Rising Prices At The Pump

In the last couple weeks, gases prices have been slowly making their way to the $4 mark for the first time in 3 years. A survey showed that the national average for gas was $3.77 and that the average of some states including California, Hawaii, and Alaska had already surpassed $4. Even though the average is almost a dollar high then it was at this time last year, economic data has yet to be burdened by the strain of high gas prices; however, economists believe that “the pain will become more palpable” (Hauser) when we top $4 nationally. While we have yet to see much severe damage to the economy from the increase in prices at the pump, consumers are still driving noticeably less as prices inch their way higher, and most economists believe that industries that depend on tourism and travel for revenue could start to feel the decline in driving over Memorial Day weekend and during the summer. Though it’s hard to see those high gas prices, the economy is stronger now than it was three years ago; the last time prices went up this much.

Prices started their ascent after political unrest swelled in the Middle East over the last few months. The price for crude oil reached its highest point since 2009 last week, topping $110. Now, as prices continue to soar, people will soon begin to feel the crippling effects. It’s true that after dealing with an increase in gas prices in 2008 more and more people bought fuel efficient cars (and that’s a lot of the reason why prices will need to get even higher than they did three years ago if we’re to feel the same strain), but it won’t take much more for the hardships to become substantial. Despite the increased strength in the labor market – and the economy as a whole – people still don’t have the pliability in their budgets to make it through this unscathed should prices continue to rise.


--Emily

Stop Hate Speech!

As much as we try to avoid them, hate speech and other forms of verbal abuse are all around us, even in the most unexpected places. One of the more recent incidents of hate speech has been at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – the place where I will be spending the next four years. On April 4, a UNC-Chapel Hill freshman, Quinn Matney, told police that while standing outside of his dorm talking to another individual, he was called an anti-gay slur and then burned by hot metal on his left wrist.

As they should, the University eventually spoke out and made the incident public. Dr. Holden Thorp, Chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill stated that the university takes hate crimes “seriously” and “strives to foster a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment.” However, although the university planned to report the hate crime to the federal government, they realized that they could not because Matney was unable to say neither his attacker was nor who the person with whom he was speaking with before attacked was. Furthermore, although police has tried to contact Matney to gain more information, they have not been able to.

In my opinion, it is hard to get all of the facts straight regarding the incident that night. I think that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has done all they can in response to the situation, especially with what information they have been given. I do believe that all hate speech is unacceptable in any way, and that verbal and physical abuse due to someone’s sexual orientation is completely intolerable. Although I will be attending this UNC next year, this incident does not make me think less of the University in any way. Hate crimes happen everywhere; how we handle them is what makes the difference.

--Mattie

Planned Parenthood, Jon Kyl, and Barack Obama

Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) stated on the Senate floor that abortion represented “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does” (CNN). This seems like a harmless statement by a senator who wants to rally his constituents against Planned Parenthood. Of course, there is one problem; the real figure is only 3 percent (CNN). He only missed the real percentage by about 87 percent. Fair enough, a politician lied for his own personal benefit. What else is new? His office released a statement that claimed that Kyl’s statement was “not intended to be a factual statement” (CNN). Wait…. What?
A United States Senator took to the floor and entered into the public record a lie. It was a statement he knew was, at best, embellished or, worse, completely made up. This simple fact illustrates the political environment that is currently present in the US. Senators can outright lie. If we can’t trust what he hear on the Senate floor, what can we trust? Planned Parenthood has become a new rallying point for the Tea Party. The saddest part in the whole ordeal is that some people probably still believe Jon Kyl. These people want it to be true, so to them, it is true.
I am very glad that President Obama made sure that Planned Parenthood did not get defunded as a result of the compromise that resulted in no government shutdown. It was the one thing that I did not want to be included in the deal. During his presidency, Obama has not pursued too liberal of an agenda. For instance, environmental reform has been completely absent and the financial reform bill is largely toothless. Obama has governed much more to the center than I, and many other liberals, hoped and expected. If he had sold out Planned Parenthood, he would have lost even more support from the liberals that he will need in 2012.

Airport Security: How Much Is Too Much?

It’s not surprising that after the attack on 9/11 airport security has heightened. Now, after more unfortunate incidences have occurred, the security is stronger than ever before. We are lucky that the security system of our airports has the ability to be so thorough with the use of full body scans and pat downs, but is there a point when there is too much security?

A recent incident brought this question into play at Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. This airport has very strict guidelines when screening their passengers: a full body scan or a pat down is necessary for each individual. Some find this to be appropriate and like the idea that their safety will be ensured once they enter the airplane, but when questions of ethics are brought into the picture, is this really the way to go? When a six year old girl was patted down last week, many people were outraged. Many eyewitnesses explain how the child questioned why this was happening to her and what she did wrong. Although the TSA official told her everywhere she was going to check before she did so, imagine the terror this little girl had as a stranger felt around her waist line and down her legs. The biggest question in this situation is why was it necessary for this child to have the full pat down? Wouldn’t the body scan be just as effective? The answer to this question is still unknown, but we can only assume that there is no real reason for this pat down to occur.

Not only was this an excessive precaution, but it took time away from the TSA official. This time could have been more wisely used on other passengers with a greater risk to others. How much damage could this child have caused? There is the argument that parents use their children for bad, which is certainly true, but anything that she could have been carrying would have shown up on the body scan. The fact that this innocent child will probably remember this confusing situation for a long time and to know that it was unnecessary is unnerving. Next time a TSA official decides to pat down a passenger, they should think about if it is completely essential to do so, or if the body scanners would be just as adequate.

--Nicole

Walk A Mile In Our Shoes

Did you know that more than 400 million young people throughout the world do not have shoes, therefore putting them at risk for injury and disease? Earlier this week on Tuesday, I had the privilege of participating in one of the largest events in Cary. On April 5, at 6:30 PM, the Cary Family YMCA had the opportunity to make history in being a part of TOMS One Day Without Shoes. This event was held in an effort to raise awareness to help change the statistics that result from disease and injury from having no shoes to wear. It went on rain or shine, and it was shoe optional. An estimated one million people worldwide went without shoes for the day, a number more than the estimated 250,000 people who participated last year.

I have been working with the Cary YMCA in the after school program for almost two years now, and although I have stopped working for a few weeks due to school sports, I am so happy that I have been able to come back to work and to help out with various things. The TOMS walk was something that I could not miss. Since March 7, 2011, tons of people in the community have donated pairs of shoes. In our individual programs at the YMCA, we have been doing things to help increase awareness and to promote this event by playing games related to shoes and doing various arts and crafts projects.  Consequently, on April 5, and as a result of the outcome from the Cary YMCA, North Carolina became the second largest state to participate in the country. We got approximately 2000 pairs of shoes total, and now we get to send ten people to Ethiopia from our association to help put shoes on those who are less fortunate.

                To be honest, I did not recognize how huge of an event this was going to be until that evening. There were so many families and friends walking, and so many people had a reason to walk, even if was as simple as “I want my kid to understand how fortunate they are.” Some people, including myself, walked the mile about three times! Not only did this event help to raise my awareness on what kids my age are going through in other countries, but it also allowed me to realize how fortunate I have been over the years, and how important it is to help others.

*When you buy a TOMS shoe, the organization donates a pair of shoes to a child in need. For more information on the TOMS walk, check out this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BitShRujoeA&feature=player_embedded#at=43.

-- Mattie

Government Shutdown Narrowly Avoided

After weeks of arguing by the two parties and hours of tense negotiations on Friday, an 11^th hour deal was reached by Democrats and Republicans about the budget for the federal government. In short, with less than two hours until the federal government would’ve been shut down due to lack of funding, party leaders finally came up with a plan that would concede something to each side. Republicans held firm on their desire for historically high budget cuts, while Democrats held off Republican demands for less funding to the new health care law and other Democratic programs. Although it seems like a victory that lawmakers were able to avert the crisis of a government shutdown, any celebrations should be short-lived and peppered with questions.

Why did we even let it get this far? Had negotiations failed or lasted two hours longer, more than 800,000 federal employees would’ve been temporarily out of work and a host of government services would’ve come to a screeching halt. With so much on the line, including the possibility of further crippling our recovering economy, why would our leaders even entertain the idea of a shutdown? Unfortunately, not only was it entertained, but the wheels had already begun to turn with employees starting to receive their furlough notices on Thursday.

In a divided government like this, with one party controlling Congress while the other controls the White House, compromises must be made in order to reach any kind of deal. But sometimes the politics get in the way. Thoughts of reelection or pressure from constituents – like that from the conservative Tea Party movement on Republican leaders – serve to cloud the judgment of some officials. The fact that Republicans refused to back down from their extreme positions, which started with a proposal of $61 billion cuts in the federal budget, all but guaranteed a standoff between the two sides and significantly increased the likelihood of a shutdown. But not all of those 800,000 workers are Democrats; failing to compromise would’ve left Republicans without their paychecks as well.

Americans can speculate all day about what would’ve happened had midnight come and gone without compromises being made and a deal being reached. In the end – however late it was – a deal was eventually reached and a shutdown of the federal government was avoided. But this was just a warm-up for much bigger fights to come and now we need to face the real question: how will our leaders deal with the even more consequential battles on the horizon? If things continue like this, eventually political agendas and politician’s pride will end up hurting all Americans, regardless of party affiliation.

--Emily

Articles:

Bendavid, Naftali. "Last-Minute Deal Averts Shutdown." Wall Street Journal (2011): n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2011. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704503104576250541381308346.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories>.

Hulse, Carl. "Deal To Cut $38 Billion Averts Government Shutdown." New York Times (2011): n. pag. Web. 9 Apr 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/us/politics/09fiscal.html?_r=1&hp>.

Weisman, Jonathan. "Shutdown Holds Risk For GOP." Wall Street Journal (2011): n. pag. Web. 7 Apr 2011. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704101604576247100322182190.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories>.

Picture:

New York Times. Web. 6 Apr 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/us/politics/06budget.html?_r=1&src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fpolitics%2Findex.jsonp.

Future of the Republican Party

There are no clear favorites to become the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. All of the candidates are flawed politicians that would have a lot of trouble defeating an incumbent president. Mike Huckabee would have a lot of trouble winning any states outside of the South. Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich only appeal to the “Tea Party” wing of the Republican Party. Mitt Romney will have trouble energizing the conservative base because of his Mormonism and the universal healthcare bill that he signed into law as a governor. Barack Obama proved himself as a skilled campaigner and it will be tough for any of the current candidates to build a big enough coalition to take him on.

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are two candidates who appeal to two very different types of voters. Moderates and fiscal conservatives will vote for Romney, but might never dream of voting for Gingrich, while Gingrich appeals to social conservatives that would never vote for a Mormon. These candidates represent the two wings of the Republican Party. On the one hand, they have the new radical “Tea Party” that helped them to win back the House of Representatives. On the other, there are the moderate fiscal conservatives that might be socially liberal. Republicans will never be happy with the candidate that they nominate because it will be impossible for anybody to appeal to a majority of the party.

There is going to be a war for the heart of the party in the coming years. I don’t think it is possible for the two sides to coexist in a party that can only nominate one person for president. The ongoing budget debate is a perfect example of the battles to come. The Tea Party side of the party believes that they have a voter mandate to drastically cut government spending and have been, so far, unwilling to compromise. The moderates have been trying to avoid a government shutdown and have been willing to keep funding for some programs that Democrats have wanted. It will be interesting to see who wins this battle and what its effect on the makeup of the Republican Party will be.

If the Tea Partiers succeed and make the Republicans much more conservative, they will have a lot of trouble ever getting a president elected. The moderates will most likely leave the party and vote for the Democrat who, to them, seems like the lesser of two evils. For a decade or so, I believe that the Democrats would experience an increase in party membership, Senate seats, and years served as president. If the moderates succeed, it is unclear what the Tea Partiers will do. It is always possible that they create their own party and run candidates. I think that they would not have a wide enough base to ever win a national election.

As the government shutdown gets closer and closer without a resolution, it seems to be clear that the Tea Partiers are drawing a line in the sand. They are drawing a hardline, but it is unclear how the American public will view a government shutdown and who they will blame. The leaders of the Republican Party face a major decision in the coming months with the Tea Party. It will decide the future of American politics.

The Long Lives of Airplanes: The Unseen Danger

Imagine that you are just getting comfortable on an airplane. The pilot has removed the “buckle your seatbelt” sign and the flight attendants begin strolling the aisle and offering beverages. You click through the movies available on the small television in the seat in front of you and prepare for your long journey to California, New York, or wherever your destination may be. You slowly sink deeper into your seat and begin to relax. All of a sudden you hear a loud BANG and your peaceful state immediately vanishes. Panic strikes the rest of the passengers of the aircraft as soon as it strikes you. The oxygen masks deploy from overhead before you realize what’s happening. Millions of questions race through your mind such as: “Is this an attack?” and “Are we going to crash?” This is not an attack on the airplane, but the latter could be true, all because of what started out as microscopic cracks in the aluminum of the plane. These cracks gradually grew over time, and resulted in a chunk of your airplane’s roof to fly off. In this high altitude, you have just seconds to put your oxygen mask on before you start to get light headed. Once this occurs, it is all too difficult to even get your oxygen mask on.

Each time an airplane takes off and lands, these microscopic cracks grow in quantity and size because of the pressure and depressurization. A Southwest aircraft taking off from Arizona lived a long life of 15 years. It had been pressurized and depressurized about 39,000 times. What this means for the passengers is that this plane had taken off or landed 2,600 times a year. Some feel that it’s a bit too risky to fly in planes at all. If you knew that the plane you were about to be traveling thousands of miles in had made similar trips about seven times earlier that day, would you rethink your decision? I know I would.

The FAA has now declared that many of Boeing designed airplanes be inspected for cracks such as this Southwest jet had. When Southwest was questioned about their other airplanes, they played the blame game by putting most of the responsibility on Boeing. Boeing Co. is now doing what they can to assist in the inspections of planes. But is this enough?

Even if all of these airplanes pass inspection, they still have an average lifespan of 30 years. This means that Southwest’s plane that had its roof ripped off was only halfway through its life. Considering how much these planes go through in their life, this seems like a pretty high number. The fact of the matter is: the passengers don’t know much about these giant vessels flying through the air. If I’m going to be putting my life in the hands of these aluminum machines, I’d at least like to know some information about them. Say, their age and past inspections. Knowing that a plane is at the end of its lifespan may cause me to reconsider which airline I choose the next time I book a flight.

--Nicole

Article: Christie, Bob, and Joan Lowy. "FAA to require new safety inspections on Boeing 737s." Travel News. MSNBC, 5 Apr 2011. Web. 5 Apr 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42402550/ns/travel-news/>.

Picture: Southwest accident prompts inspection order. Web. 5 Apr 2011. <http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2011/04/04/li-southwest-620-00453024.jpg>.

Libya: A Presidential Gamble

  AP Photo

Barack Obama’s initial decision to get militarily involved in Libya was never the most popular in the United States. Polling numbers were not overwhelming and the voters made it clear that they were only cautiously optimistic about Obama’s handling of Libya. A poll conducted by CNN showed a 70% approval rating for the president’s handling of the situation* There is significant downside in Obama’s gamble because he faces criticism from both sides of the aisle. Liberals have been complaining about the cost to the taxpayer of getting our military involved in a third war and conservatives have criticized the lack of established goals and exit strategy. For once, criticism has not been split across party lines.

             * It is well-established that the public supports for wars are highest at the beginning, before starting a slow decline. Meaning that no matter what, his Libya approval ratings will drop.

As Obama starts to gear up for his fight for re-election, he has lost his majority in the House of Representatives in the slaughter of the 2010 midterms. He has to find a find a way to rally his base and close the enthusiasm gap. Liberals are never going to use a war as a way to rally around their candidate. One of the major reasons that he won the 2008 election was the historic turnout of African-Americans and other liberals. He may not find the same turnout from the black population because it will no longer be an historic election. The president is going to have a hard time getting re-elected without seeing a rebound in the turnout rate of Democrats. On the other hand, the Republicans have found a way to get their voters to show up at the polls. The Tea Party movement has re-energized a base that was apathetic as recently as 2008. Although candidates like Newt Gingrich* and Sarah Palin** have very high negatives, they could find themselves on the right side of the enthusiasm gap as a result of Libya.

               *Gingrich may have his own problems concerning Libya because of his constant flip-flopping.

               **Granted, Sarah Palin becoming the Republican nominee should encourage Democrats to return to the polls.

                It is my own personal belief that Libya will not become too big of a problem for Obama as long as the coalition continues to achieve their goals. However, if American soldiers start to die and Gaddafi holds on to power, I foresee a major problem for the president. If the war becomes a “quagmire”, I believe that Obama will have made a huge electoral mistake. I see no way that Obama can re-energize his base with a third unpopular war (and one that he started). Liberals will never turnout in huge droves for Obama if he continues to support an unpopular war. Conservatives are never going to vote for Obama, period. He would be gambling that he can win a national election with a coalition of only moderates. Given how energized the “far right” currently is, it is a very dangerous proposition for him and one that could lead to the election of a Republican president.

CNN Political Unit. "CNN Poll: Most Support No Fly Zone in Libya but Not Ground Troops – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs. 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/21/cnn-poll-most-support-no-fly-zone-in-libya-but-not-ground-troops/>.

Picture from the Associated Press

Human Trafficking: The Seen versus the Unseen

Imagine being born into a world where your physical characteristics were used as tools for others' pleasure, where your dignity crumbled beneath your hands each day, and where your self-respect became the lost result of abuse, neglect, and cruelty. This is the lifestyle of many women today. Specifically in the red light district of New Delhi and in the brothels of Madrid and Manchester, women are forced into prostitution and abuse, sometimes by their own family members.  

The first article that I read on this subject explained how trafficking affects young women and the way a women’s right advocate is taking a stand. I found that girls are often tricked into marriage and are sold by their husbands. Zainab Salbi, a women’s right advocate, interviewed a brothel owner who explained that the “majority of prostitutes are trafficked women who have been sold into slavery.” One of the saved victims of trafficking, a young woman named Mina, reported that she was forced to sleep with about five to ten men a day and that she eventually came to accept prostitution and brutality as a way of life. One of Zainab Salbi’s goals is to save six trafficking victims. Unfortunately, this is a case of the seen versus the unseen – I did not realize how huge of an issue human trafficking was. 

Another article gave me more statistical insight into how widespread human trafficking has become and how often women are trafficked by their own family members. The article not only stated that “…the biggest illegal trade in the world is drugs and number 2 is human trafficking” (Andrew Wallis, head of anti-trafficking charity, UnseenUK), but also that “more than 80% of the victims…reported on the way back that their recruiter was someone that they knew before or that they’ve met through a friend or a member of the family” (Romulus Ungureanu, leader of Romania's fight against trafficking as Director of the National Agency Against Human Trafficking). One individual, Iana Matei runs a refuge for women who have been trafficked for prostitution. Matei stated, “Traffickers simply don’t feel they are doing anything wrong. Money is their God and worth making compromises for – so as long as they are making money, it doesn’t matter how they do it.”  

Both articles made me open my eyes to how big of an issue human trafficking has become. While we have many other issues throughout the world, there are many that are overlooked. I feel like human trafficking has become unnoticed, and because of that, it has escalated. Although it will take time to completely obliterate human trafficking for good, it’s worth putting the time and effort into. As the author of the second article I read stated, http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/04/sex-slavery-a-family-business/ As human beings, no one, deserves to experience the brutality of human trafficking. 

--Mattie 

Articles: 

Wald, Jonathan. "Sex slavery: A family business." CNN. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/04/sex-slavery-a-family-business/. 

"The trafficked women of India's brothels." CNN. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/29/the-trafficked-women-of-india%E2%80%99s-brothels/?hpt=C2.

Let The Games Begin

There’s a reason we call it madness. It’s the 75 foot desperation shot that swishes through the net as time expires; the bracket-busting upsets and Cinderella teams that shock even the most seasoned analysts. It’s the overlooked foul or the questionable call that completely changes the outcome of the game. It’s the humanness of the tournament that makes it a free for all in which all 68 teams – no matter how seemingly insignificant – have a fighting chance at the title, but where no team – not even the most talked about, high seeded one – is ever safe from the determined underdog.

This is unpredictability personified, where luck and desire are just as important as how prepared you are, where there is never any shortage of unbelievable or surprising moments, and where only those who fight through any challenge thrown their way can return home victorious while everyone else leaves early with heads down and tails between their legs.

This is March Madness.

Most of the postseason mayhem is born out of unforeseeable upsets from the most unlikely of teams. The underdogs with nothing to lose and everything to prove, the Cinderella teams that rise from obscurity to find their place in history among the elite of the day. Last year it was the Butler Bulldogs, a team that no one saw coming and one whose half-court shot was just centimeters from making them the 2010 National Champions instead of the Duke Blue Devils.

Every year, looking at the final four teams in the tournament is like playing a game of Which One Doesn’t Belong. This year, four remain but none belong. Connecticut finished the regular season ninth in the Big East. Kentucky was supposed to be here a year ago, riding on the coattails of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. But they fell short of even a Final Four appearance and with most of that team in the NBA now, John Calipari was forced to start fresh. Butler is back but they also lost their star player, Gordon Hayward, to the NBA, leaving them without a vital piece of their game. But not one of these teams can compare to the unexpected emergence of Virginia Commonwealth University.

VCU went 23-11 and lost five of their last eight regular season games. No one thought that they even deserved a spot in the NCAA tournament over teams like Virginia Tech. But the Rams have silenced everyone who doubted them. From first four (play-in games that resulted from the expansion of the tournament field from 64 to 68 teams) to Final Four, it’s as if no one told these guys that they are an 11^th-seeded team that should’ve gone home weeks ago. Instead, they’ve stuck around, ending the tournament dreams of five teams by an average of 12 points. Four of those teams include 6^th-seeded Georgetown, 3^rd-seeded Purdue, 10^th-seeded Florida State, and number one seeded Kansas. All upsets. All predicted to send the Rams packing.

VCU has already made history, not only as the first team from the school to reach the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, and the Final Four, but also as one of the tournament’s most unlikely Cinderella stories ever. Yet, they’re not satisfied. “We still got two games left.” senior forward Jamie Skeen told Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden after the Rams took down Kansas.

It’s an outstanding accomplishment to get to the Final Four, but none of these teams want it to end here. The real madness starts now because while four remain, only one can reach the ultimate goal and earn the title of National Champions.

--Emily

Article: Layden, Tim. "Rocking The Chalk." Sports Illustrated. 4 Apr 2011: 38-46. Print.

Picture: Sports Illustrated. Web. 30 Mar 2011. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/ncaa-best-shots-tournament/content.32.html.

Disaster in Japan

Flipping through the pages of The News & Observer, it was no surprise to see many articles about the disaster in Japan that occurred on March 11, 2011. As I began to read the articles, I expected mostly information about radiation and the reactions of Japan’s citizens to this catastrophe. For the most part, this was true – true until I came across an article entitled, “Japan long overlooked nuclear risk of tsunami.”

This article essentially blamed Japan for the tremendous devastation that occurred in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. It claims that the magnitude of the tsunami was underestimated at Fukushima since the earthquake that struck in July of 2007 was so disastrous. This seems to be asking quite a lot out of a country that is still recovering from their last crisis. It also addresses the point that Japan’s location is so susceptible to tsunamis and earthquakes because it is surrounded by tectonic plates that frequently clash. However, no matter how prepared a country is for an earthquake, they can never be completely ready for a disaster of this level. Imagine if Japan evacuated their cities every time a serious crisis had the potential to take place. This could cause the country to go into debt, and most of its citizens would probably permanently leave to avoid the chaos. Obviously, Japan did not want another tragedy to strike, and am shocked by the way we can so easily put the blame on them.

Should Japan have better prepared for the possibility of another earthquake and tsunami? Yes, they probably should have. But rather than criticizing them and focusing on their past mistakes, it’s time for us to not make a mistake of our own. We should help Japan in their time of need. Pointing the finger at them for their mistakes will not help their country recover from this disaster any faster.  

--Nicole 

Picture: "Official: Quake, tsunami could cost Japan $300 billion." CNN World. Web. 2 Apr 2011.

<http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/31/japan.disaster.budget/index.html?hpt=T2>.

Article: Onishi, Norimitsu, and James Glanz. "Japan long overlooked nuclear risk of tsunami." News & Observer 27 Mar. 2011, Print.