World Update
George Mason students’ have gotten a lot of bad press since the school year began after Dan Joseph from the Media Research Center came to campus to see how many students would sign a petition supporting the terrorist organization ISIS. He managed to get thirteen signatures in one hour.
It looks bad, really bad, and when I first saw the video I was incredibly angry at the stupidity of these students, who if they manage to graduate, will have a degree from the same institution as I do. It is something students here should be mad about, but should also realize is prevalent on other college campuses as well. As sad as the situation is, the blame should not fall entirely on the students, but society as a whole, with a heavy burden on the United States’ media. There are many contradicting facts released by politically opposing media outlets in the United States that it takes hours to sometimes find the truth in only one news story- and to find accurate information about the world seems like an unmanageable task to a college student swamped with homework and extracurricular activities.
In order to assist you busy collegiettes, I will start writing a bi-weekly news update on domestic and world affairs in order to let you stay up to date on a busy schedule. This week the focus will be on the Ebola outbreak, which is one of the topics with an overwhelming amount of conflicting information, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which is a topic that the United States news has buried with other stories when it is still ongoing and relevant.
Ebola Outbreak in Africa
The current death count from the Ebola outbreak in Africa is approximated to be just over 4,000. The World Health Organization is preparing for the number of cases to possibly exceed 20,000. The WHO estimates that the cost of dealing with the current crisis foots a bill of half a billion dollars and the assistance of 750 international workers and 12,000 national workers. Britain’s largest pharmaceutical company and the U.S. National Institutes of Health rushing to develop an experimental vaccine by the end of 2014 for distribution to high risk communities.
The virus, which causes internal and external bleeding, is transmitted through contact with fluids from an infected person. There have been two infected health care workers that were flown back to the United States from Western Africa for treatment and have been stabilized. Within the last week one man in Texas died after contracting Ebola during his trip to Africa and the nurse who tended to him has also contracted the virus. The virus has not become airborne and, while very painful, those who contract it have a chance of survival with proper medical treatment. George Mason is advising students to cancel any travel to the area.
For more information, CCTV interviewed George Mason Professor, Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen, regarding the reasons for the epidemic’s spread.
Ukraine-Russia
Russia and Ukraine continue to sit on the brink of war after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine this March. At the end of June tensions became especially tight after a Malaysian Airliner went down on the Ukraine-Russian border. Each entity claimed the other’s troops were responsible for the missiles that made the plane crash.
Railway lines and other transportation routes have been specifically destroyed and there have been aerial photographs of official Russian troops moving into Ukraine, but the government denies these reports. The United States has responded to the situation with strict sanctions on Russia, who has refused to back down and responded with sanctions of their own against the United States.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of the conflict or how you can get involved, Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution has hosted multiple discussions on the topic and most likely will continue to in the fall semester. You can keep up to date with their events here: http://scar.gmu.edu/events-roster.
Want to learn more about a specific domestic or world event? Post on HC GMU’s Facebook page to ask us!