Blog Week 3

POST 1

Yemen is and has been experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. For the last five years the Yemen has been experiencing war between two local groups within the country. The war began with the former president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh. It was during the Arab Spring of 2011 where the Yemenis decided to rise up against him. They were able to get him out of power, and it was the vice president Abd-Rabby Moansour Hadi who took power. Saudi Arabia is the home to a group of countries called the Gulf of Cooperation Council. With the riots against Sahleh and this cooperation, Saleh was forced out of power. Even after the power change Yemen was still struggling, so a Shia Muslim minority group, the Houthis rebelled against the government. Saleh’s group and the Houthis were excluded from the Cooperation new government system, so they joined forces and took over the capital of Sanaa. At the hearing of this Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia, and then a coalition of countries around the area tried to return him back home to power. There became an intervention where there were many air strikes attacking Yemen’s innocent civilians in hospitals and cities. The Saudi-Coalition implemented an aid block around Yemen, making nearly impossible for aid and resources to come into the country. The Suadi- Houthis alliance broke in 2017 and however still control Sannaa. Some think it is because they have aid from Iran, who maybe supplying them with weapons.

After researching this issue, I’m just wondering what the solution to solving a humanitarian issue, especially when there are boarder blocks that do not even allow supplies and help to enter. How has or has the US even tried to help aid or come up with solutions?

For my research about the humanitarian C=crisis in Yemen, I used a YouTube video produced by a new source Al Jazeera, owed by the state of Qatar. I did some research on this news source and by the records of source Al Jazeera has grown to be the most dominant news channel that covers “the developing world” (Campbell). There is controversy on this source as another source questions whether “Al Jazeera simply presents the news from a different perspective, or is it a mouthpiece for anti-American propaganda?” (Maass).

Campbell, Deborah. “The Most Trusted Name in News?” Utne, Ogden Publications, Inc, 2010, http://www.utne.com/media/al-jazeera-most-trusted-name-in-news.

Maass, Harold. “Is Al Jazeera a Legitimate News Channel?” Image, The Week, 3 Jan. 2013, theweek.com/articles/469049/al-jazeera-legitimate-news-channel.

Salam, Mohammad, director. Why Is Yemen at War? . Al Jazeera, Taswer Media, 3 Nov. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJzSwOQMPrI.

POST 2

I did not realize how heavily perpetuated this idea of the bad Arab was in cinema. I understood that in the news and media they are always targeted with this identity however you would think that there would be variation to how these people are depicted and characterized. if you look at race in Hollywood, it is most seen that a white actress or actor would play the common person, protagonist or antagonist, and still seen however not as well represented with Asian American and black actors. This movie showed how with Arab people they are ALWAYS villianized. This idea of their identity is presented to children in movies like Aladdin, a move that depicts these types of people as violent and barbaric. I feel like positive Arab representation is a goal that should not be tough to achieve. However I feel the major challenge maybe to start the conversation. It is hard when the entertainment business is motivated by money. A step towards the right direction would be to break this mold to young children, breaking this cycle and this ongoing system of stereotypes.

POST 3

It’s no doubt that coffee is one of the most favored drinks, out of consensus of my friends and family. For me, it has always been a thing that was you know, “just there.” I know the reason in its popularity, is the need for caffeine.

What is so good about caffeine? Caffeine is a stimulant and in its properties helps our human body to stay awake. Caffeine acts in “preventing the body’s natural ability to be able to rest when it is tired” (Merritt).

I have never been one to drink coffee like most; one of the reasons being was that as standing only 5’2 my mom told me that if I ever drank coffee I would stop growing. It was my 13 year old self, aspiring to play volleyball in college would never consume coffee.

Turns out mom was wrong. There is no evidence that the consumption of coffee will stunt one’s growth. The origins of this myth in unknown, however there have been studies that caffeine has been linked with the reduction of calcium absorption, calcium being an element necessary for strong bones and health. This had caught the attention of many however, this is counteracted by the milk used for creamer in coffee (Van de Walle).

Merritt, Thomas. “The Biology of Coffee, One of the World’s Most Popular Drinks.” The Conversation, Canada Research Chair, 27 Jan. 2020, theconversation.com/the-biology-of-coffee-one-of-the-worlds-most-popular-drinks-129179.

Van de Walle, Gavin. “Does Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth.” Healthline, 31 May 2018, http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-coffee-stunt-growth#beneficial-components.