The fair trade movement began in 1960s, with the first fair trade certification created in 1988 in the Netherlands (1). Fair trade aims to provide fair prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and equitable partnership between workers and buyers. It does this by paying workers an “above-market ‘fair trade’” (1) price if specific labor, environmental, and production standards are met. Fair trade not only seeks to protect farmers but also to ensure that large corporations do not receive special privileges.

Organizations, such as Fair Trade USA and Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), have raised awareness to many shoppers about trading internationally. However, there are still flaws within the system, especially for fair traded coffee. The first flaw is the “price floor”, which is the minimum price for fair traded coffee (1). In order to understand the flaws it is important to understand the system. FLO pays a minimum price of $1.40 per pound of coffee bean (this price was in placed in 2011) and $0.20 per pound higher than commodity coffee if prices increase. Also, coffee is graded on their quality, so a higher grade (A) means higher quality. Because of the low demand for Fair Trade coffee, a problem arises between quality of coffee and whether it is labeled as Fair Trade. For example, a farmer has fair trade coffee grade A and fair trade coffee grade B, but there is only one fair trade buyer. The fair trade coffee grade A is $1.70 per pound in the open market and the grade B is $1.20 in the open market. In order to make a profit, the farmer must sell his fair trade coffee grade A at the market price of $1.70 without the Fair Trade label and the fair trade coffee grade B as Fair Trade coffee at the FLO’s minimum price of $1.40. This problem escalates as commodity coffee bean prices have increased from $0.40 in 2001 to $2.50 in 2011. (Example provided from source 1)

Another flaw is the new Fair Trade USA labeling policy for multi-ingredient products. The new policy will allow a Fair Trade label for products that meet 20% of fair trade ingredients. For example, a chocolate bar from a company with fair trade coca beans, sugar and milk and a company with only free trade cocoa beans (33% of ingredients) both receive the Fair Trade label. (2) So a company that meets the 20% fair trade ingredient gets put on the same playing field as one that is 100% fair trade ingredients. This creates an incentive for companies to use only the minimum amount of fair trade ingredients. This new policy completely undermines the Fair Trade standards.

Fair Trade USA and FLO has tremendously increase shopper’s awareness and created a way for consumers to purchase products that are meeting fair trade standards. But these standards change as our insight into the situation increases and the current fair trade standards do not reflect that. Fair trade standards should take into consideration and:
• Increase relationship between supplier and buyers. Reconnect production with sales. If workers don’t know the price there products are sold at or how much the collectors make, how do they know if they are receiving a “fair” price?
• Execute on its goal to alleviate poverty. Most organizations have this goal as a priority but few attempts are made towards this. However, there are a few organizations that take actions. Allegro pays higher than the Fair Trade price (1) and 85% of its profits go towards the worker’s community.
• Increase transparency.
• Include quality as a factor.

These are just some of many factors to consider.

It is important to understand and question existing models to ensure that the people’s wellbeing are taken into account.

-Krystal Le

New labeling policy: http://fairtradeusa.org/sites/all/files/wysiwyg/filemanager/Fair-Trade-Certified-Label-Use-Guide-2013_Dual-Labels_vers15.pdf

Source:
1) http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_problem_with_fair_trade_coffee
2) http://fairworldproject.org/blogs/fair-trade-usa-new-labeling-policy-is-harmful/
3) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/business/as-fair-trade-movement-grows-a-dispute-over-its-direction.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
4) http://www.globalcitizen.org/Content/Content.aspx?id=78a2fafa-52cc-4cdb-ad29-95f8e69aca62
5) http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/the_future_of_fair_tradeis_there_one/
6) http://fairtradeusa.org/what-is-fair-trade
7) http://www.fairtrade.net/
8) http://www.allegrocoffee.com/about/giving-back/origin-direct-program#nicaragua-selva-negra-2013

Violence. Protest. Awareness. Social movements geared towards change. People gunned down in the streets, beaten for speaking out. All throughout history, there have been many examples of violent and non-violent protests. From Dr. Martin Luther King’s civil rights protests, to the Tottenham Protests of England, the fight for change has been a turbulent but nonetheless progressive step towards protesting. Speaking out and relaying the message can come in all forms, but none more various and popular than protest art. When wanting political, economic, or social change there is more than one way to creatively display your point of view. 

Though there is no direct link to track protest art through history, what could have started in the early 1900s has gradually increased into the phenomena seen today. There are many different forms protest art can shift and morph into, like signs and banners, performances, illustrations, graffiti, and other cross boundary mediums to name a few. This type of awareness is not limited to one region, one state, or country. It has the potential to be seen and addressed throughout the world, in a way that could attract more followers and activists than in a march or occupation. It has become popular with the masses, as a person does not need to be a professional artist to take part in protest art. Any person with a voice to be heard can contribute and speak out for their cause.

There are many different examples in contemporary society of protest art. In Great Britain, youth are encouraged to advocate for their beliefs in a way they find expressive and creative. This protest may be shown in different forms, but all have the mixture of visual fun and politics. “I want to say to the government that a future that works will be a future where one can be innovative, inventive, creative, and imaginative,” said one U.K protester. Others will share their concerns on health, gay rights banks, workers’ rights, women’s rights, free speech, and democracy. In another country not too far away, Romanians have protest art of their own. In Bucharest, many different paintings and sculptures are breaching the surface, all displaying criticism towards communism. “A new exhibit of some 650 paintings opened this week at the National Library seeks to show how some artists subverted to regime, creating works that criticized communism or painting in styles like cubism that were out of favor.” Some work would never have been shown in public, in a time when censorship was rife, but still was used as a propaganda medium. It’s late justice. It shows there was resistance to the regime, not a violent resistance, but not everything was social realism.

Overall, protest art is a very appealing way for the average person’s voice to be heard. There is no need for formal art education, just a voice and confidence transformed into any of the various art forms. Protests started as a form of violence, an act aimed to hurt and make example of. Now there are many various mediums in which to be innovative and expressive to attain non-violent protest.

-Alexandria Hubbard

Sources:
Mutler, Alison. “Exhibit Shows Romanian Artists Resisted Regime.” Huffington Post Sept. 2012, U.S
ed.: n. pag. Print.

Smith, Bob, and Roberta Smith. “U.K. Portest Art is Hip Again.” theguardian Oct. 2012: n. pag.
Print.

Turkey. A blend of the familiar and the ancient, the east meets the west. Life in this melting pot of tradition and culture is seen as exotic and yet serene. Turkey is slowly but surely becoming a dominating force in the political, economic, and social light. The rapidly increasing economy has shocked people domestic and abroad, as this country enters the world stage. Energy usage in Turkey is on the rise. With its new dynamic energy economy, Turkey has had a shift in its energy policy, focusing primarily on changing from oil, coal, and natural gas to hydro, wind, geothermal, and solar power, while addressing its need to decrease its imports and rely more on its geographical advantage in location to the resource reserves and new desire of nuclear power.

Turkey has a multi-dimensional energy breakdown of resources. Natural gas is the resource the country relies on the most, making up 30.4% of their resources. Relying on some renewable resources, hydro power makes up about 25.5% of the overall production. Coal is their next biggest resource, using about 22.9%. Other smaller resources contribute to the means used, being wind, geothermal, hybrid, and renewable waste. Though their dependence on non-renewable resources is slim right now, they look to increase their use of sustainable resources and add nuclear energy. “Turkey ranks seventh in the world and first in Europe in terms of geothermal energy (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, n.d.)” Turkey also looks towards hydro, wind, and solar energy specifically, as those renewable resources would greatly benefit the energy market. “Turkey envisages producing 30% of its electricity need from the renewables by 2023 (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, n.d.)” If this goal becomes a reality, Turkey will be relying on sustainable energy as it currently relies on natural gas now, which would be extremely beneficial to the energy market and total energy production as a whole. This would begin to pave the way towards energy security, a step in the right direction for this young and increasing energy market.

As Turkey heavily relies on imported resources, it realizes that in order to reach energy security, they must come up with more domestic energy solutions. “Turkey aims to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels through gradual commissioning of nuclear power into the Turkish energy mix (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, n.d.)” Already having signed an intergovernmental agreement with the Russian Federation, this project to further stabilize the energy market is underway. The construction and operation of this nuclear power plant will be in Akkuyu. There are already talks and plans in the works for not only a second, but a third nuclear power plant as well. Knowing the risks and controversies involved in going nuclear, as well as having the reminder of Ukraine nearby, Turkey has already taken necessary precautions. “Turkey has voluntarily accepted to join the EU stress tests program. The important attached to such tests demonstrates Turkey’s commitment to the adoption and implementation of the most rigorous safety standards in the construction and operation of these plants (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, n.d)” Knowing how crucial it is to become domestically stable and reliable on its own resources and reserves, Turkey has gone to great lengths to get its people onboard with its policies, and by doing so keep the energy market afloat.

When people think of Turkey, they may think of it as a bustling second world country, known for its tourist definitions. However, Turkey is a country on the rise and slowly becoming an economic global power in its own right. Due to the rapid increase of their population and economy, they have felt the need to shift their energy policy to give them more energy security. Though they rely now heavily on imported, natural gas, coal, and oil, they are looking to increase and stabilize their energy market by being more efficient with their domestic reserves, broadening their renewable resources, and expanding into nuclear power. Though they have big dreams, Turkey is slowly but surely gaining their energy security, a must to stabilize and control their new energy market.

-Alexandria Hubbard

References
“Turkey’s Energy Strategy.” Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Republic of Turkey
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://www.mfa.gov.tr/
turkeys-energy-strategy.en.mfa>.
“Country Analysis Brief Overview.” U.S Energy Information Administration. Independent Statistics and
Analysis, n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=tu>.
Yazar, Yusuf. Renewable Energy in Turkey: Promotion of Renewable Energy in a Liberalizing Turkish
Energy Sector. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Print.

“Turkey: Energy Resources.” Open Energy Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.

<http://en.openei.org/wiki/Turkey>.

Developments in sustainability have been on the rise as many countries favor the idea of protecting and maintaining the environment. Sustainability is described as, “not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.” 1 More specifically, sustainable housing is the idea of building homes that are environmentally stable so that next generations do not have to compensate for the previous generation but can instead focus on their own environmental needs. This could mean being efficient in energy, water, and land consumption, securing health-related topics, and decreasing various pollutions in the environment. 2

Sustainable housing projects all over the United States and world are being implemented with hopes of creating a more eco-friendly environment. An example of one of these projects is being conducted by a man who is wanting to build a community with 225 homes that meet standards of expanding open areas and protecting natural surroundings. 3 The developer, Eric Olsen, said, “I think it will fulfill the long-term dream of creating a sustainable, interesting, liveable community.” 3

Sustainability development projects have become a more popular trend within architects and builders of homes as well as other infrastructures in the United States. Some of the top three most sustainable architecture projects in the United States, according to Karissa Rosenfield, are Arizona State University Student Health Services, the Bud Clark Commons in Portland, and the Bushwick Inlet Park in New York. 2 These structures, along with seven others, will be rewarded the for their “sustainable design excellence.”

These projects have also been growing in others countries like, “Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, England, Germany, and South Africa.” 5 Sheri Koones, author of the book titled Prefabulous World: Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Homes Around the Globe, believes that any home can be made out of modern, eco-friendly materials. Her book mentions homes from all over the world that share the goal of creating an efficient infrastructure despite their various methods of making them.

The idea of sustainability in our culture is a way to appreciate the green methods of building and constructing homes. This idea is growing rapidly especially in areas that realize the potential danger of their environment due to current methods of construction. Sustainability in homes is efficient, more manageable and will provide a balance that the future world will thank us for.

-Stefanie Froelich

Resources

1 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sustainability
2 http://www.sustainablehousingfoundation.com/about-shf/sustainability-defined/
3 http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/money/real-estate/2014/04/27/developer-wants-build-houses-fairview-site/8184927/
4 http://www.archdaily.com/499039/aia-names-top-10-most-sustainable-projects-in-u-s/
5 http://www.forbes.com/sites/rahimkanani/2014/04/23/prefabulous-world-energy-efficient-and-sustainable-homes-around-the-globe/

Turkey enjoys deeply rooted cultural, historical, religious and social relations with Arab countries, especially during critical times as these. One of Turkey’s main political goals is to keep up positive ties with the Arab world through close dialogue and cooperation. Over the past few years, Turkey has made great efforts to further develop and diversify relations with a number of Arab countries, including Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. Iran and Turkey have strong economic ties, but usually fall on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to regional conflicts, and ultimately see each other as rivals. Turkey assumes a strong, open anti-Assad position that includes support for foreign military intervention against Assad’s regime which angers Iran, however, both countries stood against Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi’s overthrow. Turkey-Israeli ties have included strong economic and military cooperation before Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule, but as of late, tensions have increased under Erdogan, creating a bump in the road when Israel raided a Gaza-bound Turkish aid fleet, killing nine civilians. Relations have since improved, after Israel apologized for the offense in 2013, but turned ill once more when Prime Minister Erdogan blamed Israel for the military dismissal of Egyptian President Morsi. Erdogan has called Morsi’s dismissal a “coup” and has blamed Israel for backing it. “Experts” of the on-going, politically and socially complex middle-eastern relationships are constantly working to “decode” the nonstop events of the region. Turkey is in a fragile position in a very fragile region and must act conservatively given its relatively neutral position in current middle-eastern affairs.

-Eli Archer
http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkey_s-relations-with-the-middle-east.en.mfa

http://www.rferl.org/contentinfographics/infographics/25103887.html

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/04/23/Turkey-s-Middle-East-experts.html

Sri Lanka, a country and island conveniently located on the Indian Ocean, has always been an economic hotspot for many surrounding countries. Despite the ties that India and Sri Lanka have, an Indian official claimed that there has been a higher prevalence of other neighboring countries in Sri Lankan territory. One of these countries is China who previously assisted Sri Lanka in ending their civil war in 2009. Within the year, the Chinese government has proposed a new plan called the “maritime Silk Road plan” or, as other officials would call it, a “port-led development” or “Sagar Mala.” The goals of this plan are to build a stronger connection with Sri Lanka while enforcing the building of new ports and improving infrastructure of older ones. With this idea, China hopes to “coordinate customs, quality supervision, e-commerce and other agencies to facilitate the scheme,” Xinhua news agency said. Despite what may seem like a genuine effort, professional analysts are concerned that this Chinese initiative might have an alternate goal of spreading their military bases within countries in the Indian Ocean Region.

Other officials are also skeptical of this plan, including one saying that the “priority” of this Silk Road Plan is to rebuild ports and free trade zones. Regardless of the ambiguity, it seems as if the Sri Lankan government isn’t necessarily concerned with Chinese military bases in their country but they are more so worried that these bases are primary targets of attacks from opposing countries.
India is now placed in a situation where they need to gain political and economic power dealing with their ties with the Indian Ocean Region and specifically, Sri Lanka. Xi Jinping, China’s president has made it priority to expand and improve Silk Roads. If India doesn’t take a stand against other authoritative governments, they might lose the benefits of their strategic location and the ties they have with their closest country, Sri Lanka.

-Stefanie Froelich

Sources:

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-11-12/news/43981368_1_india-s-indian-ocean-china-and-pakistan

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/china-silk-road-plan-to-push-indian-ocean-ports-trade-zones/article5922957.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinas-maritime-silk-road-to-focus-on-infrastructure/article5929297.ece

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/string-of-ports/

What is gene therapy, you ask? What are T-cells? That will become very clear as I tell you about their promising role in medicine and in fighting cancer, specifically leukemia- a topic that everyone is familiar with. Gene therapy is the process by which DNA is used as a drug to treat a disease- it is altered to encode a functional, therapeutic gene and is used to replace a mutated gene. T-cells are white blood cells that circulate and scan our bodies for abnormalities and infections and, therefore, are crucial for immunity. They are categorized into two types: killer T-cells and helper T-cells. The killer T-cells scan cells; finding and destroying cells that are infected or cancerous. The helper T-cells, on the other hand, are responsible for arranging immune responses and play vital roles in immunity.

According to a study published in Science Translational Medicine, gene therapy presented promising results in ridding three adults of acute leukemia. The patients were diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had worsened with chemotherapy. The researchers filtered the patients’ blood for T-cells and genetically engineered them with a virus that carried genetic material capable of recognizing CD19. CD19 is a protein expressed in B-cells and once the T-cells were transferred back into the patients, they were able to attack both cancerous and normal B-cells. Despite unpleasant and risky immune reactions, the patients went into remission.

Renier Brentjens, the lead author of the paper, told The New York Times that, “We had hoped, but couldn’t have predicted that the response would be so profound and rapid.”

I believe, as Dr. Brentjens says so himself, that the success of gene therapy in cancer is truly promising. This method will be tested in a second trial with 50 patients and can even be promising in treating other types of cancers in the future.

– Faranak Zamani

image information: Scanning electron micrograph of a human T cell (Wikipedia)

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34857/title/Immune-System-Kills-Cancer/

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/genetherapy

http://www.tcells.org/beginners/tcells/