Multiple Sclerosis: a Bias Debate

See the full Globe and Mail Article here.
Read about Italy, location of Zamboni's practice, here.
See a map of Italy here.

Article Summary

-Conflict of interest is keeping Zamboni’s new MS treatment (see info here) out of Canadian hospitals:
            -Canada’s health sector wants to maintain the use of the current MS medications
            -Zamboni wants to find a proper treatment for the welfare of his patients

-Zamboni declared that MS could be cured with his revolutionary treatment rather than with medication, he also announced that he had no ties that could compel his research at all

-One such ‘tie’, however, is the up-to $250,000 in medical imagery equipment his lab received from Esaote, an equipment manufacturing company with whom Zamboni has a “historical co-operation”

-Esaote’s equipment is mostly for the development of neurovascular disease research: their ties with Zamboni also include their participation in the International Society for Neurovascular Disease, an organization Dr Zamboni leads

-A McGill University expert says that companies financially involved in getting the product (the new MS treatment) into commercial use, will often not be as stringent in publicizing or recording poor test results or information

-Zamboni says there is no real conflict: Esaote’s contributions have only been to help his lab, not him personally.

-Zamboni’s results with MS treatment have been criticized publicly, Zamboni says the lack of repeated success from other doctors is the result of improper technique

Analysis

Complex

Interrelated

Social	Economic	Political
-Treatment not being used in Canada’s healthcare system -Conflicts stand in way of healthcare development	-Economic (and likely contract-related) ties influence in Canada not taking the treatment into their system -Drug companies that currently provide MS treatment are likely opposed to the development of this new treatment a) it possibly reduces the need for medication. b) is patented as intellectual property of Dr Zamboni	-Practice of treatment unable to take place in Canada -Development undergone instead in Europe

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

When Dr Zamboni began making his ‘liberation therapy’ publicly known, as with any emerging science there were people who opposed and those who questioned his practices. Most of the controversy comes from different people in the medical field attempting to disprove his techniques.  As well, the debate over Zamboni’s biases and Western healthcare’s biases in the matter stem from people studying the motivations of each group.

Like any medical practice, Zamboni’s Liberation Therapy can’t be proven or disproven by people on one side of the argument or another. I believe full co-operation between parties on both sides could effectively solve whether or not the treatment works. His treatment has raised enough attention in the medical world to be worth, in my eyes, investigating. Co-operation could effectively overrule the current conflicts of interest and the biases present within the different parties involved!

My Thoughts

            Really, all I can say is that more research must be done on this topic. It’s a scientific matter, and that’s one of the most common conclusions to any study in a scientific field: more research.

            The whole matter of differing opinions and study results as to the cure for MS requires more clarification in the future. There are years of research in each side of the debate, but science is one field that is constantly changing and must constantly be researched. Few to no matters in science are absolutely solid and factual. For example, just as Dr Zamboni’s treatment has seen definite success in some cases, there is a chance these cases were not Multiple Sclerosis at all, but another neurovascular illness with similar symptoms, misdiagnosed as MS! Until variables like this can be compensated for with vast quantities of scientific studies and experiments, there is no way a definite answer can be reached and the controversy can subside.



Mary Tress

PLUS don't forget to check out Stuff to Check Out for this week!

Cholera in Haiti

See full article here
Get background information on Haiti here
See a map of Haiti here

Article Summary

-A recent dramatic increase in cholera patients in Haiti’s urban hospitals was reported by health workers of aid organization Partners in Health

-Disease leaves 250,000 sick and 5,000 dead from this wave

-First outbreak was in October 2010

- After decrease in eventual disease decrease in January, there was a predicted spring surge in the disease due to spreading of contaminated water through rainfall

-Doctors without Borders is leading the emergency medical response- say that rural cases are increasing only slightly and are not expected to increase in the long run

-Causes of the outbreak are being investigated by the UN –reports exist of unsanitary work conditions in UN site in Haiti

-Strain of cholera from Haiti is the same as the strain found in South Asia

Article Analysis

Complex

Interrelated

Controversial

 My Own Opinion

     It is sometimes hard to put into words how a health issue actually affects and is affected by all aspects of a country; social, economic and political. In my research for my ISU on foreign aid, I’ve learned that almost all issues are interconnected. Any social issue affecting a nation quickly translates into and economic and political issue as it progresses. In developing countries, often an issue like a health outbreak will worsen or add to pre-existing issues like worker’s rights, public sanitation and poverty. A disease outbreak like this within a developing country can be just as catastrophic to the people and the market as a natural disaster, and can easily escalate to overwhelming proportions. And it’s all, in this case, preventable with sanitation.

     I think the resolution to this outbreak is firstly, government responsibility for basic things that will prevent water-borne diseases! Water treatment and sanitation are critical in preventing all kinds of health issues and should be a basic priority of the government. As well, another solution may lie with the general public. Right now there are two things circulating newspapers: Osama Bin Laden’s assassination and the royal wedding. In all honesty, with the money spent on the wedding, health issues like the outbreak in Haiti could be resolved, and people could be educated so future outbreaks are prevented. I absolutely don’t want to say that no one should enjoy themselves when they could be helping others, but huge levels of extravagance hardly seem worth it when with financial support, we could reach viable solutions to world issues.



Mary Tress

Gaddafi's Regime

Libyan Rebels

See the full article here.
See a map of Libya here.
Review Libya’s background here.


Summary

- Libya remains in an awful political state.

-At a meeting in London, world leaders Hillary Clinton and David Cameron pressure Libyan ‘president’ Muammar Gaddafi to end his rule.

-Clinton says armed attacks will continue until this happens.

-After extensive allied air attacks Gaddafi forces left for their headquarters, Sirte.

-Rebel forces followed Gaddafi’s troops through the desert but were fended off with machineguns and even rockets.

-The UN and Britain decided to keep their military enforcements in Libya until Gaddafi’s regime meets all the requirements set by the UN.

-The decision to equip rebel soldiers with arms remains a possibility, but has not been discussed.

-Gaddafi has countered with publicised statements saying NATO supports al Qaeda and that the terrorist group is involved with the Egyptian rebels. He also says NATO forces are responsible for mass murders in Egypt.

-Controversy over what is really happening in Libya is still evident in the media. State-owned media is stating that Gaddafi forces have gained control of Misrata, a city in Northwest Libya, while rebels state that Gaddafi troops have tried several times now to regain the city and have caused several civilian casualties.

-Libyans are asking for emergency food aid as well as medicine.

Article Analalysis

Complex

Interrelated and Controversial

My Thoughts

     Maybe it’s because we’ve been discussing media truisms lately, but the mention of propaganda in the government-owned media noticeably stood out to me in this article. The media is obviously under Gaddafi’s influence and is publishing stories for his benefit. It also seems that on the side of the rebels, however, that their spokespeople are taking advantage of international sympathy. The only discrepancy I see is the use of the term ‘civilian death.’ I am unclear whether the casualties were innocent bystanders or rebel soldiers. In any case, the much larger counts of media-filtering go to the Gaddafi regime and its stubborn hold over some of the remaining institutes in the country.

    In regards to the actual issue; the continued run of the Gaddafi regime; the violence between government and rebel forces and the presence of NATO and UN influence, conflict is not likely to end in Libya in the near future. I think that the future for Libya has promise, the rebels “promise free and fair elections if Gaddafi is forced from power.” The possibility for democracy and fair leadership and government means the future may be bright, and this revolution will have served its purpose. If history is anything to judge by, there is a definite need for a plan. Post-Gaddafi Libya will be free, but without a political plan they will be vulnerable to all kinds of factors. If international powers contribute anything from this point onwards it should include guidance on future policy.

Mary Tress

A Harmonious Beijing

Read The Year of the Angry Rabbit here.
See a map of China here.
Read more about China here.



Summary

The video

-A video was released making reference to all kinds of political issues and parodying Chinese leaders. All links to the video were blocked immediately.

The Protests

-The author questions if this signals the end of the population’s passiveness towards the government. Will Beijing join Cairo in uprising? Can there be success there after 1989’s Tiananmen Square?

-Twice now there have been online calls for a Jasmine Revolution, strictly rallying people for non-violent non-co-operation. These protests heeded immense overreaction from the Chinese police.

-Protests aren’t breaking out in mass amounts: the economic gap is widening between prosperity and stagnation but the population is old. They aren’t young and angry activists like other countries.

-However social justice and economic stability are very poor

The Government

-many governments under revolt in the Middle East acted blind to all forming of teams of opposition. China’s government has been keeping a paranoid eye and a military-enforced foot down on the few dissidents.
The Technology

-Much like in other uprisings technology (blogs, facebook, micro-blogs) have been severely monitored so nothing contradicts the state-run media and technology can’t help the dissidents communicate

The Long-Run

-Thoughts that the original protests with only a few dissidents briefly making appearances was only a test of the strength of the government



Article Analysis

Complex

Interrelated



 Political 



-no real elections take place

-government is allowing economic re-structuring that does not accord with traditional communist ideals

-government has control over media, technology, everything

-government takes action to obsessively prevent opposition

Economic

-widening economic gap in China

-rapid inflation

-incomes becoming disproportionate to rising commodity cost

Social

-social injustice

-dissidents immediately and severely suppressed by central authority

-if economy is further divided, quality of life will go down



Controversial


How did this issue start?
     Social problems have existed for Chinese citizens for a long time. There is fear among citizens that protest will cause disruption and could destroy economic progress thus far.

How should it be resolved?

     Opposition should not be so strongly and overwhelmingly discouraged. I think the key to equality is to allow public opinion.


My Opinion



     The Chinese government is restructuring and modernizing their economy to benefit certain industries and groups of people. However this shift in government thinking is leaving certain aspects of the economy unbalanced; they are allowing inflation of food prices on one hand but not accounting for the income required to purchase this food. As far as I’m aware, the communist regime is meant to centralize control of all aspects of life for its citizens. This should include the economy and society. If the government should choose to prioritize one group’s economic success over another’s within its own country, it should also be prepared to change its role in society. This means, if they are going to continue to govern successfully, they need to take the opposition seriously.


     Dissidents like those participating in the protests mentioned before, remain dissidents because full-fledged protests and teams of opposition are so strongly and systematically suppressed by authorities. The formation of a contributing opposition needs to be allowed and encouraged! Of course, this won’t be easy as communism and peaceful opposition seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum of political thought. But the future is change. I can’t say I have any real idea of how the events in China will play out, or if any significant development will take place within the governing body. But if there were a time for change I think it is now, following the momentous events in the Middle East.


Before you go, don’t forget to look at Stuff to Check Out for this week!

Mary Tress

Change for Cuba





See full article here.
See more about the country here.
See a map of Cuba here.

Summary

-500 000 Cubans will be dismissed from state jobs in 2011

-this is to allow small, privately owned businesses to exist

-most of the year is to be spent creating a new tax structure

-one question remains; whether this is a less expensive way for government to reduce poverty or if it is meant to improve the economy over the long term

-contrary ideas between the Castro brothers

                Raul may move towards State Capitalism

                Fidel will likely oppose this

-This could segue into new leadership and a post-Castro era

-USA’s travel ban may be lifted for cultural, educational and academic voyages

-Brazil is a major aid-contributor for Cuba’s new co-ops and businesses

-Many possibilities and questions exist in Cuba’s future

Article Analysis

Complex

Interrelated

Economic	Social	Political
-May cause initial job insecurity -subset of people are moving towards capitalism -Privatization means an incentive for individual success	-Potential and motivation to succeed could boost education and entrepreneurship -Reduced poverty levels will mean greater overall quality of life	-Political structure changes from socialism to state capitalism -Changes could spark relations with USA government -Differing opinions between Raul and Fidel could cause disturbance in political growth

Controversial

How did this start?	How should it be resolved?
High levels of poverty in Cuba have existed for years. The socialist structure of the country has sadly done little to help improve this. But it has employed hundreds of thousands of state workers for a miniscule amount of money each month.	Good things are already happening! -economic support from Venezuela -Licenses for thousands of private businesses -talk of USA allowing travel to Cuba What more could be done? -Establish a starting point for businesses: microloans for new business-owners -work for trade options with America

My Opinion

The picture in the original article is captioned, “What would Che think?”

Before learning anything in depth about the economic state of Cuba, Che’s idea of a fair and equal Socialist Cuba seemed like a dream. ‘Vive la revolucion,’ and all that. But the whole point of his ‘revolucion’ wasn’t to create a country living in extreme poverty. It is hard to believe he envisioned an economy based on tips from tourists.

                The government seems to be moving towards a model of state capitalism; a hybrid economic/political system that will allow for private businesses to succeed but will also focus strongly on social programs. This system may seem like something of a dismantling of all the ‘progress’ achieved in Cuba as of yet. But I see it as a wonderful opportunity to maintain the social priorities that make Cuba unique, but allow for the economy to grow from a one-sided government-run project into a self-sufficient and diverse system.  If this reform succeeds , I believe we could see huge amounts of growth in Cuba. That is not to say I think it is any kind of miracle solution. Real, extreme poverty exists in Cuba. I think if the government is, as predicted, loosening up on its socialist principles it will attract more investment and aid from countries that previously shunned its communist regime.

                                                                                                                                -Mary Tress

Don't forget to look at Stuff to Check Out each week!

Cocoa Loco

A breakdown of the problems faced by Ivory Coast’s cocoa-farms

See the full article by the Globe and Mail here. 
Read about the Ivory Coast here. 
View a map of the Ivory Coast here.


Summary of Article

• Ivory Coast is responsible for over a third of the world’s cocoa supply – it’s their main export

• Environmental problems facing cocoa crops in Ivory Coast:

-scourges of pests eat/destroy portions of cocoa product
-Killer diseases afflict crops
-Soil nutrients have been all but entirely consumed

• The export of cocoa has been banned from Ivory Coast by Alassane Ouattara, the presidential claimant in Ivory Coast in order to force President Laurent Gbagbo to resign

• John Mason foresaw, and made a plan to improve, the lack of sustainability in the cocoa-farming industry

• There was an agreement between high-power chocolate brokers to form a committee to solve the approaching worldwide supply issue.

• Farming cocoa is permanently a small-scale family business in the Ivory Coast –it cannot be industrialized or mass-produced due to the nature of work involved

• Globally, the demand for cocoa -and the price per tonne- are higher than ever and likely to escalate

• The process by which cocoa is currently harvested and processed is environmentally damaging and economically not rewarding for the farmers

• Plans to resolve the issue entail optimizing the soil that still has the right nutrients and improving the quality of soil where it is depleted by paying farmers to temporarily confine their harvest

• This solution will require an investment of time and money to support the farmers while they improve their land

Article Analysis

Complex

Interrelated

Environmental	Economic	Social	Political
-Unsustainable use of land in Ivory Coast results in destruction and depletion of environment on farms; land can’t support the crop -Increase in demand from other countries causes the need to cut into Costa Rican Rainforest; less mediation of CO2	-Cocoa is the Ivory  Coast’s main export, without a sustainable future for it their economy is endangered -WITH the help of others their economy can benefit -Global chocolate prices will continue to greatly increase as supply decreases, and during the ‘re-growing period’	-Chocolate is a part of some cultures- it has a glamourous and revered past as a resource more valuable than gold -For others it is just something enjoyable; a comfort food whose availability and economic status are about to change drastically	-The export of cocoa is being used as a political pawn by Alassane Ouattara, presidential claimant of Ivory Coast

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

There were underlying issues of environmental neglect. Cocoa farms were not environmentally sustainable or efficient. The political disturbance in Ivory Coast brought urgency and attention to this issue.

The strategies in place to develop and maintain sustainable systems of cocoa-farming must be carried out. Firstly, the government of Ivory Coast needs to reach some conclusion to the political games they’re playing; whether Gbagbo holds out and keeps power, or resigns and gives power to Ouattara. The start of a civil war will intensify all pre-existing problems in the country. After political problems are dealt with, there will be an opportunity to carry out the strategies already conceived to solve the environmental sustainability of the industry.

My Opinion

As Frederick Schilling says, “Cocoa is not a product that can be industrialized.”
This unique characteristic of cocoa farms makes them so different from the mass-production farms that generate the majority of the products we use. It makes the industry so appealing; in a world in which every last commodity is manufactured with speed and convenience in mind, there remains this one product that grows from the earth and must be harvested and processed by hand.   
                 I have heard a lot of talk about reducing consumerism, the ill-effects of factory farming and the problems with using GMO’s. All of those are problems that we are trying to fix, but right in front of us is an opportunity to avoid such dilemmas. The cocoa-farming industry is one that has the potential to stay ‘innocent’ in relation to other farming industries in that it doesn’t yet require the use of GMO’s and it is still generally a family-run procedure. To have such a traditional and rare industry still exist and contribute to our modern-day economy is a privilege, so I think it is vastly important that we support the plan to renew the farms and support the farming families while their land develops back into a usable state. In the meantime, other countries can focus on conscientiously maximizing their production of the crop.

This issue is a real-life cautionary tale, the lesson for the world is that it really is better to maintain ecological health and prevent catastrophe than have to chemically fix it later.

-Mary Tress