"Who Are The Kurds?"

Whilst searching CNN for my weekly story I came across an excellent short clip that gives some background information into the Kurds. To summarize the clip:

The "Kurds" or Kurdish people are about "25-30 million" people that primarily reside in the Middle East like Turkey and Syria. As much of the world, Kurds were affected by former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein who threatened and even bombed those who spoke out against his power. These actions killed "tens of thousands" of Kurds. While they fight for their own country and independence the film shares why that may not be possible for the people anytime soon.

Overall, the clip sheds light on a culture we hear so little about in a positive light.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/09/22/kurds-kurdistan-independence-referendum-lon-orig-expl-ejk.cnn 

Updates on DACA

Well readers,
A "solution" has been in the making in regards to the DACA program and the millions of Dreamers that make up America. Sunday night some "rules" for keeping DACA in place were released. The rules included heavier border control, decreasing the number of immigrants allowed in to America, strengthening the process of obtaining green cards and much more. What was supposed to be reasonable does not feel very reasonable. During an interview House leader Nancy Pelosi described the previous 6 month crack down by stating "the president should never have done what he did... it was inhumane". Do you agree with her statement?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/white-house-daca-deal-principles/index.html

Beautiful Barcelona

Oh my dear Spain. A country I have previously visited and instantly fell in love with. However, sadly, no country is completely perfect. Catalonia by all rights is a separate nation- it has its own language, flag, anthem, you name it. However, legally, it is still a part of Spain. Catalonia has petitioned to become a separate country of its own for quite some time now and like most outcomes nowadays- it has turned violent. Catalonia held a vote where 90% of its participants voted for the split! Among the result a riot ensued between citizens and police. The violence was tamed and the government was given 48 hours to give a decided answer. What do you believe the final outcome will be? What would you decide?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/01/europe/catalonia-spain-independence-referendum-result/index.html

Dear Maria,

Recently, I noticed how much I have talked about North Korea lately because it has been all over the news! However, this week I decided to switch it up a little bit. Let's talk about Puerto Rico. Everyone knows the situation that is Puerto Rico right now and the tragedies they have encountered the past week. So what did our darling President have to say about Hurricane Maria? Well, Donald Trump chose one outlet to speak about the event- Twitter. Yesterday, Trump posted a slew of tweets from the early morning throughout the day. After feeling backed into a corner for not helping Puerto Rico as adequately as he should have Trump responded to the mayor of Puerto Rico. Sadly, all Trump did was make the situation much worse. Instead of focusing on the victims of the hurricane Trump has decided to focus on protecting his image. Trump claims that there has been much fake news in regards to his attempts to help Puerto Rico and that in all actuality he has been more than generous. What do you think? 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/01/politics/trump-tweets-puerto-rico/index.html

Keeping Up With Korea

It seems that dear old North Korea cannot stay out of the spotlight this week. Dictator, leader, adolescent, whatever you choose he prefers the name Kim Jong Un. This week Kim vowed to get his revenge on President Donald Trump for "denying the existence of his country and insulting him" while addressing the United Nations earlier. Obviously the state of North Korea is hard to ignore at this point and President Trump is simply trying to stand his ground. Personally, I view Kim Jong Un as an adult sized infant who should not be in charge of himself let alone an entire country. However, that is just that - my opinion. The fact that Kim has access to nuclear weapons is what is alarming. The threat of nuclear warfare between our two opposing countries has been building up over the past few months. Will this be the statement that sends poor Kim over the edge?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/21/politics/kim-jong-un-on-trump-comments/index.html 

Back to North Korea

To have so much negative energy amongst the country North Korea sure does love the spotlight...

Today, CNN featured an article discussing North Korean defectors. Defectors are those who have spoken out against their country, their leader, their ideals, etc. CNN interviewed North Korean defectors to see how it has affected them- past and present.  

The article was eye-opening. 

One woman interviewed, Grace Jo, was raised in North Korea in the 1990's during which a famine was occurring. Jo and her family escaped and now live in the United States where she voices concern for her former neighbors. Jo discusses how the state of North Korea has become so appalling that she hopes for a military act of defiance on North Korea's part just so someone will shoot North Korea down.

In the video featured, the newest event in North Korea is that a group of restaurant owners (defectors coincidentally) have gone "missing". Their families believe they are being held captive and fear that they will face "prison camps, abandonment or worse". 

Do you think you would have the courage to speak out against someone you believed was in the wrong? What consequences would you face for doing so? I believe that the United States feels much sympathy for North Korean and that we truly do want to help. However, we are aware that by doing so we will enrage a vicious leader (Kim Jong Un). With the threat of a missile launching the United States may soon find herself backed against a wall and have no choice but to retaliate. 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/17/us/north-koreans-defectors-us/index.html 

What is DACA?

On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump announced the "end" of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) founded by former President Barack Obama in June of 2012. I will be honest, I had never heard of DACA or even knew anything about it until this week. What I have learned so far is this:

• DACA is a program that protects undocumented people from age fifteen to thirty two 
• I put "end" in quotations because the decision has actually now been handed over to Congress
• DACA applicants are not solely based out of Latin America as media portrays (although 75% are originally from Mexico due to proximity)
• Almost 75 % of recipients have lived in the United States for ten years or more

As stated previously, I do not know all of the facts of the situation but my opinion is this: it is tricky. There are two things that I feel confident in saying and that is that 1) you cannot appease everyone with either outcome and 2) I do not believe Congress will answer this proposal in six short months. Personally, I am split in my feelings. I feel sympathetic for individuals who have grown up here and do not even associate the place they were born in with the word "home". I have both friends and coworkers who are here because of actions such as DACA. Alternatively, unemployment is still an issue in America (typically revolving around four percent) and most of these recipients are employed in the United States. I do not consider DACA recipients to be outsiders of the United States but I also feel that America needs to focus much much more heavily on themselves before attempting to help other countries. 

What are your opinions of the program and do you think Congress will have an answer?

Resources:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/05/politics/daca-trump-congress/index.html

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/ten-facts-you-dont-know-about-daca