"Che"

This familiar yet intense face, is sported on t-shirts all over the world. Ernesto "Che" Guevara is the name belonging to this revolutionary. At the beginning of the year, in History class I was able to choose any book to complete a book review on. I choose Che, despite the endless possibilities I had.

Che was born a native to Argentina, and immediately took an interest in school. He took a large interest in traveling and eventually dropped out of Medical School in order to travel. His early observations in Peru, Buenos Aires and Guatemala sparked thought of change. The inequality among individuals and groups within a society such as economic inequality really angered Che. He witnessed first hand many unjust activities that would stay locked in his memory forever.

Che returned home and finished Medical School. He began to travel again and ended in Mexico where his support was for liberation. Ernesto came to trust Fidel and Raul Castro. These men began a secret training camp which sparked the Guerrilla Warfare. Che was an outstanding leader, with amazing tactic and wisdom.

From 1956 to 1966 he lead battles throughout Latin America. His revolutionary state of mind ended on October 9, 1966 when he was captured, shot and killed.

The reason he stood out to me so much was because, he and several man; disagreed with the way Juan Batista ran the country. Many things were occurring that were unfair. Many were starving and addicted to drugs. Land was taken from people and the people no longer had the right to vote. Che and others came together to fight the government, because they knew what they were doing was wrong. Che more than ever wanted to liberate Latin America’s oppressed and exploited masses. Che made three fundamental contributions to revelatory thought in Latin America. The Cuban experience showed that popular forces, could win in a war against a professional army. Another was that you didn’t necessarily have to wait until all conditions for revolution are present, that not all demand of people need to be met or fulfilled. Lastly if its to succeed than full concentration on rural areas, not just cities alone. He knew that he was a powerful person and that many supported his cause. With his fellow believers by his side he was not worried.

When he was captured and before he was put to death, he had told the officer, "I know you've come to kill me. Shoot, coward! You are only going to kill a man!" Che was not just another man, he believed in something and would not let the Government continue with things that were not right. It was a serious fight that drove him to the Congo, to live and fight in caves in the hills. It was a sacrafive and ultimately a life sacrifice he gave for the rights of man.

I know that there are so many issues I think about on a daily basis, that the government can just go on ignoring. Just the fact that The United States is fully capable of feeding all the starving mouths of the world amazing, but we don't feed the hungry. Instead we continue to let 4,000 die every hour of starvation. I would like to challenge myself to make a scene on an important life threatening issue, but the power of the government, compared to none(me), is scary. I think these days its just easier to get rid of someone who stands in the way, rather than dealing with the person. I do believe thought that one day a group of people are going to come together for the greater of the people and make a severe change or at least impact.

BP Oil Spill

On April 20th an explosion and fire took place on an oil rig that left 11 workers missing is causing a much larger dilemma than expected.

The rig sank 2 days later and on the 28th a leak was spotted. A well in the Gulf of Mexico has been leaking at was once said to be a rate of 1,000 to 5,000 gallons a day and may now be up to 60,000 barrels, which totals in 2.5 million gallons per day. With the rapid amount of oil spilling into the ocean, it is said that this oil spill may out due, The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

To cover up the initial place of leaking, the cost to BP said to be, 300 million dollars. The oil slick is 600 square miles, and could reach up to Louisiana shores. Not only is this extremly costly, but our wildlife is being effected as well. Whales, tuna and shrimp; dozens of species of birds; land animals, and amphibians are being threatened by this oil spill.

Oil booms are being used to clean up some of the mess. The booms are nylons stuffed with hair and fur that are tied together and used to surround and prevent the oil from further spreading. Over 750 vessels are involved in the response effort, including skimmers, tugs, barges and recovery vessels. The are taking the oil that has reached sea level and in-situ burning it, In-Situ is a process that consists of corralling concentrated parts of the spill in a 500-foot-long fireproof boom, moving it to another location and burning it.

When I first heard about this oil spill, was bout early last week. I could not believe I had found out so late. More importantly, i could not believe that this was not being talked about amongst people around me? I began to talk about it at work, and how scary this situation really is. When you look at the big picture, you can find it easy to notice several parts of the economy just decline even faster. Not only is our wildlife at risk, but so is our economy. Forty percent of all fish harvested in the U.S. (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) comes from the Gulf of Mexico, which now contains an oil slick visible from space. Another major concern is if the oil flows into estuaries and oyster beds, which will cause a major negative effect to wildlife and the seafood industry. I can see the prices rising on sea food, and illness as well if seafood providers are not taking extra precautions.

Prescription Addiction

I can not explain the amount of anger I feel when, I read about a drug overdoses. Especially when the drug is a prescription pill that was either given to that by the doctor or sold by someone who did have authorization to obtain the drug.

I often wonder how doctors determine which pill is suitable for a patient. Trial and error was the observation when I went to see my family doctor. I was experiencing anxiety, and told my doctor of the issues I was having. Almost immediately, I was offered Xanax. Xanax treats moderate and severe anxiety. Side effects include dizziness, dis-inhibition, suicidal ideation, hallucinations, slurred speech, drowsiness etc.

As soon as I heard that word my jaw dropped. I immediately shook my head, no that I didn't want that. I heard to many horror stories about friends becoming addicted. In 2002: 3,340,000,000 outpatient prescriptions were written by doctors. Without even checking to see if I had a history of drug abuse, I was already being offered a drug many abuse and sell. Prescription drug abuse is the #4 leading cause of death. Sales of prescription medicines worldwide rose 7% to $602 billion, according to IMS health, a pharmaceutical information and consulting company. Xanax is not the only cause for concern there are many others. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) 2004 Monitoring the Future survey, 9.3 percent of 12th-graders reported using Vicodin without a prescription in the past year, and 5.0 percent reported using OxyContin. Another recent survey reports that approximately 48 million people-about 20 percent of the U.S. population-aged 12 or older had used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetimes.

I can share stories upon stories, about the friends I have had with addictions. They love to enlighten other on how they got there drug of choic. Often they went into the walk in clinic, their doctor, or even the emergency room just to get pain killers. Guaranteed the epidemic has been noted and doctors are aware of the new way to obtain drugs. The problem is addicts and dealers are getting a hold of them and our moms, dads, brothers and sisters are becoming its prisoners.

The realization of prescription drug abuse really hit home, when I received news Saturday afternoon that a good friend overdosed. The drugs used were prescribed to him and the other to his friend. He fatally made the decision to mix drugs and was found the next morning. Seeing a young person lose their life to addiction and abuse is probably one of the hardest to deal with. Close family and friends stood asking questions, but we all knew. We all new that a large percentage of Sheboygans youth has fallen to prescription drug abuse. Parents fuel the fire by leaving their pills laying out and doctors by prescribing powerful and highly addictive drugs to millions of Americans. Doctors are prescribing the pills, but are not even communicating with psychologists or psychotherapists on the proper treatment for the feeling and emotions a person is experiencing.

Doctors prescribe to many pills to millions of Americans everyday. We just eat them up and presume the problem will be corrected. Its leading to abuse, addiction and eventually death. The availability is outrageous and the use and abuse is sickening. According to the NIDA, "The number of new nonmedical users of pain relievers increased drastically-from 573,000 in 1990 to 2.5 million in 2000."

In 2006, a total of 38,396 persons died of drug-induced causes in the United States. This category includes not only deaths from dependent and non dependent use of legal or illegal drugs, but also poisoning from medically prescribed and other drugs.

The numbers continue to increase for outpatient prescriptions, along with the number of drug overdoses added to the death toll. Families and friends will continue to fall into the vicious routine of pills and become prisoners to something smaller than a dime.