Know Your News, Week 4: TCC Current Events Update
Egypt’s Election
The tension in Egypt is building to its breaking point as the results of the last week’s election are being postponed. Originally the results were to be released on Thursday, but the military recently announced they would not be released until the weekend, and in the mean time they continue to amass more control in the government. Around 100,000 demonstrators filled the main square in Cairo, because the military previously promised to hand over power to the new elected president immediately, but it now seems they are up to something that is starting to look a lot like a coup.
The military, which currently has control over the government and recently dismissed the parliament, is responsible for one of the candidates, Ahmed Shafik, a former air force general. The fear now, is that military officials are going to scrap the actual results of the election and announce Shafik as the winner, putting the power back into the hands of the military, and into the hands of Shafik—the man appointed by former president Mubarak, before he was forced to step down.
The other candidate, who is favored by public opinion, is Mohammed Morsi, from the Muslim Brotherhood party. He is convinced that he has won the election, and this is backed by a public vote count.
Concerns are growing that the military has no intention of releasing power, and looking over recent rulings, they certainly haven’t been acting as though that is the plan. They dismissed the recently elected Islamist parliament, and are now blocking the demand for citizens to have a voice in creating a new constitution, which could otherwise preserve the military’s power and privilege.
Looking back over history, there is no shortage of examples like this that end with a military take-over. Egyptians, and the rest of us, just have to hope that this time, military take-over won’t be the case. This is a hugely important time in Egypt’s history, so keep an eye open for the election results.
Read more here:
New York Times- Showdown in Egypt Escalates in Fight for Power
MSNBC- On ‘Verge of Explosion’: Huge Protest as Egyptians Await Election Results
Zimbabwe MPs get Circumcised
We all, regardless of our sex, cringe when we hear the word circumcision. The idea of cutting off any chunk of skin is hard to think about, not to mention in such a sensitive area—but thank god it happens at such a young age, right? That way you don’t have to ever actually remember the pain.
In Zimbabwe, however, many adults are now facing this daunting procedure. Zimbabwe is a country with a very high rate of HIV and AIDS, and recent UN findings have shown that men who are circumcised could have a reduced risk of HIV infection by 60%. In an effort to raise awareness of this, and to promote this practice, members of the Zimbabwe parliament are volunteering to step up and undergo the 10-minute procedure.
The Chairmen of Zimbabwe Parliamentarians against AIDS was the first to be circumcised, and 10 other MPs followed, with 120 others openly supporting the plan. The hope is that men throughout the country will be inspired to follow suit. It might take a good deal of convincing however, for, despite the very large decrease in risk for such a common and deadly disease, the practice is not only out of the norm, but also doesn’t sound all that nice on paper.
Read more here:
BBC- Zimbabwe’s MPs to be Circumcised in Bid to Fight HIV
Priest Convicted of Child Endangerment
The whole priest-involved-with-child-sexual-abuse thing certainly isn’t new, but the conviction of Monsignor William Lynn is, and marks a somewhat historic moment.
Lynn himself was not accused of any sexual abuse crimes, but instead for child endangerment by attempting to cover up such crimes committed by other priests. The major offenses Lynn made were keeping the acts of predator-priests from the public, helping the predators maintain their positions within the Roman Catholic Church, and helping them find new positions in other unsuspecting churches. Additionally, Lynn, in 1994, compiled a list of 35 suspected predator-priests that he kept to himself. At least one member on that list was still actively preaching at a church until this year. Lynn is now facing up to 7 years in prison.
This case marks a historic moment because it is the first time that an American church official is convicted of a crime based on how he handled claims of abuse. There have been plenty of instances where a church official was charged for committing abuse or sexual abuse, but this is the first time anyone has taken a hit for failures to prevent such crimes. Attorneys and law enforcement officials hope that this sends a strong message: there are real consequences for failing to report sexual abuse, and that those who have remained silent should do so no longer.
Read more here:
CNN-High Ranking Priest Guilty on One Count in Child Sex Abuse Case
MSNBC-Roman Catholic Church Official Convicted of Endangerment in Priest-Abuse Trial
Category: Future, Other, Self Improvement
