The Pacific @thepacific241 - Tumblr Blog

God makes people do the dumbest things.

Let us now summarize the most notable and recurring point that we've learned from this brief Tumblr experience on 'developing countries', namely: Americans don't know anything about far away regions [especially that of the Pacific], besides that they are far away. No family better encapsulates this modern adage than that of the Gastonguays. Hannah and Sean -- mother and father of two -- decided one day that they no longer wanted to 'pay taxes for abortions they don't agree with', so logically, they uprooted from their home in Ash Fork, Arizona and set sail off the coast of San Diego, California and set sail for the Pacific Island of Kiribati.

They wanted to flee to a place 'that wasn't too big' so that they could raise their children without governmental influence. Lets see where they went wrong.

Taking on the Pacific ocean in a sailboat

The assumption that Kiribati is a country without modern laws or governance

The lack of ANY ecological research on their would-be island paradise: current data projects that in 30 years, the entire island [like other islands of the Pacific!!] will be underwater.

Although it probably isn't the fault of the family for this harrowing and ill-informed journey, the three year old and eight month old infant daughters could not be reached for comment.

#child endangerment #kiribati #onward christian soldiers #afiya of the pacific241

There's more to Aussie cinema than Crocodile Dundee . Thankfully.

This Buzzfeed quiz does really well at illustrating just how little "foreign" media we really receive here in the United States. While media in the United States, from celebrity gossip to music to movies and television, saturates the global market, we receive very little of pop culture and media from other countries. There are one hundred and sixty five movies list on this quiz, and I could only remember seeing six of them. While individuals outside of the United States can certainly name actors and singers from the U.S., I cannot even think of one Australian actor that I am familiar with (and no Hugh Jackman and the Hemsworths don’t count, they operate primarily within the United States). This just further illustrates the points made in class about the prominence of the United States worldwide not just economically or as a military power, but as a strong and influential media presence throughout the world. As the tagline on the quiz states, “There’s more to Aussie cinema than Crocodile Dundee. Thankfully.”, but you may not realize this if you live in the United States, as this movie is what one may base their entire view of Australia on due to the lack of representation their media has in this country.

The agreement, which includes China, Japan and the United States, comes at a time of growing concern about territorial disputes among China and some of its neighbors.

This article discusses the tensions that currently exist around the Pacific Rim area concerning ownership of waters, specifically concerning China, Japan, and the USA. These waters are contested and as a result several countries have had run-ins with one another that were potentially disastrous, as they involved military surveillance. This caused these countries to come together in order to support the “Cod for Unplanned Encounters at Sea”, which establishes new guidelines to prevent conflicts from arising between these countries. This is incredibly important as recently China and Japan have been in disputes over control of islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, that are currently being controlled by Japan. It is also important to note the position that the United States has taken concerning this land dispute, they have said, “the disputed islands fall under the United States-Japanese mutual defense treaty. ‘And we oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands,’” This statement was not received well by Chinese officials, who believe that the United States, “should respect the facts, in a responsible manner abide by its commitment not to choose sides of a territorial sovereignty issue”

This demonstrates the way that colonial powers still play a huge role in the “ownership” of islands, as well as waters, in the Pacific and how these disputes effect the identities of the inhabitants of these islands.

Video footage shows man being punched, kicked, spat at and racially abused by two young women dressed for the races

Just in case you got confused and thought that difference in racial politics across cultures was necessarily equated to the absence of hate crimes, here's a video for you. It's triggering, and the description that follows can be equally so, and are detailed in the tags.

A brief run-down:

Two women board a Gold Coast bus and begin to verbally berate a 77-year old man who they perceive to be Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander. When he doesn't respond in a manner which they would prefer, they begin to physically attack the man, kicking, beating him with fists, and spitting on him after his attempts to fight back and defend himself largely fail. The young woman filming the incident yells to get someone to intervene, and towards the end of the nearly two minute video, a male passenger does so by pushing the women off the now parked bus.

The incident follows a string of similar race-driven crimes on public transportation in Australia, such as the attack on an Asian-born schoolboy last year and the threat of "Speak English or die" delivered to a French woman the year prior.

One of the women has since turned herself into the police.

What is most striking to me about this article is the description of the perpetrators as 'two young women dressed for the races'. I will, at a later date include a full description of a archetype of the Australian Moll.

#tw: assault #tw: hate crime #australian racial politics #afiya of the pacific241

http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/deepsea

This article is a lengthy one all about the struggle to discover the depths of our Earth's oceans. The Challenger Deep is the deepest known point in all of our oceans. At just under 11,000 meters deep, the Challenger and HMRG deep jut farther below sea level than Mount Everest stands above.

Mount Everest, guys.

The article in particular points out the then-current hype about the discovery of Kepler-22b, an exoplanet with the propensity to support liquid water and an orbit of its own star on a cycle equal to about one earth year while considering that there are still these places on our own Earth we have yet to really understand. Unlike that of the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping was able to do for the Challenger and HMRG deep, the Marianas Trench and Tonga Trenches cannot presently be precisely studied .The tectonic pressure and specific placement near the earth's crust won't allow for it.In many places that deep, there is the potential to set off tremors that can set off underwater earthquakes, and then tsunamis. But that doesn't mean we should abandon all hope of understanding this hulking mass of rock first, before exploring its extraterrestrial twin.

#Kepler-22 #Marianas Trench #Tonga Trench #afiya of the pacific241

Recently, the Royal family took a trip to New Zealand, and they did a lot of stuff that everyone else does, but they are famous so it made the news. However this video demonstrates that not all the reports on the trip were done the same, some, like this video, were blatantly racist and ignorant. Throughout the video the Maori culture is being described by the reporter, Jeanne Moos, in terms that are incredibly offensive and which reinforce the stereotypes of hypersexuality and exoticism that are often applied to Native Pacific cultures. Initially she remarks on what the Maori warrior who introduces himself to William is wearing, calling it a “Royal Bummer” and adding a cartoonish sound effect to the picture, while simultaneously remarking on his traditional tattoos, calling it “decorated buns”. This demonstrates the way that the reporter, who is American, is clearly ignorant and purposefully demeaning towards Maori culture, as she others them at every possible opportunity. Later in the video the reporter goes on to say that this encounter reminds her of when Laura Bush visited New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan, describing the trandtional Maori greeting with terms like, “slapping and thrusting”, and comparing the greeting to “a cross between a chippendale’s lap dance and the mating dance of the emu.” This not only is insulting to the Maori peoples who performed both of the greetings, but is also incredibly racist as she dehumanizes the people by comparing them to animals. The reporter then plays a montage of clips which she describes as “world leaders going native”, effectively othering the various peoples in the clips, while distancing the world leaders from the performances that are occurring. Ultimately, this reporter hypersexualizes, dehumanizes and exoticizies Maori culture, as well as other cultures, by comparing them to strippers and animals. This is incredibly offensive and definitely should not have been condoned by CNN.

Sixty years ago the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Marshall Islands. Photographer Jessie Boylan from Castlemaine writes about her visit.

This article remembers the bomb dropped on the Marshall Islands as a "test" by the United States. I think that the most disconcerting part of this article is that the US would drop this bomb, knowing it had people living on the islands. The article goes on to say that the bomb left debris falling from the sky like powder. The people of Marshall Islands thought this was soap or shampoo and rubbed it all over their bodies, giving them major illness from radioactive exposure.

I think also a great point of this article is the relation between the survivors of this bombing and of Hiroshima. There was a connection felt between the survivors in conversation, and they could relate to each other on the level of the trauma. I like that there can be some kind of global connectedness in spite of such a huge tragedy.

-KK

Bora Bora is home to the first overwater bungalow. It was created specifically to help increase tourism on the island, which is its main source of economy. Although I hate to admit it, I find these a little bit awesome and would want to go to Bora Bora to stay in one. They are designed to make you feel like you are in an oasis, which is just what Bora Bora is designed to do for Westerners. Many of them have glass floors so you literally can see the pacific aquatic life right from your bed. Still a little bit awesome.

"The room service arrived in a canoe and exotic fish frolicked just beneath the floor when Gary Leff spent his honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Life is good when you're in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and even better when you're staying in an overwater bungalow -- that iconic, stilted, thatch-roofed symbol of a tropical paradise." - Time.com

-KK

Because New Zealand's climate is better than ours for winemaking, more wines come out of the pacfic in places like Australia and NZ. Their climate mixed with their unique soil structure makes a perfect place to plant the grape vines. Nobilo has become my favorite white that I originally found eating at the California Pizza Kitchen when I lived in Charlotte, NC. I find it interesting that a wine that presents itself as so "exotic" makes its way as a wine featured in a United States chain restaurant.

"It was Sauvignon Blanc that put New Zealand on the wine map, however the diversity and sophistication of New Zealand wine styles has assured the love affair with New Zealand wine lives on around the world.

Today, with the dedication and innovation of wine producers like Nobilo, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs continue to improve each year and are still considered some of the finest in the world."

-KK

'Legend' - Anti drink-driving advertising campaign from NZTA featuring 'ghost chips'. For all that are wondering: - The music was created by Franklin Road St...

Check out this awesome PSA out of New Zealand! It’s a simple, humorous ad set at a Māori teen party.Produced back in 2011, its an ad targeted to teens that talks to them instead of at them. It’s a code for PSAs that has been yet undiscovered by the preachy and ineffective drinking/drug commercials that we’re familiar with here in the US.

Hands down, favorite line of the 2 minute video,

“You know I can’t grab your ghost chips.”

Seriously, watch it.

#maori teens #new zealand #PSA #drunk driving #afiya of the pacific241

We wouldn't want a little racial humiliation to get in the way of free speech.

Recently Australia’s government has been debating on the Racial Discrimination Act that is currently in place. The current Australian Attorney-General, George Brandis, as well as the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, are the ones at the head of this debate, as he wishes to repeal section 18C, under the guise of it limiting free speech. This section deals with hate crimes based on “race, color or national or ethnic origin”, if repealed it would no longer make offending, insulting or humiliating someone based on this criteria illegal. While the conservatives within Australia has applauded the move as a way to protect free speech, many others view this as setting “a dangerous precedent and will allow more hate speech to go unchecked or unpunished.” This attempt to repeal 18C, understandably, sparked outrage in the country, especially considering the current status of asylum seekers in Australia. Not only will this have a large impact on the way they asylum seekers will be treated, but it will also effect the Maori peoples of Australia as their rights to exist without being harassed will be no more. By repealing this section of the Racial Discrimination Act individuals would be able to target Maori people, as well as individuals born outside of Australia, which according to the census of 2011, comprises 31.2% of the population. Upon being questioned about the potential for bigotry that repealing this section would created, Brandis responded, “People do have a right to be bigots, you know.” sparking outrage throughout Australia, while simultaneously implying that the rights of a bigot are more important than the rights of the victims of bigotry. This attempt to repeal section 18C has been challenged by Chris Bourke, an Indigenous Labor MLA, who has butt forth a motion to review ACT laws to ensure that they “cover any gaps left by federal changes.” This would ensure that even if section 18C gets repealed laborers would still retain their rights to be free from harassment.

This is relevant to class in that it opens discussions on the topic of self-identification and what labels are more relevant to situations. In this situation while gender can very well be a factor of hate speech, this section deals with race and ethnicity. This leaves gender as perhaps not the most important factor in this situation, although it is important to note that racially or ethnically motivated hate speech can often incorporate gender, which raises questions about where this law will leave Maori and other women who may become victims of harassment.

The Cook Islands are the best place to shelter money reaped from a luxury panda-shooting business.

Recently The Daily Show did a report on the “new Cayman Islands”, that is to say a new place for the wealthy to hide their money to avoid taxation. The Cook Islands are now being used as a place where the rich can keep their money hidden, and are being called “the Crook Islands” due to this tax evasion. The United States does not have any right to the Cook Islands, which makes it the perfect place to store money. This demonstrates the way that colonialism still plays a role in the way that the legal and bank systems work in these islands, specifically for wealthy western businessmen. The video even states that the laws concerning this tax-evasion and money hiding have been written by American lawyers, creating the perfect environment for illegal activities. While the video is humorous in nature, this is a very serious matter as it reduces the islands into objects to be utilized by the wealthy for the sole purpose of hiding their money from the United States government. This hunt for “Tax Havens”, as the islands used for tax evasions are called, is detrimental to both the United States and the Islands that are being utilized. This is relevant to class in that it demonstrates the effects of colonization on these islands, while simultaneously demonstrating the way the west utilizes these countries for monetary gain without taking into consideration the way that this may effect the peoples that reside there. By making the Cook Islands the “new tax haven”, the economy of the island will be heavily affected by the amount of money that is now present within this country. This also reinforces stereotypes that exist about the Pacific as being “native” or “primitive”, which of course are untrue, by viewing them as a place where you can be above the law, or as the video implies, one can do anything they want regardless of the legality.

I found the book that I was talking about in class today! I didn't read this one, but I read the sequel for an assignment in middle school. From what I remember it was an okay book, but I'm sure if I read it now I would have a different opinion!

It’s a good time to be an awkward spring breaker. After all, there’s an app that helps you get laid in any situation. There’s Grindr for gay hook-ups, Tinder for straights, 3ndr for threesomes, and Pure for making sweet love. There&...

So in class today I mentioned an STD app that is being protested by Native Hawaiians due to the name "Hula". This app apparently helps you inform others of your STD status which would help people make informed choices about who they sleep with. However, choosing the name “Hula” is offensive to Native Hawaiians as it takes an element of their culture and appropriates it for a completely unrelated purpose. The name for this app was chosen by the creator for the play on words of “Choose Hula, it gets you lei’d”. Obviously Hula dancing has absolutely nothing to do with STDs, and the creator of this app is refusing to change the name even though there is currently a petition on change.org that has almost 4,000 signatures. The creator did, however, remove all references to “getting lei’d” that had been on the app, but this is not enough to eliminate the offensive nature of the name of this app. The change.org petition states, “hula girl stereotype not only reduces Hawaiian women to purely sexual play things, but it presents the idea that the embodiment of Hawai’i and its culture is childlike and primitive.In actuality, hula was and still is a sacred art form of the Hawaiian people.” This demonstrates the way that utilizing the idea of Hula for an STD app further hypersexualizes the Native peoples of Hawai’i, while simultaneously undermining their culture and traditions. This relates to class in that my group talked about the various ways that Native Hawaiians have been portrayed and how their culture has been appropriated for tourism and other similar industries. The Hula app enables people to easily download this app without realizing the problematic language that it uses, spreading ignorance and refusing to address cultural appropriation and the damage that this does to Native cultures.

Another article quoted the creator, Bastani, as saying, “‘We loved the idea of calm and beauty of anything Hawaiian," he said, "which is the antithesis of anything having to do with health care.’” It goes on to state, “ Learning about Hawaiian culture has taught him that hula is a dance that's a ‘communication tool’ used to pass on information among generations, Bastani said. ‘That plays very well with what we actually believe as the core of the company.’ This further demonstrates the way that the creator of the app has little understanding of Hawaiian culture beyond the exoticized and commercialized form that is prevalent within mainstream media. SW

P.S. Sign the petition!

P.P.S. Here's a link to the app, and an article written by a Native Hawaiian who shares his concerns about the app!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hula-find-clinic-or-doctor/id681370869?mt=8

http://www.civilbeat.com/voices/2014/03/28/21624-an-open-letter-to-the-hula-sexually-transmitted-disease-apps-ceo/

One person was killed and dozens injured amid unrest at an Australian detention center for asylum seekers on a remote island in Papua New Guinea.

If I can speak quite plainly, I had no idea this was going on. I just had to read through the article when I read it's titled and promptly realized I had no idea where or why Australia runs a center for asylum seekers and how the detainees there might come to be hurt there.

Anyone who's ever seriously considered living in Australia knows that the island country has a issues with immigration. Like intense issues. So intense that the the country operates offshore centers for processing asylum seekers. Say someone needed desperately to flee to Australia. To safeguard against those brave refugees who might set off on a personal boat across the Pacific just to find a safe haven, they are instead transported to Manus and the tiny Pacific island of Nauru (the same island that's being flooded as a result of greenhouse gases!).

People are held at these centers until their immigration can be properly processed, which, depending on their country of origin, can take an indeterminable amount of time. And while they're there, the conditions can be riot-inciting. This article isn't the first to document civil unrest on the off-shore centers. Human rights advocates report episodes indicative of rights violations ranging from self-harm, hunger strikes and suicide attempts.

If we take away nothing else from these next few days of studying the Pacific region, its that more often than not, these arbitrary lines drawn for the countries, colonies and islands create spaces of controversy and conflict in a myriad of unprecedented, complicated ways.

#asylum #detention centers #human rights violations #australia's immigration #afiya of the pacific241

Kieren Keke remembers growing up on the Pacific island of Nauru, the world's smallest independent republic.

You open up your front door to begin work for the day and the ocean rushes up to meet you.

But really. You can literally feel the spray of a crashing wave at 8:00 AM.

This is the current reality of many of the inhabitants of Nauru (most of which who live along its coast), a tiny island of only eight square miles, but it hasn't always been this way. The seasons on Nauru were predictable, characterized by a wet season and a dry season. Today, the island experiences periods of drought of up to 8 years long, and when precipitation does occur, intense storms abound. As a result, the coastline has begun to erode.

So now, the foreign minister of the world's smallest independent republic is vying for the support of other world governments in an effort to get them to agree to a revamping of the Kyoto Protocol, a second commitment to reduction of emissions. And while many countries are prepared to at the very least agree to this binding contract, unfortunately large nations such as Japan, Russia and Canada are not as apt to sign the commitment which would last from 2013 to 2020. Currently pressure is being put upon India and China, the world's third and first in greenhouse gas emissions, to sign onto the Protocol.

#compassion for your fellow man?#Kyoto Protocol #Alliance of Small ISland States #afiya of the pacific241

9-11 Chile (september 11 1973)

For those of you focusing on Latin America and anyone else who's interested, here is the link to the video I was talking about this morning in lecture. It is a narrative of Chile's day of remembrance for the military coup (backed by our then president) against Salvador Allende and the rise of Pinochet on September 11th in 1973. It's equal parts both revealing in terms of the U.S.'s role in politics of other countries and wholly upsetting.

#9/11 #Chile #U.S.#Pinochet #Nixon #gore #afiya of the pacific241

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