pat.html?atype=tp

Russia- Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Lenin

While Vladimir Putin has moved farther away from Marxist ideology over the years, Vladimir Lenin had remained a Communist during his entire time as President of Russia. As said in the post below, Putin had moved Russia closer to a democracy by encouraging not only small businesses, but large corporations as well. Lenin, because he was a Communist, brought all aspects of life, especially the economy, under government control. “Government-accountable leaders” were appointed to head separate enterprises of the Russian economy, ultimately giving the government total control. Even though both of these past Russian Presidents implemented drastically different rules, they both were very well received by the Russian population of their time. Lenin was able to take control of Russia right after the Russian Revolution, and with the promises of the good that Communism would bring, the general public excitingly accepted Lenin. American journalist John Reed describes Lenin undisguised in public for the first time being received by “a thundering wave of cheers.” Even though Lenin enacted much more Communist laws compared to Putin, they were both extremely popular among the Russian civilians during their time in office, showing how Russians stress an importance of nationalism by supporting their leader.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin

Russia- Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin was the former President of Russia, generally well accepted by the Russian population. Currently, he is the Prime Minister of Russia because he was not able to run for a third consecutive term for the Presidency; however it is very possible that he will decide to run for office again in the next election, where it will be legal. According to a source cited at Wikipedia, Putin is “credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law.” Russians have experienced a large amount of distrust towards their government as of lately, mainly because the country’s transition towards more Democratic ideals hasn’t proved to be beneficial to the average Russian. By bringing stability to the nation, it’s no doubt that Putin would be well accepted. During his time as President, Putin has called for many reforms dealing with many different sectors of Russia. Looking at the Russian economy, Putin was able to allow for a “real gains of an average 7% per year” along with growths in other sectors of the economy. Overall, Putin has advocated more liberal economic policies, a giant step towards Democracy and away from Communism. In particular, Putin had introduced a flat tax rate of 13%, which, compared to the United States, is very low. To help give businesses incentives to expand and innovate, the corporate rate of tax is now 24%, down from 35%. Wikipedia states that with the help of Putin’s legislation, “overall tax burden is lower in Russia than in most European countries,” displaying an eminent move away from Russian Communism experienced under Lenin and Stalin. While Putin certainly is not a perfect President and is rightfully criticized with certain issues, the Russian people have shown that they approve Putin and what he brought to Russia.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin