News

In recent decades, the Internet has become far more than a research and communication tool—it has become a wealth-generating machine and a tool used to topple governments around the world. This fact has prompted nations to seek to control Internet commerce as well as the political power inherent in the Internet.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast over the weekend, destroying properties and drenching parts of Texas and Louisiana. One Houston county saw over 30 inches (nearly a meter) of rain in just 72 hours (Washington Post, August 28, 2017). Officials expect over 30,000 people in evacuation shelters, and President Trump designated parts of Texas and Louisiana national disaster areas.

There is a daily deluge of news stories about gun violence and the deaths of young people involved in gang activity, or another ambush of a police officer, or a protest that becomes a riot, often with loss of life and property damage. Big metropolises like Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Houston and even smaller cities like Little Rock, Arkansas seem unable to curb the shootings that end up leaving pools of blood on their streets. Small towns are not spared as the drug culture and resulting crime leave no part of the country untouched by these deadly pursuits.

Recent studies in the UK suggest that lung cancer rates among those who have never smoked have doubled in the last ten years, and this increase may be related to severe air pollution (The Times, August 12, 2017).

In the last five months, the deadly diarrheal disease known as cholera has infected over half a million people and killed about 2,000 so far—mostly children and the elderly (Deutsche Welle, August 14, 2017). The disease results from water and food supplies that are contaminated by dirty, sewage-laden water. Sadly, there is not enough clean water to improve conditions that are causing the epidemic, and there are not enough doctors or hospitals to treat the sick.