Guns, Germs and Steel- An interesting perspective on human development

In “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, Jared Diamond attempts to provide an alternative explanation of historical milestones that would eventually shape the way the world works today. Diamond’s motive for writing the book is to answer the question, “Why did history unfold differently on different continents?” From the beginning of the book he warns that he is not trying to explain racial differences that would have affected the development of civilizations. Instead he finds and analyzes the oldest possible human milestones as a starting point to account for the development of the continents. These milestones include but are not limited to the development of writing, plant and animal domestication, the use of technology, and governmental structure. Diamond holds that environmental factors and the needs of societies are responsible for the varying developments seen across the continents.

Unlike other books that attempt for explain the progression of civilizations, “Guns, Germs, and Steel” does not pose racist causes and it is not Eurocentric in content. Instead, Diamond gives a concentrated version of every civilization for the past 13,000 years. His motive is truly to gain an understanding of the environmental factors that led to the developmental divergence of civilizations. I reccomend the book to anyone seeking to find an understanding of the way the societies of the world work and the underlying reasons for this intricate development.

The Potential in Nuclear Energy

After reading John McPhee’s “The Curve of Binding Energy” the dangers of nuclear power are evident to me. However, I feel that the positive aspects of nuclear power outweigh the negative, and that safeguarding can be improved in order to increase global safety while still benefiting. Although I do not support nuclear weaponry, I feel that nuclear energy as a power source is a better alternative to those currently in use.
Nuclear weapons have shown great destruction and another detonation on civilians would be an unthinkable tragedy. For this reason I feel the Atomic Energy Commission needs to improve safeguarding and realize the threat posed by stolen nuclear material. If this is done effectively, many global issues can be solved regarding the energy crisis.
The global energy crisis consists of different components. It includes over-consumption of oil which leads to pollution, health concerns, and global climate change. We’ve depleted our resources so much that the cost of oil is rapidly increasing, affecting the economy and leading us into wars over control of it. It is evident that we are in need of an alternative energy source, one that is easier on the environment, affordable and in vast supply.
An example of a nation that has embraced nuclear power is France, who in my opinion has shown great success. They are not reliant on foreign oil and they emit a smaller ratio of greenhouse gasses per capita than other nations. They also have among the lowest electricity costs in Europe. Public opinion on the matter shows that 70% of the citizens of France approve of nuclear power and express minimal fear of it.
So far France seems to have mastered nuclear power and utilized it in a positive way while keeping potentially lethal nuclear materials out of the wrong hands. I feel France is setting a good example for nations to follow, in successfully establishing an efficient and clean power industry.
When discussing the issues regarding the safety of nuclear power, the example of Chernobyl is a prevalent argument. However, there are common misconceptions involved with this argument. It is important to understand that nuclear power plants only need 3% enriched uranium in order to sustain power while an atomic bomb requires 98% enriched uranium. Therefore, it is virtually impossible for a nuclear power plant to explode because of nuclear material.
The tragedy at Chernobyl occurred because of a loss of coolant accident also known as LOCA, as well as human error. Since then, we have analyzed these errors so that another accident like this will not occur. I don’t think this event should keep us from forging ahead in utilizing an effective energy source, rather we should learn from past mistakes and use caution as we do with many other industrial entities.
Over all the positive aspects of nuclear energy outweigh the negative, just as long as the Atomic Energy Commission establishes effective safeguards.We should not let opportunity pass because of the possible fear of something. Instead, we should overcome obstacles in order to improve our lives.

Another Loss in the Fight for Mumia's Freedom

On March 27th, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied Mumia Abu Jamal's request for a new trial, meaning that he is currently facing either life in prison or execution. Though he was granted a re-sentencing, he was denied a new trial on the basis that it was unclear what ethnicities his jury consisted of. Consequently the Third Circuit Court of Appeals feels that since they can't be sure of the jury's race, they can't definitely say there was a racial bias against him. It has almost been a year since they began deliberating, and the outcome was a big disappointment to all of Mumia's supporters. Mumia's lawyers are appealing this decision, and in the meantime there are many scheduled rallies in New York, Philadelphia and in major cities around the world.

Does This Ring a Bell?

On April 25th, 2008 the three police officers that were indicted in the killing of Sean Bell were acquitted of all charges. Sean Bell was shot on his wedding day, along with two if his friends in a hail of fifty bullets. It was later discovered that they were unarmed, and there is now much speculation on the events that unfolded that night. There is the question of proper police protocol that was not followed, as well as the forcefulness of the incident. Either way, an unarmed man was killed and no one will pay for it. While reading about this trial, it reminded me of Amadou Diallo, and the similarities between the cases.

In 1999, Amadou Diallo, an immigrant from Guinea was shot and killed by four police officers. Of the forty-one shots, nineteen hit Diallo who was later found to be unarmed. The police officers claimed that he fit the description of a serial rapist in the area, and that he appeared to be armed. He in fact he was only armed with a wallet. Mass demonstrations against the acquittal of these officers were carried out. In 2000, my father and I attended one of these rallies in Union Square, and I vividly remember the crowds honoring Diallo's life and protesting the circumstances of his death.

In the case of Sean Bell, his surviving family has hired Al Sharpton as their advisor. Following the acquittal of the accused officers, the family has promised to round up the masses to perform civil disobedience, boycotting and other practices that would express their feeling towards the outcome of the trial. Hopefully this will lead to some action; preferably legal action that will prevent similar future occurrences and hold that shooting at unarmed citizens is not acceptable and will have harsher punishments. Also, these will hopefully lead to more effective police training so that officers on the job have safe protocol to follow at all times.