Your pick of this week's news week 11 (responses) - Assignment Example

Post One: The US and China Argue Over Contested Island Our focus for this week is en d “Hagel Spars With Chinese Over Islands and Security”. It was written by Helene Cooper for the New York Times and published on April 8th, 2014. The main focus of the article is the conflict over territories in the East China Sea. The conflict is primarily between Japan and the China, but the US comes into the picture as a military ally to Japan with whom they have ‘mutual self-defense treaties’. The standoff is oddly reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s.

Neither of the sides involved, at least at this point, shows willingness to back down from the conflict. China, according to US intelligence, appears ready to launch a ‘short, sharp’ war with Japan,an allegation the Chinese vehemently deny. The US on its part vows to honor the defense treaties it has with Japan. While on the surface and in public the two nations appear to have a friendly relationship, what lies below all that seems more grotesque, and the two nations seem to be edging ever closer to a full scale conflict.

The writer has also done a good job in showing the prelude to this conflict,which is one of mistrust between two of today’s superpower nations. She has written about the events leading to this conflict. She has also, without bias, presented the cases that the two nations have in laying claim to the islands in question. In my opinion this is a top class news article, and the writer deserves a pat on the back.Post Two: Rhode Island Settles Case on Jobs for the DisabledThe article is titled "Rhode Island Settles Case on Jobs for the Disabled.

" It was written by Dan Barry and was published on April 8,2014 in The New York Time newspaper. The story looks at a landmark announcement by the department of Justice regarding employment for 3000-odd disabled people in Rhode Island. Prior to this agreement, it is estimated that “450,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while away their days in essentially cloistered environments” across the entire country.One of the disabled people interviewed expressed his discontentment with his job saying he “did not like( the job) very much”.

The new agreement has lead to praise for Rhode Island for “embracing the need for change”. Under the new agreement, people with disabilities are allowed to “obtain typical jobs within the community that pay at least the minimum wage”. In my opinion the article is true because one cannot doctor information about changes in the law. The writer also deserves commendation for highlighting such an important piece of legislation in Rhode Island State. By publishing this in a national newspaper, the challenge is out for other states to follow the example and amend old legislation that has been oppressive to the less privileged in society.

Post 3: Electronic cigarettes can be dangerous, even if you dont smoke themThis article was written for the Los Angeles Times by Karen Kaplan and published on April 3, 2014. The article is written on the back of health risks posed by electronic cigarettes identified by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. This, in turn, was prompted by a sharp rise in calls to poison control centers to report problems related to e-cigarettes. That figure has risen from one per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014.

E-cigarettes are operated by batteries and were thought to be safe as compared to cigarettes. No nicotine and tar, no lung cancer. What is alarming, however, is the number of young people using them, with 10% high school users and 3% middle school students believed to be active users of e-cigarettes. Injuries are caused either by inhaling, ingesting or exposing the skin to the liquid used in e-cigarettes. It is reported that one person died by injecting the nicotine liquid into is or her veins.

In my opinion the writer has, rightly so, launched a scathing attack on the use of cigarettes and the harm they cause to our bodies. The writer highlights the risk under which the youth and children are. The article is comprehensive, straightforward and all information is supported by actual figures as provided by the CDC.