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Themes this week sadly include another bombing in London. What global force can stop these acts of terror?
Also as we discussed in class, the minimum wage was raised to $15. What implications does this have? Find some proof or statements from people to back up your statement. What are some of the pros and cons of raising employees salaries?
Also feel free to find your own political topics to discuss in this thread.
Remember to keep working at your final project.
London Terrorist Attack
ReplyDeleteThe recent terrorist attack in London has claimed the lives of seven people and has injured forty-eight people, twenty-one of these injuries being critical. They drove down the bridge in a white van, crashing into around five or six pedestrians. Some of the surrounding people’s first thought was that this could potentially just be a traffic accident, but the unnatural movements of the driver seemed suspicious. The three attackers then exited the van and stabbed these people at London Bridge, Borough Market and surrounding restaurants. Pedestrians tried to defend themselves by throwing nearby objects like cups and chairs at them in attempt to protect themselves. Officers came almost immediately and shot the attackers and provided medical care to the injured people. The attackers appeared to be wearing suicide vests, but they turned out to be fake.
It is very hard to prevent terrorist attacks like this. While there is not an immediate power that can stop terrorism, the governments of multiple countries should make people more aware of the risk of terrorist attacks. Perhaps countries could make forces that specifically research terrorism and locations that are more likely to be attacked. More funding and money could be raised to assist the families that have been directly impacted by terrorism. Forces like militaries could be temporarily placed in high-risk areas when attacks become very frequent.
It has been proven that ISIS is responsible for/takes responsibility for many of these attacks, which makes it very difficult to estimate where they will attack next. For the safety of citizens in every country, especially ones that are prone to terrorism, everyone should be informed and prepared to act quickly in the case of a terrorist attack. While some things can not be prevented, it is likely that many more lives could be saved if people were aware that they could potentially be at risk in certain locations. For example, when going to a concert, people should always make sure that they know where multiple exits are in the building, in the case that they may need to escape. Governments should encourage people to do this for their own safety.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/03/london-bridge-everything-know-far/
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/london-bridge-attack/london-bridge-attack-18-minutes-chaos-borough-market-streets-n768236
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4570950/Footage-shows-London-Bridge-terrorists-Borough-Market.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/london-bridge-attack-latest-gunshots-heard-police-launch-fresh/
Do you believe that the use of anti-terrorism services such as the patriot act help? Or do they simply raise tensions and make it more likely to occur? Also, I believe that placing troops in area's prone to terrorism may work, but could also fairly easily backfire, which could lead into a full-blown conflict. I agree that something must be done to protect more citizens.
DeleteI feel like anti-terrorism services can be both negative and positive. Like you said, they can raise tensions and provoke terrorists to plan an attack. But ultimately, I think it is better to have these services because they do provide some protection. And I agree with you. Sending troops in these areas could backfire, but it is hard to think of more options to protect citizens. I do think countries should work together to protect their citizens.
DeleteSometimes raising minimum wages can cause positive consequences, however without a preparation, it only results in epidemic results. Premier Kathleen Wynne stated that she will reform Ontario’s employment laws. This includes boosting the minimum wage, which is currently $11.40, to $15, setting a minimum sick days, and increasing paid vacation. A senior officer of Liberal party said, they are trying to “respond to the general anxiety out there in the workplace.” According the Kathleen Wynne, who has an election in one year, these changes will be gradually done by 2019. The only other province in Canada that has $15 dollar minimum wage is Alberta. By next year, Alberta will raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour. Alberta’s economy however, is totally different from Ontario. Ontario is more or less similar to Quebec, which has $10.75 as its minimum wage.
ReplyDeleteWhen she made her announcement, construction and healthcare unions and activists cheered and supported her. The fundamental of the minimum wage is setting a minimum amount of wage. In other words, not only people who rely on the minimum wage, people who make less than $15 will also automatically get pay raise. In Ontario, according to Labour force survey, 28.6% of workers are earning less than $15. If Kathleen Wynne was trying to use this to gain support for the next election, At least 28.6% of workers will back and support her campaign.
There are so many downsides when a major policy change like the minimum wage increase happens without any preparation. Again, the minimum wage only affects people working under the new minimum wage. The truth is, the minimum wage will not benefit the people on poverty and relying on the wage. Minimum wage is essentially a given name to a minimum price of human labor. If the minimum wage increases, hiring someone becomes an economic pressure to businesses. They would no longer hire people with low labor value. These people include people who previously got minimum wage with weak working skills, productivity-affecting disability, and no previous working experience. These people don’t worth more than $15. The business owners will not hire them anymore, and they will go out and find new people who deserve and worth more than $15. Essentially, people relying on a low income with low productivity will lose their job eventually due to the raise. This basically increases unemployment and homelessness. Also, more people will rely on welfare.
Those who may argue that the minimum wage raises spending power for people must acknowledge that the only small portion of the population gets raise and not everyone. They don’t affect everyone’s spending power, and they cannot stimulate the whole country's’ economy. Also, the minimum wage will decrease the number of workers too, as the business will not be able to afford them. As mentioned earlier, only 28% of Ontario’s worker directly benefit from the raise. If the increase is not prepared well and backed by growing economy, it only results badly.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-changing-workplaces-review-employment-standards-1.4112107
https://www.monster.ca/career-advice/article/minimum-wages-across-canada-in-2017
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/who-earns-minimum-wage
https://ipolitics.ca/2017/06/09/if-wynne-believes-in-carbon-pricing-she-knows-a-minimum-wage-spike-is-a-bad-idea/
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/labr66g-eng.htm
Very good points. I like how you wrote about both positive and negative sides of raising the minimum wage. As you said, this will benefit some groups of people, such as new workers, but it will be not benefit people who are not in that group. I think that further planning should go into this, so more people will benefit from it.
DeleteThe Middle East is in turmoil, and I’m not talking about ISIS, Al Qaeda, or Iran - no, I’m talking about the tiny country of Qatar (see map: http://www.eykamp.com/resume/mapofqatar.htm). Qatar, despite the turmoils in the region, is one of the richest countries in the world. The country has the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar is classified by the UN as a country of very high human development and is the most advanced Arab state for human development. Qatar is a significant power in the Arab world, supporting several rebel groups during the Arab Spring both financially and through its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network.
ReplyDeleteA few days ago, a few Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen) broke diplomatic ties with Qatar after they accused the regime of backing Islamic terrorism. Egypt also closed it’s airspace and ports to all Qatar transportation. This escalated the dispute over Qatar’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest Islamic movement. The Qatari turmoil is of deep concern to the United States. Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the region and has been considered an important ally in the war on terror. And the outcome of the crisis will have major implications for the United States, the Middle East and the global campaign against extremism.
How did this drama unfold?
Shortly after Trump's departure from the Middle East (during his first trip overseas as President), the Qatari News Agency (QNA) reported that Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, had given a speech accusing its neighbors of a smear campaign, trying to paint Qatar as a supporter of terrorism. In the speech, the Emir reportedly defended Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, for Hamas and for Hezbollah, as well as its good relations with Iran and even its links with Israel. Reaction among Qatar's neighbors was immediate and furious. But Qatar, too, acted quickly. Within minutes, officials removed the QNA story, saying the site had been hacked and the report was false.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on the sides to settle their differences. The Pentagon praised Qatar as a vital US ally and its "enduring commitment to regional security." But then Trump started tweeting, directly contradicting what appeared to be American policy. He seemed to praise the sanction and take credit for it, saying his visit to Saudi Arabia was, "already paying off," and noting that when he urged an end to funding radical ideology, "Leaders pointed to Qatar -- look!" Then the US ambassador to Qatar, Dana Shell Smith, posted an earlier message from last October, citing State Department praise for Qatar's "real progress to counter terrorist financing."
Quite a united front, eh?
Anyways, the conflict is ongoing and tensions could escalate.
SOURCES:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/07/opinions/qatar-us-chaos-opinion-ghitis/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar#Independence_and_aftermath_.281971.E2.80.93present.29
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/07/three-maps-explain-how-geopolitics-has-qatar-airways-in-big-trouble/
Very interesting. It definitely seems likely that this conflict will continue and things could get worse over time. Do you have any predictions on what could happen next regarding this topic?
DeleteMinimum Wage
ReplyDeleteI believe that the recent minimum wage hike was just a money grab and a vote gamble. The Ontario government pushed out this legislation too quickly, and did not consider the long term effects. Such as: Fewer jobs, higher competition for jobs, higher employer expectations, and higher costs of products/services. Instead they grab the extra money from income tax and bask in the votes from higher minimum pay advocates.
While the $15 an hour sounds nice on paper, the money to do that has to come from somewhere. Large businesses can pull the money from their margin, or reserves, but small businesses can't. They don't have the money to do so. One small business in Ontario claims "labor costs are 55% of her expenses" and the hike would increase labor costs by 22%. Now the business has to reduce the amount of employees, operating hours, services, and buying new more cost efficient equipment just to stay open.
Its not going to help employees either. Because businesses are paying $15 dollars an hour, they might have to close positions, and the ones they keep open are going to be more competitive and harder to get.
Sources:
http://business.financialpost.com/executive/careers/0612-biz-hl-levittkpl
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/06/11/minimum-wage-hike-threatens-small-business-owner
Good points about this topic. I can definitely understand your opinion on this. Raising the wage could cause issues such as job loss, although it was introduced as something that should be beneficial. Perhaps more time and thought should have been put into this decision so these factors could be addressed.
Delete(Also, because you were not signed in your name does not show. To ensure that you get credit for this post, you should comment your name on it)
I agree with Tessa, great points. I also believe that the topic was introduced to become beneficial to the citizens of Ontario. Again, there definitely could have been more time put into the decision making of this topic.
DeleteMinimum Wage:
ReplyDeleteMinimum wage is the lowest pay that an employer can give its employees. On May 30th, 2017, it was announced Ontario's minimum wage will increase a staggering amount from $11.40 to $14.00 in 2018. Later on, in 2019, the minimum wage will then be raised once again to $15.00. This wage increase will apply to both full-time, and part-time employees. Also, this will come into effect for seasonal employees. This decision was made by Ontario's Premier, Kathleen Wynne who plans to ensure all workers are paid equally and aims to help Ontario's citizens in their financial struggles.Currently,
I think this wage increase is a positive thing for people residing in Ontario. I think this is going to have a positive benefit because many people are having trouble supporting families on the low wage of $11.40. This wage increase will also create a fairer workplace and more of a strive to work. Wynne also hopes that this raise will boost the Canadian economy.
However, this wage increase may cause negative effects to smaller or family run businesses. This can cause them to not be able to afford the amount of employees and labor that they need. Therefore, there is a chance that this wage increase will cause economic issues and loss of jobs.
Overall, i think that the wage increase will most likely come to Ontario's citizens' benefit. Although, there is still a chance that this will come back to hit us and cause a negative impact. I guess we will have to wait until 2018 to see what this decision brings us.
http://www.theprovince.com/business/ontario+announce+labour+changes+today/13410697/story.html
https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/minwage.php
I agree with your thoughts on how the increase of minimum wage will become beneficial to Ontario's citizens. I know that I personally will benefit from the $4.30/h raise.
DeleteI agree that it could benefit people and making a fair workplace. However, I believe that without any preparation, the changing in the minimum wage can only lead in epidemic economic disaster. The economy should be sustainable and the market must be ready to support the minimum raise rise. The province that has $15 minimum wage is Alberta. Alberta’s economy is usually fueled by its oil economy. Usually in this case, there are more people making money more than minimum wage and there is more money spent. The businesses can then hire more people or pay more to the people. In this case, raising the wage is not a problem. However, Ontario’s economy will not be able to follow its change. Small businesses should be profitable enough to pay the fair for Ontario workers. Our economy hasn’t significantly grown. However, Kathleen Wynne is looking to increase the wage by 32% in 18 months. This could be detrimental for small business owners.
Deletehttps://work.alberta.ca/employment-standards/minimum-wage.html
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/06/15/minimum-wage-hike-will-force-some-restaurants-to-close.html
Raising the minimum wage is very likely to cause issues with smaller businesses who will no longer be able to afford to pay their workers. This will be beneficial to new and young workers, but this is only one group of people this will directly help.
DeleteTerrorism and How it Should be Handled
ReplyDeleteWith radical groups like ISIS and uncountable recent bombings, terrorism is a very prominent feature of today’s news. However, Terrorism has always been a prominent threat. A good example of this is the Front de Liberation du Quebec, or the FLQ. They were a terrorist group operating from 1963 to 1970. The FLQ was eventually disbanded after they attracted national attention with the abduction of James Cross and the killing of Cabinet Minister Pierre Laporte.
The FLQ was stopped because the PM at the time, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, put Canada into martial law, effectively declaring war on the Front. Brute force was used to stop them, and it was very effective. I personally think that it’s more important to attempt to reason with terrorists first. The Canadian government was attempting to make a compromise with the FLQ, and very soon after, Laporte was found dead. I believe that if a terrorist group is unwilling to be reasoned with, then force is necessary if one wishes to prevent the terrorists from acting in the future.
http://www.canadahistory.com/sections/eras/cold%20war/FLQ.html
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/terrorism/
Terrorism has been an ongoing issue for a long time. The FLQ crisis is an effective example terrorism. Attempting to reason with terrorists could potentially work, but can you think of some ways that this could backfire?
DeleteLondon Bridge Terrorist attack
ReplyDeleteSunday, June 3rd, three men in a white van attacked pedestrians on the London bridge. The van swerved and hit several pedestrians, before jumping out of the vehicle wielding knives. A total of 7 people have been killed, and 48 have been “Critically injured”. Police quickly arrived on the scene and shot the three attackers dead just 8 minutes after the first 999 call. Police reported that all of the attackers were wearing fake explosive vests, which were designed to scare people and to frighten police officers.
Currently, there is no global force that focuses specifically on the prevention of terrorism. This is because terrorism is extremely hard to predict and combat. In order to combat terrorism, Governments must cooperate, and inform citizens. Governments must not place too many restrictions on citizens, as it would likely lead to an uprising and riots. The most that Governments can do on their own right now is to enable the use of emergency acts, which allow police to suspend civil rights in order to eliminate any threat. This is very un-democratic, so it is also important that the Government only uses this when absolutely necessary. I believe that a smarter form of action would be to have Governments create special anti-terror groups, that would be in charge of researching potential threats and dealing with them before they occur.
The problem with tracking terrorism is that it can come from practically anywhere, and can occur due to a variety of different reasons. The most important thing that the Governments around the world can do is educate their citizens on the effects, and keep the general population happy. I personally believe that Governments should please the people of it’s country, and try to keep international relations as peaceful as possible. Cracking down with security will only make the people uneasy and tense, and would end up replacing several civil rights. Terrorism is a serious, and delicate issue, and dealing with such an issue must be done peacefully, and keep everyone’s views and opinions in mind.
Sources
Deletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/03/london-bridge-everything-know-far/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/16/suspects-london-bridge-attack-released
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/london-bridge-police-respond-incident-1.4145353
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/opinions/what-approach-should-governments-take-russell-opinion/index.html
keeping every citizen educated on the possibility of terrorism is the most important thing for government to do, considering there's not much they can do at this point for stopping the attacks.
DeleteMinimum wage increase
ReplyDeleteWhat is minimum wage? Minimum wage is the lowest wage rate that an employer can pay an employee. This is effective because in Ontario everyone is given the equal chance of success.
Minimum wage will be increased to $15/h by the year 2019, including equal pay for part time positions, and raising vacation entitlements. Instead of two weeks paid vacation, it will be increased to three weeks paid vacation if a worker has been with an employer for more than five years. Currently there are 40% of the population making under $15/h. This October the minimum wage will be increased to $11.60/h, the following January it will be further increased to $14/h, and the following year (2019) the minimum wage will be increased to $15/h.
Ontario’s Liberal government believes that by completing the upgrade in the minimum wage, it will help citizens to purchase homes, and get further ahead on rent and the bills that they need to pay. Kathleen Wynne states that “People are working longer, jobs are less secure, benefits are harder to come by and protections are fewer and fewer. In a time of change like this, when the very nature of work is being transformed, we need to make certain that our workers are treated fairly.”
I believe that there are pros and cons to this change. I believe that it will help future generations with house purchasing and that is a pro. Other pros that I feel, is that troubles citizens or non wealthy citizens will have a little bit more leisure money, which is most definitely going to contribute to a decrease in homelessness in Ontario. Cons that I feel include, current homeowners will see a dropping value in their homes which will upset them, as well as a slight increase in grocery store prices. Another con to an increased minimum wage is the fact that it will be harder to find a first job, if employers have to give a starting rate of $15/h they will want experienced employees that will work more efficiently that starting high school students.
In conclusion, I feel that an increased minimum wage will- in the end -benefit everyone. I believe that it will decrease stress levels and help out the less fortunate in Ontario. I am satisfied with the change and I am excited to get a $4.30 raise.
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/05/29/province-to-raise-minimum-wage-update-labour-laws-tuesday-wynne
https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/minwage.php
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/minimum_wage.asp
There are always pros and cons to most changes. With the minimum wage increase, there are many different changes that will happen, both negative and positive. Like you said, this will strongly benefit younger people, such as you and our classmates. But this will not benefit older people who have been in their career for many years. This will also make it more difficult for some businesses, especially smaller ones, to be able to afford to pay their workers.
DeleteWith the Ontario government's announcement of sweeping changes to provincial labour laws and minimum wage standards came a flurry of very mixed reaction. Kathleen Wynne has announced that minimum wage will be increasing to $15 per hour (by January 1, 2019). This will give approximately a quarter of employees in the province an increase in pay. The current minimum wage is $11.40, which the government says in now “inadequate.”
ReplyDelete"Millions of workers in Ontario are finding it almost impossible to support their families on a minimum wage that just doesn't go far enough. It's time this rate reflected the reality of people's lives. Raising the minimum wage is about creating a fairer, more equal society where everyone gets to share in our province's economic growth," stated Premier Kathleen Wynne.
"As a small business owner, it's going to affect all of us. Labour costs are one of the highest expenses for small business owners [...] The only way to offset the added expense will either be to have fewer employees or increase the cost of goods,” stated Alicia Pirie, a small business owner in Timmins.
Fewer employees will mean more work on the employees. Not to mention, $15 an hour will definitely change the qualifications for many positions greatly. This means less opportunities for youth and inexperienced, and even if youth make it, they will have heavier hours, and will have a troublesome time balancing it with school, and extracurricular activities.
Wynne believes that by increasing minimum wage, it will help citizens purchase homes and be on top of bills and such. “People are working longer, jobs are less secure, benefits are harder to come by and protections are fewer and fewer. In a time of change like this, when the very nature of work is being transformed, we need to make certain that our workers are treated fairly.”
I think that raising minimum wage is going to do more negative than good. I do think that it will help my age group of people, and the next generations, but overall I feel that it isn’t going to help in the long run. One quarter of the work force’s population in Ontario have minimum wages, but how many of them are trying to live off that with their family? One quarter of minimum wage workers are aged between 15-19. So really that leaves one eighth of people trying to live off of minimum wage. In my opinion, people with minimum wage jobs don’t deserve $15 dollars an hour being given to them. They have minimum wage jobs because they slacked off in high school and didn’t put the effort into it. People can sit around all day collecting a full $15 an hour and not giving a care in the world about their job, which is ridiculous. Lastly, I believe that Wynne is doing this for extra taxes. The Ontario government has gotten themselves in a hole and is make its own citizens get them out of it while they sit there and do nothing.
https://www.epionline.org/release/o254/
https://www.timminstoday.com/local-news/what-15-an-hour-means-for-local-business-630672
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/05/29/province-to-raise-minimum-wage-update-labour-laws-tuesday-wynne
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/demographics/projections/table9.html
With any new decision , there can be mixed reactions. The raise in minimum wage can cause some issues, but I think that they will be solved over time. This will be mostly beneficial. Many new/young workers will get a higher pay, which will help them with post-secondary education and housing. This will also help people such as single moms who are working multiple part-time jobs to afford to support their children. This will be life-changing for them. Overall, I think that there will be some issues with the raise of minimum wage, but I think this will also be very beneficial for people in need of this extra money.
DeleteA 7 year old boy climbed into a WWE cage with an unstable wrestler the staff had to shoot the wrestler to save the child.
ReplyDeletePeople were both astonished and sad. some people blamed the mother and others blamed the WWE for having such an easily accessible cage. the staff had to shot him because "a tranquilizer would have taken up to 10 minutes on a 400 pound wrestler."
This is fake.
I saw this story and wanted to learn more about it so I looked it up. turns out that it went viral but was fake in origin.
this reminded me of all the "fake news" with trump. It also made me want to always check with a second and third source for next time so I don't have wrong facts.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFake news is a big issue for this generation. The things that people believe are unbelievable. It is obvious that the story you mentioned is fake. Not only is it fake, but it is clearly parodying a well-known news story. Checking with multiple sources is always an important thing to do, especially when an article seems kind of sketchy. Where did you find the story that you mentioned in your post? Also, can you name some other events in which fake news was produced?
DeleteLondon Bridge Attack
ReplyDeleteAnother terrorist attack has hit London taking the lives of eight and almost injuring fifty. Thirteen of those injured are in hospital treatment, with 18 of them in critical condition.
At 10:08pm London police responded to a call about a white van running over people on the London Bridge. Paramedics got to the bridge 6 minutes after the call. Witness accounts state that three men exited the van and proceeded to attack pedestrians with knifes. According to these accounts the men yelled “this is for Allah”. The men seemed to be adorned in suicide vests, which were then confirmed to be fake.
The attackers proceeded to run down the Borough Market. In the Market the attackers entered many restaurants and pubs stabbing anyone on sight. In 8 minutes the police arrived, and eight officers opened fire on the attackers killing all three.
Two of the attackers have been identified as Khuram Butt, a 27-year old Pakistan born, British citizen. Rachid Redouane, a 30-year old, Moroccan-Libyan who lived in London, and operated under the name Rachid Elkhdar. The third being Youssef Zaghba, a 22-year old Italian with Moroccan descent. It is still unknown how the three knew each other.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/03/london-bridge-everything-know-far/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/london-bridge-attackers-arrest-1.4155014
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40165646
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2017/jun/05/london-attack-isis-claims-responsibility-victims-named-live-updates
This is such an unfortunate event. It is so difficult, maybe even possible, to predict attacks like that. What was the aftermath of this attack?
Delete